Dennis Gates... He's my pick.

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If I had to place a bet right now, Gates would be my pick.
 




Got bored and watched a Cleveland State game on YoutTube. They are a fun team to watch play. My only concern with Gates is that he has only coached two seasons in a weak conference. His team is impressive and Gates is impressive, but it's a big jump.

I'm not saying I'm against it, but this would be a risky hire.
 

The FSU leadership video shows him in a pretty good light. Seems to be similar to Fleck in his philosophy of caring about the player and guiding them to be a successful adult. I think that matters to Coyle. Grew up in Chicago so he understands the Midwest and might be happy in the Big Ten long term. Bet he can recruit once he gets in the living room - seems trustworthy and honest. Whether he can coach at the Big Ten level is unknown but bet he is in the mix. Probably in the right price range and cannot imagine the buyout of Cleveland State being a huge deterrent. I would ensure he has some quality assistant coaches - With the financial situation as is, I would wager that he our next coach with lots of upside.
 





I wouldn't be concerned about his lack of years as a head coach if he did smart things and brought in a veteran assistant (Phil Martelli type) and also brought in someone like Jared Nuness, Ben Johnson etc.

I don't know much about the history of Cleveland State basketball but I don't think they have had much success over the years. The fact that he is winning there should mean something.
 

bigyetti18 said:
I wouldn't be concerned about his lack of years as a head coach if he did smart things and brought in a veteran assistant (Phil Martelli type) and also brought in someone like Jared Nuness, Ben Johnson etc.

I don't know much about the history of Cleveland State basketball but I don't think they have had much success over the years. The fact that he is winning there should mean something.
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He has a sub .500 winning percentage. That isn’t winning
 

bigyetti18 said:
I wouldn't be concerned about his lack of years as a head coach if he did smart things and brought in a veteran assistant (Phil Martelli type) and also brought in someone like Jared Nuness, Ben Johnson etc.

I don't know much about the history of Cleveland State basketball but I don't think they have had much success over the years. The fact that he is winning there should mean something.
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Famous for two things, beating Indiana when Knight was there in the first round of NCAA and the coach getting pulled over with a hooker and drugs in the car. That's what comes to mind when I think of them.
 




No, that's not winning. But he is currently 18-7 after going 11-21 in his first year with basically the same roster I believe. A roster that is not "his". All of the major contributors in last nights OT win are juniors or seniors. I can only assume he inherited them when he took over. I would take from that that he is doing something right and has coaching ability. I don't know if he is the guy for the job but he certainly is showing what an up and coming coach needs to show. Based on this, I hope he gets a look.
 

bigyetti18 said:
Oh sorry I guess I was just looking at this year. Thanks for clarifying
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Up made me look it up as well. Much better in year two. We can afford him. All he does is improve programs. Is Coyle thinking to take a chance or should he go with my man Sam Mitchell?
 

Because someone posted a YouTube video?

What did the video show that was so groundbreaking? What has he figured out about coaching men's college basketball, that no one else knows?


They went 11-21 (7-11) and lost in the first round of the Horizon tourney in 2019-20.
This year they are 17-7 (16-4), which tied for first (with Scott Nagy at Wright St), and got the #1 seed. Should get to the championship game vs Nagy/Wright (#2 seed), and the winner will get the one bid. Wright St lost their quarter-final last night, while Cleveland survived in 3OT. I guess nothing is guaranteed at this point.


It's a one bid league. Pretty much just an Eastern, Great Lakes version of the Summit League, at this point. Maybe a half-step up in terms of pay/fan support/TV (otherwise, why would Nagy leave South Dakota St?).


I'm sure he'll do great things. Wish him all the best luck. But I think it's too big of a jump.
 
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That said, and sorry if you hate this idea ... but it is what it is, I would not be surprised at all if he gets an interview, because it will look good to the media and public to have a Black candidate. 🤷‍♂️
 

MplsGopher said:
That said, and sorry if you hate this idea ... but it is what it is, I would not be surprised at all if he gets an interview, because it will look good to the media and public to have a Black candidate. 🤷‍♂️
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It's a win-win. Even if he's not hired, it's a good experience and increases his prominence. That said, I feel he gets a high-major job this off season. BC seems like a particularly good fit.
 

