The 2019 Coaching Carousel

[TruePoint]

"There are 2 basketball schools in New England, UCONN and PC. URI has a good team every ten years. The AD
is clueless"

•Tom Penders 05/21/19

How and why did Penders drag us into this? Did he get turned down by Bjorn for a coaching position?

Tom Penders has a hair across his ass for Thorr, probably because he doesn’t have unfettered access to the program/facilities and his (I’m sure very useful) advice probably has not been pursued to the extent he wishes. This is, unfortunately, what happens to people when they become old and idle and don’t have the temperament to be that way. My family knew Tommy well when he was here in the 80s, so it gives me no pleasure to dunk on him now, but the dude has obviously lost it and he embarrasses himself nearly every time he fires up the old tweeting machine.

[SmartyBarrett]

[rhodyruckus]

I think DeFilippo was going Cooley a solid based on their history together. Probably brought him in the mix to allow a nice raise from PC. Good for Ed.

[Rhode_Island_Red]

"There are 2 basketball schools in New England, UCONN and PC. URI has a good team every ten years. The AD
is clueless"

•Tom Penders 05/21/19

How and why did Penders drag us into this? Did he get turned down by Bjorn for a coaching position?

Tom Penders has a hair across his ass for Thorr, probably because he doesn’t have unfettered access to the program/facilities and his (I’m sure very useful) advice probably has not been pursued to the extent he wishes. This is, unfortunately, what happens to people when they become old and idle and don’t have the temperament to be that way. My family knew Tommy well when he was here in the 80s, so it gives me no pleasure to dunk on him now, but the dude has obviously lost it and he embarrasses himself nearly every time he fires up the old tweeting machine.

Or maybe Thorr told him he'd have to pay for his seats in Section 104 from now on.

[KevanBoyles]

Fanta is delusional.

[Rhody83]

Another great Cooley fact posted on Michigan Fan Board (boy are they relieved).
Cooley’s Big East record in 8 years is 71-73.
He is considered this great coach because they went to 5 straight NCAA Tournaments but BE teams are getting bids with under .500 conference records.

[STC]

I get that knock on Cooley and I think it’s a fair critique, but if URI was making 5 straight tournaments I wouldn’t care what our conference record was over that time. Even from a PC perspective I can live with a subpar conference record if you are consistently making tournaments.

I understand Michigan is in another stratosphere when it comes to expectations as well.

[ramster]

PC didn’t make the NCAA this year, finishing in the bottom of the conference. They likely will not make it next season either.

[rambone 78]

I would rather see Cooley stay rather than hire Pitino....he would get PC back to the FF by hook or crook....most likely by crook, but you get the point.

Penders is definitely unhappy with Thorr. He was pushing for at least an advisors role with the program, and Bjorn shot it down.

Might have happened except for Tom's penchant for the adult beverages, resulting in off-the-rail tweets and who knows what else.

[NYGFan_Section208]

Got an email from PC basketball this afternoon..pleased to announce...multi year extension...committed to PC, etc....

[woodennickel1]

Another great Cooley fact posted on Michigan Fan Board (boy are they relieved).
Cooley’s Big East record in 8 years is 71-73.
He is considered this great coach because they went to 5 straight NCAA Tournaments but BE teams are getting bids with under .500 conference records.

PC or no other NBE team has ever made the tournament with an under .500 conference record. He also inherited a mess from Keno but let's not take that into consideration when talking about his overall conference record.

[Rhody83]

I get that knock on Cooley and I think it’s a fair critique, but if URI was making 5 straight tournaments I wouldn’t care what our conference record was over that time. Even from a PC perspective I can live with a subpar conference record if you are consistently making tournaments.

I understand Michigan is in another stratosphere when it comes to expectations as well.

Agree. Cooley’s best BE record is 10-8. Mediocrity gets you a bid in the BE.

[STC]

Providence has a better chance at making the 2020 NCAA Tournament than URI.

[Rhody83]

Another great Cooley fact posted on Michigan Fan Board (boy are they relieved).
Cooley’s Big East record in 8 years is 71-73.
He is considered this great coach because they went to 5 straight NCAA Tournaments but BE teams are getting bids with under .500 conference records.

PC or no other NBE team has ever made the tournament with an under .500 conference record. He also inherited a mess from Keno but let's not take that into consideration when talking about his overall conference record.

That is fair. He turned PC around.
PC’s Conference record the five years they made the NCAA Tournament
10-8
11-7
10-8
10-8
10-8
Then last year 7-11
His conference record excluding the first two years is 58-50.

[rambone 78]

Cooley has stated more than once his goal is for PC to win a national championship.

He's another delusional sort, of which there are plenty to go around.

[woodennickel1]

Cooley has stated more than once his goal is for PC to win a national championship.

He's another delusional sort, of which there are plenty to go around.

Would you have also said people were delusional if they said Loyola of Chicago, George Mason and VCU making the final four b4 they did ?

[woodennickel1]

Providence has a better chance at making the 2020 NCAA Tournament than URI.

I actually think both teams will be in the tournament next year.

[theblueram]

Yeah, I think if this team doesn't come together this year it will be concerning.

