Coaching Carousel (Basketball)
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OrangeBlue98
- Des Moines, IA
DeVries to WVU is a really good hire, IMHO. He can coach and has a record of developing players. He’ll need a little patience with WVU’s issues from this season, but I think he’ll get them going quickly.
He’s the type of guy that the fans in Morgantown should like-solid, no-nonsense, just get to work.
He’s the type of guy that the fans in Morgantown should like-solid, no-nonsense, just get to work.
IlliniwekKDR
- Colorado Springs, CO
I think most of us are hoping we lose an assistant by getting one of them promoted to a head coach job and then hiring either Boynton or Antigua to replace him
Thank you -- haven't been around much lately and realizing there's a lot on the previous thread I should have caught up on before posting those questions!
OrangeBlue98
- Des Moines, IA
May be wishful thinking on my part, but I’d love to see the dominoes from Drake result in a head job for Chester and/or Alexander. I think Drake is a desirable mid-major job. The Valley is a good basketball conference. There are worse places to live than Des Moines. DeVries has left the program much better than he found it. I won’t be surprised at all to see a lower-major head coach step up into this role, which would leave an opening that may be more aligned with an assistant making the jump.
ChiefGritty
- Chicago, IL
No slight on Geoff Alexander, but he's not a candidate for a remotely desirable HC job as a guy with a non-recruiting ops guy reputation.
Pawning off assistants you'd like to upgrade from to Division 1 head coaching jobs isn't really a thing.
Frazier profiles more as an HC candidate with a lot of successful experience at multiple stops and a recruiting reputation in a specific region where there are a lot of D1 schools. But he's also probably smart enough to avoid a bottom-of-the-barrel job, and for the better ones there will be a lot of competition from guys like him.
And the rule of thumb is that the assistant you least want to lose is the one who is the best HC candidate. I think that's certainly the case with Tim Anderson.
BU is a ruthless guy and Boynton is a free agent who I'm sure he'd love to have on staff. We'll see how it goes. But in terms of another D1 school staking their future on giving one of our assistants a head job, there's not really some magical NIL button we can press to make that happen.
He's never been an ops guy.
ChiefGritty
- Chicago, IL
"Assistant to the Head Coach"
Not an ops guy in the Joey Biggs sense, but you know what I mean.
I have felt over the last couple of years that Coach Alexander has been undervalued by ILLINI Nation given his long term relationship with Brad dating back to Brad's early years at Western Illinois. Brad obviously trusts and respects him or he wouldn't have been on his staff since 2017, the year Brad was hired at Illinois. Nevertheless, unlike Chester or Tim, who may very well soon be head coaching candidates for mid-level programs like Drake, I think that Geoff's much more likely to be a candidate for a lower level secondary state school head coaching position like EIU or Western, where he played for two years while Brad was an Assistant Coach.
ChiefGritty
- Chicago, IL
I guess what I'm trying to get across is that his value in his current position and his value as a new head coach at a different school in a totally new environment aren't the same thing.
Totally agree that Alexander's history with BU and the variety of roles he's played here makes him a valuable person on the staff.
Wasn’t he considered the lead recruiter on Fears (understanding that Fears was one recruit BU decided to speak with)?
He doesn’t profile as a slam dunk, next assistant to get a head coaching spot, but are we supposed to act like it’s crazy that he’d be getting interviews at in state small schools?
The one that surprised me was when Chin’s name came up for Western Illinois (I think). Which maybe makes sense, since you don’t count on getting the top tier Chicago talent, but maybe reel in some of the next tier and sell them on being the man.
this reminds me when people thought Chin would get WIU job and would be used as a "minor league" system for U of I basketball
Mr. Tibbs
- southeast DuPage
that's a fairly decent sized program to hire a guy with ZERO head coaching experience
maybe I'm out of it, but imo, he might need to spend a few years at a lower level program
OrangeBlue98
- Des Moines, IA
For comparison’s sake, Byington had seven years at Georgia Southern before accepting the JMU job.
I’d say that a head coaching position opened by JMU’s future hire would be a more realistic option (which is what I meant my my dominoes comment earlier in this thread).
Being a longtime assistant at Kansas State + Virginia Tech + Illinois is more than enough to qualify you for a run of the mill Sun Belt job that's only made the tourney 6 times *ever*. Before '22 they were in the CAA.
Dusty Mid* had zero HC experience before FAU, same with Hopkins at UW, Tommy Lloyd at UA, Hubie and Scheyer some other examples (yes I realize there were some other factors there ofc).
ChiefGritty
- Chicago, IL
Chester seems like a great candidate for Loyola (MD) to me, a stone's throw from where he grew up.
Not the greatest job, not the peach of a launchpad JMU is, but I don't think that's a radioactive stay-away either.
Not the greatest job, not the peach of a launchpad JMU is, but I don't think that's a radioactive stay-away either.
No kidding.
1. Iowa City
2.
Ok, I give. What’s worse than Iowa City or Des Moines?
Lubbock?
IlliniKat91
- Chicago, IL
Re: Coach Geoff Alexander.
I was always under the impression he wants a HC position. I also remember that when Geoff was hired, Neil said in an interview something this would be a great way to get a HC gig bc that’s the goal.
I’m Geoff wouldn’t take just any HC gig, but I think he’s ready for one, he’s “paid his dues” so to speak, and he definitely had the pedigree.
I hope he gets an opportunity soon. And not bc I want to replace him! But bc he’s earned it.
I was always under the impression he wants a HC position. I also remember that when Geoff was hired, Neil said in an interview something this would be a great way to get a HC gig bc that’s the goal.
I’m Geoff wouldn’t take just any HC gig, but I think he’s ready for one, he’s “paid his dues” so to speak, and he definitely had the pedigree.
I hope he gets an opportunity soon. And not bc I want to replace him! But bc he’s earned it.
Do we expect Brad’s extension to happen after the season?
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