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Ken LaVicka Weighs in on Hoop's State of the Union & Jarvis' Contract

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Ken LaVicka Weighs in on Hoop's State of the Union & Jarvis' Contract

Hey all, Ken LaVicka here.

Heard, read a lot over here the past few weeks, feel like I should address:

1. As for "red flags" that Jarvis has "lost" the team. I'm not being a schill, but as someone who's around this team a lot, there's just no basis for that. Listen, the roster lost the 2x SBC Defensive Player of the Year, a kid whose sheer physical ability masked some issues on the perimeter defense. He always had to be checked offensively, opening the lane for penetration, then giving room for the kick out. Royster fueled both sides of the ball last year. The adjustment without him has been tough, but it's a process. It's really pretty simple.

2. I disagree that this team hasn't gotten open looks. I'll give you the ULL and UALR games. Other than that, no. This team just isn't hitting shots, and it's been an issue a good portion of the year. When the shots aren't falling, guards try to penetrate, the bigs can cheat to them because as of right now there's not a major inside influence on offense. The open looks are there, the shots aren't falling. Unfortunately, there's no fail safe remedy for that.

3. Kore White is frustrating, it's true. Everyone, including him, is puzzled why he can't take that next step. His career isn't over yet.

4. For those of you who think Jarvis solely blamed the refs for the FIU loss, you're just listening selectively. Did he mention them? Yes, but he was also very critical of his team. Watch the video, read the transcript. As for the officiating, I would hope he would point out the fact that two…TWO fouls that should have been on the floor were called two-shot fouls in back-to-back possessions to start the 2nd half. It's egregious and mediocre. He didn't use it as an excuse, but it was brought up and he talked about it. He was prompted, it didn't just come spewing out of his mouth.

5. I don't want to be brash, but this mindset that it's a good thing FAU hasn't yet commited to Jarvis yet is asanine. The fact that we're disappointed with a how a season is going because of the high expectations is evidence of the progress this program has made under Jarvis. This "what have you done for me lately" talk is insane. You realize we're talking about Florida Atlantic, right? A predominant commuter school that leads the Sun Belt in student attendance? That's a number that has nothing to do with the size of the arena and everything to do with a genuine interest in the product. The success of a coach isn't just judged by wins and losses. If that was the case, half the coaches in the Sun Belt would be fired every year. Four years ago 600 people was a mind-blowing crowd at the Burrow. In 2012? It's disappointing. Jarvis has injected life into the program, something some thought could never, ever happen. He's tapped into the student population, something no coach before him has even ever really thought to do. That in itself is enough for a nice raise and extension. Then you add in the 20-win season, the regular season title, and the NIT appearance…in year 3…and near upsets over two ranked teams, plus Washington and Miami in year 4, and that speaks volumes. Jarvis organized his own fundraiser in the offseason and raised thousands upon thousands of dollars. Yeah, that's a guy who shouldn't come back next year.

6. This has been a season of disappointment, especially in the conference. You know what, though? Regardless, this team's future was always going to come down to the first week of March in Hot Springs. Not even the great Middle Tennessee State will be in-line for an at-large bid this year. Last time I checked, there were still 6 games left, then the trip to the tourney. I understand the frustration, but we're not in a position yet to call this season a failure. There's a lot of important basketball left to play.

Thanks for letting me react. Go Owls.
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Re: Hey now would be a great time.

If you dont think our player with the most upside on the team (K. White) not developing under a coaching staff he has been with for years is a red flag I dont know what to say.

If you dont think losing at home to a mediocre at best FIU team by 20 points is a red flag I dont know what to say.  Not to mention losing a few other games by double digits at home (the MTSU game was uninspired and embarassing).

If you dont think he has lost the focus of this team at times I dont know what to say.  (Maybe we should watch the Sienna game together on tape).

It is the SunBelt, and nobody is talking about firing him or that wins/losses are all that matters….we are discussing contract extensions and raises.  I think he should be paid on par with the top half of the belt, but he is in no position to be making over the top demands at the moment.

