Dartmouth at Drake 12/21

[jaysfan24]

I almost feel bad for D+ fans at this point. Anyone know how long Phelps' contract is?

[unipanther99]

I know we are supposed to be in-state rivals and all, but I really feel for Drake fans. They deserve better than this.

[Drakey]

You will truly never see another team this incompetently coached. Phelps makes Kanaskie look like john Wooden. He just doesn't have any idea how to coach a basketball team, and if any of his assistants have a clue, he's not letting them have any input. Two of his assistants were sitting on the bench with their heads buried in their hands toward the end of this game. I'm sure Richardson (assistant) will be gone next season, and if Ohl (assistant) can get another job,i'm sure he'll leave too. I have a feeling that the players are starting to figure out that their leader is clueless, and I would anticipate that his stellar recruiting classes may be gone by next season. They have all pretty much regressed under him anyway.

[iSASO]

Please, o please, won't you stay in the Valley? I don't know what we would do without you.

[Ace Dad]

After reading post after post after post about Coach Phelps and his inability to coach, I finally went to the Drake University website to see this guy's background. I assumed I would find a guy who worked at Kmart for five years before flipping burgers at McDonalds. I fully expected to find someone without basketball experience. I found:

....Under Phelps’ dedicated approach to recruiting and program building, Drake’s incoming recruiting classes for the past two seasons have been ranked the best in the Missouri Valley Conference, pointing the Bulldogs on the road to success. The Bulldogs’ 2009-10 recruiting class was No. 1 in the MVC according to Van Coleman’s Hoopmasters.com. Scouts Inc., in conjunction with ESPN.com, rated Drake’s signees for the 2010-11 class the best in the MVC, as well. ....

Phelps’ 31 victories in two years at Drake are the second most wins accumulated by a coach in his first two seasons at the helm of the Bulldogs, trailing only the 32 wins achieved by Forddy Anderson in 1946-48..

...Under Phelps, Drake has played a traditionally strong schedule; over the past two seasons the Bulldogs played 28 games against teams that advanced to postseason play....

...Plelps, 44, has been a basketball coach for 21 seasons, including 14 years on the collegiate level after a highly successful high school coaching career. The Virginia Beach, Va. native had served on the coaching staff at North Carolina State under head coach Herb Sendek from 1996-2006 before joining Sendek at Arizona State in 2006.

.....Prior to joining the college ranks, Phelps, a 1996 Old Dominion University graduate, was very familiar with outstanding basketball programs having had a highly successful tenure as a high school head coach. Phelps coached his way to a 148-53 (.736 winning percentage) overall record during his six years directing a pair of Virginia independent high school teams....

I do not know the man. I have not observed a Drake game the last two years. What is it specifically that he does or does not do as a coach for him to be labeled so poorly by his fanbase? Or, is this a situation where the team is not doing as well as expected and the coach is responsible?

[DUBulldog]

After reading post after post after post about Coach Phelps and his inability to coach, I finally went to the Drake University website to see this guy's background. I assumed I would find a guy who worked at Kmart for five years before flipping burgers at McDonalds. I fully expected to find someone without basketball experience. I found:

....Under Phelps’ dedicated approach to recruiting and program building, Drake’s incoming recruiting classes for the past two seasons have been ranked the best in the Missouri Valley Conference, pointing the Bulldogs on the road to success. The Bulldogs’ 2009-10 recruiting class was No. 1 in the MVC according to Van Coleman’s Hoopmasters.com. Scouts Inc., in conjunction with ESPN.com, rated Drake’s signees for the 2010-11 class the best in the MVC, as well. ....

Phelps’ 31 victories in two years at Drake are the second most wins accumulated by a coach in his first two seasons at the helm of the Bulldogs, trailing only the 32 wins achieved by Forddy Anderson in 1946-48..

...Under Phelps, Drake has played a traditionally strong schedule; over the past two seasons the Bulldogs played 28 games against teams that advanced to postseason play....

...Plelps, 44, has been a basketball coach for 21 seasons, including 14 years on the collegiate level after a highly successful high school coaching career. The Virginia Beach, Va. native had served on the coaching staff at North Carolina State under head coach Herb Sendek from 1996-2006 before joining Sendek at Arizona State in 2006.

