2010 MBB Coaching Carousel [Archive]

dukemsu

03-29-2010, 09:59 AM

One of these years, it'll happen. The next time the Pistons job comes open, he might go.

I doubt it's now, with the incoming recruiting class and the players (minus Summers, who has likely played his way into the draft) coming back.

$6 million is a ton of money. You never know. But for Izzo to uproot his entire family, wife's family, and extended family to go 2,500 miles away to a region where he has never recruited a player seems like a stretch. Not to mention the best man from his wedding is the MSU AD and he's a virtual deity in East Lansing.

That said, you never know.

dukemsu

94duke

03-29-2010, 10:02 AM

dukemsu

03-29-2010, 10:14 AM

would msu give him a contract extension/raise to keep him?

They would do everything possible to keep him. Tough to outspend Phil Knight, however.

They may call alums and ask for $20 apiece to keep the guy.

dukemsu

superdave

03-29-2010, 10:16 AM

Imagine what Izzo would do with Roy's talent.

CDu

03-29-2010, 10:49 AM

Izzo is a Michigan guy through and though. He's the face of the school's athletic program at this point, and is worshiped there. I think it would take an unbelievable scenario for him to leave MSU.

SeattleIrish

03-29-2010, 10:52 AM

Imagine what Izzo would do with OUR talent...

s.i.

Imagine what Izzo would do with Roy's talent.

chrisheery

03-29-2010, 10:55 AM

He'd probably get us to the final four and be the odds on favorite to win it all.

Oh, wait, we already have a coach that did that.

dukemsu

03-29-2010, 10:57 AM

He'd probably get us to the final four and be the odds on favorite to win it all.

Oh, wait, we already have a coach that did that.

Yes, Duke's not exactly hurting at the head coaching position.

dukemsu

scottdude8

03-29-2010, 11:31 AM

As a former Wolverine I'd love to see Izzo leave the Sparties, but there is 0 chance it happens.

NYC Duke Fan

03-29-2010, 11:43 AM

Imagine what Izzo would do with Roy's talent.

Or Coach K's Talent !!!

LSanders

03-29-2010, 12:05 PM

Or Coach K's Talent !!!

What's the inference ... That K doesn't get the most from his guys? If so (throat clearing) ...

I Beg to differ!!!!!

DukeSean

03-29-2010, 12:41 PM

Imagine what Izzo would do with OUR talent...

s.i.

totally unbiased opinion here :D, but I'd say probably less than what K does

juise

03-29-2010, 06:33 PM

Izzo says he hasn't been contacted (http://www.youtube.com/user/ESPN#p/u/11/LF6OxyDB06w).

hurleyfor3

03-29-2010, 06:38 PM

I think they'd have a far better chance at prying Mark Few away from Gonzaga.

juise

03-29-2010, 06:48 PM

I think they'd have a far better chance at prying Mark Few away from Gonzaga.

That has been discussed frequently and U of O was OK offering him a big salary, but the length/security of contract he wants was not to their liking.

weezie

03-29-2010, 07:10 PM

Izzo says he hasn't been contacted (http://www.youtube.com/user/ESPN#p/u/11/LF6OxyDB06w).

Izzo is the consumate homer. He's never leaving MI.

He loves The Mitten.

hurleyfor3

03-29-2010, 07:13 PM

He loves The Mitten.

After growing up in the UP, the Mitten is like being in Florida.

weezie

03-29-2010, 07:15 PM

After growing up in the UP, the Mitten is like being in Florida.

:D:D:D

Yes, the balmy breezes of southeastern MI, the thin gray overcast, the beauty of spring upon the Rouge River....makes me wax nostalgic.:p

dukemsu

03-29-2010, 08:38 PM

Buzz on this is already starting to fade. According to various similarly vague reports, Brad Stevens and Tubby Smith are also on the "list".

I doubt either of them go either. Oregon has no recruiting base (Kyle, Kevin Love, and Dunleavy do not a base make). There just aren't that many local high level players there. Kent left the program a mess. Nike money goes a long way, but not enough to make this the best job even in the Pac 10.

dukemsu

hurleyfor3

03-30-2010, 09:25 AM

OTOH there's no dominant program in the Pac 10 now that Lute Olson has retired. Maybe Ucla and we hope one day Stanford, but no clear leaders as in the other major conferences. Now's as good time as any to establish dominance for a coach who's ambitious enough.

baby-face dawkins

03-30-2010, 10:15 AM

http://blog.oregonlive.com/behindducksbeat/2010/03/oregon_basketball_offer_to_tub.html

Oregon offers Minnesota's Tubby Smith

UrinalCake

03-30-2010, 11:01 AM

What's the inference ... That K doesn't get the most from his guys?

No, I think the inference is that Izzo has less talent in general that the other top programs, yet is able to complete on the same level as them.

baby-face dawkins

03-30-2010, 01:22 PM

Tim Floyd is back after a brief stint as an NBA assistant coach for the Hornets

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/news/story?id=5040891

Duke of Nashville

03-30-2010, 04:12 PM

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/news/story?id=5041205

Thoughts, comments

Rich

03-30-2010, 04:15 PM

Too bad we haven't renewed the series with the Johnnies. I'd like our boys to crush him after all of his inane comments about the Devils the last few weeks.

DukeUsul

03-30-2010, 04:19 PM

Too bad we haven't renewed the series with the Johnnies. I'd like our boys to crush him after all of his inane comments about the Devils the last few weeks.

He'd probably just cancel the series anyway.

Indoor66

03-30-2010, 04:20 PM

Everybody makes mistakes. St. John's has been making them since Lou Carnesecca retired - might as well continue.

fuse

03-30-2010, 04:22 PM

I think we should all remember and celebrate Steve Lavin for his halftime exposition on the importance of the large posterior on a big man ;-)

camion

03-30-2010, 04:23 PM

Yes!!!!!

Get him out of the commentator chair and back in the trenches where we can kick his ischial tuberosity.

diablesseblu

03-30-2010, 04:25 PM

Hope he's ready for the NY media circus. Am sure he thinks he is but .......:rolleyes:

jacone21

03-30-2010, 04:25 PM

Worst coaching hire in 25 years.

Jderf

03-30-2010, 04:31 PM

hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha, wow.

HowBoutDemDevils

03-30-2010, 04:36 PM

AlaskanAssassin

03-30-2010, 04:39 PM

DevilWolf

03-30-2010, 04:40 PM

I actually think he is a great hire. I think he is capable of getting St. Johns to the tournament. I don't get all the hate towards him. Sure, he has been throwing Duke-hate bombs, but who hasn't around the media?

If he gets St. John's to the tournament, I'm sure they'll be in our bracket since the selection committee favors us so much.

Clipsfan

03-30-2010, 04:49 PM

I was incredibly happy when UCLA finally kicked him out (those Sweet 16s saved him for a while despite his constant underperforming). Real quote a friend of mine who has seats close to the UCLA bench overheard during a timeout with 20 second left and a one point deficit: "Ok, someone score a basket!" That was the entire gameplan during that timeout. I am delighted with this hire as it means that I don't have to mute games he announces until St. John's fires him and he comes crawling back to "commentating." From St. John's perspective, the thing he did well was recruit and they've been unable to keep talent in-state. Perhaps this will work out for them, as long as actual coaching isn't necessary.

GoingFor#5

03-30-2010, 04:50 PM

Worst coaching hire in 25 years.

Nice.

superdave

03-30-2010, 05:12 PM

He's been out of coaching for what 5-6 years now? I'm not sure that's a good thing.

Someone called him the pride of Marin County the other night on Espn News. I thought Phil Lesh was...

