All Things Villa 7 Thread

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MadtownGopher

MadtownGopher

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I've been reading up on Villa 7, the program that Mike Ellis (former VCU assistant AD who is now with Minnesota) created to connect AD's with up and coming assistant coaches. This, as many of you know, is how Teague hired Shaka.

Here is a good article about it: http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/tournament/2011/columns/story?columnist=oneil_dana&id=6270629

It seems likely that our next coach (whether Tubby is fired or finishes his career here) will have some sort of connection to the Villa 7. So I figured it would be interesting to take a look at all of the past attendees. In addition to Shaka, another big name coach that participated is Buzz Williams. Unfortunately I could only find the attendees from the last two years. I'm not sure when 2013's will take place, probably this summer sometime.

Edit: Here is the official website - http://www.sportleadership.vcu.edu/villa7/index.html
And here are the published "success stories" - http://www.sportleadership.vcu.edu/villa7/success.html

2012:
Orlando Antigua, University of Kentucky
Jeremy Ballard, Virginia Commonwealth University
Jeff Boals, Ohio State University
John Brannen, University of Alabama
Mike Brennan, Georgetown University
Bob Cantu, Univeristy of Southern California
Chris Caputo, Univeristy of Miami
TJ Cleveland, University of Arkansas
Aki Collins, Marquette University
Jim Corrigan, Old Dominion University
Travis Decuire, University of California
David Duda, St. Joseph's University
Eric Eaton, Quinnipiac University
Brian Fish, University of Oregon
Jim Fox, Davidson College
Tim Fuller, University of Missouri
Jayson Gee, Cleveland State University
Matthew Graves, Butler University
Jon Harris, University of Tennessee
Steve Henson, University of Oklahoma
Jerrance Howard, Southern Methodist University
Justin Hutson, University of Nevada - Las Vegas
Kwanza Johnson, University of Georgia
Brandin Knight, University of Pittsburgh
Tommy Lloyd, Gonzaga University
Steve Lutz, Creighton University
Erik Martin, West Virginia University
Jimmy McCarthy, Northeastern University
Matt McMahon, Murray State University
Chris Moore, Wright State University
Mike Morrell, Virginia Commonwealth University
Dan Muller, Vanderbilt University
TJ Otzelberger, Iowa State University
Jack Owens, Purdue University
Rod Palmer, Long Beach State
Mike Rhoades, Virginia Commonwealth University
John Richardson, Old Dominion University
Kareem Richardson, Xavier University
Ron Sanchez, University of Virginia
Mike Schrage, Stanford University
Jim Shaw, University of Washington
Lamont Smith, Arizona State University
Russ Springmann, University of Texas
Dwayne Stephens, Michigan State University
Doug Stewart, Oregon State University
Will Wade, Virginia Commonwealth University
James Whitford, University of Arizona

2011:
Neill Berry, South Carolina
John Brannen, Alabama
Jeff Boals, Ohio State
Bob Cantu, USC
Chris Caputo, Miami
Raphael Chillious, Washington
T.J. Cleveland, Arkansas
Aki Collins, Marquette
Jim Corrigan, Old Dominion
Travis Decuire, California
Jason Donnelly, Villanova
Joe Dooley, Kansas
Robert Ehsan, Maryland
Chris Ferguson, Oklahoma State
Jorge Fernandez, Miami
Pat Filien, Albany
Paul Fortier, Washington
Tim Fuller, Missouri
Jim Fox, Davidson
Kyle Getter, VCU
David Grace, Oregon State
Matthew Graves, Butler
Donny Guerinoni, LSU
Jerod Haase, North Carolina
Steve Henson, Oklahoma
Dalonte Hill, Kansas State
Mike Hopkins, Syracuse
Jerrence Howard, Illinois
Justin Hutson, UNLV
Kwanza Johnson, Georgia
Mike Jones, VCU
Stan Jones, Florida State
Pat Kelsey, Xavier
Andre LaFleur, Providence
Erik Martin, West Virginia
Jim McCarthy, Northeastern
CB McGrath, North Carolina
Dan Muller, Vanderbilt
Ryan Odom, Charlotte
Kevin Ollie, UConn
Stacey Palmore, Georgia
Scott Pera, Arizona State
Josh Posterino, Georgia Tech
Rod Palmer, Long Beach State
Ken Potosnak, East Carolina
Mike Rhoades, VCU
John Richardson, Virginia Tech
Kareem Richardson, Drake
Brandon Rosenthal, St. Edward’s
Ron Sanchez, Virginia
Jim Shaw, Washington
GG Smith, Loyola (Md.)
Joel Sobotka, Portland
Dwayne Stephens, Michigan State
Dedrique Taylor, Arizona State
Vince Taylor, Minnesota
Brad Underwood, Kansas State
Will Wade, VCU
Scott Wagers, East Tennessee
Torrey Ward, Ole Miss
James Whitford, Arizona
Steve Wojciechowski, Duke
 

