CC: Becky Hammon
Because all options are on the table, allow me to throw a name into the fold: Becky Hammon.
https://www.nba.com/spurs/becky-hammon
Hear me out - this isn't as far-fetched an idea as you think.
1. She's a hall-of-fame player at both the collegiate and professional levels.
2. She's been under the tutelage of one of the best coaches in NBA history.
3. She's coached some of the best players in NBA history.
4. She's been in the discussion for a head coaching position ever since she wrapped up her first year under Pop.
5. Her hiring would be in line with Michigan being a university that historically prides itself on equality and progress.
Fight me.
If you think these elite inner city basketball kids give a damn about playing for the first female coach then youre detached as fuck from reality
I'm in-- assuming she wants to buy in and stay for the long haul. I really think she is going to hang around Pop until an NBA job opens-- and the lure of being the first female coach of a major men's pro sports team seems like it would be too good to pass up.
But if she'd settle for being the first Major college female coach for a men's team, I think she would be great. Everyone with the Spurs think she's a terrfic coach, and I actually think she would appeal to a specific type of player. I know-- HS boys be dumb, but I think she would be able to work through that. Maybe I am naive, but I think shes a heck of a coach.
I would be totally supportive of such a move. However, I’m also guessing at least 50% of the US population would be opposed, which is a concern. She would need good results right away, which is unfair but the reality of such a hire.
Here's the thing: I agree with all of the merits of what you say. She has a good resume, but I have two primary issues::
1. She has never been the HC of a major program at either the college or pro level. Unless other factors so overwhelming overcome come it, I prefer someone who has shown the ability to be the head coach and succeed in the position.
2. While I am all for our university being a leader in equality and progress of all forms, the first and foremost factor needs to be "who will lead our program to success," including on-court and, critically, recruiting. While we have seen great progress in for women in sports, I honestly question how a female head coach is going to do recruiting 16-year-old boys. While some recruits might truly not care, it is certainly true that some recruits might be turned off by this. Is that a good thing? No, but it is reality. I want a coach who - within the bounds of not being Rick Pitino - is going to be able to secure top talent and then coach up that talent to succeed.
Again, I am not endorsing the mentality that prevents an otherwise well-qualified female from being a HC of a men's team, but I also don't want to pretend that it doesn't exist and might not be an impediment.
Thank you writing one of the only rational and well thought out takes in this thread
Two totally reasonable points that should be important factors.
Given where we're at with the slate of candidates, there are several who would be DQed by your first point, and many that could be DQed by your second. Just because it's a coach's job to recruit 16 year-old kids doesn't mean they're good at it - and I'd contend that Beilein's player development and "diamond in the rough" style of things was not just professional, it was remarkable.
He'll be a tough one to replace.
Why not Bill Laimbeer?
I have also been saying this!
The only candidates without HC experience whom I might be okay with are Yaklich and Washington, for obvious reasons. And I definitely don't want someone who has never recruited before.
Is her cleanliness level above or below the threshold of concern?
LOL. no
You know I'd fine with her as coach. Just be a little worried about her recruiting ability and ability to relate to these kids. Would really have to rely on her WNBA/NBA pedigree
The recruiting would be interesting, but I think a lot of people underestimate how open-minded HS kids are right now. But a 42-year-old former HOFer on the court and a decently respected NBA assistant is a pretty good starting off point if you want to get a kid's attention.
That said, I don't think it would happen for a number of reasons. But I wouldn't mind Warde looking a bit outside the normal group.
Bold move, but probably not the best move strategically. As long as the new coach is relatively clean and competent, the demographic aspects don't concern me.
Tyronn Lue also coached some of the best players in NBA history. What's your point?
I'd put her above the Moser line.
But I think her best chance at success is in the NBA. Politics is much more important in the league. I think she would be at a very big [and unfair] disadvantage when it comes to recruiting high school kids, which may set her up for undue failure.
I will say that there are many names being tossed around that I would dislike much more than Becky Hammon.
Good post.
