2017 Coaching Carousel

[DMan42]

Stephen Silas w/his Dad, Paul as an assistant. Whitman WILL think out of the box.

I would feel better about guys like this if they had spent, at least, a little time coaching college basketball. I worry that they would get into it and hate the NCAA regulations part of it.

 

[StateFarmCenter]

If you want a NBA guy, I don't see the need to go past Musselman (unless of course Hoiberg somehow gets fired early).

 

[MadSeason]

Did he ever bring in more than four McDAA's in a 6 year period? I don't know the answer to that.



The difference between Tennessee/Cal and Illinois is not the same thing as the difference between Illinois and Kansas.

I dunno. Maybe with Cuonzo we'll start hitting the Wilkes/Tilmon/Goodwin or Brunson/Bragg/Matthews type grand slams that are the subject of such dreams on here. But do we have to do that EVERY year in order to have Big Ten title type success? Because I really think the right coach could get us there with lesser talent resources than that. That seems like the path of least resistance to me.

Maybe Cuonzo is that right coach, but I'm more receptive to that argument than expectations of recruiting riches at a blue blood level.

1980- Derek Harper
1982- Efrem Winters, Bruce Douglas
1985- Lowell Hamilton
1986- Nick Anderson,
1987-Marcus Liberty
1989- Deon Thomas

Liberty, Hamilton were disputed #1 overall recruits.

I don't know if Cuonzo can equal or best this, I just don't believe an elite recruiter would not exceed his past results in his home area with an undeniably better program. Whether it is a Kansas from Illinois jump at the time Self did it is debatable

 

[Second and Chalmers]

If you want a NBA guy, I don't see the need to go past Musselman

I wish he hadn't lost to Fresno State at home last night.

Nevada is playing with only 9 scholarship players as they have four P5 transfers sitting out. Good ones too. You'd expect a breakout from him next year. I wish we had the chance to see that play out.

We're getting the chance to see that year out of Keatts. It looked on paper like they could make a jump, and they have.

 

[Renegade19]

Would Leonard Hamilton answer the phone if we called?

I hope not.

 

[Cheez]

Leonard Hamilton is 68 years old. He might not hear the phone if we called

He also said no before we hired Groce...

 

[TCTORNADO]

If you want a NBA guy, I don't see the need to go past Musselman (unless of course Hoiberg somehow gets fired early).

It won't be Musselman.

 

[dmac279]

Depends what you mean by excellent. Keatts has yet to win a single NCAA tournament game, whereas Groce took Ohio to 2 NCAA tournaments (Ohio gone to 1 NCAA tournament in the last 15 years), and actually won 3 NCAA games and got to S16, something that no coach at Ohio had done since 1964 - that is in the last 46 years before Groce.

There were positives and negatives in Groce's resume and Keatts' lack of NCAA success so far may be viewed as a potential negative as well.

Many posters try to make it sound that Groce was a terrible choice from the get go, guaranteed to fail, etc. etc. He was not. He was not on the A+ list (e.g., Shaka Smart) but neither is Keatts. Both with a reputation as recruiters. Some potential risks in both their resumes. The difference is that Groce has already failed, period. Keatts has not, so just the fact that he is also known as a recruiter, does not mean that Keatts = Groce or that Groce failed, so will Keatts.

Bottom line is that there will be risk no matter who we hire, but Keatts is one of my top 3 choices, meaning willing to take the risk more than others.

Bingo,

 

[dmac279]

Also can anyone think of a few schools that were in our position (on a downward trend but has the resources to be back where the program has been in the past)? I'd love to see a sample of where those coaches came from and their resume coming in.

Hmm let's try iowa

 

[dmac279]

I would see taking a chance on Keatts. But, understanding that it is a risk. It's really tough to know how he would translate.

Musselman can probably coach. But his track record is very small at Nevada to really know.

The ones that aren't risks probably are out of reach. Anyone else will be a risk

 

[Second and Chalmers]

He also said no before we hired Groce...

False. I don't know whether to believe reports that he was lobbying for the job, but MT certainly never offered it to him.

 

[Obelix]

Beilein following Amaker and Brian Ellerbe at Michigan, Fran following Lickliter and Alford at Iowa, Josh Pastner following Brian Gregory and Paul Hewitt at Georgia Tech, Mark Gottfried following Sidney Lowe and Herb Sendek at NC State, Brad Underwood following Travis Ford and Sean Sutton at Oklahoma State, Mike Anderson following John Pelphrey and Stan Heath at Arkansas.

Those are all pretty analogous situations of programs with resources going on the open market after getting it wrong twice in a row.

Not sure for most of them one can claim that they got it right after getting it wrong twice.

Fran McCaffery is not doing much better than Alford, actually they have almost identical conference records, NCAA appearances, with Alford having a slight advantage in overall record. Fran missed the NCAA 3 years in a row (without even the multiple injury excuse) and lost in the pay-in game. So that would be 4 years in a row. He is a mediocre coach, if you think that he became a good coach after missing 3-4 tournaments in a row, that is more of a supporting vote for keeping Groce.

