Author Topic: Risky Hiring (Read 6001 times)

CHONGS · « **on:** February 12, 2015, 10:26:56 AM »

It has been my contention (probably stated way too often to the annoyance of others) that KSU's hire of oscar Weber was extremely unique. This was not a "lazy" or "conventional" hire in any sense. A conventional hire for a major conference school would be a hot-shot assistant coach from a more successful program, a mid-major coach who has made some waves in the tournament, or poaching a coach from another major conference school which is considered not as successful (like KU hiring Bill Self from Illinois).

I cannot recall a previous situation where a major conference school hired another basketball coach immediately after they had just been fired for performance reasons. What we did was unprecedented, but I could also be wrong. Can anyone else recall a hiring like this? I know Tech has just done something very similar, but that was after we broke the mold to hire Weber. In fact Tech might be the only other school. Just seeing other examples would be interesting because then we can look to see how many of them turned out be successful hires. I suspect none of them.

So KSU just finished up a trifecta of very unconventional hires: 1) Bob Huggins (reclamation project) 2) Frank Martin (unknown nobody) 3) oscar Weber (recently fired for being bad at coaching basketball). The first two can be said to have worked out well, the last is where our luck ran out...

I would be surprised if the next hire is not standard.

michigancat · « **Reply #1 on:** February 12, 2015, 10:29:02 AM »

Tech with Billy Clyde? Maybe he took some time off.

Cartierfor3 · « **Reply #2 on:** February 12, 2015, 10:30:27 AM »

Minnesota Hired Tubby when he "resigned" but it was basically a firing IIRC.

ednksu · « **Reply #3 on:** February 12, 2015, 10:30:39 AM »

Tubby had minor success at Minnesota
2007–08   Minnesota   20–14   8–10   6th   NIT First Round
2008–09   Minnesota   22–11   9–9   T–7th   NCAA First Round
2009–10   Minnesota   21–14   9–9   6th   NCAA First Round
2010–11   Minnesota   17–14   6–12   9th
2011–12   Minnesota   23–15   6–12   T–9th   NIT Runner-up
2012–13   Minnesota   21–13   8–10   T–7th   NCAA Third Round

ChiComCat · « **Reply #4 on:** February 12, 2015, 10:32:25 AM »

Quote from: Cartierfor3 on February 12, 2015, 10:30:27 AM

Minnesota Hired Tubby when he "resigned" but it was basically a firing IIRC.

Yea, this was the closest I could think of

michigancat · « **Reply #5 on:** February 12, 2015, 10:33:10 AM »

And I think you shared a pretty good argument for an unconventional hire, as long as you don't hire someone who got fired at a school equal to yours for losing.

CHONGS · « **Reply #6 on:** February 12, 2015, 10:34:15 AM »

Quote from: michigancat on February 12, 2015, 10:29:02 AM

Tech with Billy Clyde? Maybe he took some time off.

nope three years later

TownieCat · « **Reply #7 on:** February 12, 2015, 10:35:59 AM »

Tubby won at least one NCAA tourney game every year he was at UK. It's really not that much of a comparison.

Cartierfor3 · « **Reply #8 on:** February 12, 2015, 10:36:25 AM »

Tubby's last year at Kentucky he was 22-12, with a win in the NCAA tournament. 4th in the SEC, and a 8 seed. That's not a bad year to come off of for a team like Minnesota to hire him.

Mr Bread · « **Reply #9 on:** February 12, 2015, 10:41:42 AM »

Quote from: TownieCat on February 12, 2015, 10:35:59 AM

Tubby won at least one NCAA tourney game every year he was at UK. It's really not that much of a comparison.

Yeah, making the NCAAs every year and winning a game there every year and having a winning record in conference every year for ten straight years then leaving before you get fired is definitely not the same as actually getting fired for sucking.

michigancat · « **Reply #10 on:** February 12, 2015, 10:42:24 AM »

Like, I know we'll probably hire some typical white guy mid major dork, but I'm 100% convinced that we should go unconventional, unless somehow a Brad Stevens fell magically into our lap.

CHONGS · « **Reply #11 on:** February 12, 2015, 10:42:30 AM »

Yeah Tubby has doubled-down on this I think. Minnesota has done the closest. So we have claimed Minnesota as a peer in college basketball. Funny how Minnesota (coming off of a 9-22 season) could manage to hire a coach who finished a 22-12 season, yet we decided to mix it up and reverse that idea!

Cartierfor3 · « **Reply #12 on:** February 12, 2015, 10:46:02 AM »

you guys, the day Huggins was hired was so freaking great. remember how excited you were? I mean my word fellas. Will anything ever feel like that again?