Hey Madtown

Thank goodness for copy and paste. Right?
 

I'll take an assistant or two from here. I like Vince, Jirsa and Esposito for his master RPI manipulative skills. #FireSaul
 





The more I read about Villa 7, the more I believe Teague and Ellis will be able to nail a basketball hire. They really seem to know what they are doing. We are very lucky to have stolen Teague from VCU.
 

MadtownGopher said:
The more I read about Villa 7, the more I believe Teague and Ellis will be able to nail a basketball hire. They really seem to know what they are doing. We are very lucky to have stolen Teague from VCU.
Click to expand...

Agree completely.
 

MadtownGopher said:
The more I read about Villa 7, the more I believe Teague and Ellis will be able to nail a basketball hire. They really seem to know what they are doing. We are very lucky to have stolen Teague from VCU.
Click to expand...

If the names of the game are fundraising and hiring the right people - which they are - then we seem to have gotten the right guy.
 



I imagine we could cross GG Smith off the list of potential Villa 7 alums taking over at the "U".
 



I have a feeling it will be one of those guys. However, That is just people who have made transitions from assistant to head coach. Not assistant coaches who have not yet become head coaches. This may be the route we go...
 




Brandin Knight, University of Pittsburgh

Interesting. Really good player back when Pitt won the Big east in 2003. Had no idea he was an assistant.

I know he's probably the coach in waiting there but Hire this man tomorrow:

Steve Wojciechowski, Duke
 

This Quote is telling from that NYT article:

“There’s the old saying that every A.D. has a short list in his pocket,” Tom Yeager, the commissioner of the Colonial Athletic Association, said in a telephone interview. “This is how you really drill down and figure out who’s in the next batch of coaches, and who are candidates.”
 

CrocShots said:
This Quote is telling from that NYT article:

“There’s the old saying that every A.D. has a short list in his pocket,” Tom Yeager, the commissioner of the Colonial Athletic Association, said in a telephone interview. “This is how you really drill down and figure out who’s in the next batch of coaches, and who are candidates.”
Click to expand...

And a great example of why Maturi was a horrible AD. He never had a list for anything.
 


I emailed Doogie a couple weeks ago asking if Mike Ellis was going to bring Villa 7 to the U. He said Ellis told him they would have their Villa 7 event in Minneapolis in May.
 

I have a feeling if we dont land shaka that we will take a coach from the villa 7 that no body has heard of but has a bright bright future.
 

STrib: Villa 7 program set Gophers officials up for coaching search

Norwood Teague and Mike Ellis are a big part of Villa 7, a project that connects coaches and ADs.

What started as a solution brainstorm for a singular problem has blossomed, a decade later, into a networking giant. The way the project connects up-and-coming coaches with athletic directors has earned deep respect nationwide and ultimately set the new Minnesota administrators up for the biggest coaching search of their careers.

“There’s no one more prepared to make a quality hire than those guys,” said Dan Muller, a Villa 7 alum and the coach at Illinois State. “Search firms and other ADs call them every time there’s a job opening — for a recommendation. ... The quality and quantity of assistant coaches that they know intimately and personally, there’s no firm, there’s no athletic director in the country that can match that.”

“I thought that the concept was pure genius,” Coen said of Villa 7. “Obviously college basketball is all about relationships, and I think that’s the absolutely perfect venue to get to know people and develop a stronger network.”

http://www.startribune.com/sports/gophers/200544771.html

Go Gophers!!
 

Why schools use search committees

I'm not a big search committee guy, but in this case the search committee could have saved the embarrassment of getting into one-on-one direct discussions with coaches until the committee at least finds out if they have interest.