RoyalBlue08

03-30-2010, 05:12 PM

congrats on hiring the only guy who is challenging Calipari in the hair greasiness Olympics...hope he has some flashy suits to complement the look and distract from their (inevitable) losing record next year.

I think there might be something to this. St. John's might think the key to recruiting is the greasy hair. Hard to tell what other qualifications this guy has.

Duke of Nashville

03-30-2010, 05:15 PM

(trying to manage my bias on this guy)

I think he will do fairly well here.

I am not sure on the recuiting end but seriously how much success will Lavin have to have in order to keep the folks there at St. Johns happy? Lavin himself won't be able to fill MSG, but if the media continues to hype the Big East, receives some buzz for the hire, obtain some quality wins, does fairly well in the Big East Tournament, and gets them to the NCAAT then I think it would be considered a success.

The thing is I see this move as simply a way to get back into the game for Lavin. Has he kept himself out this long? Or has their just not been any interest? The reason why he was the coach at UCLA was pure luck itself. If he does accomplish the things mentioned above I see him jumping ship for a more a school with more potential.

(not trying to manage my bias)

I hope that Lavin and K can put something together to keep the series alive for Duke vs. St. Johns. I would love to beat up on Lavin. I remember playing UCLA when Lavin was there, pretty sure Kapono was there main guy, but I was only like 14 at the time and I could not stand the way Lavin had his hair. Looked like a jerk. But now, that I acutally have had the opportunity to hear his anaylsis on the college game and how he sees it, I really can not respect him.

However, I wish him good luck and hope that his tenure in coaching college basketball is a bit more successful this time around.

Huh?

03-30-2010, 05:15 PM

Worst coaching hire in 25 years.

I was going to say ever, but 25 will do.

BD80

03-30-2010, 05:19 PM

I love it!!!!

This makes the hiring of Matt Millen by the Lions the SECOND worst decision in the history of sports!

MChambers

03-30-2010, 05:24 PM

I hope that Lavin and K can put something together to keep the series alive for Duke vs. St. Johns. I would love to beat up on Lavin. I remember playing UCLA when Lavin was there, pretty sure Kapono was there main guy, but I was only like 14 at the time and I could not stand the way Lavin had his hair. Looked like a jerk. But now, that I acutally have had the opportunity to hear his anaylsis on the college game and how he sees it, I really can not respect him.

However, I wish him good luck and hope that his tenure in coaching college basketball is a bit more successful this time around.
I thought I read somewhere that the St. John's series was ending, but perhaps I was wrong. I kind of hope it does end, because it hasn't been all that competitive lately (although the Johnnies have got some wins, painful as it is to remember) and I don't think Lavin will turn the program around, at least not in the right direction.

SoCalDukeFan

03-30-2010, 05:28 PM

Lavin will have to recruit well in the NYC area, and to my knowledge he little experience there. Maybe he has a tie in with World Wide Wes or the Pump Brothers or something that will help him.

It will be interesting to see how what kind of staff he assembles.

He will be able to go to alumni groups and talk about Lou Carnesecca, Chris Mullin, Joe Lapchick, Walter Berry which will make them happy. He will throw in some John Wooden UCLA references as well.

He will it harder to recruit to St. Johns than to UCLA and unless he hires a great staff will have to coach.

SoCal

oldnavy

03-30-2010, 05:29 PM

Hope NYC is stocked up on "Dapper Dan Hair Gel"... for Steve "Do I look like Fred Flintstone to you?" Lavin ... Yaba Daba Do!

OldPhiKap

03-30-2010, 05:33 PM

Someone called him the pride of Marin County the other night on Espn News. I thought Phil Lesh was...

Well-played.

mgtr

03-30-2010, 05:43 PM

The only better possibility woulf be for him to bring in the Herricks to help him!:D

Devil in the Blue Dress

03-30-2010, 05:46 PM

The timing of this hire gives Lavin time to order some suits tailored for his new role.

LSanders

03-30-2010, 05:46 PM

I love it!!!!

This makes the hiring of Matt Millen by the Lions the SECOND worst decision in the history of sports!

Where does the hiring of Doh fall? :cool:

LSanders

03-30-2010, 05:48 PM

The timing of this hire gives Lavin time to order some suits tailored for his new role.

I think Tony Soprano's guy has had free time for awhile ...

oldnavy

03-30-2010, 05:48 PM

Where does the hiring of Doh fall? :cool:

That was the BEST hire of all time!

BD80

03-30-2010, 05:50 PM

Where does the hiring of Doh fall? :cool:

That was the BEST hire of all time!

His FIRING may have been a top three bad decision :D

johnb

03-30-2010, 05:56 PM

He will be able to go to alumni groups and talk about Lou Carnesecca, Chris Mullin, Joe Lapchick, Walter Berry which will make them happy. He will throw in some John Wooden UCLA references as well.

He will it harder to recruit to St. Johns than to UCLA and unless he hires a great staff will have to coach.
SoCal

Alumni groups may temporarily be happy to be reminded of the old guys, but they really want to see the 17 yo McD's A-A's.

My favorite quote is from Baron Davis: Davis told The Contra Costa Times in 2007 during an N.B.A. shootaround at Pauley Pavillion: “We should have a banner up there — the only team to make the tournament without a coach.”

But from my perspective, it's a great hire just because it gets a jerk out of the press box and puts him on the sideline where he can lose 20 games/year. Maybe he can recruit, but it's a tough sell in a tough league...

theAlaskanBear

03-30-2010, 06:07 PM

Alumni groups may temporarily be happy to be reminded of the old guys, but they really want to see the 17 yo McD's A-A's.

My favorite quote is from Baron Davis: Davis told The Contra Costa Times in 2007 during an N.B.A. shootaround at Pauley Pavillion: “We should have a banner up there — the only team to make the tournament without a coach.”

But from my perspective, it's a great hire just because it gets a jerk out of the press box and puts him on the sideline where he can lose 20 games/year. Maybe he can recruit, but it's a tough sell in a tough league...

HAHAHAHA, I had never heard that Baron quote. He might be my favorite NBA guard...love the beard.

Its too bad, because I would root for St Johns in the big east...not with lavin at the helm.

Indoor66

03-30-2010, 06:17 PM

The timing of this hire gives Lavin time to order some suits tailored for his new role.

He can call Huggie's tailor.

dball

03-30-2010, 06:23 PM

He can call Huggie's tailor.

KMart has tailors?

devil84

03-31-2010, 05:25 PM

Just letting everyone know that this is the thread in which to post about all the coaching changes. There's usually quite a bit of overlap as coaches can be considered for multiple positions, so many times the same topic is winds up being discussed on several threads.

Due to the volume of anticipated coaching changes, we'll close other threads and link them here -- merging gets really, really ugly because it sorts the posts by date rather than threading them.

Help us out by posting about the coaching changes here. Thanks.

Here's the original conversations on Al Skinner (http://www.dukebasketballreport.com/forums/showthread.php?t=20553) and Steve Lavin (http://www.dukebasketballreport.com/forums/showthread.php?t=20519).

BD80

04-02-2010, 06:21 PM

Interesting discussion of Isiah Thomas' interest in the DePaul job:

wait! There is a wild-card entry into the DePaul coaching race: Isiah Thomas, according to the Chicago Tribune.

