Originally Posted by
Monmouth77
I am not sure I understand why a job in the MVC is "beneath" any first time head coach.
Chris is probably a fabulous coach, he certainly has a nice resume working for Coach K, and he gives the kind of polished interviews that lead one to believe he'd be a great living room recruiter. To the extent it matters, his Dad is a longtime successful NBA coach.
All that said, he hasn't ever been a head coach. It was apparent during the Illinois coaching search that his name was never seriously in the mix, despite the self-generated chatter among Duke fans.
Why wouldn't he try to make a name for himself coaching at a mid-major in a conference where at large bids are not unheard of, in a region of the country where he might have some recruiting advantages.
Northwestern might appeal to him more -- and might be a better long term fit-- but who knows when that job will open up.
Just saying, I don't think it would be crazy.
Was the head coaching job at Delaware "beneath" Mike Brey?
Was the VCU job "beneath" Jeff Capel?
I agree with your overall point, but just wanted to point out that when Capel took over the VCU job, he was an assistant there already, so it was a nice move without actually having to move. Also he was only 27, and thus the youngest HC in the country.
Q "Why do you like Duke, you didn't even go there." A "Because my art school didn't have a basketball team."