Hammon is a viable candidate for a college or NBA head coaching position.
But it's not complete over-the-top hyperbole to equate her hire to Jackie Robinson breaking the color barrier way back when.
With Robinson - the team that brought him in was very important, in terms of maximizing his likelihood for success. The Brooklyn Dodgers were the correct team in 1947. A more-progressive-than-normal MLB franchise in a more-progressive-than-normal city.
With Hammon, I agree with you that the NBA is a better fit versus the college game.
Let her cut her teeth at a mid-major and ask me again down the road if it works out well.
We're in great shape as a program. We cannot risk that by taking a massive gamble on this hire.
Sure, but then why take a shot on someone like Juwan Howard? Like, on paper they don't look much different and yet nobody seems to think it's all that weird to get an NBA assistant coach with no HC experience.
Because Juwan is an alum and former member of the Fab Five?
Reasonable, but...
I want your take on Jim Harbaugh. His credentials got him here and gave us warm fuzzies, but at the end of the day...if he doesn't win, it doesn't matter.
Honest question. Do you think Jim Harbaugh is "winning" since he was hired?
He has been a home run hire.Very close to three playoff trips.academics have been great,Michigan is on ESPN every day,he is putting kids into the NFL.I cant complain.Hell if he was 2-2 vs Ohio St ,there would be no complaints from anyone.
If he was 2-2 vs. THEEEEEEEEEE ohio, we would have won B1G titles and been in the CFP.
There would have been fucking parades, HUGE FUCKING PARADES!
But none of that really speaks to his ability to be a successful coach. Brady Hoke had been on the staff when they won a national title and none of that really mattered. I know that's not a perfect analogy, but an NBA assistant with no HC experience shouldn't get the benefit of the doubt over another candidate simply because he used to have an MCard and was on a team that existed before anyone he's recruiting was alive.
I think Juwan would still be a gamble. But the nostalgia factor in me makes me okay with taking that particular risk if we can't get Billy Donovan.
Juwan would be a great recruiter. Fab Five member, played in the NBA for years. Has NBA rings.
I'm very well aware of Becky Hammon being a respected coach in the NBA and former WNBA star but I honestly don't know much more about her than that. I couldn't even tell you where she played college ball at without looking it up.
To me, if it's not Donovan or some other established HC I'd rather they promote in-house and see what happens. And I had to look up where Howard was coaching because I honestly didn't remember; I knew Hammon was on the Spurs and had gotten some publicity for getting into the mix for the Bucks job and a number of NBA people saying she had a legit shot.
Because of the well-stated reasons slightly above this, most important in my mind is the actual prejudice that exists in the world (not fair but reality) and how recruiting 13-17 boys would work. With Juwan, that factor is exactly the opposite impact as an NBA player, NBA coach, iconic NCAA team, etc.
Plus, she’s on an NBA track and it’s safer for both her and the university to go a more traditional route.
My opinion is that the recruiting prejudice is too risky to take the chance. I’d rather have her than the bottom half or third of the list Brian gave us. She could be a great coach but the pressure would be on - her, the university, Warde. Big time.
Maybe that matters, but college basketball is full of old white men recruiting young black kids (in general terms), and the world hasn't fallen over. Maybe it blows up, and I agree that it would put a lot of pressure on Hammon and the University, but I'd rather take a chance on a really good coach with potential than, I don't know, a mediocre coach from Providence or the guy who got fired from Southern Illinois.
The recruiting thing is whatever to me. For every kid who might have a problem with it (and I think a lot of people underestimate the openness of younger guys), my guess is others would be interested to talk to someone who helped coach a lot of great NBA players and has a ton of credibility on and off the court.
Again, this isn't some "let's be contrarian because it's fun" argument on my part; I get it would be a seismic change and probably wouldn't work in the end. But I certainly wouldn't have a problem with her getting the same level of scrutiny and opportunity as Juwan Howard is all I'm saying.
Because, unfortunately, hiring the first female P5 HC is inherently far risking than hiring Juwan. That is just the world we are in. As I said further up this thread, while that might not be a good thing in terms of where we are as a society, it is reality. Let's not pretend that we live in utopia.
