'24 Coaching Carousel Thread

[sooner333]

I'm not sure why you'd turn a blind eye to the LSU stuff. Also, I know that someone close to the program coached with Wade earlier in his career and Wade was slimy as hell then, too.

I think the rationale would be that it’s open season on paying players now, so past transgressions aren’t that relevant. Kind of like Kelvin and phone calls—that’s all legal now.

Do I think Joe C would think that way? No, I don’t.

 

[WTSooner]

Agreed but I won't knock anyone for their opinion(s).

Head coaches start out as assistants in college...unless it's some rare example like Penny Hardaway.

But I just feel like where OU's at, if Moser left, and where they're headed, they need someone with bonafide head coaching experience.

Looking into OU's past head coaches (modern era)...

Dave Bliss is the only coach that was an assistant at his previous stop (Indiana) before becoming OU's head coach. Joe Ramsey if you want to count him but that was due to the head coach, Les Lane, dying before his first game.

I agree with this for the most part, and OU probably really shouldn't take a chance on a completely unproven guy given where our program is and that we're headed to the SEC, but I wouldn't want to 100% rule it out if we found the right assistant. Sure, it'd be taking a little bit of a gamble, but that may be what OU has to do, especially if we want to find a high upside guy. Not sure any of the more established coaches we could land would be high-upside guys. Maybe a few younger HC's that would fit that, but they are risky too, which is why I wouldn't want to rule out getting the right assistant. Like Arizona did with landing the Gonzaga assistant. There are guys out there.

 

[StoopsBros]

It'll be interesting to see if Indiana hurries up so they can try to get May instead of letting him go to Ohio State. Regardless, Indiana should get rid of Woodson. That was an awful hire.

 

[red recluse]

my god $12 million? i should have parlayed my average grades into being an average coach.

 

[SoonerBounce13]

I mean when we fall coming out of the gates our 2nd halves are destined to be better right?

Except my perception is kind of the opposite. We start slow but are pretty even at half and then fall apart the last ten minites

 

[allday92]

for humor's sake...

SB VERY HYPOTHETICAL HOT BOARD

(too early? I don't care)

​

Main candidate list....

Or the coaches I'd do extensive research on/contact

no real order...except as they pop into my head

Amir Abdur-Rahim (South Florida)

It might be too early for AAR to get the OU job but damn, this guy seems like a really good coach. Another way to say it? He's high on my list and would be a great 3rd or 4th option. USF plays a fun style of basketball. I'd take AAR over Kellen and it's not particularly close.

Will Wade (McNeese State)

It's a hypothetical list so why not....I'd hire Wade, for sure. I don't give a single **** about the LSU stuff. The guy has won 22+ games (in a season) at Chattanooga, VCU, LSU, and now lowly McNeese State. Unlike Moser, Wade knows how to fill a roster (immediately) with talent no matter the conference. Legally, illegally. Unfortunately, Wade isn't likely a guy Joe C would hire.

Kyle Smith (Washington State)

For starters, the last head coach OU hired away from Washington State worked out well (until, you know, texts and Indiana). Which of course means it would happen again, lol. Smith has produced winners at three programs that are tough to win at - Wazzu, San Francisco, and Columbia. He flat-out knows how to coach. All that said, it doesn't feel like the greatest fit and he's already 54 years old. The OU job could turn into a serious (roster) rebuild and I have questions if Smith is the guy for it.

Kim English (Providence)

It's still so early in his career but I'm impressed. If you've ever heard Coach English talk, he just gets it. Very smart and charismatic personality. He took over a tough job post-Ed Cooley being a bitch and has had them playing pretty well despite the season ending injury to arguably their best player (Bryce Hopkins). As far as fit, English, as most remember, played at Mizzou. He's also coached at Tulsa, Colorado, and Tennessee as an assistant. Basically, I think English is the type who could work out almost anywhere (East coast guy but has been all over the map).

Mark Pope (BYU)

I have no idea what his salary is or what his buyout would be. But...BYU might play my favorite brand of basketball in CBB right now. They are a fun team. They don't have a wealth of elite talent but are competitive. I'd very much be interested in Pope coming to OU. The issue is...he's in his happy place it seems and I doubt he'd leave...so this is more of a hypothetical.

