Post by RBHoya on Feb 3, 2022 22:08:36 GMT -5
Board rules do not call to dismiss staff. That said, "a more general discussion about coaches who might be in line for promotions this off-season" can be held here. Please avoid referenbces to firing any coaches.--Admin
RBHoya Edit: Rewording some of this to make it a general discussion about candidates with potential to move up this offseason, rather than about candidates for any specific job opening.
Do we have a list of potential coaching candidates?
It's a bit early for this but I've been thinking of it for a while. alleninxis has put out a draft list on twitter too, which includes (I think) all of the names I have plus several others. But some to keep an eye on might be:
Steve Forbes--Terrific basketball coach, don't know much about his personality and where he might fit. Would probably be very expensive and might be happy where he is. Does he see the head coach turnover at the biggest schools in his state/conference as an opportunity that could be capitalized on, or does he see it as fait accompli that Wake will always be the little brother in its own state/league? If it's the latter, a move to a school that has the potential to be at the top of its league might be appealing. He's one of those "make him say no" guys for me--worth a shot even if the odds may not be great.
Ed Cooley--I love the respect that he has for our program. We know well by now what he can do. Not sure he's interested in jumping to another program in the same league (or comparable league) that's in need of a total rebuild, but I don't think he'll ever get over the hump at PC. Based on location, history, recruiting territory etc. PC should really be toward the bottom of this league, just as they were for much of the first part of the century in the old Big East. What Cooley has done there is a testament to his ability. Again I think decent chance he says no, but worth a call.
Mike Boynton--NYC guy who might welcome the opportunity to come back east instead of being in Stillwater. Fairly strong recruiter, young, charismatic. Jury is still out as far as how good of an in-game coach he is. Dealt a bit of a tough hand at OSU with regard to sanctions etc. Would also be expensive. Has potential but far from a sure thing.
Mike Brey--Please keep your snickering to a minimum. This is usually the type of candidate I'm not at all interested in, and to some the idea of poaching a coach from Notre Dame may not seem feasible. I'm not advocating for him, but there are worse choices IMO. I could see both him and ND being ready to move on if this year has an unsatisfying finish (right now they appear to be on the outside of the bubble) as he hasnt been dancing since 2017 (would have gone if it wasn't cancelled in 2020). Might be a scenario where a change of scenery is best for everyone. He has recruited the WCAC pretty well and has obvious ties to DeMatha. If he got some young blood assistants with area ties, he could recruit the DMV really well. I could see him being appealing to university presidents and administration types because he's run a very clean program at a strong academic school for many many years. And you know what you're getting--a competent basketball coach. Not as high of a ceiling as others maybe, but a high floor. He might not be a good fit everywhere, but he can bring a program back to respectability for sure.
Mike Rhoades--strong basketball coach who would get any defensive issues ironed out. Probably get-able, but not cheap either. Not quite as charismatic as some of the other choices, not necessarily a "win the press conference" guy.
Kim English--Seems like a guy with that X factor. He's got "juice". Great press conference guy, would kill it in recruiting. Very short track record as a head coach though, so no guarantees about how he'll do with the actual COACHING aspect of coaching. But he's going to win over fans and recruits and players wherever he goes. I expect he will likely be offered and probably accept the job at his alma mater (Mizzou).
Kyle Neptune--Similar to English in a lot of ways, feels like a coach on the rise. Young and relatable. But a very small track record as a head coach even though he's done a solid job at Fordham, so it's a gamble. A couple years ago everybody thought Jamion was gonna be the next big thing, but he's kinda stunk at GW, so even when somebody seems like they're on the rise, you never know. But there's a lot to like about Neptune. In an ideal world you'd like to see him keep it up a few more years and take Fordham to the dance, but teams in need of a coach this offseason won't have that luxury, and if they waited that long there'd be a lot more competition too. Have to determine if he's the right guy even while his resume is still a little light.
