Lyke and the scale of this disaster

[Pitt Law '04]

I am not sure many of you realize the scale of the disaster that is unfolding right before your eyes.

Heather Lyke has shown herself to be completely incompetent. She had months to get prepared for this search. We are now more than two weeks into it and we are completely aimless and without a plan.

It is very unusual to fire a coach after two seasons. If you do it, you better not botch the hiring process to replace him because the program is staring into the abyss. But she did.

Lyke allowed us to be publicly rejected by a candidate who decided to take a job for less money in a less prestigious league. Schools work like crazy to avoid even the appearance of having an offer rejected. Dan Wolken of USA Today actually has a saying pinned at the top of his Twitter “nobody gets offered a job in college sports until they officially take it.” Except if you’re dealing with Heather Lyke.

It didn’t appear possible for our program to be more of a joke in the media but this past week has taken us to new depths.

Now that we’ve been rejected and are flailing, no decent coach is going to take this job. No more tickets will be sold. The types of coaches we are looking at now will not be able to restock the roster to any degree. Next season is virtually guaranteed to be worse.

Is Randy Juhl available? If so, someone better call him. Now.

 

[wbrpanther]

I am not sure many of you realize the scale of the disaster that is unfolding right before your eyes.

Heather Lyke has shown herself to be completely incompetent. She had months to get prepared for this search. We are now more than two weeks into it and we are completely aimless and without a plan.

It is very unusual to fire a coach after two seasons. If you do it, you better not botch the hiring process to replace him because the program is staring into the abyss. But she did.

Lyke allowed us to be publicly rejected by a candidate who decided to take a job for less money in a less prestigious league. Schools work like crazy to avoid even the appearance of having an offer rejected. Dan Wolken of USA Today actually has a saying pinned at the top of his Twitter “nobody gets offered a job in college sports until they officially take it.” Except if you’re dealing with Heather Lyke.

It didn’t appear possible for our program to be more of a joke in the media but this past week has taken us to new depths.

Now that we’ve been rejected and are flailing, no decent coach is going to take this job. No more tickets will be sold. The types of coaches we are looking at now will not be able to restock the roster to any degree. Next season is virtually guaranteed to be worse.

Is Randy Juhl available? If so, someone better call him. Now.

Another jabroni heard from.

 

[FieldHouse12]

yeah .........
Now everyone knows.

 

[pittbb80]

 

[FieldHouse12]

Never scene or saw this before..........

 

[Ski11585]

yeah she sucks ......... I thought the idiots that hired hire where idiots.
Now everyone knows.
west virginia boat roats Pitt .....



pitt sucks like the kennywood ride that sucks you against the wall.............
Demon Drrop

Are you literate?

 

[Saboteur]

Wouldn't you love to have Law04 in your poker game!

 

[pittbb80]

Are you literate?

Is that a rhetorical question?

 

[BFo8]

I’ll wait and see how everything plays out before I make any assumptions about Lyke.

If we end up hiring someone like Schmidt and he made us wait while he looked for a better option then yeah she is pretty much incompetent.

I’m still of the opinion she’s not that stupid.

 

[King Of All Message Boards]

Never scene or saw this before.......... What the hell is this !!!!!!!!!!!! OMG WHAT IS THIS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Ever “scene” or saw or seen this?

 

[pittbb80]

I’ll wait and see how everything plays out before I make any assumptions about Lyke.

If we end up hiring someone like Schmidt and he made us wait while he looked for a better option then yeah she is pretty much incompetent.

I’m still of the opinion she’s not that stupid.

Agreed. On the flip side those freaking out will look like morons if she makes a solid hire

 

[FieldHouse12]

I think we all can agree already ,, SHE sucks.

 

[Fsgolfdr]

Let the process work itself out before you assume anything . I’ve got to admit though things could and should be going better .

 

[omega]

Settle down Francis

 

[Jpripper88]

Agreed. On the flip side those freaking out will look like morons if she makes a solid hire

She's already messed it up if someone isn't introduced Monday. There is absolutely no excuse for us to get to Tuesday without a coach. None. And, no, that doesn't mean she should just hire anyone to meet that deadline. It means there is no reason it shouldn't be met considering the, likely, months and definitely weeks she has had to have this figured out. As soon as Hurley declined we should have had the next choice delivered. They aren't coachng anymore and unless it is Musselman, they haven't been for awhile.

The fact that they don't know who the candidates are at this point is unbelievable and a clear sign this process has been completely botched and that isn't saved just because the hailmary be answered at a later date.

