Coaching Carousel Comments (Updated 3/18)

NCS Basketball147

Wednesday, March 18th
Great conversation going on here! So, we thought that we would just elevate this entry back to the top and add this link from Jeff Goodman at Fox Sports to the mix.

He has listed the 12 coaches that could get hot and make a jump due to either their appearance – or performance – in the Big Dance. These are all non-BCS guys except the interim staff at Arizona.

First name on the list is none other than:

Sean Miller, Xavier – He’s been a commodity in the past year or two, but sources told FOXSports.com that the hefty buyout has dropped considerably. He’s done a terrific job overachieving with the current Musketeers group and should have a shot at Virginia or anything else that opens in his comfort zone.

Tuesday, March 17th
By now, you probably know how much we love the coaching carousels. This is the time when programs can be made and/or destroyed. The potential fallout of Virginia’s firing of Dave Leitao has added a layer of complexity and interest to this year’s carousel for us all as it is no secret that our own Sidney Lowe and Georgia Tech’s Paul Hewitt now enter next season as the two coaches with the hottest seats in the Atlantic Coast Conference.

The following comments come from an article today from Duke graduate, Seth Davis.

We already have four openings at prominent programs: Alabama, Arizona, Georgia and Virginia. What do all of those schools have in common? They’re all big state schools. We all know these schools are facing budget crunches, but aside from Arizona, their administrations made the decisions to create these openings. I don’t think they would do that unless they were ready to throw out some big money to find replacements.

Taking Arizona out of the mix for the moment, the two biggest names that will be mentioned are Oklahoma’s Jeff Capel and Missouri’s Mike Anderson. Should Anderson be inclined to leave Missouri, Alabama would seem to be an obvious choice since he’s from the state, but Georgia has a dynamic young athletic director in Damon Evans, and many in the business believe that is the better job because there are more players in that state. I think it is highly unlikely that Capel would leave Oklahoma for Alabama or Georgia. Yes, he’s about to lose Blake Griffin to the NBA, but freshman guard Willie Warren is probably coming back, and he’ll be joined next season by two McDonald’s All-Americans. Plus, Capel works for arguably the best AD in the country in Joe Castiglione. I’m sure he is prepared to do whatever he can to keep Capel at OU.

Virginia, however, is another story. Capel grew up in Virginia, his wife is from Raleigh, and of course he played in the ACC for Duke. Virginia is a first-rate university, it has a brand new arena and an excellent recruiting base. Plus, if you finish third in the ACC, they build you a statue. It will be awfully difficult for Capel to give up the success and job security he has in Oklahoma, but if he does, this would be the kind of situation that could be worth it. So stay tuned.

If Virginia doesn’t hire Capel, I think they’ll go after Tubby Smith. Tubby, in fact, is still on Arizona’s radar screen. I think Smith would be interested in both those jobs, but I do not see him at Georgia or Alabama. A lot of people are speculating that VCU’s Anthony Grant is going to be in the mix at Georgia, but from what I’m hearing, Grant is a longshot for that job at best. I’ve also heard that USC’s Tim Floyd might be a candidate at Alabama, but I find it hard to believe he will go there. Not only did Floyd just get a commitment from Renardo Sidney, one of the best high school players in America, but he’s a low-key guy who likes nothing more than being able to walk into a restaurant and have nobody recognize him. He certainly won’t have that in Tuscaloosa.

Otherwise, I still believe the Arizona vacancy is Mark Few’s to turn down. While the decision won’t necessarily come down to money, Arizona is going to have to demonstrate a commitment to Few that goes beyond his own salary. Right now, Gonzaga flies a charter to many of its road games, and Few has the use of a private plane for his recruiting trips. For a man who is so devoted to his wife and three young children, that is no small issue. If Arizona can’t lock down Few, then I’m hearing the school is likely to go after Tubby Smith or Reggie Theus. The sleeper? UNLV coach Lon Kruger, who is familiar with that area of the country, won’t cost too much money and, most important, is a great coach who spent time in the NBA. You cannot overstate how big of an asset a pro background is with prospective recruits.

