Patrick Chambers will lead us to the Final 4 in 3 years

[auxgym]

If we are a sweet 16 team in the next four years - I will shove my car key up my ass

I can only imagine the cockroach vessel you choose to tour in....

 

[21Guns]

I'll settle for an NCAA tournament appearance in two years. Which is what will happen for certain.

Pat has done miracles here, the man is a GREAT coach in my mind.

The boys from Roman are on the way!

 

[Ranger Dan]

IN HINDSIGHT:

Cyrizzle was OBVIOUSLY talking about the Big 10(14) Final Four, not the NCAA Final Four!

Even that would be a monumental task! I have faith in Chambers, but just being competitive against MSU would be a reasonable goal at this point.

 

[fairgambit]

Even that would be a monumental task! I have faith in Chambers, but just being competitive against MSU would be a reasonable goal at this point.

Agreed. I appreciate optimism, but it's unfair to expect results out of all proportion to reality.

 

[Ranger Dan]

Agreed. I appreciate optimism, but it's a unfair to expect results out of all proportion to reality.

And this is why people think CJF should be on the hot seat. You have people thinking things are better than they are, and then when reality hits, it's because they underperformed.

 

[21Guns]

And this is why people think CJF should be on the hot seat. You have people thinking things are better than they are, and then when reality hits, it's because they underperformed.

Both inherited awful situations: Franklin had to come in after O'Brien bailed on the program after only two years, then the sanctions, not to mention the 2 years in which Joe's health turned bad and his staff didn't even recruit.

Chambers had to come in after DeChellis, who remains the worst all time coach in terms of won-loss record in Penn State history.

 

[fairfaxlion2]

This year Pat went 7-11 in the conference, when a lot of people were thinking we'd have about three wins. If they'd held on against Maryland and beaten Colorado and Wisconsin (all close games) they might have actually made it to the NCAA tournament this year. I'd also argue that the players graduating are far from irreplaceable and next year could be really interesting.

 

[21Guns]

This year Pat went 7-11 in the conference, when a lot of people were thinking we'd have about three wins. If they'd held on against Maryland and beaten Colorado and Wisconsin (all close games) they might have actually made it to the NCAA tournament this year. I'd also argue that the players graduating are far from irreplaceable and next year could be really interesting.

I did not see one single preview that had us above 5 conference wins.

Again, the man is performing miracles. We are IN PHILLY AND PULLING RECRUITS!

Up until Pat came here, we were a laughing stock in Philly.

 

[Stargellfan]

No, lost to Temple in the Sweet 16 after having beaten them early in that season. Can't remember the year, but has to be close to 10 or more years ago. Someone here will know.

It was 2001. Pat clearly has the program trending upward and although I admire the OP's enthusiasm it's silly to to think that one top 20 class will have us in the Final Four within four years. I would not be surprised to see us in the tournament a couple of times and a Sweet Sixteen run is certainly not out of the realm of possibility.

 

[Ranger Dan]

one top 20 class

I agree with your sentiment, but the recruiting class ended up a little higher than 20, maybe 25 or so. If we have two or three more top 50 classes, then it would be reasonable to expect us to be one of the top 50 teams, if we are going to aspire for the final four, then... wait for it.... we'll need to have a run of top 20 classes.

 

[GregInPitt]

This year Pat went 7-11 in the conference, when a lot of people were thinking we'd have about three wins. If they'd held on against Maryland and beaten Colorado and Wisconsin (all close games) they might have actually made it to the NCAA tournament this year. I'd also argue that the players graduating are far from irreplaceable and next year could be really interesting.

And there are 2 or 3 games that they won that they could have easily lost. Nebraska for example. It usually evens out, but some years you get a couple and then other years you are on the short end of a few extra games. But to me it doesn't speak to the reality of the talent and program to go back and say if we won all the close games we would have done this or that.....

PSU has NEVER had the type of big men that top 10 teams teams have when they get to the final 4. And just because PSU MAY have 1 or 2 on the roster now (and incoming) does not mean they could match up against any top 10 team..... as teams like NC have 4,5 or 6 top big men in addition to having talented leaders at guard.

When they made the sweet 16 they got some good match-ups that they took advantage of with the scrappy, experienced, well coached team they had that year. Did anyone on that team go to the NBA and have a career?

 

[massimoManca II]

I can only imagine the cockroach vessel you choose to tour in....

Ummmm, okay.

Huh?