 

[pittbb80]

yeah she sucks ......... I thought the idiots that hired hire where idiots.
Now everyone knows.
west virginia boat roats Pitt .....



pitt sucks like the kennywood ride that sucks you against the wall.............
Demon Drrop

 

[Gep Dawg]

I think it’s Ryan Odom time personally

 

[pittbb80]

She's already messed it up if someone isn't introduced Monday. There is absolutely no excuse for us to get to Tuesday without a coach. None. And, no, that doesn't mean she should just hire anyone to meet that deadline. It means there is no reason it shouldn't be met considering the, likely, months and definitely weeks she has had to have this figured out. As soon as Hurley declined we should have had the next choice delivered. They aren't coachng anymore and unless it is Musselman, they haven't been for awhile.

The fact that they don't know who the candidates are at this point is unbelievable and a clear sign this process has been completely botched and that isn't saved just because the hailmary be answered at a later date.

Dont necessarily disagree as I do think the longer this guys the likelihood of a good hire decreases. However lets say this goes into later next week and they end up with a good hire. The timing/process is irrelevant. Only the result matters.

 

[FieldHouse12]

It looks like a revoluton alreay.... that means lyke is taost in about 5 years max.

 

[Pitt Law '04]

I think it’s Ryan Odom time personally

The fact that people are even mentioning coaches like Ryan Odom just illustrates my point. You think that’s a win?

We blew up the program for a second time in two years and are going to pay Stallings millions in order to hire Odom or Oats, a guy who just publicly rejected us today?

Thats a complete and total failure. Lyke should have had a coach lined up the day we fired Stallings.

 

[BFo8]

She's already messed it up if someone isn't introduced Monday. There is absolutely no excuse for us to get to Tuesday without a coach. None. And, no, that doesn't mean she should just hire anyone to meet that deadline. It means there is no reason it shouldn't be met considering the, likely, months and definitely weeks she has had to have this figured out. As soon as Hurley declined we should have had the next choice delivered. They aren't coachng anymore and unless it is Musselman, they haven't been for awhile.

The fact that they don't know who the candidates are at this point is unbelievable and a clear sign this process has been completely botched and that isn't saved just because the hailmary be answered at a later date.

The only reason I would want this to happen is I picked Schmidt on the 26th in the prediction thread.

Have never wanted to be wrong quite this much. He’s an average coach with a long history of mediocrity.

Pitt should be able to do much better.

 

[Jpripper88]

Dont necessarily disagree as I do think the longer this guys the likelihood of a good hire decreases. However lets say this goes into later next week and they end up with a good hire. The timing/process is irrelevant. Only the result matters.

No, it is not irrelevant. This is also an evaluation point on our AD and it has been a complete screw up, while our entire roster is exploring their options.

The only reason I would want this to happen is I picked Schmidt on the 26th in the prediction thread.

Have never wanted to be wrong quite this much. He’s an average coach with a long history of mediocrity.

Pitt should be able to do much better.

If it is Schmidt, I honestly think the program will never really recover. I'd never even expect us to get back to mediocrity. I'd bet on us not going to more than 1 (just possibly getting lucky once) NCAAT in the next 10 seasons.

 

[Joe the Panther Fan]

The fact that they don't know who the candidates are at this point is unbelievable and a clear sign this process has been completely botched and that isn't saved just because the hailmary be answered at a later date.

Just because WE don't know who the candidates are doesn't mean that THEY don't know who the candidates are.

 

[pittbb80]

No, it is not irrelevant. This is also an evaluation point on our AD and it has been a complete screw up, while our entire roster is exploring their options.


If it is Schmidt, I honestly think the program will never really recover. I'd never even expect us to get back to mediocrity. I'd bet on us not going to more than 1 (just possibly getting lucky once) NCAAT in the next 10 seasons.

So you're saying if she ends up hiring somebody good, shes still a bum for taking too long.......

 

[BFo8]

Maybe they’re looking at Kyle Smith, after all USF is still playing.

And yes I’m kidding.

 

[Jpripper88]

Just because WE don't know who the candidates are doesn't mean that THEY don't know who the candidates are.

Certainly true two weeks ago, but anyone who was a top candidate and isn't still coaching would be hired by now. There is no smoke we are close on anyone and lots of noise we were told no by anyone with a decent resume and are now exploring some unbelievably bad options, who we would have talked to long before if they were originally being considered.

The timing and candidates we know AREN'T coming tell the story.

 

[thebadby2]

Are you literate?

