|
Post by bringbackcaro on Jan 30, 2019 22:44:43 GMT -5
Assuming that Fr B is able to carry out a swift and efficient search for a new Athletic Director (I know, I know a big assumption), that person’s first major responsibility would be to hire a new Head Coach for the Men’s Basketbll program this offseason.
So why not help that individual out with some brainstorming for potential candidates. IMO the top priority should be experience either developing one’s own scheme that could be successful at HC, or working for a head coach who has a scheme that would translate to HC.
Top Choice -Mark Daigneault: If the new AD is somehow able to lure him away from the OKC Thunder organization, that would be an absolute home run of a hire
Others -David Padgett: Worked and played for one of the best coaches in college basketball history, learning a system that emphasizes defense and rebounding. Has experience as a head coach in a very difficult situation at Louisville last year.
-Jon Scheyer: Don’t think K’s system directly translates to HC, but would be a dynamic young name.
-Greg Paulus: Young dynamic personality, tough as nails, but I’m a bit curious about his assistant coaching journey
-Brad Soderberg: Several different head coaching stops, above .500 at each stop, and in his 4th season under Tony Bennett in a style that would translate very well to HC. Don’t know anything about him beyond his resume.
-Darrin Horn: Played on Ralph Willard’s Sweet 16 team at Western Kentucky and also coached Western Kentucky to a Sweet 16 himself, with a slightly higher winning percentage at WKU than RW (.698 vs .667). Hasn’t had a head coaching gig since getting canned at South Carolina in 2012.
Just a quick start at some names, but interested to hear possible names from others!
In addition to a new head coach, I would love if we could bring back (at least) RJ Evans to provide some of that same spark that former players have brought to the football coaching staff.
|
|
|
Post by Sons of Vaval on Jan 31, 2019 10:33:34 GMT -5
Had a feeling this thread would be created at some point. I'm sure some won't like it -- too bad. As fans/supporters of the program, it's fair game to postulate on who some coaching candidates should be.
Some interesting names.
Darrin Horn doesn't seem like he'd be a good fit, nor would he want it. I'm sure he has his eyes set on one more run at either a P5 school or the MAC/AAC. He's also making much more money as an assistant at Texas than he would be as head coach at HC.
Has a Coach K assistant ever taken a job as low as HC? If you look at where his former assistants have gone, it's always to a bigger school (Woj - Marquette, Dawkins - Stanford, Collins - Northwestern, Snyder - Missouri). I think the recipe is for a coach to stay on board at Duke long enough that they go directly to another P5.
I think we have to be realistic here. Let's just say that Carmody is let go following this season. We would be on our fifth coach in ten years. Consider that fact, along with this being a job that pays ~300K, and some of the names you have mentioned probably would have little interest.
Here's a name I will throw out -- Kevin Bettencourt. He's done very well at Endicott. Ostensibly knows the PL very well. Is a "hometown" guy. I think he is someone we should give serious consideration to.
How about Patrick Beilein? Currently the coach at Le Moyne. He's done very well there.
Landry Kosmalski - head coach at Swarthmore, formerly an assistant under Mckillop at Davidson, where he also played.
Cost should not be an issue for some of these names.
|
|
|
Post by bringbackcaro on Jan 31, 2019 10:44:26 GMT -5
A few more names, adding a little Big10 flavor - a league with a defensive emphasis would be a nice match for HC and the PL.
-Patrick Beilein: I like that he bounced around working for various head coaches rather than just hanging on his father's staff, and is 70-38 (.648) in 3.5 seasons as the head coach at LeMoyne
-Dane Fife: Played for Bob Knight and has worked for Tom Izzo since 2011. Has head coaching experience at IPFW, but he did finish below .500 in six seasons there - the same results of our past two head coaches at their prior job, and both have been unsuccessful at HC.
-Joe Krabbenhoft: Interesting combination of experience playing for Bo Ryan at Wisconsin, playing overseas for a few years, working for Bo Ryan at Wisconsin, working at South Dakota St during a very successful 3-year run, and now working for Greg Gard at Wisconsin, who has done a pretty nice job keeping that program going after Bo Ryan retired.
|
|
|
Post by bison137 on Jan 31, 2019 11:02:12 GMT -5
Belein is an interesting name, but I wonder if he'd be interested. He turned down the Siena job last spring, a job most would rank ahead of the HC job. That makes me wonder if his plan is to move up to a P6 assistant job at some point., as opposed to taking a head coach job at a lower ranked school. He certainly has the pedigree and likely the connections for the P6 job..
