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[> [> [> Re: Gai to transfer??????????????????????????? -- Bridgeport, 08:48:32 03/12/03 Wed

The program will go on---do not beg.

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[> [> [> Re: Gai to transfer??????????????????????????? -- upstate .b.b, 08:51:38 03/12/03 Wed

lets wake up. this cant happen. hire manute bol and get this kid a mentor. we have come to far to go backwards.

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[> [> [> [> Re: Gai to transfer??????????????????????????? -- Champ, 09:03:59 03/12/03 Wed

The entire program is bigger than Gai, but I do believe TOT has to understand and address Gai's concern. Certainly TOT can get him some pro mentor over the summer or else find an assistant coach with the right credentials...fast.

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[> [> [> Hire Manute???????? -- Stag '89, 09:08:42 03/12/03 Wed

What? ......so the inmates can run the asylum? If he want's to go, so be it.

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[> [> [> [> Re: Hire Manute???????? -- Sobro, 09:22:22 03/12/03 Wed

Again, nobody is begging. The bottom line is Deng Gai cannot afford to sit for a full season at this point in his development. And by the way, do you think FF will be able to find another assistant who has played against Ewing, Olajuwon, David Robinson etc;.......

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[> [> [> [> [> Hire Manute! -- STAGAL, 09:34:33 03/12/03 Wed

DEFINITELY! I've felt for a very long time that we never fully developed out big mens' potential because we did not have a coach who understood and played that position. Then we got McCloud, and that seemed to change. Now they have filled his position temporarily with the former manager. Manute Bol would be a logical replacement, has NBA experience and notoriety, goes to most of our games, and already has ties to the team. What reason would they have NOT to hire him (if that's the case)?

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[> [> [> [> [> Re: Hire Manute???????? -- upstate b.b, 09:37:43 03/12/03 Wed

swallow our pride. we cannot afford to let this happen. next thing other new players will rethink f.f.

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[> [> [> [> [> [> Re: Hire Manute???????? -- Stagman, 10:00:51 03/12/03 Wed

Nothing against Manute, but wasn't his offensive game in the NBA pretty much limited to standing outside the three point lane in an effort to draw the opposing center out of the lane (back in the days when zone was not allowed)?

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[> [> [> [> [> [> [> What does he really want? -- Champ, 10:59:45 03/12/03 Wed

TOT needs to listen carefully, swallow his pride and ask Gai what he (TOT) can do to help him allay his concerns. It may be much less than everyone assumes. There's probably something under the surface, e.g. Gai will be losing his best campus comrade, cousin Ajou, and maybe he is unsure about being on his own among other things. The point about FF not being a route to the NBA is nonsense. What was Manute's alma mater? What about Marcus Camby? I'm sure TOT and staff can craft a serious off-season development program once they understand Gai's concerns.

It also may be that Gai wants to be more of an offensive weapon, and the points and minutes are just too spread out in TOT's program.

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[> [> [> [> [> [> [> [> Re: What does he really want? -- A realist!, 17:06:10 03/12/03 Wed

TOT and coaching staff can't coach!! They got lucky in recruiting Gai because of 1. UCONN-proximity and 2. Deng-cousin. They had 2 years to win and they didn't. Facts!

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[> [> [> [> [> [> [> [> [> Re: What does he really want? -- Stag 92, 07:02:00 03/13/03 Thu

There's a reason Ajou didn't play at UConn and we witnessed it. I feel bad for him regarding his foot, but he was extremely overrated coming in. As far as two years to win, Deng Gai has had two years to prove what a superstar he is. He has certainly shown ability, but is nowhere near superstar status.

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[> [> [> Re: Gai to transfer??????????????????????????? -- GM, 12:52:18 03/12/03 Wed

Who says Gai can’t afford to sit out a year? It’s not like he’d be laying around on the couch eating bon-bons for a year. He’d (hopefully) be putting on some much needed muscle, working on his skills, practicing with the team, etc.

