Will A Coaching Change Effect A Venomous Board?

[HuskerWeatherman]

Iba, Nee, .... never a Husker NCAA victory. hence the venom.

whoever is next here on the prairie, better come with recruits or a plan as to how to win with a unique system.

This season is probably the least venomous I've seen compared to the past couple of seasons on the hoops forum. The vast majority are now in agreement that Doc's time is running out. That wasn't the case a year or two ago (it was pretty torn among the ranks here).

The only other "venom" I've seen here lately is the comparison/contrast with Callahan/Pederson. But that's old hat and likely still has quite a few more years left in it. Always entertaining to read.

 

[bilsker]

BIG attendance, (& population).

So is the idea to be like those examples? is Doc / (a HC) the only thing holding NU back?

is it time to make a good basketball hire, instead of a good value hire?

Doc's $900K salary in comparison to your examples:
Michigan $1.7M
OSU $2.5M
Wisconsin $2M

1. NU has packed 14,000 into the Bob with regularity before. Creighton (sorry for the example) is averaging 16,770 and put 18,700 into the Centurylink the other day. People will go see a good product. Period.

2. Right now, yes, Doc is what's holding NU back. All the crying over the years about the Devaney center, the lack of a practice facility, injuries, youth, the PREVIOUS coach screwing the next coach has been a load of s***. As has been pointed out a place like Kansas State whose facilities probably aren't the greatest in the world said "screw it! We're going to go get a proven coach." Worked out pretty well for them. There are other examples...but the excuses are gone now...lame as they were.

3. They will have to pony up. Period. If they want to still get by on the cheap then they should just keep doc, fire Marc Boehm, travel by bus at all times, find a way out of the Haymarket Arena deal and forget about basketball. You get what you pay for. NU pays lower tier money for a coach and they've got a lower tier coach.

 

[bilsker]

Iba, Nee, .... never a Husker NCAA victory. hence the venom.

whoever is next here on the prairie, better come with recruits or a plan as to how to win with a unique system.

What he really needs to come with is a no excuses, no whining approach. You don't need a "unique system". This isn't college football with a 100 different offenses. He's got all the resources in the world. Best in the country facilities now. YES, he will have to recruit harder than Kansas. He'll have to deal with that.

 

[The Point]

BIG attendance, (& population).

So is the idea to be like those examples? is Doc / (a HC) the only thing holding NU back?

is it time to make a good basketball hire, instead of a good value hire?

Doc's $900K salary in comparison to your examples:
Michigan $1.7M
OSU $2.5M
Wisconsin $2M

I think NU needs to find the right guy (and pay incentives/reward him & staff for success), not the right guy for the price.

I haven't seen many mention it here (but have on a different bball forum) that one of the first goals should be to offer equal money to other schools. If we are getting an equal coach, then sure. However, while we have heard NU is a coaching graveyard, offering bigtime money just for the sake of it will only interest coaches looking to pad their IRA (as Barfknecht wrote today) instead of bringing in a hungry coach, which is what NU needs. If coaches only come here for the paycheck, then that would make NU something worse than a graveyard - an Athletic Department that is willing to give out big money with no expectations. (Though, I'm sure that point could potentially be argued for currently.)

A new coach has to realize he could become the Bob Devaney of Nebraska basketball. Any kind of NCAA Tournament success while hopefully establishing some sort of continuity (or dare say, legacy) would ensure that coach never has to buy his own cup of coffee in this state again.


As for the topic of the thread, I think things are actually pretty calm. Unfortunately, it seems like we have all come to the conclusion that a change must and will be made. What has made it tough is that Doc is a very likable guy. However, "Come see our likable coach!" won't sell many tickets at a new arena and it also isn't translating to wins on the court. Dwindling attendance and fan support (which started before Doc, to be fair) are mandating a change be made.

 

[bilsker]

However, while we have heard NU is a coaching graveyard, offering bigtime money just for the sake of it will only interest coaches looking to pad their IRA (as Barfknecht wrote today) instead of bringing in a hungry coach, which is what NU needs. If coaches only come here for the paycheck, then that would make NU something worse than a graveyard - an Athletic Department that is willing to give out big money with no expectations. (Though, I'm sure that point could potentially be argued for currently.)

That's why you have to trust your AD or committee or whoever is doing the hiring. That IRA comment that Bafneck made is a good point if you are going after a guy who may be burned out in his current "big time" job. But I don't think that's too much of a worry for a first time "power conf." coach or a an assistant on his way up.

So no...you don't take a guy that's worth $900k and pay him $1.8. I guess you find the BEST candidate you can possibly find and just negotiate from there...wherever that number ends up then so be it.

I guess what I'm saying is find your GUY first then figure out the pay scale. The opposite...pegging some substandard salary as what you are going to pay and then seeing what you can get for that $ is just a recipe for more sorry basketball. If it's about saving money and nobody really cares how the team does then keep Doc for a few more years....ca$h in on the natural revenue bump the new arena will provide, save on the buyout and then be right back where we are today but several years from now.

 

[CrnhskrBob]

I can't see it improving much until Nebraska Basketball starts getting consistently better. I don't expect to win the B1G, but we have to get competitive enough that we start at least getting invited to the dance and then win a first round game.

"First round game"? What's that? Oh, yeh, I remember now!!!! It has been so long, it seems a darn right shame we have waited so long. Will we ever get there............and, then......win a game?

We can't use the excuse, "we're a football school, so we can't expect to have a good basketball team". Man, that excuse was so lame!!!

Sorry, but Doc can't seem to make necessary changes during a game. At least, not consistently. Once in a while, but the norm is............we get way down, and there is no change all the way to the end of the game. Our basketball sucks, period. Oh well, can't wait for baseball.

 

[The Impaler]

Wow! Great discussion guys. Agree with points from everyone and really don't have much to add. I am just hungry for a team we can be proud of and entertained by and make NCAA appearances every so often (at least every 2 out of 5 years seems reasonable, and in the conversation the others). It can be done, it just takes the right guy. Just long for the days where I don't have to tell people. "We don't play basketball in Nebraska."

 

[MizzouRah]

doubtful it will probably turn into a pissing contest with guys saying that they always wanted doc gone vs those that will be labeled as doc supporters....the solich/callahan crap all over just in hoops and with a lot less people actually giving a crap

If it's a successful hire everyone will get along just fine. I was completely wrong about Haith (although there wasn't a lot of dissension there and it's different when your coach leaves on you) and the number of "I told you so's" are very small.

It's funny how everyone gets along when the team is exceeding expectations.