The Search

lv20gt

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5,586
Techster said:
You seem to not get the fact that extensions can be given without increasing buyouts...well, you and MBob. It's just optics for recruiting. Everyone knows this was a senior laden team, and next year's team is going to be climbing a mountain on skates. It doesn't matter who the coach is next year, that was what whoever is coaching would have to deal with. Let's also remember MBob was the one who said "Contracts for recruiting is only an issue with the media" (paraphrasing) when he totally botched the CPJ extension. MBob says a lot of things that sound good...his execution has been questionable, so I wouldn't necessarily use his words to defend your point.

So I respect your position that retaining CBG "was not an opition", but as we've discussed ad nauseam this year, it was VERY much a real possibility. Don't mistake not supporting the program with not having money to do what would be ideal. Good for us that donors/adminstrators behind the scenes stepped up.
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And you seem to not have good reading comprehension. It doesn't matter if the extension would have impacted the buyout or not because it would be the same story that we heard last time, and it wasn't until we went to fire him that it came out that the narrative told was a lie. That situation makes giving an extension without a buyout increase not tolerable because there wouldn't be faith that it was in fact just that. The backlash would be too strong against the move to justify it.

I have no idea your point about his words. He put a very clear criteria on retaining gregory. His words, whether they sounded good or not, put him in a situation where he couldn't bring gregory back because he couldn't adequately justify having faith in gregory in the future. As far as dealing with the mess next year, the difference is that gregory has shown his way of dealing with a situation like this is to go to the transfer market, which his reliance on is one of the reasons we are in this messs. That's the important distinction. There is no reason to believe that greagory can adequately handle a rebuilding project from the mess he made, where a new coach might.

And I couldn't care less what the "in the know" posters discussed. They not only came to the conclusion that retaining him was a possibility, but that it was an inevitability. They were wrong.
 
Techster

Techster

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18,392
lv20gt said:
And you seem to not have good reading comprehension. It doesn't matter if the extension would have impacted the buyout or not because it would be the same story that we heard last time, and it wasn't until we went to fire him that it came out that the narrative told was a lie. That situation makes giving an extension without a buyout increase not tolerable because there wouldn't be faith that it was in fact just that. The backlash would be too strong against the move to justify it.

I have no idea your point about his words. He put a very clear criteria on retaining gregory. His words, whether they sounded good or not, put him in a situation where he couldn't bring gregory back because he couldn't adequately justify having faith in gregory in the future. As far as dealing with the mess next year, the difference is that gregory has shown his way of dealing with a situation like this is to go to the transfer market, which his reliance on is one of the reasons we are in this messs. That's the important distinction. There is no reason to believe that greagory can adequately handle a rebuilding project from the mess he made, where a new coach might.

And I couldn't care less what the "in the know" posters discussed. They not only came to the conclusion that retaining him was a possibility, but that it was an inevitability. They were wrong.
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Sure.

We'll just have to agree to disagree. Happy Easter.
 
dtm1997

dtm1997

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15,724
GThoopsFan71 said:
As a close personal friend of Mark, he says he wasn't ever a candidate. This comes from his own personal "self eval" and was never contacted formally as GT administration seeks a HC with more years as a HC and success as one.
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FWIW, I agree with his publicly released statement on what he's building at Charlotte. They trended up as the season went on and he has some good young guards developing rapidly.
 
brian22

brian22

Ramblin' Wreck
Messages
546
Techster said:
MBob needs to learn the "Talk softly, and carry a big stick" philosophy to being an AD...
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Disagree this time. There's a perception that our next coach will be a budget hire. By saying we have the cash and we're getting a big name, he's attempting to get the entire community behind the new coach.
 
Techster

Techster

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brian22 said:
Disagree this time. There's a perception that our next coach will be a budget hire. By saying we have the cash and we're getting a big name, he's attempting to get the entire community behind the new coach.
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I hope it's true. I hope there's a big fish or a really good coach behind door #1 when he opens it.

