Sherri Is Getting a Raise?

[sybarite]

I won't deal with what other coaches at OU are making. That is a matter for JC. Let's just look at a bit of history: of Sherri and OU.

When the OU alumni decided in 46 to use sport to provide a bit of life in a desperate state, they wanted to build an image. They put everything into football. That was where the prestige of sport was, although it wasn't quite what it is now. The state was trying to overcome an image problem resulting from the Dust Bowl. OK. They did it. We did win three national titles in ten years with a program that had been what we might call a mid-major today.

Some people thought we played nobody, but they knew who we were. At least, we were on the front page of the sports section. We let it fall a bit, but rebuilt it. We ended up winning six titles in 35 years. When we won the second set of three, nobody complained about the strength of schedule. The top teams in the Big Eight were the best in the nation, and the bottom teams were strong enough to win.

Not always has the attention been positive. Some people thought of us as outlaws, mostly due to the jealousy of people like Royal, Dale Hanson, and Joe Paterno. Only Paterno later apologized. Mostly, it was that Royal couldn't recruit against Switzer.

It would be nice if we could have a positive image due to sport. It hasn't always been there in football, or basketball. But, we did get lucky. After making a horribly stupid mistake, we hired a highschool coach. She had no basis on which to build a program, but ended up in a national title game against the team that Connecticut still regards as its best ever. How that happened should cause everyone to stop and consider. But, suddenly, some of the negative aspects and images of the state were being coated with a layer of fresh paint.

We could point to a coach who not only took us to final fours, but also became the President of the Women's Coaches Association. Our coach was respected by her peers sufficiently to make her the President of the WBCA. Then, the coach became the coach of the FIBA national U-19 team. Not only that, our coach was gaining a reputation as an author, spokesman, and symbol of what women's basketball was supposed to be about.

I don't think it is easy to recruit basketball players to OU. But, it doesn't hurt to have a coach that has a reputation that is respected by all of her peers. This is what George Lynn Cross wanted for the university, a program that represented the university in a positive light, a program that provided a positive image for the state.

I still think Sherri Coale is a pretty good coach, and I think we will see final fours again soon. But, exactly what is it worth to the state of Oklahoma, the University of Oklahoma, to have someone like Sherri Coale carrying the banner?

I am pleased with what I have seen of Williams and Kindler. There are others who are gaining their own reputation for excellence, in both sport and humanity. What, exactly, is that worth?

Frankly, when I think of what we could have, like a certain coach to the south, I am very pleased to have someone representing the university that the nation honors. I also wouldn't be all that surprised if that last gambit didn't result in some recruiting gains.

 

[tycat947]

[/B]


Per Rockchalkblog.com Hendrickson is making $505,000 annually through 2018. However she did earn a $1.8 million bonus in 2009 of which $1.3 million was for merely not getting fired for cause during her first 5 years ($260,000/year). Apparently she no longer has that retention bonus in her contract.

http://rockchalkblog.com/2014/06/01/henricksons-tenure-at-kansas-lacks-success-stability/

Sorry, I was wrong. She only made $765,000 for 2 Sweet 16 appearances and a 171-154 overall record at KU.

I'm sure this was posted before but maybe it needs re-posting.

http://newsok.com/oklahoma-womens-b...h-shes-an-icon-for-ou/article/3940609/?page=1

 

[SoonerSpock]

Sorry, I was wrong. She only made $765,000 for 2 Sweet 16 appearances and a 171-154 overall record at KU.
I'm sure this was posted before but maybe it needs re-posting.

http://newsok.com/oklahoma-womens-b...h-shes-an-icon-for-ou/article/3940609/?page=1

Hendrickson's salary during her initial contract was $410K plus the $1.8 million bonus. That amounted to $770k per year for her first contract. Today she has a contract that amounts to an annual $265,000 cut in pay for through 2018 provided KU does not buy out her contract for non-performance.

 

[SoonerinNC]

Obviously Bay was eager to discount the Amanda Thompson class as a poor example of Sherri's recruiting because they have been gone for awhile.

I was not using that class to extoll her recruiting. I was simply pointing out that with her playing upper class players 30-37 or 38 minutes of a game and typically a 7 and sometimes 8 person rotation that it takes a while for the young players to emerge. Obviously exceptions are the Courtney Paris and DRobs of the world.

I think our incoming class is pretty good but we probably will not know for a couple of years. It took Ashley Paris and Abi O most of their career to make an impact, ditto Stevenson.

