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Post by shooting the J on Mar 30, 2015 22:34:45 GMT -6
I've again updated the list of candidates. Cast your vote, let's see who's the favorite.
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Post by GBPhoenix1 on Mar 31, 2015 6:13:55 GMT -6
Green Bay may be the only school in the country where Dane Fife would lose a poll to Gary Grzesk. I am not sure Dane is a legit candidate as he might be in line for something higher up the food chain but he is a much stronger candidate and I don't think it is close or that I am being a Gary hater.
With no names on two pieces of paper if I wrote that one guy has D1 head coaching experience, D1 high major assistant experience, has a name that recruits will know, likely can gather a staff that fans and recruits will know, as a player was a good defender and shooter and played for and mentored under two of the biggest names in the history of college basketball. Then on a different piece of paper I wrote that the other guy doesn't have D1 heading coaching experience, was an assistant at a low D1 level a decade ago, isn't known around the Midwest by D1 recruits, may not have a staff that recruits know of (see woody Wilson), as a player was a good defender and did play for a regional to somewhat national coaching legend. Which piece of paper would you want?
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Post by gbbrl97 on Mar 31, 2015 6:45:50 GMT -6
You would want the first piece of paper.....I love Gary, but if Fife is truly in the mix, I can see him keeping most of the current roster and most of the recruiting class in tact and energizing the program we may not expect. I still think 1 of the recruits will want out of their LOI. However, if Gary gets the job, there will be a lot more turnover.
If you added a 3rd piece of paper that said in-state guy born and bred, went to an in-state college to play BB, a former WI HS and FL JC head BB coach, with 9 years of D1 high major assistant experience at 2 Power 5 schools (and a stint as associate HC), but has known minor NCAA violations that are not considered violations today, that piece of paper would be in the mix as well (TJ Otzelberger).
It looks like MEG is getting this done quickly; Maybe by mid-week after the Final Four (spring signing period is 4/13 - 5/18). I remember the days when (even when BW and TK were hired) we narrowed the candidate pool down to 4-5 finalists to parade them in front of a search committee, then a coach is chosen after that pool is reduced to 2 then picked by the AD with input from the Chancellor, but by then, there is a week left in the spring signing period and you have screwed yourself of preserving the roster.
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Post by shooting the J on Mar 31, 2015 7:27:44 GMT -6
I too like Fife, but I think he's a pipe dream. He'll go to the interview, see the proposed salary, and say thanks but no thanks. He didn't leave IPFW to jump ball into the same situation.
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Post by gbbrl97 on Mar 31, 2015 7:43:17 GMT -6
But since Fife came from IFPW and probably having an idea what the salary would be at GB, then why go through the process? I don't know what he makes as a younger assistant at a top Big Ten program, but I would think he would make a little more at GB that his current salary at MSU. BW had a contract extension earlier this season where he was going to make around 230K before he left.
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Post by thetulsawarrior on Mar 31, 2015 8:49:16 GMT -6
First off the hiring process this time is more professional and will not handicap the new coach. Wardle was the right pick the last time around but the late hire cost him valuable recruiting days. The process also put the other candidates in an awkward position. Like it or not you don't hire a D1 coach by doing a dog and pony show with the job applicants.
Bringing in an outside candidate and staff might set the program back one to two years. Does the program have that kind of time? I don't know. Barone would insure continuity of a roster and recruits. Will he have a learning curve as a head coach? Who wouldn't? Duke's Coach K isn't going to walk through the door at the GB Campus. Barone doesn't seem like a showman but as a former point guard and son of a D1 and NBA coach and having his own extensive and varied coach coaching resume -- he would be a safe bet.
Whoever is hired -- much will come down to the staff he brings with him. Wardle had a good group of recruiters. The new coach will need that as well as a good mind for on the fly game adjustments. A young coach will need a veteran at his side. Perhaps MEG can provide the showmanship or should I say "showwomanship" to capture a wider section of the Green Bay Fan Community.
In the end it will come down to winning at an even higher level.
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Post by shooting the J on Mar 31, 2015 9:03:03 GMT -6
I hope those who think Fife is a sure thing remember that he was 82-97 at IPFW before he quit, with his highest conference finish being 4th place. The coaches they've had since Fife have won more.
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Post by phoenixphan87 on Mar 31, 2015 10:02:26 GMT -6
I believe Fife was 25 years old when he got the IPFW job. He eventually got things turned around but was learning to coach at the D1 level on the fly. I feel like he would be the best option but will it be enough money for him to take the job? Curious to see how much he makes being on Izzo's staff.
