My #1 choice: Mark Turgeon

Raziel

Raziel

Well-Known Member
Barta made the comment in his initial presser that he was willing to spend whatever it took to get a coach to IC that will turn around this basketball program. Mark Turgeon would be a coach I think we could get at Iowa if Barta was serious. Turgeon currently makes $1.2M/year at TAMU....if Barta offers him $2M-$2.4M, I truly believe Iowa would have a shot - we'd be DOUBLING this guys salary!

The more I read about this guy, the more I REALLY like him. He is a good recruiter, has been a head coach at MULTIPLE stops, and has succeeded everywhere he has been.

I'm not saying that he is interested in the Iowa job right now, but if you flash double his current salary at him....I think he at least will consider (and if nothing else he'll GREATLY appreciate the pay raise the University of Iowa would get him from TAMU :D) taking the position.

In the following article, it is pretty apparent that Turgeon is less than happy about the lack of fan support he has received at TAMU (attendance is less than 10,000 per game on average at TAMU, and their stadium has a capacity of less than 13,000). Obviously the fan support at Iowa is NOT good now, however, CHA was frequently sold out all the way up until about 5 years or so ago. There is a big sleeping hawkeye fanbase of bball fans out there just waiting for the bball team to become successful again. Here is the aforementioned article:

Aggies? Turgeon among Big 12?s best / LJWorld.com

He even mentions how he'd rather rebuild a program than maintain one. Couple that with a higher salary and selling him on the new facilities that he'd have at Iowa, and I think you'd give him something to mull over.

This guy would definitely be a "splash" hire in my book and would most certainly sell some season tickets next year. I hope Barta is willing to follow through on his comment and offer a big name coach (like Turgeon) whatever it takes to get him to IC.
 
Sure. Since taking a major gig his Big 12 conference record has improved each year, NCAA appearances each year (none past 2nd Rd), 20+ wins each year. Not bad.
 
I would love this hire as well.

There's always a chance he could leave for greener pastures someday. But I think he'd leave the program in much better shape than he found it.
 
He would be a great hire. Probably somebody that even if he could be lured away would only be here 3-4 years. That would be ok because if he leaves for a bigger job it would be because he had a lot of success here and make the next coaching hire easier.

I am just not seeing how this will happen. More realistically I think whoever we get will have flaws. Either lack of head coaching experience, underperforming at another school or only experience as a mid-major. Not saying that the next coach can't have success but that I believe is the realistic choices.
 
Plus, there is no competition between College Station, Texas and Iowa City, Iowa.

This is one coach whose move would not be lateral.
 
This would be a fantastic hire, I'm not sure about how much of a step up it would be though considering the recruiting opportunities in Texas vs. here, and moving from the Big 12 to Big 10. Our program definitely has more history and has shown we will support winning basketball, I hope Barta at least gives it a shot.
 
BSpringsteen said:
Plus, there is no competition between College Station, Texas and Iowa City, Iowa.

This is one coach whose move would not be lateral.
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Disagree

More recruits in TX
A&M has better facilities
A&M has more money or pretty similiar from my research
Conferences are pretty much on par competition wise over the last 10 years

I will give you that IC is better than CS
 
There's a post in that thread from Cyclones17, of all people, that is really food for thought: how many coaches IN GENERAL move from one BCS school to another?

If you look at the history, it's surprisingly rare and confined generally to long-established, Top 10/20 historical programs like Kentucky, UCLA, North Carolina etc.

Most of the BCS-level coaches you think of as terrific right now were not head coaches at BCS schools in their previous jobs. Food for thought, not a comment on Turgeon specifically.
 
Billso said:
Most of the BCS-level coaches you think of as terrific right now were not head coaches at BCS schools in their previous jobs. Food for thought, not a comment on Turgeon specifically.
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Tubby Smith is an example of how it can happen, within the same conference even. His recent stops went in the order of:

Georgia(SEC)>Kentucky(SEC)>Minnesota(Big10)

He also wasn't fired from Kentucky as some have said, though he was feeling pressure from the fan base. Tubby has won a national championship; Turgeon obviously has not. If Minnesota can land Tubby, we at least have a shot at Turgeon.

Another BCS to BCS move comes to mind... Mr. Davis Davis (Boston College)
 
Billso said:
There's a post in that thread from Cyclones17, of all people, that is really food for thought: how many coaches IN GENERAL move from one BCS school to another?

If you look at the history, it's surprisingly rare and confined generally to long-established, Top 10/20 historical programs like Kentucky, UCLA, North Carolina etc.

