Your Pick for the next Head Coach (2018)

[Iggy1979]

Every great head coach had a first job. URI is above that? Let's instead hire a guy who was fired from his last job. Vanderbilt was 0-18 in conference in Drew's last year. Archie Miller never had a winning conference record at Indiana. Well at least there won't be any OJT.

[Iggy1979]

And believe me, Luke Murray would be a 'big splash' hire.

[Billyboy78]

And believe me, Luke Murray would be a 'big splash' hire.

And we could see Bill at the games again!

[Iggy1979]

And how's the OJT going with Tammi Reiss?

[bigappleram]

Every great head coach had a first job. URI is above that? Let's instead hire a guy who was fired from his last job. Vanderbilt was 0-18 in conference in Drew's last year. Archie Miller never had a winning conference record at Indiana. Well at least there won't be any OJT.

Fwiw every college coach gets fired from their last job. That year Vandy collapsed was a myriad of issues including injuries. He’s 157-61 as a mid major coach, is that good? Was a high IQ point guard from a basketball family. We had a lot of success with someone of a very similar pedigree.

[Rhody15]

Every great head coach had a first job. URI is above that? Let's instead hire a guy who was fired from his last job. Vanderbilt was 0-18 in conference in Drew's last year. Archie Miller never had a winning conference record at Indiana. Well at least there won't be any OJT.

Fwiw every college coach gets fired from their last job. That year Vandy collapsed was a myriad of issues including injuries. He’s 157-61 as a mid major coach, is that good? Was a high IQ point guard from a basketball family. We had a lot of success with someone of a very similar pedigree.

Coach K is getting fired at Duke?

Roy at UNC?

Lute Olson at Arizona?

You think McKillop will get fired from Davidson?

Did Canisus can Baron?


Coaches can certainly retire on their own terms from their last job.

[phipsiGD'11]

If Thorr decides to go young, inexperienced, and cheap...Mike Nardi at Nova.

Might as well roll the dice and join the other A10 schools and take a Jay Wright assistant.

I'm being sarcastic and don't think we should actually make this hire, but I do think Nardi will be a good coach in due time. He will get a shot somewhere.

[Rhody15]

If Thorr decides to go young, inexperienced, and cheap...Mike Nardi at Nova.

Might as well roll the dice and join the other A10 schools and take a Jay Wright assistant.

I'm being sarcastic and don't think we should actually make this hire, but I do think Nardi will be a good coach in due time. He will get a shot somewhere.

Jesus this post went in about 7 different directions.

[Iggy1979]

Every great head coach had a first job. URI is above that? Let's instead hire a guy who was fired from his last job. Vanderbilt was 0-18 in conference in Drew's last year. Archie Miller never had a winning conference record at Indiana. Well at least there won't be any OJT.

Fwiw every college coach gets fired from their last job. That year Vandy collapsed was a myriad of issues including injuries. He’s 157-61 as a mid major coach, is that good? Was a high IQ point guard from a basketball family. We had a lot of success with someone of a very similar pedigree.

The similarities between a Drew and a Hurley are irrelevant and meaningless.

[bigappleram]

Every great head coach had a first job. URI is above that? Let's instead hire a guy who was fired from his last job. Vanderbilt was 0-18 in conference in Drew's last year. Archie Miller never had a winning conference record at Indiana. Well at least there won't be any OJT.

Fwiw every college coach gets fired from their last job. That year Vandy collapsed was a myriad of issues including injuries. He’s 157-61 as a mid major coach, is that good? Was a high IQ point guard from a basketball family. We had a lot of success with someone of a very similar pedigree.

Coach K is getting fired at Duke?

Roy at UNC?

Lute Olson at Arizona?

You think McKillop will get fired from Davidson?

Did Canisus can Baron?


Coaches can certainly retire on their own terms from their last job.

Ok 95% of head coaches get fired at 1 point. In any sport. It’s the nature of the beast. If we simply won’t hire a HC because they were fired from their last job then that disqualifies a lot of people? Forget Mack and Miller lol. I’m assuming K, Roy and McKillop aren’t resigning to come to Rhody.

