The Search

[Techster]

How would this work? Do you get banned from the annual reunion?

I can't see a former Duke assistant turning down a top ACC job and going to (for example) a mid-major due to a double-secret prohibition.

You don't get invited back to the annual Christian Laettner appreciation night. Shudder at the thought...

 

[GTRX7]

Marshall is not coming here. He's been my dream guy for a decade, we missed our chance years ago. I wanted to hire him when he was still at Winthrop. Heck he turned down AL $4MM yr offer last year. If he moves, he is going to wait for one of the blue bloods to open - that is how respected he is in the basketball community as a coach.

FWIW, I don't think GT is going to be willing to pay $2.5-3MM as BDB suggests - that would shock me, I doubt we go over $1.5MM.

Both Miller and Mack were quietly approached and politely declined (as expected).

I generally agree with this. I don't think there is any way Marshall comes here, nor do I blame him. We have the potential to be a very solid second tier basketball program (though we are more like 4th tier in our current state). Many of the same issues that I think affect our football potential do not equally affect our basketball potential (money needed to succeed is less, and you only need a handful of elite players (2-3) to succeed at high levels, not a minimum of 10-15 like you need in football).

I fully believe that GT would be willing to pay 2.5-3MM for the right coach, but I think if it is Drew we are more likely looking at somewhere around $1.6MM and for Capel maybe closer to $1.85MM. Just my own speculation though.

 

[3GManageer]

I understand the financial limits we have, but what I don't get is why the coach's salary isn't viewed as more of an investment. How much did we lose in ticket/concession sales by making a budget hire? If we'd spent 2.5 million last time around (and gone into the red temporarily), and landed a winner, wouldn't the extra sales have made up the difference?

Now we're in much the same position.

I listened to an interview with M Bob on 680 the day Gregory was let go, and they asked him about recouping some of the salary with the right hire. He agreed with that sentiment, so I took that to mean he would be willing to spend more with the expectation of it leading to more revenue as the wins start coming.

 

[SwarmArmy]

Because of our financial situation, is it possible to back-end a deal for the new coach so you can cope with the finances now and still pay him the market rate over all?

 

[dtm1997]

Because of our financial situation, is it possible to back-end a deal for the new coach so you can cope with the finances now and still pay him the market rate over all?

Yes, but you probably need to be creative with the buyout if he doesn't pan out.

 

[GTRX7]

Yes, but you probably need to be creative with the buyout if he doesn't pan out.

I have an idea. Maybe we could pay them less now if we just agree to a stipulation where the contract auto-renews for 6 years at the end of each season no matter what. I can't see any downside to something like that!

 

[lv20gt]

I have an idea. Maybe we could pay them less now if we just agree to a stipulation where the contract auto-renews for 6 years at the end of each season no matter what. I can't see any downside to something like that!

I know this is t.i.c, but an auto renewal contract is essentially just a contract that has a flat buyout because no AD is going to let a coach's contract expire, or probably even let him go into his last year. If Hewitt were just given a flat 6 year contract with a 7.2 mil buyout we would have been in the same situation. Year 4 comes to an end and either the AD renews him or fires him. If he renews him then the next years is effectively year 4 and the process repeats.

Basically, the contract was stupid because of the 7.2 mil we owed, not the auto renewal.

 

[BigDaddyBuzz]

I was told we could get close to $3 mill if needed but for the 2 names being thrown out we won't need to get near that.

 

[GTRX7]

I know this is t.i.c, but an auto renewal contract is essentially just a contract that has a flat buyout because no AD is going to let a coach's contract expire, or probably even let him go into his last year. If Hewitt were just given a flat 6 year contract with a 7.2 mil buyout we would have been in the same situation. Year 4 comes to an end and either the AD renews him or fires him. If he renews him then the next years is effectively year 4 and the process repeats.

Basically, the contract was stupid because of the 7.2 mil we owed, not the auto renewal.

