Crank Up the Coaching Carousel

[CameronBornAndBred]

Problem with Guthridge was his recruiting or lack thereof.

As I stated, if we have the "problem" of going to 2 FF's immediately after K's departure, I'll be thrilled. But I agree to an extent with you, which is why I also stated that Gut wasn't there long enough to make a good determination. Still, people will always say that he could not fail with the talent he had. I'll point to Roy's joyful year in 2010. He also had the talent, but did a crappy job coaching and failed that year. You still have to be able to coach well to succeed.

[Mal]

I think they've seen that there are stable jobs available for good money, and mid majors are more regularly winning games in the second weekend of the tourney.

I think you've hit the biggest factors here. There is an increased ability to make it past the Sweet 16 at a midmajor nowadays, with the one-and-dones and general demographic boom leading to more talent out there looking for colleges at which to play. But when you combine that with some trickle down of the oodles of money coming into NCAA basketball, you've now got plenty of guys at non-BCS schools making over a million dollars a year. Shaka could eventually ask for more at VCU if he continues with this level of success, hang around for 20 years and retire having collected $30+ million while playing with lower than BCS expectations on a campus where he's the king and would likely never be fired. The basketball programs at Butler, VCU, Davidson and others are the only ones generating any profit for the athletic departments, so they're plenty willing to at least be somewhat competitive in coach salary.

Yes, $1.25M is only half of $2.5M. But with the pressure to succeed immediately, and be a perennial contender in a conference with 6 programs in better condition than Illinois' right now, and the difficulty in going back to safer confines after cashing in for a couple years in the big leagues and 80% chance you can't satisfy the Illini faithful (Shaka need look no further than to his former boss for an example)? I can see the 2x factor not mattering all that much - $1,250,000 per year to coach college basketball is a boatload of money.

[dpslaw]

Anyone with his record at two different schools, not to mention a traditionally high graduation rate, deserves a serious look.

High graduation rates? If the new academic standards were in effect this year, FSU would not have qualified for post-season play.

[BD80]

Not to attempt a thread hijack, but could someone please point out the instances of in-house succession of coaches that was highly successful? I can't think of any. Please limit to major programs.

Purdue: Keady to Painter, planned before Keady retirement.

Pitt: Howland to Dixon, not planned but very successful --- until this past season.

[throatybeard]

In football, late 2000s Bobby Bowden to Jimbo Fisher seems to have been a trade up. In house.

[David]

This is not surprising but Chris Collins confirms his interest in the Illinois job:

http://espn.go.com/chicago/ncb/story...linois-opening

Nice quotes in the article from his Dad and Scheyer.

[superdave]

This is not surprising but Chris Collins confirms his interest in the Illinois job:

http://espn.go.com/chicago/ncb/story...linois-opening

Nice quotes in the article from his Dad and Scheyer.

Is Shaka completely out? Is Johnny Dawkins still being considered?

Anthony Grant is 63-39 at Bama the last three years, with one NCAA tourney appearance.

Leonard Hamilton could be a wildcard here.

[WiJoe]

Hamilton renegotiating w/fsu

[Cameron]

Hamilton renegotiating w/fsu

Yep, Leonard Hamilton said he's staying.

It's totally legit. Nobody has ever lied about this type of thing.

I do agree with WiJoe, though. Hamilton loves FSU from what I can tell and I think he'll be around for a long while, and will probably win another ACC title or two.

[WiJoe]

Part of the problem with the Illinois job is a lot of kids in chicago — not the suburbs, the public league — have posses that would fill a lot of high school gyms. VERY slimy. Weber wouldn't dive into that slime when he was the Illini coach. Remember, Chicago city product Derrick Rose had to have someone else take his SAT in order to be eligible for Slima-pari at Memphis.

[sagegrouse]

Yep, Leonard Hamilton said he's staying.

It's totally legit. Nobody has ever lied about this type of thing.

I do agree with WiJoe, though. Hamilton loves FSU from what I can tell and I think he'll be around for a long while, and will probably win another ACC title or two.

I can't believe soon-to-be 64YO Leonard Hamilton would leave Florida State. There is basically no cap on his pay there, given the money in Seminole land; he has had consistent and remarkable success; and he had a bad experience when MJ thought he was the ideal coach for the Wizards and plucked him from U. of Miami.

sage

[Cameron]

I can't believe soon-to-be 64YO Leonard Hamilton would leave Florida State. There is basically no cap on his pay there, given the money in Seminole land; he has had consistent and remarkable success; and he had a bad experience when MJ thought he was the ideal coach for the Wizards and plucked him from U. of Miami.

sage

Exactly. I was surprised when I saw that Hamilton was 63. For some reason, I would have guessed he was in his mid 50s (maybe it's because Leonard's face has been stuck in that same perpetual grimace since he was denied an ice cream as a kid, and he's simply never really aged). It just wouldn't be logical for Illinois to invest in a coach for what might be only five or six years of service. A move like that to another program where an entirely new system and culture has to be instituted, a process that generally takes at least a couple of years to come to fruition, just doesn't make sense for Hamilton at this stage in his career.

That'd be like Bo Ryan leaving Wisconsin for Georgia Tech. Just doesn't make sense when he might be dead before the end of the first contract. (That's a bit hyperbolic, but the point remains valid.)

[burnspbesq]

According to SBNation, Illinios' attention has now turned to Brad Stevens.

http://chicago.sbnation.com/illinois...ens/in/2619391

Also, ESPN is reporting that Ron Everhart is out at Duquesne.

[tele]

Is Shaka completely out? Is Johnny Dawkins still being considered?

Anthony Grant is 63-39 at Bama the last three years, with one NCAA tourney appearance.

Leonard Hamilton could be a wildcard here.

Brad Stevens said to be "talking" with Illini about job.

[BulldogDancer81]

Dana O'Neil reports that The Illini have not contacted Stevens.

http://espn.go.com/mens-college-bask...ighting-illini

[DUKIE V(A)]

I am tremendously impressed with Shaka Smart. He has done an outstanding job the last two seasons at VCU, showed outstanding sportsmanship in a gut-wrenching loss to Indiana, re-commited to VCU, and did an amazing job in the studio last night. The guy is poised, charismatic, and knows his stuff. Only a matter of time before he gets a BIGTIME job...of course, he is helping make VCU look pretty good as it is.

[davekay1971]

I am tremendously impressed with Shaka Smart. He has done an outstanding job the last two seasons at VCU, showed outstanding sportsmanship in a gut-wrenching loss to Indiana, re-commited to VCU, and did an amazing job in the studio last night. The guy is poised, charismatic, and knows his stuff. Only a matter of time before he gets a BIGTIME job...of course, he is helping make VCU look pretty good as it is.

Agreed. Smart has the chops and cred to hold out for, and get, a premiere job. No reason for him to go anywhere yet. He can sit tight for a couple years waiting to see if, say, Calipari goes to the NBA, Calhoun or Boeheim retires, etc...

[Bay Area Duke Fan]

Agreed. Smart has the chops and cred to hold out for, and get, a premiere job. No reason for him to go anywhere yet. He can sit tight for a couple years waiting to see if, say, Calipari goes to the NBA, Calhoun or Boeheim retires, etc...

... or Duke comes calling when Coach K retires.

[jv001]

... or Duke comes calling when Coach K retires.

I'm with you. GoDuke!

[pfrduke]

This is an interesting move if the reports are true. Seems like a lateral, at best, change for Frank Martin.