WSCR 670 The Score is reporting Reggie Theus will interview for the DePaul head coaching job.
Everyone on the radio agrees, this is not the guy to lead DePaul in the Big East and please alumni.
Quote from: TallTitan34 on March 31, 2010, 04:11:51 PM
WSCR 670 The Score is reporting Reggie Theus will interview for the DePaul head coaching job.
Everyone on the radio agrees, this is not the guy to lead DePaul in the Big East and please alumni.
Yeah...he did some good stuff at NMSU, but I'm not sure the people at DePaul will be all that up for his style of recruiting and coaching.
How embarrassing.
Agree that he is not the guy to turn the DePaull program aroun and put it on good footing. His track record suggests that he is an in-and-out guy who is on the hunt for a better job. Thumbs down.
Dude, as Coach Bill Fuller he ripped it on the NBC hit Hang Time!
Be afraid.
Good luck to Reggie and the Blue Demons.
Quote from: TallTitan34 on March 31, 2010, 04:11:51 PM
WSCR 670 The Score is reporting Reggie Theus will interview for the DePaul head coaching job.
Everyone on the radio agrees, this is not the guy to lead DePaul in the Big East and please alumni.
He must have submitted his resume on-line :D
could do a lot worse. one of the big rips on him seems to be that he's just looking to keep moving up to better jobs. but it would take him improving DePaul to get a better job, so at this point that would be better than churning out a conference win every two years. then, maybe the coaching pool is better if Theus left and the program would be more attractive anyway.
There aren't many jobs in the country worse then DePaul. Who in their right mind would want that job??? They have NO BUSINESS being in the Big East. They are more a MEAC level program right now. Actually, they have lost to two MEAC schools the last two years. They are truly an embarrassment to the Big East conference, and High majors everywhere.
I have to admit. They need some like Crean. Someone who can recruit, coach, and motivate. I am not the biggest Crean fan but he did a good job promoting the program ("putting us on the map").
With all that money they are going to pay Theus or whoever else they have to settle for, they may have to move their games to Medieval Times.
Oh, that's right. They already play there.
Quote from: muguru on March 31, 2010, 06:04:26 PM
There aren't many jobs in the country worse then DePaul. Who in their right mind would want that job??? They have NO BUSINESS being in the Big East. They are more a MEAC level program right now. Actually, they have lost to two MEAC schools the last two years. They are truly an embarrassment to the Big East conference, and High majors everywhere.
I think you may be guilty of more than a little hyperbole here.
DePaul certainly has a few things going against it, not the least of which is its stadium situation.
But it has
way more going for it than against it: big-time conference affiliation, fertile recruiting soil in its backyard, attractive campus situation, potentially large fan base waiting for a winner (see: Blackhawks, Chicago; Bulls, Chicago), a new willingness to pay its coach. There's obviously not enough there to land the likes of Ben Howland, but keep in mind, a hot prospect like Tony Barbee sought out them, not the other way around. DePaul won't steal any established coaches from a major program, but it is a very attractive gig to a Tom Crean/Buzz Williams/Tony Barbee-type who's willing to come in and work his tail off to re-establish the program.
I mean, do you really believe DePaul is less attractive than Toledo? Or Auburn (obviously not to Tony Barbee)? Or East Carolina? Or Central Florida?
So far, everyone who has been contacted has used the DePaul interest, and possible offer as leverage to gain an extension and a raise. Hey, if DePaul is willing to pay X, why not my own School?
The AD was foolish to think only money would lure the top coaches. They want much more than that, and those things, DePaul can't do. You can't give a new coach a stadium within his early term. You can't revamp an entire Marketing Department in a couple of years. You can't provide state of the art practice and residence facilities in a land locked Lincoln Park. And, much more.
So, if it is Reggie, I wish him well. He, or anyone, has to be better than our last guy.
If the AD was smart, and had the where-with-all, she should announce a simultaneous effort for a fund raiser to construct a "near campus" arena, along with the announcement of a new coach. That would create a buzz.
Quote from: ErickJD08 on March 31, 2010, 06:16:15 PM
I have to admit. They need some like Crean. Someone who can recruit, coach, and motivate. I am not the biggest Crean fan but he did a good job promoting the program ("putting us on the map").