The problem with your Royster comment is yes, he was a great player and I knew we would miss him.  However, most on this board feel like we have enough talent to win without him…I think a developed K. White and J. McCoy are plenty in the paint in the Belt.  However, they have been LOST at times.

Teambeer is the most knowledgeable FAU sports fan I know, way smarter than me.
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Re: Hey now would be a great time.

walty12 said

If you dont think our player with the most upside on the team (K. White) not developing under a coaching staff he has been with for years is a red flag I dont know what to say.

If you dont think losing at home to a mediocre at best FIU team by 20 points is a red flag I dont know what to say.  Not to mention losing a few other games by double digits at home (the MTSU game was uninspired and embarassing).

If you dont think he has lost the focus of this team at times I dont know what to say.  (Maybe we should watch the Sienna game together on tape).

It is the SunBelt, and nobody is talking about firing him or that wins/losses are all that matters….we are discussing contract extensions and raises.  I think he should be paid on par with the top half of the belt, but he is in no position to be making over the top demands at the moment.

The problem with your Royster comment is yes, he was a great player and I knew we would miss him.  However, most on this board feel like we have enough talent to win without him…I think a developed K. White and J. McCoy are plenty in the paint in the Belt.  However, they have been LOST at times.

I agree with everything that you said Walty, and would like to add…

Everyone knew we were going to lose Royster, but let's be honest he wasn't some elite player that went on to be drafted. What did Jarvis not know he was going to lose this elite defender and couldn't prepare for it in the offseason? I think at this point in the season that is a lame excuse for poor play. It's not like Royster was a lottery pick.

As for the adjustment without Royster being difficult? We returned a first-team all-conference guard (Taylor) and a second-team all-conference guard (Gantt), who both were named to the preseason all-conference team. Taylor was even named the preseason conference MVP by ESPN. We also returned a veteran guard in Tucker and added a big man (Penn) who was supposed to mock Royster's defensive style.

If Kore White is so frustrating, why give him minutes?
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Re: Hey now would be a great time.

FAU said

walty12 said

If you dont think our player with the most upside on the team (K. White) not developing under a coaching staff he has been with for years is a red flag I dont know what to say.

If you dont think losing at home to a mediocre at best FIU team by 20 points is a red flag I dont know what to say.  Not to mention losing a few other games by double digits at home (the MTSU game was uninspired and embarassing).

If you dont think he has lost the focus of this team at times I dont know what to say.  (Maybe we should watch the Sienna game together on tape).

It is the SunBelt, and nobody is talking about firing him or that wins/losses are all that matters….we are discussing contract extensions and raises.  I think he should be paid on par with the top half of the belt, but he is in no position to be making over the top demands at the moment.

The problem with your Royster comment is yes, he was a great player and I knew we would miss him.  However, most on this board feel like we have enough talent to win without him…I think a developed K. White and J. McCoy are plenty in the paint in the Belt.  However, they have been LOST at times.

I agree with everything that you said Walty, and would like to add…

Everyone knew we were going to lose Royster, but let's be honest he wasn't some elite player that went on to be drafted. What did Jarvis not know he was going to lose this elite defender and couldn't prepare for it in the offseason? I think at this point in the season that is a lame excuse for poor play. It's not like Royster was a lottery pick.

As for the adjustment without Royster being difficult? We returned a first-team all-conference guard (Taylor) and a second-team all-conference guard (Gantt), who both were named to the preseason all-conference team. Taylor was even named the preseason conference MVP by ESPN. We also returned a veteran guard in Tucker and added a big man (Penn) who was supposed to mock Royster's defensive style.

If Kore White is so frustrating, why give him minutes?


+100 Delt and walty!
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Re: Hey now would be a great time.

