Coaches on the Hot Seat

RamblinRed

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If you could get a Gregg Marshall, a Jay Wright, a Ben Howland - yes I think you would see a quick spike in ticket sales. But I doubt any of them end up at GT.
 

Peacone36

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The students will come back first.

You start rolling through your OOC schedule and put up 70-80 a game and maybe not get thrashed in your first ACC game, those kids will be back after semester break. But you have to put something on the floor worth watching. 32 seconds of pass back and then playing beat the clock the last three seconds isnt going to get it done.

Season tickets will sell the following year.
 

Peacone36

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If you could get a Gregg Marshall, a Jay Wright, a Ben Howland - yes I think you would see a quick spike in ticket sales. But I doubt any of them end up at GT.

I know you are slightly hesitant to tip your hand at this point but wondering what the reasons are you dont think Howland would come here? More on our end or concern for his rep than his preference? Is he doing something else currently (serious question, i havent heard about him in a long time) Id be interested in your insight regarding Ben.
 

orientalnc

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Two names have been mentioned as possible top targets if we start a HC search that I want to opine about. The first is Greg Marshall. He got a raise to $1.75 million after the Wichita State run in the NCAA Tournament two years ago. It was assumed he would be a target in several AD offices around Power-5 conferences. That said, he stayed put. The Shockers are 21-3 this season and ranked #15. They were 35-1 last year and 30-9 in 2013-14 (the season where interest in Marshall was sparked). Before he gao the big raise, Marshall said, "This could be a destination job for me. Now it may not be, but I'm just saying I'm not in a big hurry and I never have been." His new contract is for seven years and rolls over after each season. So, anyone trying to lure him away from Wichita State will be staring at a $12 million wall to scale. He won't be cheap.

Jay Wright is the other name mentioned here several times. He is currently making just under $2.5 million and living exactly where he wants to live. I think we GT fans can forget Jay Wright coming to Tech.

So, who would you have at the top of your list? Shaka Smart is on record as saying he is going nowhere.

@dtm1997 listed these guys as his next group (I added Tommy Amaker):

Bob McKillop, Davidson: 64 years old; been at Davidson 27 years; why would he leave? Have you been to Davidson? Wow, what a nice place to live while making $500K
Steve Prohm, Murray State: 40 years old; one year remaining on $300K contract; Went to high school in Georgia and played one season at Oglethorpe
Archie Miller, Dayton: Do we want to go to this well for another drink?
Chris Mack, Xavier: Mike Bobinski negotiated Mack's current contract which said to be very designed to keep him at Xavier
Tommy Amaker, Harvard: Was reported to have turned us down in 2011, along with Miami. Is currently making around $1 million. We cannot outbid Harvard money.

If I were MBob, I would go after Prohm as my #1. He is young and not yet well connected in Murray. That has to be seen as a stepping stone job. He knows the Southeast and the ACC should be quite attractive to him.
 

orientalnc

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I know you are slightly hesitant to tip your hand at this point but wondering what the reasons are you dont think Howland would come here? More on our end or concern for his rep than his preference? Is he doing something else currently (serious question, i havent heard about him in a long time) Id be interested in your insight regarding Ben.
Clearly, something was going on at UCLA in Howland's final two season there that caused or contributed to all those guys leaving the program. When he was finally fired, then not offered a job, I assumed something more was in this story than what I read. ESPN said he withdrew his name from the Oregon State search, but I wondered at the time if that was entirely true.
 

RamblinRed

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I don't think we will touch Howland, though with a strong coaches AD like Bobinski who knows. There is something deeper there then has been made public. There were alot of openings last year and no one was willing to seriously consider him. Something was coming up in the background checks but I don't know what. Howland pulling out of OR ST was face saving, they weren't going to hire him.

FWIW, Davidson named their court after McKillop last year - probably hard to leave when they do that.

Marshall has alot more than just his salary. Wichita St has trust funds for his kids. The money is guaranteed. More importantly, he can chose any job he wants so if he leaves it is likely to be one he can see himself winning both quickly and long term.
 

orientalnc

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I don't think we will touch Howland, though with a strong coaches AD like Bobinski who knows. There is something deeper there then has been made public. There were alot of openings last year and no one was willing to seriously consider him. Something was coming up in the background checks but I don't know what. Howland pulling out of OR ST was face saving, they weren't going to hire him.

FWIW, Davidson named their court after McKillop last year - probably hard to leave when they do that.

Marshall has alot more than just his salary. Wichita St has trust funds for his kids. The money is guaranteed. More importantly, he can chose any job he wants so if he leaves it is likely to be one he can see himself winning both quickly and long term.
Ii wonder if we might see Marshall coaching in the ACC in a few years. Two jobs will be coming open soon and both schools have plenty of money to pay a new coach and a winning tradition to build on. Duke and Syracuse.
 

