Francois Rioux: May 2008 Archives

Mike Jarvis being named the new head basketball coach shouldn't be a surprise to anyone, with rumors & early reports all indication he would be the man, many Owl fans are now just happy the search is finally over.

He has taken Boston University to the Big Dance twice, George Washington three times and made three more trips with his former team St. John's.  Florida Atlantic has been to the tournament once during the Green ERA, yet the Owl program never took advantage of that trip.  So, what can we expect from Jarvis now that he is an Owl, is it fair to expect conference championship with some trips to the dance?  You bet, even these where goals for the program when Walters was here and I would expect nothing less from Jarvis. 

The expectations are there, regardless of what this program has done to this point, you don't hire someone like Jarvis to remain at status quo, and Angelo's has proven with past hires that he is willing to take a chance on a coach with a high profile and padded resume, to bring this program to a high level of play.  Sure there are risks involved and we have felt the pain associated with taking risks, and then there is also the flip side, with great risk also brings a chance for bigger rewards. 

My only concern now is how long we can expect Jarvis to stay.  It's no surprise that FAU works with a very tight budget and football is the King and they even have difficulties. 

Jarvis will have to be more then a coach, but an ambassador for a program that needs better community support.  The one thing that does help him, he does live in Boca, so he is already establish within the community and that is a big step-up on any other candidate that applied for this job. 

The chase to the title game and a possible birth at a regional comes to an end at the hands of the Hilltoppers. 

After a rough start on Thursday the Owls fought hard to get to within one game of the championship title game, a loss yesterday brought an end to a season and an era to one of the most successful coach FAU has had, one that brought this program to national recognition well before there was a football program that is trying to do the very same thing. 

I get the feeling that Coach Cooney may not be leaving on a full stomach, there has to be some disappointment not having been able to give his current & former players a place they could call home, sounds kind of familiar doesn't it.  I say this because the current facilities are in need of major renovations and we all know how facilities play a major role in recruiting, building and maintaining a program, to compete at the highest levels.

This is a program that found success on a national level since 1999, one that the football program is trying to reach, yet has not gotten the respect it truly deserves for its accomplishments.  We continue to bring nationally rank teams to Boca, how I don't know, other then we rely on a reputation that Coach Cooney was able to create and developed with the success he brought to a program he dubbed "the Blue Wave", it surely can't be the embarrassment of what is now being called home to this baseball team. 

In the mean time, Cooney had to watch funding being raised for a new football stadium that would pale any comparison that would be needed to renovate the baseball field and also witness a 10 million dollar renovation being done on "the Burrow", still not on par with most Sun-Belt facilities.  Sure, there have been talks of renovations and even possible donors that where pushed to football instead, so you can feel Cooney's frustration and bitterness, but also some disappointment, for not being able to provide his kids with the type of place they would feel proud of.  He has become an intricate part of the player's lives as most coaches do, becoming part of their families, as an extended father figure.  And it's only natural to feel some disappointment, for not being able to provide a home for the players that have come here to build a program (much like the pioneers of the football program have done).  The Blue Wave did it first and has earned & deserves a new home they can be proud of, justifying the hard work and dedication they brought to build a program to national prominence. 

We fans sometimes forget what it means to be a coach at this level and the demands that is placed on them.  I hold Cooney with the utmost respect for everything he has done and accomplished here at Florida Atlantic, he has gone far beyond what a coach in his position should ever be expected to do, yet he chose to do so, because of his players and love of the game. 

There is still plenty for Cooney to be proud of; having built a program that has gotten national recognition & respect, to all the young men he recruited and how he affected their lives for the better.  Yet, for everything that he has done for this program, one man can not do it all.  As far as I know, he did more then enough.

I wish Coach Cooney and his family nothing but the best as they march forward on a new life's journey.

Nothing has comes easy for these Owls this season and must now beat the Hilltopper's twice to advance to the championship game on Sunday. 

Yep, they must face the same team that greeted the Owls to a nice Cajun style brunch on Thursday, which the Owls have recovered nicely since then, moving them one step close to playing on Sunday.

Let's not jump ahead of ourselves though, there is still much work to be done, beating a team twice is no easy task, especially one featuring a more balanced team then the Owls.  At this stage of the tournament you would hope that the Owl's offense will take over and start to overwhelm the Hilltoppers pitching, they have carried this team this far and I would expect nothing less from this group of guys.

One thing for sure, this team is resilient enough for "One more little Victory".

 

There was a time this season, when this team looked destiny to make yet another appearance in a regional, with the hopes of ending a drought that once had become a norm.  There's no secret why this team has stumbled along the way and Cooney doesn't duck the issue and seems more perplex from a staff that held so much promise at the beginning of the season.   Life has a way of humbling us sometimes and there still seems to be hope emanating that this pitching staff can deliver an inspired performance.  This is a group that has had their moments and must now find a way to bring it all together, for this tournament series.