My point is, let the hire do the talking, and not the talking itself. If he opens the door after not finding that big fish behind door #1 or door#2, it's not going to look good. Going into the process, no one had any expectations outside of almost anyone would have been better than CBG. We just wanted change. The bar wasn't high by any means...that came from CBG coaching performance and limited knowledge of our financial situation. Instead of laying low and letting the new hire do the talking, he's now set the bar high for fans and the media. If he sets the bar high, and ends up meeting it...GREAT. GT fans are happy and everyone wins. IF he doesn't meet them? Well, look at the Pitt situation as an example of a hire not meeting expectations (whether fair or not). He's certainly not doing the new coach any favors if our fans don't perceive him to be a top notch choice..just a secondary/tertiary choice after swinging and missing so many times.

No reason to make the process harder than it needs to be.
 
SwarmArmy

SwarmArmy

Ramblin' Wreck
Messages
656
Is it possible for us to entice Jay Wright to move to coach in the ACC? I'd like that move, and it is a big name.
 
cyptomcat

cyptomcat

Ramblin' Wreck
Messages
866
SwarmArmy said:
Is it possible for us to entice Jay Wright to move to coach in the ACC? I'd like that move, and it is a big name.
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Jay Wright has been there 15 seasons. It would be like Larranaga leaving George Mason (14 seasons there) for Miami.

The problem is that Wright makes about $3 million, so we would have to pay at least that much, maybe a lot more.

Miami did an incredible job getting Larranaga for about $1 million, the same year we got Gregory for about that much.
 

lv20gt

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5,586
tech_wreck47 said:
is there anyone we have actually been in talks with?
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Probably, but nobody here would probably have much insight into things like that, and on the slim chance that they did they would probably not put on any specifics. Remember that a week ago a lot of people here were positive we'd be keeping gregory. So it looks like MBob is playing things close to the vest.

So sit back and enjoy the wild speculation while it lasts. This only comes around once every 4 or 5 years. It's like the olympics.
 
ESPNjacket

ESPNjacket

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While there are plenty of disadvantages of having a near silent AD, a quiet job search is one of the advantages.

I like that MBob doesn't use search firms. Don't expect much leaking.
 
AE 87

AE 87

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13,030
ESPNjacket said:
While there are plenty of disadvantages of having a near silent AD, a quiet job search is one of the advantages.

I like that MBob doesn't use search firms. Don't expect much leaking.
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Well, he is using someone for making contacts and guaging interest. Some coaches want to be able to say that they haven't spoken with GT or whatever.
 
JacketFromUGA

JacketFromUGA

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4,897
I've alkways considered (and heard other people say as well) that GT is a football school in a basketball conference. That being said would people be ok with the MBB coach having a higher salary than the FB coach?

CPJ makes what 2.6 mil a year? if we push 3 mil for the basketball hire would we as a school be shifting the focus to MBB as the flag bearer?
 
brian22

brian22

Ramblin' Wreck
Messages
546
Techster said:
I hope it's true. I hope there's a big fish or a really good coach behind door #1 when he opens it.

My point is, let the hire do the talking, and not the talking itself. If he opens the door after not finding that big fish behind door #1 or door#2, it's not going to look good. Going into the process, no one had any expectations outside of almost anyone would have been better than CBG. We just wanted change. The bar wasn't high by any means...that came from CBG coaching performance and limited knowledge of our financial situation. Instead of laying low and letting the new hire do the talking, he's now set the bar high for fans and the media. If he sets the bar high, and ends up meeting it...GREAT. GT fans are happy and everyone wins. IF he doesn't meet them? Well, look at the Pitt situation as an example of a hire not meeting expectations (whether fair or not). He's certainly not doing the new coach any favors if our fans don't perceive him to be a top notch choice..just a secondary/tertiary choice after swinging and missing so many times.

No reason to make the process harder than it needs to be.
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You've got a great point, but you're underestimating the coach (not coaching) knowledge of the average basketball fan. With so many coaches in the NCAA universe, you gain a good amout of ground by saying "this was our real choice all along. He isn't a budget hire [like Gregory.]. We had no limitations and we're sure that this is the next great coach."

I'm all for talk softly and carry a big stick, truly, but I see the value in Bobinski's approach.
 
shakim3

shakim3

Jolly Good Fellow
Messages
252
I'm really close with the Wright family (his brother coached my high school team in Philly area) and they are all lifetime Philly guys. Highly doubt he'd make this move. He's living the life up there.
 
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