Further down the list: Drew Valentine (Loyola), Josh Schertz (Indiana State), Danny Sprinkle (Utah State), Darian DeVries (Drake), Brian Wardle (Bradley), Dustin Kerns (Appalachian State), Mark Byington (James Madison), Scott Cross (Troy), Takayo Siddle (UNC Wilmington), Jerod Haase (Stanford), Bryce Drew (Grand Canyon), Wes Miller (Cincinnati).

Brief synopsis on each...

Valentine - tapping the Loyola well again? Risky and I think Valentine still has to win some games in the tourney, or he'll need to stay another year at Loyola, but eh, he's young and his trajectory looks brighter than Moser's. I could see a school take the risk earlier than one would assume. DePaul should be clamoring for the guy but no one will accuse DePaul of making smart decisions.

Schertz - he's won at two levels but I want to see how he does in his conference tourney/NCAA tourney

Sprinkle - has never left the West and seems destined for Washington. Otherwise, he did a hell of job filling the USU roster and winning in a tough conference

DeVries - from the McDermott tree. Can coach but has only had success at one place

Wardle - this is a guy most haven't heard of but he knows how to coach basketball. Only 44 y/o.

Kerns - could propel himself into the main 4-5 with a nice conference/NCAA run. I'm impressed with his style of play/resume

Byington - has done a fantastic job at James Madison but he's an East coast guy and seems to be odds-on favorite to land the WVU job

Cross - another guy who's not a buzzworthy/known name but has strong ties in Texas. He's been at UT Arlington and now Troy. Has found success at both and those aren't exactly easy programs to win at. But he's way, way down my list.

Siddle - young coach (only 37). He's only been a HC for 4 years but in those 4 years? Three seasons over 20 wins. East coast guy. NC State should think about axing Keatts to grab this (potential) star. Maybe next year if no one scoops up Siddle.

Haase - weird inclusion, I know. He's about to get fired from Stanford...but he had success at UAB, can recruit his ass off, and might find success at his next stop. A change of scenery could work for him. Stanford is a tough job. For what it's worth, he's very far down the list. Former KU player/assistant.

Drew - he failed at Vanderbilt but it's hard to ignore his basketball pedigree and successes at Valparaiso &/or Grand Canyon. He'd be far down the list but worth a look.

Miller - he's a good coach but hasn't completely gotten Cincy back to where they want to be. They're a tough ass team though.

Not listing assistants because I don't think that's smart heading into the SEC.

Others I'd call and make them say no but are very, very, very, very unlikely....

You could say StoopsBros' Dream List

Mark Few (Gonzaga)

Yeah, not happening but did you know Few only makes $2M per year? Offer him $4-5M per and make him say no.

Greg McDermott (Creighton)

Same thought process as Few, McDermott only makes $2M ish per year. Offer him $4-5M per and see what happens. There are contract talk rumors though so it looks like Creighton will increase his salary. Thanks Ohio State.

Dusty May (Florida Atlantic)

He's down here because he'll end up elsewhere either because of the timing/a "better" program came calling. Otherwise, he would be a top 3 choice for me. Trending towards being the next Ohio State coach. Thank Lebron James.

Chris Beard (Ole Miss)

He's here because his past likely prevents Joe C from having him anywhere near his call list but damn, Beard is a really good coach. The rumors are, he's already looking for his next stop, and could land at several options like Arkansas. This year or next. Eh, it's tough. A guy who can coach but is a **** human. Man.

Grant McCasland (Texas Tech)

Tech supports basketball better than OU right now and it doesn't seem likely that 1) he'd leave Tech or 2) OU would pay anywhere close to what it would take to get him to leave (best guess without looking - $6-7M buyout + a salary increase to $4-5M). But I would at least look into the idea.

Please God, no. Don't ****ing do it Joe C...

Kellen Sampson (Houston assistant/HCIW)

Kellen is cool and all, I like him as a person, and it's a nice story but he has never been a head coach. Personally, I think OU's basketball program is better than a junior varsity hire like this. As they head into a new conference, you absolutely need to find something you'd label as more of a guarantee. JMO.

Buzz Williams (Texas A&M)

As others have said, several years ago, I would have been okay with Buzz at OU. But looking at his history, including his time at A&M, he's just very meh to me now. If the choice became Buzz or Kellen, I'd take Buzz but there are much better candidates out there who seem more committed to program building and winning.

Quannas White/Hollis Price/any other former OU player who has never been more than an assistant

PLEASE STOP LISTING THEM AS HEAD COACH CANDIDATES. Thanks, management.

