Potential Coaching Canidates???

[It's the Journey...]

Geno Ford is the way to go. He is young, had played in the MAC (Ohio), coached in the MAC (Kent State), and is used to working on a small budget (Muskingum). One of the best things about him is his father, Gene Ford who is on staff at Muskingum after retiring from Cambridge High School. With both of them at BG we will see a return to true fundamental basketball. You know, the type our women's team is playing and winning with. I am sure many of you remember Geno playing at OU when Gary Trent was there. Those were good days for OU hoops. I had the priveledge of watching him for 4 years at Cambridge High School. Those were bad days for my Meadowbrook Colts and the rest of the ECOL. It also never hurts to have an Ohio Mr. Basketball as your head coach. He is not one to use each job as a chase for more money (who did that at BG???). Get Geno and good things will follow for BG Men's Basketball.

[Jham]

Thanks for stopping by, Geno.

[It's the Journey...]

No problem...

[Jacobs4Heisman]

In any event, BG doesn't currently have an opening at head coach.

I haven't seen Dan's contract, but Brandon's is worded that he is the coach through the last game of the season. Since our season is done, I'm guessing that Dan is "technically" no longer our coach...and thus we DO have an opening.


I still would rather re-up Dan than hire Amaker.

I thought his contract runs through a specific date?

[HoopsFan]

Steve Merfeld, Evansville, also a head coach and absolutely got jobbed when the Morgantown Experiement fell through. He too has a NCAA Tournament win and has since struggled to find the athletes in Southern Indiana that he had at Hampton. Coached under Larranaga and could be looking to get out of Evansville quickly.

I'm not sure he'd be all that quick to get out of Evansville. He's turned them around so far this year, and the MVC seems to get more love come tourney time than the MAC, something which he witnessed first-hand a couple of times at BG.

(Also, I love having a former BG guy on the bench at Evansville, it gives me something to point out to the future Mrs. who's a UE grad. )

Point of reference, Merf is gone at Evansville and, his record there was not good. http://www.14wfie.com/Global/story.asp? ... v=menu54_6

He's from WISCONSIN and played at UW-somewhere (Not GB, not Madison).

Greg Kampe was one of the holdovers when John Weinert arrived. Weinert used to engineer trick plays because the team wasn't very good. Monk Montgomery was the PG IIRC and Kampe was the 2 (or maybe the other way around). He's from Defiance.

The next BG coach might be a person of color, maybe Charlie Parker is still around (former assistant under Weinert who got hosed), responsible for Marcus Newbern, Colin Irish, possibly David Greer and that group.

Some history, back in the ending Weinert days, he has some bad luck too. Remember John Flowers from Sylvania? Probably not, he got run over by a fork lift during a summer job and broke his leg. We also had the Faine brothers and Weinert had Mike Miday as his whipping boy. He was inserted into a game from his banishment at the end of the bench and had a really great game. Unfortunately it was nearly the end of the season and the Weinert era. (Miday was bit by his pirana (sp) during the season).

HoopsFan

[Flipper]

John Flowers is about the only guy I can think of that copmes close to matching Matt Lefeld for playing through an injury. Flowers was a special player before he got hurt.

Weinert had a TON of talent on those teams in the late 70's and early 80's.
Miday, Miller, Kopystinski or however the hell you spell it, Irish, Flowers before he got hurt , Jenkins and Faine up front. Guys like Greer and Newbern in the backcourt.

Toledo had a lot of guys who could play, Central Michigan had 3 or 4 guys who had decent NBA careers, Miami had guys like Ayers and Aldridge, Kent State had Trent Grooms and Burrell McGhee (maybe the best pair of forwards I ever saw together). The MAC doesn't seem to get guys like that very often these days.

[Globetrotter]

1. Mark Montgomery, Assistant Michigan State University
http://msuspartans.cstv.com/sports/m-ba ... ark00.html

2. Geno Ford, Head Coach, Muskingum College
http://www.muskingum.edu/home/athletics ... coach.html

3. Kevin Williard, Assistant Coach, University of Louisville
http://uoflsports.cstv.com/sports/m-bas ... vin00.html

4. Larry Hunter, Head Coach, Western Carolina University
http://catamountsports.cstv.com/sports/ ... rry00.html

5. Dave Hoover, Retired, Former Head Coach at Canton McKinley HS
1995 - 2006
211 Wins, 59 Losses
2005 State Champions
2006 State Champions
Also won a state championship with I believe Westerville South
BG Alum

6. Cuonzo Martin, Assistant Coach, Purdue University
http://purduesports.cstv.com/sports/m-b ... nzo00.html

7. Lewis Preston, Assistant Coach, University of Florida
http://www.gatorzone.com/billydonovan/? ... io=preston

8. Pete Gillen, currently working as an analyst on CSTV
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pete_Gillen

9. Pooh Williamson, Assistant Coach, Wichita State University
http://www.goshockers.com/ViewArticle.d ... EASON=2006

10. Cameron Dollar, Assistant Coach, University of Washington
http://gohuskies.cstv.com/sports/m-bask ... ron00.html

Whatever happened to all of these guys?