 

[ILLINOISLION]

And there are 2 or 3 games that they won that they could have easily lost. Nebraska for example. It usually evens out, but some years you get a couple and then other years you are on the short end of a few extra games. But to me it doesn't speak to the reality of the talent and program to go back and say if we won all the close games we would have done this or that.....

PSU has NEVER had the type of big men that teams have when they get to the final 4. And just because PSU MAY have 1 or 2 on the roster does not mean they could match up against any top 10 team.....

When they made the sweet 16 they got some good match-ups that they took advantage of with the scrappy, experienced, well coached team they had that year. Did anyone on that team go to the NBA and have a career?

Agree 100%.

Better talent doesn't always translate into a better W-L record. Some players don't continue to develop, some get injured, some don't make grades, some transfer because of playing time or issues with a coaching staff or even issues with the decision they made to go to that school.

And even when you make the NCAA, it's all about match-ups, it's all about peaking at the right time, it's about playing well and not having your opponent playing out of their mind, it's about getting lucky, it's about getting calls and not getting calls.

Wasn't a math major, but only 16 teams are still around after the first weekend and only 4 after the second weekend. I suspect I will have died and my ashes spread in the wind (hopefully downwind) before PSU reaches the NCAA Final Four in men's basketball.

 

[GregInPitt]

Agree 100%.

Better talent doesn't always translate into a better W-L record. Some players don't continue to develop, some get injured, some don't make grades, some transfer because of playing time or issues with a coaching staff or even issues with the decision they made to go to that school.

And even when you make the NCAA, it's all about match-ups, it's all about peaking at the right time, it's about playing well and not having your opponent playing out of their mind, it's about getting lucky, it's about getting calls and not getting calls.

Wasn't a math major, but only 16 teams are still around after the first weekend and only 4 after the second weekend. I suspect I will have died and my ashes spread in the wind (hopefully downwind) before PSU reaches the NCAA Final Four in men's basketball.

Yes, it takes a ton of talent to even get into the conversation of being a final 4 team. That's multiple years of top 10-15 recruiting classes. Take a look at Syracuse's classes. Their last class had 4 4-star players and PSU has a long way to go to recruit like a top 15 team.

Syracuse
2016. 2 4-star players, the national 29 and 59 players
2015. 4 4-star players, the national 30, 70,73, and 82 players.
Hate to use Cuse as an example, but they are a fringe top 10 team obviously, and I don't believe PSU has much of a chance to match the talent they bring in.

Chambers class is a great start, the class coming in, to getting competitive in the B10. Especially from where PSU has been for the last 50 years.....

Actually, I believe our women's team has a better chance of rising from the ashes that our current coach has taken the program into and getting to the women's final 4 than our men's program has of getting to the final 4. We have a real history of NCAA participation with the women's program and an easier path to bringing in top women's talent than we do of bringing in the kind of men's talent that it will take to get to the final 4. All we need is a change of coaching, obviously getting a very good coach, and our women's team could make a quick turn around.

 

[fairfaxlion2]

PSU has NEVER had the type of big men that teams have when they get to the final 4. And just because PSU MAY have 1 or 2 on the roster does not mean they could match up against any top 10 team.....

When they made the sweet 16 they got some good match-ups that they took advantage of with the scrappy, experienced, well coached team they had that year. Did anyone on that team go to the NBA and have a career?

Making it to the final four is all about matchups. That's why George Mason, VCU, and Butler (twice) have been there in the last ten years. As you note (correctly) the 2001 team did not have any NBA players (although Crispin played on the Lakers for a few games). Amazingly, they had a plausible path to the Final Four after beating Providence and UNC, as they had previously beaten Temple and Michigan State that same season. That is proof that a deep tournament run is not the only measure of a solid program. Jerry Dunn didn't build a solid program. What Pat is doing is building a solid program.

 

[Ranger Dan]

I wonder if Cyrizzle will be changing his prediction to national championship in 4 years now that Villanova has won it all?

 

[Corabi94]

He was an assistant at Villanova under Jay Wright who is arguably the best in the business. Pat is the first PSU basketball coach who can actually recruit the Philly and DC region well which is what we need! Using some of Wrights tremendous in game strategies combined with the incoming elite talent we have coming in will lead us to multiple NCAA tournaments starting with the 2016-2017 season, and in my opinion we will be a final 4 team in 3 years! You heard me right!!!

This is beyond crazy.