Bobby Hurley (Arizona State)

There's nothing that points to this being a reality but...there are rumors he's looking to parachute out of Tempe. This is gross to admit as an OU fan, on an OU message board, but I also moonlight as a Duke fan (I'm from the South originally). Or at least I used to be (don't follow them as religiously as OU these days post-Coach K). Hurley is one of my top Duke players ever but as a coach, I think he's pretty average and OU, hypothetically, feels like an awful fit.

Kevin Kruger (UNLV)

Not that it's likely at all but keep Kruger Jr away from OU. The Runnin' Rebels are playing much better now, against the weaker MWC teams, but UNLV isn't going to be dancing unless they win the MWC tourney. Year 3 and zero tourney berths at UNLV, a program committed to basketball? Yeah, no thanks. He's probably the one guy I'd hire Kellen over.

I'd add one name to the dream list - Tony Bennett. The past few years at Virginia, while solid, haven't been the normal peak during his tenure there. Some rumors that he may be stepping down at the end of the year, so he may just need a change of scenery.

 

[StoopsBros]

I'd add one name to the dream list - Tony Bennett. The past few years at Virginia, while solid, haven't been the normal peak during his tenure there. Some rumors that he may be stepping down at the end of the year, so he may just need a change of scenery.

Now there's a dilemma.

He's proven himself to be a great coach and a winner.

But man, could I watch his style of play day-in, day-out? I don't know. It's really boring, to me.

 

[TEvans4Three]

Why I want Kyle Smith...

Year Before/Last Year	Team	KP Rank	Record	Off	Def	Total
2010​	Columbia	297	11-17	309	234
2016​	Columbia	113	25-10	54	209	101-82 (55.2%)
2016​	San Francisco	205	15-15	129	291
2019​	San Francisco	67	21-10	232	45	63-40 (61.2%)
2019​	Washington State	207	11-21	140	284
2024​	Washington State	39	23-7	46	36	92-68 (57.5%)

 

[hoopsaustin]

Anyone interested in Paul Mills from WSU? WichitaSooner thoughts?

 

[WichitaSooner]

Anyone interested in Paul Mills from WSU? WichitaSooner thoughts?

I thought WSU made a good hire but man they’ve had a rough year. They have a couple talented players and I think they excepted to be more competitive this season. Their two biggest issues seem to be turnovers and really bad starts to the second half. Who knows if that’s a fluke deal, could just be a one-year blip. I’m guessing he probably needs to show more success in the AAC before a power conference comes calling.

 

[IndySooner]

I think the rationale would be that it’s open season on paying players now, so past transgressions aren’t that relevant. Kind of like Kelvin and phone calls—that’s all legal now.

Do I think Joe C would think that way? No, I don’t.

I might agree with you if I didn't know about his overall character. And believe me, Joe C. would know about it given who he's connected to.

 

[IndySooner]

It'll be interesting to see if Indiana hurries up so they can try to get May instead of letting him go to Ohio State. Regardless, Indiana should get rid of Woodson. That was an awful hire.

A good friend of mine worked with Dusty May on Knight's staff. He told me the other day he'd be shocked if he went to Ohio State because he wants the Indiana job.

 

[TEvans4Three]

I thought WSU made a good hire but man they’ve had a rough year. They have a couple talented players and I think they excepted to be more competitive this season. Their two biggest issues seem to be turnovers and really bad starts to the second half. Who knows if that’s a fluke deal, could just be a one-year blip. I’m guessing he probably needs to show more success in the AAC before a power conference comes calling.

So essentially Moser 2.0

 

[StoopsBros]

Okay, taking Tarleton out of the OP/chart.

 

[hoopsaustin]

Okay, taking Tarleton out of the OP/chart.

This is the strangest coaching thing I've ever read before

 

[StoopsBros]

Okay, Kruger just took down San Diego State and is trying hard to steal an NCAA bid. Time to take him off the hot seat list.

Still wouldn't want him, lol.

 

[StoopsBros]

Louisville update

 

[StoopsBros]

 

[StoopsBros]

 

[AnotherSoonerInTX]

IUPUI was the team that lost to Detroit Mercy, breaking Detroit's long losing streak.

Those logos and unis are probably going with IUPUI's name change. They will soon be IUI (Indiana University-Indianapolis).