[Rhody15]

Fwiw every college coach gets fired from their last job. That year Vandy collapsed was a myriad of issues including injuries. He’s 157-61 as a mid major coach, is that good? Was a high IQ point guard from a basketball family. We had a lot of success with someone of a very similar pedigree.

Coach K is getting fired at Duke?

Roy at UNC?

Lute Olson at Arizona?

You think McKillop will get fired from Davidson?

Did Canisus can Baron?


Coaches can certainly retire on their own terms from their last job.

Ok 95% of head coaches get fired at 1 point. In any sport. It’s the nature of the beast. If we simply won’t hire a HC because they were fired from their last job then that disqualifies a lot of people? Forget Mack and Miller. I’m assuming K, Roy and McKillop aren’t resigning to come to Rhody.

Yea, Rhody isn’t in any spot not to hire a coach just because he was fired from his previous job.

[reef]

Holloway went 53-52 at St Peters

Give me someone with a lot of head coaching experience, I am sure there will be tons of good candidates

[bigappleram]

Every great head coach had a first job. URI is above that? Let's instead hire a guy who was fired from his last job. Vanderbilt was 0-18 in conference in Drew's last year. Archie Miller never had a winning conference record at Indiana. Well at least there won't be any OJT.

Fwiw every college coach gets fired from their last job. That year Vandy collapsed was a myriad of issues including injuries. He’s 157-61 as a mid major coach, is that good? Was a high IQ point guard from a basketball family. We had a lot of success with someone of a very similar pedigree.

The similarities between a Drew and a Hurley are irrelevant and meaningless.

Son of coaches. Growing up around the game. A basketball family. Not really irrelevant factors. Ever read Outliers? Apparently not.

[steveystuds06]

Every great head coach had a first job. URI is above that? Let's instead hire a guy who was fired from his last job. Vanderbilt was 0-18 in conference in Drew's last year. Archie Miller never had a winning conference record at Indiana. Well at least there won't be any OJT.

Indiana would have been a tournament team in his second season. He didn’t meet their high expectations, but Archie was a fantastic A10 coach, and he’d be an excellent get. I don’t see how it’s a good idea to hire someone with no head coaching experience again.

[Jersey77]

Why don't we start another poll with viable candidates?

Cox hasn't officially been let go, and we have no idea who is a realistic candidate or not, plus there are a month of games left. Plus, you know, URI could decide to retain Cox. So, no poll until then. I think this thread will suffice until there has actually been movement on a front.

Yes SG we are getting a little ahead of ourselves.

I am so surprised it got to this point. I did not expect this team to meltdown the way they are.
I figured Cox would finish with close to 20 wins an 11-7 conference record and probably given a short term extension.
I also thought next season would of been the make or break time for him, and he would survive this year.

Barring some unforeseen miracle run, here we are.
I guess watching the team is so depressing now, all we can do is speculate about the future to keep our mind off this current disaster.

[SGreenwell]

Fwiw every college coach gets fired from their last job. That year Vandy collapsed was a myriad of issues including injuries. He’s 157-61 as a mid major coach, is that good? Was a high IQ point guard from a basketball family. We had a lot of success with someone of a very similar pedigree.

The similarities between a Drew and a Hurley are irrelevant and meaningless.

Son of coaches. Growing up around the game. A basketball family. Not really irrelevant factors. Ever read Outliers? Apparently not.

I think it's probably 50/50 between examples of this where it works, and examples where it's clear that nepotism is at play. I don't think you can tell until you actually make the hire, though. Given that we just went through hiring an assistant with minimal head coaching experience, I think preference is going to be given to someone with experience. (EDIT TO ADD: I realize you're talking about Drew, who's definitely proven that he's not a nepotism guy, sorry! Got carried away there.)

I kind of lean that way myself right now. We're most likely going to need someone to build the talent base back up, and to make good evaluations about the players who do decide to stick around. I don't have a strong preference between a coach moving down from a P5 level job, or, someone with an established track record at a small conference school.