+1
This is the job for a recruiter/PR guy.
I do think it is a little unfair to say that Theus would just be using DePaul to move on elsewhere. He was at NMSU for a couple of years, but then the NBA, and the $$$ that comes with it, came calling. I can't necessarily blame him for that.
Quote from: muguru on March 31, 2010, 06:04:26 PM
There aren't many jobs in the country worse then DePaul. Who in their right mind would want that job??? They have NO BUSINESS being in the Big East. They are more a MEAC level program right now. Actually, they have lost to two MEAC schools the last two years. They are truly an embarrassment to the Big East conference, and High majors everywhere.
I both agree with you and don't agree with you. DePaul should have no more trouble than most other Big East members in being a quality Big East team.
HOWEVER, the way their program is run by the dunderheads at the top, you are absolutely right when you say they don't belong. If I were a Division I coach, I would be very afraid for my career, if I got offered the DePaul job.
Quote from: LittleMurs on April 01, 2010, 08:08:10 PM
I both agree with you and don't agree with you. DePaul should have no more trouble than most other Big East members in being a quality Big East team.
I disagree with you. DePaul has the worst facilities in the conference....by far.
Quote from: dpu70 on March 31, 2010, 09:44:00 PM
If the AD was smart, and had the where-with-all, she should announce a simultaneous effort for a fund raiser to construct a "near campus" arena, along with the announcement of a new coach. That would create a buzz.
They did announce a big facilities upgrade last November
http://chicagoismynewblog.wordpress.com/2009/11/23/major-expansion-plans-for-depaul-universitys-lincoln-park-campus-some-plans-already-approved/
I live 1/2 block off DePaul's campus and I'm not sure where this "near campus" arena would go. Their are homes that are technically on the campus that sell for over $2 million. This area of Lincoln Park in one of the most expensive areas in the Midwest, it is more expensive than Chicago's north shore. A standard city lot, just the lot with no home, (25 feet wide, 150 feet deep) still sells for $1 million even after the financial crisis.
So, "near campus" is not doable. Further, if it was, DePaul would have to fight some of the most influential families in Chicago that live in those multimillion dollar homes and are not interested in a "near campus arena." The industrial areas to the west are not equipped to handle that kind of traffic load. Think Alpine Valley's parking lot after a show. It would be impossible to move and snarl the entire neighborhood.
DePaul would be better off ditching the all-state arena for the United Center. At least play in a real NBA arena.
Added later ....
Here are some examples of a houses that sits near DePaul's campus
http://chicago.blockshopper.com/property/14321120290000/2214_n_magnolia_avenue/galleries/1056-2214_n_magnolia_avenue/photos/10716-440-w-belden-60-444-73
All are probably worth 6+ million and these people is not going to allow a "nearby arena" to be built in their neighborhood. They have the means to stop it, or at least severally complicate it.
http://chicago.blockshopper.com/property/14321120290000/2214_n_magnolia_avenue/galleries/1056-2214_n_magnolia_avenue/photos/10722-1239-w-altgeld-59-650-08
http://chicago.blockshopper.com/property/14321120290000/2214_n_magnolia_avenue/galleries/1056-2214_n_magnolia_avenue/photos/10725-2325-n-cleveland-59-230-39
http://chicago.blockshopper.com/property/14321120290000/2214_n_magnolia_avenue/galleries/1056-2214_n_magnolia_avenue/photos/10737-1868-n-orchard-50-576-93
I understand that it isn't feasible, but the lack of an near-campus arena is a drawback.
Quote from: AnotherMU84 on April 01, 2010, 10:03:33 PM
I live 1/2 block off DePaul's campus and I'm not sure where this "near campus" arena would go.
You're wrong. They are in discussions to acquire the land that currently houses Finkl and Sons in the Courtland and Clybourn area...an area that, because of environmental issues, is not suitable for residential redevelopment. It would be easily walking distance from DePaul housing
If they get an arena over there, they could be an absolute monster program.
Quote from: PuertoRicanNightmare on April 02, 2010, 07:44:03 AM
You're wrong. They are in discussions to acquire the land that currently houses Finkl and Sons in the Courtland and Clybourn area...an area that, because of environmental issues, is not suitable for residential redevelopment. It would be easily walking distance from DePaul housing
If they get an arena over there, they could be an absolute monster program.