Isiah Thomas is interested in the vacant DePaul coaching position, a source close to the Hall of Fame guard told the Tribune on Thursday.
Thomas is the head coach at Florida International University and has a recruiting class that has been rated as high as 17th nationally. The source insists Thomas would be able to steer those recruits to DePaul if he were offered the job.

http://www.sportingnews.com/blog/the_sporting_blog/entry/view/61515/isiah_thomas_reportedly_wants_depaul;_please_let_t his_happen

So the new interviewing technique is to bring your portfolio of PORTABLE business?

arydolphin

04-06-2010, 02:07 AM

This is according to Jeff Goodman, the college basketball writer for foxsports.com. As he said in this tweet, this came out of NOWHERE: http://twitter.com/goodmanonfox/status/11684242167

Please feel free to resume your celebration of the national title, but I thought I'd put this up because it's an ACC coach leaving a mid-tier ACC school to go to one of the bottom dwellers in the Big East. It doesn't make sense to me.

EDIT: Rumors are that he's leaving for a 7-year, $15 million contract. I didn't know that Depaul had that kind of money, and I can't see Clemson paying anywhere close to that for a basketball coach. I guess money talks.

tbyers11

04-06-2010, 02:16 AM

Wow. DePaul is the epitome of a dead-end job. Shocked to see that Purnell is leaving. $$$$$ talks I guess.

muzikfrk75

04-06-2010, 02:24 AM

This has to be looked at as a demotion. Anyone have any info as to why he would take the job?

soccerstud2210

04-06-2010, 02:25 AM

wow this is crazy!!!

was there talk of him being fired???

sdwGT2

04-06-2010, 02:32 AM

Holy Crap! This has got to be a joke. I've lived here 21 yrs, and no one, and I mean NO ONE, talks about Depaul B-ball around here. He's got a lot of work to do.

Okay, back to more CELEBRATING!!!!!

Yes, it's 1:30 am, I'm still CELEBRATING!!!

JaMarcus Russell

04-06-2010, 02:51 AM

Damn, I didn't realize Depaul had that kind of money. And I figured they could have gotten a bigger name than Purnell at $2 million + annually.

airowe

04-06-2010, 02:52 AM

Depaul loves to press now.

NYC Duke Fan

04-06-2010, 07:20 AM

dukelifer

04-06-2010, 07:56 AM

If I am the Clemson AD, I ask the administration to increase my budget and offer Coach Stevens whatever he wants to come on down.

This guy can coach...really coach. It is never going to happen though...hopefully not !!

He is not leaving until Mack and Hayward are gone. He really has a chance to get a NC with this bunch- maybe in two years.

DukieInBrasil

04-06-2010, 08:04 AM

DePaul is not such a horrible move, Chicago is big media market compared to (crickets.......cow farts.......drunk falls down in the pasture.........wind blows.......) Clemson, SC. DePaul has occassionally made it to the tournament in the past, though not lately.
Purnell had a decent thing going at Clemson, so the move does surprise me. Maybe he got tired of taking a back seat to football?

camion

04-06-2010, 09:01 AM

After Clemson bowed out of the ACC and NCAA tournaments there was a lot of griping in Tiger land about the 0-fer he was putting up in the real games. I'm surprised, but not shocked if he's moving on.

BTW, I live in Greenville, SC and was listening to the sports talk radio station this morning. One of the points brought up was lack of fan support. Specifically, Clemson is admitting too many smart kids who study to much and don't show up at games.

dukeimac

04-06-2010, 09:22 AM

theAlaskanBear

04-06-2010, 09:50 AM

I think he sensed the Clemson fans were not happy about his past few years. They started strong and then faded. I think he saw the writing on the wall.

I think it is a good move. If he can recruit out of Chicago he might do well there. Remember, from the bottom there is only one way to go.

Exactly, and if you look at Purnell's career, he is a quintessential "program builder".

Radford, Old Dominion, but especially Dayton and Clemson, Purnell takes a struggling program and turns them into a national contender. It takes very different skillsets to build a program from scratch than to take a very good program (Clemson now) to elite. I think he saw the writing on the wall. Personally, after having been to Chicago this year, I would rather live there than in Clemson, and if he waits to for Clemson to do the dirty work and fire him, he might not have nearly as good an opportunity as this.

Regardless, I wish the best of luck for Coach Purnell! He is a classy coach!

arydolphin

04-06-2010, 10:11 AM

whereinthehellami

04-06-2010, 10:11 AM

He is not leaving until Mack and Hayward are gone. He really has a chance to get a NC with this bunch- maybe in two years.

I agree. Those are two amazing sophomore players. Huge upside. I wouldn't count on Hayward being shut down like that again while he is in college.

greybeard

04-06-2010, 10:17 AM

Good hire for Boston College: http://twitter.com/goodmanonfox/status/11699102613

What remains to be seen is whether Donahue can energize the fan base up here in Boston, and how long it takes for Donahue to really get his system installed with the players left over from the Skinner era.

Donahue's run at Cornell was nice. Not sorry to see him go. He belongs in a different-type environment, and was making Cornell basketball into something it is not, something that left many of us who went there unimpressed.

The best to him at BC.

JasonEvans

04-06-2010, 10:27 AM

Donahue's run at Cornell was nice. Not sorry to see him go. He belongs in a different-type environment, and was making Cornell basketball into something it is not, something that left many of us who went there unimpressed.

The best to him at BC.

Yeah, god forbid your school wins games with quality kids who go to class and are solid citizens. That's just awful.

Good hire for BC. The big question is going to be how well Donohue recruits. Recruiting at an Ivy is very different than playing in the big leagues. He certainly got the most out of his kids at Cornell and that is a good place to start for a coach.

--Jason "does this open the door for Tommy's Harvard teams to be the beast of the Ivy?" Evans

MChambers

04-06-2010, 10:40 AM

Exactly, and if you look at Purnell's career, he is a quintessential "program builder".

Radford, Old Dominion, but especially Dayton and Clemson, Purnell takes a struggling program and turns them into a national contender. It takes very different skillsets to build a program from scratch than to take a very good program (Clemson now) to elite. I think he saw the writing on the wall. Personally, after having been to Chicago this year, I would rather live there than in Clemson, and if he waits to for Clemson to do the dirty work and fire him, he might not have nearly as good an opportunity as this.

Regardless, I wish the best of luck for Coach Purnell! He is a classy coach!

I agree. I'm very sad to see Purnell go, if it turns out to be true. I think it's bad for Clemson and bad for the ACC. And I know that Clemson will never win in Chappa Heeya, but this makes it even more certain.

ncexnyc

04-06-2010, 12:18 PM

Wow. DePaul is the epitome of a dead-end job. Shocked to see that Purnell is leaving. $$$$$ talks I guess.
And what exactly do you call the Clemson job? Let's be honest the ACC is Duke/UNC, Duke/UNC, and DUKE/UNC. Every now and then another club throws it's name into the mix, but that is usually based on a stud player or two and once those kids leave that program's fortune goes with it.

roywhite

04-06-2010, 12:52 PM

Cornell coach Donahue to Boston College?

http://sports.espn.go.com/boston/ncb/news/story?id=5059844

The Boston Globe reported Tuesday morning that Donahue will take the Boston College job "barring a last-minute snag in negotiations." The newspaper cited unnamed sources in its report.

pfrduke

04-06-2010, 04:29 PM

Donahue's run at Cornell was nice. Not sorry to see him go. He belongs in a different-type environment, and was making Cornell basketball into something it is not, something that left many of us who went there unimpressed.

The best to him at BC.

Care to elaborate on what made you unimpressed? Near as I can tell, the only way he made Cornell basketball something it is not is that for the first time in many, many moons, they won games. And it didn't take any Binghamton-esque measures to bring that about - just good coaching and good kids. I will readily admit, though, to knowing essentially nothing about the program other than that it seemed like these were Ivy-quality kids who also happened to be (very) good at hoops.

tbyers11

04-06-2010, 04:55 PM

And what exactly do you call the Clemson job? Let's be honest the ACC is Duke/UNC, Duke/UNC, and DUKE/UNC. Every now and then another club throws it's name into the mix, but that is usually based on a stud player or two and once those kids leave that program's fortune goes with it.

