Players having influence....

[CUHills]

I hear a lot of people out here saying that the players shouldn't "hijack" the coaching search, and what they say should have no influence on the AD's decision. My question is why not? They are the ones that came to CU to play for Bzdelik. They had the option coming out of high school to play for a particular coach and now that there is going to be a new coach, why shouldn't their opinions matter? They are the one's that are going to be playing for that coach, so in my opinion they should get to have a say. Especially if they are going to consider transferring should they not like the new coach. It's always a possibility that they will like the new coach and everyone will stay but usually when there are coaching changes, people are going to leave and this is definitely true for this particular case. It's known to all that the current players love McClain and I wouldnt expect any to transfer should he be named HC. It's always a possibility but from what I'm hearing they all want to stay and play for him. What are your guys thoughts on the players influence in the coaching decision?

 

[stampy]

I don't have a problem with kids voicing support for an assistant to whom they are endeared. It is to be expected for a young kid to develop a bond with a coach, and it speaks to the respect the coach in question has with his players. That's all fine, and probably should be taken into consideration when evaluating that coach as a prospective HC.

However, the bottom line is that the AD is hired to make a comprehensive decision as to what is in the best long-term interest of the program, not players, who have no idea who has expressed interest or how they might benefit from the hiring of prospective candidates. Hijacking (I believe I coined the term in this case) the process, by implying there is no other acceptable scenario in which they will remain is not in the best interest of the program.

jmho

 

[CUHills]

Agree but I'm going to reemphasize the fact that I believe the player's voice should pull some weight in the decision. When the players meet with Bohn, I'm guessing he will let them know who else are potential candidates and listen to what they have to say

 

[prime teets]

on a related note, i don't think players that transfer after a coaching change should have to sit out the next year. they came to play for a coach, put their faith in him, and if he leaves on whim and can coach the next year, players should be able to as well.

 

[BuffaloSoldier76]

Wasn't listening to the players what got Patton the job back in 96? I definitely think that it is important to take into consideration what the players want, but this particular group of players aren't going to be around forever, so we shouldn't make a long-term decision on the coaching an direction of the program based on the wants of a group of 12-15 individuals who won't be here 4 years from now. If the powers that be feel that McClain is the right guy for the job, that is great. I don't personally think it matters who the coach is at CU as the university has no desire to either win or appear competitive in any sport, and they will sabotage any attempts to get any better.

 

[Buffnik]

Wasn't listening to the players what got Patton the job back in 96? I definitely think that it is important to take into consideration what the players want, but this particular group of players aren't going to be around forever, so we shouldn't make a long-term decision on the coaching an direction of the program based on the wants of a group of 12-15 individuals who won't be here 4 years from now. If the powers that be feel that McClain is the right guy for the job, that is great. I don't personally think it matters who the coach is at CU as the university has no desire to either win or appear competitive in any sport, and they will sabotage any attempts to get any better.

That last part was way over the top. I believe that a bigger investment has been made in basketball within the past 5 years than was made in at least the previous 20 years. No one is sabotaging the program. It's a good job now. There's a reason that people are calling Bohn asking about the potential opening.

 

[Liver]

Agree but I'm going to reemphasize the fact that I believe the player's voice should pull some weight in the decision. When the players meet with Bohn, I'm guessing he will let them know who else are potential candidates and listen to what they have to say

i don't think he is going to tell them who the candidates might be. i think he'll tell them that mcclain is a serious candidate and that there have been inquiries from some very interesting names from around the country (since bohn said that, i presume he wouldn't be lying). and, i think he'll tell them that their opinions are valued and that he would hope that no one would make a transfer decision until the players see who the next coach is and they have a chance to talk with him.

 

[Buffalo Brad]

I hear a lot of people out here saying that the players shouldn't "hijack" the coaching search, and what they say should have no influence on the AD's decision. My question is why not? They are the ones that came to CU to play for Bzdelik. They had the option coming out of high school to play for a particular coach and now that there is going to be a new coach, why shouldn't their opinions matter? They are the one's that are going to be playing for that coach, so in my opinion they should get to have a say. Especially if they are going to consider transferring should they not like the new coach. It's always a possibility that they will like the new coach and everyone will stay but usually when there are coaching changes, people are going to leave and this is definitely true for this particular case. It's known to all that the current players love McClain and I wouldnt expect any to transfer should he be named HC. It's always a possibility but from what I'm hearing they all want to stay and play for him. What are your guys thoughts on the players influence in the coaching decision?

Not bad points but they are only going to be here a max of 3 years longer (and if you are a couple of these guys, it sounds like a lot shorter time). Unfortunately the kids in the program are just at CU for a short period of time. This decision needs to be made with a lot longer vision than the desires of 5-10 kids. Sorry, they get no say in what is best long term for CU. Not saying the guys making the decisions will do a better job than the kids might, but at this point the leaders in the AD will be held accountable. Players are players and not bigger than the overall University or Athletic program. Sorry, no dice on the kids having a say.

