2019 Coaching Carousel

[brewcity77]

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.

Bradley is a significant step up, and the MVC is one of the better mid-majors. I remember when Buzz left, one of the sentiments regarding him was to prove it somewhere other than GB. He's doing that. Historically, Bradley is on par with programs like Wichita State & Creighton. If he can keep them near the top of the MVC for 2-3 years, he'll likely be moving on up again.

[Billy Hoyle]

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.

I'm not just referring to people taking over at their alma maters but former NBA players in general.

[Boozemon Barro]

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.

[NYWarrior]

Bradley is a significant step up, and the MVC is one of the better mid-majors. I remember when Buzz left, one of the sentiments regarding him was to prove it somewhere other than GB. He's doing that. Historically, Bradley is on par with programs like Wichita State & Creighton. If he can keep them near the top of the MVC for 2-3 years, he'll likely be moving on up again.

Bradley has not been on par w Creighton in decades. Bradley has 2 NCAA bids in the last 30 years (14 for CU). 

Wardle has time, but to this point he has an overall losing record in the MVC and hasn't finished higher than 5th in the league. Next season is his chance to make the leap though.

[Uncle Rico]

Bradley is a significant step up, and the MVC is one of the better mid-majors. I remember when Buzz left, one of the sentiments regarding him was to prove it somewhere other than GB. He's doing that. Historically, Bradley is on par with programs like Wichita State & Creighton. If he can keep them near the top of the MVC for 2-3 years, he'll likely be moving on up again.

The Valley has been bad the last two years, worst it's been in decades.  Bradley hasn't been consistently good since Hersey Hawkins was there.  If Wardle didn't have ties to Marquette, no one would want him as the next coach here. 

[TAMU, Knower of Ball]

Let's also be clear,  Bradley finished tied for 5th in a very down MVC. They got hot in the MVC tourney and won the at large bid. This season was not a convincing bullet point on the resume for me. Wardle may get there eventually, but I would be disappointed if we hired him as HC at this point.

[muguru]

I think the only reason people want/like wardle is because he's an alum and they feel that would bring stability. Sure, maybe it would, but it would also probably bring less than acceptable results. You don't hire a Coach just for stability reasons, if he isn't going to produce at a high level.

[tower912]

Wardle is not necessarily who I want.  After watching the high level hires this off-season, I think that he, or someone like him, is who Marquette would likely get.   Michigan, UCLA, SJU all thought they would get their first choice.  Why should Marquette expect different?

[GooooMarquette]

Wardle is not necessarily who I want.  After watching the high level hires this off-season, I think that he, or someone like him, is who Marquette would likely get.   Michigan, UCLA, SJU all thought they would get their first choice.  Why should Marquette expect different?

Michigan, UCLA and SJU didn't get their first choices in part because they all went after guys who'd had significant success as high major head coaches. 

Historically, Marquette has gone after high major assistants. I don't know why that would change the next time we look for a coach, unless perhaps Wardle has more success at Bradley.

[jesmu84]

Michigan, UCLA and SJU didn't get their first choices in part because they all went after guys who'd had significant success as high major head coaches. 

Historically, Marquette has gone after high major assistants. I don't know why that would change the next time we look for a coach, unless perhaps Wardle has more success at Bradley.

A number of posters here believe that's exactly the type of coach Marquette should/can get

[willie warrior]

I think the only reason people want/like wardle is because he's an alum and they feel that would bring stability. Sure, maybe it would, but it would also probably bring less than acceptable results. You don't hire a Coach just for stability reasons, if he isn't going to produce at a high level.

Wojo is not producing at a high level, so that should play into your philosophy.

[NorthernDancerColt]

Keefe must be conflicted by Juwan's statement this evening that Michigan will continue to develop young men "on the court, in the classroom, and in the community."

After all, when it's Marquette pursuing that M.O....it's because it is a foundational "excuse" for mediocrity.
Michigan issues this statement and it's another sign of the "world~class" academic utopia that is Ann Arbor.

[MU82]

Michigan, UCLA and SJU didn't get their first choices in part because they all went after guys who'd had significant success as high major head coaches. 

And yet some Scoopers think all we have to do is say, "Come and get it!" and the best of the best established NCAA high-major coaches will be knockin' down our door.

Those same Scoopers would have been outraged if we had hired somebody with the kind of resume Beard had at the time Texas Tech hired him.

Our best coach since Al was a yokel who had one bad season as a low-major head coach and otherwise was a vagabond assistant.

[jesmu84]

And yet some Scoopers think all we have to do is say, "Come and get it!" and the best of the best established NCAA high-major coaches will be knockin' down our door.