[rambone 78]

Yes it's possible for a school like URI or PC to make a Final Four.

PC did, and URI should have, back in the day.

But on anything like a consistent basis? Not in anybody's fantasy.

[woodennickel1]

Another great Cooley fact posted on Michigan Fan Board (boy are they relieved).
Cooley’s Big East record in 8 years is 71-73.
He is considered this great coach because they went to 5 straight NCAA Tournaments but BE teams are getting bids with under .500 conference records.

PC or no other NBE team has ever made the tournament with an under .500 conference record. He also inherited a mess from Keno but let's not take that into consideration when talking about his overall conference record.

That is fair. He turned PC around.
PC’s Conference record the five years they made the NCAA Tournament
10-8
11-7
10-8
10-8
10-8
Then last year 7-11
His conference record excluding the first two years is 58-50.

Which is pretty dam good when you consider the NBE has been in the top 5 of the rpi or net rankings since it's broke off on its own.

[woodennickel1]

Yes it's possible for a school like URI or PC to make a Final Four.

PC did, and URI should have, back in the day.

But on anything like a consistent basis? Not in anybody's fantasy.

Did not say it would be on a consistent basis or did Cooley.

[rhodyruckus]

Yes it's possible for a school like URI or PC to make a Final Four.

PC did, and URI should have, back in the day.

But on anything like a consistent basis? Not in anybody's fantasy.

I mean, it was 35 years between Virginia's 2 Final Four appearances. There are only a small handful of teams who are going to approach a consistent basis of getting to the Final Four. Everyone else, from the lower tier BCS programs down to the mid majors, are just trying to gear up and put together the right team at the right time and hope the breaks fall their way, in order to get to A SINGLE or AN OCCASIONAL Final Four. It's just a matter of the cartel programs at one end may have a 500 to 1 shot of getting to a particular Final Four, while down at the mid major level the odds are closer to 5,000 or 10,000 to 1.

[Rhody72]

Stay. Leave. It really doesn't matter for URI.

[Rhody83]

From ProJo article
No details of the extension were made public but sources said the deal is for 10 years. Cooley earned $2.6 million in 2017 according the college's tax filing and will continue to receive annual escalators that raise his pay well over $3 million over the life of the contract. Other upgrades for staffing and recruiting travel were also agreed upon, according to Driscoll.

"At the end of the day it was about relationships," said Driscoll. "It if was only money, Michigan could out-spend us. Ed and I talked about taking the program to a different level and what we need to do to continue to build towards winning a national championship. We want to do what Ed sees as important to reaching that goal."

[reef]

I think it’s good for both sides as I don’t think Cooley would have success at Michigan and he is the right guy for PC

[TruePoint]

National championship lol. Maybe worry about getting out of the first weekend first.

[Rhody1992]

I get that knock on Cooley and I think it’s a fair critique, but if URI was making 5 straight tournaments I wouldn’t care what our conference record was over that time. Even from a PC perspective I can live with a subpar conference record if you are consistently making tournaments.

I understand Michigan is in another stratosphere when it comes to expectations as well.

Agree. Cooley’s best BE record is 10-8. Mediocrity gets you a bid in the BE.

Many would argue that 10-8 in the BE is better than 13-5 in the A10.. BE is a better conference top to bottom.
Xavier went 9-9 in the BE play in 2016-17 and reached the Elite Eight.

10-8 in the Big East is far from mediocre lol

Also, heading into postseason play last season, not one BE school was sub .500 in overall record. Not one other conference did that. Just goes to show there aren't any guaranteed wins.

[bigappleram]

The NBE has great parity top to bottom, with only 10 teams and all of them besides Depaul having recent or consistent NCAA success the depth of the league is no doubt a huge positive. HOWEVER, the top of the league is light years behind where it was in previous formation, and beyond Nova there isn't a program that has the national cache of the comparable top tier of P5 leagues. Regardless of the RPI metrics, on the NCAA totem pole it is SEC, ACC, Big 10, Big 12 (no particular order) and then BE/AAC / Pac 12 and then us and the other mid majors.

[Rhody1992]

The NBE has great parity top to bottom, with only 10 teams and all of them besides Depaul having recent or consistent NCAA success the depth of the league is no doubt a huge positive. HOWEVER, the top of the league is light years behind where it was in previous formation, and beyond Nova there isn't a program that has the national cache of the comparable top tier of P5 leagues. Regardless of the RPI metrics, on the NCAA totem pole it is SEC, ACC, Big 10, Big 12 (no particular order) and then BE/AAC / Pac 12 and then us and the other mid majors.

Oh I agree 100% with you in terms of OBE vs NBE. The Old BE had the names and prestige, etc. The NBE doesn't have that other than Nova but they have some pretty damn good teams. They ranked 4th in conference NET rankings and 5th in KenPom average by conference. The analytics are there to dub the NBE as a P5 conference, however I'm with you that it's time for teams not named Villanova to make noise in March. Xavier had some good runs, but other than that, not too many second round appearances. They'll need to start cashing in soon to get that glitz and national cache.

And FWIW, I would easily put the BE above the AAC & PAC 12 easily.