If you haven't noticed Penn has been doing a MUCH better job defensively now. Remember that block to seal the win against WKU? The improvement of Penn from the start of the year to now is CRAZY. I remember seeing him come in and making bets with my friends about how fast it would take him to commit a dumb foul (the over/under was about :45 and usually it was less than that.) THAT shows the Jarvis still knows how to develop players. The lack of development of White is like Ken said, puzzling. Also, coach did try to bring in another big to help out in the middle but he didn't make the grades (which is crazy). OK, so maybe he should have a recruited another big but I'm sure he's even surprised at how poorly we are shooting. I've heard him say it himself that he doesn't understand why the same guys who don't miss in practice are the same ones throwing up bricks this season. Someone tell me what our record would be if White was decent and the opposition had to make sure they guarded him or he'd put 15-20 on them. Like I've said all season, our record would be almost flipped if White played up to his potential. Coach has said that Kore is one of his greatest coaching challenges ever and he just can't seem to find the right strings to pull.

I think this season is just a mix of a bunch of things:

1)Shots just not falling
2)Not having a big to make up for those shots not falling
3)Jarvis not having a contract extension in place. I think that could have something to do with it, how would you feel if you didn't know if you'd be employed in a couple months?

I can only think of 3-4 REALLY bad losses; KU, MTSU, ULL and FIU. The rest we were either close to winning down the stretch or played good basketball but just couldn't finish.

I wish Jarvis would just get an extension so we can get over this topic.


GO Owls!
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Re: Hey now would be a great time.

Owlsley said

Hey all, Ken LaVicka here.

Heard, read a lot over here the past few weeks, feel like I should address:

1. As for "red flags" that Jarvis has "lost" the team. I'm not being a schill, but as someone who's around this team a lot, there's just no basis for that. Listen, the roster lost the 2x SBC Defensive Player of the Year, a kid whose sheer physical ability masked some issues on the perimeter defense. He always had to be checked offensively, opening the lane for penetration, then giving room for the kick out. Royster fueled both sides of the ball last year. The adjustment without him has been tough, but it's a process. It's really pretty simple.

2. I disagree that this team hasn't gotten open looks. I'll give you the ULL and UALR games. Other than that, no. This team just isn't hitting shots, and it's been an issue a good portion of the year. When the shots aren't falling, guards try to penetrate, the bigs can cheat to them because as of right now there's not a major inside influence on offense. The open looks are there, the shots aren't falling. Unfortunately, there's no fail safe remedy for that.

3. Kore White is frustrating, it's true. Everyone, including him, is puzzled why he can't take that next step. His career isn't over yet.

4. For those of you who think Jarvis solely blamed the refs for the FIU loss, you're just listening selectively. Did he mention them? Yes, but he was also very critical of his team. Watch the video, read the transcript. As for the officiating, I would hope he would point out the fact that two…TWO fouls that should have been on the floor were called two-shot fouls in back-to-back possessions to start the 2nd half. It's egregious and mediocre. He didn't use it as an excuse, but it was brought up and he talked about it. He was prompted, it didn't just come spewing out of his mouth.

5. I don't want to be brash, but this mindset that it's a good thing FAU hasn't yet commited to Jarvis yet is asanine. The fact that we're disappointed with a how a season is going because of the high expectations is evidence of the progress this program has made under Jarvis. This "what have you done for me lately" talk is insane. You realize we're talking about Florida Atlantic, right? A predominant commuter school that leads the Sun Belt in student attendance? That's a number that has nothing to do with the size of the arena and everything to do with a genuine interest in the product. The success of a coach isn't just judged by wins and losses. If that was the case, half the coaches in the Sun Belt would be fired every year. Four years ago 600 people was a mind-blowing crowd at the Burrow. In 2012? It's disappointing. Jarvis has injected life into the program, something some thought could never, ever happen. He's tapped into the student population, something no coach before him has even ever really thought to do. That in itself is enough for a nice raise and extension. Then you add in the 20-win season, the regular season title, and the NIT appearance…in year 3…and near upsets over two ranked teams, plus Washington and Miami in year 4, and that speaks volumes. Jarvis organized his own fundraiser in the offseason and raised thousands upon thousands of dollars. Yeah, that's a guy who shouldn't come back next year.