Most of the BCS-level coaches you think of as terrific right now were not head coaches at BCS schools in their previous jobs. Food for thought, not a comment on Turgeon specifically.
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How often do you see a school willing to double another coaches salary? I'm not saying Iowa is willing to do that for sure, but if Iowa offered him $2.4M, I think that would be a pretty rare offer. I bet you'd see a lot more coaches going from BCS school to BCS school if their payscale was about to double ;)
 
Raziel said:
How often do you see a school willing to double another coaches salary? I'm not saying Iowa is willing to do that for sure, but if Iowa offered him $2.4M, I think that would be a pretty rare offer. I bet you'd see a lot more coaches going from BCS school to BCS school if their payscale was about to double ;)
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I would think that A&M would match any offer Iowa put on the table. They have the funds
 
swanssy said:
Tubby Smith is an example of how it can happen, within the same conference even. His recent stops went in the order of:

Georgia(SEC)>Kentucky(SEC)>Minnesota(Big10)

He also wasn't fired from Kentucky as some have said, though he was feeling pressure from the fan base. Tubby has won a national championship; Turgeon obviously has not. If Minnesota can land Tubby, we at least have a shot at Turgeon.

Another BCS to BCS move comes to mind... Mr. Davis Davis (Boston College)
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Tubby was all but done at Kentucky. The pressure there was great and he was a year away (tops). Same as Alford leaving for New Mexico. While NM has a great arena with a great fanbase....it is still a step backwards for Steve.
 
Texas A&M has more money and they have some of the best facilities in the COUNTRY. Their BB program was completely irrelevant up until Billie Gillispie (There's my man) arrived on campus. Turgeon won't leave.

Texas is chalked full of talent. A&M has awesome facilities. Turgeon inherited Gillispie's recruits including DeAndre Jordan (5 star). Turgeon has a 5 star kid committed to the 2011 class (Jamal Branch) and two 4 star kids coming in this year. I highly doubt he is going to leave College Station.

Did I say I don't think he is going to leave? I don't think he would leave.
 
Cyclones17 said:
I would think that A&M would match any offer Iowa put on the table. They have the funds
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They might have the funds, but are the willing to spend them? Texas is a big time football state, and TAMU has little history of basketball success. If Iowa offered $2.4M, would TAMU be willing to pay a big time coaching salary for a coach whose sport can only fill out their arena to 3/4ths capacity during one of the most successful runs in the history of their bball program?

Maybe they would, maybe they wouldn't. I just hope Barta is competent enough to MAKE TAMU pay that kind of money if they want to keep Turgeon.
 
Raziel said:
They might have the funds, but are the willing to spend them? Texas is a big time football state, and TAMU has little history of basketball success. If Iowa offered $2.4M, would TAMU be willing to pay a big time coaching salary for a coach whose sport can only fill out their arena to 3/4ths capacity during one of the most successful runs in the history of their bball program?

Maybe they would, maybe they wouldn't. I just hope Barta is competent enough to MAKE TAMU pay that kind of money if they want to keep Turgeon.
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I don't know if they would or not.

Here is my question for you. Would you stay at A&M for say 1.6 mil a year when you know that you have great talent on the team and other solid talent coming in (job security). Plus you get to recruit out of Texas. Or would you leave, go to Iowa, make 2.4 mil a year and have to worry about getting in A LOT of talent in, and knowing the previous coaching staff was only given 3 years before they were fired (which then sets you back to where you were when you were at Wich St...a mid major coach again)
 
The previous coach would have had more than 3 years if he connected with his players.

The coach before that would likely still be roaming the sidelines if Pierre Pierce never set foot on campus and never donned an Iowa uniform.

We haven't been as unfair to our coaches as it has been made to be.
 
I believe there is little chance he will leave either. He has a good thing going at A&M. Good recruits coming in, AWESOME facilities, and I'm pretty sure A&M wouldn't let him get away. They have the funds to pay him more. My wife was a grad at A&M and I know she wouldn't be happy if he left and went to Iowa. I could live with an unhappy wife though if this happened. (at least for a while) :)
 
BSpringsteen said:
The previous coach would have had more than 3 years if he connected with his players.

The coach before that would likely still be roaming the sidelines if Pierre Pierce never set foot on campus and never donned an Iowa uniform.

We haven't been as unfair to our coaches as it has been made to be.
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I didn't say you had. I am just saying what the perception MAY be to head coaches out there.

It's going to be a very very hard sell getting a BCS level head coach to leave his school where he has talent in the program already, to leave his job and come to Iowa where the rebuilding process will be very very tough. I still say that a high level assistant or mid major coach is the only option right now
 
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