[bigappleram]

Let’s fire one former Dan assistant and hire another one. What could possibly go wrong.

[bigappleram]

The similarities between a Drew and a Hurley are irrelevant and meaningless.

Son of coaches. Growing up around the game. A basketball family. Not really irrelevant factors. Ever read Outliers? Apparently not.

I think it's probably 50/50 between examples of this where it works, and examples where it's clear that nepotism is at play. I don't think you can tell until you actually make the hire, though. Given that we just went through hiring an assistant with minimal head coaching experience, I think preference is going to be given to someone with experience. (EDIT TO ADD: I realize you're talking about Drew, who's definitely proven that he's not a nepotism guy, sorry! Got carried away there.)

I kind of lean that way myself right now. We're most likely going to need someone to build the talent base back up, and to make good evaluations about the players who do decide to stick around. I don't have a strong preference between a coach moving down from a P5 level job, or, someone with an established track record at a small conference school.

I was really confused by this. Nepotism? Drew has already proven he can win with a 70% win pct at mid major level. His brother is one of the best coaches in the country. I think it’s safe to say these dudes know the game.

[bigappleram]

Tom Carmody
Claude English
Brendan Malone
Al Skinner
David Cox

All assistants hired by Rhody. All but Al were complete failures.

[Jersey77]

Tom Carmody
Claude English
Brendan Malone
Al Skinner
David Cox

All assistants hired by Rhody. All but Al were complete failures.

You forgot our favorite Jerry D.

[bigappleram]

I block out those 2 years from my memory. He’s on a list of his own can’t even call him an “Assistant”.

[Iggy1979]

Let’s fire one former Dan assistant and hire another one. What could possibly go wrong.

So your argument is since Cox failed, Murray would also fail because they both worked under Hurley.
And all sons of coaches will succeed as coaches.
Anything else we should know?

[bigappleram]

Let’s fire one former Dan assistant and hire another one. What could possibly go wrong.

So your argument is since Cox failed, Murray would also fail because they both worked under Hurley.
And all sons of coaches will succeed as coaches.
Anything else we should know?

And your argument is since 6 of the last 7 assistants we hired were massive failures we should head in that direction?

No not all sons of coaches make great coaches but when you are trying to place a bet you want as many factors in your favor as possible. So yes pedigree matters. Yea previous success matters. Don’t baseball catchers tend to make good managers? It seems that way. Why is that? It’s a bet either way but the risk/reward scenario is much stronger with Bryce Drew than it is with Luke Murray. It’s not even close really.

[NYGFan_Section208]

Let’s fire one former Dan assistant and hire another one. What could possibly go wrong.

So your argument is since Cox failed, Murray would also fail because they both worked under Hurley.
And all sons of coaches will succeed as coaches.
Anything else we should know?

And your argument is since 6 of the last 7 assistants we hired were massive failures we should head in that direction?

No not all sons of coaches make great coaches but when you are trying to place a bet you want as many factors in your favor as possible. So yes pedigree matters. Yea previous success matters. Don’t baseball catchers tend to make good managers? It seems that way. It’s a bet either way but the risk/reward scenario is much stronger with Bryce Drew than it is with Luke Murray. It’s not even close really.

But, Bill Murray is much funnier than Drew Carey

[Jersey77]

Let’s fire one former Dan assistant and hire another one. What could possibly go wrong.

So your argument is since Cox failed, Murray would also fail because they both worked under Hurley.
And all sons of coaches will succeed as coaches.
Anything else we should know?

Iggy, I don't think Luke Murray will make the short list.

Whoever takes over this job will have a massive task.
I think Thorr will want someone who is familiar with running a program.
He will probably want a coach who is a little seasoned and has had some success.

[section(105)]

…….question, I am all for”splash” hire……..does a guy, Luke Murray, with zero HC experience, but has high name recognition have the “splash” we need?……I say no…….is that type of “splash” gonna get us long term relevance?……..doubtful at best…….

