Mack to Louisville?

[Dawson Rental]

I believe Duke & Kentucky were 1 and 2 this year in basketball expenses.  Calling them "past glory"?

I'll concede that my past glory comment was over the top.  Really TAMU put the case much better than I did.  The point that I failed to make well (and that I still believe to be true) is that Duke and Kentucky aren't clearly above Ohio State and Louisville is terms of job attractiveness which is the argument you seemed to be making.  IIRC, Louisville has the second largest arena for NCAA basketball behind only Syracus and they didn't have to contribute a penny to build it.  Ohio State, again IIRC, has the largest revenue of any NCAA Athletic Department.  There is definitely resource comparability, if not tradition comparibility.  So, I believe that Big East coaches moving onto those programs is more embarassing than a Big East coach going to Kentucky or Duke as you argued.

[MUBurrow]

I think the years are as important as the money here. These deals are always guaranteed unless fired for cause, so that's $28M guaranteed.  Even if X was willing to go up to 3M/year, it would take 10 more years at X for Mack to beat that. Makes me wonder if we overestimate Mack's security and relationships in the athletic department at X just because he was an alum. Looking at their board (I know, grain of salt) there seem to be a lot of hard feelings about his entertaining other jobs, etc. Not saying he was on the hot seat or anything, but Mack's position at X might not have been as stable or comfortable as we think.

[Johnny B]

What BE commercial says that?

It's a commercial advertising the big east tourney where one of the be coaches is narrating over it and says the big east is the best basketball conference this is why we are here or some crap

[Johnny B]

https://youtu.be/WNIXLLKK_z4

Here is the link to the big eat commercial claiming it's overtly the best b ball conference in the country lol

[Dr. Blackheart]

Slick Rick was pulling in a cool $7.8 including $2.25 from Adidas.  I am sure there is a lot more $$$ involved.  JayBee is on it I am sure.

[willie warrior]

The BEast is one of the top 3 or 4 BB conferences, annually. That changes from year to year. The best teams in BEast, Villanova and Xavier, can compete with the elites of the ACC, Big10-13 and Big 12. Meaning Duke, Virginia, Ks., NC, MSU, the OSU, etc. Hell, even bottom dweller, St. Johns beat Duke this year.
So do not sell the conference short.

[MU82]

People take other jobs for a number of reasons. Phil Jackson used to say that a coach can only stay in a place for so many years before change is necessary. Maybe more than doubling his salary was Mack's main reason. Maybe having a new challenge was. Maybe the opportunity to build a new championship era at a blueblood is something he had always wanted to do.

Had he stayed at X, there would have been nothing wrong with that. There aren't many coaches who would have turned down this kind of Louisville opportunity, but there no doubt are a few. The guy at Davidson could have left for many higher-paying jobs over the years (though not a blueblood, that I know of). Probably Mark Few has been courted by higher-paying places. Some are so content and challenged where they are that they have absolutely no interest in leaving.

Leaving X for Louisville, I can't believe people are arguing that it was a "stupid" move, especially having absolutely no clue about his reasons for it.

I made two major decisions during my professional career.

In the first, I made a mostly lateral move from Minneapolis to Chicago within the same company. I did so knowing that the cost of living was significantly higher in Chicago and that my wife would have to get a part-time job to make ends meet. (She had been a stay-at-home mom, a decision we had made together and that had been working well.) I did so knowing how nice a place Minny is to raise a family. I did so because I wanted the challenge of working in an environment that would give me more national exposure.

In the second, I left my company for my dream job at another company. I got a pay raise, but it wasn't a crazy-higher amount of money. The motivation was that it let me do what I had dreamed of doing since I was 16. It was a great job ... until a different company bought the company that hired me and laid me off after 11 years. I was 48 years old. I have effectively been "semi-retired" since then.

Had I stayed in Minny, I would still be employed in that same job I had back in the early-90s. It would have been a decent living in a nice place. Had I transferred to Chicago but stayed with the company, I would still be employed in that same job. It would have been an OK living in a place I liked. Although we've done OK financially, I no doubt would have a bigger nest egg if I had been employed these last 9 years.