I usually try to avoid speculating on jobs that are not vacant, but unfortunately that is part of the job. That said, I can tell you that all eyes in the college basketball world are on Lexington, Ky. While it may be hard to believe that the school would get rid of Billy Gillispie after two years, I am getting indications that athletic director Mitch Barnhart could very well be moving in that direction. There is a concern that if Gillispie comes back, many of his players will either turn pro or transfer. One well-placed source told me last week that the decision to remove Gillispie was already “done.” I believe that was overstated, but Barnhart’s relative silence on this matter has been deafening. I left a message for Barnhart over the weekend and my call was returned not by him, but by an athletic spokesman, who naturally told me Barnhart had no comment on the matter. If Barnhart thinks he can wait another few weeks until Kentucky is done playing to resolve this matter, he is sorely mistaken.

[more]…

(sarcasm warning)…I am just wondering who in the hell would want to coach at Kentucky? Those fans are crazy! Obviously they won’t be able to attract any good coaches after the way they have run away a National Champion in Tubby Smith and now pressured Gillispie after just two years. This is probably a lot like Indiana who ran away a great guy in Mike Davis (who took the Hoosiers to the National Championship game). Obviously, these horrible fans are ruining these once great programs. No good coaches will want to work somewhere that wants to win so badly.

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NCS Basketball

147 Responses to Coaching Carousel Comments (Updated 3/18)

  1. Wulfpack 03/19/2009 at 9:44 AM #

    Does the NCAA have a “development” league like the NBA? If so, would seem to be a nice fit for Sid.

    If it’s true he’s been putting out feelers, he should be canned immediateley. If that’s true and LF knows it, I don’t know what to say. We have got to have the most inept athletic department on the planet.

  2. Par Shooter 03/19/2009 at 10:11 AM #

    If he wants to go back to the NBA then we should be more than happy to part ways; however, he could really put us behind the 8-ball if he waits until June when the playoffs are over before checking out. If he would really leave the head coaching job at NC State for an asst. job in the NBA then I would say that perhaps Sid knows this isn’t working and he’s in over his head.

  3. BJD95 03/19/2009 at 10:21 AM #

    If he leaves on his own accord, we won’t have to pay a buyout – which is nice. Of course, it would also probably be timed in a way to inflict maximum damage on our ability to find a competent replacement. Interim head coach Towe? That is a disturbing thought.

    I’m not aware of any feelers after Season One, as that was the offseason when the staff relaxed, played golf, and lobbied for raises.

    I can’t see how anything Lowe has done would land him a head coaching position in the NBA, so he must be talking about being an assistant again. That’s probably his highest and best use.

  4. Astral Rain 03/19/2009 at 10:28 AM #

    The one problem with using beat Carolina as a point.

    UNC in football= Virginia Tech in basketball.

    UNC in basketball= Oklahoma in football.

    That said, Sid has run out of free passes with me now. Deliver or out.

  5. ms termeaner 03/19/2009 at 11:05 AM #

    Are you nuts? “are these feelers for Head coaching or Asst coaching jobs”He was an asst he got his head coaching jobs when the head coach got fired his winning % in the nba is as bad as his acc winning % please this is the only place that would have hired Sid as a head coach! Would you ?

  6. choppack1 03/19/2009 at 11:21 AM #

    “Everyone is so high on TOB and proclaiming him to be the savior of the football program…but have we really seen that much improvement in the football program yet? Or have we really seen Russell Wilson become a stellar college player who put the team on his back and carried us to a bowl last year? Honestly, would we be speaking so highly of what TOB has done if Wilson hadn’t simply exploded last year into being a huge playmaker? No Wilson = No chances at a bowl.”

    I love these kind of straw men arguments.

    First off – if you have been reading the articles that this board provides, you would have seen that last year’s starting QB job was a contest between 2 QBs – Wilson and Glennon.

    If Wilson wasn’t an option, I really believe you would have seen Glennon last year.

    Secondly – w/out Glennon OR Wilson last year – TOB improved on his successor’s record IN HIS FIRST YEAR. He then built on his this success and improved his own record the second year.

    Sidney, God bless him, still hasn’t managed to reach his successor’s record AFTER 3 YEARS. AND his second year was worst than his first.

    Yea, we’re the blind ones.

    I like these arguments that I see put forth.

    My other favorite argument is that they’d rather see the basketball we’ve seen the last 3 years than the basketball we saw the 5 before that.

