Coaches to Watch

That name is getting buzz, including from me, but my take is that she's a perfect fit there at Columbia in New York City as a long-term career:

NYC is the #1 media market and yet doesn't have college sports like other areas. It's good for women's basketball to keep a winning team that she built and continues to drive up viewers and presence in maybe the most important city in America for media influence.

She grew up there and loves Manhattan. Imagine the NIL opportunity too. It doesn't make sense to move out of that sweet situation in NYC to Minnesota or any Midwest team
Big 10 conference in WBB gets a lot more exposure than IVY league, and a step up competition wise. I know we are not the buzzing Metropolis of NY City but by any means we're not the cornfields or flyover only country anymore either. What's the old phrase "money talks and BS walks". You want a good basketball coach who will inspire the athletes. Why talk ourselves out of something good. We have one of the better practice facilities in country for WBB. Gophers play in front of fans, always better than a semi to mostly empty arena. Attendance has a lot of potential. I say the Gophers program had, and has a lot to offer. The cupboard is not bare like coming out of last year. The previous staff left this place with some foundation to build from talent perspective, if you can keep them together. We don't want to just win the press conference, we want to kick some rear end in WBB. Takes a motivated coach and players to do that. Housing prices while not great still cheaper than NY City. We want to be where Iowa, Indiana and OSU are, not hanging at the bottom. Younger coach, heard in earlier post she was impressive to the athlete. You have to at least make a phone call to Griffith's agent, I would think.
 
Last edited:

I know this might not be an obvious candidate but I would hope Mark Coyle would consider Shimmy Gray Miller from the current staff. I mean rhis scincerely. Previous head coaching experience, post players have improved play a lot the last two years from rebounding and defensive metrics. That is coaching. Familiar with current players and area now. Positive influence on the bench and court every day, she brought a spark and a smile every game day. That's authentic and cannot be faked. Sometimes you have a gem under your nose and don't even realize it. She is a great influence for WBB at the U. Coach Whalen clearly saw something good in the associate head coach. To me that is meaningful. Hoping we have a good candidate list and not a one size fits all approach, and that would include male coaches. Competition in the candidate pool will lead us to a great choice, even one that might not be as obvious to the media. The best fit will show.
 
Last edited:

I know this might not be an obvious candidate but I would hope Mark Coyle would consider Shimmy Gray Miller from the current staff. I mean rhis scincerely. Previous head coaching experience, post players have improved play a lot the last two years from rebounding and defensive metrics. That is coaching. Familiar with current players and area now. Positive influence on the bench and court every day, she brought a spark and a smile every game day. That's authentic and cannot be faked. Sometimes you have a gem under your nose and don't even realize it. She is a great influence for WBB at the U. Coach Whalen clearly saw something good in the associate head coach. To me that is meaningful. Hoping we have a good candidate list and not a one size fits all approach, and that would include male coaches. Competition in the candidate pool will lead us to a great choice, even one that might not be as obvious to the media. The best fit will show.
I think there is zero chance of that. When you fire a coach, you rarely see an assistant take over permanently.
 

I know this might not be an obvious candidate but I would hope Mark Coyle would consider Shimmy Gray Miller from the current staff. I mean rhis scincerely. Previous head coaching experience, post players have improved play a lot the last two years from rebounding and defensive metrics. That is coaching. Familiar with current players and area now. Positive influence on the bench and court every day, she brought a spark and a smile every game day. That's authentic and cannot be faked. Sometimes you have a gem under your nose and don't even realize it. She is a great influence for WBB at the U. Coach Whalen clearly saw something good in the associate head coach. To me that is meaningful. Hoping we have a good candidate list and not a one size fits all approach, and that would include male coaches. Competition in the candidate pool will lead us to a great choice, even one that might not be as obvious to the media. The best fit will show.

Here's an obviously overwrought counterpoint from Gray-Miller's Texas Tech run:

 

Posted on the SDSU board that AJ recently built a new house and his wife's parents just moved to Brookings from western SD. Combining that with 2 or 3 young school age kids adds up a number of reasons to stay put.
Houses can't be sold. Kids can't move to new schools.

Darn, I forgot about that law, that prevents that.
 



Here's an obviously overwrought counterpoint from Gray-Miller's Texas Tech run:

Pretty effective rebuttal.
 