I agree that Clemson isn't the best job out there but it is a heck of a lot better than DePaul.

DePaul has gone 21-65 in its 5 years in the Big East (1-35 the last two). They aren't going to sniff the tourney (even an expanded 96 team one) for a couple of years. They play in a dilapidated arena over 30 minutes from their campus. They have very little student support and no one in Chicago cares about them one bit.

Clemson will never be Duke/UNC but they have been in the top 5 of the ACC for the last 3 years and appeared to be a likely NCAA tourney team next year. Littlejohn was just renovated/upgraded. Clemson will always be a football school first but people have shown up for games and supported the basketball team well the last few years.

Maybe Purnell was feeling pressure because he hadn't been able to win an NCAA tourney game. Maybe he really likes rebuilding programs. Maybe he getting a raise from $1.3 to $2.1 million makes a difference (It would to me :)).

I'm not sure what his reasons were but it definitely seems like a step down to me.

theAlaskanBear

04-06-2010, 05:18 PM

I agree that Clemson isn't the best job out there but it is a heck of a lot better than DePaul.

DePaul has gone 21-65 in its 5 years in the Big East (1-35 the last two). They aren't going to sniff the tourney (even an expanded 96 team one) for a couple of years. They play in a dilapidated arena over 30 minutes from their campus. They have very little student support and no one in Chicago cares about them one bit.

Clemson will never be Duke/UNC but they have been in the top 5 of the ACC for the last 3 years and appeared to be a likely NCAA tourney team next year. Littlejohn was just renovated/upgraded. Clemson will always be a football school first but people have shown up for games and supported the basketball team well the last few years.

Maybe Purnell was feeling pressure because he hadn't been able to win an NCAA tourney game. Maybe he really likes rebuilding programs. Maybe he getting a raise from $1.3 to $2.1 million makes a difference (It would to me :)).

I'm not sure what his reasons were but it definitely seems like a step down to me.

I think the last sentence really bears out here. At Clemson, at Dayton, to a lesser extent ODU and Radford, Purnell BUILT great programs. He can maintain his position at Clemson for a few more years, as a 2nd tier ACC team (the top tier being only DUKE, UNC, MD) or he can look to his next great challenge.

Plus, they are paying to live/coach/play in Chicago over SC. Thats reason enough for me to jump at it. I think he will take that DePaul program and a .500 team in 3 or 4 years.

Ultimately, barring some huge change of fortunes, Clemson will look for a young new coach in a few years. I think Purnell is getting out ahead of the curve.

ncexnyc

04-06-2010, 05:19 PM

I agree that Clemson isn't the best job out there but it is a heck of a lot better than DePaul.

DePaul has gone 21-65 in its 5 years in the Big East (1-35 the last two). They aren't going to sniff the tourney (even an expanded 96 team one) for a couple of years. They play in a dilapidated arena over 30 minutes from their campus. They have very little student support and no one in Chicago cares about them one bit.

Clemson will never be Duke/UNC but they have been in the top 5 of the ACC for the last 3 years and appeared to be a likely NCAA tourney team next year. Littlejohn was just renovated/upgraded. Clemson will always be a football school first but people have shown up for games and supported the basketball team well the last few years.

Maybe Purnell was feeling pressure because he hadn't been able to win an NCAA tourney game. Maybe he really likes rebuilding programs. Maybe he getting a raise from $1.3 to $2.1 million makes a difference (It would to me :)).

I'm not sure what his reasons were but it definitely seems like a step down to me.

I definitely hear you, but my recollections of DePaul are from the Ray Meyer days. I realize it's a long, long time ago, but I think that area has a lot more potential than Clemson.

pfrduke

04-06-2010, 05:19 PM

juise

04-06-2010, 05:22 PM

Clemson will never be Duke/UNC but they have been in the top 5 of the ACC for the last 3 years and appeared to be a likely NCAA tourney team next year. Littlejohn was just renovated/upgraded. Clemson will always be a football school first but people have shown up for games and supported the basketball team well the last few years.

Maybe Purnell was feeling pressure because he hadn't been able to win an NCAA tourney game. Maybe he really likes rebuilding programs. Maybe he getting a raise from $1.3 to $2.1 million makes a difference (It would to me :)).

I'm not sure what his reasons were but it definitely seems like a step down to me.

I agree with your perspective on this. There very well may be good reasons to leave Clemson (money, lack of fan appreciation), but I don't think that being overshadowed by Duke and UNC is one of them. Clemson has consistently been the 3-5 best team in ACC. I don't see any chance that DePaul would get to be better than the 7th team in the Big East... and that's a stretch. I don't know if that's going to garner many accolades.

And I hope he doesn't think that he'll be able to get away from Coach K's recruiting influence... K tends to work the Chicago area pretty well. :)

CDu

04-06-2010, 06:30 PM

As far as the Purnell decision goes, it does seem strange to go from a program that he had built to being a regular tourney team and Top-25 caliber team with decent talent returning to a bottom-feeder school in another major conference (and yes, I know that DePaul has a history of success - but that history was from before any of current recruits were even born).

Here are some reasons I could see for making the jump:
1. Money/security (though he had an extension through 2014)
2. Basketball school means he'd have the AD's ear (always in the shadow of football at Clemson)
3. Recruiting window (maybe he feels he can recruit the Chicago/midwest better than he can the Southeast)
4. Likes the rebuilding jobs
5. Disagreement with the AD/media/fanbase/etc

It's a great hire for DePaul. Purnell has turned around every program he's been involved with, so there's promise that he can do it again.

Mal

04-06-2010, 07:01 PM

I think you all are right that this likely has a lot more to do with non-basketball things (Chicago vs. South Carolina, $$, possible personal conflicts with Clemson admins, etc.) than it does basketball. I'm recycling my own words in the below, but I believe what I said when folks around here were throwing around Collins' name for Depaul a few months ago, which is that I can't fathom why anyone would take the job:

"...It's a school with little institutional commitment to the basketball program, with a student population that largely cares nothing about sports and is heavily commuter-oriented, with a basketball team that had a glorious run a full quarter century ago but has steadily fallen to below mediocrity since, is mired at the bottom of probably the most difficult conference in the country in which to make significant upward progress, and plays its home games in a delapidated building that's impossible to access by public transportation and located 20 miles from its urban campus (at least an hour's travel from campus during rush hour to get to a weeknight game). Not to mention that Chicago is a professional sports town that generally cares little about college hoops relative to most places. It's a losing proposition.

Pat Kennedy, with his unique combination of shady recruiting prowess and questionable coaching acumen, was able to get Quentin Richardson and a couple other players in a decade ago, but even that was unsustainable. That little run also preceeded the resurgance of Villanova, Georgetown, Louisville, Marquette, Pittsburgh and Notre Dame in the Big East, to go along with Syracuse and UConn, making reaching the upper half of the conference from the basement (0-18 last year) a virtual impossibility for the forseeable future for anyone not willing to cut a lot of corners or otherwise likely to make huge recruiting splashes immediately. Even local kids today have zero recollection of the Depaul teams of the mid-'80s, and their parents barely remember them, so there's really nothing to draw top talent there.

...take away the Ray Meyer years, and Depaul is basically Fordham plopped into the Big East."

