2019 Coaching Carousel

[Herman Cain]

Excellent news that Cooley & Co got their long term contract. One of my favorite coaches in the conference. Always enjoy watching our games against Providence.

[Uncle Rico]

Freddie Hunter or Kirk Taylor?

I was impressed with Howard going pro after his junior year but spending his rookie year finishing his degree during the season so he could walk with King and Jackson.  However, as a coach, he has no experience and the Fab Five has very little cache with recruits today.  The rivalry with Michigan State will go up a notch, many are still mad over Howard wiping his ass on the center court S after beating State his freshman year.

I wonder if they're actually interviewing Howard for the #1 assistant position and giving Yaklich the HC job.

He's been a NBA assistant for quite awhile and is highly regarded in the league.  He hasn't been the lead dog but I think he's got the chops for it

[MomofMUltiples]

Seems like with this late date, and the list of coaches getting thin, they should give yaklich the interim job and either make him permanent or run a coaching search next year.

[Billy Hoyle]

He's been a NBA assistant for quite awhile and is highly regarded in the league.  He hasn't been the lead dog but I think he's got the chops for it

little known fact: Howard is the only member of the Fab Five to win a championship at the college or top professional level.

[Norm]

Freddie Hunter or Kirk Taylor?

I was impressed with Howard going pro after his junior year but spending his rookie year finishing his degree during the season so he could walk with King and Jackson.  However, as a coach, he has no experience and the Fab Five has very little cache with recruits today.  The rivalry with Michigan State will go up a notch, many are still mad over Howard wiping his ass on the center court S after beating State his freshman year.

I wonder if they're actually interviewing Howard for the #1 assistant position and giving Yaklich the HC job.

Freddie Hunter. Fellow '87 grad of U of D High - same alma mater as Ike Eke (and Cassius Winston).

[Pakuni]

little known fact: Howard is the only member of the Fab Five to win a championship at the college or professional level.

Even littler known fact: Jimmy King won a CBA title with the Quad City Thunder.

[Billy Hoyle]

Freddie Hunter. Fellow '87 grad of U of D High - same alma mater as Ike Eke (and Cassius Winston).

from Intramural champ to starting for UM in the same year.  The guy was a baller!

[Norm]

from Intramural champ to starting for UM in the same year.  The guy was a baller!

Yep, it was fun to watch him play. He's also one of the nicest guys you will ever meet.

[Warrior Code]

Even littler known fact: Jimmy King won a CBA title with the Quad City Thunder.

The only Quad City we recognize in this house is DJ's.

[Pakuni]

Looks like the Michigan job is Howard's if he wants it.

Jon Rothstein @JonRothstein
Sources: Michigan has offered its head coaching position to Miami Heat assistant Juwan Howard. The two sides have begun negotiations. Deal remains far from done.

[jesmu84]

El. Oh. El.

[MU82]

El. Oh. El.

Y?

[tower912]

Michigan following the Georgetown-SJU, Ewing-Mullin paradigm.     Something to contemplate in a few years when Wojo leaves for Duke. 
1.   I doubt Wade will be interested.   
2.  Most places do not get their first choice.   
3.    Wardle

[Silent Verbal]

If the deal gets done, I think Howard is a bad hire for Michigan, and I'd be worried if I was a Wolverines fan.  The guy has zero head coaching experience, and, more importantly, zero experience coaching at the college level.  You don't exactly have to do in-home visits and bust ass to get to high school and AAU games on your day off when you're an NBA assistant.

The safe hire would've been Yaklich.  Even Cooley would've been better than this, and I think Cooley's a good coach for where he's at.  If Howard takes the job, I'll be surprised if he's still there in five years.

[brewcity77]

Michigan following the Georgetown-SJU, Ewing-Mullin paradigm.     Something to contemplate in a few years when Wojo leaves for Duke. 
1.   I doubt Wade will be interested.   
2.  Most places do not get their first choice.   
3.    Wardle

Wardle is a far more legit hire than the other three. Proven college coach that has rebuilt two programs & made the NCAA tournament. I know he doesn't excite people, but he's trending toward a high major job.

[Silent Verbal]

Michigan following the Georgetown-SJU, Ewing-Mullin paradigm.     Something to contemplate in a few years when Wojo leaves for Duke. 
1.   I doubt Wade will be interested.   
2.  Most places do not get their first choice.   
3.    Wardle

I don't want Wade coaching MU.  I'll take a scrappy college basketball lifer like Buzz, Crean, Barnes, Beard, etc. any day over a former NBA star with no college coaching experience.

