New Rosiak Article

[bma725]

Sorry if it's already been posted.

http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=587494

The most interesting part, more info about turning down Arkansas:

"Despite the uncertain nature of Kentucky's ongoing search, a source confirmed that earlier this week Crean turned down a long-term deal from Arkansas that would have paid him more than $2.5 million a season, a figure that could have made him the highest-salaried coach in all of college basketball."

[LastWarrior]

Crean turned down $2.5MM a year!!

I don't think Crean is going anywhere for a really, really long time!

[4everwarriors]

Is he nuckin' futs?

[ChicosBailBonds]

$2.5MM in Fayetteville must be like $52MM in Milwaukee 

[Pardner]

This will cement TC in MU's annals for staying and returning the loyalty (when MU vulnerable with no AD)...NY Al appreciated this about MU, so does Izzo at MSU when the NBA came knocking....strong returning team ranked 11-12th pre-season...2-3 seed in the Big East...strong pipeline of recruits.  Depth and experience gets you past one game in the post-season next year.  Match-ups vs. the system more critical in the sudden death championship runs. 

TC will learn from the sting on the "one and dones" like the other great coaches before they could get over the hump.  A great run next season and he will be Coach for Life.  A ten year contract extension for big bucks this past summer, family in the business, B-Ball is King school, Top Shelf facilities, great fans = loyalty, clean program, great graduation rates.  Proud to see.  Doesn't mean that he won't move in the future, but too much invested, too much to finish, too much promised--and next year should be primo.

[LovinCrowder]

Great post Pardner - well stated. 

[PuertoRicanNightmare]

This will cement TC in MU's annals for staying and returning the loyalty (when MU vulnerable with no AD)...NY Al appreciated this about MU, so does Izzo at MSU when the NBA came knocking....strong returning team ranked 11-12th pre-season...2-3 seed in the Big East...strong pipeline of recruits.  Depth and experience gets you past one game in the post-season next year.  Match-ups vs. the system more critical in the sudden death championship runs. 

I hate to rain on your parade, but McGuire wanted to leave...I believe to coach the Bucks...and MU wouldn't let him out of his contract.

Crean staying has nothing to do with "loyalty." He's not being offered the jobs he has sought (lllinois, Virginia, Kentucky). Why, though? Why would Kentucky offer to Gillespie instead of a "Final Four" coach like Crean?

I do not understand why some of you people insist on assigning these righteous attributes to Crean when they're clearly non-existent?

[ChicosBailBonds]

Welcome back PRN.

Now, if you knew a bit more about the Illinois and Virginia situation you could answer your own question.

Crean has total control of MU.  If he's going to leave, he wants total control of hoops at those institutions...UI and UVA weren't going to do that nor were they going to pay the money that would intice him to leave.

It's really not that hard.  In fact sources said last week that Kentucky's Barnhardt said basically the same thing.

Crean's got a great situation at MU, why would he go somewhere else where the money isn't much different but he has much less control over his program?

Again, this is not hard.

Welcome back....sorry you might have to endure another 20+ win season and trip to the NCAAs

[Big Papi]

Crean staying has nothing to do with "loyalty." He's not being offered the jobs he has sought (lllinois, Virginia, Kentucky). Why, though? Why would Kentucky offer to Gillespie instead of a "Final Four" coach like Crean?

I do not understand why some of you people insist on assigning these righteous attributes to Crean when they're clearly non-existent?

And you know that TC was or was not in consideration, offered, came close, interviewed, sought, had no interest, or the universities had no interest whatsoever, because you are in the know or know someone in the process?  

You are as clueless as the rest of us are but you are blantantly slanted the opposite way because of your dislike for TC.

TC might or might not be seeking these jobs on his own (my guess is that he enjoys his name out there for numerous benefits) but the fact is that he is very well respected in his profession.  He is young, organized, enthusiastic and achieved quite a great deal of success at his profession both as a head coach and an assistant head coach, otherwise NO ONE WOULD GIVE A DAMN ABOUT HIM so he must be doing something right in the eyes of media, A.D.s and other coaches.  

Kentucky, Illinois and Ohio State might or might not have offered but without a doubt they all had some interest in him be it as option A, B, C, D or H, he was still on there short lists.  That does speak volumes and moreso than wether or not he was ever offered.  BTW, it sure does sound like he was offered at least 1 new coaching position if you believe Rosiak.  And Gillespie is a very good coach in his own right who has done a lot in a short period of time, nothing wrong with finishing behind him if that is indeed what happened.

[Pardner]

I hate to rain on your parade, but McGuire wanted to leave...I believe to coach the Bucks...and MU wouldn't let him out of his contract.

Al pulled the exact same things TC is doing with his gamemanship about jobs--but with the NBA...back home with the Knicks, flirted with the Bulls and Wirtz (to the point of irritating Wirtz to no end), etc.  He said at the time he would never go some place to work where the players make more money than the coach....but leveraged that with MU by surfacing these stories.  Al had complete control at MU...even being the AD.  He loved MU, Milwaukee and being the underdog.  He knew he owned the town.  Back then, he would have to report to a GM and the owner in the NBA.  He could have gone to the pros any time after he retired.  He didn't.

Crean as irritating, control freak?  In his day, Al was not always so well liked as we fondly remember today.  Ray Meyer hated him at first.  Digger despised him b/c Al would always upstage him at ND.  Dean Smith--connected via Frank McGuire--was livid with Al at the end of his coaching career.  He wouldn't spend much time with the press.  Enberg recently said he hated Al as a coach as he never would give him an interview.  Al was a perfectionist in reality (not the myth) just like TC...he used to check for deadspots on the wooden floors before games, he mentally orchestrated the entire game beforehand.  Al always seemed to have run-ins with the faculty and NCAA.

