Yes. BJ has been an agent in Chicago for a long time. I'm sure he makes a lot of money. I bet the fan base would be estatic if BJ was announced as the next head coach. I know that I would be. It worked out well for Fred Hoiberg at Iowa State. There is no way the administration could let BJ fail. I don't believe he could be worst than the last 30+ years since we've only been to 1 Sweet 16 since 1988. BJ could at least get us to the tourney and win a game but I truly believe he could recruit the type of guards needed to win at the BIG level; something Fran hasn't been able to do. Maybe Joe Toussaint will be that guy?
So if Fran bails who's on shortlist?
- Thread starter Hawkfnntn
- Start date
ModebaSan
Well-Known Member
BJ would be a great hire, Dean Oliver as well. I do like what Eric Musselman has done with Nevada and has the NBA experience to sell. Others on my list would be Chris Beard, Mark Few, Jay Wright, Steve Forbes, and coach Oates of Buffalo. Some of these guys might like to try their hand in the B1G.
SCHawkeye2
Well-Known Member
Larry Brown
hawkeyebob62
Well-Known Member
If we're going to base it on race, let's go after Shaka Smart. The guy has a Final Four and, now, an NIT title. Hell, Tubby SMith would probably love a chance to get back at Minnesota twice a year.
HawkGold
Well-Known Member
If a top coach can't be had, Rob Judson for a couple of years until things stabilize and the players get a food foundation on fundamentals. Look at his credentials. Flies under the radar and always a part of good programs. What he accomplished at NIU was remarkable. No need to commit for years to a flash in the pan. Iowa was and is still a good destination. Iowa can end up with a good coach.
Also need someone not afraid of assistants who might be better than the HC.
Also need someone not afraid of assistants who might be better than the HC.
Nate Oates was hired by Alabama a couple weeks ago.
Muss can do pretty much whatever he wants at Nevada and he would probably want similar flexibility in his next job should he move on. Not sure Iowa would afford such flexibility.
Beard will have his choice of whatever job he wants, Iowa won't even register with him or his agent.
Few isn't leaving Gonzaga for Iowa. Someone posted what a cush job Iowa is not to long ago. I'd say when you can go into every season with an automatic 16-18 wins every season in the WCC, you're paid like a P5 coach, you sell out your building every game, and you aren't punished by the pundits for playing in the WCC I'd say you have a pretty cush job. It's a nice thought but Few to Iowa aint happening.
Wright has 2 titles in the last 3 years and has turned down NBA jobs, he isn't coming to Iowa.
Forbes would be the most likely candidate on this list. He was on fans short lists in 2007 and 2010 as well. He has put up more than impressive numbers at East Tennessee. My only concern here is age. He's 54, older than Fran when Iowa hired him and fans back then had some reservation about Fran's age. I also have to wonder if there is still some stench from his time at Tennessee under Bruce Pearl during the Aaron Craft recruiting fiasco. How has this guy not gotten a P5 job by now if he's so good?
OMG
trj
Well-Known Member
trj
Well-Known Member
I know your joking around, but I would take him if something did go down as a stop gap measure for 2-3 years. Even though he is 150 years old.
I hate to break it to you but we would be a step down from Gonzaga. He’s turned down much better jobs than ours.
The holier than thou crowd of fans that thumb their noses at successful coaches remind me of the movie footloose when the town didn’t like their teens dancing. We really need to get over ourselves folks. How many teams throughout history have been put on real program changing probation? And haven’t we had our fill of “nice guys” that can’t recruit and don’t win anything of significance? Let’s live a little and try to move up in the world for once instead of always taking the “gentleman’s” route.
Lol
I knew this was coming. Some of you need reality training....
Adam
Well-Known Member
I don't know what kind of money he has been offered before and neither do you. Better job or not a person might consider anything for a tidy enough sum.
The schools mentioned certainly would have offered a strong financial package and even more importantly are significantly better schools to recruit to. Furthermore, I’m not convinced Few would be a great recruiter here and I consider that the number one need. Gonzaga is similar to butler in that they are in large metro areas so there is great hs talent to draw from and both are great areas to recruit to. Here, not so much
Adam
Well-Known Member
Wow Spokane is now a large metro area? Now I have heard it all.
Stanzi
Well-Known Member
Gonzaga is in Spokane not Seattle so no it's not in a large metro area. Spokane is 4+ hours away from Seattle. Iowa City is actually closer to Chicago. Iowa City is also about 4 hours from St. Louis so purely in terms of location Iowa is better located for recruiting than Gonzaga.
Northside Hawk
Well-Known Member
If you can convince the athletic director, president, and the majority of the boosters you may be on to something. I have said several times it's time to stop with the notion that Iowa can be a "destination job". We need a hot up and comer who can recruit, coach, own a town, win games and championships of relevance, and flip his finger at the whole state of Iowa when his run ends after five or six years and he moves on. Calipari at U Mass in the early to mid 1990's was like that. So was Pitino at Providence in the 1980's, Rick Majerus at Utah is a fringe example, but his health forced him out of coaching too early and took his life too early as well.
I enjoyed the run this year, more than most of the last decade to say the least. But it shouldn't be an anomaly. It should be something to expect more years than not, and greater in it's best years. It happened from the 1950's to the 1980's, it can happen again.