Those same Scoopers would have been outraged if we had hired somebody with the kind of resume Beard had at the time Texas Tech hired him.

Our best coach since Al was a yokel who had one bad season as a low-major head coach and otherwise was a vagabond assistant.

Yup.

[Lennys Tap]

And yet some Scoopers think all we have to do is say, "Come and get it!" and the best of the best established NCAA high-major coaches will be knockin' down our door.

Those same Scoopers would have been outraged if we had hired somebody with the kind of resume Beard had at the time Texas Tech hired him.

Our best coach since Al was a yokel who had one bad season as a low-major head coach and otherwise was a vagabond assistant.

All true - except that those who consider Buzz a yokel do it at their own peril.

[MU82]

All true - except that those who consider Buzz a yokel do it at their own peril.

Well, he's not gonna reach through the computer and hit me, and he isn't gonna shoot my dog, so I don't think it's very perilous for me to do so.

If you don't like "yokel," how about if I just say he was a "nobody"? It's a credit to him that a guy who nobody had heard of and who had accomplished nothing of any note in college basketball went on to be a very fine coach.

Let's talk turkey, Lenny ... when Wojo leaves or is fired, if we replace him with a guy who was 14-17 at a Sun Belt school in his only season as a college head coach and otherwise had been an assistant at 6 schools, never staying more than 4 years at any of them, will you be saying, "Wow! I can't believe we were lucky enough to land that guy!"

[NorthernDancerColt]

And yet some Scoopers think all we have to do is say, "Come and get it!" and the best of the best established NCAA high-major coaches will be knockin' down our door.

Those same Scoopers would have been outraged if we had hired somebody with the kind of resume Beard had at the time Texas Tech hired him.

Our best coach since Al was a yokel who had one bad season as a low-major head coach and otherwise was a vagabond assistant.

Selena Gomez? Can she coach defense?

[Herman Cain]

Well, he's not gonna reach through the computer and hit me, and he isn't gonna shoot my dog, so I don't think it's very perilous for me to do so.

If you don't like "yokel," how about if I just say he was a "nobody"? It's a credit to him that a guy who nobody had heard of and who had accomplished nothing of any note in college basketball went on to be a very fine coach.

Let's talk turkey, Lenny ... when Wojo leaves or is fired, if we replace him with a guy who was 14-17 at a Sun Belt school in his only season as a college head coach and otherwise had been an assistant at 6 schools, never staying more than 4 years at any of them, will you be saying, "Wow! I can't believe we were lucky enough to land that guy!"

I am fine with Yokel. Describes the circumstance well.

[Frenns Liquor Depot]

for a school that still has the Fab Five cloud looming Pitino is the last guy they would consider.

That said, UM has as much money to spend as any program in the country. Big Ten network money, huge donors (e.g., Stephen Ross). Depending on how Brad Stevens is feeling after the disaster that is the past season UM could make a serious push for him.

The cloud was so thick they accidentally hired one of the members.

[PuertoRicanNightmare]

There's more to coaching than Xs and Os and I think that's where Wardle is unqualified.

There's a more well known alum, who served as an MU assistant for a couple years, has a phenomenal Wisconsin bloodline and played several years in the NBA. I'd rather roll the dice with Travis Diener than Brian Wardle.

[MU82]

The cloud was so thick they accidentally hired one of the members.

Great line.

[bilsu]

There's more to coaching than Xs and Os and I think that's where Wardle is unqualified.

There's a more well known alum, who served as an MU assistant for a couple years, has a phenomenal Wisconsin bloodline and played several years in the NBA. I'd rather roll the dice with Travis Diener than Brian Wardle.

I just do not see either of them being successful recruiters.

[4everwarriors]

Mite bee tyme wee hire a brotha, hey?

[The Sultan]

No way U of M hires Wojo. In fact, the word "Wojo" will never ever be mentioned inside the Fleming building.

Mark Schlissel is a gifted leader with a significant record of world-class accomplishment. He would never make such a pedestrian mistake.

You are correct. He made a worse one.

[Billy Hoyle]

You are correct. He made a worse one.

a very interesting comment in The Athletic's article:

"Howard's hiring at U-M makes him the lone black men's basketball coach in the 14-school Big Ten Conference. The league has been without one since Rutgers fired Eddie Jordan in March 2016."

Meanwhile, in the Big East there are five (Anderson, Ewing, Leito, Jordan, Cooley).  It kind of makes me think of the MU hire with Kreiger and now Duffy being the only female WBB coaches in the conference.

This hire could succeed, but I see it more likely blowing up a la Mullin.