I am hearing the search firm has developed a new short list for consideration:
Andy Kennedy
Mark Fox
Kevin Ollie
Tubby Smith
This is no exaggeration.... I would almost guarantee I would take all 4 of them over Jent.
Jeff Goodman aka The Coach Whisperer says
- Thread starter WillFerrell
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This is no exaggeration.... I would almost guarantee I would take all 4 of them over Jent.
LOL yeah cause Jent is so qualified. Come on man... you can't possibly think Jent has good qualifications.
Has nothing to do with getting a name coach. I would take just about anyone we have seen mentioned(Grant, Musselman, Oates, Hurley, Schmidt, etc..) over Jent.
I say this half kidding, but whatever small part the fans might play in this I am hoping that bwh05 is a mole type for the University and is gauging fan response to someone like Jent.
It would suck bwh05. LOL....
I've no doubt they met. And if she knows him, they should have met. But if he is a serious top or even secondary candidate, Heather has serious judgement issues on the state of the fan base and program. The major problem of cratering attendance and revenues that spurred moving on from Stallings would only continue unless he proves to be some sort of coaching wizzard in year one. But it would be one ugly summer and one disastrous season ticket selling season to start. Better not even hold a press conference for that one.
I've already diverted my contributions to the academic side from athletics. If this guy or someone similar is hired, I won't be at many games next year and I certainly won't have season's tickets. It will be very easy to get excellent seats for every game at bargain basement prices in the $10/game range. I also think that we have one shot with this coaching change. If we F it up, the fanbase will disappear more than it has for a lot longer than a few years.
I'll be going to some games and I'll watch the games. Sure, I'm willing to give him a chance and will be interested to see what kind of coach any hire will be. But I doubt any of us knows how Jent is involved, if he is. No need to go off on that right now.
To put this in context, until this past year, I attended every home Pitt basketball game, with only a couple of exceptions due to work duties when I was out-of-town. This past year, I attended maybe 6 home games. Depending on the coaching hire, that number could go up or down next year.
I'd hope I could quit watching, although I doubt it because I am an idiot and glutten for punishment, but I would not support the athletic department in any way, beyond our family obligations and interactions for their achievements. Not a dollar from me in the form of a donation or a ticket. Not even an away game.
How is Jent taking more of a chance than a Grant or Becker?
Someone thought enough of him to select him as an NBA interim coach over the other assistants.
Someone thought enough of him to select him as a D league Head Coach.
Maybe coaching in the NBA and D league gives you some insight into how to handle and coach today's players.
I will give any Pitt coach a chance regardless of the category they come from.
A retread like Matta or Crean. An upper and comer like Hurley. Someone from more than a level down like Grant or Becker. NBA assistants like Jent and Shrewsbury. NCAAB assistants like Sanchez.
Howland was a no name and Dixon was an assistant.
Good coaches arise from many sources. The person that is doing the hiring just needs to know what they are doing.
She's sees somebody she knows personally from her time at Ohio State. Familiarity = comfort. She's in an uncomfortable circumstance now thanks to Barnes, but she's going to have to rise up and do better than Jent.
I suspect this will be the reaction most have. I'm just telling you that it's a possibility so brace yourselves.
Because he has virtually no experience at the college level and is, by no means, a coach that has any buzz around the college profession. D league coaching experience doesn't mean squat for running a college program. Whether you or I give him a chance or not, a large portion of the remaining fanbase, which is already quite small, probably won't. You don't need to be some sort of savant to realize how it would go over. The optics would look extremely bad to an already skeptical fan base. Of all the available coaches out there, this would be an eyebrow raiser, and not in a good way. If it didn't work insanely well, and almost immediately, it would likely torch Lyke's career and it would destroy Pitt's program for a decade.
Howland was a D1 head coach for 5 seasons, building a moribund Northern Arizona program to 3 straight 20+ win seasons, two conference championships and their first ever NCAA tourney appearance. Plus he had 12 additional years experience as a D1 assistant before arriving at Pitt. Jamie at least had 12 years as a D1 college assistant.
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I’ll give any coach, including him a chance.
However if he is hired it shows that either Pitt doesn’t care about winning or they don’t have a clue what they’re doing.
So you’d rather him than Musselman who been an NBA HEAD coach and coached in the D league AND has actually a proven track record as a college head coach?
