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If Cal is out, who do we hire?

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catfan220

Oct 19, 2022
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I want Cal gone, but I don't feel good about the possible coaching search after he's out. I don’t think we get any of the top tier guys that would make nearly everyone happy--Donovan, Stevens, Jay Wright, Hurley. So who's in that second tier?
  • Scott Drew (title in the weird Covid year, 53, maybe ready to move to a bigger stage)
  • Bruce Pearl (old, one final four ever, NCAA baggage, probably dreams of being the UK coach)
  • Nate Oats (intriguing but very limited success, plus the legal stuff last year, just signed an expensive contract extension)
  • Kelvin Sampson (68 years old, one final four, NCAA baggage)
  • Mark Few (doesn't seem like he'll ever leave Gonzaga)
  • Tony Bennett (the fanbase would revolt like Texas A&M hiring Stoops)
  • Musselman (seems to have peaked? Good recruiter but meh coach, and not a lot of success)
  • Chris Beard (major off court baggage)
  • Tommy Lloyd (no major success yet and a 15/2 upset last year, but definitely a promising young coach, not sure he would leave Arizona)
  • TJ Otzelberger (probably still borderline tier 3 but I'm keeping my eye on Iowa St this tournament, he's young with one Sweet Sixteen to his name, but he took over Iowa St after a 2-22 season and got them to the NCAA tourney the next year, now a 2 seed and a Big 12 title in year 3. 6-3 vs top 10 teams and beat Houston twice.)
Tier three are the young coaches with promise, not the kind of guys I'd expect us to go after considering the BCG debacle--Tod Golden, Dusty May, Bucky McMillan, Will Wade, probably a half dozen others.

Firstly, I don't ding anyone for past NCAA violations in the modern NIL era, but I don't know if Mitch sees it the same way. Personally I think Chris Beard is the best coach of the bunch, but again I don't think Barnhart will consider him.

I think Scott Drew, who according to Matt Jones is the most likely successor, is otherwise the best of that second tier. 53 years old, won a title, built that Baylor program up from the lowest of the low and is having consistent success. If Hurley doesn't win the title this year, then Drew has the better record of the two (Hurley had two R64 exits and two R32 exits before last season).

But I worry Scott Drew will be a good, not great coach for us, in the unfortunate limbo where you can't really justify firing him but we can't seem to get over the hump, either. Is this the time to go an unconventional route and hire someone from the NBA (out of my wheelhouse to name anyone), or a former player plus an experienced assistant to guide them (Rondo)? Or if Iowa St makes the EE/FF, do you take a swing at a possible rising star and hire TJ Otzelberger?

Thanks for coming to my TED Talk.
 
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catfan220 said:
TJ Otzelberger (probably still borderline tier 3 but I'm keeping my eye on Iowa St this tournament, he's young with one Sweet Sixteen to his name, but he took over Iowa St after a 2-22 season and got them to the NCAA tourney the next year, now a 2 seed and a Big 12 title in year 3. 6-3 vs top 10 teams and beat Houston twice.)
Click to expand...
Remarkable turnaround taking that program from 2 wins to the NCAA the following year. Right now he’s in the middle of nowhere and still has a better program than UK. Also took 6-8 shooter Milan Momcilovic from Tyler Herro’s AAU team and he‘s one of the best frosh in the Big 12. Cal never lifted a finger to recruit him.
 
Last edited:
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catfan220 said:
I want Cal gone, but I don't feel good about the possible coaching search after he's out. I don’t think we get any of the top tier guys that would make nearly everyone happy--Donovan, Stevens, Jay Wright, Hurley. So who's in that second tier?
  • Scott Drew (title in the weird Covid year, 53, maybe ready to move to a bigger stage)
  • Bruce Pearl (old, one final four ever, NCAA baggage, probably dreams of being the UK coach)
  • Nate Oats (intriguing but very limited success, plus the legal stuff last year, just signed an expensive contract extension)
  • Kelvin Sampson (68 years old, one final four, NCAA baggage)
  • Mark Few (doesn't seem like he'll ever leave Gonzaga)
  • Tony Bennett (the fanbase would revolt like Texas A&M hiring Stoops)
  • Musselman (seems to have peaked? Good recruiter but meh coach, and not a lot of success)
  • Chris Beard (major off court baggage)
  • Tommy Lloyd (no major success yet and a 15/2 upset last year, but definitely a promising young coach, not sure he would leave Arizona)
  • TJ Otzelberger (probably still borderline tier 3 but I'm keeping my eye on Iowa St this tournament, he's young with one Sweet Sixteen to his name, but he took over Iowa St after a 2-22 season and got them to the NCAA tourney the next year, now a 2 seed and a Big 12 title in year 3. 6-3 vs top 10 teams and beat Houston twice.)
Tier three are the young coaches with promise, not the kind of guys I'd expect us to go after considering the BCG debacle--Tod Golden, Dusty May, Bucky McMillan, Will Wade, probably a half dozen others.

