Leonardite
- Terre Haute, IN
Cj5050 from IHSS says it is Monty Williams.
2017 Coaching Carousel
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If it is Monty, I am interested to see what the fanbase response is with all the Cuonzo smoke we've seen recently. Would be a bit of a left turn from what people seem to be expecting
sdfidaho
- Boise, Idaho
Backflips come to mind...
Very different resumes but pretty similar appeals. Relatively young African American coaches of exemplary character and known as coaches players want to play for. Earnest, no BS leaders. Role models for our guys. Very much keeping with Whitman's stated objectives and his rationale for the Lovie hire.
mattcoldagelli
- The Transfer Portal with Do Not Contact Tag
That would be pretty effing cool.
Lol, Cuonzo and Monty were born 15 days apart. Sep 23 and Oct 8, 1971.
EDIT: Whoa, Groce born September 7, 1971
EDIT: Whoa, Groce born September 7, 1971
Obviously it's complete speculation, but Williams does little for me. He'd better hire one incredible recruiter to be on his staff, along with some great developers of talent. He himself won't create any buzz. I doubt high school kids know a thing about him.
mattcoldagelli
- The Transfer Portal with Do Not Contact Tag
I'd challenge you on that last point.
IlliniFan12
- Cedar Falls, IA
If we're basing this off Cj5050's report of a former P5 HC being Monty's top assistant, that would certainly be a boost in regards to both recruiting and player development.
I view Cuonzo and Monty on largely the same tier, but Monty has more of the upside I crave, whereas I don't buy into it as heavily with Cuonzo, so I'd be perfectly happy with Monty. Unfortunately, I can't do backflips, so that's out of the question for me
Definitely would fit the billing, and yeah pretty crazy how close together those two are. More impressive is how young Monty is for a guy with his NBA resume. ~39 when he started at the Pelicans? That's not easy to pull off.
Just like Lovie, Monty could easily be an excellent recruiter in his own right. And I think his ties to top players in the NBA will certainly help him recruit, and HS kids, especially ones familiar with Anthony Davis, will know who he is, or learn quickly. Reminder that he worked on staff for teams with Anthony Davis, Westbrook, and Durant in the last 8 years. 3 of the top 5-8 players in the NBA? Think he'd be fine introducing himself to 'croots, and hard to believe any HS kids don't know about a guy who was an NBA HC all of 2 years ago.
Anthony Grant (former P5 HC) was an assistant with Monty at okc
haasi
- New York
It is hard to believe this would leak with so much left of the season. It does make for a good story.
My concern with Cuonzo is the lack of a track record playing with his own recruits. By the time his recruits are upperclassmen, he is on the way out the door (3 years per stint). Each team seemed to drop the following year(s). Was that due to the coaching change, or the quality of the player he left behind?
I'd be thrilled with three years of improvement and him moving on to a blue blood if he left the program with decent recruits.
I'd be thrilled with three years of improvement and him moving on to a blue blood if he left the program with decent recruits.
Randy Ayers was an assistant with the Sixers during the entire tenure of, and eventually replaced, drumroll: Larry Brown.
midastouch11
- New York, New York
If they've got YouTube they can watch Monty working out KD, Westbrook or Lebron?
https://youtu.be/Ggtb_sQRu7k
https://youtu.be/jKTTUSPpz28
https://youtu.be/fhxKwrZkpyE
If there's any substance to the rumor that the new coach will potentially have a former P5 head coach on his staff, this Monty Williams thing may have some legs. Monty's lead assistant with the Pelicans was former tOSU and NBA head coach Randy Ayers. As you may recall, he was named National Coach of the Year in 1991 when he led the Buckeyes to a Big Ten title and #1 seed in the tournament.
Ayers has been working as a scout with the Brooklyn Nets the last two years. Wouldn't be surprised if he wanted to get back in the game for a few years leading up to retirement - especially since his son is now an assistant at Notre Dame. Very well regarded basketball mind.
Edit: Beaten to the punch! Still, maybe some interesting info.
Ayers has been working as a scout with the Brooklyn Nets the last two years. Wouldn't be surprised if he wanted to get back in the game for a few years leading up to retirement - especially since his son is now an assistant at Notre Dame. Very well regarded basketball mind.
Edit: Beaten to the punch! Still, maybe some interesting info.
Interestingly enough Anthony Grant won 3 straight CAA conference titles in the only 3 years he was there before moving on to Alabama. This sounds familiar.
It is. And you're right, there is a freaking eternity of the season left. The title of Derek Piper's column on another site today says it all: "An Awkward Situation".
I think not many on this board recall our last coaching search, all of our top choices turned the job down. I have been a Groce fan since he arrived, but I do not understanding his coaching or substituting. I still think we should give him one more year and hope for Smith to come on board, then we finally should have skilled players at every position.If he cant do anything then we would have no choice. I really hate to think of losing Frazier. I think he is going to be real special. we could play 3 guards 1 forward and a center( just like 2005)
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