He inherited a team that went 1-9 in '05. He proceeded to improve their program each season he was at BS (2-8, 4-7, 6-5, 9-3), and from all accounts, he's very well respected.

 

I understand the "turnaround" he had, but he didn't do it without talent. I think he did pretty well with the talent he had, but nothing really EXCEPTIONAL to speak of. My point is, I don't believe the trade off justifies the means. It's not like they went out and grabbed somebody who has proven they can do better than the talent level they posess. Nothing that speaks volumes about being able to compete with X and T...this hire is a push at best IMO.

BigCatDaddy, it is clear you have limited knowledge into the sport of football and what it takes to establish a quality program. Yes Bryan Station does have talent, however that is not all that it takes. If your evaluation of coaching is correct, any half way decent coach should coach over at Bryan Station and win state next year, correct? Coach Lucas is a top notch coach who will do great things at Manual.

Coach Lucas has been around for quite some time, just not in this state. If you look back at his overall record out west, he has something like an 84-21 record and has experience at the college level with a strong Colorado program under Bill McCartney at that time. That being said, this hire still may leave some questions for Manual faithful! Yes, he coached a "down" Bryan Station program to respectability with a good level of athletic talent. As BigCatDaddy stated, the level of competition has not proven to be quite so tough in Lexington. They nearly pulled off the win against Highlands in 2008, does that mean he can "compete with the Ts and Xs"? Only time will tell! Highlands, Fern Creek, Colerain, Trinity, St. X and Male all loom very large in 2010, an up and coming Butler and PRP don't make things any easier. I hope that no one expects this magic to happen in the first year, although the returning talent at Manual should provide some golden opportunities!

 

I also wonder what happened to Wooldridge's first choice to take over the program though. The candidate who had ties to Trinity and U of L! :isurrender: Things are not ALWAYS what they seem!

BigCatDaddy, it is clear you have limited knowledge into the sport of football and what it takes to establish a quality program. Yes Bryan Station does have talent, however that is not all that it takes. If your evaluation of coaching is correct, any half way decent coach should coach over at Bryan Station and win state next year, correct? Coach Lucas is a top notch coach who will do great things at Manual.

 

Some Guy, I guess you have a "Vast Knowledge" of football. You seem to like to bash peoples posts and call them ignorant or say they must "not know football or have a limited knowledge." I guess with all your knowledge, you must either be a state championship winning coach or a national championship college coach.

Let's talk about Manual and not each other. First and last warning.

BigCatDaddy, it is clear you have limited knowledge into the sport of football and what it takes to establish a quality program. Yes Bryan Station does have talent, however that is not all that it takes. If your evaluation of coaching is correct, any half way decent coach should coach over at Bryan Station and win state next year, correct? Coach Lucas is a top notch coach who will do great things at Manual.

 

I do not think BS has enough talent coming back next year to make any noise, that is why coach Lucas is leaving.Manual is where he can get better players and that is what is necessary to win over T & X.

Good Luck to Coach Lucas and the Crimsons (:banana:). In two years we might be coming that way, if my kid starts doing his homework, which he thinks is an option. :madman:

BigCatDaddy, it is clear you have limited knowledge into the sport of football and what it takes to establish a quality program. Yes Bryan Station does have talent, however that is not all that it takes. If your evaluation of coaching is correct, any half way decent coach should coach over at Bryan Station and win state next year, correct? Coach Lucas is a top notch coach who will do great things at Manual.

 

If getting on here and attacking me makes you feel like a big boy, keep in mind you have NO idea who I am. For all you knowI coach a major program that just won a title...be carefule what you say. Second, did I say talent is all it takes to win and establish a program...try re-reading my post. I said he did a good job with the talent he had, but DID NOT go above that talent...so how does that JUSTIFY his hire over Nichols NON-RENEWAL? Did I say you should win state at BS??? NOPE-won't happen. Don't imply and assume...you know what they say about assuming! BUT the expectation at Manual WILL be to COMPETE for a state title...if he DIDN'T do that at BS (didn't compete at the Regional level) where his talent pool was VERY good, EXPLAIN how he will do that at Manual? Please, enlighten me!

If getting on here and attacking me makes you feel like a big boy, keep in mind you have NO idea who I am. For all you knowI coach a major program that just won a title...be carefule what you say. Second, did I say talent is all it takes to win and establish a program...try re-reading my post. I said he did a good job with the talent he had, but DID NOT go above that talent...so how does that JUSTIFY his hire over Nichols NON-RENEWAL? Did I say you should win state at BS??? NOPE-won't happen. Don't imply and assume...you know what they say about assuming! BUT the expectation at Manual WILL be to COMPETE for a state title...if he DIDN'T do that at BS (didn't compete at the Regional level) where his talent pool was VERY good, EXPLAIN how he will do that at Manual? Please, enlighten me!

 

HAHA No one cares who you are, trust me. I would be very surprised if you had any quality coaching experience simply based off of your comments. You obviously know nothing of Coach Lucas or any of his staff, so why comment on him? Comment on your expertise like cow tipping.

HAHA No one cares who you are, trust me. I would be very surprised if you had any quality coaching experience simply based off of your comments. You obviously know nothing of Coach Lucas or any of his staff, so why comment on him? Comment on your expertise like cow tipping.