|
|
coachrt
Climbing Mt. St. James
Posts: 92
|
Post by coachrt on Jan 31, 2019 13:04:19 GMT -5
First of all Jon Scheyer, David Padgett, & Greg Paulus not coming to Holy Cross. They have bigger aspirations. Holy Cross needs someone with experience working in a selective academic environment. Someone that understands what admissions is actually looking for in a student. Yes you did lure former coach Sean Kearney here from the Golden Dome...and look at how that worked out. I would agree Kevin Bettencourt is a name to look at. Also, Jack Perri at SNHU. He got a bum deal at LIU and doing well in D2. Another name is Jeff Brown at Middlebury. Probably can't get him to leave but he would be an excellent fit. Former Assistant at Vermont. Head Coach at Bates and now very successful at Middlebury. Dave McLaughlin at Dartmouth has that program going in the right direction. TJ Sorrentine assistant at Brown. If I'm an AD these are the types of coaches I'm interested in. Its not about winning the press conference its about finding the fit. I don't give too whoots if you coach at Duke or a P5 Conference. I want someone who can actually recruit academically strong students that are good basketball players. Just look at Marist. Place was a disaster for the last 10 or so years. Finally woke up and hired John Dunne away from St. Peters. St. Peters one of the worst jobs in the country and he did more with very little resources. Now he is at Marist with a decent facility and some support will turn that program around in time.
|
|
|
Post by nhteamer on Feb 1, 2019 10:49:09 GMT -5
Brian Earle
|
|
|
Post by nhteamer on Feb 1, 2019 10:49:25 GMT -5
Billy Herrion
|
|
|
Post by timholycross on Feb 1, 2019 11:20:12 GMT -5
Hire someone with a worse record at the school he's at now (169-239) than Bill Carmody had at Northwestern (192-210)? Tough, very tough sell, my friend.
|
|
|
Post by Sons of Vaval on Feb 1, 2019 11:22:08 GMT -5
Don't think we should hire a coach with three winning seasons in 14 years. And, yes, I am aware of the challenges at UNH.
|
|
|
Post by crusaderdad on Feb 1, 2019 11:53:49 GMT -5
|
|
|
Post by timholycross on Feb 1, 2019 12:10:58 GMT -5
In light of what's going on in Bill's personal life, perhaps we can give this a rest for a while? Many possible scenarios resulting from these personal matters.
Oh, yes, trying to be a little light hearted here: Interesting that we have "personal" matters that can be discussed (BC's wife) and "personnel" matters (probably Gibbons himself) that cannot.
|
|
|
Post by A Clock Tower Purple on Feb 1, 2019 12:14:17 GMT -5
+1. Thank you Tim.
|
|
|
Post by southernsader on Feb 1, 2019 15:26:44 GMT -5
Great timing with this thread. Idiots.
|
|
|
Post by sader1970 on Feb 1, 2019 17:32:16 GMT -5
Give it a rest. This was/is a legitimate thread and was created well before any announcement about Barbara Carmody.
Barbara has my prayers. Bill has my sincere sympathies and understanding. But the people who posted above had every right to post what they did. Pretty sure that this thread will die of its own accord under the circumstances.
|
|
|
Post by Dean Wormer on Feb 1, 2019 21:02:05 GMT -5
While I think it is in extremely poor taste to discuss coaching candidates while we have a head coach, it is in bounds for discussionn here, especially since this thread started a couple of days before Barbara Carmody's illness was made public. All reading this should understand both of these points and so I will not delete this.
If however those who started and/or participated in it, re-think it and possibly now regret participating in it in light of the news, they can delete posts themselves or ask me to do it for them.