But I have absolutely no regrets. None. How many people get to do their dream job for 11 years? Plus, leaving my profession (or having it leave me) has led to me getting new challenges, mostly in coaching, something I never had time to do before.

If I had it to do all over again, I would have done it the exact same way.

Maybe Louisville (or one of the similar dozen jobs) is Mack's dream job. I don't know why it bothers a single Scooper that he would pursue that.

I say, "Good for him!" And I wish him good fortune ... against everybody but Marquette.

[TAMU, Knower of Ball]

I believe Duke & Kentucky were 1 and 2 this year in basketball expenses.  Calling them "past glory"?

I'm not a mind reader but how I read his post wasn't saying that Duke and Kentucky were bad... But was saying that your were too focused on past championships to see how good the Ohio State and Louisville jobs are

[Mr. Nielsen]

https://youtu.be/WNIXLLKK_z4

Here is the link to the big eat commercial claiming it's overtly the best b ball conference in the country lol

No truck stop league here. 

Truth be told, it is one of the best conferences in the country. Jerry Palm had the Big 12 and Big East as 1A & 1B.

[Jockey]

I could make 25% more tomorrow...and in the process I would have to move my family, leave a workplace that I've been with since college graduation, and hope like hell the new place works out.  Mack just left a lot of good for only one good reason, IMHO, and that's an easier path to a championship. 25% extra means little to me and I make far less then him.  He just left his roots and a place he could have been a legend for life because he wants to win it all, and couldn't do so with what he probably felt was the best talent he could ever have at X.  If I were him I would take the chance for one championship at X over 5 at UL...but that's just me.  Hope it plays out as well for him as it did TC.  Nothing against the guy...but I would like to see it cost coaches who leave the BEAST.

Basketball is a sport.

Sport, at this level, is about winning championships.

For every coach, winning a championship is easier at Louisville is easier than at X.

It's fascinating how many people in this thread know what is best for Mack and his family. I will defer to him to make that decision.

[79Warrior]

Basketball is a sport.

Sport, at this level, is about winning championships.

For every coach, winning a championship is easier at Louisville is easier than at X.

It's fascinating how many people in this thread know what is best for Mack and his family. I will defer to him to make that decision.

Exactly. It's laughable all these posters who claim they would turn down the money.

[Bocephys]

Basketball is a sport.

Sport, at this level, is about winning championships.

For every coach, winning a championship is easier at Louisville is easier than at X.

It's fascinating how many people in this thread know what is best for Mack and his family. I will defer to him to make that decision.

It's dumb and dangerous to let him make that decision.  Scoop knows better, always.

[MU Fan in Connecticut]

Plus, I'll through this out there.  Xavier was never in the same conference as Louisville like Marquette was.  MU alums have a dislike of Loserville because they were our rivals in two different conferences over a lengthy period of time.  Xavier not so much. 

[Benny B]

Isn't his wife from Louisville, so maybe the moving his family part wasn't met with a lot of resistance.

$2M/year is about how much it would take me to move closer to my wife's family.

[MU B2002]

$2M/year is about how much it would take me to move closer to my wife's family.

(loudly laughing at my desk)

Good call.

[DCHoopster]

$2M/year is about how much it would take me to move closer to my wife's family.

Good point, but it is $14M more over 7 years.  Win or Lose he can retire at a young age.

[warriorchick]

I think the years are as important as the money here. These deals are always guaranteed unless fired for cause, so that's $28M guaranteed. 

For my own amusement, I am picturing this conversation happening at some point:

Louisville BOD:  Because of the disappointing performance of the basketball team, we are letting you go, and we aren't paying you the rest of your contract.

Mack:  You have to!  I get paid unless I get fired for cause!  What's the cause?

Louisville BOD: Cause you didn't win enough games!

[GGGG]

For my own amusement, I am picturing this conversation happening at some point:

Louisville BOD:  Because of the disappointing performance of the basketball team, we are letting you go, and we aren't paying you the rest of your contract.