Dennis Gates--I honestly don't know a ton about him, but he's young and appears to be on the rise. Took Cleveland State to the dance last year and they have pretty good chance to do it again. Have to think he'd jump at the chance to go to a high major and wouldn't be as expensive as many of the others. Is there a scenario where a team brings in somebody a little less heralded and cheaper like Gates and invests big money in some assistants around him who could lock down recruiting?
Todd Golden--no real connections to Georgetown that I can see, but he's got a Jesuit school in USF playing pretty well and looking like they'll get an at-large bid from a mid-major league. Combined with his youth (36), he looks like a guy who will be getting looks for high major openings this spring, especially if his squad can advance a round or two in the dance. Worth at least a look.
Mike Jones (VA Tech assistant)--He's the only non head coach I have on here. If I'm hiring a head coach at a high major, I want someone who has at least SOME experience running an NCAA program on his own, who has experience with all the various aspects of the job and who has shown ability to handle them all. Not somebody who is learning all that on the job. But, Jones did run one of the strongest high school programs in the country for many years, so it's not like he's not accustomed to being the head of the table. It would be a big gamble for sure, but if he surrounded himself with some guys with strong AAU connections in the area, have to think you could bring in elite talent. Though I wonder, as you project forward a few years and the kids he coached directly at Dematha have all moved on, will he still be a great recruiter of DC? I'd be very anxious about it, it's a huge risk, but it's at least worth considering.
Overall, at the moment I don't know that there's any one candidate that you look at and say "that's definitely the guy!" English is maybe the closest thing, but since he went to college in the SEC and his alma is likely to have an open job, it doesn't seem like it'll work (and it'd be ideal if he had a couple more years as a head coach anyway).
I also think which assistants are hired will be critical. If I'm a high major in the DC area with an opening (there's already one and there may be more), I'm definitely bringing in Jordan Brooks from Xavier and promoting him from recruiting coordinator to Assistant Coach. I think you can have one assistant who is there purely for basketball acumen/strategy/skills development etc, but I think you need TWO assistants AND a DoBo with strong recruiting credentials in the area. I know others may disagree, but I'm convinced of that.
Other names who will be thrown around a lot this spring, though they're not of particular interest to me: Rick Pitino, John Beilein, Archie Miller, Chris Mack. I think Kevin Willard will probably get a long look from Louisville and maybe Maryland too.
RBHoya Edit: Rewording some of this to make it a general discussion about candidates with potential to move up this offseason, rather than about candidates for any specific job opening.
It's a bit early for this but I've been thinking of it for a while. alleninxis has put out a draft list on twitter too, which includes (I think) all of the names I have plus several others. But some to keep an eye on might be:
Steve Forbes--Terrific basketball coach, don't know much about his personality and where he might fit. Would probably be very expensive and might be happy where he is. Does he see the head coach turnover at the biggest schools in his state/conference as an opportunity that could be capitalized on, or does he see it as fait accompli that Wake will always be the little brother in its own state/league? If it's the latter, a move to a school that has the potential to be at the top of its league might be appealing. He's one of those "make him say no" guys for me--worth a shot even if the odds may not be great.
Ed Cooley--I love the respect that he has for our program. We know well by now what he can do. Not sure he's interested in jumping to another program in the same league (or comparable league) that's in need of a total rebuild, but I don't think he'll ever get over the hump at PC. Based on location, history, recruiting territory etc. PC should really be toward the bottom of this league, just as they were for much of the first part of the century in the old Big East. What Cooley has done there is a testament to his ability. Again I think decent chance he says no, but worth a call.
Mike Boynton--NYC guy who might welcome the opportunity to come back east instead of being in Stillwater. Fairly strong recruiter, young, charismatic. Jury is still out as far as how good of an in-game coach he is. Dealt a bit of a tough hand at OSU with regard to sanctions etc. Would also be expensive. Has potential but far from a sure thing.