McCleod was a transfer himself and it certainly didn’t hurt him.

There are certainly pros and cons in a very talented mid-major like Gai transferring to a bigger program, but to say it would be DISASTROUS is ridiculous. It would be disastrous (well maybe not disastrous but bad) for Fairfield, but it could be good (or possibly bad) for Gai.

On the down side, he risks losing playing time and the competition might be too much for him. Still, if a guy really has what it takes to play in the NBA, he ought to be able to earn plenty of minutes at a big time school. If he can’t play at Michigan, or wherever, he wouldn’t have made the NBA playing at FF either.

Sitting out a year has its plusses and minuses as well. For a somewhat raw kid like Gai, it might be a positive, though it is also possible it could set him back.

On the positive side, he’d play against much better competition both in games and perhaps more importantly, every day in practice. He’d also get a lot more exposure and probably much better coaching.

Regarding McLeod, IMHO he should butt out of the situation. He certainly shouldn’t be encouraging one of his players to transfer away from his former employer. If he did this while still employed at FF, he should never work as a coach again. If Gai goes to Michigan it would look particularly fishy given the Duke connection.

As for hiring Bol, it might be an OK idea providing a) it actually keeps Gai around and b) it creates a continuing pipeline of talent from the Sudan. I sort of doubt it would accomplish either of these things, though and then you’d be stuck with an assistant with little if any value to the program.

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[> [> Re: Gai to transfer??????????????????????????? -- ghostman, 11:13:24 03/12/03 Wed

Fairfield needs to reflect on the selling points that we made to Luol and rerecruit Deng Gai based on that.
Some of our selling points -
He can become the go to guy - will be tough for him to do this at a bigger school.
He can play next year - practice is great, but it not games - Deng Gai need games under his belt.
He'll have some good competition both in and out of conference.

We need to do things to make sure that a structure is in place of a player of his caliber:
We need to resupplement our staff with a big man coach or a coach that has NBA experience - some who knows what it takes to get to the next level.
We could also do things to appease his advisors - how about a fund raiser/forum for the Lost Boys program?

Regarding Hobbie, I hope that he is happy is his position and hope that TOT moves up in the next couple of years, he become the next head coach. On the surface, he and his family seem happy and involved here (evidenced by his wife coaching the cheerleaders). Doris should have a conversation with Hobie to that effect.

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[> [> [> Re: Gai to transfer??????????????????????????? -- Fair Play, 11:46:23 03/12/03 Wed

Let's face it one of the main reasons Gai is at Fairfield is because of Ajou. Now that he is graduating the main attraction to Fairfield is also leaving. I think that fact that he is considering transferring says something about the coaching staff at Fairfield. How do you replace a coach with credentials like McLeod with a former team manager? When McLeod was there you could see our big men having big games, as soon as he left there was a lull from our big players. I don't blame Deng Gai for wanting to move on to a bigger school especially if he can find a better coach.

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[> [> [> [> Re: Gai to transfer??????????????????????????? -- Running Man, 14:19:18 03/12/03 Wed

Is anyone out there really surprised by this turn of events? In the back of my mind I've been wondering if eventually Gai would consider transferring. He will be an NBA player whether he remains or not. He does not seem to understand this. If he goes somewhere else where the bottom line is winning at all costs, he will find himself in some basketweaving class which will keep him eligible but which will afford him no opportunity to develop intellectually. Hey maybe this is what he wants.

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[> [> [> [> [> Re: Gai to transfer??????????????????????????? -- jenningsbeach, 15:08:26 03/12/03 Wed

I'm not surprised. I've been thinking this might happen since the start of the season, and I can't blame Deng Gai for thinking about it, either. In a lot of ways, a move to a big school makes sense. He gets to play against the best of the best, find out exactly how good he is and perhaps improve more than he can here. Reading the Puma article, I don't think he's that close to a decision, fortunately. Even with the first-semester suspension, I'd like to believe Gai has found a comfort level at Fairfield, made friends on and off the court, and found the school intellectually challenging. Hopefully, Tim can assuage his fears and convince him to stay. No doubt about it: Gai can reach the NBA from Fairfield. In two years, he will be the crown jewel of the MAAC. Not sure he'll be the crown jewel of the Big Ten.

