Has anyone heard anything about upcoming interviews?

[ZiggysFryBoy]

A source I trust says MU has already been in contact with the agents of Gates and Moser.  He says Gates is our top candidate.

PhillyCoach?

[Litehouse]

Not necessarily, if Gates is the first choice. Sometimes you have to move with pace to secure your preferred candidate. It isn't as though other schools aren't also interested in Gates. The longer you wait for someone else, the more you risk not landing Gates if he is the top choice. Waiting for Moser would indicate either Gates wouldn't be their top choice or, that he isn't by enough to get it done sooner.

What other schools would Gates go to?

[shoothoops]

Maybe if he adds another final four they'll move him to top choice?

I'm just saying if Gates is MUBB top choice, there is risk involved waiting for someome.else to finish NCAA Tourney Play before securing Gates.

Your scenario would indicate Gates either wouldn't be their top choice, or not by enough to get it done prior to waiting for an additional candidate.

There is a big assumption that Gates won't get scooped up by someone else, or lose interest while waiting. There is also a possibility that Gates has interest in multiple places, and that can cause delay as well. Various scenarios.

But if someone is your top choice, there is some risk involved losing that top choice, by waiting for someone else to be available

[shoothoops]

What other schools would Gates go to?

All it takes is one.

[cheebs09]

I'm just saying if Gates is MUBB top choice, there is risk involved waiting for someome.else to finish NCAA Tourney Play before securing Gates.

Your scenario would indicate Gates either wouldn't be their top choice, or not by enough to get it done prior to waiting for an additional candidate.

There is a big assumption that Gates won't get scooped up by someone else, or lose interest while waiting.

Right now, I think the only risk is DePaul. Which has been rumored to be looking at Moser as well.

[Pakuni]

Not necessarily, if Gates is the first choice. Sometimes you have to move with pace to secure your preferred candidate. It isn't as though other schools aren't also interested in Gates. The longer you wait for someone else, the more you risk not landing Gates if he is the top choice. Waiting for Moser would indicate either Gates wouldn't be their top choice or, that he isn't by enough to get it done sooner.

With the Minnesota job taken and Indiana apparently zeroing in on Mike Woodson, I'm guessing Marquette has time to wait with Gates. The only other P6 school that likely is interested is DePaul, and they'll probably wait on Moser as well.
That said, with all the transfers out there and the likelihood that the roster is going to have holes to plug, getting a guy in sooner than later is probably smart.

[shoothoops]

With the Minnesota job taken and Indiana apparently zeroing in on Mike Woodson, I'm guessing Marquette has time to wait with Gates. The only other P6 school that likely is interested is DePaul, and they'll probably wait on Moser as well.
That said, with all the transfers out there and the likelihood that the roster is going to have holes to plug, getting a guy in sooner than later is probably smart.

Possibly. That assumes that there won't be additional opportunities in Power 5/Big East, and, that he would only consider a job in those leagues.

And of course maybe that's a risk MUBB wants to take. But if DG is their first choice, there is some risk involved that he either goes elsewhere or passes on MUBB later.

The premise here was DG was their #1.

And the other reasons you mentioned of value for starting sooner.

There is of course some value in being patient and thorough, but, there is some risk involved too.

It works the other way as well when a coach wants to wait for a perceived better opportunity and the school moves on from the coach because of that etc...

[Pakuni]

Possibly. That assumes that there won't be additional opportunities in Power 5/Big East, and, that he would only consider a job in those leagues.

I do feel safe believing that Gates isn't going to another mid-major. His next job will be at a P6 program, whether it's this year or next.
Even if DG is Scholl's #1, I do think there is some value in speaking with other candidates as well. They need to weigh that against the risk of losing Gates, of course, but I'm not worried that DG is going to anxious and run off to Fordham or Eastern Michigan.

[Spotcheck Billy]

Scholl has to see other candidates to judge the required Powerpoint skills

[NolongerWarriors]

What's the fascination with Gates?

I get the enthusiasm for Moser, but he's had success on the biggest stage.

[muwarrior69]

I do feel safe believing that Gates isn't going to another mid-major. His next job will be at a P6 program, whether it's this year or next.
Even if DG is Scholl's #1, I do think there is some value in speaking with other candidates as well. They need to weigh that against the risk of losing Gates, of course, but I'm not worried that DG is going to anxious and run off to Fordham or Eastern Michigan.

So get if we go with Gates MU will allow for JUCO transfers.

[cheebs09]

So get if we go with Gates MU will allow for JUCO transfers.

Wojo could and did recruit JUCOs......

[dw3dw3dw3]

Seems likely that the Goodman name drop of Gates as a Depaul candidate was information offered to get MU to commit.

[Silkk the Shaka]

What's the fascination with Gates?

I get the enthusiasm for Moser, but he's had success on the biggest stage.

He's recruited well for multiple programs in multiple conferences in multiple geographies and learned from several different head coaching styles. Most recently as an assistant, he helped Leonard Hamilton turn FSU into the consistent winner it is today, by bringing in high level talent that plays unselfish team-focused ball. In his only two years as a head coach, he has been named conference coach of the year both times. Additionally, he's from Chicago, and has a history at Marquette as a graduate assistant. I love his profile and think he'd be a great hire.

