Hoops: College coaching carousel 2025

[Gerry Hamilton]

11 minutes ago, THookem said:

$ subscription required but you should get the gist 

 

 

Would be a bad hire for IU IMO

Need more of a NBA offensive mind ... as will an SEC school when the job opens

[Gerry Hamilton]

26 minutes ago, THookem said:

 

Will it be Sean Miller or Cronin at Miami? Those remain the two I've heard ... but I'm quite sure there are 2-3 others truly in the mix

[Jordan91]

25 minutes ago, Gerry Hamilton said:

Would be a bad hire for IU IMO

Need more of a NBA offensive mind ... as will an SEC school when the job opens

Interesting Mr. Hamilton.

[bierce]

Bobby Hurley might still be safe and can blame future misfortune on losing Quaintance for however many more games he misses, but things are pretty ugly in Tempe with the frequency of player ejections there, the latest of which happened last night in a home loss to TCU, just the Frogs' second win this year away from Schollmaier.

Johnny Dawkins signed an extension to keep him at UCF through the 2026-27 season, and he may be safe due to UCF not yet getting full revenue share from the Big 12, but losing yesterday to let Colorado get its first conference win of the year shows his days are numbered, even in that number is over 365.  Dawkins coached UCF through its transition from the AAC into the Big 12, but you have to think once UCF will want some better results after it starts getting full P5 money than a single NCAA appearance in 9 seasons, and no, UCF was not going to get in the tournament in 2020.  However, UCF doesn't get full Big 12 revenue share until 2025-26, so maybe Dawkins gets one more year.  I haven't confirmed the report, but I read somewhere that the Pac 12 imports will receive full shares this year, btw.  

Moser might have similar protection from firing by OU this year.  OU and Texas received partial shares from the SEC in February for the 2023-24 fiscal year.  

[Jordan91]

7 minutes ago, bierce said:

Bobby Hurley might still be safe and can blame future misfortune on losing Quaintance for however many more games he misses, but things are pretty ugly in Tempe with the frequency of player ejections there, the latest of which happened last night in a home loss to TCU, just the Frogs' second win this year away from Schollmaier.

Johnny Dawkins signed an extension to keep him at UCF through the 2026-27 season, and he may be safe due to UCF not yet getting full revenue share from the Big 12, but losing yesterday to let Colorado get its first conference win of the year shows his days are numbered, even in that number is over 365.  Dawkins coached UCF through its transition from the AAC into the Big 12, but you have to think once UCF will want some better results after it starts getting full P5 money than a single NCAA appearance in 9 seasons, and no, UCF was not going to get in the tournament in 2020.  However, UCF doesn't get full Big 12 revenue share until 2025-26, so maybe Dawkins gets one more year.  I haven't confirmed the report, but I read somewhere that the Pac 12 imports will receive full shares this year, btw.  

Moser might have similar protection from firing by OU this year.  OU and Texas received partial shares from the SEC in February for the 2023-24 fiscal year.  

Both Hurley’s can’t stop screaming at the refs. 

[TexasFanatic]

@Gerry Hamilton What does Terry have to do to keep the job? 

Make weekend 2?

[bierce]

Rutgers is now 12-14, 5-10, after losing by 18 to Oregon tonight.  It has the number 2 and number 3 recruit in the country in the 2024 class, both likely to be top 5 pick in the upcoming draft.  I know Rutgers has been next to nothing in basketball since the mid 1980s, but I have to think Rutgers is now regretting giving Pikiell an extension two years ago that locks him in through 2030-31. 

[Gerry Hamilton]

16 hours ago, TexasFanatic said:

@Gerry Hamilton What does Terry have to do to keep the job? 

Make weekend 2?

Tend to think so, as of today

[harveycmd]

On 2/15/2025 at 10:28 AM, Gerry Hamilton said:

Would be a bad hire for IU IMO

Need more of a NBA offensive mind ... as will an SEC school when the job opens

NBA has sucked for at least fifteen years. True, it's all offense now because of NBA rules and refs, but the college game isn't called the same. Need a guy who can recruit and motivate a bunch of prima donnas to move the ball and their bodies on offense rather than standing for threes and picks while also hustling on defense. 

[bierce]

1 hour ago, harveycmd said:

NBA has sucked for at least fifteen years. True, it's all offense now because of NBA rules and refs, but the college game isn't called the same. Need a guy who can recruit and motivate a bunch of prima donnas to move the ball and their bodies on offense rather than standing for threes and picks while also hustling on defense. 