I think the answer is semi-literate.

 

[Jpripper88]

So you're saying if she ends up hiring somebody good, shes still a bum for taking too long.......

It will be luck and not part of her plan to start. That is extremely telling.

Please tell me who they would hire and what the excuse, which doesn't involve her not completely wasting the last 2.5 weeks and maybe the last 3 months, would be for going into next week without a coach.

Maybe it is Musselman and they just want to hit the full newscycle on Monday outside of the tournament. Now, that seems it would be pretty stupid, but maybe that is it and we will know in 48 hours. Anyone else and it shows she was unbelievably over her head.

 

[Pitt Law '04]

Hiring coaches in revenue sports is THE job of an athletic director. Lyke knew this was coming because she fired her coach and likely made the decision weeks before.

Her performance to date has been abysmal. She’s been publicly rejected by Hurley and Oats and the media is mocking us.

You don’t hire a coach in a vacuum. All of these events influence the perception of the job and her capabilities as a boss. Further no top flight coach wants to be seen as a third or fourth choice. It’s why schools work to not be publicly rejected.

The fact that it appears she believed we were going to get Hurley despite the fact that everyone with eyes to read the media leaks could see we were being used to enhance UConns offer just shows how incompetent she is.

She was reportedly interviewing Tim Cluess on Friday. Her first choice was a young up and coming coach. Cluess is a 59year old veteran coach. There’s no candidate consistency. It looks like we’re flailing.

It doesn’t take a fortune teller to see where this is going.

 

[JD1976]

Hiring coaches in revenue sports is THE job of an athletic director. Lyke knew this was coming because she fired her coach and likely made the decision weeks before.

Her performance to date has been abysmal. She’s been publicly rejected by Hurley and Oats and the media is mocking us.

You don’t hire a coach in a vacuum. All of these events influence the perception of the job and her capabilities as a boss. Further no top flight coach wants to be seen as a third or fourth choice.

She was reportedly interviewing Tim Cluess on Friday. Her first choice was a young up and coming coach. Cluess is a 59year old veteran coach. There’s no candidate consistency. It looks like we’re flailing.

It doesn’t take a fortune teller to see where this is going.

You are overreacting. The last search was anything but thorough. It was rushed and had shady undertones with the whole Barnes/search firm situation. This time, they took a shot at the best guy out there. They put a strong offer together for Hurley and unfortunately he said no. It’s been 72 hours since that and the reality is you and I don’t know what is really happening to be able to pass any judgment. Just wait to see how it all plays out.

 

[Jpripper88]

You are overreacting. The last search was anything but thorough. It was rushed and had shady undertones with the whole Barnes/search firm situation. This time, they took a shot at the best guy out there. They put a strong offer together for Hurley and unfortunately he said no. It’s been 72 hours since that and the reality is you and I don’t know what is really happening to be able to pass any judgment. Just wait to see how it all plays out.

We do know a lot. We know that, at a minimum, they have had 2.5 weeks to do this and they are still interviewing guys who have been sitting at home. You don't just sit around for those first 2 weeks waiting on Hurley. You interview other candidates. You understand what the contract would be for those candidates. You know who will take the job. As soon as Hurley says no, you are done, UNLESS your #2 is still coaching. Unless that was/is Musselman this is completely screwed up.

 

[HailToPitt1985]

Are you literate?

He sure doesn't sound literate. Or he's on cocaine or some other illegal drug.

 

[HailToPitt1985]

Hiring coaches in revenue sports is THE job of an athletic director. Lyke knew this was coming because she fired her coach and likely made the decision weeks before.

Her performance to date has been abysmal. She’s been publicly rejected by Hurley and Oats and the media is mocking us.

You don’t hire a coach in a vacuum. All of these events influence the perception of the job and her capabilities as a boss. Further no top flight coach wants to be seen as a third or fourth choice. It’s why schools work to not be publicly rejected.

The fact that it appears she believed we were going to get Hurley despite the fact that everyone with eyes to read the media leaks could see we were being used to enhance UConns offer just shows how incompetent she is.

She was reportedly interviewing Tim Cluess on Friday. Her first choice was a young up and coming coach. Cluess is a 59year old veteran coach. There’s no candidate consistency. It looks like we’re flailing.

It doesn’t take a fortune teller to see where this is going.

You don't know who she's interviewing, who else she's looking at, where in the process that stands, or if we're close to hiring someone right now, as I type this. No one knows. When you have knowledge of that, and you won't, then you have a right to post what you did. Since you don't know, your post is meaningless. That shouldn't be too hard to understand, even for someone with a handle that implies you're an attorney.