[shoothoops]

Fun fact:

Armon Gates, younger brother of Dennis Gates, was a former assistant under Porter Moser at Loyola Chicago.

[Warrior2008]

I think Dennis Gates would be a great hire, but my concern is what he would do if the FSU job opened up.  Leonard Hamilton is already 72 and isn't gonna coach forever.  If that job opens up in a year or two, what does he do?

[Blackhat]

When you compare Gates’s resume to Moser’s it’s not even close.  Gates only has a two year track record.  That said if it’s Gates I’d support him, but he’s a big gamble.

[StillAWarrior]

What's the fascination with Gates?

I get the enthusiasm for Moser, but he's had success on the biggest stage.

Actually, I was just looking a little more closely at Gates' background, and I'm much more enthusiastic about his candidacy than I was. I do wish he had more HC experience, but his recruiting at Florida State was pretty darn good. At this point, I feel like I've got Moser as a 1a with Gates as a pretty strong 1b. If you could merge them -- Moser's HC experience and success with Gates' experience recruiting high major-caliber players -- it would be a pretty ideal candidate. But as has been said in other threads, there aren't many ideal candidates out there. Every coach we've talked about has at least one key question mark. Mosers is high level recruiting. Gates' is coaching.  And for the record, I haven't seen anything to show that those two are deficient in those areas -- just that we don't know at this point.

One interesting thing is that it might be easier to assess Gates' coaching acumen based upon the last couple years than it is to assess Moser's ability to recruit at the highest level.

[SaveOD238]

I think Dennis Gates would be a great hire, but my concern is what he would do if the FSU job opened up.  Leonard Hamilton is already 72 and isn't gonna coach forever.  If that job opens up in a year or two, what does he do?

We've been through this once with Wojo.  If Gates gets poached by FSU that means he had success here.  I can deal with that.

Of course the alternative is he sucks and then we can't get rid of him...

[GB Warrior]

We've been through this once with Wojo.  If Gates gets poached by FSU that means he had success here.  I can deal with that.

Of course the alternative is he sucks and then we can't get rid of him...

You joke but I heard Wojo was going back to Duke to continue Coach K's streak of missed tourneys

[cheebs09]

It’s definitely a concern of mine, but there’s some reason to hope. He’s from Chicago, so being close to home might be better. He’s played and coached all over the country, so it’s not like a Buzz situation where Texas is a natural fit.

I know he is very fond of Hamilton, but he may not want to be his replacement and be constantly compared to him. Also, FSU has had a good run, but they aren’t a traditional ACC power.

Now, he may jump to FSU the second Hamilton retires and this is me just being optimistic. However, some of these natural replacements don’t always happen. I mean Roy Williams turned down UNC the first time.

[Frenns Liquor Depot]

We've been through this once with Wojo.  If Gates gets poached by FSU that means he had success here.  I can deal with that.

Of course the alternative is he sucks and then we can't get rid of him...

This is where I’m at.  There are too many coaching failures to layer on a constraint that  the coach is someone that will be here for the rest of their career/forever.

[ZiggysFryBoy]

Actually, I was just looking a little more closely at Gates' background, and I'm much more enthusiastic about his candidacy than I was. I do wish he had more HC experience, but his recruiting at Florida State was pretty darn good. At this point, I feel like I've got Moser as a 1a with Gates as a pretty strong 1b. If you could merge them -- Moser's HC experience and success with Gates' experience recruiting high major-caliber players -- it would be a pretty ideal candidate. But as has been said in other threads, there aren't many ideal candidates out there. Every coach we've talked about has at least one key question mark. Mosers is high level recruiting. Gates' is coaching.  And for the record, I haven't seen anything to show that those two are deficient in those areas -- just that we don't know at this point.

One interesting thing is that it might be easier to assess Gates' coaching acumen based upon the last couple years than it is to assess Moser's ability to recruit at the highest level.

Co-head coaches!

Then, when one leaves, we drop the co- designation on the other guy.   No coaching search.

That is some blog level thinking there, boys.

[Silkk the Shaka]

Fun fact:

Armon Gates, younger brother of Dennis Gates, was a former assistant under Porter Moser at Loyola Chicago.

Wow just checked his resume too, super impressive family

[Silkk the Shaka]

Actually, I was just looking a little more closely at Gates' background, and I'm much more enthusiastic about his candidacy than I was. I do wish he had more HC experience, but his recruiting at Florida State was pretty darn good. At this point, I feel like I've got Moser as a 1a with Gates as a pretty strong 1b. If you could merge them -- Moser's HC experience and success with Gates' experience recruiting high major-caliber players -- it would be a pretty ideal candidate. But as has been said in other threads, there aren't many ideal candidates out there. Every coach we've talked about has at least one key question mark. Mosers is high level recruiting. Gates' is coaching.  And for the record, I haven't seen anything to show that those two are deficient in those areas -- just that we don't know at this point.

One interesting thing is that it might be easier to assess Gates' coaching acumen based upon the last couple years than it is to assess Moser's ability to recruit at the highest level.

This is where I'm at too. Moser, to me, is in the Few/Wright/Majerus coaching mold (long term program-building, insane precision fundamentals), and Gates is in the Hamilton/Buzz mold (rangy switchable athletes that play a great team-focused style on both ends of the court). I think we'd be very happy with the results if we hired either one of them.