What a mess. Guess Lebo is going to sink or swim with Reed running the team.

GLUB, CLUB, GLUB !

They fought hard and hustled. Reed made some really bad decisions during the game, but it's late in the season to be changing point guards.

I hope Lebo turns it around because I think he's a good game-day coach. Maybe the new arena will help him recruit better?

Lebo has had 6 years to turn it around. And I doubt that recruits really look at an arena when making their choice to go to a school or not.

Fact is, the guys on this team don't know how to play the game. Watch them, it's all one man trying to do it himself.

And how about FTs? Lebo's teams have never shot them well, and that's one of the most correctable parts of a player's game.

No, the problem isn't the arena. It's the Division II coaching abilities of this staff.

Did anybody watch the women's game today? Down only 42-13 at the half. Good comeback though. LSU put a bunch of subs in and we were able to cut it to only 24 behind by the end of the game.

I don't think our women can escape the cellar. We're only 1/2 game out of last place and I don't see us winning another game.

At least Lebo's team hustles and plays hard. Fortner's team seems to have lost interest in the process.

The problem with this team is talent. There is only 1 SEC calibre player on this team and that's Sullivan. Lebo is a good coach that can't recruit well. Add the fact that the facilities for basketball are some of the worst in the country and you have a problem.

The new arena will help more than anyone knows. Look at the 1st class that will get to play in the new arena. It was one of AU's best in a long time.

Lets don't try and talk about the women and Fortner. She is a great coach and the team is rebuilding. She lost 5-6 of her top scorers from last year. She is a recruiting machine though and things will turn around fast.

"Lets don't try and talk about the women and Fortner. She is a great coach and the team is rebuilding."

She had a team with five future pro players on it last year. Four of them were seniors!
They got cut to ribbons by Vandy in the SEC tournament and then by Rutgers in the NCAA. The SECOND round of the NCAA! 28 point loss to a team with inferior talent. What could Lebo do with a team that had five future pros on it?

The combination of talent and experience that Fortner had at her disposal the past three years is not likely to come around again. Her team is currently 3-10 in SEC play. It won't happen, but if we were taking an impartial appraisal of our BB coaches, Fortner would be the first to go.

Leblow can NOT bring four future pros to Auburn. Not in one year, not in six years, not in his lifetime. So what he can do with four, three, or two future pros? Nobody that hires leblow will ever find out.

Even if some unfortunate pro-level talent kid chose Leblow, by the time leblow is done with him he would be back playing skreet bball. that's leblow's style. Pathetic.

Fortner is recruiting for the same school/ arena that leblow is, right? She is a great coach and a great recruiter. She's going through a rebuilding year and will be back as one of the best teams in SEC next year.

I don't get the "Fortner is a great recruiter" thinking. Bonner, Sherrell Hobbs and Whit Boddie fell into her lap. Three in-state players at a time when bammer's program was in total disarray.

Since then she's pulled in Allie Smalley and....and..?
Well, what you've got out there is Smalley and four role players. Bammer has already rounded up the top player in the state this year. Where's the evidence of a "great recruiter"?

I wish I shared the optimism, I really do. All Fortner has accomplished so far is to underachieve with an extre,ely talented team.

he is right. We should keep leblow and fire Fortner. Get leblow to coach women's too, lol.


Fortner brings in top 20 classes consistently.. but leblow can't recruit because of the arena. Fortner has kept Auburn competitive and very respectable and leblow has .. blown.

Hustling and skreet ball is good where it belongs, the streets. Not Auburn.

I can go on and tell you which Auburn recruit and commit was ranked where.. but really, what's the point?

Women's b'ball team is probably taller than men's. Enough. Said.

"Fortner has kept Auburn competitive and very respectable and leblow has .. blown. "

WHAT?

Lebo's record: 12-13, 3-7 SEC
Fortner's: 12-14, 3-10 SEC

Difference is that Lebo's team is competitive in their losses, two going into overtime. Fortner's last two losses? A 15-point thumping by last place Arky and a 24 point loss to LSU, both at home. In that last one the Tigers were behind at halftime 42-13. LSU played subs most of the second half. Fortner's team isn't competitive.

As for the "Fortner brings in top 20 recruiting classes consistently", I don't know where you got that information. She had a good class in '05. Nothing much since.

Nell Fortner has CONSISTENTLY brought in top 20 classes. Last year she was #20. The year before, #18. Go check espn.com, they still should have the recruiting rankings from last few years.

I am not going to argue with you on who is a better coach, or had a better tenure at Auburn. You like Lebow, I don't.

In any case it's absolutely illogical to drag Fortner (or badmouth her) in this argument.

AAnd ..

Nell Fortner is 101-57(.64)
Jeff Lebow is 77-74. (.51)

Fortner has been to NCAA tourneys twice. Lebow does not know what is NCAA tourney.