The Search: Expectation Management

I will be ****** at any mid major coach period...there was no reason to fire one if you are going to turn around and hire another that is just flat out depressing if that is all Iowa can get.

It is kind of depressing but it is true. We are no elite program. The perception is we are a program which is not well supported by the AD and the fans. Whoever comes in will have to work to change that. It is just the reality of the situation.
 
It is kind of depressing but it is true. We are no elite program. The perception is we are a program which is not well supported by the AD and the fans. Whoever comes in will have to work to change that. It is just the reality of the situation.
Your opinion of the Program is exactly why we need Forbes. He sure as hell won't be out there telling kids he's recruiting that we're not an Elite program or that there's no fans in IC. He believes in the Hawkeyes and we need that to shine through at this stage in our program.
 
Question: How is an assistant at a major successful program any different than a coach from a mid-major? Just saying... I'm curious as to why people think one is better than the other. Truth being told and at this point in time, how would the Iowa job be any better than a mid-major? Mid-majors usually hire their own assistant or one from a major program to be a head coach... only thing we've got going for us is the Big Ten and a strong fan base that needs to be re-energized. Just calling a spade a spade...

Take UNI for example... they are on a great run with a coach (who was an assistant at that program) that's doing good things with his players, which are BTW, Jr's & Sr's. I get that... but does anyone think that team could have won the Big East or even the Big Ten with those players... or even has he proven he could recruit to be competitive in those type of conferences? You could say that about most mid major coaches... as we found out with Lick and Alford... so for anyone to say an assistant coach won't cut it, demonstrate where a high percentage of mid-major coaches have been able to cut it in the major conferences...

It's all about getting a person who is a good fit for the program and will instill a baseline for success that grows each year or at least demonstrates a path of consistent succcess.
 
I would guess that folks are worried that a mid-major hire won't recruit the kinds of players you need in the Big10.... Lick didn't seem to grasp what was needed here. Someone that has been at the high-D1 level will have at least been exposed to what it takes.... even if they haven't had to do it yet ;)

I just want someone to come in here and rip this program a new back-side... fire us up... fans-players-administration etc... we all need new life.


Question: How is an assistant at a major successful program any different than a coach from a mid-major? Just saying... I'm curious as to why people think one is better than the other. ....
 
This whole situation is so stressful, I hope Barta hires someone fairly soon. This program is in desperate need of something to hope for, things to look forward to. The sooner we have someone to get behind, the sooner we can get Iowa hoops back on the map.
 
Your opinion of the Program is exactly why we need Forbes. He sure as hell won't be out there telling kids he's recruiting that we're not an Elite program or that there's no fans in IC. He believes in the Hawkeyes and we need that to shine through at this stage in our program.
This is just silly. No coach is going to tell kids they are recruiting that. It doesn't matter if he's an assistant coach, mid major coach .....ect
 
I will be ****** at any mid major coach period...there was no reason to fire one if you are going to turn around and hire another that is just flat out depressing if that is all Iowa can get.

this is the sort of mentality that keeps guys like norv turner and wade phillips employed as nfl head coaches. everyone thinks they need a guy who has already been a head coach, ignoring the fact that 75% of the head coaches who are available to come to your job are going to be mediocre. the fact that they are a head coach at a bcs school doesn't necessarily change that.

everyone is spooked by the mid-major thing because of alford, lickliter, and (to a smaller degree) mcdermott. i think that misunderstands why these guys failed.... it's not because they were mid-major guys, it's because their skill sets didn't match the requirements of their new jobs. where do you think thad motta and matt painter came from? bo ryan came out of division III, for cripe's sake.

if we start putting artificial requirements on the next pool of coaches (has to have bcs head coaching experience, has to be a top assistant, etc.) we're setting ourselves up for failure. the only thing that should matter is whether the search committee and barta think he can do the job. they are going to need to look way past the surface stuff a lot of people are discussing on the boards in order to make that decision.
 
The ignorance of posters as it relates to mid majors is aggravating.

1. Lick didn't work out because he couldn't relate to his players. If he doesn't have the transfers, he is still the coach, and we probably are on the right track.

2. Alford didn't work out because he let a player that raped a female athlete back on the team and he lost the fan base as a direct result of that. He recruited at a very high level while he was here, but he also had issues playing favorites and losing players.