I sure hope Purnell really loves rebuilding projects, because he's moving into a leaky old cottage with a sinking foundation in a neighborhood with no hardware stores. Best of luck to him, obviously, but unless he's gotten a commitment from the school to shell out some serious cash for a new piece of property and game facility close to campus (and I can't honestly think of any good potential sites for same), I'm not expecting much.

enick66

04-07-2010, 03:09 PM

Pretty crazy couple of days in the ACC - http://www.wxii12.com/sports/23080340/detail.html

DevilHorns

04-07-2010, 03:10 PM

Wow the wagons keep spinning. Kinda had a feeling about this one. Lets see who they can lure in. Anyone know the contenders?

JohnGalt

04-07-2010, 03:11 PM

WOW...61-31 ain't too shabby either. Yikes.

Matches

04-07-2010, 03:19 PM

He seemed like a pretty good guy who was in over his head. Hopefully he'll land on his feet.

striker219

04-07-2010, 03:20 PM

WOW...61-31 ain't too shabby either. Yikes.

Not until you consider the talent that he was working with. Those could have been really, really good teams.

alteran

04-07-2010, 03:21 PM

Not gonna miss the thugball.

Biscuit King

04-07-2010, 03:42 PM

Ultimately, it was last year's team that killed Gaudio. This year's team finished 20-11 with some bad losses, but at least they made the second round of the tourney. Last year, with a group just about as talented as UNC, Wake faded down the stretch and got bounced by Cleveland St in round 1. Really a pathetic outcome for a team full of future NBA players. I think Wake is making the right move here.

grossbus

04-07-2010, 03:55 PM

purnell addressed new team today. told them Duke was getting tired.

ikiru36

04-07-2010, 04:10 PM

Just wondering if people think that Wake is a big enough program to attract Stevens? I visited Butler's campus while in Indy and was made to think of Wake in terms of the kind of school, as a top Regionally-based Liberal Arts college. I think that Wake is a bit bigger (especially with Graduate Schools) and has the greater academic name recognition overall, but is otherwise similar except for belonging to a Major Conference.

I don't really know the academics of the Butler team, but was certainly impressed at the seemingly true report that they were shuttled back to campus to attend classes the morning of the National Championship game.
It would certainly be a coup on Wake's part, but I can also see where it might appeal to Stevens as well as anywhere (other than a true National Power), so long as Wake were able to beat Butler's salary offers by a significant margin.

It's been my feeling that, to the extent the ACC is down (and despite 5 NCs in 10 years, Duke and some other school have clearly been the class of the league, with Maryland a bit behind, and the others trailing by a significant margin), it has to do with not having enough exceptional coaches (or at least very good coaches with notable personalities, like Valvano, Cremins...etc. of the past). It is with mixed feelings that I would want another potentially special Coach to join the ACC, as Duke can clearly win NCs without facing exceptional ACC competition. Nevertheless, it can raise everyone's game even further, including ours, to be further challenged.
Thoughts?

Go Duke!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Go Blue Devils!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! GTHCGTH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

OZZIE4DUKE

04-07-2010, 04:18 PM

http://www.wralsportsfan.com/college_basketball/story/7376991/

WRAL and the N&O are both reporting he's been fired today.

ncexnyc

04-07-2010, 04:20 PM

npdevil27

04-07-2010, 04:21 PM

Not gonna miss the thugball.

Ditto. Then again, nothing changed from Prosser to Dino, so who knows.

fgb

04-07-2010, 04:22 PM

seems like it would be a great fit; hard to see him walking away from a national title favorite, though. especially when you consider that he's gonna have plenty of jobs to choose from over the next few years, if he wants to move on.

OZZIE4DUKE

04-07-2010, 04:23 PM

Didn't see the other thread. Combine, combine, combine.

Franzez

04-07-2010, 04:25 PM

Was he a bad coach? Who knows? He did about as well as Prosser was doing before his death, but his reputation as a mediocre mid major head coach hurt him.

This is without question a dumb move, I can gurantee they're going to lose all of their ESPNU Top 100 2010 recruits unless they make a great hire.

Hopefully Gaudio can land on his feet somewhere.

Duvall

04-07-2010, 04:28 PM

Was he a bad coach? Who knows?

I do! He was.

He did about as well as Prosser was doing before his death, but his reputation as a mediocre mid major head coach hurt him.

Also, his habit of being a sub-mediocre major head coach. His performance during the 2008-2009 season alone was reason for termination.

This is without question a dumb move, I can gurantee they're going to lose all of their ESPNU Top 100 2010 recruits unless they make a great hire.

The nice thing about Top 100 recruits is that there are 100 more of them every year. No player is worth keeping around a horrible coach. And it's not like Wake's incoming class is all that special.

Franzez

04-07-2010, 04:28 PM

At first glance his record at Wake would make the casual fan wonder, "what the heck is going on", but as has already been noted, those teams should have accomplished a great deal more. I'd also say that the past two years Wake fell off drastically to finish the season.

A close look at Dino's two other headcoaching stints makes you wonder should he have been the default coach when Skip died.

I strongly disagree about those Wake teams. Wake Forest got burned the same way schools like UCLA and even Georgia Tech have been burned by bringing in highly rated recruits only for them to showcase themselves for the NBA. You cant win when you're shuffling out players yearly.

Duvall

04-07-2010, 04:30 PM

Franzez

04-07-2010, 04:31 PM

I do! He was.
Thats your opinion. I thought he did a solid job, but obviously considering the reason for him being hired it wasnt good enough.

Also, his habit of being a sub-mediocre major head coach. His performance during the 2008-2009 season alone was reason for termination.
The feud between Johnson and Teague was a serious problem also, they both chose to leave due to it and neither is doing anything in the NBA when they should've stayed in school.

The nice thing about Top 100 recruits is that there are 100 more of them every year. No player is worth keeping around a horrible coach. And it's not like Wake's incoming class is all that special.
Wake Forest has a Top 10 recruiting class. 4 ESPNU100 recruits. JT Terrell is going to be a special player.

Rudy

04-07-2010, 04:46 PM

Who leaves his program the spring or summer after his team takes him to the National Championship game? Isn't that a little classless, "thanks guys, bye!";)

Seriously, Wake would be a good place for Stevens, except all the good guys he has coming back may lead him to stay for a repeat. If they jump to the draft, he might go. Wake has a good basketball tradition, a big arena, good academics, better weather than Indy for sure and a bigger stage with the ACC. Probably more money than Butler can afford, too.

Mal

04-07-2010, 04:46 PM

I don't really know the academics of the Butler team, but was certainly impressed at the seemingly true report that they were shuttled back to campus to attend classes the morning of the National Championship game.

I'm not sure the fact they went to class Monday is anything more than a p.r. stunt - I'm pretty sure if the Final Four were in the Carrier Dome and Syracuse were in it, for instance, Boeheim would have his guys in attendance at at least an hour of academic sessions. It would look bad not to.

Totally agree with you, though, that we could use another team to rise up in the conference, and getting a top-notch coach at Wake could help in that regard. The success of two teams winning three titles in the last five years has covered up the fact that the dropoff from those two programs to everyone else, especially in terms of postseason success, has been really steep since Maryland started falling off about 5 years ago. Just as it's good for the rivalry to have UNC better than an NIT team, it's good for Duke to have more solid competition in the ACC in addition to Carolina. Not only are we better challenged and prepared for tough postseason play, but the conference's perception and everyone's SOS is improved, as well. We need to start getting more teams seeded 3 and 4 in the tourney, instead of 5-8, to start feeding more into the Sweet 16.

mgtr

04-07-2010, 04:49 PM

purnell addressed new team today. told them Duke was getting tired.