Let's qualify this. It won't matter if I attend the games because I'm one of a few hundred diehard Pitt basketball fans who give a damn. What matters is what the other thousands of fans and former fans who abandoned this program when Stallings was hired now think about the hire. I guarantee that if it's Jent or anyone else with no college basketball coaching experience to speak of, especially at this level, there will be less fans in the stands than at the end of the year this year. And no, coaching as an assistant for a few seconds at O$U does not count as collegiate coaching experience. He's been mostly in the pros and that right there is a black eye in my books.
With Hurly that’s what I’m afraid of , coming here and having moderate success takes the bloom of the rose . UConn might be an easier path .
Heather has to sweet talk and sell Pitt and herself to any prospective HC , making someone wanting to come to work for you and believe that your serious in pursuit of winning will be important in what kind of hc Pitt will land .
Goodman was annoyed that Pitt fans would have the audacity two years ago to believe Sean Miller was coming to Pitt. He even trolled us with pic of Miller in Tuscon. He's got some bitterness in him for Pitt and it's reflected in the tone of his comments here. I'd discount him somewhat.
-We just spent $20 million dollars in 2 years for a complete epic disaster and the worst P5 team in the country. And we are giving free chances again? Gee, we are so kind to forgive. $20 million dollar mistake, ah, who cares. No big deal, just ask for more money from the donors. Ill just write Pitt a 400K check to pay for Todd Turner. People are going to donate for this complete lack of leadership Is this a joke?
-Free chances are over.
-Its become embarrassing at this point
3 Choices
1) Go cheap with Knight, someone that actually cares about Pitt basketball
2) Go cheap part 2 with Pitino, someone that isnt a criminal but has a win at most costs attitude
3) Start throwing money around. This could be the most dire job in the world. Most people will take it for the right price.
I doubt that choice exists.
Maybe someone could have made it exist, but my guess is they haven't.
Majors took over a doormat and made them competitive . He was a coach in demand .
That’s like saying someone was nuts if they would’ve hire Chuck Noll away from the Steelers after his first few seasons .
The next coach isn’t coming in here and instantly winning so that means any aspiring HC will scratch Pitt of his list because his record won’t be so good after 3/4 yrs .
I wouldn't be very happy, but that would certainly be a better option than Jent.
This is going to end up real bad, isn't it?
Dooley would do okay here. IMO we would be in the 9-12 range in the conference on average. Not my top choice, but better than Knight, Jent, etc.
I would define a journalist as (1) possessing a degree or advanced degree in journalism; (2)
The name of the next coach is not likely to be one that moves the attendance needle much. I don't see any kind of realistic "splash" option. The performance of the next coach will have to do that. As I've been saying, this is not a quick fix.
As for Jent, with zero college head coaching experience and just a couple years of college assistant coaching under his belt, he is simply too risky for this critical hire. Total wild card. If he's actually a serious candidate, that's a really bad reflection on Lyke.
I actually think Dooley would be an excellent fit. From Jersey, played college ball in DC, coached at East Carolina and now in Florida. So, he's got relationships in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeast.
When he was at Kansas, he was considered one of the best, if not THE best assistant in the country, consistently ranking as one of the Top 5 recruiters.
And he's been solid at FGCU, putting them in NCAA x 2, NIT x 2, and CIT once in his five years. He's won 20+ games all five years. That's Ben Howland territory.
We could do much, much worse.
-It could be a quick fix.
-If Pitino took the job, Pitt is back in the NCAA Tournament in 2 years. Would you bet against Pitino?
-You call this hire risky? We spent $20 million dollars to hire and punt Stallings. We paid 400K to a search firm to go winless in conference play and destroy the basketball program. Where is the accountability? Its not just Barnes....
-At this point, we cant possibly screw this up with the right dollar figure unless we are getting paid to lose on purpose.
-Hire Pitino. Then people may hate on us for doing it, but at least people will take us seriously this time around. And I dont care he is 65. He plays to win and would turn this complete disaster around..
-And I guarantee if the name Pitino made the Pitt press, his last name alone puts way more people in the stands next year. And I guarantee if the entire Pitt roster quit today and Pitino started with nothing, he would still win at least 1 conference game next year.