.....Prior to joining the college ranks, Phelps, a 1996 Old Dominion University graduate, was very familiar with outstanding basketball programs having had a highly successful tenure as a high school head coach. Phelps coached his way to a 148-53 (.736 winning percentage) overall record during his six years directing a pair of Virginia independent high school teams....

I do not know the man. I have not observed a Drake game the last two years. What is it specifically that he does or does not do as a coach for him to be labeled so poorly by his fanbase? Or, is this a situation where the team is not doing as well as expected and the coach is responsible?

We're Drake fans. Drake fans know bad basketball. We've seen way more than our share over the years. We know bad coaching. We've seen way more than our share over the years. This team looks completely unprepared on a regular basis. The schemes are terrible, the execution is terrible, the substitution patterns are ridiculous. That's coaching.

Bulldogs lost to Iowa State by 48. We thought that was an anomoly, a fluke. Two games later, they lost to St Johns by 43. These are "BCS" programs, but not teams that anybody would mistake for top 25 teams. There is no excuse for those kind of losses. There is no excuse when you lose at home to a Dartmouth team that probably has no players you would have recruited.

One team looked sharp and focused. One didn't. One team scored on out of bounds plays after time outs. The other team turned the ball over after time outs. One team had a plan and stuck to it. The other team looked like it had no plan. Example.....first three possessions of the second half.....Rayvonte Rice gets the ball on the right baseline, drives in for a layup. Second possession, Rayvonte Rice gets the ball on the right baseline, drives in for a layup. Third possession, Rice gets it on the left baseline, hits a 3-pointer. They found something that works, right? They never ran those sets again.

With all due respect, AD, I understand where you're coming from. But, if you saw this team, you'd understand. If you talked to 100 Drake fans, you'd have a hard time finding one who would defend this guy's coaching. He took a team that won 28 games the season before he took over, and within 2+ seasons, returned the program to the worst level it's been at in 30 years. And that level at Drake is very low.

He has turned long-term fans apathetic. He has undone all the progress made by Tom and Keno Davis. It honestly wouldn't surprise me at all if this team went 0-18 in the MVC this season.

[DUBulldog]

Ace Dad....here is a much shorter, more to the point response:

Peter Principle

[Ace Dad]

Good response. Did not realize you guys had lost by such a margin. The loss margin alone would get my attention. Some guys are great Assistants and should stay great Assistants. The next two seasons will tell the tale for his future. The Peter Principle may be appropriate.

[Aces0976]

Just from an outsider's perspective, it does sound like Phelps may just be one of those guys that is a lot better as an assistant coach, rather than a head coach. There's no doubt the man can recruit, but as a head coach that's only part of the job. As an assistant, he could be used more to focus on recruiting. Rather it's warranted or not, it certainly sucks when, as a fan, you lose all confidence in your coach. Hopefully things get better over there (except for Jan 12 and Feb 23). I tend to agree with Ace Dad that coaches often get too much credit and too much blame, but that's part of the job, and it's just a fact, some people just aren't cut out for some jobs.

[Drakey]

You would have to see it to believe it, but even then you may not realize how bad he is as an outsider, because you will not have a good idea as to the level of success that these players should be having. Ben Simons was runner-up for Mr. Basketball in the State of Michigan. He was great for his first 7 or 8 games under Phelps last year. Now you would wonder how he ever got a D1 scholarship. Seth Van Deest, whom Phelps raved about before the season started gets 3 or 4 shots a game. ryan Wedel (Kansas Mr. Basketball) has to run around and chuck up desperation 3's because there is no offense ot create a shot. we don't have any inbounds plays. We have no scheme to beat a press. We get outrebounded by everybody in every game. Phelps switched from exclusive matchup zone to exclusive man to man this year when he has players who are either unwilling or unable to stay in front of the player they are guarding. nothing he does plays to the strengths of any of his players.

I know Acedad does not like to hold coaches accountable, but this is entirely coaching, something Phelps is not suited to do.