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Post by fightphoe93 on Mar 14, 2023 20:13:50 GMT -6
On paper, this looks like a strange hire since he wasn't associated with elite programs. That said, maybe going "outside the box" can end up working.
One thing in Wicks' favor, he really truly cannot do any worse than where this program has been the last 2 years. I suppose the only thing that could be worse would be somehow getting the program in some sort of NCAA hot water, but that's pretty hard to do nowadays. I wish coach Wicks the best, he's got a tough job to get this program out of the D1 basement it is in right now.
Did I hear that former UWGB player Ben Johnson was seriously looked at for this job? Back when I was a student at UWGB in the late 1980s/early 1990s I met Ben a few times as he was a year behind me. He was just a fantastic guy and great representative of UWGB. I would have loved for him to have had a chance at this job, but that said, I'll still be behind the new coach to hopefully do a great job building this program back up.
I genuinely feel bad for Will Ryan. It had to be tough for things to go as badly as they did for him, but for whatever reason he just wasn't ready for this level of coaching. I seriously hope he does well in whatever he does going forward.
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Post by shooting the J on Mar 15, 2023 5:53:13 GMT -6
I think he'll be able to retain some players, and I think there's a lot of underdeveloped talent in the Green Bay front court, and if he can retain the recruits, that will add some juice to the backcourt. He does need to add a PG though. Cade is solid and hopefully he’s able to develop Donovan Short into a decent player, but if Brock see’s major minutes next season we won’t be winning many games. Brock isn't there yet, but has the highest ceiling of any front court player. Unique blend length, bounce, energy, with a hint of perimeter skill. He just needs an actual development coach to put it all together.
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Post by FiredCoachesPod on Mar 15, 2023 6:57:03 GMT -6
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Post by barnzoboy on Mar 15, 2023 8:20:07 GMT -6
I’m very intrigued by the hire - along with the passion and enthusiasm of Coach Wicks. This is what it’s going to take to reignite the Phoenix faithful from the ash heap. Moon is betting his future AD jobs on Wicks, so I’m glad to see they both have skin in the game. On the other hand, hiring an ass-covering search firm was the usual waste of public dollars, as Josh only had to search his phone contacts. Best of luck to Coach Wicks - and go Phoenix! Again search firms do more than search. They vet candidates in their network, conduct background checks, etc. All the enthusiasm isn’t going to matter unless they win. This is a cut and paste from the official GB Press Release when Will was fired: The University will launch a national search for a new head coach for the men's basketball program immediately. Parker Executive Search has been retained to assist with the search.
This implies the firm was going to locate possible candidates, that's why a few of us have brought this up more than once. If all they were going to do is basic screening, drug tests, etc. they should not have even referenced them in the Release, because some of that stuff is almost clerical in nature.
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Post by barnzoboy on Mar 15, 2023 8:51:38 GMT -6
It'll definitely be interesting to see what kind of $$ contract he has. I wouldn't think this hire would break the bank. I hope Tulsa is correct that this is NOT an old-boy network hire, although I must say it kind of looks like it on the surface. Wasn't Linc Darner friends with AD Gillespie? I had read that Brannen's last year at Cincinnati he was making $1.5 million. I know he had a scandal, but I'm wondering how realistic it would be to think we even had a shot at meeting what would be his reduced salary demands when that was his last wage rate as a head coach.
As for Sundance Wicks - I suppose there's pros and cons with the "hype-man" type of personality, although personally I am so NOT a fan of PJ Fleck. He may do well in generating some publicity in the community to get some fan support brewing, much needed in that regard. And I'm guessing as a player this is a cool guy to play for, as he will always take the blame for any screw-ups you do. I mean we've watched Tanner Morgan throw 3 interceptions in a game and PJ Fleck will say it was all a failure in coaching and how great Tanner Morgan is, and how the guys all battled and how proud he was of all of them, and how they couldn't help that God made them fumble, etc. etc. This schtick can get old.
Hopefully this is a good thing for more reasons than simply: things couldn't get any worse. Definitely want this train wreck of a team to get back on track.
Now let's get out there and ROW the BOAT haha, oh wait I guess with us it'll have to be rise from the ashes or something.
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Post by GBPhoenix1 on Mar 15, 2023 8:59:56 GMT -6
I suppose it doesn't matter much anymore but it would seem the candidate pool was a mix of guys that would have applied on their own and guys that a search firm did bring forward.
In the end they went with a guy they didn't need Parker for but I'm not sure that was the intention.
For example, Parker brought McCollum into the UWM mix last year and by all accounts he did talk to GB this year.
I don't get the impression that the other finalists dropped out, I get the impression Wicks made the best case for why him and why now.
I realize that he comes across a certain way, especially in those videos. A way that makes us WI folks roll our eyes. Yet this guy is universally loved in the industry. His coaching messages are more profound than the juiceman messaging. That may be a starting point but there are a lot more layers to him when I listened to some of the other podcasts he was on.
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gbguy
Sophomore
Posts: 154
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Post by gbguy on Mar 15, 2023 9:08:20 GMT -6
If you think that "basic screening and drug tests" is all what search firms do, I don't know what to tell you.
Furthermore, you have no idea what other candidates were brought to the table through this process.
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Post by jzenk42 on Mar 15, 2023 10:46:15 GMT -6
Of the 5 finalists, Brannen was my clear #1 preference but Wicks would've been my #2. He kinda seems like basketball PJ Fleck with the energy and the catchphrase schtick. Hopefully it plays well with potential recruits and with the NE WI community. This program definitely needs some juice, that's for sure. Oh shit
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Post by thetulsawarrior on Mar 15, 2023 11:49:05 GMT -6
RELAX and give the gentleman a chance. Listen to the podcast linked above. I don't know if this will workout but the guy has paid some dues and has the scars to prove it. He didn't fall off the turnip truck last week or have the protection of a rich dad who owned the business.
Marquette made a mistake hiring Wojo because all he knew was Duke and never had to deal with the challenges that he faced at Marquette. I'm a big fan of having a diverse background and learning from it.
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Post by FiredCoachesPod on Mar 15, 2023 11:52:01 GMT -6
PJ Fleck wins so I think that would be more than appropriate if that is what he is bringing to UWGB basketball. Been a while.
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Post by fansincebuss on Mar 15, 2023 11:54:11 GMT -6
I have to admit Wicks was not my first choice, but then again what do I know. I am going to trust the AD and support this hire. I would have supported Foster or Tharp or Johnson or Brannen.
The more I hear about the guy, the better he sounds. The team certainly needs some energy on the sideline.
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Post by yayphoenixyay on Mar 15, 2023 11:55:47 GMT -6
PJ Fleck wins so I think that would be more than appropriate if that is what he is bringing to UWGB basketball. Been a while. PJ Fleck is an insufferable asshole according to a buddy of mine who played for him at WMU. I hope Sundance is actually level-headed besides the hype charade.
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Post by fansincebuss on Mar 15, 2023 13:16:01 GMT -6
A chance to see and meet the new coach.
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Post by fansincebuss on Mar 15, 2023 20:00:26 GMT -6
A connection many of us were unaware of.
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Post by thetulsawarrior on Mar 15, 2023 20:46:27 GMT -6
You can get a little more dimension on the new head coach with this video.
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