Where Does ETSU Men’s Basketball Go From Here?
Jason Shay’s first season was a disappointment. But his career doesn’t have to be.
After East Tennessee State’s 77–65 season-ending loss to UNC Greensboro in the 2021 Southern Conference men’s basketball tournament, Buccaneers fans are asking what’s next.
Everyone knew ETSU wasn’t going to finish 30–4 again this season, but the 13–12 mark comes off as the program’s most unsatisfying since Murry Bartow’s final Buccaneers team went 16–14 in 2014–15.
What if the administration had immediately named Jason Shay head coach after Steve Forbes’ departure? Flirting with Chris Jans instead of promoting Forbes’ top lieutenant to the position he’d earned was an act lacking in confidence in Shay.
If ETSU wasn’t willing to make the obvious move of trying to keep a good thing going as soon as Forbes departed, what were Bo Hodges, Patrick Good, and Daivien Williamson going to think?
The Buccaneers’ Achilles heel this season was point guard. It’s easy to assume Hodges would have made quite a difference running the offense instead of players who seemed to be more interested in piling point totals up than assists.
So Shay must bring in a true point guard for the 2021–22 season. Players running down the court and chucking up a 3-point attempt might be…
