BB coach - where we stand
Trying to gage where we stand on next steps and who is on the list.
Howard - heard front runner on reports. Meeting with Warde on Tuesday.
Jordan - heard he’s interviewing as well. Anything confirmed? Haven’t heard details on when if this is true.
Smart - Any truth to him on the list? Or this just Webb pushing Smart? If on the list, I haven’t heard anything about him interviewing.
Cooley - Same as above.
Frank Martin - He still being looked at? One guy on this board said Quinn had him as a final 3. Never heard anymore though.
Anyone else still on the list or connected people hearing? Only guy I’ve heard and read reports on actually interviewing is Howard Tuesday. Are we rolling him as only interview, Warde likes what he hears, he offers?
I hope Warde never has to fill the Football head coach vacancy. For multiple reasons.
While I think Warde could've been more decisive immediately following JB leaving for the NBA, I think he deserves a little slack.
The top choices are there but there's still a vetting process that must take place. It sounds like the scrambling is over and his ducks are in a row. I think we'll have our coach by the end of next week.
The timing isn’t what bothers me. What bothers me is this program is a top 15 program and the candidates make us look like a bottom tier big east program
We all want to know what Warde is thinking and what he is doing. But it's counterproductive for him to let us know, so we listen to people making guesses and imagine they're correct.
All we know for sure is that he is going to interview Juwan.
The answer, so to speak, is embedded in your post.
Timing explains much here, including the list of candidates. I'd suggest tempering your expectations.
BTW, what is your expectation? Who would you like to see on the list that would be a realistic candidate?
Exactly. A few circumstances lined up to put the program in this position. I'm glad for JB since the NCAA doesn't deserve him. Warde is not the issue.
“The Chinaman Is Not The Issue." Also, Dude, Chinaman is not the preferred nomenclature, Asian-American, please."
The timing is awful
If not for the timing, we absolutely could have gotten Nate Oats, and POSSIBLY could have entertained Beard, but I'm still not sure about that.
All these other guys we wanted off the bat? Zero chance any of them would have left where they were.
The timing is not optimal at all. Because of this, they should consider making Yaklich the interim head coach for the 2019-20 season. If he shows he has the tools to run a top 15 program then give him the job. If not, they have 10-11 months to find a coach worthy of a major program like this.
Don't go a whole year with an interim coach. That will kill your recruiting. Just hire him if you want, and if he doesn't work out, let him go.
Not only will it kill recruiting, but if the current players develop an attachment to him as coach (as they likely will), it will be almost impossible to get rid of him even if he's only doing a mediocre job. Don't hire ANYONE for that job unless you're willing to give them at least a 4 year contract right up front.
We’ve been pretty successful just promoting a guy. Orr, Frieder and Fisher all were assistants when they took over.
Exactly.
And, like Yak, those 3 had nicknames. Frieder was Freids, Fisher was Fish and Orr was Or.
The most recent of those (Fisher) was promoted 30 years ago.
And don't forget Ellerbe.
Ellerbe was HC at Loyola MD before he came to Michigan
He had been hired by Fish in the spring (after his dismissal from Loyola) and when Fish was fired, was promoted to HC.
So zero games as a Michigan assistant. Got it.
Now you're moving the goalposts. He got the job because he was on the staff. He never would have otherwise.
You really think someone who A. Never coached a game at Michigan as an assistant counts, and B. Was hired by Tom Goss as the HC counts?
Goss was incompetent and overwhelmed, he was one month into his position when he had to fire Fisher, and no one was going to come here. Goss took over in September and fired Fisher in October. He looked at the coaching bench and saw Ellerbe there who had nothing to do with the program and was an HC elsewhere.
For you to say Ellerbe is the same as the other 3 is disingenuous. If you want to go that route then add Strack as an assistant. I didn’t because the year before he took over, he was the HC at Idaho.
Of our apparent top two candidates, one (Howard) has been mentioned for NBA head coaching jobs and the other (Smart) is at a high-major school right now and has previously gone to the Final Four. They may not be home runs but they are far from "bottom tier big east program" candidates.