Mike Brey--Please keep your snickering to a minimum. This is usually the type of candidate I'm not at all interested in, and to some the idea of poaching a coach from Notre Dame may not seem feasible. I'm not advocating for him, but there are worse choices IMO. I could see both him and ND being ready to move on if this year has an unsatisfying finish (right now they appear to be on the outside of the bubble) as he hasnt been dancing since 2017 (would have gone if it wasn't cancelled in 2020). Might be a scenario where a change of scenery is best for everyone. He has recruited the WCAC pretty well and has obvious ties to DeMatha. If he got some young blood assistants with area ties, he could recruit the DMV really well. I could see him being appealing to university presidents and administration types because he's run a very clean program at a strong academic school for many many years. And you know what you're getting--a competent basketball coach. Not as high of a ceiling as others maybe, but a high floor. He might not be a good fit everywhere, but he can bring a program back to respectability for sure.
Mike Rhoades--strong basketball coach who would get any defensive issues ironed out. Probably get-able, but not cheap either. Not quite as charismatic as some of the other choices, not necessarily a "win the press conference" guy.
Kim English--Seems like a guy with that X factor. He's got "juice". Great press conference guy, would kill it in recruiting. Very short track record as a head coach though, so no guarantees about how he'll do with the actual COACHING aspect of coaching. But he's going to win over fans and recruits and players wherever he goes. I expect he will likely be offered and probably accept the job at his alma mater (Mizzou).
Kyle Neptune--Similar to English in a lot of ways, feels like a coach on the rise. Young and relatable. But a very small track record as a head coach even though he's done a solid job at Fordham, so it's a gamble. A couple years ago everybody thought Jamion was gonna be the next big thing, but he's kinda stunk at GW, so even when somebody seems like they're on the rise, you never know. But there's a lot to like about Neptune. In an ideal world you'd like to see him keep it up a few more years and take Fordham to the dance, but teams in need of a coach this offseason won't have that luxury, and if they waited that long there'd be a lot more competition too. Have to determine if he's the right guy even while his resume is still a little light.
Dennis Gates--I honestly don't know a ton about him, but he's young and appears to be on the rise. Took Cleveland State to the dance last year and they have pretty good chance to do it again. Have to think he'd jump at the chance to go to a high major and wouldn't be as expensive as many of the others. Is there a scenario where a team brings in somebody a little less heralded and cheaper like Gates and invests big money in some assistants around him who could lock down recruiting?
Todd Golden--no real connections to Georgetown that I can see, but he's got a Jesuit school in USF playing pretty well and looking like they'll get an at-large bid from a mid-major league. Combined with his youth (36), he looks like a guy who will be getting looks for high major openings this spring, especially if his squad can advance a round or two in the dance. Worth at least a look.
Mike Jones (VA Tech assistant)--He's the only non head coach I have on here. If I'm hiring a head coach at a high major, I want someone who has at least SOME experience running an NCAA program on his own, who has experience with all the various aspects of the job and who has shown ability to handle them all. Not somebody who is learning all that on the job. But, Jones did run one of the strongest high school programs in the country for many years, so it's not like he's not accustomed to being the head of the table. It would be a big gamble for sure, but if he surrounded himself with some guys with strong AAU connections in the area, have to think you could bring in elite talent. Though I wonder, as you project forward a few years and the kids he coached directly at Dematha have all moved on, will he still be a great recruiter of DC? I'd be very anxious about it, it's a huge risk, but it's at least worth considering.
Overall, at the moment I don't know that there's any one candidate that you look at and say "that's definitely the guy!" English is maybe the closest thing, but since he went to college in the SEC and his alma is likely to have an open job, it doesn't seem like it'll work (and it'd be ideal if he had a couple more years as a head coach anyway).
I also think which assistants are hired will be critical. If I'm a high major in the DC area with an opening (there's already one and there may be more), I'm definitely bringing in Jordan Brooks from Xavier and promoting him from recruiting coordinator to Assistant Coach. I think you can have one assistant who is there purely for basketball acumen/strategy/skills development etc, but I think you need TWO assistants AND a DoBo with strong recruiting credentials in the area. I know others may disagree, but I'm convinced of that.
Other names who will be thrown around a lot this spring, though they're not of particular interest to me: Rick Pitino, John Beilein, Archie Miller, Chris Mack. I think Kevin Willard will probably get a long look from Louisville and maybe Maryland too.
