Should He Stay or Shoul He Go Part 2

[Towerroad]

This poll is targeted at those that answered the previous poll and checked the "One more season and then decide." What is the specific minimum performance that you would like to see to justify moving you to renew the coach's contract.

[Towerroad]

This poll is targeted at those that answered the previous poll and checked the "One more season and then decide." What is the specific minimum performance that you would like to see to justify moving you to renew the coach's contract.

[BearLover]

(I voted one more year in the other poll.)  Given the low level of talent on next year's team, I said bye in ECAC to keep him ONE MORE year.  But since presumably his contract is running out then, I would not feel comfortable giving him a new multiyear deal unless he makes the NCAAs.  So...I want to change my vote.  ::doh::

[Trotsky]

I answered "one more year and then decide" on the prior poll, and "other" on this one.  Next year is not about record.  If we play like this year with no creativity, very little fore-check pressure, a monotonous pp, but retrench to the prior years' strong defense and flawless goaltending, and wind up .550, 4th, and a trip to LP, that will not be progress.  If we open the offense, take risks, apply relentless checking pressure, recruit a different profile player, but finish 10th with a handful of wins, that will be progress.

It's possible that The System (TM) will rise again and we'll dominate opponents as a Dream-Crushing, Soul-Devouring Juggernaut that scores 1.9 GPG and gives up 1.2 and makes the NCAAs.  I'm not picky; I'll take that, too.  But these 3 seasons have shaken my belief in the timelessness of Schafer's style.  Change, even if it results in a short term death spiral, I can tolerate.  Retrenchment with instant return to national contention I'll take too (my, I am generous).  The one unacceptable outcome is retrenchment and mediocrity -- that will tip me towards the Moran Hypothesis, where a legendary coach who should be lauded and honored without restraint must also be moved on from.

Schafer dates from my undergrad years and I identify strongly with him as the savior of our program which, in the mid-90s, was in serious jeopardy.  I'm never going to be a guy to relish handing him a pink slip.  But whereas in prior years I'd help bar the door against anybody wanting to make that change, I've started to entertain the eventuality of life after Schafer.

And it would not kill me to see a Cornell team play an up tempo style again in my lifetime.

[Dafatone]

It's tricky.  Based on who we're losing, I don't expect next year to be that great a year, and given that, I'm iffy on setting a bar for exactly how well they have to do.

I voted for "win more games than this year", since that's about where I'm at.

[ugarte]

Trotsky has this about right. Benchmarks aren't the point.

[Jim Hyla]

From the TMQ.

Thumbs down

To Cornell. After running down Yale, Brown, Penn State and Denver in November, the Big Red were in the conversation for the NCAA tournament. Now the season has come to an abrupt end at the hands of Union. The seventh-seeded Big Red was outscored 11-2 in the two-game sweep and finished the season with just two wins in its final 11 games. Cornell ended the year with an 11-14-6 mark, the fewest wins since Mike Schafer took over the program in 1995.

Read more: http://www.uscho.com/2015/03/10/tmq-working-overtime-and-then-some-a-compelling-big-ten-finish-and-ranking-the-upsets/#ixzz3Tyw8BM4i

[Cop at Lynah]

My take on this is that Schafer is the coach, and it's up to him to do what he feels necessary to turn things around.  He could give a rats ass about what any of us think as he goes about doing whatever it is he is going to do to try and change things.  If his tenure is coming to an end, you can be damn sure he's going out on his own terms, with no regrets.

[underskill]

this convo is kinda ridiculous at this point--I'd say it'd be one thing if he was in his late 60s or 70s and it was a Lou Marsh/Tim Taylor situation where you can argue it's time for him to move on;here we're talking about what a mediocre 3 years, not a decade.  And we all know Cornell isn't going to open the vault and hire a big name replacement anyways.

That said, I wouldn't mind a coaching staff shakeup of some sort--I wonder where Jamie Russell is these days.

[Trotsky]

this convo is kinda ridiculous at this point--I'd say it'd be one thing if he was in his late 60s or 70s and it was a Lou Marsh/Tim Taylor situation where you can argue it's time for him to move on;here we're talking about what a mediocre 3 years, not a decade.  And we all know Cornell isn't going to open the vault and hire a big name replacement anyways.

That said, I wouldn't mind a coaching staff shakeup of some sort--I wonder where Jamie Russell is these days.

Elmira.

Are there "big name" college hockey coaches?  It's not exactly a Calipari-type gig.  Those that are legends are so because of tenure more than anything else, and you don't rebuild a program around a 60-year old.

[Swampy]

this convo is kinda ridiculous at this point--I'd say it'd be one thing if he was in his late 60s or 70s and it was a Lou Marsh/Tim Taylor situation where you can argue it's time for him to move on;here we're talking about what a mediocre 3 years, not a decade.  And we all know Cornell isn't going to open the vault and hire a big name replacement anyways.

That said, I wouldn't mind a coaching staff shakeup of some sort--I wonder where Jamie Russell is these days.

Elmira.

