2023-2024 College Basketball Coaches Hired/Fired Thread


How about Chris Beard. He turned AK down, but this is Kentucky.
 


Includes in those 16 are bums: SGA, Bam and Jamal Murray.

Css as l was a HOF recruiter and a decent coach; he took three different teams to the FF (UMASS, Memphis and the Cats), but only one Natty. Although, Memphis was vacated for cheating and the rumors around UMASS hijinks were legendary.
The UMass final four was also vacated.
 




How about "Strong Ass Offer" Will Wade?
Kentucky can do better. And will try. These decisions are much harder for me to make than ten years ago. I’m sure there are great coaches who won’t touch Kentucky because of the nutty fan base.

Contrary to popular opinion, I think Cal is an excellent coach. He has done a pretty good job of bringing one and done guys together, but that system is now gone. He hasn’t gone the new way of scavenging lower level programs for mature players and it has burned him. The only two players who performed against Oakland were older players. The young talent wilted on the big stage.

I think he has more fire in his belly than Tubby and just might do the makeover needed to bring Arkansas back up in his swan song.
 

I really think the extra covid year plus all these other redshirts/waivers/extra year for whatever has caused somewhat of a domino effect on the one and done schools. Talent matters a lot, but it’s not as big of a factor when you put a team of 18-20 year olds (many a year removed from HS) against 22-24 year olds with 3-5 years of major college basketball under their belt.
 












Something tells me Calapari won't have too much trouble assembling a "team."
This is the atmosphere is which coaches are now working. Calipari is out hunting for a whole roster with a bag full of cash. I have a feeling that we are getting zero high end guys until the market has been sifted through and perhaps even another round of players enters. We don't have the noted coach, the big money or the big history to get plug and play guys in the first round of free agency.

I do feel that there will be good players that are around in a few weeks that we can get. I will be amazed and take my hat of to Ben if he can corral a big that is comparable to Payne. My guess is that we will get a tall guy that can shoot but isn't a rugged rebounder and another big that can defend some but is not good on offense.
I hope I am wrong.

Round 1- Blue bloods, hot programs, and teams loaded with NIL $$ will score big
Round 2- Low end teams pick up the power team scraps and Lower level power conference teams (Gophers) begin to snag functional rotation players
Round 3- Late entrants come in and perhaps teams like Minnesota are in position to grab some of the best remaining based on fit and need - selling big minutes

I am not predicting failure here- but it is not set up to look pretty for a while- unless Ben really shines at this. It is going to be a lot harder for Ben to go into the weeds and grab a big who can compete than a 5-9 PG who was a diamond like Hawk.
 

This is the atmosphere is which coaches are now working. Calipari is out hunting for a whole roster with a bag full of cash. I have a feeling that we are getting zero high end guys until the market has been sifted through and perhaps even another round of players enters. We don't have the noted coach, the big money or the big history to get plug and play guys in the first round of free agency.

I do feel that there will be good players that are around in a few weeks that we can get. I will be amazed and take my hat of to Ben if he can corral a big that is comparable to Payne. My guess is that we will get a tall guy that can shoot but isn't a rugged rebounder and another big that can defend some but is not good on offense.
I hope I am wrong.

Round 1- Blue bloods, hot programs, and teams loaded with NIL $$ will score big
Round 2- Low end teams pick up the power team scraps and Lower level power conference teams (Gophers) begin to snag functional rotation players
Round 3- Late entrants come in and perhaps teams like Minnesota are in position to grab some of the best remaining based on fit and need - selling big minutes

I am not predicting failure here- but it is not set up to look pretty for a while- unless Ben really shines at this. It is going to be a lot harder for Ben to go into the weeds and grab a big who can compete than a 5-9 PG who was a diamond like Hawk.

Good post! I'd like to comment on the following:

I will be amazed and take my hat of to Ben if he can corral a big that is comparable to Payne. My guess is that we will get a tall guy that can shoot but isn't a rugged rebounder and another big that can defend some but is not good on offense.
I hope I am wrong.


If I had to bet, I would say that you will be right. In fact, getting two bigs who might seem like lesser players but who have some abilities that can compliment each other might be the best we can do. Hopefully, they have the ability to play both big positions at an adequate level.

Well-rounded bigs are not plentiful and they go fast. Even Payne wasn't truly well rounded. He was very good at the things he did well but there were other things he didn't do well or at all.
 



I think even Minnesota fans would be severely disappointed if we were doing a coaching search this season and ended up with Mark Pope.
I would be pretty happy with him. 9 years of head coaching experience would be a nice change over the last two hires.

I think it's disappointing for Kentucky fans right now but actually could end up being a pretty good hire.
 


I think even Minnesota fans would be severely disappointed if we were doing a coaching search this season and ended up with Mark Pope.
Very successfully transitioned BYU from West Coast to Big 12. That says something. He wouldn’t wow the casual crowd, but would be a great hire.
 


I would be pretty happy with him. 9 years of head coaching experience would be a nice change over the last two hires.

I think it's disappointing for Kentucky fans right now but actually could end up being a pretty good hire.
Mark Pope has a better win % at BYU than Hurley did at Rhode Island so you truly never know.
 

Huh? He'd be a great hire here and a big upgrade over who we currently have.

I'm not saying he wouldn't be an upgrade, but our fanbase would be disappointed if we hired a coach lacking any NCAA wins or conference titles.
 

I think even Minnesota fans would be severely disappointed if we were doing a coaching search this season and ended up with Mark Pope.
I disagree that MN fans would (or at least should) be disappointed. UK had far different expectations but he still might be the smart hire versus 60 year old Billy Donovan or whatever they were dreaming of once they didn't get Drew or Hurley.
 

I disagree that MN fans would (or at least should) be disappointed. UK had far different expectations but he still might be the smart hire versus 60 year old Billy Donovan or whatever they were dreaming of once they didn't get Drew or Hurley.

I'm not making any predictions or saying it's a bad hire. I'm just thinking of how Minnesota fans typically would react to hiring a coach without any NCAA wins...and then thinking about Kentucky as a program.

I think Hurley plus Kentucky would've been too much A-hole factor combined for one solar system.
 

I'm not making any predictions or saying it's a bad hire. I'm just thinking of how Minnesota fans typically would react to hiring a coach without any NCAA wins...and then thinking about Kentucky as a program.

I think Hurley plus Kentucky would've been too much A-hole factor combined for one solar system.
At this point, Minnesota getting a coach with any prior head coaching experience, much less from a Big XXII school would be pretty impressive.
 

I'm not saying he wouldn't be an upgrade, but our fanbase would be disappointed if we hired a coach lacking any NCAA wins or conference titles.

If they are disappointed, that'd be pretty shortsighted. 3 tournament caliber teams in his 5 seasons, and he turned Utah Valley into a contender in years 3 & 4. I'd be thrilled with a hire like this. Also, results aside, he has an identified system. His BYU teams weren't the most talented, but they were well coached.
 

I'm not making any predictions or saying it's a bad hire. I'm just thinking of how Minnesota fans typically would react to hiring a coach without any NCAA wins...and then thinking about Kentucky as a program.

I think Hurley plus Kentucky would've been too much A-hole factor combined for one solar system.
Clem didn't have any NCAA wins when he was hired, but he was clearly an excellent candidate that we were lucky to have a shot at hiring.
 





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