Pearl/Keno

storminspank said:
Like I said, I really haven't thought of replacements, just throwing names out there. When Lickliter was hired, I was very much underwhelmed. I wanted Barta to make a splash hire, and he didn't.

Jeter has proven he can recruit. Tutored under Bo Ryan for a good while. Had a nice assistant resume. Has 2 more years than Keno as a HC.

Speraw has been a HC for almost 20 years in JUCO and at UCF. Former Iowa player helps too. :)

But really, I don't know who to hire, just that if Barta goes that route it had better be a great hire.

The whole point is, a 36 year old Keno isn't ready to take over a program like Iowa. We'd have more on-the-job-training than we had with Alford.
Click to expand...

Keno is way more prepared and way more mature than Alford was and is to lead the Iowa program. Unlike Boy Wonder, Keno spent his formative basketball years learning how to coach basketball. Unlike Boy Wonder, Keno actually served in the capacity of an assistant coach at a high level program (oh yeah, and he also coached under Pearl). Finally, unlike Boy Wonder, Keno would want to actually be at Iowa instead of someplace else.

This would be one of the very, very few hires Barta could make right now that would actually bring excitement and interest back to the Iowa basketball program before another game is even played.

I'm not sure you appreciate just how bad Drake was before Mr. Davis arrived and just how good they got in Keno's final season in Des Moines.
 
storminspank said:
Exactly. Mr. Davis. With his son riding on his coattails.
Click to expand...

Unless Pearl is hired, and lets just say that doesnt happen because that is a longshot IMO....

So if its not Pearl, the people that the hypothetical new coach would hire, that would do a lot of the recruiting, will be just as important as whom the actual coach is.
 
Keno gets no credit for seeing something in Adam Emenecker that Tom didn't see? Dude was not even interviewed on media day. And he ended the season as the Larry Bird Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Year
 
JonDMiller said:
Unless Pearl is hired, and lets just say that doesnt happen because that is a longshot IMO....

So if its not Pearl, the people that the hypothetical new coach would hire, that would do a lot of the recruiting, will be just as important as whom the actual coach is.
Click to expand...

I agree and that's one of the reasons Lickliter has failed at Iowa thus far.
 
I just think Keno is going to be a hard sell with the fan base. Yes, he might be as good as we can get, but I'm afraid that's not going to cut it with an already hostile fanbase.
 
storminspank said:
The difference between Pearl and Keno...

Keno has 3 years of head coaching experience. Before Bruce went to UT, he had 13 years of head coaching experience, including a DII National Championship. 20+ wins in his last three years at UWM (never finishing lower than 3rd in the Horizon, winning in twice). Keno has hit the 20 win mark once, at Drake using his dad's players/help.

Bruce Pearl had over 300 wins as a head coach before going to UT. Keno Davis sits with 59. 31 in two seasons at Prov. and 28 in one miracle season at Drake.

Bruce Pearl was an assistant at 3 different BCS schools (Stanford, Iowa, and BC). Keno was an assistant at 1 BCS school - Iowa under his dad.

Pearl went through the ranks and succeeded throughout.
Assistant at the 3 major schools, head coach at DII (where he won a NC), mid-major head coach, SEC coach. He put in his time (almost 30 years) before he made it big time. He was very much a seasoned coach by the time he hit UT.

Keno, on the other hand, was never a head coach anywhere until he took over Drake for one season. Beside Iowa, he hadn't even been an assistant at a major school. Once Keno left Iowa, he worked as an assistant coach at DII and midmajor schools, never a head coach. He doesn't have the same background as Pearl did coming out of UWM.

As far as a list, I haven't really thought of it because I'm not 100% sure Lickliter is gone. But, that said, here's who I'd entertain.

Bruce Pearl. Has and always be my #1 choice.
Rob Jeter - asst coach under a couple big schools, coached under Bo Ryan.
Reggie Theus - no idea why, I just like him. I realize that's dumb of me.
I like Turgeon, I like Pitino's assistant, I like Speraw. I don't know, though.

I don't really have an idea on replacements, I just know Keno isn't the answer. If Lickliter is taken out - it had better be for someone big. BIG.
Click to expand...

Who recruited 'his Dad's players'?

Has his Dad stopped helping him?

Rob Jeter - Does he qualify as someone with 'Iowa ties' since his Dad played football at Iowa?

Why is Bruce Pearl the top pick of so many Iowa fans? Why does Iowa fan think he'd want to come to Iowa after the regime he coached for was ran. I guess I don't get it completely.
 
I am frightened by some of the replies I've read in this post.

:confused:

I think many of you are so unwilling to admit Iowa made a mistake when it sent Mr. Davis packing, that you are unable to accept the idea that Keno would be a good choice.

I commend and respect Jon greatly for not being one of those people, BTW.

Oh well. Off to watch that Harrison Barnes guy. Still can't believe he didn't even consider playing for Lickliter. I think Austin Peay and IUPUI were in the running longer than Iowa was.
 
I like the idea of Pearl. Keno may yet turn out to be a great coach, and he truly did a great job with that Drake team. The thing about that season that I was impressed with is that Drake did NOT try to play at a very fast pace that often. They crafted the system to fit the talent and the depth, or lack thereof.

At Providence Keno appears to have gone back to a non-stop fast paced system. He doesn't have the talent he needs to do it well yet. I'd much rather see what he does after another year of recruiting, and reportedly he's recruiting reasonably well. I assume he decided to go flat-out on the court to show prospective recruits how he plans to play, even if he doesn't have the personnel to pull it off yet.

I might regret it but given the choice, I'd prefer Pearl and perhaps other coaches over Keno. But it's also possible that a year or two down the road, Keno's stock is going to be way up again.

