MBB: Coaching Carousel 2023

[tommy]

I wonder if they didn't want to go with such a long contract for a guy who, while successful by program standards, has only two years as a head coach and has never finished higher than a tie for ninth in his conference.

Seems pretty shortsighted if that was their thinking. This is a guy who, at a program with a pretty mediocre --at best --history, got them to the Big 10 tournament finals, got them into the NCAA tournament, and won a game in that tournament, in just his second season, without a single NBA level talent on the squad. If you're Penn State, you don't just shrug your shoulders at that. He is a really good coach. I think they really messed up by not retaining him.

[Orange&BlackSheep]

Plus Penn state imo still has baggage from the Paterno/Sandusky days that personally I won’t no part of that school still over it.

As a passive PSU fan in homage to the state of my upbringing, I can say that I don't hear boo about Paterno/Sandusky and Gen Z literally knows nothing about it. It has not hurt the #1 wrestling program in the country, it has not affected their recruiting status as a just below top echelon destination (being in that group behind Bama, Georgia, Ohio St and fitting in somewhere with the Michigans, Oregons, USCs, Texases), and it is a school with absolutely NO basketball tradition that was starting to build one. It fundamentally makes no sense that Iowa would be better at basketball than Penn State. If they lucked into a good coach that stayed, they could easily become a consistent Top 25 team.

O&BSheep

[tommy]

Former Stanford star Mark Madsen is looking like the choice to take over at Cal. Not an easy gig.

[brevity]

Texas: Head Coach Rodney Terry

rodneyterry.jpg

The Longhorns make it official. The introductory press conference is Tuesday at noon (11am local time) and will be televised on the Longhorn Network, a rare bit of new content on that rerun-filled channel.

[OldPhiKap]

Texas: Head Coach Rodney Terry

rodneyterry.jpg

The Longhorns make it official. The introductory press conference is Tuesday at noon (11am local time) and will be televised on the Longhorn Network, a rare bit of new content on that rerun-filled channel.

He earned the job IMO.

[tommy]

He earned the job IMO.

Texas was in a difficult position here. Terry did well with the team this year, but then again, a lot was already in place when he took over mid season. His head coaching record at two previous stops was not exactly stellar. I guess they had to give him the job, but I am sure it was not an easy decision or one made without some dissenting views from the department or the alumni.

[lotusland]

Texas was in a difficult position here. Terry did well with the team this year, but then again, a lot was already in place when he took over mid season. His head coaching record at two previous stops was not exactly stellar. I guess they had to give him the job, but I am sure it was not an easy decision or one made without some dissenting views from the department or the alumni.

I can’t decide if I’m disappointed at Calipari not being the next coach at UT. I’ve been very satisfied with his results at UK for the past few years.

[freshmanjs]

He earned the job IMO.

This is a tough one. He did a good job coaching Beard's players, but there is no evidence that Terry can recruit at an elite level or sustain a program. I think UT had little choice given the public sentiment, but to me, it's not at all clear he's the right hire.

[OldPhiKap]

Texas was in a difficult position here. Terry did well with the team this year, but then again, a lot was already in place when he took over mid season. His head coaching record at two previous stops was not exactly stellar. I guess they had to give him the job, but I am sure it was not an easy decision or one made without some dissenting views from the department or the alumni.

This is a tough one. He did a good job coaching Beard's players, but there is no evidence that Terry can recruit at an elite level or sustain a program. I think UT had little choice given the public sentiment, but to me, it's not at all clear he's the right hire.

I hear y’all. But Texas has been to just one Final Four in the last 75 years. There is a chasm between where UTx fans think they should be, and where that program has been since Truman was celebrating his first term in the White House.

[DarkstarWahoo]

Sounds like Penn State is going to hire Mike Rhoades. That makes five consecutive VCU coaches (Capel, Grant, Shaka, Wade, and now Rhoades) who left for Power 5 jobs. It's been 21 years since they fired a coach. That's pretty remarkable.

[tommy]

Indeed it is former Stanford great Mark Madsen taking the reins at Cal.

His old Stanford coach Mike Montgomery found it tougher to win in Berkeley than he had at The Farm. We’ll see if Madsen can turn this moribund program around. It won’t be easy.

[loran16]

Sounds like Penn State is going to hire Mike Rhoades. That makes five consecutive VCU coaches (Capel, Grant, Shaka, Wade, and now Rhoades) who left for Power 5 jobs. It's been 21 years since they fired a coach. That's pretty remarkable.

Good program with good resources. It helps also that their reputation means that the best low major and likely even mid major coaches are interested in going there - it seems like Utah State’s coach for example is gonna be their next coach

[kako]

Indeed it is former Stanford great Mark Madsen taking the reins at Cal.

His old Stanford coach Mike Montgomery found it tougher to win in Berkeley than he had at The Farm. We’ll see if Madsen can turn this moribund program around. It won’t be easy.

Here in the Bay Area, Stanford and Cal fans like to talk about rivalry... and I just laugh. It's the weakest of rivalries that I have ever seen.

Can you imagine a Duke guy that's like Madsen was to Stanford taking the Carolina HC job? We are talking someone like GHill or Redick roaming the sidelines in the Dean Dome. Or conversely, Perkins or Stackhouse in Cameron. I can safely say that this will NEVER happen. But at Cal/Stanford? Just a shrug of the shoulders. Madsen will probably get a warm welcome at Stanford.