|
|
|
Post by bringbackcaro on Feb 20, 2019 10:01:04 GMT -5
Came across a couple great article about two young coaches who are doing an excellent job in very difficult winning conditions -- Buffalo basketball coach Nate Oats and Iowa State football coach Matt Campbell. While neither is a candidate for the HC job, I thought there were some parallels between where they are and where HC is (difficult to win, limited recruiting access, etc.), as well as several points about how they’ve built there programs that are the basically the antithesis of what the Holy Cross have become, and are exactly the types of things we should be looking for in our next coach. www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/id/25953759theathletic.com/821019/2019/02/19/iowa-state-matt-campbell-head-coach-success-culture-program/Instead of "Pass-Dribble-Shoot" or “Make Shots,” the Buffalo program is built on the following:"We did a culture playbook two summers ago and our three main beliefs -- core values, we call them -- are max effort, continuous growth and selfless love," Oats said. He has expanded on the playbook by adding a blue-collar element to his program that reflects Buffalo itself -- a city with a rich history hit hard by various industrial changes, but with continued economic growth -- and a friendly, hardworking attitude. During games, the staff charts what it calls blue-collar points -- deflections, hustle plays, charges -- any type of winning play that doesn't register in the box score. The player with the most points earns a construction helmet after the game.Instead of the same style for 20+ years, Oats draws inspiration from a diverse group of coaches, as well as learning what has & hasn't worked in the past:A quick search of his office reveals a slew of old coaching manuals -- tomes by Bob Huggins, Rick Majerus, Del Harris, Hubie Brown and Coach K are all favorites -- as well as a tediously organized drawer of old playbooks and notes.Campbell’s first team was 3-9 and lost a lot of close games, but rather than taking the fool’s gold that the program was turned around, he re-focused the team on building their program the right way.After a 42-3 throttling at Iowa in Campbell’s second game as coach, he challenged his players. The Cyclones made strides on both sides of the ball but played just well enough to lose close games. A five-game slide ended with a 31-24 win at Kansas. The Cyclones then crushed Texas Tech and quarterback Patrick Mahomes in a 66-10 rout. At the end of the season, Iowa State was 3-9 but optimism was apparent. “No. 1, that first year is a microcosm of really where we were, and even though we got better as that season went on, we didn’t deserve to win any of those games,” Campbell said. “I’ll be honest with you, I’m really glad we didn’t because I think if we did, you would have cheated the reality of what we really were. If you talk about the January, February, March, April, May, June, July of that first year, literally it was be accountable. Start with your hand behind the line, finish through the line. Clean your locker the right way. Go to class. Why are we doing these things and how does it parallel to success on the field?”My favorite nugget from the two articles was regarding Iowa State rebuilding their defense. Rather than taking the stubborn approach that they already had all of the answers, Campbell and his DC recognized that they didn’t have the personnel to just roll the same, lazy strategy out every game and took a creative approach to change their defensive philosophy.The Cyclones gave up nearly 5 yards a carry, more than 218 yards a game on the ground and couldn’t stop anybody on third down. Iowa State ranked 102nd in total defense and gave up 31.3 points per game. In nearly every defensive category, the Cyclones hovered around No. 100 nationally. Facing spread teams with prolific passers almost every week, Campbell knew his program wouldn’t survive with its defense. So he met with defensive coordinator Jon Heacock to find better ways to match up with opponents. “Jon’s background was four down (linemen), quarters (coverage), play a little blitz man on third down and away we go,” Campbell said. “That’s what he knew. That’s what he had done for his entire life. I go in there and say, ‘Hey, listen. We’ve got to change. If we’re going to do this in this conference … we’re not better personnel-wise than everybody else, then we’re going to die a fast death. We don’t have the ability to keep up and compete that way.’ “I think that group really came together and we came up with a plan that at least started this change, to say, ‘OK, here’s what we have. Here are the players we have. Maybe these formations and these calls will give us a better opportunity to play better defense and then where can we build off of that?’ My whole belief has always been that you have to be multiple defensively to have success today in college football. If you say, ‘Man, we’re a four-down team and we’re going to play quarters,’ I think it’s really hard unless you’re so much better than everybody else.” The Cyclones switched to more of a 3-3-5 style that can adapt depending on personnel. Sometimes, Iowa State morphs into a four-down look. On other plays, the Cyclones drop eight defenders into zone. The results were staggering.
|
|
|
Post by Sons of Vaval on Feb 20, 2019 10:15:06 GMT -5
Credit then Buffalo AD Danny White (now the AD at UCF) for promoting Nate Oats to head coach after Hurley left for Arizona State.
Oats' experience at the D1 level was just as an assistant at Buffalo for two seasons. Prior to that, he was the head coach at a high school in Michigan for about a decade.
Proof that you don't necessarily need to hire a guy with years of head coaching experience at the D1 level. A good coach is a good coach is a good coach.
It probably would have been easy for White to have gone out and tried to lure a flashy name to UB, but he didn't need to. The best man for the job was already sitting on the bench.
|
|
|
Post by KY Crusader 75 on Feb 20, 2019 10:26:32 GMT -5
Credit then Buffalo AD Danny White (now the AD at UCF) for promoting Nate Oats to head coach after Hurley left for Arizona State. Oats' experience at the D1 level was just as an assistant at Buffalo for two seasons. Prior to that, he was the head coach at a high school in Michigan for about a decade. Proof that you don't necessarily need to hire a guy with years of head coaching experience at the D1 level. A good coach is a good coach is a good coach. Amen, brother. I don't know how long Coach Carmody will be at the helm, but some day we'll be looking for his successor. On this board we had some real naysayers when it came to hiring a football coach without D-1 experience. I think we're finding out, as some of us suggested, that someone with leadership ability and charisma and great success at a lower level may be an ideal candidate.
