We talked about it a few times at the NIU forum, and now a popular blog out there tends to agree as well. I suggest you guys leave comments because I know some of the guys running it and the more attention MAC-related posts get, the more material they're willing to put up.

maybe the toughest, certainly one of the worst home field advantages and hardest places to get attention for your program. not a bad spot to be for recruiting if you have a plan and enough consistency w staff to build relationships w hs coaches in the region. of course if i'm a hc there and have a good yr or two i'm taking advantage and moving on.

on the other hand, emu used to have a good bball tradition (and has been good in other sports). you'd think they could get that end together a bit more. all it takes are a couple good recruits a yr and they are surrounded by talent along w plenty of area guys transferring back home, or coming out of jc

It's definitely in the top 5 toughest, although if UM continues to stink up the Big House and EMU can start winning that may change. Iowa St is another albatross. A 2nd tier team in a small state that produces little talent. Ames is a small town in northcentral Iowa, not exactly a recruiting magnet. With the likes of Mizzou, Texas, TX Tech, OK, OK St on their schedule; it would take a miracle for that program to win 7 or more games in a season.

Haven't been to Ypsilanti but I'm sure it's a nicer town than Ames and being close to a major market with lots of entertainment options is a huge plus.

Yeah, but when things get slow in Ames, you can just head down the road to Des Moines.

"Yeah, but when things get slow in Ames, you can just head down the road to Des Moines."

Nah, the real action is over at the Amana Colonies!

Or the Toledo-Tama metro area where you can rock out at the Meskwaki Casino.

But don't sell the big city of Des Moines short: "All the crime and none of the fun" is their motto.

Competing with Iowa, Kansas, Nebraska, Missouri, Wisconsin and Minnesota with their brand new $250M stadium is what makes that job particularly tough.

I would really rank EMU has the toughest Div I coaching job in America.

1. Lack of winning tradition.
2. No student or community support.
3. Lack of facilities ie indoor practice facility.
4. U of M.

I thought Genyk did a great job working with what he had and made EMU somewhat competitive in the MAC. It will be interesting to see how English does.