Players?  Mo Lucas hated him at the time he played for him and left early  They wouldn't talk for years.  Bob Lackey signed secretly with the ABA,  Jim Dudley was p/o'ed.  Fights with players.  Bernard Toone drove him to retirement. 

Sideline behavior?  Al was all over the place with technicals and his team.  He punched Garry Rosenberger on the arm in the Final in 1977 "to keep him loose" before he shot key free throws.

All this sound similar to TC?  Al loved MU and Milwaukee as it reinforced the underdog theme he created, whether it was race, coaches pay, cutting down the nets at ND, or total control...he knew he had created a great situation for himself.  Us against the rest of the world in a very turbulent social time.  And, he got the attention.  He was one of the best game coaches ever, a great recruiter, but he was the total master at gaining the spotlight to MU.  Yes, he was loyal to MU until he wanted to move on to his next challenge in life.  TC could have left any number of times.  Maybe MU isn't such a bad job.

[coach85]

As a reminder - I'm not the first to state this - TC understands that you don't replace "one of your own." More than anything, TC didn't consider ( nothing quoted to state this) the AK job because he and Izzo ( much quoted to state this) were not happy with the way Stan Heath was let go.  If there was not a former MSU family guy at AK, TC may have quickly left for the challenge of the SEC and the $2.5 plus/year.

[mu_hilltopper]

Curious, what does Crean have that other coaches don't when it comes to this "total control" over basketball?

Obviously, the coach's primary role is the game, scheduling, practice, and players.  What "extra" control are we talking here?  That Crean gets to pick the t-shirt giveaways? 

It always strikes me as odd that any program, who needs a coach, would (be rumored to) not want Crean because of this (theory) idea that he wants total control.  Truly, if we are talking about items on the periphery of the basketball program, like marketing .. these are things Crean has completely excelled at.  I'd think it'd be a huge reason you'd WANT him as your program's coach, since he's so good at that stuff.

.. As for PRN's notion about Crean not being offered jobs .. it's just not how it all works.  I do believe that half (not all) of the reason we still have Crean at MU is because he does have a sense of loyalty and desire to create his own legacy.  It's not the whole reason, but an important aspect.

[ZiggysFryBoy]

well, topper, I remember after a bad loss earlier in the year, someone here reporting that TC, during a timeout, was yelling about playing "Cotton Eyed Joe," so that is either 1) total control or 2) that TC really likes the band the Rednex.  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cotton_Eyed_Joe

[rugbydrummer]

to read an interview with TC right now.

to my knowledge, there isn't a *lot* of issues left seeing as Crean definitively declined the AK job, the WVU job and the UK jobs are filled... yes?  I don't know, I just don't see Crean bolting anywhere anytime soon.  I would also be interested to see how other coaches interact with their fan base.  I mean, maybe it's just in the little things, high-fiving the students as he leaves/enters AlMcGuire court, giving his (token) thanks to the band director and always coming over and applauding the student section??!

  I think more often than not, people fall all over themselves for TC (myself included).  i'm not always ecstatic about everything he does (i'm always going to have a chip on my shoulder about the shafting the women get) but i don't think TC does us wrong, I think he's happy with what he has.  To leave now when we finally have it convalescing (i.e., getting our much needed big men??) just plain doesn't make sense.  Really, what's the appeal of starting over? 

[4everwarriors]

its all about money, ego, and power which all go together.

[ChicosBailBonds]

Curious, what does Crean have that other coaches don't when it comes to this "total control" over basketball?

Obviously, the coach's primary role is the game, scheduling, practice, and players.  What "extra" control are we talking here?  That Crean gets to pick the t-shirt giveaways? 

It always strikes me as odd that any program, who needs a coach, would (be rumored to) not want Crean because of this (theory) idea that he wants total control.  Truly, if we are talking about items on the periphery of the basketball program, like marketing .. these are things Crean has completely excelled at.  I'd think it'd be a huge reason you'd WANT him as your program's coach, since he's so good at that stuff.

.. As for PRN's notion about Crean not being offered jobs .. it's just not how it all works.  I do believe that half (not all) of the reason we still have Crean at MU is because he does have a sense of loyalty and desire to create his own legacy.  It's not the whole reason, but an important aspect.

Control in terms of dictating what he needs and setting the agenda.  It's night and day what Crean has control over vs Deane for example.  Deane couldn't even get the practice times he wanted at the Old Gym because of the ROTC practices or the track team.  Crean sets the agenda.  Just one small example, but there are so many.

Asst coaching salaries, charter services, recruiting budgets, schedule (Deane didn't have total control over his schedule, I believe Crean does), etc.

Many coaches do not have control over their programs as the AD's wield their influence.  In Crean's case, he has defacto control over hoops while the AD controls the other 13 sports.

[mu_hilltopper]

Thanks, I kind of thought that was it .. but .. it just seems like so much of that is mildly trivial.  As in, (insert big time school here) wants Crean, but it's a deal breaker that he wants control over assistant coach salaries?  Seems pretty odd.  So many of those things seem minor.  Had Crean never done it before, or had bunged the details in the past, I could see why it could be a big deal .. but if you want a (big time) coach for your big-time program, it'd seem like you'd let him have those things if he wanted them, as they seem so minor to the whole deal, i.e.,  getting the dude in the door, coaching.  If he wants only green M&Ms in the locker rooms, so be it.

Sure you may step on the toes of people who were doing those jobs in the past.  Change happens.

(Now, I can totally see this being an issue if it was also a football school, having those guys clashing heads over overlapping issues/resources.)