I could not disagree more strongly with that. We would have been WORLDS better off with a 6 year contract with a 7.2 million buyout than a contract that auto-extends at 6 years. Don't get me wrong, a contract with a flat buyout like you are suggesting would still be bad. Usually, in such instances, however, the buyout decreases each year into the term (like Gregory's). Even assuming your hypothetical flat buyout that never decreases, we could have still avoided our present situation by simply letting the contract 6 years expire. Yes, most programs don't want to let a coach's contract expire, but they are also usually not faced with a $7.2 million buyout that could decrease to $0 by doing so either. Or, Tech could more likely have negotiated a better buyout situation closer to the end of the contract by threatening to let the contract expire.

In the Hewitt contract, however, Tech not only couldn't get out of the buyout by letting the contract expire, but also had no leverage to renegotiate because the contract we gave him auto-renewed. It was the worst of all worlds. Just an unbelievably bad decision by the AD and administration.

 

[Techster]

I know this is t.i.c, but an auto renewal contract is essentially just a contract that has a flat buyout because no AD is going to let a coach's contract expire, or probably even let him go into his last year. If Hewitt were just given a flat 6 year contract with a 7.2 mil buyout we would have been in the same situation. Year 4 comes to an end and either the AD renews him or fires him. If he renews him then the next years is effectively year 4 and the process repeats.

Basically, the contract was stupid because of the 7.2 mil we owed, not the auto renewal.

CPH's contract auto renewing meant GT had ZERO option in letting the buyout automatically work its way down like most every contract out there.

GT could have had 3 options:

1. Renew for a total term of 4 years (as you said, for recruiting optics). This is still a 4 year buyout at most versus a 6 year buyout. Simple math here, but a 4 year buyout is better than paying for 6 years. Applying it to today, GT would be sitting here with CBG's buyout and not both Ex coaches.

2. Not renew until it was clear CPH had the program headed in the right direction (see Paul Johnson's contract situation before 2014 season, and Brian Gregory this year). This had the added benefit of letting the buyout naturally work its way down.

3. Leverage an extension for recruiting optics (refer to point 1) with a lower buyout. CPH would probably not have done it, but GT would have had the leverage to demand it.

Because the contract auto renewed which for all intents and purposes became a "lifetime" 6 year contract unless GT cut the cord, there was never an option palatable to GT's. We just had to swallow the turd of a contract and pay all 6 years. That was GT's only option outside of the nuclear option of keeping CPH until he wanted to leave.

 

[ramblinwreck1378]

Let's keep this on the search boys.

 

[orientalnc]

Every time my phone bings with a gmail notification, I jump. Is this the notification that GT has a new coach? Or is this the one where we hear a denial from our #1 target. Or even still, is this the one where someone comments that we have no frigging idea? So, it's been door #3 every time.

 

[RamblinRed]

Every time my phone bings with a gmail notification, I jump. Is this the notification that GT has a new coach? Or is this the one where we hear a denial from our #1 target. Or even still, is this the one where someone comments that we have no frigging idea? So, it's been door #3 every time.

FWIW, I am not expecting any announcement until Friday afternoon at the earliest and over the weekend may be more likely.

When MBob talked to Okogie he asked him to be patient for the next week to 10 days, which puts us at Friday-Monday.

 

[AE 87]

Every time my phone bings with a gmail notification, I jump. Is this the notification that GT has a new coach? Or is this the one where we hear a denial from our #1 target. Or even still, is this the one where someone comments that we have no frigging idea? So, it's been door #3 every time.

And you just pushed that doorbell #3 too.

 

[Peacone36]

Every time my phone bings with a gmail notification, I jump. Is this the notification that GT has a new coach? Or is this the one where we hear a denial from our #1 target. Or even still, is this the one where someone comments that we have no frigging idea? So, it's been door #3 every time.

What doorbell was this post?

 

[IronJacket7]

Wait, What!?!?

 

[nod]

I would like John Thompson III (JT3) as next head coach, Hope Tech contacts him.

 

[dtm1997]

I would like John Thompson III (JT3) as next head coach, Hope Tech contacts him.

No, thank you.

 

[Peacone36]

I would like John Thompson III (JT3) as next head coach, Hope Tech contacts him.

Especially for those 9pm starts. Sleeping by 9:05

 

[LargeFO]

Talk about tourney choke artist (much worse than self )