 

[sybarite]

“She is still way too young to be considered iconic, but what she has done to transform interest in women’s basketball is incredible.”

Castiglione is wrong. The 49-year-old Coale is not too young to be labeled iconic. That’s exactly what she is. An icon. A women’s basketball icon. An OU icon. A state of Oklahoma icon.

This is from the article cited by tycat.

Sherri Coale, Icon.

 

[atlantasooner]

Bobby Bowden = Icon
Barry Switzer = Icon
Bobby Knight = Icon
Joe Paterno = one time Icon (more listed here on not know when to exit the stage. I'm not implying Sherri has ever harbored anyone who hurts children)

Sherri Coale = iconic figure in OU's women hoops. A Mount Rushmore of one. There's no arguing this.

All Icons. Some thought they were bigger than the program. Some leave in scandal, some don't know when to exit stage left.
Icons are not immune to criticism. It's not some teflon armor.

But the last 4 years, are not iconic.
Conference titles, None.
Conference tourney titles, None.
Sherri's NEVER gone 4 years without winning a conference title. It just happened.
Judy Conradt and Marsha Sharp both realized that they needed to turn over their programs
to new coaches. It happens.

This is probably a crucial year for Sherri. Last year she seemed out of motivational options to push with the team. She never could figure out how to keep the team moving forward.
The usual chemistry rebound in early Feb never happened.
Was it bad recruiting? Bad talent evaluation? Bad coaching? I don't know.
Some of the suspects are gone, but a lot of that mix returns this year.

Bob got a huge wake up call. Partly by his brother, mostly by his coaching friend Sumlin smacking around the Sooners at Jerryworld.
Now, Bob seems re energized, especially in recruiting.

No reason Sherri cannot experience the same "renaissance" back to her elite standards.
The talented incoming recruiting class may be the medicine needed.
But radical changes may need to be made if 2014-2015 does not look a lot more like her usual iconic seasons.

 

[SoonerNorm]

If Sherri is going to get back in the conference winning column, I think this is her best chance to do so. Baylor should be down and Texas, while recruiting like crazy, is certainly not unbeatable yet.

How many women basketball coaches are there in the country who make 1 mil per year who haven't won a conference championship in the last 4 years? This isn't a trick question because I don't know but just wondering.

 

[Sweetest OU Girl]

How many women basketball coaches are there in the country who make 1 mil per year who haven't won a conference championship in the last 4 years?/QUOTE]

And my friend Norm,

How many women's basketball coaches have played the last 4 years in a conference with Miss (used loosely) Griner and/or several other players who were recruited illegally according to the NCAA (but with no real punishment or consequences)?

When a team is allowed to cheat with immunity it is pretty hard to measure the quality of their opponents in a reasonable and fair way.

Sherry is going to be the coach for the foreseeable future (fortunately) so if a fan wants to get any enjoyment from following the team you need to accept that. It sounds like some of you want a new coach.

My mom always told me this:

As you walk down life's long and sometimes lonesome pathway there will be many things you will want that you will not get. It helps build good character.

Lets do some character building here and quit bashing a remarkably successful coach.

 

[soonerstar]

Ross will be making 205,000 Thrailkill 150,000 and Decosta 139,000 for next season.

 

[SoonerNorm]

How many women basketball coaches are there in the country who make 1 mil per year who haven't won a conference championship in the last 4 years?/QUOTE]

And my friend Norm,

How many women's basketball coaches have played the last 4 years in a conference with Miss (used loosely) Griner and/or several other players who were recruited illegally according to the NCAA (but with no real punishment or consequences)?

When a team is allowed to cheat with immunity it is pretty hard to measure the quality of their opponents in a reasonable and fair way.

Sherry is going to be the coach for the foreseeable future (fortunately) so if a fan wants to get any enjoyment from following the team you need to accept that. It sounds like some of you want a new coach.

My mom always told me this:

As you walk down life's long and sometimes lonesome pathway there will be many things you will want that you will not get. It helps build good character.

Lets do some character building here and quit bashing a remarkably successful coach.

Nothing could be further from the truth. I have never called for the firing of Sherri. Do I think she should take steps to improve recruiting? You bet! That really is my only concern about the program. Improve recruiting and we win more games. Win more games and we have a chance of getting back to the final four. Get back to the final four and we have a chance if winning a NC. Win a NC and everyone is happy!

Did you find out the answer to my question?

