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Post by gbbrl97 on Mar 15, 2023 23:21:51 GMT -6
Not my first choice (I would have went with Ben Johnson, but I went to GB in the early to mid 90s so I’m a little biased), but this program needs energy. Since BW left, the Resch Center has been a cavern. Linc talked a good game and brought a lot of scoring but no offensive efficiency, no rebounding, and those teams after year 1 could not defend a folding lawn chair. Linc also didn’t endear himself to the community. It also didn’t help that MEG left and we ended up with Guthrie as AD which made things worse. The only thing Will Ryan had was his last name. If seeing some of the other posts that eluded to Ryan’s practices, the apple fell WAY far from the tree. Right now, this team looks and plays like a WIAC team.
I would have liked Ben, but if Moon’s goal is to energize the program, going back to a version of Bennett-ball may not be ideal. That was over 30 years ago. We need to energize a new crop of fans which may not have witnessed the success in the Bennett Era. Brannen would have been a good choice, but would he have come to GB of the job is paying $250K-$300? Also, did Moon find one too many skeletons in his closet. Remember BW and his run in with Brennan Cougill’s mom? At this stage of GBs program, we don’t need the perception of Brannen hanging over the program. Tharp would have been ok, but would we get another version of Bennett-ball with WIAC-like recruits?
I am glad that Gottlieb didn’t get the job. Would he really put in the work that this program needs and not rely on the sports celebrity angle to bring in recruits? If we are going with an out of the box hire, at least with Wicks, he will being energy and maybe an out of the box approach to recruiting and bring in some athletes that we haven’t seen since the BW era. I’m tired of GB looking like a D3 squad coming out of the tunnel.
Wicks may be like PJ Fleck but hopefully a lot less of a D-bag. My brother recruited against him when he was at WMU, and hated him with a passion.
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Post by GBPhoenix1 on Mar 16, 2023 9:45:17 GMT -6
I have no clue what PJ Fleck is really like. I have no clue what Sundance Wicks is really like.
While I may never have the chance to meet PJ Fleck, I am sure at some point I will get the chance to meet Sundance. Until proven otherwise I am going to believe Sundance is just Sundance. I see no need to compare him to any other person just because he has a big personality.
I believe with near certainty that Wicks was the #1 pick. If GB basketball was in a position that what matters on the court is the only consideration then I believe Brannen would be the coach. Wicks is a believe it before you see it guy. The alumni, students, players, ticket holders and business community need a little bit of that believing GB can be successful before they actually see GB become successful.
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Post by Former uwgb men’s manager will on Mar 16, 2023 11:18:35 GMT -6
The nerd podcast with wicks is kind of interesting.
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Post by fansincebuss on Apr 6, 2023 14:00:12 GMT -6
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Post by bayballer on Apr 6, 2023 14:09:29 GMT -6
Didn’t the AD say he wanted the head coaches salary to be top 5 highest in the league? Does this salary put him there?
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Post by gbbrl97 on Apr 6, 2023 14:34:31 GMT -6
$235K is not top 5 in the HL. I would think the bigger public schools in the HL like UMW, Wright State, Cleveland State, and NKU as well a private school like UDM can pay their head coaches closer to the 300K range.
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Post by fansincebuss on Apr 6, 2023 15:07:54 GMT -6
Looks like they made an offer appropriate to the level of experience. Perhaps that left some room to pay the assistants.
With success he stands to earn more either here or elsewhere.
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Post by oldtimer on Apr 7, 2023 8:56:12 GMT -6
Besides the money talk, it’s also great to see in the Venci’s article that Josh Moon proactively and contractually protecting UWGB’s interest. As reported, when Wicks is successful, any entities courting his services must compensate UWGB for the loss and that notice must be given to AD about opportunity or interest Wicks might receive from other interested parties. Gives you confidence we might have an AD is really into the all the details of his position.
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gbguy
Sophomore
Posts: 154
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Post by gbguy on Apr 7, 2023 13:04:54 GMT -6
So with all the bold talk, GB went cheap anyway.
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Post by shooting the J on Apr 7, 2023 13:33:43 GMT -6
So with all the bold talk, GB went cheap anyway. True, but would it be better to hire a lesser candidate for more money?
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gbguy
Sophomore
Posts: 154
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Post by gbguy on Apr 7, 2023 13:45:48 GMT -6
So with all the bold talk, GB went cheap anyway. True, but would it be better to hire a lesser candidate for more money? It would be best to higher a better candidate for more money.
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Post by GBPhoenix1 on Apr 7, 2023 13:50:44 GMT -6
So with all the bold talk, GB went cheap anyway. They have raised 900k over the next 5 years or 180k per year. They could have used that to pay a coach 300k plus but then not had much left over. Instead they are using that 180k to invest in other areas within the program that should make a difference in developing players, recruiting/retaining players as well as being more prevalent in the community. They paid the right amount for Wicks and gave themselves a chance to elevate the program significantly in this era of basketball if he knows what he is doing.
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Post by shooting the J on Apr 7, 2023 14:08:01 GMT -6
True, but would it be better to hire a lesser candidate for more money? It would be best to higher a better candidate for more money. I'm not sure you could get a better candidate for $350K. Also, many candidates would also want bigger budgets for support staff and recruiting. They're progressing, but I think any budget shortfalls have more to do with the Chancellor than AD Moon.
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Post by GBPhoenix1 on Apr 7, 2023 14:26:47 GMT -6
The shortfalls have more to do with a small enrollment compared to GB's peers, state politics and a general disinterest in GB men's basketball from the community over the last half of a decade.
Like it or not the other public schools in this league have more students. That means more student fees or more tuition dollars that get allocated to sports. Plus some schools are in states with larger state funding to the university in general. UWGB's state contribution as a percentage of the total budget is much lower than it used to be.
Add in a plateau in donations and a decrease in ticket revenue as community interest was waning and I'm not sure this is anyone's fault.
I appreciate the AD and the new basketball coach are both out there actively telling people to get involved and spend money. I see them doing it and I see it working so that is refreshing.
The community is doing it's part. The university is doing some too but they can't move as fast with a limited checkbook and lots of demands on that checkbook.
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gbguy
Sophomore
Posts: 154
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Post by gbguy on Apr 7, 2023 15:28:16 GMT -6
The shortfalls have more to do with a small enrollment compared to GB's peers, state politics and a general disinterest in GB men's basketball from the community over the last half of a decade. Like it or not the other public schools in this league have more students. That means more student fees or more tuition dollars that get allocated to sports. Plus some schools are in states with larger state funding to the university in general. UWGB's state contribution as a percentage of the total budget is much lower than it used to be. Add in a plateau in donations and a decrease in ticket revenue as community interest was waning and I'm not sure this is anyone's fault. I appreciate the AD and the new basketball coach are both out there actively telling people to get involved and spend money. I see them doing it and I see it working so that is refreshing. The community is doing it's part. The university is doing some too but they can't move as fast with a limited checkbook and lots of demands on that checkbook. So in other words, Moon wasn’t being entirely truthful about their willingness to pay for a good coach.
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