Originally Posted by
msdukie
That wasn't her first season. That was her second season.
Her husband was not a professor at our mortal enemy. He went there. A far worse sin in my book.
The biggest issues regarding the transition were that Coach G built the program from virtually nothing, made Duke at worst a top-5 program consistently, her teams were fun to watch, you felt that while she was cursed in the postseason, the day would come someday (a la Coach K) where she would get a ring. Also, as time went on, the students supported the team (more on that below).
Joe Alleva, who I think should be considered without debate the worst athletic director in Duke history, made some unwise statements in the public about Coach G coming back when she was thinking about Texas and the widespread belief was that he really did not care about keeping her and did not make the effort he should have. I've also been told that there was some friction between G and Alleva, which had at least some impact on her decision, even if it was not the deciding factor.
There were a lot of questions about Coach P's credentials (the aforementioned recruiting and "tractor" offense) and whether Duke conducted a very good search for a replacement. The recruiting has been great, obviously, over the past year plus, possibly at a level higher than Coach G. The recruiting was not up to par before that, I think bringing in Tricia Stafford-Odom has done a world of good for recruiting.
The tractor offense concerns have come true and quite frankly watching this team is quite painful at times. I record the men's and women's games and like to go back and watch good games. I have no desire to go back and rewatch any women's game of the past 3+ years due to the offense. I can count the number of screens set in the Coach P era on two hands (yes, I understand that the offense is run though the post first and is a different style of offense, than a motion offense, but still) and an examination of the assist/turnover ratio in each boxscore since 2007 is astounding, but consistent.
There were a number of concerns in 2008 and 2009 about how the returning players felt and were treated. The departure of Emily Waner was the most obvious sign.
Another concern is that the student body has essentially abandoned this program. Virtually all of the support from the program comes from the residents of Durham and some alums. While student support was never spectacular under Coach G, it improved annually, and the students would show up in huge numbers and fill the student section for MD/UNC/Tenn/UConn. Remember, the Goestenkorsville (there was another female reference to the letter G I won't repeat that was used as well) campouts? There has been no Palumboville.
Coach P was hired with the mandate that she was here to finish the job and win national championships and understood that. At no point in the past 3+ years have I once felt that this coaching staff is going to win a national championship. And this is from someone who has supported the team, wants us to win every time out, flies up to games from Florida regularly, watches every game on TV/Internet and has had season tickets for every season since graduating from law school in 2000. Thus, my emotional investment fuels my concern.
I will continue to watch, continue to support, and continue to want our team and staff to do well and I really want us to get the ultimate prize (many times). I just hope that my concerns and prediction about finishing the job are ultimately proved wrong. Certainly, with the recruiting success of late and the fact that we have not heard of recent dissention, the situation has improved.