MAC head coach: Come play for me, we'll get you to the Big Ten in two years

BleedGopher

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Per Zach:

Toledo men's basketball coach Tod Kowalczyk has found a way to make his program's mid-major status work for them.

The other side of the debate argues that there's nothing to be gained by denying reality as it exists. "Never forget what you are," Tyrion Lannister says in Game of Thrones. "The rest of the world will not. Wear it like armor, and it can never be used to hurt you."

This side of the aisle is making moves, preparing to release a Group of 5 Top 25, the first step in a possible precursor to a Group of 5 playoff.

Those are 30,000-foot issues. On the ground, Tod Kowalcyzk is making his program's middle-class status work for him.

Kowalczyk is the head coach of Toledo's men's basketball team, and he's built the Rockets into one of the top programs at the mid-major level in any sport. Beginning in 2020-21, Toledo has won four straight MAC regular season championships, going 62-13 against their conference brethren over that span.

After the season, which ended in the NIT first round, Toledo watched All-MAC First Team guard Ra'Heim Moss leave for Oregon, All-MAC Second Team guard Dylan Maddox exit for Xavier, and MAC Co-Defensive Player of the Year Tyler Cochran transfer to Oregon State.

Kowalczyk and his staff responded by working the portal for themselves, bringing in two players from MAC rivals, along with a Division II player. After losing now five players to bigger programs in the past four years, Toledo is responding by acknowledging reality as it is, then making the portal part of their pitch.

“It's a conversation we're having all the time,” Kowalczyk told the Toledo Blade. “My staff thinks I need to do a little bit more of that. Maybe you say, ‘Listen, you come play for me, we'll get you to the Big Ten in two years.’”

Embracing Toledo's status as a feeder program is a full-on dystopia for many within college sports. I get it. And it's easier to build through the portal in basketball, where the sheer numbers aren't as big and success isn't as size-dependent as football. But what would Tyrion Lannister say?

“We can all say we don’t like change, but if you don’t adapt, you’re not going to win,” he said. “We all like to win.”


Go Gophers!!
 

Per Zach:

Toledo men's basketball coach Tod Kowalczyk has found a way to make his program's mid-major status work for them.

The other side of the debate argues that there's nothing to be gained by denying reality as it exists. "Never forget what you are," Tyrion Lannister says in Game of Thrones. "The rest of the world will not. Wear it like armor, and it can never be used to hurt you."

This side of the aisle is making moves, preparing to release a Group of 5 Top 25, the first step in a possible precursor to a Group of 5 playoff.

Those are 30,000-foot issues. On the ground, Tod Kowalcyzk is making his program's middle-class status work for him.

Kowalczyk is the head coach of Toledo's men's basketball team, and he's built the Rockets into one of the top programs at the mid-major level in any sport. Beginning in 2020-21, Toledo has won four straight MAC regular season championships, going 62-13 against their conference brethren over that span.

After the season, which ended in the NIT first round, Toledo watched All-MAC First Team guard Ra'Heim Moss leave for Oregon, All-MAC Second Team guard Dylan Maddox exit for Xavier, and MAC Co-Defensive Player of the Year Tyler Cochran transfer to Oregon State.

Kowalczyk and his staff responded by working the portal for themselves, bringing in two players from MAC rivals, along with a Division II player. After losing now five players to bigger programs in the past four years, Toledo is responding by acknowledging reality as it is, then making the portal part of their pitch.

“It's a conversation we're having all the time,” Kowalczyk told the Toledo Blade. “My staff thinks I need to do a little bit more of that. Maybe you say, ‘Listen, you come play for me, we'll get you to the Big Ten in two years.’”

Embracing Toledo's status as a feeder program is a full-on dystopia for many within college sports. I get it. And it's easier to build through the portal in basketball, where the sheer numbers aren't as big and success isn't as size-dependent as football. But what would Tyrion Lannister say?

“We can all say we don’t like change, but if you don’t adapt, you’re not going to win,” he said. “We all like to win.”


Go Gophers!!
Pretty smart approach and awareness of his program.
 


Smart. If I was a recruit in the 75-150 range, I'd go to a Mid-Major. Play well as a FR, and you know you'll have the opportunity to cash in for a bigger program. No use going to a P5 program and sitting the bench. I cant imagine guys in the 75-150 range are getting a huge payday, so the best way to raise your stock is to get on the court.
 



