But let me ask you this @EmbracePaceUVA; what is your personal hurdle for what the team needs to achieve this year to force the Board of Visitors to force the President to force the Athletic Director to keep him?
I thought we looked fine overall yesterday, but also that was Campbell. Gonna get real here soon. Iām obviously gonna watch but Iām not optimistic by any means.
1 Like
Courtside is pretty cool right? Feet on the floor
3 Likes
My pessimism for Ron mostly increased yesterday because without a PG this team isnāt going to come close to making the tournament, and last night we seemed to learn that we donāt really have a PG.
2 Likes
Genuinely (and also selfishly) wishing Bliss a swift and complete recovery. I really like the Ty Lite projection and that would solve a lot of problems for us.
This year is gonna be wild and Iām here for it!
3 Likes
This.
How did we get here??
London Perrantes (2013-2017)
Ty Jerome (2016-2019)
Kihei Clark (2018-2023)
Reece Beekman (2020-2024)
Andrew Rohde (2023-?)
Can you imagine having Chance right now though run this teamā¦can we call him up right now? That would be so sickā¦
But yeah, a healthy Bliss might also solve our PG blues. Agree we need him suiting up asap
3 Likes
The first hurdle should probably be ādonāt think rohde is a point guardā
5 Likes
Might be worth a BOV emergency meeting to stipulate that in advance
5 Likes
Any pessimism I have about Ron being coach next season is mostly about the roster and lack of PG. Itās honestly may be hard to tell how good of a job Ronchez is doing across the season given the rosterās limitations. It sucks for his audition that we donāt have a healthy Bliss and Warley still on the team. Thatās a bad hand, so I feel for him.
That said, things change during a season! We will see.
Certainly, if he makes the tourney and the roster hasnāt dramatically changed that will tell me he is doing a pretty damn good job. Personally thatād be the bar for me, given where he is starting from. Still think due diligence is prudent too.
4 Likes
This is a cop out but I feel like Iāll know it when I see it.
Realistically it probably means at minimum a tournament bid, maybe even a win in the tournament. But if we happen to take a few losses that kill out tournament resume but we put it together later in the season to the point where there is promise for next year, that could be a path too (Iām thinking like a 2012-13 season where you could get excited about the young guys returning the next year).
The bar is high but itās not so high that a performance like the other night makes me feel as if itās impossible.
5 Likes
I see what you did there
1 Like
Better chance of Sanchez keeping the job?
- Bad loss in NCAA First Round
- NITChampionship Game appearance
0
voters
Neither one is at all likely (that heās retained). But NIT champs is more consistent with youth movement, figuring things out late, basically proof that Ron is building toward something. Iād never prefer an NIT, but winning it means youāre beating a team or two that would be as good as or better than the round 1 winner.
(Just noticing you said appearance not winner. Basically similar i think)
6 Likes
I donāt know if weād even accept an NIT bid if all it does is delay the coaching search process. Or make it awkward if we name a new coach while Ronchez is still coaching. We ideally probably want to name a coach by the time the transfer portal opens or soon thereafter unless our target is still in the NCAAs.
2 Likes
If Ron makes the tournament, I think heās our coach next year. I just donāt really see that happening as it stands. If he does he will have done a pretty good job, and I think I will want to keep him tbh.
3 Likes
Thatās a fair point, but I suspect the AD would leave that up to the team/coach?
1 Like
It would be risky to deny players (who may already be considering whether they stay or not) the opportunity if they want it. Also, would be good development for any players who are staying.
Would it really hamper the search if we kept playing, they can still have conversations and lay the groundwork even if the team is still playing (like I would expect is already in motion)
1 Like
I donāt think that there are any specific boxes to be ticked to determine or measure Coach Sanchezās performance this year. This squad was always going to be a two year project, and I donāt believe success or failure will be easily judged by a single year. At least, not by those not close to the team. Among other things, I think that team morale come March will be the decisive thing. Are players looking forward to the 2026 season with heightened anticipation, or is everyone exploring their portal options? It doesnāt matter whether Virginia gets an NCAA bid. The final record shouldnāt be an issue. However, the program will be trending one way or the other at the end of the season and that should be the determining factor. That may, or may not, be apparent to those not in the locker room.
2 Likes
I think the final record will end up mattering a lot. You canāt bring back a guy a game or 2 over .500. If he fails everyone will blame you regardless of how it looked. He needs to be on or around the bubble for potential development for next year to start to matter IMO. But even then, the hire needs to be about more than one year.
Yikes. Add Florida to the list of teams that might be in the market for a new coach.
4 Likes