    You know what – I’m not a big fan of ham sandwiches. They are bland and boring – and not nearly filling enough. However, I’d rather eat a ham sandwiche than a sh*t sandwiche. But that’s just me.

    Let’s repeat though – this doesn’t mean that I don’t think Sidney won’t be able to turn this program around. I’ve seen some good things this year. It’s encouraging that his 3rd year produced his best conference record. It’s encouraging that this team was much more competitive in more of it’s game than the first 2.

    There are some positives that one can find if they look. However, let’s not make factually and intellectually shallow arguments to say that Lowe is being delt an unfair hand by the message board while TOB gets a total pass.

  7. WolftownVA81 03/19/2009 at 11:24 AM #

    By all the positive articles in the Charlottesville paper it appears that UVA is pushing hard for Tubby Smith. He’s only been at Minnisota for two years so I hope he turns UVA down and stays for one or two more. I also didn’t realize that Dave Leitao was the first ever black coach at UVA. Hiring a minority to replace him may also be a high priority.
    http://www.dailyprogress.com/cdp/sports/cavalier_insider/ci_basketball/article/could_tubby_smith_be_up_next/37455/

  8. buttPACKer 03/19/2009 at 11:38 AM #

    BTW, for those who are terrified that LF would conduct the next search, should one come to pass. . . I don’t think that anyone–even NCState’s admin–would be so stupid as to make that mistake AGAIN. I have no doubt it would be done with an agent, like the one for Football.

  9. redfred2 03/19/2009 at 11:41 AM #

    X

  10. choppack1 03/19/2009 at 11:47 AM #

    red – I’m not sure of the point you are trying to make.

    Both coaches WANTED to be at NC State.

    It’s not Sidney’s “fault” he took the NC State job anymore than it was MOC’s or Sendek’s or Kiffin’s or Tom Reed’s.

  11. howlie 03/19/2009 at 1:17 PM #

    Chop–nice comments above (but you meant “predecessor’s record” rather than “successor.” We wouldn’t know, of course, if a current coach was exceeding his “successor’s” record…).

    And, again, not to be a wiseacre, but the comment of the brazen/sheep-in-wolf’s clothing poster above who proclaims to be GLAD Leslie and Wall are “going to a WINNER” in Memphis–then says, in the same breath, they are winners because they “work on fundamentals there”–is seeing a different universe from me. Memphis is a ragtag, one-&-done mishmash of misfits whose individual talents are displayed in deference to any notion of teamwork. Unless you’re talking about free throws… which they never have to shoot–and miss–which blazenly prove their ‘fundamentals’ are worthless as they lose in the tournament.

  12. choppack1 03/19/2009 at 1:22 PM #

    You are correct Howlie. Slammed at work lately, little time for proofreading!

    As for Wall, Cousins and Leslie to Memphis – I don’t think one can put Walls and Leslie in the Winners category yet…Somehow they managed a 14-12 record at WOG this year.

  13. redfred2 03/19/2009 at 5:57 PM #

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  14. BSIE80 03/19/2009 at 6:24 PM #

    I will critize TOB. He went to a shitty bowl this year- probably cost us money and lost the game.

    His recruiting class looks like shit also.

    His track record is a fluke. He spent way too many years as an assistant before getting a head coaching job.
    He can’t talk to the media without acting like a stubborn mule.

    I think we should fire him and get someone who has one a National Championship (that would be a track record).

  15. redfred2 03/19/2009 at 6:27 PM #

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  16. Noah 03/19/2009 at 7:43 PM #

    Sidney Lowe is a victim?

    …

    What?

  17. redfred2 03/19/2009 at 7:51 PM #

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  18. redfred2 03/19/2009 at 7:59 PM #

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  19. Wulfpack 03/19/2009 at 9:05 PM #

    Awfully well paid “victim” there Red, don’t you think?

    I’m really not trying to be disagreeable, but I honestly don’t get the gist of your argument here.

  20. redfred2 03/20/2009 at 11:46 AM #

    X

  21. Wulfpack 03/20/2009 at 1:37 PM #

    Got it. Thanks for clarifying.

    I guess the way I see it, this is also THE job Sid wanted. And he should be thankful for the opportunity. If it’s true he has had thoughts of bailing out for the NBA, well then there’s just another coach that came and left without leaving much of a mark on the program.

  22. redfred2 03/20/2009 at 3:36 PM #

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