|
|
|
Post by WorcesterGray on Feb 20, 2019 14:43:24 GMT -5
I think we're finding out, as some of us suggested, that someone with leadership ability and charisma and great success at a lower level may be an ideal candidate. Operative word being "may." Bob Walsh and Mike Maker are recent examples of highly successful, well-respected D3 coaches who flamed out quickly and spectacularly when given their D1 shots at Maine and Marist, respectively.
|
|
|
Post by hopjim on Feb 20, 2019 16:22:33 GMT -5
Patriot League has many unique issues, not the least of which are academics, administration support, and player development. The best teams typically are made up of "under the radar" high school players who are coached to D1 level performance. Top coaches in waiting at bigger schools rarely want this challenge. While I don't know many of the current assistants (i.e. Jon Griffin at Bucknell), wouldn't this be a place to start the coach recruitment process?
|
|
|
Post by bringbackcaro on Feb 20, 2019 18:01:40 GMT -5
Patriot League has many unique issues, not the least of which are academics, administration support, and player development. The best teams typically are made up of "under the radar" high school players who are coached to D1 level performance. Top coaches in waiting at bigger schools rarely want this challenge. While I don't know many of the current assistants (i.e. Jon Griffin at Bucknell), wouldn't this be a place to start the coach recruitment process? Carmody's assistants would be about the last place to start. While this job is not at the top of the list for all high-major assistant coaches, there is a very limited supply of D1 head coaching jobs compared to the number of coaches who are out there. As was mentioned above, there is no specific formula for a background that produces a successful head coach, but rather intangibles that would make a coach successful that must be searched for by our next AD. I hope our next AD is more skillful than the last one at seeking out and finding the ideal fit for the job at Holy Cross.
|
|
|
Post by cmo on Feb 20, 2019 18:51:01 GMT -5
I just don’t think the new AD will have time to get here, assess the situation, fire the staff, search for, and then hire a new coach this spring.
|
|
|
Post by sader1970 on Feb 20, 2019 19:34:53 GMT -5
Unless the new AD is someone already very familiar with Holy Cross. As for firing the staff, assume you mean the assistants. I suspect that assistants are on an annual contract, so just non-renew. I don't think Carmody is going to be fired regardless of results this year. However, I could reasonably see him deciding not to come back next year due to his family situation.
|
|
|
Post by possum on Feb 21, 2019 7:12:01 GMT -5
sader 70 I hope you're right and Carmody leaves at the end of the season but in any event a change needs to happen this year. Four years into his tenure it's obvious his methods are not working. Most posters, as did I, thought this was the year the program would return to winning ways. While the OOC results were very encouraging league play has been a disaster. There is no way I could envision this team finishing at or near the bottom of the league. The same fundamental problems that plague the team have continued and at this point there is no reason to believe things will change. To give Carmody another year just because there is no hierarchy in place to make a change is foolhardy. It's time to do a legitimate search to find the right person who stresses the fundamentals needed to put the program on track for long term success. I would like to see a search that looks into all avenues for the right guy, young hungry assistant coaches or a successful D2 or D3 coach. We can't afford another quick fix of a search that results in naming a retread candidate after a two week search, as was the case last time. There are obviously risks to this strategy as recruits may de-commit or current players could leave but putting off the decision another year is not the answer for the long range health if the program. If you wait till next year the new coach will be faced with the prospect of having to recruit 6 new players with no preparation in his first 6 months on the job, not a good situation.
|
|
|
Post by joe on Feb 21, 2019 8:03:20 GMT -5
If the season continues along the same trajectory and no miracles or ingenious solutions emerge over the next month, I think any reasonable person would expect a change, hopefully a voluntary one. The search then needs to move with alacrity and ambition, and we need to learn from previous hires. The Gilmore firing and hiring process was a disaster. Firing a 14 year head coach in the middle of the season, then blowing an entire recruitment period before hiring a guy 2 blocks down the road was clearly not a savvy or seasoned way of doing business. On the other hand, it can't be another hot potato hire like Carmody apparently was (I really don't remember, and thought it was a terrific hire at the time). Naturally, we do not have an AD or surrogate administrator to orchestrate this task, nor do we seem motivated to find one in short course. What a typical Holy Cross situation this has become. As someone said on another thread, if you don't laugh, you'd cry. I never thought we'd be at the bottom of the PL this year. Just goes to show how much I know.
|
|