The top assistants at the elite programs would not leave to be a assistant and are paid far more than we would pay. Ben got his main guy.
He didn't lie. Did you really expect him to poach someone from a blue bloods unless they were one of the non-assistant positions? You can't possibly have understood him to mean that he would hire his assistants solely from blue bloods. You, of all people, who feel that he was a horrible hire and will not succeed? How could he possibly do anything like that... as an assistant from 'mediocre programs?'
And there would be some that would extend your logic to say you hadn’t waited long enough to say they stink when you do. I can find the absurdity in all of the Ben-bashing, but it’s just as absurd to claim people aren’t real fans or only want the team to fail because they didn’t approve of the coach. It’s a message board for fans to share their opinions. Some you will agree with and some you won’t. We all want the team to succeed. That doesn’t mean you can’t be worried about our AD rolling the dice on an inexperienced hire when we just went through years of unrealized hope with another inexperienced coach. I want Ben to succeed. It’s possible. I just think the odds are against him.
The downside to message boards or forums like this is that most of the people are on roughly the same page and then it is the super vocal minority voices on the fringes that get all the attention and tend to dominate the conversations.
Guys that this is their best offer, the best connect with the coaches and their vision. Many kids like the offer but keep a eye on the prettier girl. Ben wants the guys that think this is the best place for them.
Fans get all upset when a local kid leaves but this idea applies to that scenario as well. Coaches are not going to go hard after a kid in recruiting if it is clear they just don't want to be there.
There is a lot of racism here over the hiring of a Black coach. We heard all those rumblings before the hire. Just a part of life we have to endure.
I don't think it is fair to chalk it up to racism over the hiring of a black coach. We have had black coaches with the basketball program in the past and they have been loved by fans. When Tubby Smith was hired you would have been hard pressed to find many people that didn't love the hire.
I didn't think that Coyle and Gabel hired Ben Johnson specifically because of his skin color, but because of his ties to his alma mater, his prior recruiting, and his potential as a coach. They gambled on Lindsay Whalen, and they are gambling on BJ too.
We will never know why they hired him. But there is good reason for people to suspect that this was a politically correct hire because University communications and their actions are full on "woke" 100% of the time. One thing I know, is that they never did contact Musselman, who was interested in the position and would have been far more of a sure fire winner. I am not saying he was the right pick for the long term or not because he has been job hopping but the dude has what it takes and was not contacted. Maybe they knew the money would be too much- not sure there. Obviously they passed on Dutcher and others for reasons unknown as well. Coyle made the "leap of faith" on Ben and as I said above we will never know all of the reasons for sure. There can be no doubt that Gabel was heavily involved and Ben said so himself. Her communications to the alumni are loud and clear that this is a woke university.
"Life is like a box of chocolates..." Forrest Gump