6. This has been a season of disappointment, especially in the conference. You know what, though? Regardless, this team's future was always going to come down to the first week of March in Hot Springs. Not even the great Middle Tennessee State will be in-line for an at-large bid this year. Last time I checked, there were still 6 games left, then the trip to the tourney. I understand the frustration, but we're not in a position yet to call this season a failure. There's a lot of important basketball left to play.

Thanks for letting me react. Go Owls.

Nice post ken

It's Owl Time!
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Re: Hey now would be a great time.

PowerOwl said

Owlsley said

Hey all, Ken LaVicka here.

Heard, read a lot over here the past few weeks, feel like I should address:

1. As for "red flags" that Jarvis has "lost" the team. I'm not being a schill, but as someone who's around this team a lot, there's just no basis for that. Listen, the roster lost the 2x SBC Defensive Player of the Year, a kid whose sheer physical ability masked some issues on the perimeter defense. He always had to be checked offensively, opening the lane for penetration, then giving room for the kick out. Royster fueled both sides of the ball last year. The adjustment without him has been tough, but it's a process. It's really pretty simple.

2. I disagree that this team hasn't gotten open looks. I'll give you the ULL and UALR games. Other than that, no. This team just isn't hitting shots, and it's been an issue a good portion of the year. When the shots aren't falling, guards try to penetrate, the bigs can cheat to them because as of right now there's not a major inside influence on offense. The open looks are there, the shots aren't falling. Unfortunately, there's no fail safe remedy for that.

3. Kore White is frustrating, it's true. Everyone, including him, is puzzled why he can't take that next step. His career isn't over yet.

4. For those of you who think Jarvis solely blamed the refs for the FIU loss, you're just listening selectively. Did he mention them? Yes, but he was also very critical of his team. Watch the video, read the transcript. As for the officiating, I would hope he would point out the fact that two…TWO fouls that should have been on the floor were called two-shot fouls in back-to-back possessions to start the 2nd half. It's egregious and mediocre. He didn't use it as an excuse, but it was brought up and he talked about it. He was prompted, it didn't just come spewing out of his mouth.

5. I don't want to be brash, but this mindset that it's a good thing FAU hasn't yet commited to Jarvis yet is asanine. The fact that we're disappointed with a how a season is going because of the high expectations is evidence of the progress this program has made under Jarvis. This "what have you done for me lately" talk is insane. You realize we're talking about Florida Atlantic, right? A predominant commuter school that leads the Sun Belt in student attendance? That's a number that has nothing to do with the size of the arena and everything to do with a genuine interest in the product. The success of a coach isn't just judged by wins and losses. If that was the case, half the coaches in the Sun Belt would be fired every year. Four years ago 600 people was a mind-blowing crowd at the Burrow. In 2012? It's disappointing. Jarvis has injected life into the program, something some thought could never, ever happen. He's tapped into the student population, something no coach before him has even ever really thought to do. That in itself is enough for a nice raise and extension. Then you add in the 20-win season, the regular season title, and the NIT appearance…in year 3…and near upsets over two ranked teams, plus Washington and Miami in year 4, and that speaks volumes. Jarvis organized his own fundraiser in the offseason and raised thousands upon thousands of dollars. Yeah, that's a guy who shouldn't come back next year.

6. This has been a season of disappointment, especially in the conference. You know what, though? Regardless, this team's future was always going to come down to the first week of March in Hot Springs. Not even the great Middle Tennessee State will be in-line for an at-large bid this year. Last time I checked, there were still 6 games left, then the trip to the tourney. I understand the frustration, but we're not in a position yet to call this season a failure. There's a lot of important basketball left to play.

Thanks for letting me react. Go Owls.

Nice post ken

Could not have been posted better. But still, how could we not have a contract in his hand?


                                         ROLL OWLS
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Re: Hey now would be a great time.

FAUfasho said

I think this season is just a mix of a bunch of things:

1)Shots just not falling
2)Not having a big to make up for those shots not falling
3)Jarvis not having a contract extension in place. I think that could have something to do with it, how would you feel if you didn't know if you'd be employed in a couple months?

