Moving your Wojo Needle

[Billy Hoyle]

In The Athletic's college hoops mailbag, Dana O'Neil was asked which mid-major coaches would be getting recruited to big-boy schools. Her answer:

There are a bunch. Start out west with Russell Turner at UC Irvine. The Anteaters (also winning the mascot game) have won 52 games in the last two seasons and are atop the Big West standings again.

I mentioned John Becker at Vermont as a potential candidate at Penn State, and that’s largely based on a remarkable run at Vermont. He has won at least 20 games in every year since joining the Catamounts in 2011.

Ben Jacobsen at Northern Iowa has proven to be more than just an Ali Farokhmanesh 3-pointer, and in the same league, Drake is going to have to work to hang on to Darian DeVries, who has two 20 win seasons and now a 13-0 start.

Just like the Valley, the SoCon is loaded with great coaches: Wes Miller at UNCG, Bob Richey at Furman and Duggar Baucom at The Citadel.

She also was asked about coaches on the hot seat, but the question specifically asked about P5 coaches. So if she thinks Wojo is on the hot seat she wouldn't have included the Big East anyway.

Turner is waiting for a Pac-12 job. Washington, Oregon State, and Utah may all have openings after this season.

Jacobson is interesting, but his contract runs through 2027, and had a huge buyout a few years ago which kept SLU from pursuing him. Would MU be willing to buyout Wojo and pay Jacobson's buyout in the current financial crisis MU is facing? Doubtful.

Becker would be interesting. I'd prefer someone with demonstrated HC success like he had. But, we'll have to keep pace with Penn State to get him (sound familiar?).

I think DeVries is very realistic. Drake's AD is Scholls' protege who he brought with him to from Ball State.

That said, barring a major scandal Wojo will be our coach next year.

[The Hippie Satan of Hyperbole]

That said, barring a major scandal Wojo will be our coach next year.

Can we photoshop him participating in the Capitol riots last week?

[CTWarrior]

That doesn't change the fact that we were a 5 seed. I hate that we were in the NIT in 2018 because the NCAA was still using RPI even though using NET we'd have been in over Providence. But fact remains we were out they were in given the selection process.

You are right about that, of course.  I just don't think we really earned that 5 seed is all.  I usually think we get hosed in seeding, but 2019 was the one tournament where I thought our seed was an out and out gift.

To move the needle on Wojo, I'd like to see us finish a season in the top 25.

[panda]

To move the needle on Wojo, I'd like to see us finish a season in the top 25.

Yep - we’ve yet to finish in the top 25 under wojo

[Billy Hoyle]

Can we photoshop him participating in the Capitol riots last week?

THAT was good! LOL

[MU82]

Can we photoshop him participating in the Capitol riots last week?

I literally laughed out loud. Well done.