Cuonzo just got named the coach at Tennessee.

[doughash]

Here's some names to think about: Butch Pierre (LSU), Shaka Smart (Clemson), Tim Jankovich (Kansas), Mark Morefield (Baylor), Brian Dutcher (San Diego State), Chris Mack (Xavier).

This guy's having a pretty decent March.

[transfer2BGSU]

Geno Ford is the way to go. He is young, had played in the MAC (Ohio), coached in the MAC (Kent State), and is used to working on a small budget (Muskingum). One of the best things about him is his father, Gene Ford who is on staff at Muskingum after retiring from Cambridge High School. With both of them at BG we will see a return to true fundamental basketball. You know, the type our women's team is playing and winning with. I am sure many of you remember Geno playing at OU when Gary Trent was there. Those were good days for OU hoops. I had the priveledge of watching him for 4 years at Cambridge High School. Those were bad days for my Meadowbrook Colts and the rest of the ECOL. It also never hurts to have an Ohio Mr. Basketball as your head coach. He is not one to use each job as a chase for more money (who did that at BG???). Get Geno and good things will follow for BG Men's Basketball.

Matt must have known something when he quoted himself.

Mr. Ford is the new Head Coach at Bradley University after being the two-time MAC Coach of the Year at Kent State.

[Sub-Zero]

Interesting list from Option. Hopefully between the Board and our new President, we can get a new AD first before we get to the coaches.

[HoopsFan]

So if you're going to crucify the current AD can you share why?

[Sub-Zero]

So if you're going to crucify the current AD can you share why?

We quite simply have one of the worst D1 athletic programs in the country. Without Coach Miller, we would be the worst. An AD has two primary functions:

1) Hire excellent coaches and support staff for programs. Of particular note, Football and Basketball. In our case, Hockey would be included

2) Market the athetic programs and recruit donors/$s

I would not grade Christopher very high in either category. In the case of #1, he inherited Miller. The other key hires have proven nothing. I really hope the other coaches can succeed but I am worried. In the case of mens basketball, a move has to be made. In the case of #2, key donation were already in the hopper (Mr. Sebo) or would have been provided regardless of the AD (Mr. Frack). Regarding marketing, GC really makes my blood boil. If I hear him say one more time "we are a lowly MAC program with limited resources so there's only so much we can do...", I will scream. It costs nothing to hold BG up as an elite University with high expectations. Having a little ego is not a bad approach, especially for non BCS programs looking for self promotion. When you combine that kind of attitude with winning, the college world starts to take notice.

[MarkL]

Sub-Zero -

You bring some very interesting points. I do know that the athletic department has been woefully underbudgeted, even when compared to other MAC schools. It's been a small athletic budget, and that includes having a hockey team. Only Miami and WMU and us have hockey teams in the conference. That being said, I am very curious what will change with the new president in terms of athletics. Will there be a change in budget to athletics? A change in the demands placed upon coaches / athletic director? Better contracts for our coaches? A change in the attitude / culture of our programs?

[Sub-Zero]

Sub-Zero -

You bring some very interesting points. I do know that the athletic department has been woefully underbudgeted, even when compared to other MAC schools. It's been a small athletic budget, and that includes having a hockey team. Only Miami and WMU and us have hockey teams in the conference. That being said, I am very curious what will change with the new president in terms of athletics. Will there be a change in budget to athletics? A change in the demands placed upon coaches / athletic director? Better contracts for our coaches? A change in the attitude / culture of our programs?

Yes, good commentary and I dont disagree. But the key position to change our status is the AD. At BG, we cant afford to hire an AD who is a good general manager and can keep the wheels on the program. From reports, GC was a capable daily administrator at Purdue but thats not what we need. Companies in duress dont source average CEOs to lead them, they recruit game changers. I for one would be willing to back our needs up with a commensurate paycheck which would reward the kind of progress needed (as its achieved). If that means hiring some brash 31 yr old in the PAC12 (or wherever) who wants to take on a project and show what they can do, lets do it.

[Globetrotter]

No need to make a new post....