Crazy idea!

[OptionQB]

Obviously we would need a change to take place before this would even come close to consideration. Hear me out ....

Steps involved:
1) Buying out final year of Louis Orr's deal, private donations preferably ....

2) Increase the salary for men's basketball position to coincide with other MAC jobs ($250k+, but at least there)

3) Find the best candidate .... Chris Jent, Matthew Graves and Mike Rhoades still sit atop my list .... However, here's the crazy part ... Minnesota just paid Tubby Smith MILLIONS of dollars to go away. Is he going to have "better" opportunities elsewhere? Perhaps, but let's just say BGSU takes Tubby for 3-4 years, he rides off into the sunset and unless he takes another gig in the meantime we transition into the Saul Smith era once Tubby is ready to go ....

Any takers? Admittedly there's a LOT of good and a whole LOT of unknown (Saul) but I might be willing to do it for the 3-4 good Tubby years

[BGFalconfromCincy]

Take Graves off your list, he is taking the open head coaching job at South Alabama

[MarkL]

Few quick things ...

I still am surprised Minnesota fired Tubby Smith. I think there's unrealistic expectations there.
We're frustrated with a coach that was shown the door by a mid-level Big East school. Would hiring a coach that was shown the door by a mid-level Big Ten school sit well with the fanbase? Don't get me wrong, Tubby Smith is a great coach, but I'm not sure how that would look and sound.
I think getting an athletic director ASAP is our top priority. Last time they made the process extremely public and I hope the same happens this time.

[hammb]

The failure of Orr does NOT prevent me from looking at re-tread coaches. It's not my preferred place to look when it comes time to find a new coach, but I'm not willing to rule it out either. I think Tubby is a pretty good coach. And that Minny team was a lot better than expected this year in a tough-ass league.

If he is right for BG I'd give it a whirl. One thing I do not know about him, but I think is critical at BG, is willingness to self market the program. I truly believe BG needs coaches that are willing to connect with the BGSU family and community. Urban & Dakich did that and were loved in the community and on campus, drew much better crowds than we've seen recently, and it helped that they won a little too. If Tubby can fit that bill, I have confidence he can recruit & coach. He'd be a pretty good get.

I'm afraid the search for an AD will probably take long enough that we're going to be stuck with Orr another year though. I hold out hope of being wrong, but I guess I'm pessimistic on that one.

[Globetrotter]

I'm afraid the search for an AD will probably take long enough that we're going to be stuck with Orr another year though. I hold out hope of being wrong, but I guess I'm pessimistic on that one.

Agree

[Falcon Commander]

. . . . I truly believe BG needs coaches that are willing to connect with the BGSU family and community. Urban & Dakich did that and were loved in the community and on campus, drew much better crowds than we've seen recently, and it helped that they won a little too. .

Looks like the WBB Coach @tsun has success with hammbs idea . . . hope we can get an AD and MBB Coach to do the same. And get back the that "BG Family atmosphere".

http://www.toledoblade.com/UT/2013/03/2 ... hools.html

[mscarn]

Love the idea of replacing Orr this year but it won't happen. These things tend to take a while. Last time we brought in a search consultant, and given Mazey's lack of experience, that wouldn't be the worst idea this time around to get some names.

Tubby is Orr 2.0. It's still shocking we're not going after Jeff Boals when we have the chance this year.

I almost forgot: Toledo sucks and so does Cullop. Her little "family atmosphere" will last about as long as it takes for a BCS program to write her a bigger check.

[hammb]

. . . . I truly believe BG needs coaches that are willing to connect with the BGSU family and community. Urban & Dakich did that and were loved in the community and on campus, drew much better crowds than we've seen recently, and it helped that they won a little too. .

Looks like the WBB Coach @tsun has success with hammbs idea . . . hope we can get an AD and MBB Coach to do the same. And get back the that "BG Family atmosphere".

http://www.toledoblade.com/UT/2013/03/2 ... hools.html

Good article and that is EXACTLY what I'm talking about. Dan & Urban embraced that mentality. Orr has run screaming in the other direction, and I don't think Clawson has done an especially great job with it either. Clawson gets away with it by winning, but Orr has obviously not.

I think it's something all college coaches should see as a part of the job, but at BG I think it's probably more important than most places.

[OptionQB]

Please explain to me how a guy who has gone to the NCAA Tournament with 4 different schools is Louis Orr 2.0?

Please explain to me how this said coach who has a built-in protege, albeit his son, an experience high level recruiter is Louis Orr 2.0?

Tubby Smith is a proven winner who ran into an over-agressive fanbase with no concept of reality when it comes to expectations. Louis Orr has no reasonable reality when it comes to determining expectations for a winning program.

[OptionQB]

The other idea that cracks me up is this notion that Jeff Boals is this great prospect of a coach in waiting. Really?

Actually watch an OSU game . . . REALLY watch it . . . Boals is a cheerleader and I would even call him a great recruiter. PERIOD. That's it.

