2026 Coaching Carousel

[Uncle Rico]

UNC's center is the most attractive big man.

And if/when they have major roster disfunction after the firing.

I think our core and $1.5 for him would get us to 80% of a starting 5.

He has one year of eligibility and is low 2nd rounder in the NBA draft.  So taking one more shot at tournament would be attractive.

The problem is.  St. John's UConn etc will be after him also.

We will have to compete on the $$$ for him with the big boys/spenders.

A shot at the tournament will have little to no bearing on his decision.

[Billy Hoyle]

UNC's center is the most attractive big man.

And if/when they have major roster disfunction after the firing.

I think our core and $1.5 for him would get us to 80% of a starting 5.

He has one year of eligibility and is low 2nd rounder in the NBA draft.  So taking one more shot at tournament would be attractive.

The problem is.  St. John's UConn etc will be after him also.

We will have to compete on the $$$ for him with the big boys/spenders.

$1.5 million would get us laughed at by his agent.

[MU82]

$1.5 million would get us laughed at by his agent.

I was thinking that, too.

I'm one of Scoop's biggest MU hoops optimists, but I'm also realistic enough to know that we're not gonna be landing the big-name, big-money free agents that will be subject to bidding wars.

If that's COLE, I can live with it; I like slaw with my BBQ.

[JWags85]

Total control over one of American sports' iconic franchises, or spending your summers watching teens play AAU ball and sucking up to donors?
Tough call!

I, among many others, always thought Stevens back to college was a very slim chance.  That went for slim to "never gonna happen" by his pretty clear lack of interest in taking over IU and bringing them back to blue blood status, which was the only thing I could have ever seen being appealing in some way.

When you really look at it, it's insane that people even still bring it up. 

First off, he never played at or sat on the bench at a major program, much less was the HC at one. He spent his entire college coaching career at a low major, save for his last year when Butler went to the A-10.  That's not to say he couldn't handle a step up like is a worry with some coaches, but rather he'd be leaving for a huge challenge/unfamiliar administrative set up, not one that he'd been away from awhile and may have changed, but one that he'd never dealt with, period.

Second, people seem to overlook/forget that, even forgetting about his front office tenure, he was the coach of the Celtics for 2 years longer than he was a college coach at Butler.  All together he's been in Boston longer than he was at Butler.  Donovan, for example, was a guy who spent 20+ years as a college HC.  Stevens is as much an NBA guy at this point as he ever was a college guy.

Third, and probably most importantly, he's been very successful since leaving Butler.  He never made a finals as a coach but did well and made conference finals 3 of the last 5 seasons before he resigned.  Since moving to the front office, the Celtics have won a title and been a top 2 seed in the East every year. Donovan would make a move cause he had a decent year with Durant that first year in OKC and then hasn't won a playoff series since.  He's missed the playoffs as often as made them.  Calipari came back cause he failed with the Nets.  Hoiberg went back to college cause he failed in Chicago.  Stevens hasn't failed like all of them so why would he need to go back to college for comfort or chasing past success?

But Stevens won't be 50 for another 6 months so we have a solid decade of lazy writers and bloggers bringing up his name whenever a top 10 job opens

[MU Fan in Connecticut]

Listening to the radio this morning I heard some guy say that UNC's first call should be to Dan Hurley.  My first thought was why?, so Dan can tell them he has a better job and they win more than UNC.

[Galway Eagle]

Listening to the radio this morning I heard some guy say that UNC's first call should be to Dan Hurley.  My first thought was why?, so Dan can tell them he has a better job and they win more than UNC.

"Come to UNC you can be a part of our tradition of 6 titles since 57!"

"Oh you mean like the 6 my school has since 99?"

[MuggsyB]

$1.5 million would get us laughed at by his agent.

Who is his agent?

$1.5 million would get us laughed at by his agent.

Perhaps I should have a pleasant little chat with the two of them?  We need a 5.  BADLY. 

[Scoop Snoop]

Who is his agent?
Perhaps I should have a pleasant little chat with the two of them?   

He would have a pleasant little dunk with you ending up stuck in the net, upside down, like a bat.

[Viper]

If you have basketball spending budgets going forward for all three schools, please share them. Thanks.

Otherwise, a top coach can recruit studs and win a national title at Michigan or Arizona just the same as he can win one at UNC.

UNC is like no other. If you need metrics...go have some ice cream...pecan, is it?

[Viper]

Than Arizona? Sure, but it's debatable. Than Michigan? Nope.

UNC is the bluest of blue bloods. Body of work says you can't  get more blue blood. Michigan, respectfully, no.

[Viper]

nope

Michael Jordan would like a word. Phil Ford will escort you to Walter Davis' office. Walter will take you over to Mitch Kupchak. Mitch and Bob McAdoo will escort you to MJ. Try not to cry, ok?

[MuggsyB]

He would have a pleasant little dunk with you ending up stuck in the net, upside down, like a bat.

Bats are awesome. 

[MU82]

UNC is like no other. If you need metrics...go have some ice cream...pecan, is it?

Ah, so you've got no financial facts. Thanks.