I smell another contract extension in the works!

[BLACKnBLUEnGOLD]

Part of the problem is that either MSU has set really low expectations for basketball or that Huse has been able to redefine the expectations so that they're easier for him to meet. Listening to him talk, the expectation seems to be that the Cats will make the tournament in a good year.

That's crap. That's definitely not the same as it used to be, either. I remember when the Cats were expected to make the tournament, and if they missed it, that was a serious failure, and something needed to be done about it. A good year meant the Cats beat the Griz at least once, made the tournament with a respectable seed and made a fair showing of themselves there. A great year meant they went dancing, won the conference's regular season, swept the Griz, and/or won an NIT game. And you know what? I was fine with that. Maybe I'm guilty of having expectations that are too low, but as long as the Bobcats were a legit, competitive team in the Big Sky, it was fun for me to watch. They don't have to be Gonzaga. They don't have to be Weber. They barely even have to be the Griz.

Huse's definition of a good year seems to be sneaking in as the 7th seed and then getting embarrassed by Northern Arizona. His expectation is that below average is good. I'm not sure if this is coming from the University or if it is his own design, but even if that's Fields's goal, Huse doesn't seem to have his own internal goals that are higher. That's not okay with me. I want good to be above average again. That's all I want. I think that's reasonable.


Another part of the problem is that Huse is either bringing in players who aren't as talented as they seem, or he's not developing the players to play as well as they should given their talent. It seems like every year the optimistic narrative is that the next few years will be better because of the coming recruiting class and the fact that our freshmen flashed some talent when Huse actually put them on the floor. And as much as I am not an optimist, I usually do see at least some of what they mean. Huse has recruited some guys that I've been excited about. Some of the freshmen have looked really good. But for years, we haven't moved beyond that stage of having exciting recruits and tantalizing freshmen. Not enough of them ever develop into really productive players. Most of them end up being just as occasionally tantalizing as they were freshmen year, but no better, or they end up transferring, or both.


Either way, a big part of the problem here is Huse. He needs to go.