[reef]

Let’s fire one former Dan assistant and hire another one. What could possibly go wrong.

So your argument is since Cox failed, Murray would also fail because they both worked under Hurley.
And all sons of coaches will succeed as coaches.
Anything else we should know?

Iggy, I don't think Luke Murray will make the short list.

Whoever takes over this job will have a massive task.
I think Thorr will want someone who is familiar with running a program.
He will probably want a coach who is a little seasoned and has had some success.

I agree also I’d be highly surprise if Luke M is on our radar of any kind

[Blue Man]

…….question, I am all for”splash” hire……..does a guy, Luke Murray, with zero HC experience, but has high name recognition have the “splash” we need?……I say no…….is that type of “splash” gonna get us long term relevance?……..doubtful at best…….

When I think splash hire I think of big name AND coaching pedigree that can get us turned around in 2 years. Someone that makes the college basketball community day “wow, I guess they’re serious about basketball at URI.”

That isn’t just for the headlines - that’s just because that coach in this situation can build a winner quick, can recruit talent that might not come to the A10 otherwise, and can get us into OOC games and tournaments the “traditional” or “safe” hire wouldn’t get us into until he built the program.

Mack/Miller/Hurley/Marshall - that type of guy.

[daytonflyerfan]

Of course, it’s all a matter of interest and availability. I just think Drew is something you feasibly could target. For whatever reason I see Miller as a bigger reach even tho their career resumes are all that different.

IMO tho Dan was an up and comer he was pretty close to a slam dunk for a few reasons. Like Tammi Reiss it was immediately apparent on his will alone he was likely going to win. Just a matter of how long it would take. Once he signed EC and Hassan it was set in motion.

IMO, Archie's resume is better.

Archie, 6 years at Dayton, 4 ncaat, 1nit...4 years at IU, 1ncaat, 1 nit
Drew, 5 years at Valpo, 2 ncaat, 2 nit...3 years at Vandy, 1 ncaat

Don't hate on me, and I have only partially skimmed this thread, but for whatever reason, I think Archie, Mack, and Bobby Hurley are out of reach or not interested. I don't think they'd come to UD either if we had an opening, so it is not personal. A10 teams in general seem to end up having to take a chance on some up and comer with either limited or no head coaching experience, or take an experienced guy that doesn't wow you.

Look at the A10 recent history, when was the last time an A10 school landed somebody where you thought: wow, great hire. Travis Ford at SLU I suppose fits that description, but he has not set the world on fire there. His resume is pretty solid other than he struggles in the ncaat.

But, OTOH, Majerus at SLU was a hire where I did think: wow, great hire.

Sorry to be such a downer.

[section(105)]

…….question, I am all for”splash” hire……..does a guy, Luke Murray, with zero HC experience, but has high name recognition have the “splash” we need?……I say no…….is that type of “splash” gonna get us long term relevance?……..doubtful at best…….

When I think splash hire I think of big name AND coaching pedigree that can get us turned around in 2 years. Someone that makes the college basketball community day “wow, I guess they’re serious about basketball at URI.”

That isn’t just for the headlines - that’s just because that coach in this situation can build a winner quick, can recruit talent that might not come to the A10 otherwise, and can get us into OOC games and tournaments the “traditional” or “safe” hire wouldn’t get us into until he built the program.

Mack/Miller/Hurley/Marshall - that type of guy.

……..agree 100%…….Mack Miller Marshall and Hurley……..sounds like a law firm…….

[bigappleram]

Of course, it’s all a matter of interest and availability. I just think Drew is something you feasibly could target. For whatever reason I see Miller as a bigger reach even tho their career resumes are all that different.

IMO tho Dan was an up and comer he was pretty close to a slam dunk for a few reasons. Like Tammi Reiss it was immediately apparent on his will alone he was likely going to win. Just a matter of how long it would take. Once he signed EC and Hassan it was set in motion.

IMO, Archie's resume is better.