Firstly, I don't ding anyone for past NCAA violations in the modern NIL era, but I don't know if Mitch sees it the same way. Personally I think Chris Beard is the best coach of the bunch, but again I don't think Barnhart will consider him.

I think Scott Drew, who according to Matt Jones is the most likely successor, is otherwise the best of that second tier. 53 years old, won a title, built that Baylor program up from the lowest of the low and is having consistent success. If Hurley doesn't win the title this year, then Drew has the better record of the two (Hurley had two R64 exits and two R32 exits before last season).

But I worry Scott Drew will be a good, not great coach for us, in the unfortunate limbo where you can't really justify firing him but we can't seem to get over the hump, either. Is this the time to go an unconventional route and hire someone from the NBA (out of my wheelhouse to name anyone), or a former player plus an experienced assistant to guide them (Rondo)? Or if Iowa St makes the EE/FF, do you take a swing at a possible rising star and hire TJ Otzelberger?

Thanks for coming to my TED Talk.
Click to expand...
go all in on Danny Hurley...I know he just got a big extension but he is the man right now...won the title last year and is very likely to win it again...
 
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I think Scott Drew would be Mitch’s first call and go from there. I’d expect Billy Donovan to be contacted and maybe even Brad Steven’s which is a long shot but it doesn’t hurt to ask
 
Lloyd and Drew fit for me off that list. Have recruited elite freshmen talent, successfully recruited transfers, and aren’t dinosaurs. All 3 of those criterion is kinda hard to find admittedly.
 
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Why do people think Donovan is a long shot? He is the first Call.


I believe his Chicago contract ends this year Conveniently and his time there hasn't been the best so Bulls want to move on.

College ball is less games than NBA but yea you have to recruit.
 
catfan220 said:
I want Cal gone, but I don't feel good about the possible coaching search after he's out. I don’t think we get any of the top tier guys that would make nearly everyone happy--Donovan, Stevens, Jay Wright, Hurley. So who's in that second tier?
  • Scott Drew (title in the weird Covid year, 53, maybe ready to move to a bigger stage)
  • Bruce Pearl (old, one final four ever, NCAA baggage, probably dreams of being the UK coach)
  • Nate Oats (intriguing but very limited success, plus the legal stuff last year, just signed an expensive contract extension)
  • Kelvin Sampson (68 years old, one final four, NCAA baggage)
  • Mark Few (doesn't seem like he'll ever leave Gonzaga)
  • Tony Bennett (the fanbase would revolt like Texas A&M hiring Stoops)
  • Musselman (seems to have peaked? Good recruiter but meh coach, and not a lot of success)
  • Chris Beard (major off court baggage)
  • Tommy Lloyd (no major success yet and a 15/2 upset last year, but definitely a promising young coach, not sure he would leave Arizona)
  • TJ Otzelberger (probably still borderline tier 3 but I'm keeping my eye on Iowa St this tournament, he's young with one Sweet Sixteen to his name, but he took over Iowa St after a 2-22 season and got them to the NCAA tourney the next year, now a 2 seed and a Big 12 title in year 3. 6-3 vs top 10 teams and beat Houston twice.)
Tier three are the young coaches with promise, not the kind of guys I'd expect us to go after considering the BCG debacle--Tod Golden, Dusty May, Bucky McMillan, Will Wade, probably a half dozen others.

Firstly, I don't ding anyone for past NCAA violations in the modern NIL era, but I don't know if Mitch sees it the same way. Personally I think Chris Beard is the best coach of the bunch, but again I don't think Barnhart will consider him.

I think Scott Drew, who according to Matt Jones is the most likely successor, is otherwise the best of that second tier. 53 years old, won a title, built that Baylor program up from the lowest of the low and is having consistent success. If Hurley doesn't win the title this year, then Drew has the better record of the two (Hurley had two R64 exits and two R32 exits before last season).

But I worry Scott Drew will be a good, not great coach for us, in the unfortunate limbo where you can't really justify firing him but we can't seem to get over the hump, either. Is this the time to go an unconventional route and hire someone from the NBA (out of my wheelhouse to name anyone), or a former player plus an experienced assistant to guide them (Rondo)? Or if Iowa St makes the EE/FF, do you take a swing at a possible rising star and hire TJ Otzelberger?

