Easy to say blame the coach, but honestly that's where the blame has to sit. When you have a bench that's a mile long and still playing guys high 30's in minutes you have think this guy can't manage his rotations.
He's lost Mason through lack of court time, why Morrison, Jenkins and Delaney stay is a wonder.

One year wonder again for the Pioneers

Lost Mason? Will we see him with Jack, Locke, Sawyer and the Black Smoke anytime soon? Got left behind on a road trip to Hobart? Tell more.

Hey, does anyone know what happened to the import, there are some rumors floating around the league that he has been suspended by the club. Hope this is not true after replacing Kevin Smith with this guy.

The club should suspend the coach!!!

Dont know what happened to the import, but he would have to be the worst one in the League.

Cant beleive that the board let it get this far out of hand. They have basically sunk the club for any chance of a start next year.

Wizzel08 - Andy Tipton caught with marijuana in local nightclub by the filth.

Fined by cops, club and suspended by coach for 2 weeks.

Surely everyone is questioning wether to sack the coach on grounds of non-performance by now!!!!

He obviously could talk himself up, but wins mean everything, send him packing after he has literally bought a club to its knees.

Anonymous, I wasn't at the game but must question your statement here, looking at the stats the Pioneers only gave up 5 offensive boards to Dandenong and beat them in the rebound count, so if they weren't boxing them out surely Dandenong would have had more than 5 O boards???
It does look as though there defence stunk a bit allowing Dandenong to shoot the percentages they did though.
The other killer would have to be the 24 turnovers they had, 5 from Dallas is sort of expected but 6 from Sutton was uncharacteristic of Matt.
There seems to be a big difference between the top 4 teams and the bottom 4 teams this season in the South Conference.

Thanks for the info guys, i think if you bring a new import in at the expence of a guy like Kevin Smith who from all reports was just an exceptional young man both on and off the court and they get done for drugs i would be sending that one packing. Sounds like just a bit more egg on the face of a few in the Mount.

Anonymous - at least he was willing to put his hand up and say that years ago he made a mistake and he has paid a lot for it. Why dont you grow some kahunas and put your hand up instead of hiding behind an anonymous front?

Smith did nothing but good things for this community and i reckon that is a bloody low blow on your behalf for dragging up privileged information on a subject that is over a decade old and that you more than likely dont know the full story about. Anyone would think that you had a hand in getting rid of him just like the coach did ya wanka!

People need to know that it was the coach who assembled this years team including fighting to get Tipton here, the coach must be held accountable at some stage! The fact that Tiptons after hours antics got him caught doesnt make him a bad person, but it makes him a bad team player. I think that when your team is in a position of losing six games on the trot, you really need to be doing everything as a team to the limit to bring your performances back to peak. Not skive off and get on the piss all time.

Maybe we should do some digging on the coach? It is fairly obvious that he is not the real deal as it was written in his resume!

(Mod: Inappropriate.)

People, please watch what you say.

Who is actually playing for the Pioneers at the moment?

until the cancer that has been there for years is shown the door, the pioneers will not be sucessful!

I'm concerned about the Coach on two fronts, firstly in respect of the Pioneers.
He has every player he wanted and disposed of every player he didn't.
Has more staff than re run of Quo Vadis.
They had to take back a corporate box and they are still seats short.

Be careful what you wish for is very applicable here.

The other is what he is promising to the local school running a basketball academy.
Frankly I doubt he can deliver!

The Mount has always had a thing for "out of towners"

Personally at the moment, I'm not advocating sacking anyone. It doesn't get you anywhere and just starts the same bunfight they had over Smith.

The Coach seriously needs to pull his head in a bit and pull back on the media engagements while they're losing people get sick of excuses.

He also really really needs to stop walking on to the court abusing refs, doesn't get you anywhere.
Rightly or wrong they're not going to change a call so shut up and move on.

Oh and by the way this isn't US College it's SEABL teams rotate their bench, if you want fresh legs down the stretch you better start doing it or the slide will not end anytime soon.

Nice Vesta, I can see these guys trying to make a college system, but what they fail to see is that some players are not in that mind set...

Obviously the directive from SEABL ump directors isn't strong enuff and tech fouls need to be used a touch more..always seems to get the coach onto the bench or out of the venue..