Archie, 6 years at Dayton, 4 ncaat, 1nit...4 years at IU, 1ncaat, 1 nit
Drew, 5 years at Valpo, 2 ncaat, 2 nit...3 years at Vandy, 1 ncaat

Don't hate on me, and I have only partially skimmed this thread, but for whatever reason, I think Archie, Mack, and Bobby Hurley are out of reach or not interested. I don't think they'd come to UD either if we had an opening, so it is not personal. A10 teams in general seem to end up having to take a chance on some up and comer with either limited or no head coaching experience, or take an experienced guy that doesn't wow you.

Look at the A10 recent history, when was the last time an A10 school landed somebody where you thought: wow, great hire. Travis Ford at SLU I suppose fits that description, but he has not set the world on fire there. His resume is pretty solid other than he struggles in the ncaat.

But, OTOH, Majerus at SLU was a hire where I did think: wow, great hire.

Sorry to be such a downer.

I agree that Mack and Miller are likely not realistic. And that Bobby would never come here after Dan.

[Jersey77]

Of course, it’s all a matter of interest and availability. I just think Drew is something you feasibly could target. For whatever reason I see Miller as a bigger reach even tho their career resumes are all that different.

IMO tho Dan was an up and comer he was pretty close to a slam dunk for a few reasons. Like Tammi Reiss it was immediately apparent on his will alone he was likely going to win. Just a matter of how long it would take. Once he signed EC and Hassan it was set in motion.

IMO, Archie's resume is better.

Archie, 6 years at Dayton, 4 ncaat, 1nit...4 years at IU, 1ncaat, 1 nit
Drew, 5 years at Valpo, 2 ncaat, 2 nit...3 years at Vandy, 1 ncaat

Don't hate on me, and I have only partially skimmed this thread, but for whatever reason, I think Archie, Mack, and Bobby Hurley are out of reach or not interested. I don't think they'd come to UD either if we had an opening, so it is not personal. A10 teams in general seem to end up having to take a chance on some up and comer with either limited or no head coaching experience, or take an experienced guy that doesn't wow you.

Look at the A10 recent history, when was the last time an A10 school landed somebody where you thought: wow, great hire. Travis Ford at SLU I suppose fits that description, but he has not set the world on fire there. His resume is pretty solid other than he struggles in the ncaat.

But, OTOH, Majerus at SLU was a hire where I did think: wow, great hire.

Sorry to be such a downer.

I agree that Mack and Miller are likely not realistic. And that Bobby would never come here after Dan.

BAR, I don't necessarily agree that Bobby wouldn't come here because of Dan, actually I think the opposite may be true.
I feel Dan would love it if he did and Bobby would enjoy the challenge.

[ace]

You all gotta stop with the Bobby talk. I mean, you don’t have to, but it’s not happening.

[Jersey77]

You all gotta stop with the Bobby talk. I mean, you don’t have to, but it’s not happening.

Probably not, Bobby still has a job at ASU and if he was let go, yeah, we would be a longshot.
But I don't think it would be because of Dan.

[bigappleram]

Listen to Ace. It’s not realistic. Neither is Mack or Miller.

[Jersey77]

Listen to Ace. It’s not realistic. Neither is Mack or Miller.

Can't disagree with that BAR, you are probably including both Millers.

Also, would be curious to see how Thorr's hands are tied financially.
That would mean everything when discussing possible candidates.

We have to remember that UMass and possibly Richmond would also be looking at many of the same coaches.

[CamsRams]

Keep thinking we’re going to see an announcement each morning that coach has been relieved of his duties.

[Rhody15]

Of course, it’s all a matter of interest and availability. I just think Drew is something you feasibly could target. For whatever reason I see Miller as a bigger reach even tho their career resumes are all that different.

IMO tho Dan was an up and comer he was pretty close to a slam dunk for a few reasons. Like Tammi Reiss it was immediately apparent on his will alone he was likely going to win. Just a matter of how long it would take. Once he signed EC and Hassan it was set in motion.

IMO, Archie's resume is better.