9F

[MChambers]

Sounds like Penn State is going to hire Mike Rhoades. That makes five consecutive VCU coaches (Capel, Grant, Shaka, Wade, and now Rhoades) who left for Power 5 jobs. It's been 21 years since they fired a coach. That's pretty remarkable.

The new cradle of coaches!

[burnspbesq]

This is a tough one. He did a good job coaching Beard's players, but there is no evidence that Terry can recruit at an elite level or sustain a program. I think UT had little choice given the public sentiment, but to me, it's not at all clear he's the right hire.

It’s sometimes hard to separate fact from propaganda where the Statesman’s coverage of UT athletics is concerned, but they would have you believe that Terry was instrumental in recruiting Holland

[tommy]

It’s sometimes hard to separate fact from propaganda where the Statesman’s coverage of UT athletics is concerned, but they would have you believe that Terry was instrumental in recruiting Holland

According to a couple of UT boosters that I know, Terry has been the lead recruiter on a lot of the high profile guys the Horns got in the decade he was an assistant under I think it was Barnes, plus one or two in the year under Beard. It’s a big reason he got the job - the belief that he will be able to continue to bring in talent.

[brevity]

Amir Abdur-Raheem was the guy...and Tech fumbled. AAR had worked at GT, UGA and Kennesaw...Georgia guy whose family is well known in local basketball circles. And he has built a great team at Kennesaw.

USF: Amir Abdur-Rahim to Lead South Florida Men's Basketball Program

So, USF did not hire Mike Brey, as was once suggested, and Amir Abdur-Rahim did not get hired by Georgia Tech or California, either of which might have made more sense.

South Florida, based in Tampa, is in the American Athletic Conference, and is moving up the conference hierarchy with the imminent departure of Cincinnati, Houston, and Central Florida.

Here is what the AAC will look like next season:

UAB
Charlotte
East Carolina
Florida Atlantic
Memphis
North Texas
Rice
South Florida
SMU
Temple
UTSA
Tulane
Tulsa
Wichita State/Navy*

*Navy is a member for football only. Wichita State, which does not have a football program, is a member for all other sports.

[brevity]

Sounds like Penn State is going to hire Mike Rhoades. That makes five consecutive VCU coaches (Capel, Grant, Shaka, Wade, and now Rhoades) who left for Power 5 jobs. It's been 21 years since they fired a coach. That's pretty remarkable.

Good program with good resources. It helps also that their reputation means that the best low major and likely even mid major coaches are interested in going there - it seems like Utah State’s coach for example is gonna be their next coach

I guess that's one way to describe Ryan Odom. He's also the former UMBC head coach that beat Virginia in the 2018 NCAA Tournament, and the son of former Wake Forest head coach Dave Odom. Anyway, VCU makes the hire official.

VCU: Ryan Odom Named VCU Men’s Basketball Coach

A North Carolina native, Odom and UMBC made history in 2018, when he steered the Retrievers to a 74-54 victory over No. 1 overall seed Virginia in the first round of the NCAA Tournament – the first win by a No. 16 seed over a No. 1 seed in history. He led UMBC to a 97-60 mark in five seasons, a tenure that included a 2018 America East Tournament Championship, as well as a 2021 regular season crown. For his efforts, Odom was named the 2021 America East Conference and the NABC District 1 Coach of the Year.

This past season at Utah State, Odom's high-powered offense, which ranked 16th nationally, spurred the Aggies to 26 victories, including a 13-5 mark in a Mountain West Conference that saw four teams reach the NCAA Tournament. Utah State advanced to the Mountain West Championship Game before falling to eventual Final Four qualifier San Diego State 62-57. Utah State, rated 18th in the NCAA's NET rankings, earned an at-large berth to the NCAA Tournament as the No. 10 seed in the South Region. Odom was 44-25 in two seasons at Utah State.

This move makes geographic sense for him, and VCU is a more established program than Utah State, but moving from the Mountain West to the Atlantic-10 is arguably lateral at best, and possibly a step down.

Conference RPI: MWC #4, A-10 #11
USA Today/Sagarin: MWC #8, A-10 #11
NET: MWC #8, A-10 #9

I was pretty sure Odom's next job would be at a power conference school.

[tommy]

I guess that's one way to describe Ryan Odom. He's also the former UMBC head coach that beat Virginia in the 2018 NCAA Tournament, and the son of former Wake Forest head coach Dave Odom. Anyway, VCU makes the hire official.

VCU: Ryan Odom Named VCU Men’s Basketball Coach





This move makes geographic sense for him, and VCU is a more established program than Utah State, but moving from the Mountain West to the Atlantic-10 is arguably lateral at best, and possibly a step down.

Conference RPI: MWC #4, A-10 #11
USA Today/Sagarin: MWC #8, A-10 #11
NET: MWC #8, A-10 #9

I was pretty sure Odom's next job would be at a power conference school.

Is Ryan also a little coach? . His father Dave was by all accounts a great guy and I think a pretty decent coach too, but when he was at Wake Forest he was the subject of one of my favorite Cameron taunts: "Lit-tle co-oach" clap clap clapclapclap!

[jv001]

Is Ryan also a little coach? . His father Dave was by all accounts a great guy and I think a pretty decent coach too, but when he was at Wake Forest he was the subject of one of my favorite Cameron taunts: "Lit-tle co-oach" clap clap clapclapclap!

But Dave Odom coached one of the best big guys to ever play in the ACC and NBA. I was listening to Dave Odom's call-in radio program one night and I called in and asked him who coached his big guys, mostly interested in Tim Duncan. He said he coached Wake's big guys. I guess it doesn't matter how tall you are when it comes to coaching HOF players.