Wont be able to make the meeting on the 9th of may regarding the Academy, but would love to hear some feedback...sepcially scholarships and overall costs...

Vesta 57 - Why not sack the coach?

The board obviously needs to save on overheads due to no community support financially and he is the logical choice. Sack him on the grounds of non performance.... Pretty straight forward I reckon, then you save dollars of X amount and let Flash coach out the rest of the season. I reckon he would do a far better job than the amateur that they have at the moment.

This issue is extremely obvious to all except those who dont want to admit that they were wrong in keeping the coach and letting him bring this club to place it has never been before...On the verge of extinction.

I am sorry for the community who unfortunately dont have a say when it comes to this issue. They are the ones who are going to suffer, not the coach who came in and buried the Pioneers in just a short 6 months.

I think the initiative for a dedicated Basketball Academy is fantastic especially for those Yr 12 & 13 students that really want to have a crack at the sport and get their SACE as well.
As an Administrator and education provider I doubt you will find a better institution or better facilities if Rudd's gym ever gets finished.

Summerville as Head Coach, I'm yet to be convinced though.
Motivation, Passion and Dedication certainly aren't lacking, I'm more concerned about ego and ability.

For good or bad Tony Cook is no longer with the team.
Don't know his reasons for moving on but I do respect him regardless. Great player, top team man but I can only guess he struggled with the politics.

Borris, I take it you have been out to watch a couple of games.
I don't think there is that much wrong apart from defence, which isn't wrong it's non existent.
Tipton is the worst offender.
The coach is very professional and organised I'll give him that, maybe you won't but I will.
He speaks well post game, even if the on court body language and swearing are verging on intolerable.
Some say the guy is a tool, not my place to say but there are a couple of full on tools still coaching at a high level so I doubt that is an effective criteria.
As for Flash well he's a great guy, good assistant coach and may one day make a senior coach, but not now, he isn't ready yet.
I am aware there was another high profile SA applicant who could probably walk in to the job if the board was that way inclined (which they're not) but I hear he is so aggrieved at the lack of proffessionalism shown by the board during two selection processes now at least one of which was flawed verging on corrupt that I doubt he would give the team a second thought.
I think the board the coach and the players have to dig in and get themselves out of this one.

One thing I would ask is that the Coaching staff stay around after the game.
It is a long held tradition at the club and at this time I think it is absolutely inappropriate to leave immediately after the presentations for their post game huddle up.

The coach needs to be available open and take on board what people are saying whether it be right or wrong.

For good or bad Tony Cook is no longer with the team.
Don't know his reasons for moving on but I do respect him regardless. Great player, top team man but I can only guess he struggled with the politics.

Borris, I take it you have been out to watch a couple of games.
I don't think there is that much wrong apart from defence, which isn't wrong it's non existent.
Tipton is the worst offender.
The coach is very professional and organised I'll give him that, maybe you won't but I will.
He speaks well post game, even if the on court body language and swearing are verging on intolerable.
Some say the guy is a tool, not my place to say but there are a couple of full on tools still coaching at a high level so I doubt that is an effective criteria.
As for Flash well he's a great guy, good assistant coach and may one day make a senior coach, but not now, he isn't ready yet.
I am aware there was another high profile SA applicant who could probably walk in to the job if the board was that way inclined (which they're not) but I hear he is so aggrieved at the lack of proffessionalism shown by the board during two selection processes now at least one of which was flawed verging on corrupt that I doubt he would give the team a second thought.
I think the board the coach and the players have to dig in and get themselves out of this one.

One thing I would ask is that the Coaching staff stay around after the game.
It is a long held tradition at the club and at this time I think it is absolutely inappropriate to leave immediately after the presentations for their post game huddle up.

The coach needs to be available open and take on board what people are saying whether it be right or wrong.

Vesta 57 - A couple of games... All of the home games and the coach stinks! I reckon he would have to nearly make the grade to coach under 12s.. Maybe.

As a past player at an elite level and having played under many different coaches with different personas, this guy takes the cake as the biggest fraud/muppet I have ever met.

As for the current board and their 'lack of balls' for a want of a better term, I hope they are all 'happy' to have this guy work for them. Cause it is no doubt costing mega bucks.

When are people going to wake up to this guy, he may "speak well post game" but that is what he is best at, hot air. He hasnt proven anything of what he said he would.

