Who would be on your short list (coaches)?

[madtownwarrior]

+1,000,000   - can not stomach another off season of players transferring, recruits de-committing and losing a year of recruiting die to losing Buzz

losing Buzz would set MU back 2 - 3 years...

If we lose buzz, the next few years would be hard to watch. My vote is for the higher ups to do whatever they need to do in order to keep buzz. We are trending in the right direction. No need to take five steps back. That would be brutal.

[ZiggysFryBoy]

Just out of curiosity...when was the last time a white guy was referred to as "well spoken"? 

"Whenever Colin Powell is on the news, white people give him the same compliments: 'How do you feel about Colin Powell?', 'He speaks so well! He's so well spoken. I mean he really speaks so well!' Like that's a compliment, sh*t. 'He speaks so well' is not a compliment, okay? 'He speaks so well' is some sh*t you say about retarded people that can talk. What do you mean he speaks so well? He's a fuc*ing educated man! How the fu*k you expect him to sound, you dirty motherfuc*er? 'He speaks so well.' What are you talking about? What voice were you expecting to come out of his mouth? 'Imma drop me a bomb today', 'I be Pwez o dent!'.""

--Chris Rock

[Litehouse]

Mark Few?  The Oregon native and University of Oregon alum that turned down a gazillion Nike dollars and a brand-spanking new state-of-the-art arena by not taking the Oregon job last year so he could stay at Gonzaga?  Why on earth would he want to come to Milwaukee?

[jaygall31]

I'm goona pretend Rob Jeter wasn't on this initial list. that made me LOL

[SacWarrior]

Who the hell said Mark Few?

That's like asking which glass you want and answering "The Holy Grail"

[Skatastrophy]

I'm goona pretend Rob Jeter wasn't on this initial list. that made me LOL

Exactly.  UW-M's run at the end of the season kept him from being fired.  He won't be on any mid-major's list for a coach to recruit, much less anyone in a power conference.

[ChicosBailBonds]

Nah .... let's conduct a long, dragged out search and hire one of the hot names out there. You know, the 2011 version of Keno Davis, Tony Bennett, Chris Lowery, Jim Les ... someone like that.

Like the month long search St. John's did?  Of course we have to wait a number of years to see if it truly works out, but I'd wager SJU fans are pretty happy right now based on this year and an incredible recruiting class next year plus one of the best staffs in the business.   

Is Tony Bennett in trouble or something?  9th in the ACC last year.  7th in the ACC this year.

Look, I'm sure we can all come up with examples of hires that took merely hours that worked out and ones that took hours that didn't.  Same as ones that took weeks that worked out and those that took weeks that didn't work out.   So stipulated

 

[DegenerateDish]

Dean Smith

[Bocephys]

John Wooden

[GGGG]

Who the hell said Mark Few?

That's like asking which glass you want and answering "The Holy Grail"

I think you are seriously overating Mark Few.  Just like in football when everyone overates Chris Peterson.  Just because you have built a nice mid-major program, that doesn't mean you can compete nightly at the top-level.

[Blackhat]

1.  Mark Turgeon (unlikely, throw some big $$ at him)
2. Brian Gregory
3. Scott Spinelli (A&M assistant, great recruiter)

4. who knows, would need to research some more.

[Pakuni]

Like the month long search St. John's did?  Of course we have to wait a number of years to see if it truly works out, but I'd wager SJU fans are pretty happy right now based on this year and an incredible recruiting class next year plus one of the best staffs in the business.  

Yeah, St. John's coaching search was the model. Dawdled on for weeks, was described as "aimless" and "poor" in the local press and they were publicly rejected by at least three candidates before settling for Lavin.

From the NY Daily News:
"St. John's search is now reaching the stage where it is tarnishing the school's reputation. It is rapidly becoming a comedy of errors. It is hard to believe St. John's could duplicate the fiasco that occurred six years ago when it was turned down by Hewitt and had to eventually hire Roberts. This time around, Monasch boxed himself into a corner when he claimed that St. John's had the resources to pay a Top 25 coach, and then haphazardly grasped at straws by putting together a wish list of candidates without properly gauging the probability of getting them. It's like going on a family vacation without any tickets or reservations."

Looks like it may ultimately work out for them, but nobody thinks St. John's conducted a proper coaching search.
Stellar example of how a search should be conducted.
  

Is Tony Bennett in trouble or something?  9th in the ACC last year.  7th in the ACC this year.

7th place in a weak ACC (only four bids, one of them highly dubious), home losses to Seattle, Iowa State and Wake Forest, and no postseason, again? We should be so lucky, I guess.
No, Bennett isn't in trouble. But he's certainly underperforming.