Of course Duke is getting tired -- they had to play a lot more games than Clemson did!!:D

-bdbd

04-07-2010, 04:49 PM

Thats your opinion. I thought he did a solid job, but obviously considering the reason for him being hired it wasnt good enough. ...The feud between Johnson and Teague was a serious problem also, they both chose to leave due to it and neither is doing anything in the NBA when they should've stayed in school. ...Wake Forest has a Top 10 recruiting class. 4 ESPNU100 recruits. JT Terrell is going to be a special player.

Below is a list of their 2010 commits. With several 4-star players it is a very solid class that most programs would covet. None have signed, all just verballed. McKie and DesRosiers are rated even better than Terrell. Of significant import to Duke: Wake was one of Quincy Miller's finalists and his hometown school. If Wake drops off, then Duke is the closest one still on his list. Lots of turnover in the ACC coaching fraternity - though BC and Wake weren't "shockers." Purnell was a surprise (and disappointing to me - he was/is a K friend). Anybody think that Wake might look towards a Chris Collins type hire? I don't see Stevens leaving Butler very readily -- they will be a top-5 team to start next season.

Posit. Rank Rating Name Hometown HT/ WT/ PPG

C 8 Carson Desrosiers Lawrence, MA 6-11/225 Verbal Yes Committed to Wake Forest
SF 9 Travis McKie Richmond, VA 6-6/180 Verbal Yes Committed to Wake Forest
SG 18 J.T. Terrell Charlotte, NC 6-3/175 Verbal Yes Committed to Wake Forest
PF 20 Melvin Tabb Raleigh, NC 6-8/210 Verbal Yes Committed to Wake Forest
PG 36 Tony Chennault Philadelphia, PA 6-1/170 Verbal Yes Committed to Wake Forest

MChambers

04-07-2010, 04:55 PM

Who leaves his program the spring or summer after his team takes him to the National Championship game? Isn't that a little classless, "thanks guys, bye!";)

Didn't Ol' Roy do that?

Indoor66

04-07-2010, 05:24 PM

At first glance his record at Wake would make the casual fan wonder, "what the heck is going on", but as has already been noted, those teams should have accomplished a great deal more. I'd also say that the past two years Wake fell off drastically to finish the season.

A close look at Dino's two other headcoaching stints makes you wonder should he have been the default coach when Skip died.

I don't think Gaudio ever got the measure of his players. Aminu looked like he was going through the motions. Never any continuity on defense and the offense was spotty. I think it is a good move for Wake to look to another coach for the future.

Franzez

04-07-2010, 05:35 PM

Below is a list of their 2010 commits. With several 4-star players it is a very solid class that most programs would covet. None have signed, all just verballed. McKie and DesRosiers are rated even better than Terrell. Of significant import to Duke: Wake was one of Quincy Miller's finalists and his hometown school. If Wake drops off, then Duke is the closest one still on his list. Lots of turnover in the ACC coaching fraternity - though BC and Wake weren't "shockers." Purnell was a surprise (and disappointing to me - he was/is a K friend). Anybody think that Wake might look towards a Chris Collins type hire? I don't see Stevens leaving Butler very readily -- they will be a top-5 team to start next season.

Posit. Rank Rating Name Hometown HT/ WT/ PPG

C 8 Carson Desrosiers Lawrence, MA 6-11/225 Verbal Yes Committed to Wake Forest
SF 9 Travis McKie Richmond, VA 6-6/180 Verbal Yes Committed to Wake Forest
SG 18 J.T. Terrell Charlotte, NC 6-3/175 Verbal Yes Committed to Wake Forest
PF 20 Melvin Tabb Raleigh, NC 6-8/210 Verbal Yes Committed to Wake Forest
PG 36 Tony Chennault Philadelphia, PA 6-1/170 Verbal Yes Committed to Wake Forest

According to ESPN all of Wake Forest's recruits have signed their LOI's. I wouldn't be surprised to see several if not all of them ask out of their LOI's to open up the process now that players are declaring for the draft and coaching moves are taking place.

I also wouldn't be surprised to see Tony Woods and Ty Walker transfer. Its crazy to see how unproductive both were at Wake Forest despite their high rankings.

Call me the craziest man in America but I'd love to see Wake Forest take a look at Lon Kruger. I think he could do good for their basketball program and keep them competitive.

alteran

04-07-2010, 05:38 PM

Look, this thread merging is out of hand, and has been for a while. It's absurd to have the same thread for updates on the Clemson and Wake Forest vacancies that we use for breaking news on the Oregon job.

Some job openings are more important than others, and warrant a separate thread.

I understand why one wants to merge on occasion, but the frequency makes it confusing.

Maybe the thread merging settings should be dialed back from from a 9 to a 7, or maybe even a 4. Just a suggestion.

CLW

04-07-2010, 06:14 PM

Wake Fires Gaudio which I found somewhat surprising.

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2010/basketball/ncaa/04/07/gaudio.wake.ap/index.html

Duvall

04-07-2010, 06:16 PM

And here's the other problem with wanton thread-merging. People will big news stories, and seeing no thread dedicated to them, will start new threads for them.

Rudy

04-07-2010, 06:30 PM

Didn't Ol' Roy do that?

Hence the winking smilie, conveniently in Carolina blue.;):D

Welcome2DaSlopes

04-07-2010, 06:31 PM

Wouldn't it be three?

BC
Clemson
WF

JaMarcus Russell

04-07-2010, 06:37 PM

If I was a Wake Forest fan, I would be cautiously optimistic. Obviously I would wait for the outcome of the coaching search, but I think they can find a better coach than Gaudio. Still, I figured he had at least another year left before getting fired.

CLW

04-07-2010, 07:10 PM

And here's the other problem with wanton thread-merging. People will big news stories, and seeing no thread dedicated to them, will start new threads for them.

My apologies. I saw the Wake story (figured it was note/discussion worthy) and didn't even notice the Carousel thread ongoing.

sagegrouse

04-07-2010, 07:12 PM

I understand why one wants to merge on occasion, but the frequency makes it confusing.

Maybe the thread merging settings should be dialed back from from a 9 to a 7, or maybe even a 4. Just a suggestion.

When I got serously interested in watching and listing birds 30 years ago, there were something over 8,000 species. Now there are nearly 10,000. (The increase in the number of bird species is approximately my life list of nearly 2,000.)

In ornithology, the splitters are clearly in charge. Now similar birds distributed over different islands groups are almost always designated as separate species, if the populations are truly distinct. The Eurasian Magpie has now been split from the Western N.A. species (which is very close in structure, plumage and habits). And there are a thousand other examples.

Why do the coaching changes threads need to be combined, when the schools and the circumstances are totally different?

sagegrouse

mgtr

04-07-2010, 07:21 PM

Its a dirty shame that Wake didn't move faster, because they could have gotten Lavin!:rolleyes: Not, however, too late for them to get Digger (anything to make our lives a viewers better!):D

Devil07

04-07-2010, 07:44 PM

Well my fiance is a Wake alum and she's pleased with the move. Her feeling, which I agree with, is that there's a fair amount of turmoil in the ACC right now and Wake can't afford to get behind the curve. Basically, Clemson, BC and Virginia are all rebuilding/getting new regimes and if things weren't going to work out with Dino in the long-run then might as well cut ties now. Dino seems like a perfectly nice guy, but he seemed to lose his teams. I don't know whether it was them just tuning him out as the season progressed or what, but both she and I saw it. So while the caveat is that you always have to wait until you see who gets hired, she supports this move and I'm inclined to agree. Having patience with a coach who is showing good signs is one thing, but tolerating a coach who just seems a bit out of his league while the rest of the conference takes steps forward would just be unwise. It will definitely be interesting to see who comes their way...

78Devil

04-07-2010, 10:19 PM

Okay, so there were 3, but BC has filled one.

So that leaves Clemson and Wake.