More than likely never. Disappointing.

Vesta 57 i trust that you respect my comments and I do respect a lot of yours but I aint going down with this sinking ship.

Borris, don't neccessarily agree with your comments, respect your right to make them all the same.

I reckon Isaac would have sorted your little red wagon by now if you too far out of line.

Like a few others on here I'm disapointed with where the Pioneers are at, I think a couple of bad staffing decisions have set them back 10 years.
People back on the board in senior positions who sat back and watched the last financial disaster and seem to be repeating the dose.
I'm glad you're still going out Borris, truly!

I can't bring myself to do that anymore, would be just too much to see the clubs only defender sitting in the stands, while defence just goes by the wayside.

Trouble is Borris unless you have some influence with the board, you have no choice but to go down with this sinking ship.
I think I'll choose not to be on it!

I would like nothing more than the Pioneers to get up, they have the players but I think that some of the players may be loosing their passion for the game especially when they have a coach that abuses them constantly and rattles their confidence.

I go to the games as support to the players but have considered not going as the coach turns me off the game the way he rants and throws his tantrums constanly!!! and I am sure that he has affected the home crowds with the amount of supporters and sponsors that he has pissed off.

As for the board I think they are stuck between a rock and a hard place as the people that made the decision to employee this coach have all pretty much resigned from the board. I am not sure of their financial position but if at all possible I think they get rid of him asap and cut their losses before he can do anymore damage and upset anymore people in Mt Gambier with his personal attacks. I wouldn't loose friendships over this guy as he will be gone and the damage will be done!!!

Hope the boys can come up with a couple of wins this weekend.

Fred, some good points.
I disagree that the players have lost passion.
That point was made about Mason in the Border Watch but by the club. I'm told no journalist spoke to Chris.
The players that look disinterested and giving up turnovers are simply exhausted.
Dallas will not ask for a sub but at his age and fitness level he isn't a 38 minute player neither is Rice.

If you took 4 minutes from both of those guys and rested them some more there would be a big change up.

You're dead right about the rants and tantrums, very unbecoming of a SEABL coach.

Vesta 57 - You seem like a smart type, but unfortunately it sounds like you too have been bluffed by the coach's resume.

I still cant beleive that everyone has not woken up to this guy yet. How can a coach with a 2 & 7 win/loss record not be pushed out the door when it doesnt even look like he can coach even to a blind man.

Unfortunately he has gotten support from 1 to 2 members of the current board, bullied the players into sticking with him so they dont speak up for themselves, so at this stage his head doesnt seem to be even near the chopping block.

Borris,
I haven't been bluffed by his resume but there comes a time when you have to suck it up and make it work.

You just can't afford two sets of salaries, I guess this guy's on a two year deal.
The board wouldn't be smart enough to put in a performance clause either so they would have to pay him out for the whole term.

Then where do you go?

Things need to change and he most certainly needs to deal with the major issues facing the team.
Principally rotations off the bench.
Which is no better if not worse than the last guy.
What does that tell you!

If I never make another prediction watch the NW Tassie result without Mason, they will wreak havoc on them with no defenders.

The "Mount" sounds like a great place to coach. I was reading this stuff last year.

DMT??? Surely not? I suppose he could get a gig with the CFS down there and play with his mate Sutton.
I have heard that the players have been heavily punished for the results and for the Tipton incident with some very strict conditions being put on them!

hey borris and vesta 57 your pretty good at shooting the coach down after the pioneers lose and i guess you will give the players all the credit for the 10 point win at hobart. you guys are a joke

unbelievable vesta 57 that the pioneers got the win over nw tassie without the amazing defence of mason. maybe you should never make another prediction. it would save you from looking foolish

vesta 23, the concerns I have raised don't run to the sacking of the coach. Use your up arrow and check mate!
Looking at the amount of time against the players, not much has changed with respect to rotations, hopefully the coach behaved a little more respectfully on the sidelines on this trip.

vesta57 i said shooting the coach down not sacking the coach.from your last post it is obvious you have a grudge against the club as they went to tassie and got 2 wins which no team has done this season and all you can do is rip the coach about rotations. got the wins screw the rotations i say. this is not junior sport where everyone gets a even run. they got the job done! well done pioneers keep up the good work.