 

[Buffalo Brad]

on a related note, i don't think players that transfer after a coaching change should have to sit out the next year. they came to play for a coach, put their faith in him, and if he leaves on whim and can coach the next year, players should be able to as well.

Disagree on this as well. You come to play for a school and you better like where you end up. The average life span of a coach is not going to get a majority of kids thru 5 years with the same coaching staff. Facts of life. Go to school where you want to be and pursue an education. That should be rule #1. Naive I know.

 

[BuffaloSoldier76]

That last part was way over the top. I believe that a bigger investment has been made in basketball within the past 5 years than was made in at least the previous 20 years. No one is sabotaging the program. It's a good job now. There's a reason that people are calling Bohn asking about the potential opening.

Sorry, you can color me extremely pessimistic on this. I personally doubt that anyone worthwhile is calling Mike Bohn and inquiring about the vacancy. The program has finished dead last in the Big XII in 3 of the last 4 seasons. Now they have a very faint sniff of success (e.g. not finishing last) and the coach decides to leave. That is going to set back a program that didn't have too far backward to go frankly. Assuming that they look outside the program, who do you think is out there that is going to seriously want to take on the challenge of trying to make this program competitive in the Big XII? Unless you can throw enough money at a coach like Calipari, and then get everyone to turn a blind eye to a guy like that paying players to come to your school for a year, then a program like ours isn't going to go anywhere.

 

[Junction]

I definitely think that it is important to take into consideration what the players want, but this particular group of players aren't going to be around forever, so we shouldn't make a long-term decision on the coaching an direction of the program based on the wants of a group of 12-15 individuals who won't be here 4 years from now.

:yeahthat:

I was going to say almost exactly the same thing. The players are looking at the short-term, at who they want to play for for the next 1-4 years (most closer to 1 than 4, especially of the key guys on this team). I'm sure they care about the long-term future of the program, but that isn't the perspective they're seeing. They should be a voice in the process, but not THE voice in the process....

 

[Sexton Hardcastle]

Placing the fate of our program on teenagers would be a mistake.

 

[Buffnik]

Sorry, you can color me extremely pessimistic on this. I personally doubt that anyone worthwhile is calling Mike Bohn and inquiring about the vacancy. The program has finished dead last in the Big XII in 3 of the last 4 seasons. Now they have a very faint sniff of success (e.g. not finishing last) and the coach decides to leave. That is going to set back a program that didn't have too far backward to go frankly. Assuming that they look outside the program, who do you think is out there that is going to seriously want to take on the challenge of trying to make this program competitive in the Big XII? Unless you can throw enough money at a coach like Calipari, and then get everyone to turn a blind eye to a guy like that paying players to come to your school for a year, then a program like ours isn't going to go anywhere.

For two that have been leaked, Bennett supposedly called from St. Mary's and Gregory called from Dayton. They're two of the hottest mid-major coaches. There have also been reports that Lon Kruger (lots of success at KSU, Florida, Illinois & UNLV + NBA HC & Assistant) has inquired.

A guy I would love to see on staff at CU who has been mentioned for the HC job is ex-Buff great Jay Humphries. He was an assistant with the Phoenix Suns and is now coaching an NBA D-League team. I don't buy him as the HC yet (not enough experience and no college coaching), but I'd love to see our next HC hire him. LA ties, NBA ties and international coaching experience would be great for recruiting. He's also one of the top 5 players in the program's history. I assume he has his degree since he was a 4-year guy for us.

 

[Sexton Hardcastle]

Do you really think Lon would come to Boulder?

 

[Buffnik]

Do you really think Lon would come to Boulder?

I think if we can make the money work, we'd have a legitimate chance to grab him.

Here's his contract (which goes through 2013): http://www.lasvegassun.com/blogs/miech-again/2009/nov/25/kruger-contract-altered-september/

The deal's worth about $6.5 million over 5 years, he gets an extra $325k for finishing out the contract, there's a $500k buyout to get him away, and he gets a bonus of $25k for every tourney appearance and every tourney win.

My guess is that our best offer only matches his UNLV deal, so he'd have to want to come for more than money.

 

[Sexton Hardcastle]

Landing Kruger would be awesome for this program.

 

[Buffalo Brad]

Landing Kruger would be awesome for this program.

^^^^^That

Kruger would legitimize the programs progress and he would be a step above Buz

 

[UrbanaBuff]

Met Kruger during his days at Illinois. Classy guy. It's odd that he's in the discussion because I've always thought Bzdelik to be a poor man's Kruger. They have similar dispositions.

If I remember correctly, Lon's wife was tired of living in small college towns (Altanta and Vegas have been his last two stops). He has reportedly turned down heavy interest from big-time schools in the past few years primarily because of this factor. So, our proximity to Denver seems to aid us here.

Landing Kruger would be awesome for this program.

 

[UrbanaBuff]

If these names are legit, Lon should be priority 1, with Gregory close behind. That guy is a riser and his teams are uber-athletic.