Is there any chance that either of those schools would go after our assistants? Or that they would see those as good opportunities?

I don't pay much attention to the coaching carousel, but couldn't help but notice these vacancies, and wonder....

DukeUsul

04-07-2010, 10:31 PM

I have very significant doubts that any of our assistants would leave Duke to go directly to a conference opponent.

Jderf

04-07-2010, 10:37 PM

I have very significant doubts that any of our assistants would leave Duke to go directly to a conference opponent.

Yea, I don't think a move like that would be well-regarded. It seems extremely unlikely, anyway.

Slackerb

04-08-2010, 01:20 PM

Will people refer to Wake Forest fans as impatient and forcing Gaudio out in the same way people exclaimed when State fans "ran" Sendek out?

Devil in the Blue Dress

04-08-2010, 01:28 PM

Will people refer to Wake Forest fans as impatient and forcing Gaudio out in the same way people exclaimed when State fans "ran" Sendek out?

Somehow, I doubt that. :eek:

The firing of Gaudio took many on campus and in town by surprise. Gaudio went in for an appointment with Wellman on Monday afternoon and had no idea that this was coming.

This situation at Wake Forest has not been characterized by the sort on long-term complaining and demanding that took place in Raleigh.

theAlaskanBear

04-08-2010, 01:35 PM

Somehow, I doubt that. :eek:

The firing of Gaudio took many on campus and in town by surprise. Gaudio went in for an appointment with Wellman on Monday afternoon and had no idea that this was coming.

This situation at Wake Forest has not been characterized by the sort on long-term complaining and demanding that took place in Raleigh.

Yeah, this took some of my WFU friends by complete surprise, but I felt it coming. Dino has pretty much "lost" his team at times during the season, which is not entirely his fault cause those are Skips recruits, mostly. But when he left headcoaching after mediocre success to be Skips assistant, he pretty much ensured he would not succeed at the head gig. Prosser's death was so traumatic, I can understand the AD wanting some continuity with Dino, it was a hard situation all around. Wake had some truly dismal games this year, especially at home. Good move WF...as someone said, they do it now or risk getting behind.

BD80

04-08-2010, 09:10 PM

Goodman reports that Clemson has interviewed Al Skinner (aka the laziest coach in college basketball).

I find this very funny.

Newton_14

04-08-2010, 09:55 PM

Goodman reports that Clemson has interviewed Al Skinner (aka the laziest coach in college basketball).

I find this very funny.

Please tell me you are kidding? Nothing against Big Al. I actually like him and think he is a good at the coaching part. I was surprised when reading the Bob Ryan article to find out how lazy he was with recruiting. And unfortunately, with the college game you have to both recruit and coach.

But the main reason I would not want him back in the ACC is that god-awful flex offense. That is just brutal to watch. Surely Clemson is smart enough to go seek a young up and coming coach and hope to find that diamond in the rough?

If they are in the mind-set of a Al Skinner type, might as well go for the best available in that category and go for Bobby Cremins. I would take Cremins over Skinner at this point in life..

roywhite

04-08-2010, 10:11 PM

If they are in the mind-set of a Al Skinner type, might as well go for the best available in that category and go for Bobby Cremins. I would take Cremins over Skinner at this point in life..

Hey, bring back Cliff Ellis. He won 28 games at Coastal Carolina this last season. Besides, the league needs somebody who can sing beach music tunes.

Newton_14

04-08-2010, 10:15 PM

Regarding Wake and Gaudio, I believe they did the right thing. I was never a fan of Gaudio. It was clear to me that he was in over his head. He had zero control over last year's team and let his 2 NBA wannabee's destroy what should have been a Final Four team. I watched the entire tourney game with Cleveland St as well as the ACC Tourney game they lost to Maryland and Wake was just awful in both games.

And for the record, someone mentioned that it was Prosser's players, but the fact is Gaudio was the lead recruiter on each of those kids. So in reality they were his recruits. 61 and 31 looks good on paper, but when you peel the onion back, losing 31 times with the talent he had is pretty bad. Kind of like Roy losing 17 times with the talent he had this year.

The thing is though, Wake is only halfway through solving 2 big problems. Solution 1 was getting rid of the bad coach. Solution 2 will be much more difficult: Hiring a good/great coach.

I wish them well. I am in the camp that believes the reason the ACC has been down in the recent years is 100% due to having too many coaches that are just not good at what they do. I was really disappointed when Hewitt did not take the St John's job. We need better coaches.

Right now, I feel we have the best ever in K, 2 really good ones in Gary and Roy (and to clarify, Roy is a great recruiter who overwhelms teams with the talent of his players), and 1 really good young coach in Bennett who I think will build a good program at UVA.

All of the rest are suspect imo. That is the main reason the Big East has been so strong in their top 6 to 8 teams. If the ACC wants to have more really good teams in the top half of the league rather than 2 juggernauts, and 10 teams ranging from solid to just above mediocre, it starts with bringing in more top talent coaches who can get it done.

pfrduke

04-08-2010, 10:17 PM

So who are the coaching candidates for Wake and Clemson? Mid-major guys, major program coaches at mediocre schools, assistants?

BD80

04-08-2010, 10:22 PM

I saw Capel's name listed as a possibility for Wake. Don't know if there is any interest on either side or if any contact has been made. It might be a good time for Jeff to make a move. If he can keep Wake's recruits, it would be a good gig right from the start.

Rudy

04-08-2010, 11:05 PM

Yeah, this took some of my WFU friends by complete surprise, but I felt it coming. Dino has pretty much "lost" his team at times during the season, which is not entirely his fault cause those are Skips recruits, mostly. But when he left headcoaching after mediocre success to be Skips assistant, he pretty much ensured he would not succeed at the head gig. Prosser's death was so traumatic, I can understand the AD wanting some continuity with Dino, it was a hard situation all around. Wake had some truly dismal games this year, especially at home. Good move WF...as someone said, they do it now or risk getting behind.

Skip was certainly well-liked by his players and the students. He did a lot to boost student interest in the team. But he had trouble motivating the players, too, particularly to play tough defense. I agree they needed to keep Dino to maintain continuity in the face of Skip's sudden death, and they gave him a couple of years to see if he could move forward. But they seemed to be getting worse.

Several times the team just quit playing hard on both ends in the middle of games. I was shocked at how everybody on Wake's team, except for Ish Smith, gave up in mid-way in the second half against Miami in the ACC tournament. I didn't think they were going to get past Texas in the first round but Texas was just as dysfunctional and Smith hit a shot to win it in overtime. And then Kentucky blew them out by 30. (Tell me again why Kentucky had a tougher draw in the tournament than Duke?)

With Smith done and Aminu declared for the NBA, it's rebuilding time in Winston-Salem. Scout ranks them 10th as a team for the 2010 recruits, with 5 commits and 4 of them four-star. With the right coach Wake could be a force again in a couple of years.

geraldsneighbor

04-09-2010, 10:33 AM

are "possible candidates" at Clemson.http://www.postandcourier.com/news/2010/apr/07/two-ways-clemson-can-win/

Devil in the Blue Dress

04-09-2010, 12:58 PM

The local TV station in WS has been conducting a poll asking whether Dino should have been fired. 63% say no.

pfrduke

04-09-2010, 01:12 PM

The local TV station in WS has been conducting a poll asking whether Dino should have been fired. 63% say no.

To be fair, many of those votes are from UNC fans who miss the guaranteed victories. ;) (and before anybody comes back with this, yes, I know Wake did just fine against UNC when Gaudio was there)

Devil in the Blue Dress

04-09-2010, 02:12 PM

To be fair, many of those votes are from UNC fans who miss the guaranteed victories. ;) (and before anybody comes back with this, yes, I know Wake did just fine against UNC when Gaudio was there)

Because the votes are anonymous, I don't think any conclusions can be drawn regarding the demographics. The only reason for noting the results is that they reflect the opinions of viewers of the local TV station.