-And no one wants Pitino. We can hire a lot of lawyers for $20 million to keep him and Pitt out of trouble.
Most people in Pgh don't know John Wooden is dead. They sure as hell don't know where Hurley coaches. Or care. Just us Lair addicts.
Perhaps. But there's only one slam-dunk hire this college hoops offseason, and his name is Hurley. Every P5 team with an opening will court him. Throw in the fact that a nearly perfect fit for him exists in UConn, and it's not hard to see that Ben Howlands may be our only legit choice.
Pick one:
A. Crean(s)
B. Chris Jent(s)
C. Brandin Knight(s)
D. Ben Howland(s)
Personally, I'm going with D.
P.S. Of course, choice E is Hurley and that's my pick and the pick of most sensible Pitt fans. I write this under the assumption we don't get Danny. So, if we don't, then our choices are essentially A to D.
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What I'm saying is Pitt isn't going to hire Pitino or one of the sexy names out there. I doubt any of them are very interested and Pitt obviously isn't going to hire a guy who's the subject of a federal investigation. It simply isn't going to happen. Whether Pitt should hire a top coach like a Pitino or MIller who is damaged goods is a different debate, but a pointless one because it isn't going to happen. It's fantasy.
Here's the thing, not trying to be negative but.........
Pitt and Ms. Lyke has had a pretty damn good idea they were firing Kevin Stallings since Mid January at least. Perhaps earlier. But definitely after that and into February.
So Pitt has known it is going to likely fire him and need a replacement for at least 2 months. I don't care if the season was still on, and coaches are still employed, through many back channels Pitt should (BETTER HAVE) been talking to agents of coaches and other confidants of interest and what terms it would take to get them here.
Because if Ole Miss, Georgia and UConn hire guys soon, and at least 2 of those are supposed big targets for Pitt then shame on Pitt because they should have had a head start. None of those 3 are better jobs.
Secondly, what then happens, is Pitt feels a bit brazen, they feel like they don't have to pay that much and then will go with an insulting offer to say Earl Grant and Grant will use it to get a raise from Charleston, and then another denial, and pretty soon it is hello Brandon Knight.
That is what Pitt does. So if Matta and Hurley were your top 2 and say you were willing to go $3 million or so in salary, you don't then offer Grant or Oats or another decent mid major coach some cheap contract to which they will laugh at.
But that is what Pitt does. And what Pitt will do. And Pitt will deserve every loss, every empty seat and every dollar not donated.
Pitt and Ms. Lyke has had a pretty damn good idea they were firing Kevin Stallings since Mid January at least. Perhaps earlier. But definitely after that and into February.
So Pitt has known it is going to likely fire him and need a replacement for at least 2 months. I don't care if the season was still on, and coaches are still employed, through many back channels Pitt should (BETTER HAVE) been talking to agents of coaches and other confidants of interest and what terms it would take to get them here.
Because if Ole Miss, Georgia and UConn hire guys soon, and at least 2 of those are supposed big targets for Pitt then shame on Pitt because they should have had a head start. None of those 3 are better jobs.
Secondly, what then happens, is Pitt feels a bit brazen, they feel like they don't have to pay that much and then will go with an insulting offer to say Earl Grant and Grant will use it to get a raise from Charleston, and then another denial, and pretty soon it is hello Brandon Knight.
That is what Pitt does. So if Matta and Hurley were your top 2 and say you were willing to go $3 million or so in salary, you don't then offer Grant or Oats or another decent mid major coach some cheap contract to which they will laugh at.
But that is what Pitt does. And what Pitt will do. And Pitt will deserve every loss, every empty seat and every dollar not donated.
Jent, Grant, Becker, Oats, Shrewsbury are all lottery tickets. I couldn't say one would win more than the others. But fans will hate the Jent hire so Heather will have to overcome that. It wont be as bad as Stallings but there will be outrage.
The mid-major guys, nobody will be excited over but there will be enough people that say "hey, that's the next Howland" and people are familiar with the mid-major to P6 path. Plus, a guy like Grant (and maybe Oats) would kill it at the press conference.
Eh, Georgia and Ole Miss aren't better. But UConn is, I think. They of four national titles and very little competition in the AAC. Pitt fans like to think the jobs/programs are close, but in terms of national perception, I don't think it's particularly close.
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