You need to recalibrate your expectations. A guy like Jim Harbaugh is not going to fall into our lap every coaching search. I mean we should know this ourselves, as this is our sixth coaching search in the big two sports since 2001.
A guy like Jim Harbaugh lol? What has he won?
Lol dude we’re a top 15 program maybe. UCLA is a top 3 program and they had to settle for Mick Fucking Cronin while having an entire year to find a new coach.
IU, another top 5ish program, got their guy Archie, and they’re ready to run him out of town.
So you tell me which candidates were supposed to be looking at.
Michigan fans are so delusional.
What?! UCLA a top three program? LMAO
UCLA might be run by a bunch of idiots right now but they are still are a top 5 program at worst.
Duke, Kentucky, Kansas, UNC, UCLA
then:
IU, UConn, Louisville, Cuse, MSU
Everyone else to round out the top 15.
Nova, Florida, Michigan etc.
this is a nice ranking based on internal imagination, with no bearing on current reality
What on his list is wrong? I think he has UConn and Syracuse a little high, otherwise pretty spot on.
oh i donno apart from nova winning 2 chips in the last 3 years while indiana not making a final four for the last 17, UCLA's shambolic decade, UConn hasn't even made the tournament in 3 years.... sure let the man have his feelingsball.
my list that makes just as much sense:
texas tech -- best team on earth because they have the coach i want
virginia -- current champion but they lost to a 16 seed so they're only the second best team on earth
oregon -- first team to win the NCAA championship, therefore an eternal dynasty
You're about as intelligent as you are good at spelling. Stfu and don't speak.
lmao here i go speaking again. what did i even spell incorrectly, o great indiana basketball stan?
Call UCLA a top 5 all time program if you like, but it is not a top 5 job now. It's not even close.
There's a real question whether UCLA ever was a top job other than when Wooden was there. Their list of coaching hires screams top 15.
UConn is not a top job now either. Maybe a top 40 job. Getting left out of the Big East hurts them more than a few bad years.
UConn is a top 15 job at worst.
You're delusional if you think the program that has the most championships since the turn of the century is merely a "top 40" job.
UCLA's latest coaching search proves how hard they've fallen. Not saying they can't be great soon (Pac 12 is pretty weak) but I highly doubt the kids they're recruiting today give a damn about their fading dominance. But SoCal co-eds and In-and-Out Burger are pretty awesome.
UConn's Kenpom ranking the last 3 seasons; #96, #179, #98. Conference realignment was a killer for them. It put them in a much less prestigious conference, took them away from every one of their rivals and from their main recruiting areas.
Put UConn in the ACC and it might be a top 10 job. In the Big East a little lower. In their present situation it's far below that, which their coaching search last year would confirm.
Uconn? Say what now? Might as well put Butler up there.
I am curious how you rank programs. UCLA top three? They have been down more than up since Wooden left. Michigan has as many final fours, and three more NCG appearances, since then. They can't even win a weak Pac-12. Arizona is a better program in the expanded tournament era.
Indiana is no longer Top 5-ish. They have only made one Final 4 in 25 years, and even that one was rather miraculous. They have only won the Big Ten three times in that span. In their own conference they are behind MSU and Wisconsin, and arguably behind or on par with UM, Purdue, OSU, and Maryland in terms of recent and potential success.
Clear Top Four to me would be UNC, Duke, Kentucky, Kansas. Vying for Top 5 are Louisville, MSU, and Villanova. The next tier of 10 or so programs include UCLA and Michigan and maybe Indiana.
When we hired Harbaugh, where do you think the football team ranked in terms of "top CFB jobs"?
Some jobs are good even if the program is bad. The blue bloods will always be good jobs
"Good jobs" yes, but not Top 3 or Top 5, as the above comment described UCLA and IU.
Also, the problem with blue bloods who have had recent struggles is that the fanbase expectations often exceed what is realistic in a short time frame. Chris Beard can afford a rebuild year at Texas Tech without anyone thinking twice. Not so much at UCLA. So what advantage they have in resources and recruiting appeal is proportionately met with extra pressure to always win big.