Thanks for coming to my TED Talk.
Click to expand...
Left out Donovan, I mean it wouldn’t hurt to ask him. Maybe he wants to make a jump back into college if the Bulls season doesn’t work out. Might be the perfect time to go after him
 
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dynastydreamuk said:
Why do people think Donovan is a long shot? He is the first Call.


I believe his Chicago contract ends this year Conveniently and his time there hasn't been the best so Bulls want to move on.

College ball is less games than NBA but yea you have to recruit.
Click to expand...
I don’t think he’s a long shot, I think it would be the best hire out of all of the coaches
 
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Smashcat said:
Remarkable turnaround taking that program from 2 wins to the NCAA the following year. Right now he’s in the middle of nowhere and still has a better program than UK. Also took 6-8 shooter Milan Moncilovic from Tyler Herro’s AAU team and he‘s one of the best frosh in the Big 12. Cal never lifted a finger to recruit him.
Click to expand...
And not just made the tournament in his first year, he went to the Sweet Sixteen! Here's a random stat--they have the highest steals per game of major conference teams (second only to Texas El Paso overall). If there's a coach who might entice Reed Sheppard to come back for another year, he could be the one. Defensive minded coach that really goes after the other team.
 
dynastydreamuk said:
Why do people think Donovan is a long shot? He is the first Call.


I believe his Chicago contract ends this year Conveniently and his time there hasn't been the best so Bulls want to move on.

College ball is less games than NBA but yea you have to recruit.
Click to expand...
My guess is if Donovan ever had a desire to come back to the college game, it's gone now with the craziness of the portal and NIL. But that's just my guess, and I agree he should get the first call.
 
LXWildcat said:
Left out Donovan, I mean it wouldn’t hurt to ask him. Maybe he wants to make a jump back into college if the Bulls season doesn’t work out. Might be the perfect time to go after him
Click to expand...
I included him in the top tier of guys I didn't think we could get, but see my other response below:
catfan220 said:
My guess is if Donovan ever had a desire to come back to the college game, it's gone now with the craziness of the portal and NIL. But that's just my guess, and I agree he should get the first call.
Click to expand...
 
catfan220 said:
I want Cal gone, but I don't feel good about the possible coaching search after he's out. I don’t think we get any of the top tier guys that would make nearly everyone happy--Donovan, Stevens, Jay Wright, Hurley. So who's in that second tier?
  • Scott Drew (title in the weird Covid year, 53, maybe ready to move to a bigger stage)
  • Bruce Pearl (old, one final four ever, NCAA baggage, probably dreams of being the UK coach)
  • Nate Oats (intriguing but very limited success, plus the legal stuff last year, just signed an expensive contract extension)
  • Kelvin Sampson (68 years old, one final four, NCAA baggage)
  • Mark Few (doesn't seem like he'll ever leave Gonzaga)
  • Tony Bennett (the fanbase would revolt like Texas A&M hiring Stoops)
  • Musselman (seems to have peaked? Good recruiter but meh coach, and not a lot of success)
  • Chris Beard (major off court baggage)
  • Tommy Lloyd (no major success yet and a 15/2 upset last year, but definitely a promising young coach, not sure he would leave Arizona)
  • TJ Otzelberger (probably still borderline tier 3 but I'm keeping my eye on Iowa St this tournament, he's young with one Sweet Sixteen to his name, but he took over Iowa St after a 2-22 season and got them to the NCAA tourney the next year, now a 2 seed and a Big 12 title in year 3. 6-3 vs top 10 teams and beat Houston twice.)
Tier three are the young coaches with promise, not the kind of guys I'd expect us to go after considering the BCG debacle--Tod Golden, Dusty May, Bucky McMillan, Will Wade, probably a half dozen others.

Firstly, I don't ding anyone for past NCAA violations in the modern NIL era, but I don't know if Mitch sees it the same way. Personally I think Chris Beard is the best coach of the bunch, but again I don't think Barnhart will consider him.

I think Scott Drew, who according to Matt Jones is the most likely successor, is otherwise the best of that second tier. 53 years old, won a title, built that Baylor program up from the lowest of the low and is having consistent success. If Hurley doesn't win the title this year, then Drew has the better record of the two (Hurley had two R64 exits and two R32 exits before last season).

But I worry Scott Drew will be a good, not great coach for us, in the unfortunate limbo where you can't really justify firing him but we can't seem to get over the hump, either. Is this the time to go an unconventional route and hire someone from the NBA (out of my wheelhouse to name anyone), or a former player plus an experienced assistant to guide them (Rondo)? Or if Iowa St makes the EE/FF, do you take a swing at a possible rising star and hire TJ Otzelberger?

Thanks for coming to my TED Talk.
Click to expand...
Bruce Pearl would be excellent....and Cal has baggage too.
 
dynastydreamuk said:
Why do people think Donovan is a long shot? He is the first Call.


