[81alum]

IMO, it's too early to draw any conclusions.  We are a young team.  We'll see how they finish the season.

Agreed.  And I am not sure that TVD would be doing a better job had she stayed on another year.

So far we CAN say this about Paye:  she has 

1) (so far) recruited better than nearly any other program in the nation and also retained recruits that might have been scared away by TVD's retirement;

2) spoken clearly, intelligently, and incisively about the need for improvement and how to accomplish that--never sugar coating our problems but also maintaining a positive environment;

3) brought in two transfers that are each a net plus to the team.

4) Some players have developed and improved over the course of the season, most notably Clardy and we may be seeing signs of Ogden and Umeh coming along. 

But Cardfan's observation does strike a chord with me.  I well remember how weak the 14-15 season started and how much better we finished.  I don't get the feeling we are going to finish as strong this year.  Some of this may have to do not only with talent levels but with experience levels.  We do have less talent than we have had for some time--probably less than that 14-15 team- but we emphatically have FAR less experience among our starters than we have EVER had in decades.  It seems to be making a big--negative--difference.

But issuing a grade right now would be like giving a student a grade for the semester without looking at their final exam.

[81alum]

IMO, it's too early to draw any conclusions.  We are a young team.  We'll see how they finish the season.

Agreed.  And I am not sure that TVD would be doing a better job had she stayed on another year.

So far we CAN say this about Paye:  she has 

1) (so far) recruited better than nearly any other program in the nation and also retained recruits that might have been scared away by TVD's retirement;

2) spoken clearly, intelligently, and incisively about the need for improvement and how to accomplish that--never sugar coating our problems but also maintaining a positive environment;

3) brought in two transfers that are each a net plus to the team.

4) Some players have developed and improved over the course of the season, most notably Clardy and we may be seeing signs of Ogden and Umeh coming along. 

But Cardfan's observation does strike a chord with me.  I well remember how weak the 14-15 season started and how much better we finished.  I don't get the feeling we are going to finish as strong this year.  Some of this may have to do not only with talent levels but with experience levels.  We do have less talent than we have had for some time--probably less than that 14-15 team- but we emphatically have FAR less experience among our starters than we have EVER had in decades.  It seems to be making a big--negative--difference.

But issuing a grade right now would be like giving a student a grade for the semester without looking at their final exam.