Purdue basketball record: Keady: 2002 13-18 2003 19-11 2004 17-14 2005 7-21 Painter: 2006 9-19 2007 20-10 2008 20-5 (11-1) 1st Big Ten
i changed my mind about wanting kennedy. not because lsu blew out om, but because of the way he speaks. he refers to all (ok, most) of his players by their initials. i couldnt stand that for long.
Ouch, good one. I guess it just shows you, Purdue is #1 in the Big 10, and ranked 19, and no one knows 'em or cares. The Big 10 is kinda down this year. I know Painter is a good, respectable coach, just not sure he's someone I get excited about. I also think that he'll be hard to pry out of Purdue given the ties, history and contract. Honestly, I think there's still some potential risk here with some of these guys like Grant, Miller, Ford, etc. Lots of young guys, who are trading on "rep" or "lineage", but not necessarily proven on the big stage. Yes, they're the up and coming coaching talent, but I would have loved LSU saying that they would be committed to a game changer. Skip wants a "uniter" in the community, a guy like Les or Paul who can fire up the fans and community--well, can you get that from a 30 something young kid? What we know is this. Grant got his team into the NCAAs last year, and beat Duke there. He's a Billy D guy, so dominates with guard play and up tempo style. Is he a "community uniter" guy like Skip would like to get? Is he a PR man for the face of LSU hoops and can he excite this community? That remains to be seen. Same can be said of Bennett, although I feel like he's coached under more rigorous conditions, the Pac10. Those two guys I think are the best combination of young talent, with proven record, that at least have ties to the south/lsu, but are they the kind of proven "uniter" kind of coaches? Guys like Miller, Stevens, also are strong young coaches, but less of a tie to the South. Butch is doing well. Another win tonight against USC--but is it just a matter of the players all being there and playing with more resolve and confidence? Could Butch stay and coexist with a young head coach? Not sure. Going with Butch and bringing in another nice assistant? Not out of question, folks. It all depends on who's talking to LSU at the end of the season... :geaux:
Good points TGer'nLHornLand. It seems as if there a few routes we may take in the coaching search with different styles. Ultimately I think it will come down to how comfortable the school is with a guy, whether or not he is the hottest name out there -- sort of like Miles. And yes, Painter is a Purdue guy and it would be more than a shock if he left.
sorry, but i cant help it. every time i hear of Lon Kruger, i think of the homo love child of Lon Cheney and Freddie Kruger.
i actually wasn't closing my eyes to him at all--but you said it yourself--is LSU going to pay for a men's "established" hoops coach. Signing a hall of fame womens' coach who wanted badly to get back into coaching is one thing, but signing a game changer in mens' hoops comes with a slightly higher $ tag. I would love to see LSU go after a reputable, established guy, but at their price point IMO they're going to go for a young up and comer and let them prove themselves here, or they gamble on the established "next tier" of guys. I think of a Mike Bray from ND, a Jamie Dixon from Pitt, a Dana Altman from Creighton. Let's remember, Bruce Pearl came from Wisconsin-Milwaukee, and he was not a spring chicken. The key for me is charisma, recruiting and proven winning %, even if in a smaller conference.
So... it's tourney time, Madness is in the air, Brady's moved on and it's been a little while since we talked about Brady's replacement. This was shot up on the Advocate yesterday, and I had some interesting thoughts. http://www.2theadvocate.com/sports/lsu/16847991.html. First, clearly all of the guys seem to want to stay at LSU, or stay with Butch--although Dollar is resigned with moving where the next job is (with Brady or Butch) and Treloar is in wait and see mode. Given the 5-5 performance and the tightness of the players with Butch I think some would argue (hope) that the new coach, if not Butch, would retain Butch and perhaps Dollar/Treloar. But, is that realistic? Usually there's one holdover, but the new coach likes to bring in guys he knows. In this case, with a top 20 recruiting class coming in the door, things might be a little different. Although, I "think" that Harris and Graham are still committed to LSU if Dollar leaves moreso than Morgan and Randoplh are if Butch leaves. It'll be interesting. More news on Grant... http://www.gatorsports.com/article/20080314/NEWS/116227235/1016 The NIT is done for them... http://www.vcuathletics.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=62449&SPID=6846&DB_OEM_ID=14500&ATCLID=1415790
The coaching search continues... man, didn't folks predict a replacement named some three weeks after the season ended? :wink: Unfortunately, the landscape's as cloudy as anything and no one seems to know what's going on. Grant. Floyd. Someone else? What's interesting is that I would have said early on, that some "ties" to LA would be essential--Butch Pierre would obviously argue so. http://www.2theadvocate.com/sports/16974511.html But, you look at Miles. Manieri. A big 12 guy and a ND guy (although PM is a LSU "alum"). Look at Saban (Big 10) guy. Two programs, though, in LSU lore that had won the NC. Basketball is right there in tradition, although it's somewhat distant memory and tarnished. Results might argue (and I would too) that perhaps you hire the best coach wherever they're from. With "LSU hoops money" that's hiring someone who's bright, successful and charismatic... and younger or at least unproven. Could someone else step in? The Xavier coach, Sean Miller, another one I liked has made some recent contractual pledges to his school. Other young "hot properties" in Brad Stevens from Butler, and Keno Davis from Drake, expect to get calls... but perhaps not from LSU. Too young, to tell about their consistency and durability? http://www.uwire.com/2008/03/17/m-hoops-young-drake-butler-coaches-ahead-of-ncaa-curve/ Well, to my dismay, ONE of the only coaches still in the Big Dance, that I liked, Tony Bennett, is in the second year of a 7 year deal. A younger coach than Anthony Grant, but proven in a bigger conference (and let's be fair, the kid won in the Pac10 and the NCAAs), is already getting near "LSU money" appears to be an unlikely candidate (despite wife being from Baton Rouge). http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/news/story?id=2816204. But, now, is young Coach Darrin Horn, the coach of the underrated, but consistent Western Kentucky (another Sweet 16) now on the target list? I hope so. http://westernkentucky.scout.com/2/738462.html. Even some of the WKU hoops bloggers are commenting. And, Horn, unlike Bennett and Miller is not under a long term contract... and his $$s are in the sub $200k range. Then we come back to Butch, Grant and perhaps the hope there's a way, Floyd (can we stop the rumor mill? http://www.latimes.com/sports/la-sp-uschoops12mar12,1,747356.story). The incumbent, the young frontrunner, and the veteran with LA ties. Starting to feel a little like "don't rock the boat" see what a little bit of stability and decent recruiting class can do for you another year, a breath of fresh air as a new start (and suffer some near term turmoil), or "swing for the fences" kind of hire--typical process for a school wanting to get some candidates in to interview and keep folks guessing. :yelwink2: Who else Skip and the AD has up it's sleeve is what I want to know. I suppose the fact that the Big dance is still going may keep us in suspense... at least for another weekend. :hihi: :geauxtige LSU IS A BASKETBALL SCHOOL. BE A FAN.
