SFN doesn’t normally focus on “webruns”. The concept of a morning update of news-mentions is perfectly designed for the internet and PackPride does a nice job of providing Webruns as centralized resources for Wolfpackers to gather their moring dose of information. (Sunday weburn link here.) We are all about efficiency here – if someone else already does a great job with something with which Wolfpackers benefit, why re-create the wheel?
Today, however, we are going to integrate news articles into our update and use them as prompts for discussion:
* We told you not to buy too deep into the “Barnes not said no” talk. Although there was a small chance that Barnes may have come back to State, simply keeping that news in the media provided State with another 24-48 hours of “cover” from the curious media.
* We hear that Barnes was a little more than a ‘heavy lean’ to State at the beginning of the week, but as the week progressed his childrens’ roots in Austin were too much to severe.
* We don’t relish saying “I told you so” on something like this, but obviously Barnes’ family’s roots in Texas (and his established program at UT) would not have been nearly as strong five years ago had Lee Fowler made the appropriate decision and fired Herb Sendek in 2001 as he should have. As some of us have indicated for years, and as Barnes obvious interest in this job this year emphasized — until the last couple of years, every day that Lee Fowler supported Herb Sendek he was effectively choosing Herb Sendek over Rick Barnes. We don’t know if it was stubborness, laziness, or incompetence. Whatever it was it was unneccessary. In the end, how did that work out for everyone?
* Whether it is implicit or explicit, Wolfpackers innately understand ^this point, which further explains John DeLong’s (one of our favorites) perspective in his this morning’s Winston-Salem Journal piece, Fowler’s need to hit a home run with “Plan B”.
* Notice how the media (and fans) react to names during coaching searches. We all fall into the trap that AD’s go down a list and mark names off one by one. Although there are reasons to conduct a search in that manner at times, the truth is that discussions with different candidates often run simultaneously and in parallel with each other.
* After our update on Saturday afternoon, the John Calipari talk escalated to a national level when Mike DeCourcy of The Sporting News posted this piece.
* Interestingly, Mike DeCourcy was once a sports writer for the Commercial Appeal newspaper of Memphis, where he came to know and interview current NC State Athletics Director, Lee Fowler.
* We have no reason to believe that any “Tier A” candidates remain available to NC State after John Calipari (unless a huge amount of money can change Jay Wright’s mind). This works to Calipari’s benefit in the NC State process as it makes him more important to Lee Fowler’s need to make a big splash.
* It also works to Calipari’s benefit from the Memphis side in the event that he is using us for negotiating leverage at Memphis. For the record, we do NOT believe that State is being used for leverage as many of our contacts on the Calipari side have expressed a significant interest in this position from the beginning of the process.
* Additionally, Calipari’s interest in State has nothing to do with money. State can easily pay Calipari more than Memphis, and we hear that Calipari isn’t push State for the same money that we were talking to Barnes. State inherently offers something that Memphis just cannot offer – the national stage and the bright lights of the Atlantic Coast Conference.
* Some amazingly resourceful people have been using a websight called Flightware.com to track the movement of private planes. These people are posting on various internet websites this morning that Wendell Murphy’s plane left RDU this morning at 9am for Memphis and landed at 10:43am ET. Damn, it looks legit. The return flight is scheduled to leave at 2:30 ET and arrive in Raleigh around 4pm.
* We caution Wolfpackers not to put the cart before the horse here regarding Calipari. We are fearful that NC State may not be as far down the road with Calipari as we should be at this point. Of course, State’s meeting today could be a “finalization” with Calipari; but some media sources have indicated to SFN that Wendell Murphy was not sold on Calipari in their phone conversations that we reported to you on Friday Night/Saturday Morning.
* The question becomes – Was the information regarding Murphy’s apprehension regarding Calipari planted by NC State to turn attention off Calipari? It sounds too clandestine to swallow, but you can bet that it is happening constantly. As we have tried to run down leads and information during this coaching search, we have learned that the best sources seem to be “on the other side”. People closest to Barnes, Calipari, and others seem to offer more clear information than the muddy waters created by too many Wolfpackers adding their personal opinion to pieces of information that may actually be accurate.