3. OK so pro sports teams make it not a fishbowl? Must have never been to Columbus, OH. But ok, I'll play. Lawrence, KS? Manhattan KS? Norman OK, Stillwater, OK? Fayetteville, AR? Tuscaloosa, AL, Auburn, AL, Starkeville, MS, Oxford, MS? Clemson, SC, Columbia, SC? The Triangle in North Carolina? Lincoln, NE? Euguene OR? Corvallis OR?

My point is that Iowa City is not anymore a fishbowl than any other college campus. To suggest otherwise is not just silly but is also giving people a BS excuse for not being able to succeed at the school.
 
this is the sort of mentality that keeps guys like norv turner and wade phillips employed as nfl head coaches. everyone thinks they need a guy who has already been a head coach, ignoring the fact that 75% of the head coaches who are available to come to your job are going to be mediocre. the fact that they are a head coach at a bcs school doesn't necessarily change that.

everyone is spooked by the mid-major thing because of alford, lickliter, and (to a smaller degree) mcdermott. i think that misunderstands why these guys failed.... it's not because they were mid-major guys, it's because their skill sets didn't match the requirements of their new jobs. where do you think thad motta and matt painter came from? bo ryan came out of division III, for cripe's sake.

if we start putting artificial requirements on the next pool of coaches (has to have bcs head coaching experience, has to be a top assistant, etc.) we're setting ourselves up for failure. the only thing that should matter is whether the search committee and barta think he can do the job. they are going to need to look way past the surface stuff a lot of people are discussing on the boards in order to make that decision.

This is 100% correct. Everybody would love a proven successful BCS coach to just decide that Iowa is his dream job and jump ship. It is not going to happen. So you are left with three options 1. A BCS coach that has hit a rut and is getting forced out by his fan base. 2. A rising mid-major coach 3. An assistant with a top coach.

For me number 1 is the least exciting.

You can't say a mid-major coach will fail because Alford and Lick did. The coach will just to have different traits than those two did. The first will be recognize what it takes to recruit here and assemble the correct staff. The second is an energy for the job.

The turnaround for this program will be very difficult. With the practice facility to sell and a strength trainer for basketball maybe not as hard as Lick and Alford. However, the new coach will have to overcome a tradition of losing that Alford and Lick didn't have to overcome and <10,000 attendance for home games.
 
I will be ****** at any mid major coach period...there was no reason to fire one if you are going to turn around and hire another that is just flat out depressing if that is all Iowa can get.

A list of some of the coaches in the NCAA tourney who came from mid-majors:
Bill Self

Bruce Pearl

Thad Matta

Bo Ryan

Lorenzo Romar

Mark Turgeon

Matt Painter

I'm glad none of those losers are coaching at Iowa.
 
Our fishbowl is not easy to adjust too....lute and raveling didn't like here in the long run, Mr. Davis understood it, alford and lick didn't get it.

Not sure who would besides Forbes.

Do we really have much of a fishbowl left? Seems like the next coach will have an easier time because the expectations are lowered. Lickliter's tenure made a LOT of people stop caring about Iowa basketball (except on message boards).

Seems like the perfect time to get a young, energetic, driven coach in here. Or a veteran coach that wants a couple of years to get adjusted.

Does anybody seriously expect the next coach to have a winning record or fill up CHA next year?
 
This whole situation is so stressful, I hope Barta hires someone fairly soon. .

I don't get how it's stressful...and I am the one making calls every day and writing about it :)

People are getting themselves worked up about something they have no control over..I guess I try not to do that in life. I get worked up a bit during games, so that doesn't always work out, but with regards to this coaching search, I cannot see how it can stress you out unless you are predisposed in life to allow too many external factors affect your life.

Are you able to function at work right now? ;)
 
This whole situation is so stressful, I hope Barta hires someone fairly soon. This program is in desperate need of something to hope for, things to look forward to. The sooner we have someone to get behind, the sooner we can get Iowa hoops back on the map.

It's only stressful if you are the flight tracker guy, or monitor message boards every minute of the day.

Chillax. Spaz down.
 
I am for the young, energetic type. I just hope Barta doesn't give away the kitchen sink on this type of coach
 
The basketball program needs the equivalent of a John Hayden Fry. Someone who comes in not afraid to take ownership of the entire program.

I always felt like Alford and Lick were 'renters' rather than being totally invested. That should be Barta's number one criteria as far as I am concerned.
 

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