If not Scott Drew, go with a young coach.

[LineSkiCat14]

If we're not going to get our Tier1 or Tier2 guys. I'd rather go with a young coach, who we might not have to pay a ton, and who might actually prove to be a great hire, than dip into Tier3 guys who really just don't do it for me.

I'd rather take a chance on Golden, Pope, or someone else, and see if we can hit a home run for the next 20 years. You're not going to find a "Hurley" in a guy like Chris Beard, but you never know who the next great coaches could be lying in wait. There could be another Hurley type out there.

I think UK needs to try and snag these guys earlier, and not wait until they are established. I think that's where we might be missing the mark.

It's risky, but you can always cut ties in 3 years, and THEN, that's when you hire Hurley as there is almost no chance he can keep this success going at Uconn. He'd be much easier to steal if he misses a final 4 for a few years.

 

[CatsFanIL]

If we're not going to get our Tier1 or Tier2 guys. I'd rather go with a young coach, who we might not have to pay a ton, and who might actually prove to be a great hire, than dip into Tier3 guys who really just don't do it for me.

I'd rather take a chance on Golden, Pope, or someone else, and see if we can hit a home run for the next 20 years. You're not going to find a "Hurley" in a guy like Chris Beard, but you never know who the next great coaches could be lying in wait. There could be another Hurley type out there.

I think UK needs to try and snag these guys earlier, and not wait until they are established. I think that's where we might be missing the mark.

It's risky, but you can always cut ties in 3 years, and THEN, that's when you hire Hurley as there is almost no chance he can keep this success going at Uconn. He'd be much easier to steal if he misses a final 4 for a few years.

I wrote a post for KY Insider on 4 young college coaches from mid-majors that - in no serious way will UK actually consider - but fit the mold of the most recent championship coaches

Dany Hurley: Came from Rhode Island
Bill Self: Slightly misdirected, but Illinois (P5) grabbed him from Tulsa
Scott Drew: came from Valpo
Tony Bennett: came from Washington ST
Calipari even came from a non-P5 conference

There's real value in coaches outside the P5. We all want the major sexy, homerun hire - but sometimes that doesn't mean it's the best hire, perhaps especially in the Portal era where HS recruiting isn't as important as it used to be.