 

[Pitt Law '04]

You don't know who she's interviewing, who else she's looking at, where in the process that stands, or if we're close to hiring someone right now, as I type this. No one knows. When you have knowledge of that, and you won't, then you have a right to post what you did. Since you don't know, your post is meaningless. That shouldn't be too hard to understand, even for someone with a handle that implies you're an attorney.

Do you really think we know nothing about the process to date? Are you serious?

Do we know that it’s been almost three weeks since Stallings was fired?

Do we know if she made an offer to and was rejected by Hurley?

Do we know if they’ve at least interviewed Oats, Schmidt, and Cluess?

Do We know if Oats publicly said he’s not taking the job?

Do we know if the national media has made us a punchline and mocked her job performance?

Think we can draw any conclusions from these facts?

 

[PerchMan]

When did Oats publicly reject Pitt? Only thing I saw was some wishy washy interview and a statement that “Im happy where Im at.”

 

[BFo8]

You don't know who she's interviewing, who else she's looking at, where in the process that stands, or if we're close to hiring someone right now, as I type this. No one knows. When you have knowledge of that, and you won't, then you have a right to post what you did. Since you don't know, your post is meaningless. That shouldn't be too hard to understand, even for someone with a handle that implies you're an attorney.

I agree with pretty much everything you said here, none of us including the so called insiders really know what’s happening.

What worries me is that Heather Lyke and almost every AD out there knows less about college basketball coaches than most serious fans. The world has gotten a lot smaller since a relative unknown in Ben Howland was hired years ago. We all know a lot more about the merits and shortcomings of coaches even at the smaller schools, the AD’s don’t. They live in a bubble and have a lot of different things going on, I really doubt Lyke had ever heard of Eric Musselman or Nate Oats until very recently.

Times have changed, and that’s why these AD’s get so much heat over coaching choices, the fans are more educated than them on the subject. Twenty years ago Tennessee would’ve probably gotten away with hiring Greg Schiano, today serious fans know he’s a lousy coach.

 

[Panther-I-Am]

As others have noted, let's see who is hired and then the merits of the process and outcome can be debated.

What if we want to be thorough in order to make the right hire... and have received good feedback re: Jon Scheyer? Duke is still in the tournament and it would be a distraction to interview until they are eliminated.... perhaps permission is required from his current employer before making contact.

I need to see the outcome before criticizing the process. I hoped that they would find the right candidate quickly but that did not happen.

Some of the names that I have seen seem like KS 2.0 or worse (meaning < KS) which is not inspiring but those names might be being leaked by agents or a "smokescreen" until a candidate becomes available.

Is Heather Lyke on vacation next week? If so, perhaps another delay tatic if a primary candidate is in the final four.

 

[Fredact]

The fact that people are even mentioning coaches like Ryan Odom just illustrates my point. You think that’s a win?

We blew up the program for a second time in two years and are going to pay Stallings millions in order to hire Odom or Oats, a guy who just publicly rejected us today?

Thats a complete and total failure. Lyke should have had a coach lined up the day we fired Stallings.

To be fair, she's only had since Jan 2 to be working on this.

 

[TD_6082]

I agree with pretty much everything you said here, none of us including the so called insiders really know what’s happening.

What worries me is that Heather Lyke and almost every AD out there knows less about college basketball coaches than most serious fans. The world has gotten a lot smaller since a relative unknown in Ben Howland was hired years ago. We all know a lot more about the merits and shortcomings of coaches even at the smaller schools, the AD’s don’t. They live in a bubble and have a lot of different things going on, I really doubt Lyke had ever heard of Eric Musselman or Nate Oats until very recently.

Times have changed, and that’s why these AD’s get so much heat over coaching choices, the fans are more educated than them on the subject. Twenty years ago Tennessee would’ve probably gotten away with hiring Greg Schiano, today serious fans know he’s a lousy coach.

Schiano a lousy coach? The guy won at Rutgers. They settled for a guy with zero college HC experience. Tennessee's dumbass fans really thought they were going to get Jon Gruden.

 

[BFo8]

Schiano a lousy coach? The guy won at Rutgers. They settled for a guy with zero college HC experience. Tennessee's dumbass fans really thought they were going to get Jon Gruden.

Agree they didn’t get a good coach, but at this point in his career Schiano should not be getting an SEC head job.

He will either stay in the NFL or take a much smaller college position, he’s not getting a P5 gig anywhere.