Pretty effective rebuttal.
I pretty much take this with a grain of salt unless I had some first hand information about this or there were multiple people stepping up with credibility, even then, people can mature/change. I have seen nothing but class from Shimmy when she has been here and I too would have liked her to be a candidate IF she had a record of success but I think the best one can get or want would be to have her stay on as an assistant. Keep in mind, the kid from Washington is coming here to a great extent because the mom, of said kid, was coached by Shimmy and that was a very positive experience.
 
Last edited:

I pretty much take this with a grain of salt unless I had some first hand information about this or there were multiple people stepping up with credibility, even then, people can mature/change. I have seen nothing but class from Shimmy when she has been here and I too would have liked her to be a candidate IF she had a record of success but I think the best one can get or want would be to ave her stay on as an assistant. Keep in mind, the kid from Washington is coming here to a great extent because the mom of said kid was coached by Shimmy and that was a very positive experience.
I was referring only to her record as a head coach. I should have made that clear. She may be a wonderful person, I don't know. I am hoping for someone with a much more successful head coaching record though.
 



Interesting discussion:

 

Here's an obviously overwrought counterpoint from Gray-Miller's Texas Tech run:

I know the record wasn't great but taking over as the interim coach is never easy. The hand shake thing big deal, to me the West Virginia coach was showing just as much poor sportsmanship up that many points to end the game that way. Borderline being a major league " D " on the inbound play. Sometimes you need to win with a little class and not rub it in. That said you need to maintain your composure as coach. That whole part of the article isn't really an issue that I would care about. People mature and change over time with experience.

I don't disagree that coaches from fired staffs often do not get interviews.

She, Shimmy was a really positive assistant coach for the Gophers and players especially post players improved under her leadership. I cannot speak to the Texas Tech experience but hey Texas Tech hired Marlene Stollings and her bullying way's so there is that, and we know how negative Coach Stollings was on Minnesota players when she coached here,. That and Stollings, she cared even less about defense than having her clothes look pristine. She bailed on Minnesota just as much as she was shown out the door.

Just wanted it known and I think other fans would not disagree that Coach Gray Miller had a positive affect on the Gophers WBB team and program. I was impressed with coach Gray Miller, and coach Whalen adding her to the staff to me was a really good addition while on the Minnesota staff. I wish Coach Gray Miller nothing but the best and we were glad to have her In Minnesota.
 
Last edited:


Not new; but an updated guess list
Princeton coach Berube played at Connecticut, I like that and the fact that she has been dominant in her 7 seasons at Princeton. Honestly I like these Ivy league coaches a lot, Griffiths and Berube are both winners and coach in a league where you have to have a good system and player development.
 
Last edited:




There are two very experienced coaches I would want to interview. Dawn Plitzuweit and Kamie Ethridge.

Dawn (the non-Staley one) has a career recruiting Big Ten areas and took South Dakota to an Elite Eight. (!!) She has coached at Michigan and Wisconsin, and has over a decade of experience as a head coach. She just finished her first season in West Virginia, but maybe can perform a Reverse Brenda and leave a school for us after one season. :)

Kamie had a long successful assistant career at Kansas State before leading Northern Colorado, and just got Washington State their first ever women’s PAC-12 championship in ANY sport. Washington St. has long been considered one of the most challenging Power 5s to win at and if she could do it there I’d love to see what she could do with all the talent in MN.

I haven’t seen their names come up and curious of other’s thoughts on these two.
 

There are two very experienced coaches I would want to interview. Dawn Plitzuweit and Kamie Ethridge.

Dawn (the non-Staley one) has a career recruiting Big Ten areas and took South Dakota to an Elite Eight. (!!) She has coached at Michigan and Wisconsin, and has over a decade of experience as a head coach. She just finished her first season in West Virginia, but maybe can perform a Reverse Brenda and leave a school for us after one season. :)

Kamie had a long successful assistant career at Kansas State before leading Northern Colorado, and just got Washington State their first ever women’s PAC-12 championship in ANY sport. Washington St. has long been considered one of the most challenging Power 5s to win at and if she could do it there I’d love to see what she could do with all the talent in MN.

I haven’t seen their names come up and curious of other’s thoughts on these two.
USD lost in the Sweet Sixteen. Plitzuweit is a good coach. Probably would require a substantial buyout since she just completed the first year of a long contract.
 
Last edited:


Good article on Lindy La Rocque:

LAS VEGAS — At a recent practice, UNLV coach Lindy La Rocque was unmistakably the most commanding presence in the arena. The players’ eyes were locked on the 33-year-old, hanging on her every word.