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Post by PantherU on Mar 31, 2015 10:27:57 GMT -6
You guys can do a lot better than Dane Fife. Gary Grzesk is a much better choice. So would Pat Miller and Bob Semling.
TJ Otzelberger would be a fine choice.
Added: who likes my new avatar?
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Post by gbbrl97 on Mar 31, 2015 10:31:42 GMT -6
LMAO.....I should change mine to former GB Chancellor Mark Perkins.
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Post by knightlife920 on Mar 31, 2015 14:44:35 GMT -6
According to Venci on Twitter, Dick and Tony Bennett have personally called the AD to endorse Grzesk. I like where this is headed!
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Post by PantherU on Mar 31, 2015 16:38:24 GMT -6
According to Venci on Twitter, Dick and Tony Bennett have personally called the AD to endorse Grzesk. I like where this is headed! I've been saying all along (as have others on this board), Grzesk is the guy. Here's something else: there is no coach out there who will "not" set the program back a couple years. Whether it's a coach from inside the program (Brian Barone) who doesn't have the experience, or a coach from outside who will take a couple years to get players in that fit their system, there's going to be a learning curve. Brian Barone would have a similar situation to Rob Jeter. Jeter inherited 7 seniors that went to a Sweet 16 as juniors. Then he had to start over. Barone would be inheriting an NIT first round team. Will his learning curve be as long as Jeter's? Who knows. That's part of the problem. You don't know. So there's going to be a couple years of transition anyways. There was with Wardle, Kowalczyk. Heideman had it like Jeter, and you know how that ended. I don't see this Kowalczyk-Wardle tree as something that needs to continue. You want the best man for the next 5 years. The best bet is Gary Grzesk.
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Post by fightphoe93 on Mar 31, 2015 17:25:35 GMT -6
Let's be honest, it's nowhere near as good a situation as Rob Jeter had in 2005-2006. Ed McCants was gone, but Tigert, Tucker, Hill, and Boo Davis all returned. Without Sykes, Mays, and Mckinnie, this was a guaranteed step back for UWGB this coming year unless some holdovers made some drastic improvements in their game.
Fouse and Love are decent players, but they are more complementary type players than guys who can carry your team. Even if Wardle had stayed, I thought it would be at least 2016-17 before they'd contend again, and maybe even another year beyond that would have been needed. The new coach will need at least a couple years to build the talent back up. With some key transfers and/or jucos, they could contend in just 2 or 3 years, but I think 2015-2016 is a rebuild year no matter which coach is chosen.
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Post by GBPhoenix1 on Mar 31, 2015 19:27:56 GMT -6
If Fife isn't affordable then we should take him off the poll. I voted on my favorite based on the names being floated not thinking about finances. I assume if he expresses mutual interest he will know about the finances.
Fife's record as a head coach isn't great but he did see a tiny budget independent D1 that was 21-88 in the four seasons before him into 18-12 and 11-7 in his last year in the summit league. It wasn't like he took over a Valpo level program and didn't do anything with it. Plus Tony Janasick went 11-19 overall 5-13 conference, 16-17 7-9 and 25-11 10-4 after Fife. Then Jon Coffman went 16-15 and 9-7 this year despite being the preseason #1 so I wouldn't say the other coaches have won more. They had one better season out of 4 and that was after having Fife make the program respectable.
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Post by GBPhoenix1 on Mar 31, 2015 19:57:05 GMT -6
Just a few other things. I am anti Soderburg because he isn't strong enough at the D1 level. He is just a guy who worked under Dick Bennett and is from WI. If it wasn't for that nobody would even remotely think he should be a D1 coach in WI. He knows enough about basketball to win at the lower levels but at D1 he is playing checkers while everyone else is playing chess.
I used to talk to Coach Semling when I was in college. He is a really nice guy but he doesn't come as across as a guy who eats, breathes and sleeps winning D1 college basketball. I would call that the "it factor." For all that he wasn't Coach K had that aurora of being all consumed by winning. Coach Wardle had it as well. Without that "it factor" you have Jerry Wainwright or Jerry Slocum. Guys who are personable, know a lot about coaching college hoops but don't spend their entire day flat out doing everything all day to win. It's what makes Buzz Williams who he is.
I also can't imagine MEG going down the Badgers coaching tree with Gard. I think she wants to build her own brand. For the same reason I am not sure I can see her going down the Bennett tree. Borseth is in place, most people aren't super passionate about the other sports so this is her first opportunity to place her stamp on the program. In the times I have chatted with her I think she has lofty aspirations and she is going to go big with this hire.
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