Of course, the availability or interest of either one may be a pipe dream, in Keno's case due to timing more than anything.
 
FreddyBrown said:
I like the idea of Pearl. Keno may yet turn out to be a great coach, and he truly did a great job with that Drake team. The thing about that season that I was impressed with is that Drake did NOT try to play at a very fast pace that often. They crafted the system to fit the talent and the depth, or lack thereof.

At Providence Keno appears to have gone back to a non-stop fast paced system. He doesn't have the talent he needs to do it well yet. I'd much rather see what he does after another year of recruiting, and reportedly he's recruiting reasonably well. I assume he decided to go flat-out on the court to show prospective recruits how he plans to play, even if he doesn't have the personnel to pull it off yet.

I might regret it but given the choice, I'd prefer Pearl and perhaps other coaches over Keno. But it's also possible that a year or two down the road, Keno's stock is going to be way up again.

Of course, the availability or interest of either one may be a pipe dream, in Keno's case due to timing more than anything.
Click to expand...

Brilliant and absolutely informed post, Freddy. You have renewed my faith in humanity.
 
JDeMoney said:
Keno is way more prepared and way more mature than Alford was and is to lead the Iowa program.
Click to expand...

I agree with that. Keno had a very long apprenticeship under one of the best teachers in the college (not to be confused with high school, Sam Alford) game.

My concern is whether he will, in fact, be able to recruit well enough to succeed with that system, and how willing/able he is to make adjustments to fit the talent. On the latter point, the Drake year does speak well for him.

Bottom line, I would be cautiously optimistic about Keno if he came here, but not cautious or half-hearted in my support for the program.
 
I'm not saying I don't think Keno is going to be a terrific coach when it's all said and done. I'm saying, at this point in his career, and for the type of coach Iowa needs to bring in to replaced Lickliter, he's not the guy.
 
Tom Davis was mostly FIGUREHEAD at Drake. The only reason he took that job was to groom Keno. Keno recruited those guys and built that team. If he stays at Providence, he will do the same. If he comes here, he will do the same.

I don't understand why we wouldn't want him. He has ALL the attributes we Iowa fans our looking for. I don't buy the experience argument. He has been around high level basketball his WHOLE life.
 
FreddyBrown said:
I agree with that. Keno had a very long apprenticeship under one of the best teachers in the college (not to be confused with high school, Sam Alford) game.

My concern is whether he will, in fact, be able to recruit well enough to succeed with that system, and how willing/able he is to make adjustments to fit the talent. On the latter point, the Drake year does speak well for him.

Bottom line, I would be cautiously optimistic about Keno if he came here, but not cautious or half-hearted in my support for the program.
Click to expand...

On the recruiting thing. I'm confident Keno would have success recruiting at Iowa. He is recruiting well at Providence.

I'm not sure many people understand what Providence is. It's a Big East also-ran with less than 4,000 undergrads that plays in a nearly 40-year-old, 12,000-seat off-campus arena called the Dunkin' Donuts Center. Providence is basically what Drake would be if you dropped it into the Big 12 or the Big Ten. No football program to support it, small fan and alumni base, etc.

My point is this. If you can pull in four-star talent to Providence, you can surely do it at Iowa. Especially when prospective recruits feel confident that the coach they'll be playing for at Iowa has no intention to coach someplace else.

But let me restate ... Pearl is absolutely my No. 1 choice, followed by Keno.
 
HaydensHawk said:
Tom Davis was mostly FIGUREHEAD at Drake. The only reason he took that job was to groom Keno. Keno recruited those guys and built that team. If he stays at Providence, he will do the same. If he comes here, he will do the same.

I don't understand why we wouldn't want him. He has ALL the attributes we Iowa fans our looking for. I don't buy the experience argument. He has been around high level basketball his WHOLE life.
Click to expand...

Exactly.

If Keno's resume was handed to you with the name at the top whited out, what would you think.

*Former assistant coach under both Bruce Pearl and Tom Davis (twice)

*Was named national coach of the year by six different organizations

*In three years as a head coach, his teams have reached the postseason twice

*Became first coach to lead Drake to the NCAA tournament in 37 years. That team returned only one starter and had been picked to finish NINTH in the MVC.

*Led Providence to 19 wins in his first season at the school, including victories against No. 15 Syracuse and No. 1 Pittsburgh

*University of Iowa graduate
 
JDeMoney said:
But let me restate ... Pearl is absolutely my No. 1 choice, followed by Keno.
Click to expand...
Can't you just put one more candidate between Pearl and Keno to make me feel better about it? :)

I don't know how much you'll be posting on here, but it's seriously nice to have you around. I love reading your insight.
 
storminspank said:
Can't you just put one more candidate between Pearl and Keno to make me feel better about it? :)

I don't know how much you'll be posting on here, but it's seriously nice to have you around. I love reading your insight.
Click to expand...

You got it.

My new list:

1) Bruce Pearl
2) Bill Self
3) Keno Davis
 
Well then, the next question is whether Keno's Providence contract has a buyout clause of the type Pearl apparently has at UT--pursuant to which the coach must pay the school if he leaves early? Since PC is not a public institution, I suppose there's no way of finding that info.

I wondered whether Keno would bail on PC after two years...but come to think of it, he bailed on Drake after a year when no one else in D-I would have given him the chance Drake gave him. But I understand why he did. On further reflection, I see no reason why he wouldn't jump at this chance if it were offered.

So, I guess I'm sold, DeMoney. If both Pearl and Self surprise us by saying "no," I say let's geive Keno a call. ;)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Latest posts

Share this page

Top