Are there "big name" college hockey coaches?  It's not exactly a Calipari-type gig.  Those that are legends are so because of tenure more than anything else, and you don't rebuild a program around a 60-year old.

As has been said on other threads, this year's graduating class was supposed to bring us back to the Promised Land^TM, but injuries, a defection to the pros, and failure to develop players as hoped blew it. Looking ahead my feelings would be different if I saw us bringing in a top-10 recruiting class. I'd even be happy with a top-3 or 4 in the ECAC or top-2 in the Ivies. But I think since Casey Jones left, our recruiting has fallen off.

One other point. Some years ago Shafer said the consistent goal for this program is to be a top-10 team every year. Since we're currently ranked 36th, by this standard this year has been an unmitigated disaster. Can someone tell us the last time we were in the top 10 at the end of the season?

It's hard to see a light at the end of the tunnel. ::cry::

[BearLover]

this convo is kinda ridiculous at this point--I'd say it'd be one thing if he was in his late 60s or 70s and it was a Lou Marsh/Tim Taylor situation where you can argue it's time for him to move on;here we're talking about what a mediocre 3 years, not a decade.  And we all know Cornell isn't going to open the vault and hire a big name replacement anyways.

That said, I wouldn't mind a coaching staff shakeup of some sort--I wonder where Jamie Russell is these days.

Elmira.

Are there "big name" college hockey coaches?  It's not exactly a Calipari-type gig.  Those that are legends are so because of tenure more than anything else, and you don't rebuild a program around a 60-year old.

As has been said on other threads, this year's graduating class was supposed to bring us back to the Promised Land^TM, but injuries, a defection to the pros, and failure to develop players as hoped blew it. Looking ahead my feelings would be different if I saw us bringing in a top-10 recruiting class. I'd even be happy with a top-3 or 4 in the ECAC or top-2 in the Ivies. But I think since Casey Jones left, our recruiting has fallen off.

One other point. Some years ago Shafer said the consistent goal for this program is to be a top-10 team every year. Since we're currently ranked 36th, by this standard this year has been an unmitigated disaster. Can someone tell us the last time we were in the top 10 at the end of the season?

It's hard to see a light at the end of the tunnel. ::cry::

2006 would be the last time, I imagine?  This program has been in a slow decline since then.

[Trotsky]

this convo is kinda ridiculous at this point--I'd say it'd be one thing if he was in his late 60s or 70s and it was a Lou Marsh/Tim Taylor situation where you can argue it's time for him to move on;here we're talking about what a mediocre 3 years, not a decade.  And we all know Cornell isn't going to open the vault and hire a big name replacement anyways.

That said, I wouldn't mind a coaching staff shakeup of some sort--I wonder where Jamie Russell is these days.

Elmira.

Are there "big name" college hockey coaches?  It's not exactly a Calipari-type gig.  Those that are legends are so because of tenure more than anything else, and you don't rebuild a program around a 60-year old.

As has been said on other threads, this year's graduating class was supposed to bring us back to the Promised Land^TM, but injuries, a defection to the pros, and failure to develop players as hoped blew it. Looking ahead my feelings would be different if I saw us bringing in a top-10 recruiting class. I'd even be happy with a top-3 or 4 in the ECAC or top-2 in the Ivies. But I think since Casey Jones left, our recruiting has fallen off.

One other point. Some years ago Shafer said the consistent goal for this program is to be a top-10 team every year. Since we're currently ranked 36th, by this standard this year has been an unmitigated disaster. Can someone tell us the last time we were in the top 10 at the end of the season?

It's hard to see a light at the end of the tunnel. ::cry::

2006 would be the last time, I imagine?  This program has been in a slow decline since then.

2010.

[CAS]

Re recruiting, we are bringing in a large class, including 2 players who last year were drafted in the 3rd and 5th rounds.  Obviously remains to be seen how it works out.

[KGR11]

this convo is kinda ridiculous at this point--I'd say it'd be one thing if he was in his late 60s or 70s and it was a Lou Marsh/Tim Taylor situation where you can argue it's time for him to move on;here we're talking about what a mediocre 3 years, not a decade.  And we all know Cornell isn't going to open the vault and hire a big name replacement anyways.

That said, I wouldn't mind a coaching staff shakeup of some sort--I wonder where Jamie Russell is these days.

In my opinion, 2014 was mediocre, 2013 and 2015 were bad.  I think it's fair to judge a college coach on a 4-year rolling average, since that's how long most undergrads stay in Ithaca.  During that time, we have a winning percentage of about 55%. I don't think I'd be happy with the team's/coach's performance unless the winning percentage starts moving up to about 60%-65% over four years (For reference, the years and corresponding win %'s are below).

2015   0.45
2014   0.61
2013   0.49
2012   0.64

Although I don't think this team has done well enough in the past 4 years, I don't know if Schafer's replacement would be better.  Casey Jones, as an alum, might be interested but Clarkson had a 39% winning percentage this season (4-year rolling average of 45%).  Maybe Topher will be coach one day, but who knows how good of coach he'd be?  Schafer may be the best option just because he's the "devil we know".