Bad Gopher said:
It's a win-win. Even if he's not hired, it's a good experience and increases his prominence. That said, I feel he gets a high-major job this off season. BC seems like a particularly good fit.
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He would be a good fit in a lot of places, I'm sure. From Chicago, played at Cal, and has coached in every time zone. Hasn't coached specifically in the northeast, but I doubt that matters too much.
 

MplsGopher said:
That said, and sorry if you hate this idea ... but it is what it is, I would not be surprised at all if he gets an interview, because it will look good to the media and public to have a Black candidate. 🤷‍♂️
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You forgot to mention that it would also be a good thing for the basketball community. In fact, it would be a big deal. Diversity in our athletic department is a good thing too.

Sure, he doesn't have years as a head coach but he's played and been around the game his entire life.
 

HitMeAgainIAmStillMoving said:
Up made me look it up as well. Much better in year two. We can afford him. All he does is improve programs. Is Coyle thinking to take a chance or should he go with my man Sam Mitchell?
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I am interested in this guy. He might be great. However, "we can afford him", is not nearly enough at this point. This program has floundered for 40 plus years. Dutcher and Haskins each had a championship but that's it. This program is an uphill climb, a really, really tough job even though the potential is huge. If we don't hire a big time guy, people will start giving up on the new hire in two years. That is a big burden to put on a bargain hire. We are either going to have to have patience with the right guy or go big and be willing to pay for it.

The affect that basketball program has on the University can be really big if it is successful. We need to break the bank to hire the best guy that is willing to come here. I hope for Musselman. It just seems right.
 


bga1 said:
I am interested in this guy. He might be great. However, "we can afford him", is not nearly enough at this point. This program has floundered for 40 plus years. Dutcher and Haskins each had a championship but that's it. This program is an uphill climb, a really, really tough job even though the potential is huge. If we don't hire a big time guy, people will start giving up on the new hire in two years. That is a big burden to put on a bargain hire. We are either going to have to have patience with the right guy or go big and be willing to pay for it.

The affect that basketball program has on the University can be really big if it is successful. We need to break the bank to hire the best guy that is willing to come here. I hope for Musselman. It just seems right.
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I feel the same that a big time hire would be ideal. However, I don't think it will be Muss. From what I have heard Muss is a dick. I don't mean that in a bad way, but he will steamroll Coyle and I think Coyle needs someone that won't challenge him/go above him etc.
 

UpAndUnder43 said:
He has a sub .500 winning percentage. That isn’t winning
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He coached 2 years. Not sure anybody is expected to win their first year, especially taking over a really bad program. It's the massive turnaround in Year 2 that has him on a lot of peoples' list. It's also 4 straight Top 15 classes at Florida State.
 


Smith and Medved both have much more complete resumes and are much more sure things.

Gates in two years would potentially be a good candidate and he has shown some promise so far but other coaches just have better resumes at this point.
 

He has risen to the top of 'my board' as well. The primary reason is his strong ability to relate to players. This translates to better recruiting and getting the most out of players on the court. As mentioned previously, this should raise the programs status with local players, HS and AAU programs. Will we get all the top recruits, no. But if we start getting a few here and grow it, that is progress. I admit, he might not be the best with X&O's but that is why you have assistants.

He could be the PJ of the hardwood type of coach which should be of interest to Coyle.
 


MplsGopher said:
Those are attributed mainly to him? Honest question.
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I'm basing that off what the video said (including the current NBA players who spoke in it) and a couple things I've read elsewhere. If you Google his name and Florida State, the first few links that come up mention his recruiting ability.

"Among his many recruiting victories was playing a major role in landing forwards Jonathan Isaac and Mfiondu Kabengele. He also played a key role in the development of those NBA Draft lottery picks. Gates is also credited with working heavily with numerous other Seminole standouts during his time in Tallahassee, including multiple players that have moved on to careers with NBA teams."
 

Thanks.

I want to give him a fair chance. Really I do. Could turn out to be an amazing pick.

Just not enough resume to make that jump, without a huge leap of faith.

If he gets to coach BC, will be very interested in what he can do there. If he gets them towards the top of the ACC, I'm sure bigger/better programs will come calling.
 

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