For two that have been leaked, Bennett supposedly called from St. Mary's and Gregory called from Dayton. They're two of the hottest mid-major coaches. There have also been reports that Lon Kruger (lots of success at KSU, Florida, Illinois & UNLV + NBA HC & Assistant) has inquired.

A guy I would love to see on staff at CU who has been mentioned for the HC job is ex-Buff great Jay Humphries. He was an assistant with the Phoenix Suns and is now coaching an NBA D-League team. I don't buy him as the HC yet (not enough experience and no college coaching), but I'd love to see our next HC hire him. LA ties, NBA ties and international coaching experience would be great for recruiting. He's also one of the top 5 players in the program's history. I assume he has his degree since he was a 4-year guy for us.

 

[CUHills]

If these players think McClain is a coach they want to play for, I would think that would get echo'd down to recruits and recruits would like to play for them too. Recruiting is such a huge part in college basketball and if McClain earned the trust of all these guy in just 3 years, don't you all think other recruits would feel that way too? I know the university cant afford to put this decision in hands of teenagers but come on, these guys are college basketball players and have played for tons of coaches. If ALL of them like McClain then i so would a lot of recruits

 

[buff4bcs1985]

if i could choose...

1st lon krugger
2nd dunlap/bennett
3rd mcclain

 

[Daaah]

As someone who has followed St. Mary's as my parents live in Moraga now, I don't want that coach. His **** may fly in the WCC, but it won't work in the Big 12.

 

[sackman]

The Big 12 is a man's conference, no doubt about it. You better have a post presence and you better be able to play the half court game. It's no secret that CU was one big man short of winning another 4-5 games this year. Whoever comes in here needs to understand that, and recruit accordingly.

 

[Duff Man]

If we have a legit shot at Kruger, no way you do not follow that lead. Even if he ends up turning down an offer in the end, he would be a very good hire. Hills, I appreciate your viewpoint, but you also seem to be making one big assumption: that the current players will only play for McClain.

 

[stampy]

If we have a legit shot at Kruger, no way you do not follow that lead. Even if he ends up turning down an offer in the end, he would be a very good hire. Hills, I appreciate your viewpoint, but you also seem to be making one big assumption: that the current players will only play for McClain.

Comments made this morning by Eckloff gave me the impression that the kids want to play together, and therefore would give a new hire a chance to at least be heard out.

 

[CUHills]

If we have a legit shot at Kruger, no way you do not follow that lead. Even if he ends up turning down an offer in the end, he would be a very good hire. Hills, I appreciate your viewpoint, but you also seem to be making one big assumption: that the current players will only play for McClain.

Its not an assumption. Its what each one is saying. Do I personally think its stupid that they will ONLY play for McClain? Yes obviously thats not a smart thing because im sure there are many coaches out there that would do a great job here at CU, however that is what they are saying and it has to pull some weight. In the end, no matter who the hire is I think MOST will give the new coach a chance, but honestly from what the players are saying, I don't think all of them will

 

[Bisonic]

Its not an assumption. Its what each one is saying. Do I personally think its stupid that they will ONLY play for McClain? Yes obviously thats not a smart thing because im sure there are many coaches out there that would do a great job here at CU, however that is what they are saying and it has to pull some weight. In the end, no matter who the hire is I think MOST will give the new coach a chance, but honestly from what the players are saying, I don't think all of them will

I think all of us devoted fans worry that premiere players like Burks, Higgins, or Sharpe would leave the program. (It makes no sense for Relphorde to leave, and the others have a ways to go before showing themselves as impact players.)

But Higgins will be gone after next year, as will Relphorde. Burks may have the chance to earn the real money after next season and be gone anyway.

We can't base this decision ONLY on what the kids say. That's a short term view. I've been paying for tickets since the 1970's. I want a coach that gives us a chance to be a top team not only next year, but after all these guys are gone.

I really don't want CU to return into the "4 years and out" cycle that I saw all during the 80's and early 90's. It sucked. We need the right hire now.

 

[stampy]

Since Sharpe redshirted this year, wouldn't a transfer cost him a year of eligibility?

 

[BuffLuke80]

If we can get Kruger, then our search should be over. I think the guys would stick around for a coach like that. If not, Kruger can recruit, he's had some good players everywhere he's been.

 

[Duff Man]

Its not an assumption. Its what each one is saying. Do I personally think its stupid that they will ONLY play for McClain? Yes obviously thats not a smart thing because im sure there are many coaches out there that would do a great job here at CU, however that is what they are saying and it has to pull some weight. In the end, no matter who the hire is I think MOST will give the new coach a chance, but honestly from what the players are saying, I don't think all of them will

Fair enough. I hope you do not think I am attacking you or anything, I really appreciate all the info you are sending our way. I just think a situation changes when people actually have to make the decision about playing for a new coach or transferring. Sounds like Bohn was told by the players last night that they wanted McClain, so at least he is listening to them.