You're really Draymond Green, aren't you?

[bierce]

I'm going to lay out my reasons for thinking Richard Pitino would be a great hire for someone, including a P5 school in Texas:

1) I think he learned a lot from his dad, including the down-side of being a sleaze-bag.  He also was an assistant to Donovan for a couple of years, replacing Smart.

2) Plays uptempo.  Didn't do that so dramatically while at Minnesota, but his teams rarely played at a slow pace even there.  His teams don't usually shoot a lot of threes, but you can say that about his dad, Self, Otzelberger, and Izzo, among others.

3) Still young.  Would come here at the same age Barnes did, so he can be a generational coach.

4) Has 8 years experience in Big Ten.  Didn't win the world over at Minnesota, but Minnesota is one of the crappiest jobs in the Big Ten with huge disadvantages in recruiting and poor finances for a Big Ten school.  It didn't even have a dedicated practice facility when he got there, and the arena is 100 years old.  And it took a brutal rash of injuries to derail his last season from a likely NCAA tournament bid, which would have been his 3rd in 4 seasons not counting the COVID year.  It is possible he was hired at too young an age at that point.  He was only 30 then and had only one year as a head coach at FIU.

5) Finds talent in a lot of places, like Dallas.  See Toppin.  Has contacts in Miami area and Florida from his FIU year.  Has contacts in Phoenix and So Cal.  Has mined international waters.  Did a good job of mining the portal as well.  While at Minnesota, he locked down the state in the 2016 and 2018 recruiting classes, getting guys like Kalscheur, Coffey, and Oturu.

6) Took over a New Mexico program that was driven down to 294 in Pomeroy by his predecessor.  UNM was 2-15 in the MWC before he arrived.  5-12, 8-10, 10-8, and now 14-1 in the last four seasons.  Started beating P5 teams this year (UCLA, USC on neutral floors). 

7) Negligible buyout and his current contract with UNM maxes at $1.3M per year.  I know that money is supposed to be no object, but he supposedly has a coach's buyout of only $750,000.  Peanuts.  We can sell that to BMDs with the ticket that we can take all the savings throw it at some players. 

I don't have CBSSN, so I can't watch much of their games, but he definitely has done very well in four years at New Mexico. 

It makes more sense than throwing $7 million or more a year to blast a P5 coach away from his current gig. 

OK, the allegedly bad.

He was rumored to have had bad relationships with players at UNM.  I can't find any confirmation of that.  Coffey's dad denied it.  Buggs was the only significant player to transfer away while Pitino was there.  Mashburn followed him to UNM.  So I don't put much stock into those rumors.  Mashburn did decide to go to Temple this year for his 5th season, and Toppin took the money, but it's not like UNM has been bleeding players, and turnover is extremely low for UNM given what's going on in the basketball world with the portal.

While he did own the state in recruiting in 2018, he didn't show it in 2020, losing Suggs and Garcia to Gonzaga and Marquette.  Suggs later claimed Pitino didn't show enough interest in him.  I take that with some skepticism because Suggs was claiming he had already agreed to play football from Fleck and just wanted Pitino to show more enthusiasm.  So then he goes to a school that doesn't play FBS football?  Huh.

He was around Louisville 2011-2012 season.  That was on of the years the madame alleged McGee was bringing her girls to the players and recruits at the dorms.  McGee and Pitino's dad were the only ones punished for that, and as far as I am aware, baby Pitino's name never came up, but I admit that I didn't read her book.  And he was long gone before the story broke and even longer gone by the time Louisville was alleged to have dropped a ton of money on Bowen.

So I am convinced a P5 program will grab Richard Pitino this spring and probably do very well for itself. 

 

 

[bierce]

I am definitely going to watch UNM @ SDSU on FS1 on 2/25.  

[Gerry Hamilton]

5 hours ago, harveycmd said:

NBA has sucked for at least fifteen years. True, it's all offense now because of NBA rules and refs, but the college game isn't called the same. Need a guy who can recruit and motivate a bunch of prima donnas to move the ball and their bodies on offense rather than standing for threes and picks while also hustling on defense. 

The college game is pretty much the NBA game ... just with some guys coaching it better than others. 

It's all NBA based offensively ... they run all the same stuff the NBA and top overseas team run. 

