JMUSB Pod: Talking JMU Sports Disappointments
There’s no way to characterize this JMU basketball season as anything other than a disappointment. Which kind of provided us for the jumping off point for this week’s pod. In this episode we discuss all the JMU teams, athletes, games, etc. that broke our hearts. But don’t despair, it’s not all doom & gloom. It’s actually kind of a cathartic to look back and laugh at the absurdity of a few losses and the fact that we got so worked up about them.
As always, thanks to our sponsors Pale Fire Brewing and Mossy Creek Fly Fishing. Stop by the brewery for a beer and let them know JMUSB sent you and you’ll go home with a free pint glass. And swing over to the fly shop, tell them JMUSB sent you and they’ll hook you up with some cool stickers.
Let’s have a reality check here.
Rowe is, quite possibly, the worst coach in the history of JMU basketball.
If he were not a JMU alum, he would never have been hired in the first place. Furthermore, he would have never been retained year after losing year for four seasons.
Take the JMU connection out of the equation, and the work product that Rowe has produced since 2016 would have been a no-brainer in not only the the college athletic world, but in the corporate world or any other context as well. When you remove the nostalgia and alum-nepotism from this, it’s more than obvious. Rowe is not a capable head coach.
JMU has not only floundered under Rowe’s tutelage, I’d say it’s regressed quite significantly. This puts us at a disadvantage as we attempt to recruit another head coach who can right this sinking ship.
To keep it real … my complaint is not against Lou Rowe. In fact, Rowe has made out quite well from this situation. He’s earned over a million dollars for four seasons, and elevated his resume for his next career move.
Rather, I’d say the complaints of true JMU fans should be better focused on the misdirection of athletic director Jeff Bourne. To commit such a misguided hiring decision of Rowe in the first place, and then fail to address the obvious flaws and inabilities of his leadership year after year, is a breach of his duty as athletic director. In fact, to neglect and mismanage such an important revenue generating athletic program as men’s basketball is nothing short of malfeasance.
Again, take the alumni connection and your personal adoration for Rowe out of this, and the facts more than speak for themselves.
Bourne should be ashamed. He’s set JMU men’s basketball back significantly with his mismanagement. Students deserve better, alums deserve better, our university deserves better.
But y’all probably don’t hear me cause nobody reads these blog comments.