Is this asking too much from a staff that isn't operating at 100%, not knowing how many innings Storey will be able to throw?  I think that there is enough fuel in the tank, it just a matter of the players digging a little deeper, something Cooney was hoping might happen during the course of the season and what better time for them to deliver. 

No one is asking for an Oscar type of  performance here, the pitching have shown that they can be solid, it's just a matter of everyone doing it in the same series. 

While the pitching staff has struggled, the supporting cast has been nothing but spectacular, posting record numbers near the top of the nation in many categories.  There could easily be some finger pointing and discontent among teammates, yet they have shown a sense of calmness knowing they need to go out and produce.  This business as usual attitude has allowed this group to compile some impressive numbers, showing great fortitude  knowing they have to carry the burdens of the pitching staff on their shoulders, doing so with out complains.

Image what this team could accomplish if for one series they can put everything together and be the team that battled with some of the best teams in the country and can some how find a way to finish. 

It's been a strange season for the Owl's baseball team, hard to get a grasp of what this team is capable of.  The present line-up features plenty of fire power and the pitching have been spotty at best.  Hard to explain how you can play some of the toughest team around the nation like a team that belongs in a regional and faltered against weaker competition and resemble one that should stay home for post season play.

With a win over cross town rival, Florida International on Saturday, the Owl's solidified the #4 seed in the Sun-Belt Tournament that starts on Wednesday and will play Western Kentucky; a series the Owls won two games to one.

One thing is certain, if the Owls want to go deep in the Championship series, the bullpen will have to do a better job and give the starter a lift.

The first round pairing for the Sun-Belt Tournament:

10:00am Game 1: #3 Troy vs  #6 Louisiana-Lafayette
1:30pm Game 2: #2 New Orleans vs #7 South Alabama
5:00pm Game 3: #4 FAU vs #5 Western Kentucky
8:30pm Game 4: #1 Louisiana-Monroe vs  #8 Middle Tennessee

 

The Hottest team going into the tournament appears to be New Orleans, one of the match-up to watch in the first round will be Game 1, Lafayette struggled all season much like the Owls, but have found some fight as of late and should give the Trojans a tough test on Wednesday.

The Owls only lost two conference series during conference play, getting swept against the top two teams in the tournament which proved to be very tough series.  Confidence might not be at the highest as far as pitching goes, but I am hoping that the Owls are looking to give Coach Cooney a nice send-off present, by taking the Tournament Championship.

 

I haven't had a chance to do much homework on any of the candidates yet, and have remained an observer over the process and have not committed to any one candidate so far.

I have heard some of you make a case for your favorites:

The PBPost seems to lean towards Price, the Sun-Sentinel Jarvis, some on this board have made a clear decision on Balado should get his chance to shine & some have leaned toward Jarvis.

Balado probably possesses the ability to become a good coach, yet we would have to endure a learning curve much like  we did with Rex, yet I feel like it might be a bit longer for Balado.  Rex was exposed to the other part of what it means to be a head coach (administrative, which is not aways an easy process to get a handle on), I don't think Balado has.

I am always a firm believer in giving people a chance to prove themselves, the only problem I see with Balado is the inexperience, not as a coach, but what it means to be a Head Coach which does involve much more then the X & O's, but the daily operations of a program.  Sure, he might possess the potential to become a good one, the question I have is can FAU as a program wait 3-4 years for him to develop.

There has been talk of FAU as a program moving to a bigger & better conference and that indicates to me that Balado might not be the guy, not because of his abilities, but lack of inexperience that would work against him if the time table that might exist for us to move to a different conference - not saying it's going to happen, just throwing out something that needs to be considered because this is something that has been discussed already and does play a roll in this decision process.

You would hate to lose a quality coach because of this, but it does present a limitation that exist against Balado.

And the same can be said of any assistant on that list of possible candidates.  Part of the problem I see, is 
Rex was suppose to be the guy that got us there, instead we are back to square one, we cannot allow ourselves to continue to start the process over, if we are serious about growing this program and moving to a biggger & better conference - stability is key.

All this seems to favor a candidate with experience

Now, comes a reality check - what is the actual possibility of FAU even getting the chance to moving to a better & bigger conference.  I don't think anybody really knows, even the folks in athletics because it is something that is out of their control, yet I believe that it is becoming part of the thought process.

IMO, Angelo's seems to like experience and a candidate that brings instant credibility - Doherty for example.

Angelo's took a chance with a newbie in Rex and I am not sure he wants to repeat that with Balado, which unfortunately could work against Balado.

I am interested in bringing in some stability to the program & would be willing to give anyone the chance that is qualified even if it did take 4-5 years to accomplish.  Another factor that does exist is, how upfront is Angelo's & Brogan with the candidates with the limitations that exist with a program like FAU or do possible candidates think that they are above any limitations & can somehow overcome them with the name recognition they may have, thus once they actually feel it they want out ASAP.

This is a program that holds many potential for the right candidate and it will take a lot of hard work on and off the court.  Each program hold different challenges and it will be up to that person to adapt to the position & the limitations that are present to help bring this program forward.

I guess we will find out soon enough who that person will be.