But if he decides to leave, I'll wish him well. Whatever makes him happy.

If you'll excuse me now, I'm going to lie down and assume the fetal position.

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[> [> [> Get Facts Straight -- Young Man MAAC, 14:57:30 03/12/03 Wed

You want the University to find out what is bothering this Gai? Do not forget how the University handled his "issue" last year - can you say suspension beyond what is rational? and you think they will be helpful in persuading this Gai to stay on board..

Attitudes like this Gai's are what divide a team at it's core (can you say prima donna) and your inane "speculation" about Mcleod's departure and "X-Files tie" to this situation are absurd and irresponsible -

too many people telling him he is "too good" for the MAAC, yet he is not close to there yet - and is not willing to work hard to get there.. mark my words, there is a place for this Gai in a "Big Time" school as well as the NBA - it is called the Bench!

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[> [> [> [> Re: Get Facts Straight -- Champ, 15:21:07 03/12/03 Wed

From what I've read this past summer, the "Lost Boys" have quite a rivalry amongst themselves. It would not surprise me that Deng is a little jealous of Luol's situation. Isn't another Sudanese player being recruited by Michigan?

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[> [> [> Re: He won't get better in the MAAC -- Staggerlee, 15:28:59 03/12/03 Wed

If not Michigan try these:

Western Kentucky
Kansas
UCLA
Notre Dame
Texas Tech
Georgia
Saint Bonaventure
Clemson
South Carolina
Iowa
Sacred Heart

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[> [> [> [> Re: He won't get better in the MAAC -- Rave, 16:26:58 03/12/03 Wed

What do his options have to do with him getting better? You have to be kidding me about Sacred Heart. You would sit a year to go there? Interesting to see what a list you have there and there is no tampering involved. If I were Fairfield and I knew there was illegal contact by another school, I would not give a release. That's, I believe, 2 years of sitting.

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[> [> [> [> [> An option that was left off my list -- Stagger Lee, 18:15:14 03/12/03 Wed

Why not Iona? They have an NBA great who understands the center position; and it's only a few miles away...he wouldn't even have to relocate.

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[> [> [> [> [> [> Maac requires you to sit out 2 years if you transfer in league -- jcm, 21:47:32 03/12/03 Wed


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[> [> [> [> [> [> [> Not true -- GM, 11:00:01 03/13/03 Thu

Unless they recently changed the rule, a player transferring to one MAAC school to another only need to sit out 1 season. John McDonald (Loyola to Iona) and Anthony Walker (Loyola to Marist) are recent examples of this.

At the same time, if Gai wants to transfer to help his NBA chances, going to Iona wouldn’t be much of an improvement. It would seem logical that Gai would either transfer to a big time school or stay at Fairfield.

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[> [> [> Re: He won't get better in the MAAC -- ghostman, 15:51:11 03/12/03 Wed

With the current trend towards big men coming out of school early, the 4s and 5s in the Big East/ACC/Big Ten aren't substatianlly better than the MAAC. Their average 4s and 5s are an inch or 2 bigger, 10 pound heavier. If the kids they bring in a great, they are there for 1 or 2 years. If he wants a better level of competition, he should go to the NBA development league and play against 25 year old men. IMO Reeves, Mendez, and Jenkins would be Big East starters, a few others would be contributers.

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[> [> [> [> Re: He won't get better in the MAAC -- Stagger Lee, 16:44:39 03/12/03 Wed

If he's committed to improvement and an eventual NBA career, working in a proven program in 2003-2004 followed by participation in the August 2004 Olympics would be the way to go.

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