[tylerlindsey2111]

Just now, Gerry Hamilton said:

The college game is pretty much the NBA game ... just with some guys coaching it better than others. 

It's all NBA based offensively ... they run all the same stuff the NBA and top overseas team run. 

Gerry, chill out. You're making too much sense. Don't you know the low shooting percentage/high turnover numbers in college are a much better product than the NBA's spacing and pace?!

[tylerlindsey2111]

For those of you who are not hoops fans, if you want to know what trends are coming next, you can look to two areas:

Offense: look at high level European basketball. That is where all the NBA guys steal their stuff, which creates the trickle down.

Defense: look at the NBA. NBA coaches are 10 years ahead of any other league with their defensive stuff, yet all you ever hear is how teams don't play defense.

[THookem]

https://www.indystar.com/story/sports/college/indiana/2025/02/16/indiana-basketball-coaching-rumors-will-mick-cronin-leave-ucla/78813368007/

[THookem]

https://augustafreepress.com/news/new-today-we-know-who-uva-athletics-is-working-with-in-the-basketball-coach-search/

[THookem]

https://augustafreepress.com/news/temperature-check-uva-basketball-coach-ron-sanchez-after-win-at-virginia-tech/

[bierce]

OK, maybe here is the boil on Pitino's record.

Shane Douma-Sanchez, a non-scholarship player, recently sued UNM and Pitino, claiming the coaching staff turned a blind eye after he reported he was punched in the face and then in a previously injured arm after an argument with teammate about seating arrangements on the flight to Palm Springs. 

https://www.koat.com/article/lobos-basketball-civil-rights-suit-unm-pitino-hazing/63314185

[Jordan91]

7 minutes ago, bierce said:

OK, maybe here is the boil on Pitino's record.

Shane Douma-Sanchez, a non-scholarship player, recently sued UNM and Pitino, claiming the coaching staff turned a blind eye after he reported he was punched in the face and then in a previously injured arm after an argument with teammate about seating arrangements on the flight to Palm Springs. 

https://www.koat.com/article/lobos-basketball-civil-rights-suit-unm-pitino-hazing/63314185

Need to hear the other side. 

[Assistant Regional Manager]

LSU reportedly planning to bring back McMahon for a fourth season and increase NIL.

Apparently they have the second lowest NIL budget in the SEC behind South Carolina at just under $2 million per year. No coincidence OU, LSU and South Carolina have the lowest NIL budgets in the conference and are the bottom 3 teams in the standings.

[Jordan91]

38 minutes ago, Assistant Regional Manager said:

LSU reportedly planning to bring back McMahon for a fourth season and increase NIL.

Apparently they have the second lowest NIL budget in the SEC behind South Carolina at just under $2 million per year. No coincidence OU, LSU and South Carolina have the lowest NIL budgets in the conference and are the bottom 3 teams in the standings.

They need to be careful with NIL. Kansas gave AJ Storr, Texas first target in the portal, one million to score 6 points a game. 

[Gerry Hamilton]

15 hours ago, Assistant Regional Manager said:

LSU reportedly planning to bring back McMahon for a fourth season and increase NIL.

Apparently they have the second lowest NIL budget in the SEC behind South Carolina at just under $2 million per year. No coincidence OU, LSU and South Carolina have the lowest NIL budgets in the conference and are the bottom 3 teams in the standings.

OU is going to fire a quality coach in Porter Moser because they haven't given him the ability to truly compete. He may not be an ideal fit there, but he will be successful at his next stop IMO 

OU will have to get much more invested in next hire, which the profit sharing will allow for. 

[tylerlindsey2111]

15 hours ago, Jordan91 said:

They need to be careful with NIL. Kansas gave AJ Storr, Texas first target in the portal, one million to score 6 points a game. 

Man, KU has spent a ton since NIL/Free Agency became a thing and it feels like, outside of Dickinson, they have whiffed a lot.

[ClubWhatever]

1 hour ago, Gerry Hamilton said:

OU is going to fire a quality coach in Porter Moser because they haven't given him the ability to truly compete. He may not be an ideal fit there, but he will be successful at his next stop IMO 

OU will have to get much more invested in next hire, which the profit sharing will allow for. 

He's lost countless games at OU due to bad coaching down the stretch.  He does not coach his team to play smart at crunch time.  Has really underachieved given their talent for several years and deserves to be fired.