Josh Pastner is in his first year, jury is still out on him, but currently just 11-8 and 3-4 in conference.

Brad Underwood, same as Pastner, with a much worse conference record, currently 1-6.

Herb Sendek made 5 consecutive NCAA appearances and a S16 at NC State right before he decided to leave NC State (for Arizona State). Mark Gottfried is not doing that well this season (not an NCAA team so far) so I would not call him an upgrade from Sendek at NC State so far. But he is not getting fired either as some others have alluded to.

 

[Cheez]

Hmm let's try iowa

Fran McCaffery came from Siena on the heels of multiple NCAA tournament berths (2-3 record).

I would hope that you expect Illinois to hire a coach to bring them higher than Iowa, though.

 

[Second and Chalmers]

Not sure for most of them one can claim that they got it right after getting it wrong twice.

Yeah most of those are TBD and a couple are pretty bad hires, I was just looking for hires that fit the mold we're in. The poster asked the question wanting to look at those resumes.

 

[Cheez]

False. I don't know whether to believe reports that he was lobbying for the job, but MT certainly never offered it to him.

I had heard a different story (no time to look - heading out to the bar for the Packers game): essentially, after Smart and Stevens said no, Hamilton proverbially hung up a "not interested" sign when his name was mentioned in conjunction with rumors for the Illinois job.

 

[Second and Chalmers]

I had heard a different story (no time to look - heading out to the bar for the Packers game): essentially, after Smart and Stevens said no, Hamilton proverbially hung up a "not interested" sign when his name was mentioned in conjunction with rumors for the Illinois job.

That's what he said publicly. Who knows what the truth was on the Hamilton side, but on the Illinois side he was never in MT's crosshairs.

 

[dmac279]

Fran McCaffery came from Siena on the heels of multiple NCAA tournament berths (2-3 record).

I would hope that you expect Illinois to hire a coach to bring them higher than Iowa, though.

Yes I do. He's an example of turning around Iowa after Likliter. We will be hard pressed to beat Iowa the way we're playing now. By the way he's playing 4 freshman lots of minutes and improving as the season moves on.

 

[Renegade19]

Yes I do. He's an example of turning around Iowa after Likliter. We will be hard pressed to beat Iowa the way we're playing now. By the way he's playing 4 freshman lots of minutes and improving as the season moves on.

What? A B1G coach is playing young players and they're developing and improving? Blasphemy!!!! You must stick with upper classmen who have been in the system no matter the cost!

 

[Obelix]

Yes I do. He's an example of turning around Iowa after Likliter. We will be hard pressed to beat Iowa the way we're playing now. By the way he's playing 4 freshman lots of minutes and improving as the season moves on.

I think you'd be hard pressed to make a case for Fran as good coach, and if someone said that missing the tournament 4 years in a row (without multiple injuries) before he got better did not matter, it would be hard not to make a similar case for Groce.

Iowa is 11-9 and 3-4 in conference currently, having lost 2 in a row, currently not an NCAA team. They are not much better than us right now and we are at a low point performance-wise contemplating firing our coach (which says even less IMO of Iowa and Fran).

 

[WesterveltVictoryCigar]

I don't follow this as much as others. I've seen some back and forth on the ups and downs of Martin and Keatts. Between those two I'd want Keatts. My number one is still Archie though. Has recruited Illinois kids to Dayton and has had a deep tournament run. What are his downsides?

His downsides are he's not interested in the job.

 

[Second and Chalmers]

His downsides are he's not interested in the job.

Not sure how that became the narrative. In a world where NC State looks unavailable for the forseeable future I think we'd have a very good chance.

But NC State is going to be open, and if you think he'd pick us over NC State, you'd have to believe a Cory Bradford or a Lucas Johnson with Archie's coaching resume would choose NC State over us.

 

[WesterveltVictoryCigar]

Not sure how that became the narrative. In a world where NC State looks unavailable for the forseeable future I think we'd have a very good chance.

But NC State is going to be open, and if you think he'd pick us over NC State, you'd have to believe a Cory Bradford or a Lucas Johnson with Archie's coaching resume would choose NC State over us.

It's not a narrative.

 

[StateFarmCenter]

Not sure how that became the narrative. In a world where NC State looks unavailable for the forseeable future I think we'd have a very good chance.

.

People in the know have stressed as much. The reasoning I'm not so sure of.

 

[Second and Chalmers]

People in the know have stressed as much. The reasoning I'm not so sure of.

Well, given that the people in the know were telling us that Whitman was going to fire Bill Cubit on day 1 because Lovie Smith had agreed to become our head coach, we should probably listen to them.

There are no insiders.

 

[Obelix]

In a world where NC State looks unavailable for the forseeable future I think we'd have a very good chance.

I also not sure of this narrative either. All it matters is this year, and whether NC State or Illinois will have an opening. Betting you career on another coach failing and getting fired beyond the current year is certainly not the way to manage a coaching career. JMO.