Murry Bartow

Should Murry Bartow be fired?

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Murry Bartow

After a 10-22 season, which is the most losses in school history, should coach Murry Bartow be fired? Please see the poll on the right side of the page to cast your vote.

The 22 losses are the most in school history. The 50 point loss to VCU is the worst home loss in school history. The 32 point home loss to USC-Upstate is the 3rd worst home loss in school history.

Feel free to state the reasons why you voted yes or no in the comment section below.

Me personally, I have been attending and watching ETSU basketball games since 1989 and this has to be the most difficult season I’ve seen, I think the time has come for a change.

What is your opinion?

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Are the Bucs living in the Glory Days Today or in the Past?

Scott Lawson 1 Comment
Murry Bartow

Murry Bartow“Glory Days, well they’ll pass you by, Glory Days.” -Bruce Springsteen

Those lyrics while referencing baseball tend to resonate with some when thinking about ETSU basketball.  Fans reminisce and romanticize about the “Glory Days” of Mister Jennings, Calvin Talford, Greg Dennis, Marty Story, etc…  We’ve all heard the tales of magical wins, the great upset of Arizona in the NCAA tournament and how ETSU basketball was the hottest ticket in the Tri-Cities.  In that time, coaches Les Robinson and Alan LeForce built a power that was feared and respected among circles all over the nation.  It wasn’t IF ETSU would win, it was when they win and by how many points.  Fast forward to the Murry Bartow era.  Wins losses, the struggles against Belmont, the dreaded zone defense, but memories of greats like Wadood, Fields, Sneed, Tim Smith, Mike Smith, Courtney Pigram, Justin Tubbs, Thomas, and countless others.  Buc fans love these guys, we discuss great wins over Fresno State, the amazing comeback at the Roundhouse in 2004, cutting down nets for NCAA appearances.  Yet most fans don’t feel as though we’re in a “Glory Days” era.

It got me to thinking, that and a few posts over at etsufans.com.  What era has been the most successful in ETSU basketball history?  I started looking at wins, losses, conference championships, postseason appearances, and even 20 win regular seasons.  I ran everything but attendance and I didn’t run attendance because ETSU under Madison Brooks didn’t have the Mini-Dome to play in.  So, after running the tale of the tape, if you base it on wins and postseason appearances alone, Murry Bartow is the most successful coach in ETSU history and we’re living the glory days.  He’s had more postseason appearances than Robinson and LeForce combined.  And, while Madison Brooks and LeForce are the only ones to win NCAA Tournament games, LeForce was let go after the program slipped from the “Glory days” and Brooks only had one postseason appearance in 15 years though he has the most wins of any coach in ETSU history.

So my opinion, which along with a nominal donation will get you ETSU season tickets available through etsubucs.com or by calling the ticket office, is each era was its’ own Glory days.  We’re comparing apples and oranges.  Basketball in the 1950’s and 60’s was completely different than the landscape of college basketball in the late 1980’s and early 90’s, and the college game is completely different today.  Each of the more celebrated coaches in ETSU’s history have faced different challenges, with really a different style of game in each era.  Given the landscape of what ETSU has gone through in the Murry Bartow era with athletics, his accomplishments have been nothing short of amazing.  But the same goes for Robinson, LeForce, DeChellis and Brooks.  Different eras, different conferences, teams, rules, styles of play, but all of the above should be celebrated by Buc fans with the coaches all being in the ETSU Hall of Fame.

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Bucs Continue Tradition of Winning Off the Court Under Bartow

Scott Lawson Leave a comment
Murry Bartow

One of the ETSU slogans adopted in the 2000’s was: “ETSU, Winning the Right Way.”  In conjunction with the NCAA trying to show that college athletics is more than just a pro sports factory, they released very real numbers showing that the overwhelming majority of college athletes will “Go Pro” in something other than sports.

For ETSU men’s basketball, making sure the athletes are ready to go pro in something other than sports is job one.  Under the leadership of Murry Bartow, ETSU has not only managed to rack up more 20 win seasons and postseason appearances than most of his predecessors, he’s always graduated nearly all of them.  In a world where at one time coaches like Bob Huggins sported a classic underachieving ZERO PERCENT graduation rate, Bartow has followed in the footsteps of men like his father and former Indiana coach Bob Knight.  Four year players such as Zakee Wadood, Travis Strong, Jerald Fields, Sam Oatman, Andrew Reed and Mike Smith have all tasted postseason glory, but next to memories of cutting down nets is something that’s irreplaceable, a college degree.  There’s been success from Juco transfers too, players like Dillion Sneed have gone on to obtain his degree, and certainly will have one heck of a career in broadcasting when he’s done striking fear in pro leagues overseas.

There’s just one, small flaw.  Now, none of us are perfect, and neither is Bartow’s graduation rate.  He has a blemish, Tim Smith, the legendary guard who once went on a 10-0 run at Tennessee in 60 seconds, by himself, is one semester away from graduation.  When Mr. Smith recieves his degree, which I’m told should be after the fall 2012 semester, Buc hoops will have graduated every four year player that’s came through and stayed at ETSU start to finish.  We know some have left the Bucs for whatever the reason, whether it be horrific tragedy or it just doesn’t work out but if they’ve stayed, they’ve graduated.  That, is winning the right way.

 

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