Mack:  You have to!  I get paid unless I get fired for cause!  What's the cause?

Louisville BOD: Cause you didn't win enough games!

[GooooMarquette]

Exactly. It's laughable all these posters who claim they would turn down the money.

And it's even more laughable all these posters who think they know what other posters would do....

[Herman Cain]

The key issue here from the Big East point of view is that Xavier hires a quality replacement. I think the odds of that happening are high.  There is long term value for the Big East in the Xavier basketball program.  I am confident they will make a good decision on the next guy.

We saw last year that Butler was able to bring in an alum who is a good young coach to replace a the previous coach who was signed away from huge money. Their new coach got them to the tournament (and won a game) and also signed up a blue chip mid season transfer in his first season.  Butler has long term value in their program and that is an asset for the conference for the conference as well.

It is a competitive world out there, the Blue Bloods and Big Money Athletic Schools are going to spend what they need to find the right coaches.  The next step for the Big East is to get their pay scale up across the board. Right now the dollars ,even after paying taxes , are big enough to lure people away.

[Nukem2]

The key issue here from the Big East point of view is that Xavier hires a quality replacement. I think the odds of that happening are high.  There is long term value for the Big East in the Xavier basketball program.  I am confident they will make a good decision on the next guy.

We saw last year that Butler was able to bring in an alum who is a good young coach to replace a the previous coach who was signed away from huge money. Their new coach got them to the tournament (and won a game) and also signed up a blue chip mid season transfer in his first season.  Butler has long term value in their program and that is an asset for the conference for the conference as well.

It is a competitive world out there, the Blue Bloods and Big Money Athletic Schools are going to spend what they need to find the right coaches.  The next step for the Big East is to get their pay scale up across the board. Right now the dollars ,even after paying taxes , are big enough to lure people away.

Relative to Jordan at Butler, we will have to see how he does without Martin and Wideman.  They were really the linchpins for Butler this past season with Martin getting the key buckets and overall explosiveness while Wideman gave them a physical look with a lot of toughness.  We shall see.

[Goose]

I am not confident that Butler is going to keep the level of success moving forward. The odds of converting with another coaching change is long, IMO. I am concerned about Butler and X taking steps backwards and the affect it will have on the BE. It was my concern when BE came about and I was wrong, to this point. I have always felt betting on Butler, Creighton and X to be top 25 programs was a big roll of the dice.

[StillAWarrior]

And it's even more laughable all these posters who think they know what other posters would do....

It's an interesting question.  Approximately 18 years ago, I changed jobs and got a very significant raise - in the neighborhood of 75%.  It was huge for our family, and was a prestigious job.  I was profoundly unhappy.  After five years, I took a significant pay cut to get away.  After two years, I moved again.  I've been in my current job for about 11 years now.  I really like my job and the people I work with.  I'm not sure what it would take to lure me away.  It would have to be a huge increase...say 200% at least...to even get me to listen at this point.  And even then, it would need to be an amazing opportunity.  Candidly, I really don't think there is anything that I am qualified to do that would pay me enough to get me to change jobs.  But, I realize this is a very personal decision.  But the sheer amount of money at issue in Mack's situation changes the dynamic quite a bit.  If he goes and it's a bad decision, he can retire.  I wouldn't have that luxury, so a bad decision would be far more problematic for me.

I'd love to see Mack's contract.  Obviously, the most concerting thing there would be NCAA action.  I wonder if he negotiated an out based on that.  But, if I were Louisville, I'd be asking, "do you want the guaranteed cash, or do you want the escape clause if the NCAA brings the ban hammer?  You can't have both."

[MU82]

Relative to Jordan at Butler, we will have to see how he does without Martin and Wideman.  They were really the linchpins for Butler this past season with Martin getting the key buckets and overall explosiveness while Wideman gave them a physical look with a lot of toughness.  We shall see.

Agreed. Way too early to tell about Jordan.

But as other posters have noted, Butler and X both have done excellent jobs through multiple coaching changes, not just over a few years but over decades. Likely not a coincidence.

[Mr. Nielsen]

I love Jordan! He will be great at Butler.