 

:clap: Wow, nice post. Way to come out, lay down some good solid support for the man you have so much passion for. I bet he's excited you are showing us what to expect from his program. So I am sure, since he is your area of expertise, that you can explain exactly how he's going to beat the big 2. Or maybe you did that while I was out "cow tipping". :popcorn:

Edited January 10, 201016 yr by Ram

Look, Coach Lucas had to build the Station program from the ground up. They had not won more than 2 games in 7 years, the facilities were deteriorated and lacking, the team had no weight room or off season program when he arrived. I think he has done remarkable work in 4 years, upgrading the entire program to make them competitive with the best in the state. Most improtantly, Coach Lucas had to change the losing culture of BS football and this is no small feat teaching kids how to win. As far as not getting to regional, well few teams can lose a 2000+ yard rusher to injury at the start of the game and get past good teams like Henry Clay, which was shut out through 4 quarters for the first time in 7 years. I think with some infrastructure in place and some good talent that knows how to win returning Coach Lucas can make Manual into a team that can eventually compete for state.

 

Also, you seem to be a Louisville guy, I'm a Lexington guy, I watch the ball that's played around here. If anyone from Lex ever made it to state we'd get to see how they fare against X & T. If you want to talk disappointment, how did Henry Clay lose to Scott County? As far as athletes and speed they are not even close.

I've made no claim about Henry Clay nor am I a "Louisville" guy. Then again you don't care about that. If this kind of questioning bothers you, you are going to really hate the fact that he will be Manual's coach. He will be under an intense microscope and consantly compared to EVERYONE else, including X and T. Also, eventually isn't going to cut it there. I am sure he knows that. If he doesn't get it done in the next 3-4 years, I would expect that the insane admin at Manual will look to make another change.

 

I never disputed the fact that the guy has changed a "culture" at BS. My whole point is he hasn't done anything "spectacular" in the eyes of MANY folks around the state. That doesn't mean he hasn't done spectacular things for BS. Not making it to the Regional Finals will be a valid sticking point IF he doesn't do so at Manual. My WHOLE POINT was what makes him the guy and why couldn't he accomplish the same type of results at a school that has similar talent? Can he beat out Ballard, Male, T and X on the kids he MUST have to make a legit shot? I understand tradition is a big deal...but it doesn't make you or break you. I know these are all "what if's", but they are important to speculate about.

Edited January 10, 201016 yr by Ram
Rule 4

Questioning doesn't bother me, I don't have a dog in this fight neccessarily, it just bothers me when people bash hires and coaches on here. I don't have a problem with diagreeing either, but try not to bash the guy when you don't know anything about him, or the program he comes from. I agree that beating those teams is important but you'll have to wait and see, the man has an excellent track record throughout his career. What got me argumentative was blindly proclaiming it a bad hire without giving the man a chance. He had nothing to do with the sitation with Nichols, who had 9 years to produce the results you are calling for without the results you are calling for. Inevitably, he will be compared to past coaches and other programs but let the man get his system in place or at least coach a game before critisizing, which also is inevitable. I think it is a good hire, from what I gather he works hard and is great with kids and can win.

 

By the way, why is BS the school with the most talent? I watched the HC BS game and Clay had more talent and speed on the field. The last NFL player from BS was Eric Shelton and he's been out of HS for 10 years. What has that got to do with the kids they have now?

Questioning doesn't bother me, I don't have a dog in this fight neccessarily, it just bothers me when people bash hires and coaches on here. I don't have a problem with diagreeing either, but try not to bash the guy when you don't know anything about him, or the program he comes from. I agree that beating those teams is important but you'll have to wait and see, the man has an excellent track record throughout his career. What got me argumentative was blindly proclaiming it a bad hire without giving the man a chance. He had nothing to do with the sitation with Nichols, who had 9 years to produce the results you are calling for without the results you are calling for. Inevitably, he will be compared to past coaches and other programs but let the man get his system in place or at least coach a game before critisizing, which also is inevitable. I think it is a good hire, from what I gather he works hard and is great with kids and can win.

 

By the way, why is BS the school with the most talent? I watched the HC BS game and Clay had more talent and speed on the field. The last NFL player from BS was Eric Shelton and he's been out of HS for 10 years. What has that got to do with the kids they have now?

 

Go reread my post...never said it was a bad hire. I said it was a push, meaning there was nothing noticbly gained by the release of one and the hire of the other!! I also never critisized him, just looked at his track record in KY and there isn't anything overwhelming to speak of. Not a knock on the person, just didn't see anything to write home about. Traditionaly speaking they have more talent and produced more talent. I have watched both BS and HC play, I would not say there was much if any better speed or overall athleticism on the HC team vs BS. Redistricting didn't really hurt BS either, so if their talent is down it might also be safe to say that Lex as a whole is down by comparison.

I see Oliver Lucas as a great hire for DuPont Manual.

 

Coach Lucas has college coaching experience, having coached at the University of Colorado back when they were a powerhouse under Bill McCartney. He has a great network of contacts and relationships in college coaching from those days. At the high school level, he has done a fabulous job in using his contacts and connections to get his players scholarships to play at the next level. He spends more time with that than any coach I have seen.

 

With the open enrollment policy in Jefferson County schools, in a short time, Coach Lucas will have a great number of good players wanting to go to DuPont Manual because of all his connections and contacts in the college football world. This will give them a great chance to receive a college football scholarship, which is the opportunity all these kids are looking for.

 

This may not happen overnight, but watch Coach Lucas gather the talent at DuPont Manual and tirelessly work to find these kids scholarships and then the good players in the city will want to go play for Coach Lucas. It's going to happen.