Had not heard this. My comments above assumed that none of these businesses were moving. Apparently Finkl is moving to the south east side of Chicago in a few years. This could work but it is still horribly expensive.
http://www.chicagobreakingsports.com/2010/03/depaul-set-to-kick-coaching-search-into-high-gear.html
The A. Finkl Steel Company is relocating to the South Side, and because of concerns over the viability of their property located at Clybourn and Cortland for any kind of residential development, sources say the university is quietly working to see if the site is feasible for a new arena.
Another site near Division and Clybourn is also being investigated by the university.
---
I guess the Clybourn/Division site must be near McGrath. Problem is that is too far to walk from campus.
Quote from: PuertoRicanNightmare on April 02, 2010, 07:44:03 AM
You're wrong. They are in discussions to acquire the land that currently houses Finkl and Sons in the Courtland and Clybourn area...an area that, because of environmental issues, is not suitable for residential redevelopment. It would be easily walking distance from DePaul housing
If they get an arena over there, they could be an absolute monster program.
I agree with you 100%, in fact, I think they could be a monster at their current arena.
The all-state arena sucks, but really doesn't have a THAT big of an impact on the product. Get a coach who can coach, get players who can play, and the stadium issue will look like a pimple, not cancer.
Quote from: 2002MUalum on April 02, 2010, 08:41:05 AM
I agree with you 100%, in fact, I think they could be a monster at their current arena.
The all-state arena sucks, but really doesn't have a THAT big of an impact on the product. Get a coach who can coach, get players who can play, and the stadium issue will look like a pimple, not cancer.
Agreed.
There's a lot more holding DePaul back than it's stadium situation. The Allstate/Rosemont Arena didn't stop Pat Kennedy from landing a bunch of McDonald's AAs or Leitao from landing (at least temporarily) future pros like Wilson Chandler and Dorrell Wright. Heck, in the first 11 years of Rosemont's existence, DePaul made the tournament 10 times. So obviously being off campus isn't such a big deal. Heck, during its heyday, Georgetown was playing most of its home games in Landover, Maryland.
And it's going to take more than an on-campus arena to turn DePaul into a monster. The facilities are terrible, but if Kevin O'Neill and Tom Crean can have success at the Old Gym, the right guy can have success with what DePaul has.
DePaul's current woes have way more to do with them making an awful hire five years ago than any building. DePaul makes the right hire, they can be good again, regardless of their facilities.
http://blogs.chicagosports.chicagotribune.com/rosenblog/2010/04/if-depaul-knew-what-it-was-it-would-know-who-to-hire-or-at-least-how-to-go-about-it.html
DePaul athletic director Jean Lenti Ponsetto said she had a robust list of coaching candidates from big-deal conferences and sounded like she was waiting for the NCAA tournament to wind down because of some of the big names she targeted.
And then the first known candidate to interview -- or at least the first known candidate not to laugh out loud -- is an assistant coach for an NBA team that just lost 16 in a row.
It's not necessarily that former Bull Reggie Theus, now on the Minnesota Timberwolves bench, is the wrong choice. In fact, he has an resume that includes turning around a New Mexico State program. But so what? The point is, anyone DePaul hires will be the wrong choice because DePaul has no idea what it is -- a mid-major, at best, not Big East-caliber.
DePaul is an urban school with high admission standards expected to recruit an urban area with a bad school system, and even if it does get a couple urban kids, the neighborhood has to drive to the suburbs to watch them play. The situation is unwinnable and the Lincoln Park wonks appear unchangeable. Mommy, make it stop.
Ponsetto also made it known early that she would throw big money at coaching candidates, which is the dumbest thing a negotiator can do and becomes even more embarrassing when you seen so many big names back away so quickly from even the faint hint of a rumored link to DePaul. Keep your money, the likes of Ben Howland and Jamie Dixon said. Who knows, they might've even paid DePaul not to interview them. What else does tone-deaf DePaul need to hear?
DePaul is a steppingstone, not a destination. Right now, it is the worst kind of steppingstone -- the kind where other programs know it's a hopeless situation and actually give you credit for losing. Credit or pity.
