How long is this going to last

wrestle03 · November 30, 2024, 02:29:40 PM

Amos and Zargo will never wrestle in a UW singlet again. End of story.

wrestle03 · November 30, 2024, 02:33:40 PM

Bono has done nothing since his arrival. Period. Seth Gross made Seth Gross - not Bono. Ask Seth Gross why he left while your at it. Stop making excuses for Bono. Its not NIL, its not the facilities and its not Askern. Bono can't recruit, he can't develop guys and he has zero personality / people skills. This program will likely be cut in the next two years sadly.

asdf · November 30, 2024, 02:50:49 PM

Quote from: Harris on November 30, 2024, 01:28:00 PM
Quote from: MNR on November 29, 2024, 02:40:29 PMI don't think that a fan base that constantly rips on the head coach that they were so enthusiastic about just 5 years ago is conducive to the program's success. Get behind your team, despite your feeling for leadership. The extreme negativity does not help attract recruits or future coaches.

As an outsider fan looking in, I don't mind seeing the Badgers have a few bad years. As a fan of the sport though, I hope for them to get past this and get back to more parity in the Big Ten and NCAA.

Serious question: Do you think a handful of fans on this website are more influential than the actual results when it comes to recruiting? If 30+ people leave (coaching staff and athletes) and results are trending in a very negative direction you don't think that is an appropriate topic for a wrestling forum. What do you want us to discuss? Ignoring the reality of how far this program has fallen is not going to produce anything but the same. Recruits and their families are not blind.

Why would you choose WI wrestling right now? You can get a degree from a top tier school, with a nice wrestling facility, in a nice town at any Big Ten school let alone MAC schools like Rider and Ohio. The difference is how the program is run, who is running it, and how they are developing their athletes once they spend time on the team. Acting like everything is just fine is not how you get out of this mess. Blaming it on the AD, NIL, or Askren is just making excuses. The buck stops with the head coach when it is a systemic problem. Systemic problems are evidenced in business, athletics, and society when your top performers jump ship, assistants get blamed and/or fired, and the rank and file lose confidence in your strategy and mission and end up leaving as well. Fans pointing out the facts of the situation are not the problem with recruiting and or performance right now. Keeping all this in the dark is misleading and untruthful to potential recruits and their families. If Bono doesn't like the results, he is the only one that can improve them. He is the head coach.

On a personal level, I really like Bono and Reader. The problem is this is not personal, it's business. I hope they get this thing turned around. Facts are facts and they aren't getting it done right now. From a program viability standpoint, this is the worst time to fall off a cliff. I was at UW and had friends on the team when they cut the baseball team. I would hate to see that happen to the wrestling team.

Where are Amos and Zargo (your top 2 returning leaders)? I saw social media stuff that Amos was working out all year and getting healthy. Why isn't he wrestling? Is it still a possibility that either of them will wrestle this year?

Exactly!

It is somehow the fans fault for poor recruitments and retention, not the coaches?

MNR · December 01, 2024, 09:05:01 AM

[quote author=Harris

Serious question: Do you think a handful of fans on this website are more influential than the actual results when it comes to recruiting?

No, not more influential, but your fan base is definitely not helping.

npope · December 01, 2024, 10:57:09 AM

Quote from: Harris on November 30, 2024, 01:32:21 PM
Quote from: Ghetto on November 30, 2024, 03:38:48 AMI tend to agree that we need to be more positive in most cases. There are college kids who are working their a$$es off every day to get better. To denigrate them is just plain wrong.

This is not one of those cases. This is a freight train screaming down a mountain. The head coach at Wisconsin is paid a ton of money to produce winners on the mat, not just in life. That isn't happening now, and unless something drastically changes in a recruiting sense, it's not happening in the near future.

Who is bashing the athletes?

When a supposed fan comes on the forum and says that the WI team can't even beat an average DIII school I think that constitutes bashing athletes. The fan may be going about it in an indirect manner, but the results are read the same by any athlete reading the text.

You see, no one is saying that is factually wrong. I think the difference is that some fans think that it is their obligation to post something public about it. And yes, impressionable young athletes (and their friends and families) read the tripe that is posted on a fan board like this...and ultimately, their decisions is whether to attend the school (or support the program) or not. The people who have the ability to make changes, e.g., the athletic director, etc. do not spend their leisurely weekends reading the forums. Want change? The forum ain't the place to make it happen. Complaining on the forum only convinces kids to not attend the place. There are better ways to vote for change then whining about the situation on the forum.

Harris · December 01, 2024, 12:50:56 PM

I get where you guys are coming from and appreciate the feedback. I just wish everyone knew the full picture. I agree with both of you that many things can't and shouldn't be shared on social media. I just question whether holding the coaching staff accountable for their results is one of those things. Totally respect your opinion and perspective Nat especially having wrestled for the Badgers. Your insight is always welcome and I appreciate you looking at it from the athlete/family perspective.

benaskren · December 04, 2024, 12:37:36 PM

Hopefully we get past this Bono era ASAP

Disappointed Badgers Fan · December 05, 2024, 10:46:23 PM

Quote from: benaskren on December 04, 2024, 12:37:36 PMHopefully we get past this Bono era ASAP

Hypothetical situation. You are called by the AD to either be the next coach if you wanted the job or are asked to assist with the search/hiring process. Would you get involved, and if you didn't want the job who would be some guys you'd recommend to the AD?

Handles II · December 06, 2024, 07:27:03 AM

Quote from: benaskren on December 04, 2024, 12:37:36 PMHopefully we get past this Bono era ASAP

Like you said about the Davis era

and maybe the next era

Wrestling Guru · December 06, 2024, 08:30:39 AM

I think it is disheartening that people feel like disliking a head coach is the reason the program is getting worse. In every sport, passionate fans want what is best for the program, why is Wisconsin wrestling any different for wanting a coaching change?

I think it is sad that we would probably not win a match against Parskide, but also kudos to Nick Becker for not making excuses and helping his team get to the next step. I personally got rid of my Badger tickets and prefer to support Parkside because of their style and energy. They don't make excuses and go out and wrestle.

It would be sad to see a D1 wrestling program go away in Wisconsin but if our trend continues, I unfortunately could see that happening.