 

[soonermike22]

As if we need another opinion of "pay raise", but I will give it anyway. The career accomplishments (on and off the court) by Coach Coale has earned her the right to be one of the better paid WBB coaches in the country, and receive raises along the way to keep here there. No doubt what-so-ever.
Does she deserve some lack of adoration by some fans for OU's team performance last year? Yes, but ALL coaches have off years, and last years off year followed a high achievement sweet 16 appearance. Lets wait and see how the next two or three years go on the court, and recruiting.

 

[BigT14]

As if we need another opinion of "pay raise", but I will give it anyway. The career accomplishments (on and off the court) by Coach Coale has earned her the right to be one of the better paid WBB coaches in the country, and receive raises along the way to keep here there. No doubt what-so-ever.
Does she deserve some lack of adoration by some fans for OU's team performance last year? Yes, but ALL coaches have off years, and last years off year followed a high achievement sweet 16 appearance. Lets wait and see how the next two or three years go on the court, and recruiting.

I agree completely.

 

[SoonerNorm]

I certainly agree that our last Sweet Sixteen appearance was a good coaching job, especially when you consider the injuries.

 

[sybarite]

I don't know whether Castiglione was stating fact or flattery when he said that Sherri was much too young to be considered an icon. I think that he has begun to treat her as one, and she appears to be regarded as one. She is, after all, forty-nine, no longer a child. But, she is also the one that was invited to speak at the Henry Iba dedication. It would appear that Sherri is called upon by the coaching community for a number of rather prestigious honors and positions.

Are other coaches at OU treated similarly? Mark Williams has won several national titles, and he is the best in the business as a men's gymnastics coach. Kindler is about as good as you can get at women's gymnastics. Patti Gasso is one of the top two or three softball coaches. Stoops does pretty well. But, are any of them called out to represent their sport on a national basis? You would think that Geno, the biggest winner, would be the one to speak for women's basketball. But, it does seem that Sherri is called upon for a lot of national honors. Who else at OU is like this?

If you are in David Boren's position or Joe Castiglione's position, how do you deal with Coale? She may be the one person that you would most like to advance as a representative of the State of Oklahoma. Who else is there? You might think of Reba, or Brad, or Garth. But, Coale is probably the person who best represents who you want to be the image of Oklahoma.

How do you reimburse that?

I'm not as concerned about the future of the program as some. One of the aspects that makes Sherri an Icon is that she strives for excellence. I strongly suspect that she will find a way to rekindle the fires of the program. She doesn't like to lose either. But, she does like to win the right way, and she wants her players to be the best that they can be, as players and as human beings.

Kim Mulkey has been to the same number of final fours as Sherri Coale. Kime has won two. But, at what price was this done? I don't know that Baylor is embarrassed that a player from each of their national title teams has expressed dismay at the betrayal that they felt, by both Baylor and Mulkey. Niemann and Griner both left on less than warm terms. I wonder if OU would have beaten Baylor three times when Courtney was a freshman if Niemann were still there with Sophia? I think Baylor may well side with Mulkey, or deny that there were any hard feelings. But, is the rest of the nation proud of Baylor for its treatment of Griner and Niemann? Has anyone considered Mulkey an Icon? You can lose while winning. Uruguay certainly has a lot of fans rooting against them right now that don't even know where Uruguay is.

You would like to win. But, you would also like to be able to point with pride at how you did it.

 

[Soonerbay]

As if we need another opinion of "pay raise", but I will give it anyway. The career accomplishments (on and off the court) by Coach Coale has earned her the right to be one of the better paid WBB coaches in the country, and receive raises along the way to keep here there. No doubt what-so-ever.
Does she deserve some lack of adoration by some fans for OU's team performance last year? Yes, but ALL coaches have off years, and last years off year followed a high achievement sweet 16 appearance. Lets wait and see how the next two or three years go on the court, and recruiting.

SCoale is more than likely paid for public speaking engagements and appearances. She also receives additional income from Nike. Her ambassadorship is not helping to bring student-athletes to the women's basketball program.

 

[sybarite]

SCoale is more than likely paid for public speaking engagements and appearances. She also receives additional income from Nike. Her ambassadorship is not helping to bring student-athletes to the women's basketball program.

Possibly. How would you explain the presence of Gabrielle Ortiz, Vionese Pierre-Louis, Gilyesa Penzo, McKenna Treece, and the myriad of Californians? Is it just coincidence that Gilyesa was at the U-16?