I thought this was serious until I saw Steve Rosenbloom wrote it.
You can make a good living just doing the opposite of everything Rosenbloom says.
Quote from: SaintPaulWarrior on April 02, 2010, 09:13:23 AM
http://blogs.chicagosports.chicagotribune.com/rosenblog/2010/04/if-depaul-knew-what-it-was-it-would-know-who-to-hire-or-at-least-how-to-go-about-it.html
DePaul athletic director Jean Lenti Ponsetto said she had a robust list of coaching candidates from big-deal conferences and sounded like she was waiting for the NCAA tournament to wind down because of some of the big names she targeted.
And then the first known candidate to interview -- or at least the first known candidate not to laugh out loud -- is an assistant coach for an NBA team that just lost 16 in a row.
It's not necessarily that former Bull Reggie Theus, now on the Minnesota Timberwolves bench, is the wrong choice. In fact, he has an resume that includes turning around a New Mexico State program. But so what? The point is, anyone DePaul hires will be the wrong choice because DePaul has no idea what it is -- a mid-major, at best, not Big East-caliber.
DePaul is an urban school with high admission standards expected to recruit an urban area with a bad school system, and even if it does get a couple urban kids, the neighborhood has to drive to the suburbs to watch them play. The situation is unwinnable and the Lincoln Park wonks appear unchangeable. Mommy, make it stop.
Ponsetto also made it known early that she would throw big money at coaching candidates, which is the dumbest thing a negotiator can do and becomes even more embarrassing when you seen so many big names back away so quickly from even the faint hint of a rumored link to DePaul. Keep your money, the likes of Ben Howland and Jamie Dixon said. Who knows, they might've even paid DePaul not to interview them. What else does tone-deaf DePaul need to hear?
DePaul is a steppingstone, not a destination. Right now, it is the worst kind of steppingstone -- the kind where other programs know it's a hopeless situation and actually give you credit for losing. Credit or pity.
The interesting thing is that MU has had some luck with Chicago kids and so has UofI. Now, I assume parents/family have to drive to those locations to see the games, right?
Again, I'm no fan of the All-state, but I think it's just an easy scapegoat for everything that is "wrong" with DePaul.
Truthfully, it looks like they really need a shift in priorities and identify a good coach and commit to him and to building a top notch athletics program (easy to type, hard to do).
Maybe Reggie Theus is the guy, I have no idea.
But, I can tell you that bad marketing, poor play, small budgets, and poor recruiting are hurting DePaul a lot more than the All-State arena.
Get a good coach, revamp the sports marketing department, commit a good amount of $ to basektball, recruit chicago like crazy. Profit.
Finkl site won't happen. The cost of building might very well be dwarfed by the remediation costs. The Cabrini/Old Town/Lincoln Park option (where ever it is) would be more likely. I have also heard of a Lincoln Park option right by the University... neither me or "my source" had more specific location information. But the fact it was mentioned stood out to both of us as LP is densely populated/built up.
The scroll on ESPN just noted that Isaish Thomas, now at Florida International, is interested in the DePaul job.
While Thomas has his haters and doubters, he is a Chicago boy who is still a legend there on the playgrounds and he could be an effective recruiter there.
Quote from: Norm on April 02, 2010, 11:14:53 AM
The scroll on ESPN just noted that Isaish Thomas, now at Florida International, is interested in the DePaul job.
While Thomas has his haters and doubters, he is a Chicago boy who is still a legend there on the playgrounds and he could be an effective recruiter there.
No doubt the leading candidate among the females in DePaul's athletic department.
Quote from: Norm on April 02, 2010, 11:14:53 AM
The scroll on ESPN just noted that Isaish Thomas, now at Florida International, is interested in the DePaul job.
While Thomas has his haters and doubters, he is a Chicago boy who is still a legend there on the playgrounds and he could be an effective recruiter there.
Yikes.
That can't end well.
Quote from: 2002MUalum on April 02, 2010, 11:28:28 AM
Yikes.
That can't end well.
The part about the Isiah Thomas article that I really like is where he suggests that he can get his Florida International recruits to follow him to DePaul. He was hired ONE YEAR AGO, and he's ready to jump ship WITH
HIS recruits. If I was FIU, I would feel very cheap and used right now.