Archie, 6 years at Dayton, 4 ncaat, 1nit...4 years at IU, 1ncaat, 1 nit
Drew, 5 years at Valpo, 2 ncaat, 2 nit...3 years at Vandy, 1 ncaat

Don't hate on me, and I have only partially skimmed this thread, but for whatever reason, I think Archie, Mack, and Bobby Hurley are out of reach or not interested. I don't think they'd come to UD either if we had an opening, so it is not personal. A10 teams in general seem to end up having to take a chance on some up and comer with either limited or no head coaching experience, or take an experienced guy that doesn't wow you.

Look at the A10 recent history, when was the last time an A10 school landed somebody where you thought: wow, great hire. Travis Ford at SLU I suppose fits that description, but he has not set the world on fire there. His resume is pretty solid other than he struggles in the ncaat.

But, OTOH, Majerus at SLU was a hire where I did think: wow, great hire.

Sorry to be such a downer.

When we hired Hurley, almost every single national media member said it was a great hire.

[CONNramfan]

I'll bet Phil Martelli could be convinced to leave his assistant job at VCU.

[bigappleram]

I'll bet Phil Martelli could be convinced to leave his assistant job at VCU.

Heh? Martelli is the assistant at Michigan. And big NO on him for our job.

[ace]

I'll bet Phil Martelli could be convinced to leave his assistant job at VCU.

Heh? Martelli is the assistant at Michigan. And big NO on him for our job.

I think they got Jimmy and Phil mixed up. But still, no all around.

[RoadyJay]

Probably stating the obvious, but besides the coaching resume we need to be looking for someone obsessed with making program improvements in a tough environment. Needs to be an influencer off the court.

[SnooterMagoo]

Let’s fire one former Dan assistant and hire another one. What could possibly go wrong.

So your argument is since Cox failed, Murray would also fail because they both worked under Hurley.
And all sons of coaches will succeed as coaches.
Anything else we should know?

And your argument is since 6 of the last 7 assistants we hired were massive failures we should head in that direction?

No not all sons of coaches make great coaches but when you are trying to place a bet you want as many factors in your favor as possible. So yes pedigree matters. Yea previous success matters. Don’t baseball catchers tend to make good managers? It seems that way. Why is that? It’s a bet either way but the risk/reward scenario is much stronger with Bryce Drew than it is with Luke Murray. It’s not even close really.

Once again, Luke Murray can't catch a break because of his nobody father.

Jimmy Baron free? Talk about pedigree.

[Billyboy78]

You all gotta stop with the Bobby talk. I mean, you don’t have to, but it’s not happening.

Probably not, Bobby still has a job at ASU and if he was let go, yeah, we would be a longshot.
But I don't think it would be because of Dan.

If Ace says it's not happening, it isn't 'probably not'. It's 'definitely not'.

[section(105)]

…..isn’t there a Phil Martelli Jr. out there coaching…….assistant at Bryant or………..?

[SGreenwell]

Listen to Ace. It’s not realistic. Neither is Mack or Miller.

I think Mack or Miller are more "realistic" than Bobby. Beyond the fact that it's the school his brother coached at, it's also the school that would be (essentially) firing his brother's lead assistant, that Dan felt strongly enough to include a contract clause about. If Bobby gets fired by Arizona State, he's going to get plenty of interest from URI-level programs that don't come with all of the baggage of the job.

[Jersey77]

You all gotta stop with the Bobby talk. I mean, you don’t have to, but it’s not happening.

Probably not, Bobby still has a job at ASU and if he was let go, yeah, we would be a longshot.
But I don't think it would be because of Dan.

If Ace says it's not happening, it isn't 'probably not'. It's 'definitely not'.

Okay, I believe it.
Ace is obviously well connected to the Hurley's.

[Blue Man]

Of course, it’s all a matter of interest and availability. I just think Drew is something you feasibly could target. For whatever reason I see Miller as a bigger reach even tho their career resumes are all that different.

IMO tho Dan was an up and comer he was pretty close to a slam dunk for a few reasons. Like Tammi Reiss it was immediately apparent on his will alone he was likely going to win. Just a matter of how long it would take. Once he signed EC and Hassan it was set in motion.