Teague making phone calls to different coaches only exposes the number of misses in the process, where a committee would have gotten the "I'm curious" separated from the "I'm interested" before Teague spends time making these phone calls.

If Teague had a person on the hook, (which many thought at first, and which really doesn't seem to be the case right now) this would have been a fine approach. But as things stand right now... it's not looking so good.

Each day that passes only to hear the coaches name from Middle Tennessee State or some other low ranked school get called just so it didn't appear Teague "settled" for Flip Saunders only siphons the excitement from the naming of the new coach.
 

Face The Facts said:
I'm not a big search committee guy, but in this case the search committee could have saved the embarrassment of getting into one-on-one direct discussions with coaches until the committee at least finds out if they have interest.

Teague making phone calls to different coaches only exposes the number of misses in the process, where a committee would have gotten the "I'm curious" separated from the "I'm interested" before Teague spends time making these phone calls.

If Teague had a person on the hook, (which many thought at first, and which really doesn't seem to be the case right now) this would have been a fine approach. But as things stand right now... it's not looking so good.

Each day that passes only to hear the coaches name from Middle Tennessee State or some other low ranked school get called just so it didn't appear Teague "settled" for Flip Saunders only siphons the excitement from the naming of the new coach.
Click to expand...

Ah, ok.
 

Hey sparky. Let me let you in on the Villa 7 thing. Teague and Ellis ARE THE SEARCH COMMITTEE for many mid-major hires over the past few years. So maybe, just maybe they know what they are doing and are waiting for a coach to finish his season before they can announce him. Patience padawan.
 

It has been 3 days and a sea of rumors. Nothing embarrassing has happened. This is completely par for the course.. Please stop making so many threads and confine yourself to one or two...
 

Sparlimb said:
Hey sparky. Let me let you in on the Villa 7 thing. Teague and Ellis ARE THE SEARCH COMMITTEE for many mid-major hires over the past few years. So maybe, just maybe they know what they are doing and are waiting for a coach to finish his season before they can announce him. Patience padawan.
Click to expand...

Sparlimb, u hit it right on the nuts.
 

Face The Facts said:
I'm not a big search committee guy, but in this case the search committee could have saved the embarrassment of getting into one-on-one direct discussions with coaches until the committee at least finds out if they have interest.

Teague making phone calls to different coaches only exposes the number of misses in the process, where a committee would have gotten the "I'm curious" separated from the "I'm interested" before Teague spends time making these phone calls.

If Teague had a person on the hook, (which many thought at first, and which really doesn't seem to be the case right now) this would have been a fine approach. But as things stand right now... it's not looking so good.

Each day that passes only to hear the coaches name from Middle Tennessee State or some other low ranked school get called just so it didn't appear Teague "settled" for Flip Saunders only siphons the excitement from the naming of the new coach.
Click to expand...

Probably your worst post on any board.
 

JDGopher said:
It has been 3 days and a sea of rumors. Nothing embarrassing has happened. This is completely par for the course.. Please stop making so many threads and confine yourself to one or two...
Click to expand...

Thank you. We don't know what is going on internally so why should anyone sit here after three days and say this thing is a disaster? For all we know they have multiple candidates who are willing to accept the position and are doing their due diligence to make the right choice. Once a coach is named people can give their opinions, but at this point everything we've heard is pure speculation so let's just wait and see what happens.
 

Face The Facts said:
I'm not a big search committee guy, but in this case the search committee could have saved the embarrassment of getting into one-on-one direct discussions with coaches until the committee at least finds out if they have interest.

Teague making phone calls to different coaches only exposes the number of misses in the process, where a committee would have gotten the "I'm curious" separated from the "I'm interested" before Teague spends time making these phone calls.

If Teague had a person on the hook, (which many thought at first, and which really doesn't seem to be the case right now) this would have been a fine approach. But as things stand right now... it's not looking so good.

Each day that passes only to hear the coaches name from Middle Tennessee State or some other low ranked school get called just so it didn't appear Teague "settled" for Flip Saunders only siphons the excitement from the naming of the new coach.
Click to expand...

Dude, holy crap, get a grip, my friend. Everything's going to be all right. Don't be so emotional.
 

maybe we should be focused on lesser known Villa 7 coaches........
 

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