I can only think of 3-4 REALLY bad losses; KU, MTSU, ULL and FIU. The rest we were either close to winning down the stretch or played good basketball but just couldn't finish.


3-4 bad losses?

You must be forgetting:

The 23-point lost at USF.
The home loss to Siena in which we led at halftime, then shot 8-27 in the second half.
The meltdown against South Alabama in which we led by double-digits in the second half only to lose by 12.

Out of the team's 9 wins this season, only 3 of them have come against teams with winning records (George Mason, Georgia State and Warner Southern).
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Re: Hey now would be a great time.

Wow, we really fell apart huh? I remember thinking that this team was solid after beating George Mason.
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Re: Hey now would be a great time.

Owlsley said

Hey all, Ken LaVicka here.

Heard, read a lot over here the past few weeks, feel like I should address:

1. As for "red flags" that Jarvis has "lost" the team. I'm not being a schill, but as someone who's around this team a lot, there's just no basis for that. Listen, the roster lost the 2x SBC Defensive Player of the Year, a kid whose sheer physical ability masked some issues on the perimeter defense. He always had to be checked offensively, opening the lane for penetration, then giving room for the kick out. Royster fueled both sides of the ball last year. The adjustment without him has been tough, but it's a process. It's really pretty simple.

2. I disagree that this team hasn't gotten open looks. I'll give you the ULL and UALR games. Other than that, no. This team just isn't hitting shots, and it's been an issue a good portion of the year. When the shots aren't falling, guards try to penetrate, the bigs can cheat to them because as of right now there's not a major inside influence on offense. The open looks are there, the shots aren't falling. Unfortunately, there's no fail safe remedy for that.

3. Kore White is frustrating, it's true. Everyone, including him, is puzzled why he can't take that next step. His career isn't over yet.

4. For those of you who think Jarvis solely blamed the refs for the FIU loss, you're just listening selectively. Did he mention them? Yes, but he was also very critical of his team. Watch the video, read the transcript. As for the officiating, I would hope he would point out the fact that two…TWO fouls that should have been on the floor were called two-shot fouls in back-to-back possessions to start the 2nd half. It's egregious and mediocre. He didn't use it as an excuse, but it was brought up and he talked about it. He was prompted, it didn't just come spewing out of his mouth.

5. I don't want to be brash, but this mindset that it's a good thing FAU hasn't yet commited to Jarvis yet is asanine. The fact that we're disappointed with a how a season is going because of the high expectations is evidence of the progress this program has made under Jarvis. This "what have you done for me lately" talk is insane. You realize we're talking about Florida Atlantic, right? A predominant commuter school that leads the Sun Belt in student attendance? That's a number that has nothing to do with the size of the arena and everything to do with a genuine interest in the product. The success of a coach isn't just judged by wins and losses. If that was the case, half the coaches in the Sun Belt would be fired every year. Four years ago 600 people was a mind-blowing crowd at the Burrow. In 2012? It's disappointing. Jarvis has injected life into the program, something some thought could never, ever happen. He's tapped into the student population, something no coach before him has even ever really thought to do. That in itself is enough for a nice raise and extension. Then you add in the 20-win season, the regular season title, and the NIT appearance…in year 3…and near upsets over two ranked teams, plus Washington and Miami in year 4, and that speaks volumes. Jarvis organized his own fundraiser in the offseason and raised thousands upon thousands of dollars. Yeah, that's a guy who shouldn't come back next year.

6. This has been a season of disappointment, especially in the conference. You know what, though? Regardless, this team's future was always going to come down to the first week of March in Hot Springs. Not even the great Middle Tennessee State will be in-line for an at-large bid this year. Last time I checked, there were still 6 games left, then the trip to the tourney. I understand the frustration, but we're not in a position yet to call this season a failure. There's a lot of important basketball left to play.

Thanks for letting me react. Go Owls.

Quality post Ken thanks for sharing your thoughts with The Nest!

On a side note, it deserves it's own thread!

Per your OK earlier, will do so.

- Rick
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