IMO, Archie's resume is better.

Archie, 6 years at Dayton, 4 ncaat, 1nit...4 years at IU, 1ncaat, 1 nit
Drew, 5 years at Valpo, 2 ncaat, 2 nit...3 years at Vandy, 1 ncaat

Don't hate on me, and I have only partially skimmed this thread, but for whatever reason, I think Archie, Mack, and Bobby Hurley are out of reach or not interested. I don't think they'd come to UD either if we had an opening, so it is not personal. A10 teams in general seem to end up having to take a chance on some up and comer with either limited or no head coaching experience, or take an experienced guy that doesn't wow you.

Look at the A10 recent history, when was the last time an A10 school landed somebody where you thought: wow, great hire. Travis Ford at SLU I suppose fits that description, but he has not set the world on fire there. His resume is pretty solid other than he struggles in the ncaat.

But, OTOH, Majerus at SLU was a hire where I did think: wow, great hire.

Sorry to be such a downer.

You're probably right. But we're all collectively circling the drain and I'm looking for a quick injection of happiness.

The "right" hire - i.e. the lower-level coach coming up to the A-10 is probably what's going to happen. But here's the biggest issue that RoadyJay brings up - you need someone obsessed with the off-the-court improvements like Hurley was.

A lower level guy getting his "shot" isn't going to have the cache to make demands like Dan Hurley did.

Certainly David Cox doesn't have the temperament to make demands, but again, as a new guy he can't really come with the "you're lucky to have me, make these investments or I won't be here long."

So while I agree, it's not likely that any of those names want to come to URI - let's play this scenario:

Tom Ryan is finally ashamed of this dumpster fire that calls the arena with his name on it home. He says, we're going big, and I'm going to put that Hurley level package in front of these guys.

A Chris Mack, Archie Miller, or Bobby Hurley type name will come with a demand and expectation to raise the level of what we do off the court.

A John Becker, Maciariello, etc type might be the "right guy" or safe guy -but they're not going to get/demand any of the improvements we need from an infrastructure perspective.

So yes, while I understand it's not likely that a) Tom Ryan/Soloviev/someone wants to put a serious package up for a basketball coach here, or b) those guys want to drop back down to this level - that's my wishlist as a fan. Not a reality, but reality as a URI fan sucks ass so we're going to live here for the next few months.

[RhodyFanNotAlum]

Listen to Ace. It’s not realistic. Neither is Mack or Miller.

I think Mack or Miller are more "realistic" than Bobby. Beyond the fact that it's the school his brother coached at, it's also the school that would be (essentially) firing his brother's lead assistant, that Dan felt strongly enough to include a contract clause about. If Bobby gets fired by Arizona State, he's going to get plenty of interest from URI-level programs that don't come with all of the baggage of the job.

Bobby isn't coming to coach here, but I don't think it's because URI would be firing his brother's former lead assistant. I'm sure if Dan is looking at what's happening here that he's as disappointed for Cox as all of us are — but surely he's smart enough to recognize that this is a business and that that former lead assistant has squandered every nice thing he inherited.

[Blue Man]

Listen to Ace. It’s not realistic. Neither is Mack or Miller.

I think Mack or Miller are more "realistic" than Bobby. Beyond the fact that it's the school his brother coached at, it's also the school that would be (essentially) firing his brother's lead assistant, that Dan felt strongly enough to include a contract clause about. If Bobby gets fired by Arizona State, he's going to get plenty of interest from URI-level programs that don't come with all of the baggage of the job.

Bobby isn't coming to coach here, but I don't think it's because URI would be firing his brother's former lead assistant. I'm sure if Dan is looking at what's happening here that he's as disappointed for Cox as all of us are — but surely he's smart enough to recognize that this is a business and that that former lead assistant has squandered every nice thing he inherited.

I would bet that there's a significant part of Dan that's angry Cox was able to disassemble everything he built in such a short time. Then again, probably a part of his ego that might enjoy the fact that he was able to win at a place that not a lot of other coaches could.