I believe his Chicago contract ends this year Conveniently and his time there hasn't been the best so Bulls want to move on.

College ball is less games than NBA but yea you have to recruit.
Click to expand...
Why do people think Donovan has any idea how to build a program with NIL and the transfer portal? It's a completely different landscape than it was when he was last in college.
 
Woodrow_Call_1998 said:
It’s hard to judge. It would be interesting to see what some guys could do with the resources they would have here.
Click to expand...
Lots of folks talk about our supposedly top tier “resources”, but I recall Cal angry that Mitch won’t upgrade the aging Craft facilities. And, other schools have stepped it up with regards to resources, some maybe even better.

So can you further clarify what you meant by our resources and why they are something more special than anyone else?
 
catfan220 said:
I want Cal gone, but I don't feel good about the possible coaching search after he's out. I don’t think we get any of the top tier guys that would make nearly everyone happy--Donovan, Stevens, Jay Wright, Hurley. So who's in that second tier?
  • Scott Drew (title in the weird Covid year, 53, maybe ready to move to a bigger stage)
  • Bruce Pearl (old, one final four ever, NCAA baggage, probably dreams of being the UK coach)
  • Nate Oats (intriguing but very limited success, plus the legal stuff last year, just signed an expensive contract extension)
  • Kelvin Sampson (68 years old, one final four, NCAA baggage)
  • Mark Few (doesn't seem like he'll ever leave Gonzaga)
  • Tony Bennett (the fanbase would revolt like Texas A&M hiring Stoops)
  • Musselman (seems to have peaked? Good recruiter but meh coach, and not a lot of success)
  • Chris Beard (major off court baggage)
  • Tommy Lloyd (no major success yet and a 15/2 upset last year, but definitely a promising young coach, not sure he would leave Arizona)
  • TJ Otzelberger (probably still borderline tier 3 but I'm keeping my eye on Iowa St this tournament, he's young with one Sweet Sixteen to his name, but he took over Iowa St after a 2-22 season and got them to the NCAA tourney the next year, now a 2 seed and a Big 12 title in year 3. 6-3 vs top 10 teams and beat Houston twice.)
Tier three are the young coaches with promise, not the kind of guys I'd expect us to go after considering the BCG debacle--Tod Golden, Dusty May, Bucky McMillan, Will Wade, probably a half dozen others.

Firstly, I don't ding anyone for past NCAA violations in the modern NIL era, but I don't know if Mitch sees it the same way. Personally I think Chris Beard is the best coach of the bunch, but again I don't think Barnhart will consider him.

I think Scott Drew, who according to Matt Jones is the most likely successor, is otherwise the best of that second tier. 53 years old, won a title, built that Baylor program up from the lowest of the low and is having consistent success. If Hurley doesn't win the title this year, then Drew has the better record of the two (Hurley had two R64 exits and two R32 exits before last season).

But I worry Scott Drew will be a good, not great coach for us, in the unfortunate limbo where you can't really justify firing him but we can't seem to get over the hump, either. Is this the time to go an unconventional route and hire someone from the NBA (out of my wheelhouse to name anyone), or a former player plus an experienced assistant to guide them (Rondo)? Or if Iowa St makes the EE/FF, do you take a swing at a possible rising star and hire TJ Otzelberger?

Thanks for coming to my TED Talk.
Click to expand...
Even in the modern NIL era, you can’t beat up your wife
 
ukcatz12 said:
Why do people think Donovan has any idea how to build a program with NIL and the transfer portal? It's a completely different landscape than it was when he was last in college.
Click to expand...
Nil has been around basically 2 or 3 years, so if he comes back to college he's sooooooo far behind everybody else in learning it...oh my 🙄.

Transfer portal...well there were always transfers, now there are just more and they can play immediately. It's now easier to build a team quickly... and when you are at Kentucky you are a target location that good players want to come play at, especially since our NIL should be top ten among bb programs....sounds like it may be easier to me.
 
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TheDude73 said:
Lots of folks talk about our supposedly top tier “resources”, but I recall Cal angry that Mitch won’t upgrade the aging Craft facilities. And, other schools have stepped it up with regards to resources, some maybe even better.

So can you further clarify what you meant by our resources and why they are something more special than anyone else?
Click to expand...
I’m talking about the perks of being a part of a blue blood program. Being a coach at a basketball school has its advantages. I haven’t looked at it but I would bet our program is one of the top in the country as far as a recruiting budget goes, budget for coaching staff, etc.
 
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Why is no one talking about Brad Stevens ? He’s absolutely the best coach available including Hurley and Drew. He’s the one I would make say no!!
 
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