420seriouscat69 · « **Reply #13 on:** February 12, 2015, 10:47:35 AM »

When he left was equally depressing tho. Like, I had a professor who went and got drinks with us so we could drink through it. I mean, it hurt.

Mr Bread · « **Reply #14 on:** February 12, 2015, 10:48:05 AM »

Quote from: michigancat on February 12, 2015, 10:42:24 AM

Like, I know we'll probably hire some typical white guy mid major dork, but I'm 100% convinced that we should go unconventional, unless somehow a Brad Stevens fell magically into our lap.

Do you have a non-white candidate in mind?

CHONGS · « **Reply #15 on:** February 12, 2015, 10:48:15 AM »

Quote from: michigancat on February 12, 2015, 10:42:24 AM

Like, I know we'll probably hire some typical white guy mid major dork, but I'm 100% convinced that we should go unconventional, unless somehow a Brad Stevens fell magically into our lap.

Oh I think we should go unconventional as well. I just find it interesting how unique a hire like oscar actually was. Unique also in the sense that it lets you know how the AD "sees" how his program fits in the grand scheme of things. In Minnesota's case, it was "hey we really suck, we're certainly not on the same level as Kentucky so a coach who is not meeting their very high standards might just fit us well". For us it was clearly "Even though our program has been recently better than Illinois, they still probably have higher standards than us, so a coach who fails there might still be good enough for us".

I mean Currie essentially told us and everyone else in college basketball that he thinks KSU is lower-level than Illinois.

michigancat · « **Reply #16 on:** February 12, 2015, 10:59:35 AM »

Quote from: Mr Bread on February 12, 2015, 10:48:05 AM

Quote from: michigancat on February 12, 2015, 10:42:24 AM
Like, I know we'll probably hire some typical white guy mid major dork, but I'm 100% convinced that we should go unconventional, unless somehow a Brad Stevens fell magically into our lap.

Do you have a non-white candidate in mind?

not really

pissclams · « **Reply #17 on:** February 12, 2015, 11:02:56 AM »

Quote from: michigancat on February 12, 2015, 10:59:35 AM

Quote from: Mr Bread on February 12, 2015, 10:48:05 AM
Quote from: michigancat on February 12, 2015, 10:42:24 AM
Like, I know we'll probably hire some typical white guy mid major dork, but I'm 100% convinced that we should go unconventional, unless somehow a Brad Stevens fell magically into our lap.

Do you have a non-white candidate in mind?

not really

Trim · « **Reply #18 on:** February 12, 2015, 11:11:11 AM »

I definitely don't want oscar to leave anymore.

michigancat · « **Reply #19 on:** February 12, 2015, 11:11:26 AM »

Quote from: pissclams on February 12, 2015, 11:02:56 AM

Quote from: michigancat on February 12, 2015, 10:59:35 AM
Quote from: Mr Bread on February 12, 2015, 10:48:05 AM
Quote from: michigancat on February 12, 2015, 10:42:24 AM
Like, I know we'll probably hire some typical white guy mid major dork, but I'm 100% convinced that we should go unconventional, unless somehow a Brad Stevens fell magically into our lap.

Do you have a non-white candidate in mind?

not really

he might get fired for losing at Morgan State

pissclams · « **Reply #20 on:** February 12, 2015, 11:13:09 AM »

maybe. would be a risky hire black guy and i know you used to love him.

the only guy i'd want that would be semi-non traditional would be tim floyd. i'm sure he has a bit of a stain on him from usc but it's not much of one, if at all.

michigancat · « **Reply #21 on:** February 12, 2015, 11:14:10 AM »

Looking back, if Wooly hadn't been awful at LaTech, he would have been a pretty good non-conventional hire.

Yard Dog · « **Reply #22 on:** February 12, 2015, 11:55:20 AM »

Quote from: Trim on February 12, 2015, 11:11:11 AM

I definitely don't want oscar to leave anymore.

Sarcasm?

michigancat · « **Reply #23 on:** February 12, 2015, 12:04:50 PM »

Thinking about Trim's post, it would also be pretty non-conventional to double down on oscar and give him yet another extension and let folks really know you're truly behind him (like, don't give him some bullshit meaningless extension like we did with Wooly). I think that could easily produce better results than hiring some mid-major dork or assistant from Kentucky.

ednksu · « **Reply #24 on:** February 12, 2015, 12:08:47 PM »

Quote from: Cartierfor3 on February 12, 2015, 10:46:02 AM

you guys, the day Huggins was hired was so freaking great. remember how excited you were? I mean my word fellas. Will anything ever feel like that again?

I just remember the feeling of impending joy when the rumors started and it started to heat up. Little kid "is this real life" moment" going on.