That respect was earned. The Rebels, ranked in the top 25 for the first time since 1994, are riding a 22-game winning streak after beating Wyoming on Wednesday at Thomas & Mack Center for their second-consecutive Mountain West title.

The Stanford alum has led a stunning turnaround in her three seasons as UNLV’s coach. She took over a program that had gone 13-17 in 2019-20 and led it to a 15-9 record in her inaugural season. She followed that by ending UNLV’s 20-year NCAA Tournament drought last season, the 2021-22 Rebels (26-7) exiting in the first round in a five-point loss to Arizona.

Now La Rocque and UNLV (31-2) are ready to make some noise on the national stage.

“It feels like our team uncovers something new every week,” she said ahead of the Mountain West tournament. “A lot of things we don’t even know we’re doing until they happen — we hear about being in the top 25, or the tournament, and the history with it. Our focus has been intense.”

La Rocque was the second-youngest head coach to be hired in Division I women’s basketball at 30 years old. UNLV was taking a bit of a chance on the Las Vegas native, but she had the backing of the winningest coach in NCAA women’s basketball history in Stanford coach Tara VanDerveer.

“I am who I am in a basketball sense because of Tara,” La Rocque said. “Starting as an 18-year-old playing for her, I was trying to soak everything up. I would say about 99% of what I know about basketball is because of Stanford.”

La Rocque played four seasons at Stanford and went to the Final Four in each of them between 2009 and 2012. She started most of her junior season, went on to work at Oklahoma as a grad assistant, then spent two years at Belmont before VanDerveer brought her back to the coaching staff at Stanford.

She worked primarily with perimeter players, including future WNBA players Kiana Williams and Lexie Hull, and DiJonai Carrington before her transfer.

When the Rebels were in the Bay Area to face San Jose State, they practiced at Stanford’s Maples Pavilion. VanDerveer made an appearance, speaking to the team at La Rocque’s request.

“I don’t know that they could have asked her for any more than what she’s given them,” her former coach said. “Their team is on the map. She’s got them rolling.”

VanDerveer saw La Rocque as an extra coach during her playing days. Her dad, Al, was a longtime successful high school coach, including at Durango High School in Las Vegas from 1993 to 2007, where La Rocque played her freshman season for him.

“She’s confident and she knows the game,” VanDerveer said. “Her players feed off that energy. She understands the game and that’s half the battle. Her basketball IQ is through the roof.”

Essence Booker, a Las Vegas native who began her career at Nevada and was its leading scorer before transferring to Ball State in 2020, transferred to UNLV before last season and has been one of the conference’s top players under La Rocque’s guidance. Fellow Vegas native Desi-Rae Young has broken out this season, winning the Mountain West tournament MVP award with a 28-point championship game performance.

In November, La Rocque gave birth to her first child. Her water broke toward the end of an exhibition game and she missed just eight days, returning five days after she was discharged from the hospital. She missed one game, the season-opening victory over Pepperdine, before returning to face Oral Roberts a couple of days later.

“I didn’t know exactly how my life would change,” she said. “Our players, though, they love having a little baby around, and the support here has been amazing.”

In just three seasons under La Rocque, the Rebels are 72-18 overall and 52-9 in the Mountain West. They haven’t lost since defeats to Pacific and Oklahoma State in December, and they went undefeated in conference play and at home.

Despite the success, UNLV is 51st in the NET rankings, a factor the tournament committee uses when considering at-large teams. A loss in the Mountain West tournament could have ended the Rebels' postseason hopes.

UNLV was a No. 13 seed last season. Heading into selection Sunday as the No. 21 team in the nation, the Rebels aren't going to sneak up on anybody any longer.

“I didn’t have any specific milestones I wanted to hit,” La Rocque said. “But I’m not surprised at the success we’ve had, mainly because we have great players. It’s not all about me; our vision is going to fruition.”
 

USD lost in the Sweet Sixteen. Plitzuweit is a good coach. Probably would require a substantial buyout since she just completed the first year of a long contract.
You’re right! I don’t know why I felt so sure about their run originally that I didn’t look it back up 😆 but they did lose in the Sweet Sixteen to Michigan by 3.

Yeah, I’m not sure what the buyout would be. I was able to find she finished year 1 of a 5 year contract that was at $550,000 this season.
 

