Jamie Arnold in the house

[RoyalShock]

And wasn't part of the problem with Smithson that he didn't have a "good cop" on the coaching staff to balance him? Carlos Diggins was the top assistant, correct?

[shockmonster]

And wasn't part of the problem with Smithson that he didn't have a "good cop" on the coaching staff to balance him? Carlos Diggins was the top assistant, correct?

Yes but the chemical dependency exposed his bi-polar qualities. A head coach can't be the one on his staff with a bi-polar personality. Being able to calibrate intensity is important.

[jpshocker]

[QUOTE=shockmonster;469498]Randy had a lot of good qualities and a lot of players liked him for his tenacity, treating everyone the same,willingness to hold stars accountable, and other really good coaching qualities. However, chemical dependency and the coaching profession (probably most professions) don't mix well. I think this is the biggest reason (there were other less important ones) that his communication qualities failed. I wish he would have had some really good coaching mentors who could guided him.[/QUOTE

Couldn't agree more. It would have been a great fit under different circumstances.

[1972Shocker]

I'm not sure Wichita State did Randy any favors by hiring him. I simply don't think he was ready for that challenge and it pretty much ate him up.

[pie n eye]

Not sure I would agree. This program was in the abyss and believe it or not it's not always the players faults. The coaching staff had a lot to do with everyone's misery at the time. I don't believe Jamie is a bad character. I'll reserve that to the likes of another Jamie who was last caught stuffing Haertl's sidekick in a locker.

That must have been one huge locker to fit both his ass and ego.

[HarpBros]

The comeback started with Randy the last season wasn't pretty but he got he ball rolling.

Sadly we never got to see Maurice Evans play for HCMT that would have been awesome... but we never get him if HCRS and Mo don't have their issues.

Name Years Seasons Wins Losses Pct
Gregg Marshall 2007-2014 7 168 70 0.706
Mark Turgeon 2000-2007 7 128 90 0.587
Randy Smithson 1996-2000 4 55 62 0.470
Scott Thomson 1992-1996 4 40 70 0.364
Mike Cohen 1989-1992 3 32 56 0.364

[mjbaker84]

Not sure I would agree. This program was in the abyss and believe it or not it's not always the players faults. The coaching staff had a lot to do with everyone's misery at the time. I don't believe Jamie is a bad character. I'll reserve that to the likes of another Jamie who was last caught stuffing Haertl's sidekick in a locker.

name? lol

[BostonWu]

The other Jamie I was referring to was Jamie Sowers and I think most of us remember what happened between him and Haertl's sidekick.

[wufan]

The other Jamie I was referring to was Jamie Sowers and I think most of us remember what happened between him and Haertl's sidekick.

I was not aware, or had forgotten. Here's the only google reference I could find:

http://www.goshockers.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=7500&ATCLID=719728

[H8KU]

Mr. Arnold made a nice gesture to us yesterday. He approached my daughter holding up a sign she made for the game and told her how beautiful it was. Pretty cool for a 10 year old to hear that from an actual player!

Jamie played during my time as a student. I honestly believe that under the right tutelage and with the right teamates, Jamie Arnold's name and number would have hung from the rafters. I was pretty upset with him that he left, but after learning about coach Smithson's reputation and his personal demons, I became more sympathetic for what Jamie had to deal with. Coaching styles have evolved since the Bobby Knight era, and Smithson's approach was of that ilk. Combine that with Randy's personal demons which likely affected his demeanor as a coach - that's a lot of pressure for a vulnerable 18-22 year old kid to have to deal with. Yes he let his teammates down, but I would venture to guess that as the best player on the team he received more of Smithson's wrath than the rest of them had to deal with.

Not throwing coach under the bus entirely. I also agree that Smithson deserves some credit for his accomplishments at WSU and beyond. Since Fogler left, the previous 2 coaches couldn't even get a .500 record. Randy hit a winning record his first 2 years, including a 3rd place valley finish in 97-98. He out recruited Kansas and Okie State for the city's best player - something that hasn't been done since. Yes, he failed sustain his success at WSU, but he was able to accomplish things the previous coaches could not with a program in the toilet. Additionally, his success at the JuCo ranks can't be taken away from him when looking at his overall career. To his credit, he went public about his struggles with substance abuse and I'm glad that he has taken steps to win a battle that he inherited. Despite coach Smithson's shortcomings, he has fought and continues to fight each day - and chooses to do that in the community he loves. May he continue to be a winner.

[ShockerKhan]

I remember Randy suspending Jason Perez for undisclosed reason. I couldn't believe it. I remember him coming off the bench to hit 4 3 pointers against the cats an score 20.
Jason also pulled the inbound pass of the opponent with his back turned to get an unassisted layup. Jamie Arnold had 19 and 10 boards and was a man in that game.
That team should have been better. Bob Hull was an assistant at that time. I always blamed Randy for the under achieving of that team.