Exactly. She’s an assistant coach in the NBA and her job is to get the dry erase board for the HC who draws up plays that the players don’t even execute because they don’t like the play
Eh....not quite. The Spurs won the Summer League with her as head coach.
Honestly, if the option is her or the grab bag of mediocre P5 guys that are below your Donovan types, why the hell not? She's certainly no less qualified than Juwan Howard, and nobody seems to have a problem with an NBA guy who's been an assistant for a bit and otherwise not coached.
Her resume is roughly the same as Howard's, but I'd argue she is less likely to succeed. I find it hard to believe that she would be on a level playing field when it comes to recruiting.
I guess nobody knows, but would you feel any more confident about Porter Moser's recruiting prowess compared to her?
I don't know enough about her, but would certainly be open to the idea.
Would the water fights after a big win still happen?
I'll just come out and say it: I don't want a female coach. Too much drama about it being a female, I don't think she'll be a good recruiter, and I think even if she did overcome those handicaps (which, I may be wrong about), then she's a winner and some team in the NBA takes her and we're back at square 1.
The way I see it: 80% chance she's not a good COLLEGE HC (due to recruiting)
20% chance she's good, and then a 75% conditional chance she bolts.
So, 5% chance we get a good coach who stays. I think we can do better.
I think Hammon's best bet for success is to be a head coach in the NBA, and if the Pistons had hired her before this past season I would have been fine with it (in fact, the T-Wolves should give her a look).
I suspect that the first woman to become a D-1 HC in football or men's basketball will best be served working their way up through the college ranks where they can establish their methods (and track record) of recruiting and teaching. But that's just my opinion.
Seconded.
I think its a sad truth that there will be a negative perception among recruits towards a female; I nonetheless think that perception exists.
Do I think its be great for progress? Hell yes. But like. . . have someone else suffer for it. Sad to say it, but I'd rather be a leader in the won column than on the progress column. And most here would too -- just look at how the funding would drop if we had a female coach, but lost a lot of games. Itd be great for progress, but terrible for the ADs coffers.
I'd love to see a school hire Hammon. It's going to be a place that isn't afraid of the move backfiring. I don't doubt she can coach, but how well she can run a program is unknown. Her recruiting is going to have a low floor, I'm afraid.
Overall, she could be a high ceiling, low floor hire that would bring a lot of initial buzz. A program like Penn State could really use the attention. If she didn't work out, they lost very little. The Penn State job kind of sucks, but coaching in a high profile conference could be a good move for her. Better than a mid-major where it's easier to win.
"this isn't as far-fetched an idea as you think."
yeah it is
"Fight me."
i'll be on the corner of lake and morgan in 30 minutes. i'm 6'2 and wearing a pink tshirt, you can't miss me.
I laughed.
Can she walk into a five, even high four star’s living room and convince him to come to Michigan? I’m thinking not
I upvoted you as I just said basically the same thing in response to a post above.
Can she have recruits visit her practices and impress them with how they're run? Can she talk to players and their coaches about basketball and show them that she knows her stuff? Will they talk to her current players to see what they think? Those living room visits come late in the process.
It may take a leap of faith to get the first big commitments. But if she's good and is sending players to the pros, recruits will come. It's a gamble, for sure and I'd be worried about that first recruiting class. Unfortunately, too big a gamble for Michigan to give her her first HC job. Might not be for her second though.
We need a "proven" head coach or connections to the program .This isnt Eastern Illinois.We have the most tourny wins in the past 8 years .Two title games.five Sweet-16 sent 15 guys to the NBA
Michigan is an ELITE basketball program right now,we can not take a flyer on someone,like i said we need a good head coaching resume or connections to the school .
I don't like it as Plan A one bit, but as like Plan C or D? I'm in. She's right at the Yak line, but a totally different gamble.
I bet JBHM fights like a girl.
I bet her realtor knows better than to take her to Metzger's, though.