Look, I'm sure we can all come up with examples of hires that took merely hours that worked out and ones that took hours that didn't.  Same as ones that took weeks that worked out and those that took weeks that didn't work out.   So stipulated.  

And yet some continue to b*tch about  MU's process, which landed a guy who in just three years has become a hot commodity on the coaching carousel.

[Skatastrophy]

Tom Crean

[Bocephys]

Tom Crean

Haha, I can't believe this thread made it this long before someone said it.  He'll probably be available soon...

[attackelite]

Mike Kelly

[ChicosBailBonds]

He'll probably be available soon...

Unlikely

[Marquette84]

Haha, I can't believe this thread made it this long before someone said it.  He'll probably be available soon...

Mike Deane is available now.  Kevin O'Neill and Rick Majerus soon to follow.

[Cooby Snacks]

Cuonzo Martin

He's turned around Missouri St. in only 3 years
Midwestern roots
Job he might want the most (Purdue) likely to be occupied for a long time

Or maybe Coach K is looking for a new challenge.

[Pakuni]

Cuonzo Martin

He's turned around Missouri St. in only 3 years
Midwestern roots
Job he might want the most (Purdue) likely to be occupied for a long time

Jon Harris is one of Martin's assistants at Missouri St.

[shiloh26]

Don't care, as long as he is a traditional coach can recruit traditional players!   

Just having some fun here

[ChicosBailBonds]

Yeah, St. John's coaching search was the model. Dawdled on for weeks, was described as "aimless" and "poor" in the local press and they were publicly rejected by at least three candidates before settling for Lavin.

I'm sure glad that we take our marching orders from the press in this country.  Whatever they say is the last and final word.


Secondly, if MU hired any number of other folks, they would also likely be candidates right now as well.  He walked into a golden opportunity and did VERY WELL.  He didn't screw it up in year one.  Last year, I thought he did a very good job.  This year...eh. 

Now, all the positions he's being "named" for are all in his geographic sweet spot, you seem not to mention that pesky detail.  Maybe as things unveil he'll be up for the NC State job as well, who knows.

Yes, the ACC was down and he took advantage of it by moving his team up from 9th to 7th.  I don't disagree with that statement.

[Cooby Snacks]

Jon Harris is one of Martin's assistants at Missouri St.

Bonus points.  But what would the "WE NEED TO ALWAYS PRACTICE FREE THROWS" crowd make of that?

[Pakuni]

I'm sure glad that we take our marching orders from the press in this country.  Whatever they say is the last and final word.

I know we'd be much better off taking marching orders from message board insiders, but the fact remains that St. John's hiring process last year was a disaster. and your silly comments about the press don't change that.

Secondly, if MU hired any number of other folks, they would also likely be candidates right now as well.  He walked into a golden opportunity and did VERY WELL.  He didn't screw it up in year one.  Last year, I thought he did a very good job.  This year...eh.   

Typical inconsistency.
Buzz takes over a team with a bunch of seniors, they do well and he gets no credit.
Lavin takes over a team with a bunch of seniors, they do well, it's an amazing example of a brilliant coaching hire.

Yes, the ACC was down and he took advantage of it by moving his team up from 9th to 7th.  I don't disagree with that statement.

And if your sole measure for success and/or improvement is the ACC standings, then one could argue that Bennett's team is improving.
On the other hand, Ken Pomeroy and Warren Nolan might beg to differ with your conclusion.
This year's team was rated 97 by Pomeroy, just behind Providence, while playing the 60th toughest schedule. Last year, he had them 76th against the 34th toughest schedule.
Nolan had the Cavs this year at 141st agianst the 103rd strongest schedule. Last year those numbers were 127 and 58.
So, take it for what it's worth, but the people willing to look at things a little more analytically than what they can read in the standings wouldn't say Virginia is improving under Bennett. Of course, they still might, but things aren't looking up at the moment.

[TheFarEastMovement]

Cottingham & Co. must definitely give a huge raise to BUZZ Williams. The recruiting classes he has been putting up year after year is pretty impressive. I understand that Buzz's X and O's are to be questioned at times but he is a coach that is still learning and will only improve. However, if Buzz decides to leave MU, Dino Gaudio would definitely be one person I would look to replace Buzz. He was a pretty good recruiter at Wake Forest and he developed players like Al Farouq Aminu, James Johnson and Jeff Teague. Either way I still believe Buzz is the best fit for this program.

[Litehouse]

I hope Buzz sticks around, but if he ends up leaving, I think the Cuonzo Martin suggestion was a good one.