* The good news is that it was people close to Calipari (not State) who were touting a strong relationship between the parties on Friday night andSaturday morning. People at State have (appropriately) been very tight lipped.
* If the information that ‘Murphy is apprehensive’ is false, it was a poorly designed plant and foolish to think that a little local leak on this was going to be enough to keep the bulk of the media away from sniffing around this story.
* If Murphy & State truly still need some selling on Calipari, then shame on NC State for not being further down the path with Calipari in Day Eight of the formal search.
* If all ends up well and NC State lands Calipari, then all will be forgiven. But, if State finds a way to screw this up, you can bet that a lot of criticism will (rightfully) be aimed at Lee Fowler and company for being so exclusively focused on Rick Barnes this week while not choosing to engage Calipari until Thursday.
* How could State screw this up? Answer – If Calipari pulls his name from consideration (as he said that he would) because news has now leaked into the media. Wolfpackers should be irate that State was not running parallel discussions with Calipari (and others) earlier in the week when we had the cover of the media’s focus on Rick Barnes.
* Now that we have worked hard to temper your enthusiasm, let’s be real for a moment — IF NC State and John Calipari are meeting face to face this morning as seems to be the case, there is NO WAY that either side would be taking such a large RISK if things were not looking really good on both sides.
* Calipari is not a coach you “interview” as Mike DeCourcy suggested would happen in the next two days in his Sporting News column. The public ‘risk’ of an interview is far too great for both sides. The odds are greater that you meet face to face to seal the deal and start moving forward on the future.
* So, IF Calipari is the man (which we hope that he is), then our prediction from yesterday will hold true.
“If this continues to develop the way we think, then we could have unofficial confirmation on NC State’s next head basketball coach in the next 24 to 36 hours and potentially have a public announcement on Monday.”
What to Watch For?
* This morning’s Memphis Commercial Appeal is reporting that “Tiger AD cuts trip for Calipari talks”
While John Calipari reportedly surged to the top of North Carolina State’s coaching wish list, University of Memphis athletic director R.C. Johnson canceled a trip Saturday to remain in town and focus on reworking the contract of his most-visible employee.
“Just about every year it’s been like this with John, and I’m OK with that,” Johnson said. “The more successful we are, this is going to happen. … The good thing is that we’ve developed a pretty good core of donors.”
With Calipari back in town following a week in which he fulfilled national TV obligations and went recruiting, he and Johnson could meet as early as today and potentially end this N.C. State speculation. Though Calipari has repeatedly expressed his desire to remain at Memphis, he has constantly been mentioned as a possible replacement for Herb Sendek, who left for Arizona State last week amid rabid criticism from fans.
* We think that^ it is good news that a meeting is already scheduled. IF State and Calipari sign a deal this morning, then Calipari already has an audience scheduled with his Athletics Director.
* Calipari would most likely call a team meeting today or call each of his players to personally tell them the news. Additionally, he would reach out to his recruits (probably today). There will be no stopping the flow of information once this happens.
* State people would start talking about a ‘deal being done’ and then ‘confirmation’ would come from the Memphis side. Want to help us out? Share some good Memphis message boards and websites in our comments section. But, please do NOT go to their sites and talk to them.
* Like 95% of all Wolfpackers, we are drolling over the thought of John Calipari taking the job that he should have taken ten years ago when he didn’t want to work for Todd Turner (who can blame him?); but, there seems to be about 5% of Wolfpackers that are not totally sold on John Calipari. (Of course, these are the same 5% that supported Les Robinson, Mike O’Cain, and Herb Sendek until the death and we honestly believe that their track record is such that we wonder why anyone still listens to them when it comes to athletics topics.)
If NC State does not ultimately hire John Calipari (for any reason), then we will do our best to get to the bottom of the situation for you. The obvious question will then become, “Where does State go next”?
We’ve got some thoughts on that…but we hope that we never have to share them.
Stay tuned!