No matter the time, UCLA and IU are above Michigan for basketball in terms of "top jobs".
IU/UCLA are good jobs for sure. But not top 5 good. They could get back in that tier with a stud coach who wins big - Duke wasn't a top 5 job before Coach K, for instance. But I wouldn't say they're there now.
BTW, I'd say Michigan football is more top 10 than top 5, also.
Top program rankings vary according to your timeframe. What do you want to use?
There's a correlation between top jobs and top programs, but it's far from absolute.
UCLA was the top program when John Wooden retired. Being his replacement wasn't a particularly attractive job. Michigan has a tougher time attracting some coaches because there's a perception the next coach needs to be as clean as Beilein. Michigan isn't as committed to winning as some other schools.
Kentucky is a top 3 job, not just based on history, but for what they do to support the program. It's on a completely different level than IU or UCLA in that regard.
http://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/id/26596290/ucla-escape-shadow-john-wooden
UCLA WAS a top three program. Alford is a damn fine coach in the absolute worst place for him. The Balls wrecked what was left of a good program. Never should have fired Ben Howland. No 18 year old kid even sees UCLA as a Top 20 program.
UCLA vs. Louisville Since 1980: "Quien Es Mas Macho?"
Since 1980, when UCLA was the NCAA runner-up, the Bruins have been to the Final Four in 1995 as champion, 2006 as runner-up, 2007 and 2008. During that time, UCLA has won 25 games or more in nine seasons. LINK
Since 1980, when Louisville beat UCLA to become NCAA champion, the Cardinals have been to the Final Four in 1982, 1983, 1986 as champion, 2005, 2012, and 2013 as champion (although that win was vacated). During that time, Louisville has won 25 games or more in 13 seasons (including the seasons when wins were vacated due to Rick Pitino’s punishment). LINK
UCLA is only famous because of the record of JOHN WOODEN. Remove his presence and they are right there with Oregon State and Iowa which are worthwhile programs but hardly blue blood.
Well they've been in several Final Fours since Wooden and have pumped out NBA players. Can't say that about Oregon St or Iowa. And I hate it when people make the argument of "When you ignore the years where this team was really fucking good, this team hasn't been all that good."
Most of these people in this thread didn't start watching basketball until John Beilein made the team good in Ann Arbor and are subscribed to the "OMGZ NBA basketball has no skillz or defense" crowd aka their opinions are worthless.
Well they've been in several Final Fours since Wooden and have pumped out NBA players. Can't say that about Oregon St or Iowa. And I hate it when people make the argument of "When you ignore the years where this team was really fucking good, this team hasn't been all that good."
It's hard to hire an elite coach. Fans need to be realistic. Most of the top guys aren't looking to move, or are waiting for one specific job (like Beard might be for UT).
That said, our biggest problem is that the guy who was expected to be Beilein's successor, LaVall Jordan, has been a disappointment at Butler. The rest of the Beilein tree is too inexperienced. Five years from now, maybe Jordan will have turned it around, and Yaklich, Washington and Patrick Beilein might all be legit candidates. But they aren't right now.
It's been less than a week after a total abnormally timed departure. How could he have been more "decisive"? Taking less than a week would border on being hasty.
The hate for him is totally ridiculous. This board is really unhinged. Embarrassing.
Chris Balas had a very interesting interview on The Huge Show yesterday where he went out of his way to not blame Warde for losing Beilein but in between saying that launched into him for basically not doing everything in his power to keep Beilein and how it was bad optics to go to Africa when your head coach is interviewing with the NBA and you aren't speaking to him in the interim. Said UM had booster money to give JB whatever he wanted and believes Warde never made the effort. Worth a listen.
As for search, the idea of Howard becomes more appealing if it means Yaklich and Saddi are able to remain on staff but this does feel a lot like hiring another Kevin Ollie who coincidentally was also hired by Warde Manuel. Balas also reported this morning that Yaklich might not wait around too much longer and could accept the Texas job before a coach is named. Which is why the wheels should have been put in motion on this thing the second it was a possibility Beilein could be leaving
Who knows what's going to happen but the success or failure of this hire will define Warde's tenure.