Seth Davis: A decision to hire Enfield is blatant ploy to "win the press conference"

Donate To GopherHole
BleedGopher

BleedGopher

Well-known member
Joined
Nov 11, 2008
Messages
61,972
Reaction score
18,166
Points
113
Seth Davis: A decision to hire Enfield is blatant ploy to "win the press conference"

per Seth Davis:

Obviously, the two hot names in mid-majordom are Brad Stevens and Shaka Smart. Any athletic director that has an opening and doesn't call those two guys first is committing malpractice. But fans are making a mistake if they assume that those guys will leave for greener pastures at the first opportunity. There is rampant speculation that UCLA is going to go after Smart, but that's all it is right now -- speculation. You can also expect him to be a candidate at Minnesota, whose athletic director, Norwood Teague, used to be Smart's boss at VCU. But Smart could have had the Illinois job last year, and he turned it down. He is only 35, and like Dixon and Alford, he has long-term job security. If he makes a move, he is putting that at risk.

The other two hot names on the carousel will be Wichita State's Gregg Marshall and Florida Gulf Coast's Andy Enfield. Marshall could have had numerous jobs the last two years, including North Carolina State, but he also opted to stay in Wichita, where he is paid well and doesn't have to worry about being fired. Enfield has done a great job with the Eagles during the NCAA tournament, but let's remember he has limited experience, and his team did finish second in the Atlantic Sun this season. A decision to hire him is a blatant ploy to "win the press conference."

To be blunt, as a species, athletic directors are not the most imaginative folks you will ever meet. Most of them are far more attuned to what's happening in football than basketball. There are a lot of talented head coaches out there that very few people have heard of, and there are also plenty of qualified assistants. (Let's remember that Jamie Dixon, Tom Izzo and Roy Williams were all assistants before they got hired at Pitt, Michigan State and Kansas, respectively.) The pool of "big names" tends to dry up fast. Getting rid of the current coach might feel like it's solving a problem, but the solution is not as apparent as many fans think. That will become even more obvious as the carousel continues its annual spring spin.

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/-c...weet-16-hoop-thoughts/?sct=hp_wr_a2&eref=sihp

Go Gophers!!
 


I believe an Andy Enfield hire is a package deal w/ Amanda Marcum included. That would be nice.
 

Goal shouldn't be to win the press conference, that's short-sighted

I think Davis makes some sense here. Everyone is so focused on Shaka (or Flip) that anyone else is going to be considered a major disappointment. That's not fair.

If the hire can do both, great, but I don't want the U to focus on winning the press conference, I'd rather they focus on winning (Big Ten) games and beyond. Think more long term, not short term. As Davis points outs, there are a ton of quality coaches out there, head and assistant, known and unknown. I'm going to trust Teague to find that guy.

After Izzo's first two years in East Lansing, he was mockingly called "Izzo Fizzo." He's been to the NCAA Tournament every year since then.
 

I think Davis makes some sense here. Everyone is so focused on Shaka (or Flip) that anyone else is going to be considered a major disappointment. That's not fair.

If the hire can do both, great, but I don't want the U to focus on winning the press conference, I'd rather they focus on winning (Big Ten) games and beyond. Think more long term, not short term. As Davis points outs, there are a ton of quality coaches out there, head and assistant, known and unknown. I'm going to trust Teague to find that guy.


+ 1 million and Thank you!
 


To be blunt, as a species, athletic directors are not the most imaginative folks you will ever meet. Most of them are far more attuned to what's happening in football than basketball.
Click to expand...

Guess he never met Teague
 

Enfield was an assistant two years ago, apparently at that time he would've qualified as a good hire for an AD.
 

Some Day...Is Coming! said:
I think Davis makes some sense here. Everyone is so focused on Shaka (or Flip) that anyone else is going to be considered a major disappointment. That's not fair.

If the hire can do both, great, but I don't want the U to focus on winning the press conference, I'd rather they focus on winning (Big Ten) games and beyond. Think more long term, not short term. As Davis points outs, there are a ton of quality coaches out there, head and assistant, known and unknown. I'm going to trust Teague to find that guy.


+ 1 million and Thank you!
Click to expand...

I get his point, and I don't think it should be taken as a slight to the Gophers or Teague.
Some might remember that Iowa hired two coaches in 1999. Coach Alford was a mid-major darling and the hire was widely celebrated. Coach Ferentz was mostly viewed as second choice after the opportunity to get Bobby Stoops was mishandled. Think how that has changed.

"Teague has a good track record of talent evaluation - give the new coach a chance to prove himself before grading the success of the hire."
That's what I would have written at the end if it were my article.
 

Why does he think that by taking a new job, Smart would be giving up long-term job security? I'm assuming his new contract would give him some very nice security with a long-term contract. Big $$ = security.
 




Seth Davis: All the articles I write are a blatant ploy to "get clicks"
 

You must log in or register to reply here.



Top Bottom