[tower912]

Wardle is a far more legit hire than the other three. Proven college coach that has rebuilt two programs & made the NCAA tournament. I know he doesn't excite people, but he's trending toward a high major job.

I agree.   IMO, when Wojo finally leaves, Wardle is the likeliest choice.    Now, IMO, Wojo is here until the Duke job opens.   I know others disagree and that is fine.    But in 5 years, Wardle might look like a great choice.   

[Billy Hoyle]

Wardle is a far more legit hire than the other three. Proven college coach that has rebuilt two programs & made the NCAA tournament. I know he doesn't excite people, but he's trending toward a high major job.

I don't get the anti-Wardle sentiment here.  The guy set UWGB up for a tourney appearance and took Bradley to the NCAA tournament with a strong showing against an eventual Final Four squad in the first round. He also earned his chops as an assistant.  I'd be more than happy with Wardle at MU.

I think Ewing may work out at Georgetown but obviously, Mullin didn't at St. John's. Nor did Clyde Drexler at Houston or Avery Johnson at Alabama. Penny Hardaway is certainly burning it up (making it rain) on the recruiting trail but we'll see how he can coach all of that high priced talent.

[NYWarrior]

I don't get the anti-Wardle sentiment here.  The guy set UWGB up for a tourney appearance and took Bradley to the NCAA tournament with a strong showing against an eventual Final Four squad in the first round. He also earned his chops as an assistant.  I'd be more than happy with Wardle at MU.

I think Ewing may work out at Georgetown but obviously, Mullin didn't at St. John's. Nor did Clyde Drexler at Houston or Avery Johnson at Alabama. Penny Hardaway is certainly burning it up (making it rain) on the recruiting trail but we'll see how he can coach all of that high priced talent.

Avery Johnson went to Southern, not Alabama. Dale Brown kicked himself for looking past Johnson and signing Fess Irvin back in the day.

The biggest strikes against Wardle are:
1) recruiting -- a major program has to take a leap of faith that he can get that done despite little/no evidence of his ability to recruit at a high level. 
2) he hasn't won enough: He won a tourney last season; hooray for catching a bit of lightning in a bottle in a poor league. Yet Bradley finished a 9-9 in the MVC last season, was 9-9 the year before, 7-11 before that. He built something at UWGB -- something that led him to ..... Bradley.   

There is little evidence that he has a high ceiling as a coach.  He still has time to make that case.

[Warrior of Law]

Concurring on Wardle as a potential high-major candidate, particularly MU.  His connections to Chicagoland, both as a HS player, and as a recruiter, are keys to MU's basketball and enrollment success.

[NYWarrior]

Concurring on Wardle as a potential high-major candidate, particularly MU.  His connections to Chicagoland, both as a HS player, and as a recruiter, are keys to MU's basketball and enrollment success.

Wardle currently has 0 players from Cook, DuPage or Lake County on his roster at Bradley.

[4everwarriors]

Figurin' Scott Merritt follows Woj. Has obvious skills as an assistant. Probably is familiar with recruitin' and has the drive and energy shown as a playa. Just hasta 'member ta walk inta the locker room with urinals, hey?

[avid1010]

wojo should be here till we can do better.  the michigan AD stated he wanted a coach with a proven track record of winning in college basketball...guess that didn't work out.  MU isn't going to attract anyone michigan can't...

[tower912]

Figurin' Scott Merritt follows Woj. Has obvious skills as an assistant. Probably is familiar with recruitin' and has the drive and energy shown as a playa. Just hasta 'member ta walk inta the locker room with urinals, hey?

I would hope that Scott shows more drive and energy as a coach

[The Lens]

If the deal gets done, I think Howard is a bad hire for Michigan, and I'd be worried if I was a Wolverines fan.  The guy has zero head coaching experience, and, more importantly, zero experience coaching at the college level.  You don't exactly have to do in-home visits and bust ass to get to high school and AAU games on your day off when you're an NBA assistant.

The safe hire would've been Yaklich.  Even Cooley would've been better than this, and I think Cooley's a good coach for where he's at.  If Howard takes the job, I'll be surprised if he's still there in five years.

If you work for Spo & Riley you likely don't have days off.