What kind of basketball acumen does he have? I don't know . . . And I'm not sure any hardcore Buckeye fan could answer that either. What I do know is Thad Matta for all of his personality quirks coaches EXCEPTIONAL defense . . . What I do know is when push comes to shove it is CHRIS JENT with the clipboard in his hand, NOT Thad Matta or Jeff Boals. You want a recruiter and a cheerleader? Fine, he's your guy. In the MAC, a recruiter will get you so far . . . But a basketball coach will win games, ask Akron, Kent, OU and the like how that has worked . . . Build it and they will come (the recruiting will take care of itself)

[mscarn]

Please explain to me how a guy who has gone to the NCAA Tournament with 4 different schools is Louis Orr 2.0?

Please explain to me how this said coach who has a built-in protege, albeit his son, an experience high level recruiter is Louis Orr 2.0?

Tubby Smith is a proven winner who ran into an over-agressive fanbase with no concept of reality when it comes to expectations. Louis Orr has no reasonable reality when it comes to determining expectations for a winning program.

46-62 in Big 10 (or 11 or 13 or whatever it presently is) play. Old. Is disinclined to deal with an "over-agggressive" fan base. Chauncey Orr could probably coach a game of basketball better than Saul Smith. He's not the next Shaka Smart, he's a guy who's gotten every job in basketball he's ever had because of his dad. Pass.

He was fired from his last 2 jobs whereas Orr was only fired from one, so in that respect the comparison is false.

[mscarn]

The other idea that cracks me up is this notion that Jeff Boals is this great prospect of a coach in waiting. Really?

Actually watch an OSU game . . . REALLY watch it . . . Boals is a cheerleader and I would even call him a great recruiter. PERIOD. That's it.

What kind of basketball acumen does he have? I don't know . . . And I'm not sure any hardcore Buckeye fan could answer that either. What I do know is Thad Matta for all of his personality quirks coaches EXCEPTIONAL defense . . . What I do know is when push comes to shove it is CHRIS JENT with the clipboard in his hand, NOT Thad Matta or Jeff Boals. You want a recruiter and a cheerleader? Fine, he's your guy. In the MAC, a recruiter will get you so far . . . But a basketball coach will win games, ask Akron, Kent, OU and the like how that has worked . . . Build it and they will come (the recruiting will take care of itself)

Whether visible to observers on television or not, Boals plays a critical role and has before Jent got there. It's a player's game and recruiting is priority 1, 2 and 3. Andy Enfield at FGCU runs an awesome system but didn't win until he got players. Orr played for Rick Pitino and Jim Boeheim and all his strategic genius has led us to one winning season in six years. All that said, the argument isn't Boals or Jent. It's either of them over Orr, which I'd gladly take.

[OptionQB]

46-62 in routinely the most consistent basketball league in the country. Oh by the way, the program was in shambles and won 16 and 9 in the two years before Tubby, had an ongoing NCAA investigation and academic free for all but yeah he can wave his wand and control all of that too, right?

I'm not pretending all went well in Lexington, but Tubby Smith was never fired by the University of Kentucky. He left on his terms before it got to that point. But yes, it was close.

Comparing Chauncey to Saul Smith is laughable at best. Saul has "had everthing handed to him" ok, I get it, that was the point of the conversation, would you take 3-4 years of "unknown" with Saul if it meant "3-4 years of good" with Tubby? Saul is a work in progress, no doubt, but I'll take my chances on a mid who played at UK, coached at UK and in the B1G before a lot of the other names that'll pop up if it means 3-4 years of having his dad build the foundation. Granted, this probably isn't an argument we are having anytime soon unfortunately.

[Falcon137]

Tubby Smith made 2 million dollars a year and had problems with players getting in trouble and transferring out of the program.

Sorry, 2 million a year should get you more than a losing Big10 record and an NCAA tournament appearance every now and then.

To me, if you were going to go retread, there is only 1 guy. Bruce Pearl. Even if he came with NCAA sanctions for 1 or 2 years. He would energize the fan base, is a terrific coach and recruiter, and most importantly he gets out in the community and gets involved. He loves the fans.

[hammb]

Tubby Smith made 2 million dollars a year and had problems with players getting in trouble and transferring out of the program.

Sorry, 2 million a year should get you more than a losing Big10 record and an NCAA tournament appearance every now and then.

To me, if you were going to go retread, there is only 1 guy. Bruce Pearl. Even if he came with NCAA sanctions for 1 or 2 years. He would energize the fan base, is a terrific coach and recruiter, and most importantly he gets out in the community and gets involved. He loves the fans.

Wow I hadn't even thought of him. I'd love me some Bruce Pearl. The 1 or 2 years of sanctions wouldn't really concern me a ton just because we're probably going to need a few years to be ready for the big dance anyhow.

The big difference is Tubby is (maybe) looking for one last hurrah, whereas I would expect Pearl to take a job and bolt for greener pastures ASAP. Not saying that's a bad thing, just pointing it out.

Personally I LOVE Pearl's personality and he's a pretty damn good coach as well. He'd be taking a paycut to go from ESPN/CBS to BG though.