[rambone 78]

The top half of the AAC has caught the BE basically.

It's the bottom half that has work to do.

[woodennickel1]

The NBE has great parity top to bottom, with only 10 teams and all of them besides Depaul having recent or consistent NCAA success the depth of the league is no doubt a huge positive. HOWEVER, the top of the league is light years behind where it was in previous formation, and beyond Nova there isn't a program that has the national cache of the comparable top tier of P5 leagues. Regardless of the RPI metrics, on the NCAA totem pole it is SEC, ACC, Big 10, Big 12 (no particular order) and then BE/AAC / Pac 12 and then us and the other mid majors.

I would agree to a certain point b4 the last two years the sec had been dreadful . They have made some very good hires for coaches and would not surprise me if they were the best in a couple years.

[woodennickel1]

National championship lol. Maybe worry about getting out of the first weekend first.

At the next coaches show ask coach Cox what his ultimate goal is. If he says anything different you have the wrong guy in charge

[RF1]

PC fans don't need to worry about Cooley for many years. Typically only coaches that have multiple NCAA Tournament wins get offered jobs elsewhere (see Dan Hurley). It will likely take Ed years to reach that level.

[woodennickel1]

PC fans don't need to worry about Cooley for many years. Typically only coaches that have multiple NCAA Tournament wins get offered jobs elsewhere (see Dan Hurley). It will likely take Ed years to reach that level.

You could be right but I actually think he will break through in the next two years. Even if he does not I will take my chances with a guy that gets there at the clip he does. Especially when he is recruiting on a national level.

[Rhody1992]

PC fans don't need to worry about Cooley for many years. Typically only coaches that have multiple NCAA Tournament wins get offered jobs elsewhere (see Dan Hurley). It will likely take Ed years to reach that level.

You could be right but I actually think he will break through in the next two years. Even if he does not I will take my chances with a guy that gets there at the clip he does. Especially when he is recruiting on a national level.

LOL and if we're using DH as the example.. we're comparing 2 NCAA wins vs 1.. don't think it's going to take "years to reach that level"

[Rhody83]

Big Ed was never getting offered the Michigan job.

[bigappleram]

Even though there are numerous cautionary tales about hiring former star alumni with what Penny is doing and the noise it is getting, coupled with the strong influence of UM alumni on all athletic decisions, it was always going to be Juwan.

[Rhody83]

Even though there are numerous cautionary tales about hiring former star alumni with what Penny is doing and the noise it is getting, coupled with the strong influence of UM alumni on all athletic decisions, it was always going to be Juwan.

They need to spend some money to keep current top assistant. Make him Associate HC.

[bigappleram]

The post season narrative thus far for the NBE is Villanova AND a former A10 program (Xavier). Regardless of metrics, the league desperately needs legacy brand name programs like St. John's and Georgetown to regain their national relevance. Until that happens, the likes of Butler, Creighton, Marquette, PC or Seton Hall are not going to raise the national profile of the league.

[ace]

The post season narrative thus far for the NBE is Villanova AND a former A10 program (Xavier). Regardless of metrics, the league desperately needs legacy brand name programs like St. John's and Georgetown to regain their national relevance. Until that happens, the likes of Butler, Creighton, Marquette, PC or Seton Hall are not going to raise the national profile of the league.

I have an obvious Seton Hall bias, but I always think they’re going to be a better team than they are. I see some similarities between Willard and Cooley- some seasons they overachieve, others they under-achieve for parts of all of it, but it always seems to level out in the end.

[ace]

I hope Juwan Howard does well. My favorite Howard moment, to this point, is his reaction to Webber calling for a time-out. He knew immediately they didn’t have one, and it showed. I hate that the Fab 5 have had a falling out. I wasn’t a Michigan fan, but I appreciated what they were able to do.

[NYGFan_Section208]

The whole Fab 5 thing was a big time, major treat. Loved watching them play, love the 30 for 30 on ESPN...
When he was playing (both college and pro) Jalen Rose was one of my absolute favorite players and I don't mind his commentary/analysis at all.

Juwan, to me, always seemed like a decent enough dude. I hope he does well.

[Rhody83]

[ace]

I love talking to and reading about coaches and how they approach their jobs, manage their rosters, handle their day-to-day responsibilities, etc.

The Athletic has had some great profiles of coaches recently. Last year, they featured a piece on first-year coaches and their reflections on their respective seasons and what they learned, what was expected and what wasn’t. I hope they do it again.

Buzz Williams
https://theathletic.com/990151/2019/05/ ... -williams/

Aaron McKie
https://theathletic.com/986506/2019/05/ ... -easy-one/

Nate Oats
https://theathletic.com/990919/2019/05/ ... d-alabama/

(Subscription only)

[Rhody83]

[reef]

Just read about this a 23 year old lady was driving the wrong way and collided head on with Moore’s car so tragic

[ace]

[adam914]

I don't know why, but I am kind of surprised. I guess I expected him to take a year off at least. Very curious to see what level he ends up at.

[SmartyBarrett]

[RF1]

I can't envision Martelli, with his enormous ego and craving for attention, being an assistant in an associate role.