Ggee87

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The students will come back first.

You start rolling through your OOC schedule and put up 70-80 a game and maybe not get thrashed in your first ACC game, those kids will be back after semester break. But you have to put something on the floor worth watching. 32 seconds of pass back and then playing beat the clock the last three seconds isnt going to get it done.

Season tickets will sell the following year.
Fans will come out to see an entertaining style of basketball. Look at the Atlanta Hawks this year. Yes they are winning alot of games... but the style is so appealing that I think they would be out in full force regardless of record. You see improvements and togetherness in the team. Like you said... Nobody wants to come out and watch 32 secs. of pass it around the horn and then throw up a junk shot right at the buzzer.
 

collegeballfan

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Fans will come out to see an entertaining style of basketball. Look at the Atlanta Hawks this year. Yes they are winning alot of games... but the style is so appealing that I think they would be out in full force regardless of record. You see improvements and togetherness in the team. Like you said... Nobody wants to come out and watch 32 secs. of pass it around the horn and then throw up a junk shot right at the buzzer.
Amen brother!!!
 

Peacone36

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Ii wonder if we might see Marshall coaching in the ACC in a few years. Two jobs will be coming open soon and both schools have plenty of money to pay a new coach and a winning tradition to build on. Duke and Syracuse.

I often wonder about Pitino and how long he continues as well. Only 62 but in the past hasnt't he expressed interest in not doing it forever?
 

Ggee87

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I'm not sure if anybody else has mentioned the coach from Northern Iowa... but I like to watch that team play basketball when I can catch them on TV. Not sure what his name is or how good they are for their division.. but they sure do look good on the court. We'll coached
 

Peacone36

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Ben Jacobson, and yes he is building a power in that league. He is in my top 10. They are a tremendous defensive team.
 

BeeRBee

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I know you are slightly hesitant to tip your hand at this point but wondering what the reasons are you dont think Howland would come here? More on our end or concern for his rep than his preference? Is he doing something else currently (serious question, i havent heard about him in a long time) Id be interested in your insight regarding Ben.


Article on Howland from a few days ago. Think I saw this in a Vitale tweet.

link
 

RamblinRed

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Howland I have mixed feelings about but would not be horribly upset if he ended up in Atlanta.

one other item that has only been tangentally touched upon. It's not just the job and salary that comes into play - the family has a huge role in hirings and movement. It has become a bigger factor in the last 5-7 years. I'll give you some examples.

Bob McKillop could have taken the Seton Hall job a decade ago. He stayed at Davidson because his family liked it there. All 3 of his kids would eventually graduate from there. He said he gave up the chance for more money for a happier and more contented family and life.

Greg Marshall has a good gig in Wichita State and reportedly his family likes it there. The school has set up trust funds for his kids and guaranteed their educations. Addressing another topic on Marshall - if he makes a Move I think it will be for either Duke or UNC, if either is willing to look outside the 'family'.

Paul Hewitt was ready to jump to St. John's the year before he got fired. But his wife and daughters did not want to go back to NY, they wanted to stay in Atlanta, so he ended up staying that last year in Atlanta until GT fired him.

Tommy Amaker's wife is on the faculty at Harvard Medical. Any school that wants Amaker would have to be able to find her a similar position.

Coaches are alot less willing to jump now then a decade ago. mid-majors pay more now and it often makes more sense to stay at the mid major - where the stress is lower, the long term contracts are not tremendously different in guaranteed money than the shorter power conference contracts and you have more job security, than going to a non elite power conference job where you are generally going to get 4 maybe 5 years,

Fans tend to think only in terms of job and money, keep in mind that these are people with families and lives. In some ways if you want to hire a coach, you better work even more to sell the family.
 

CuseJacket

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Ii wonder if we might see Marshall coaching in the ACC in a few years. Two jobs will be coming open soon and both schools have plenty of money to pay a new coach and a winning tradition to build on. Duke and Syracuse.
Syracuse assistant coach Mike Hopkins has been "coach-in-waiting" for roughly 8 years now. Hop will take over for Boeheim unless he thinks Boeheim is sticking around for a while longer. He interviewed at Charlotte and USCw in the last 5 years among other places.
 

kg01

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@CuseJacket, you know you're cool with me but that link was almost ban-worthy.

Scott f-ing Drew! On the "A" list? The dirtiest coach in bball. Of course he can recruit to Waco, TX. That's gotta be the worst lists I've ever seen w.r.t. prospective coaches. Then again, it was written by someone who lets people call him "Hokie Smash" so ... there's that.
 
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