Plitzuweit is a Mich Tech grad and former coach. I’d take her as well, but I’m biased since I went to school there. She is a good coach though. You might get her back into the Midwest though. If I remember correctly she is originally from West Bend, Wisconsin. Looks like her salary is presently $550k. Not sure on the buyout though.
 

Robin Fralick—Bowling Green: Age 41


According to ABC local news at 5 today, and from a unnamed source, Robin is on the short list for the Gopher head coaching job.
 

Robin Fralick—Bowling Green: Age 41


According to ABC local news at 5 today, and from a unnamed source, Robin is on the short list for the Gopher head coaching job.

Not sure how that can be the case since the job listing specifically says 6 years as a D1 head coach. She is in year 5.
 

Robin Fralick—Bowling Green: Age 41


According to ABC local news at 5 today, and from a unnamed source, Robin is on the short list for the Gopher head coaching job.
I wouldn’t mind this. Dominant at D2 and completely flipped that Bowling Green Program.
 

Not sure how that can be the case since the job listing specifically says 6 years as a D1 head coach. She is in year 5.
Yeah, I thought that as well. Maybe totality of her experience overcomes this, who knows.
 

I wouldn’t mind this. Dominant at D2 and completely flipped that Bowling Green Program.
Fralick was National championship head coach at Ashland in D2 and was head coach at this University prior to taking over at Bowling Green in 2018. A lot of success at Ashland, and quality run at Bowling Green. So Fralick has been a Head coach for 7 years total, 8 counting this year. The posting does say combination of Head coaching or Associate head coach experience. This was year 5 at Bowling Green. So her being a candidate is likely totality of experience and success. 27-6 at Bowling Green.
 
Last edited:

  • Six seasons of head coaching experience at a Division I Institution or 14 season of assistant or associate coaching experience at a Division I institution.
She's been impressive for sure but 5 years as a D1 head coach and 3 years at D2 Ashland. No mention of combination of coaching and assistant coaching or D2 experience being a factor.
 

Fralick was National championship head coach at Ashland in D2 and was head coach at this University prior to taking over at Bowling Green in 2018. A lot of success at Ashland, and quality run at Bowling Green. So Fralick has been a Head coach for 7 years total, 8 counting this year. The posting does say combination of Head coaching or Associate head coach experience. This was year 5 at Bowling Green. So her being a candidate is likely totality of experience and success. 27-6 at Bowling Green.
I was reading her profile earlier today, She has a very impressive resume, this would be a home run hire in my opinion if it’s true
 


I suppose we talk about names but I doubt any current head coach heading into playoffs wants their name mentioned in the media. Would be excited if KSTP reporting is true.
 

Fralick was National championship head coach at Ashland in D2 and was head coach at this University prior to taking over at Bowling Green in 2018. A lot of success at Ashland, and quality run at Bowling Green. So Fralick has been a Head coach for 7 years total, 8 counting this year. The posting does say combination of Head coaching or Associate head coach experience. This was year 5 at Bowling Green. So her being a candidate is likely totality of experience and success. 27-6 at Bowling Green.
The last coach the U of M hired from Ashland brought the Gopher men a Big Ten Title. Not too shabby. Of course, Bill Musselman was also an intense competitor who cut a few corners to win. Not comparing him to Fralick, other than they both started successful careers at Ashland.
 

I liked Duffy when we hired Whalen. This season was lacking a little pizazz until Marquette knocked off UConn

La Rocque sure has a resume

Good article on Lindy La Rocque:


If the University of Minnesota budget is tight... Fralick is a strong budget-conscious choice.

She showed in the past she can coach. She created a good record at Ashland. She did win various coaches of the year awards:

WBCA Coach of the Year (2017, 2018)
3× GLIAC Coach of the Year (2016, 2017, 2018)
NCAA Division II Basketball Bulletin Coach of the Year (2017)
Columbus Dispatch Coach of the Year (2016, 2017)
MAC Coach of the Year (2021) <-- Her best one.

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robyn_Fralick

But her recent record at Bowling Green isn't going to blow anyone away. She's not as "wow" as the two choices Ignatius listed.

Anyway... I would see it as a good choice if you can't afford the biggest fish.
 

I think we can all disregard the exact requirements for this position that is listed in the job posting. Her success and background definitely qualifies her.

Fralick is clearly a strong candidate.
She's been impressive for sure but 5 years as a D1 head coach and 3 years at D2 Ashland. No mention of combination of coaching and assistant coaching or D2 experience being a factor.
 




Top Bottom