Here's more coaching fodder to chew on. Former Alabama HC, Mark Gottfried, got the Trent package ($1.2M per for 5 years) to try to turn around NC State... [ame="http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/news/story?id=6296631"]NC State Wolfpack names Mark Gottfried coach - ESPN@@AMEPARAM@@http://espn.go.com/video/clip?id=6297116@@AMEPARAM@@6297116[/ame] Note, of course, that Herb Sendeck was run out of town at NC State after going down I think as the school's most prolific (not Jim Valvano) coach. I wonder if those fans are crying for Sendeck back (so much so that they approached his son?). Be very careful what you wish for fans....
All i wish for is significant, measurable improvement in 2011-12. I don't think a 3rd place finish in the West or better is an unreasonably high bar to meet for a 4th year coach. NCAAs would be lagniappe, NIT would be a plus, but I could live without an invitation provided we finish with a .500-ish SEC record.
No question, that's a reasonable request. Trent's had 3 years now to get his system in place, and have a chance to bring in his type of players to run his system. I think if you listen to him at yesterday's press conference as well, he's owned up to the fact that the last couple of years have been underwhelming and the time is "now." At the same time, he was surprisingly upbeat, perhaps he's feeling better about Justin Hamilton, O'Bryant and Isaac than he's letting on. For folks that are objectively looking at the coaching choices, the results of the carousel, should of course acknowledge that hiring a coach and developing a consistent winner is easier said than done. Rivals.com College Basketball - This year's up-and-coming coaches stayed put Rivals has a nice little piece on this. Interestingly this year, none of the "mid-major" hot names moved, they all stayed at Butler, VCU, Morehead State, and Richmond. Not exactly schools that LSU fans would be scared of, probably, but nonetheless, there's a reason why these guys stay. School support for their sport, fan support of their sport, and a basic understanding of expectations vs rewards. You almost have less pressure at a school that isn't expected to do well, then a mid-tier school at a major conference. In any case, Trent is mentioned probably as one of the middle of the road guys in the piece. He's certainly made a name for turning around programs in the past. Now, 2010-11 will be LSU's year to prove him right again. Plenty of guys that have washed out. Just a few have parlayed the move to higher heights (e.g., Miller at Arizona, Matta at Ohio State--hint, hire Xavier guys). Plenty of guys also on the "hot seat". Watch especially the SEC. Is Darrin Horn losing his luster. The Pelphrey experiment didn't last. We'll see how Fox does now that Thompkins is going pro. Only that 4 or so years, is a fair judge.
To complete the picture, here's the break down according to Rivals.... Rivals.com College Basketball - College basketball coaching carousel I think there are going to be some pretty sorry schools out there when it's all said and done. Arkansas and Oklahoma, IMO, are likely the big winners. Alot of other schools will probably realize just how tough it is to truly get ahead in today's game. Steady and true, still wins the race....
What also gets overlooked is assistant coaches. I just know from being Cuse fan that the assistants there are A) all home grown, B) extremely loyal, and C) good at what they do. Bernie Fine has been there all 35 years, plus his years pre-Boeheim. Think JB owes him a lot of credit? Mike Hopkins is a grad and has been offered jobs already(Charlotte was the last), plus Rob Murphy just turned down one of the MAC schools. Having assistants that are good enough to be head coaches but choose not to are what takes marginal programs to great programs. St. John's is another example with having Keady on the bench helping Lavin out. Having loyal assistants is something that can really stabilize a program, just like in football. Of course, fans with an agenda will ignore this.