I would also say that since I've moved back here, I've been quite surprised at the number of people who actively support Wake Forest. :eek:

DukieBoy

04-09-2010, 05:16 PM

According to this (http://www.fannation.com/truth_and_rumors/view/176772-wojciechowski-on-clemsons-mind), it's, there is some talk about one of them going to Clemson (although it's not clear who it is).

Welcome2DaSlopes

04-09-2010, 05:18 PM

I seriously hope not, but if so good luck unless you play duke of course

CameronBornAndBred

04-09-2010, 05:19 PM

I'm not sure anybody coming off of K's bench would want to go to an ACC school...even Capel. I guess it's possible, but the possibility for recruiting and on the court battles to create bad blood where there is none is something to think about.

weezie

04-09-2010, 05:20 PM

Why would either of them want to go head to head with K in this conference at a first head coaching job?

DukeGirl4ever

04-09-2010, 05:20 PM

Under the comments section, there is a post about someone telling WOJO to PLEASE go to Clemson. He claims he's a Duke fan but HATES Wojo and would love to be able to watch Duke basketball without him on the bench.

WTF? How can you love Duke basketball and hate Wojo?

I really don't see Wojo or Collins going to an ACC school, do you? Not because I don't think they're capable, just well...it would be weird.

hc5duke

04-09-2010, 05:52 PM

Did they do something to piss off coach k? Head coach at Clemson is a demotion from asst. coach at Duke ;)

Lauderdevil

04-09-2010, 05:56 PM

Both these guys would make great head coaches. The day they say they want to take a job somewhere -- really anywhere, with one exception -- I'll be happy for them.

Devil07

04-09-2010, 06:31 PM

I agree, I think they'll make great head coaches, but as far as I can tell, the SI post is just referencing this column: http://www.postandcourier.com/news/2010/apr/07/two-ways-clemson-can-win/

All the column says that Clemson should look at Wojo or Collins and that they'd be great head coaches. It's really nothing more than that. So other than one columnist's suggestion, there's nothing really hinting that Clemson is after either coach or that Wojo or Collins would consider Clemson. You never know, but this story doesn't seem to have much to it right now.

gep

04-09-2010, 06:49 PM

I thought there was something in the ACC that assistants at one ACC school generally cannot move to a head coach at another ACC school? :rolleyes:

grossbus

04-09-2010, 07:27 PM

love me some wojo!!!

head coaching job in the (near) future? you bet. clemson. ugh. no!

Newton_14

04-09-2010, 08:48 PM

Like CB&B, I just can't see any K Disciple taking a job in the ACC. It just does not fit. K really hates coaching games against his former players. He said as much when we had the games against Amaker and Snyder.

To have to face that 2 or 3 times a year would be even worse. I would be surprised if we ever saw it happen with any of the former players no matter which ACC school comes a calling.

sagegrouse

04-09-2010, 09:19 PM

Like CB&B, I just can't see any K Disciple taking a job in the ACC. It just does not fit. K really hates coaching games against his former players. He said as much when we had the games against Amaker and Snyder.

Having to play Duke would be a concern to Chris or Wojo because Duke is good, but not because they played there or because either would feel out of place anywhere in the ACC. It might be a big deal to K, but -- hey -- this is a business. I think either would take a head coaching position paying over $1M per year in a power conference, provided that he had a chance to win (i.e., not Northwestern [or DePaul?]) and succeed (not Miami, which plays good basketball but is economically feeble in hoops in a pro sports town).

Whether it "fits" is largely irrelevant. Whether K likes it is also largely irrelevant. This is pretty much a business, with every HC for himself. K had no compunction about taking Miles Plumlee away from JD, even though he was really happy that Dawkins got the Stanford gig.

sagegrouse

BD80

04-09-2010, 10:07 PM

http://gary-parrish.blogs.cbssports.com/mcc/blogs/entry/6271764/20834826?tag=comBlogEntryListCnt;entry20834826

Wake Forest is nearing a deal that could make Colorado's Jeff Bzdelik the Demon Deacons' next men's basketball coach, ...

Bzdelik is a former NBA coach who has been at Colorado the past three seasons.

I thought Jeff Bzdelik was a younger coach, but he is 57. He was around 50 when he coached the Nuggets. Sound basketball mind, but can he recruit?

ricks68

04-10-2010, 02:04 AM

At the Southern Regionals I asked Doug Collins what Chris was looking for regarding coaching positions in the future. He told me that he would only consider leaving his position at Duke if the coaching position was a great opportunity. If it was just a good opportunity, he wouldn't even consider it. He then went on to say that it would have to be some sort of special opportunity to be able to pry him away from Duke, as he had difficulty imagining another job being superior to what he has right now. (Note that these are not direct quotes, however, as I cannot recall his exact words to me.)

ricks

pfrduke

04-10-2010, 02:39 AM

Franzez

04-10-2010, 11:53 AM

http://gary-parrish.blogs.cbssports.com/mcc/blogs/entry/6271764/20834826?tag=comBlogEntryListCnt;entry20834826

I thought Jeff Bzdelik was a younger coach, but he is 57. He was around 50 when he coached the Nuggets. Sound basketball mind, but can he recruit?
Thats horrible. Bzdelik isnt even among the Top 50 coaches in college basketball, let alone respected for being a good recruiter. His claim to fame is leading Air Force to a NCAA Tournament while taking over an already talented team coached by Joe Scott, and for a year by Chris Mooney.

Its nothing but hiring a friend, that recruiting class is gone if its true. Bzdelik is also somewhat known for being the bad coach who the Nuggets fired in order to get George Karl.

He doesn't even have 1 recruit in the Class of 2010, if kids arent sold on playing for him at Colorado, then why would it be any different at Wake Forest where he would be competiting against Roy, Coach K, Calipari and even Sidney Lowe locally for recruits.

theAlaskanBear

04-13-2010, 10:35 AM

CDu

04-13-2010, 10:45 AM

It is definitely a strange hire by Wake Forest. I didn't think that letting Gaudio go was a bad move (he seemed to be a decent recruiter but bad coach), but I don't think that Bzdelik is an upgrade. He seems to be a decent coach but a bad recruiter. Unless he surrounds himself with some really good recruiters, this could go very badly for Wake.

MChambers

04-13-2010, 11:01 AM

theAlaskanBear

04-13-2010, 11:02 AM

UNC-Charlotte announced it has hired Alan Major, Assistant coach at Ohio St as the new head basketball coach. I think its a great hire!

http://www.charlotte49ers.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=23200&atclid=204927027&CFID=89286675&CFTOKEN=89647239&jsessionid=aa3092ef4b6b08b4148d6f46d514f2e4b1a1

that link should take you to the press conference and an article. maybe ill go ahead and buy season tickets!

more links on the Charlotte hiring of Alan Major:

http://www2.journalnow.com/content/2010/apr/13/major-says-hes-ready-to-meet-challenge/

http://www.sportingnews.com/college-basketball/article/2010-04-09/charlotte-reportedly-hires-alan-major-its-next-coach

http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2010/04/09/1366728/ohio-state-assistant-will-be-49ers.html

I am still listening to the whole news conference, piecing together my thoughts. This guy has great coaching patronage: Team manager under Gene Keady at Purdue, a year under Bruce Weber at SIU, and then 9 years under Thad Matta (at Xavier and Ohio St)...I am cautiously optimistic. According to the Ohio State Buckeyes bio, he coaches the front-court players.