Smart. If I was a recruit in the 75-150 range, I'd go to a Mid-Major. Play well as a FR, and you know you'll have the opportunity to cash in for a bigger program. No use going to a P5 program and sitting the bench. I cant imagine guys in the 75-150 range are getting a huge payday, so the best way to raise your stock is to get on the court.
Worked for Christie here...He would have gotten minutes anywhere. But here- he got big minutes and a green light.
 

Worked for Christie here...He would have gotten minutes anywhere. But here- he got big minutes and a green light.

Yep, pretty much. And he's an outlier. Most recruits in his range won't get the type of minutes he did at a P5 program.
 

Per Zach:

Toledo men's basketball coach Tod Kowalczyk has found a way to make his program's mid-major status work for them.

The other side of the debate argues that there's nothing to be gained by denying reality as it exists. "Never forget what you are," Tyrion Lannister says in Game of Thrones. "The rest of the world will not. Wear it like armor, and it can never be used to hurt you."

This side of the aisle is making moves, preparing to release a Group of 5 Top 25, the first step in a possible precursor to a Group of 5 playoff.

Those are 30,000-foot issues. On the ground, Tod Kowalcyzk is making his program's middle-class status work for him.

Kowalczyk is the head coach of Toledo's men's basketball team, and he's built the Rockets into one of the top programs at the mid-major level in any sport. Beginning in 2020-21, Toledo has won four straight MAC regular season championships, going 62-13 against their conference brethren over that span.

After the season, which ended in the NIT first round, Toledo watched All-MAC First Team guard Ra'Heim Moss leave for Oregon, All-MAC Second Team guard Dylan Maddox exit for Xavier, and MAC Co-Defensive Player of the Year Tyler Cochran transfer to Oregon State.

Kowalczyk and his staff responded by working the portal for themselves, bringing in two players from MAC rivals, along with a Division II player. After losing now five players to bigger programs in the past four years, Toledo is responding by acknowledging reality as it is, then making the portal part of their pitch.

“It's a conversation we're having all the time,” Kowalczyk told the Toledo Blade. “My staff thinks I need to do a little bit more of that. Maybe you say, ‘Listen, you come play for me, we'll get you to the Big Ten in two years.’”

Embracing Toledo's status as a feeder program is a full-on dystopia for many within college sports. I get it. And it's easier to build through the portal in basketball, where the sheer numbers aren't as big and success isn't as size-dependent as football. But what would Tyrion Lannister say?

“We can all say we don’t like change, but if you don’t adapt, you’re not going to win,” he said. “We all like to win.”


Go Gophers!!

Life gives you 🍋, it’s Countytime!
 

I think Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa, Purdue, & Northwestern should leave the Big Ten and form their own regional conference.
 




Until we get better- a modified version of this is or should be part of our pitch as well. Come here and we will feature you (ala Christie and Payne) and get you ready faster than the blue bloods would.
Or, we can get you down to Tulsa and if that’s not preferred out to the Stockton area. Shoot! Right back in the BIG as a Buckeye? We can do that! Are you the studious type? Cal it is. Perhaps Stetson or Highpoint? Unlimited options.
 





This is for Ohio (MAC) football, but the point still stands:

 

until the current setup changes, the mid-majors have become the new JUCO's. go to a mid-major, show your ability, and move up the ladder (in search of a bigger payday).

and if the NCAA does settle its anti-trust cases, that is probably not going to change. the major conference teams will be paying revenue sharing directly to athletes, and the mid-majors simply will not be able to participate at that level.
 



I know it's unlikely to happen anytime soon. But you have to admit...the non-paying schools like Minnesota splitting off would be ideal.

Much better than simply being a feeder-program to the paying schools like we are now.
So we’re a feeder school to Texas Tech and Texas A&M?
 


Worked for Christie here...He would have gotten minutes anywhere. But here- he got big minutes and a green light.
At the same time, we didn’t play didn’t play Payne a ton as a freshman when he clearly should’ve played a ton. Then we didn’t even start him when he was the clear starter in year 2…
 

At the same time, we didn’t play didn’t play Payne a ton as a freshman when he clearly should’ve played a ton. Then we didn’t even start him when he was the clear starter in year 2…
Yeah. We were hoping to keep him for his junior season and make a tourney run. We didn't want him to develop too fast.
 






Once again, "Oh that MAC coach" ...I thought we were talking Macalester...that MAC and Caleb Williams.
 




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