(Now that Brian has talked about it) MBB Coaching Wishlists
I've refrained from posting a CC thread mid-season, but I feel like Brian offering comments on the necessity of it all warrants a layout of potential options.
If you were (ahem) a competent athletic director, whose agent would you be starting to nudge a bit? In my mind I think of a few names:
- Tommy Lloyd (Arizona): comes from the Mark Few coaching tree, has won 61 games his first two seasons as a head coach. Would be a really hard get given he's only been in Tuscon a brief time.
- Dusty May (FAU): took the Owls to the Final Four. What else needs be said? Probably every major program with a coaching change will be clamoring for him.
- Porter Moser (Oklahoma): has struggled a bit since leaving Loyola Chicago but has seemed to find his footing/system this past year. Oklahoma has lost coaches to the B10 in the past...
- Nate Oats (Alabama): SEC coach of the year, has history in the Detroit area (taught/coached at Romulus High). Has a pretty cushy salary at Alabama so may be tough to pry away.
Who is not on this list:
- Anyone above the age of 60 (flight/retirement risk in a few years)
- Anyone on Michigan's current staff (obviously)
- No recent Michigan coaches who are leading other programs (poor general track record)
January 31st, 2024 at 3:30 PM ^
My wish list is that UM hire a new athletic department and shuffle Manuel off to a sinecure until retirement.
January 31st, 2024 at 3:32 PM ^
Not sure why the AZ coach would leave. While the department as a whole has had financial issues, AZ is probably equivalent to Michigan in terms of basketball prestige, if not better. And, it seems like they're willing to let him do whatever he wants without the admin getting in the way. He's already making $4MM, which is a little more than Juwan too.
January 31st, 2024 at 3:48 PM ^
Arizona vs Michigan. That's as simple as basketball school vs football school.
January 31st, 2024 at 4:00 PM ^
Arizona's basketball prestige is on another tier from Michigan basketball. Arizona is a basketball school and Michigan basketball, while having had some moderate success the past 15 years, is definitely not a basketball school.
Football is another story.
January 31st, 2024 at 4:26 PM ^
I don't buy this. Both have one title; Michigan has more Final Four appearances and far more recent title game appearances than Arizona does.
They are competitors in a similar tier of prestige.
January 31st, 2024 at 3:33 PM ^
One name Josh Schertz
January 31st, 2024 at 3:37 PM ^
Soon, if we are going to be competitive, then the players combined salaries will be greater than the coach. Like NBA. So a millionaire managing other multi-millionaires. So to win, you need a NC or Duke system when you pay $$$ for some of the top 50 recruits and get a guy to "manage" them for the 1-2 years they are here.
January 31st, 2024 at 3:38 PM ^
Anyone who understands that you need more than two guards and perimeter wings on the roster (and can make that happen) is a huge step in the right direction. Yes, that includes some understanding of the reality of who can get accepted.
January 31st, 2024 at 3:40 PM ^
Does it really matter? Warde has essentially said he doesn't plan on making a change at this point.
January 31st, 2024 at 3:45 PM ^
If he does not make a change, then he needs to be fired!!
January 31st, 2024 at 3:54 PM ^
If he hasn't been fired yet, he's not getting fired.
January 31st, 2024 at 6:49 PM ^
He said not mid season. Nor should he. Late season review is the best way.
January 31st, 2024 at 3:59 PM ^
Before you move on from Juwan I think there needs to be a serious discussion as to why he failed here, some of which (most of which?) is structural. I don't think Juwan failed because he's a bad coach, per se, I think he failed because he couldn't adequately adapt to the changing college landscape vis a vis Michigan.
In my opinion, Juwan is a successful coach if he is at any other school - he proved in 2020 that with adequate talent he could be one of the best coaches in the country. (And before you say DUH, just look at what Izzo is doing with this roster this year - a talented team doesn't always win). I know the roster management has been beaten into the ground - but it IS important when looking at who could be successful at Michigan.
M basketball will not be NIL dependent nor made up of transfers, and the environment will always be second to football (ie, your Tuesday night Crisler game is not going to provide any home court advantage). That means a theoretical successful coach needs to have a proven system that is team based, rather than player based. It should be plug and play since you're not going to out-talent anyone and you're not going to get many high-end recruits, especially without a prominent NIL game.
A Belien 2.0 - is there such a thing?
January 31st, 2024 at 4:11 PM ^
So basically you need a mid-major type coaching philosophy? Like what VCU did with Shaka Smart.
I thought Michigan could get enough talent but apparently I was wrong. Didn't expect Kentucky, UNC, Louisville level talent but I figured they'd have more than they have been getting the past few years.
As others have said, Josh Schertz looks like an ideal candidate.
January 31st, 2024 at 4:21 PM ^
The reason Juwan is failing is because he’s not a good coach. He sat on the Heat bench and watched Spoelstra for a few years and Warde thought that was enough to put him in charge of a successful college basketball program. There is a path to success without having to rely on getting the best recruits and transfers, Juwan just isn’t capable of it.
January 31st, 2024 at 3:59 PM ^
Whoever the next coach might be, can bringing back Luke Yaklich as the "defensive coordinator" be contractually mandatory?
February 2nd, 2024 at 1:01 PM ^
Hell, I'd take Yaklich as the head coach at this point.
January 31st, 2024 at 4:15 PM ^
Bob Knight
January 31st, 2024 at 4:20 PM ^
Wasn't there an Onion headline that read something like "Oprah Fans Still Waiting Patiently For Instructions?"
January 31st, 2024 at 4:27 PM ^
I realize there's a million fire warde posts but is there any insight into whether Santa is hearing the drumbeat here?
January 31st, 2024 at 4:59 PM ^
Jay Wright is an obvious one but I don’t know if he retired due to the current climate of CBB.
Shaka Smart would be a good choice, but I think ppl here would look at his lack of success as a detriment.
Nate Oats is the choice if he wants it…has a good track record and knows the area
January 31st, 2024 at 5:21 PM ^
What’s remarkable is that Warde has national championships in football, men’s basketball and women’s basketball on his AD resume, and he’s still awful at his job.
January 31st, 2024 at 5:22 PM ^
Bill Frieder is just sitting out there waiting for the phone to ring.
January 31st, 2024 at 5:38 PM ^
I do not have faith in Warde finding a great candidate, and as long as he continues to prevent Michigan's NIL from being a "game changer", then no matter who the next coach is he will struggle to get talent needed. Development is one thing, but talent is also a part of it.
January 31st, 2024 at 5:46 PM ^
May is intriguing. I'll add Collins from NW, and Pinkiell from Rutgers. Maybe Calipari.
January 31st, 2024 at 8:33 PM ^
Are there any early era Beilien guys in the coaching ranks now?
January 31st, 2024 at 8:49 PM ^
College basketball is a weird sport where teams like Creighton, Villanova and Gonzaga and Xavier are ranked higher than a Michigan or Ohio State these days. No idea what role NIL plays with these small schools, I can’t imagine the NIL offers would outpace a huge fan base like Michigans, but a coach with a system, a plan, and eye for talent can go really far. Essentially what Belein did for UM. There are coaches out there that are capable if Warde looks for them diligently. Buuuut….yeah that’s the problem. Lazy guys make lazy hires
February 1st, 2024 at 1:32 PM ^
My dude - Danny Sprinkle.