The Search: Looking Westward & Discontentment
- Thread starter JonDMiller
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OO44
Guest
Tubby may be headed to Auburn.
JonDMiller
Publisher/Founder
I can think of just one name Barta could hire that would put significant people back in the stands sight unseen, and that is Bruce Pearl. Outside of that, whomever he hires is going to have to win.
I highly doubt that hiring even a proven coach like Jamie Dixon is going to translate at the boxoffice right away.
I agree with you and that is part of the problem with the Iowa program. We don't have great basketball fans or marketing office. It is all on the coach to produce a winner. I can see why it will be difficult for Barta. I just hope he does a better job of realizing what kind of personality and recruiter it will take to build the program back up.
JonDMiller
Publisher/Founder
I wouldn't say Iowa doesnt have great basketball fans at all.
Iowa was Top 25 in attendance nationally 1978 through 2006....that's pretty darn good. Less than 10 programs in the nation could say that at the time.
LOSING, and three years of record losing, has sucked the joy out of it for people. Inconsistent starting times, and inconsistent days of the week have also impacted things. Iowa has great fans. And great fans want a product they feel connected to.
How connected do you feel to Iowa basketball right now? My guess is not all that much. It doesnt mean you are a bad fan, it means you just can't support what has taken place. If folks want to go when the product is poor, that is fine too. But I will never say a fan is a bad fan if they choose to do something else with their time when the product is all time poor.
HAWKEY3
Well-Known Member
In Lickliter's first year, the U of I's AD Budget socked $10 million in the bank. That's more than any other school I've compared so far including OSU, Florida, UT etc.
Check them here:
USA TODAY database: What NCAA schools spend on athletics - USATODAY.com
I realize Ticket revenue has gone down, but how much gains have we realized from BTN contracts and the like? My guess is that the AD has been stowing millions for years now. Obviously $43 million is going to a Facilities face-lift, but I'm still convinced that if Barta isn't stingy, that U of I can afford to buck up and pay for a big-name coach.
The only question is, can he sell our vacancy like Billy Mays would've?
BSpringsteen
Well-Known Member
Playing Devils Advocate here Jon.
You say Barta's A-List includes big names, but you think it's likely that we will find our way to a second tier.
We have the ability to make a coach one of the top ten highest paid coaches in the country.
We have new facilities on the way
We have a proud tradition and history
We are in the Big 10, which in the coming years might turn into a Mississippi River to Atlantic Ocean super conference.
Outside of Oregon, what other job opening offers this? This is a great job, that is currently getting the snot kicked out of it. Yes there is work to be done, and a lot of it. But, it's nothing that hasn't been done before at other schools. It isn't more than Baylor or Texas A&M.
Then on the marketing piece. The coach is only one piece of the puzzle. We need Sports Marketing to kick it into high gear. If we hire Dixon, and we can't market the fact that a coach just left the best basketball conference in the country, where he had never won less than 20 games, won 30 games twice, has gone to the elite 8 to come to Iowa City where we just finished the worst three year stretch in the history of the program, than someone else needs to be fired... and I am dead serious about that.
You say Barta's A-List includes big names, but you think it's likely that we will find our way to a second tier.
We have the ability to make a coach one of the top ten highest paid coaches in the country.
We have new facilities on the way
We have a proud tradition and history
We are in the Big 10, which in the coming years might turn into a Mississippi River to Atlantic Ocean super conference.
Outside of Oregon, what other job opening offers this? This is a great job, that is currently getting the snot kicked out of it. Yes there is work to be done, and a lot of it. But, it's nothing that hasn't been done before at other schools. It isn't more than Baylor or Texas A&M.
Then on the marketing piece. The coach is only one piece of the puzzle. We need Sports Marketing to kick it into high gear. If we hire Dixon, and we can't market the fact that a coach just left the best basketball conference in the country, where he had never won less than 20 games, won 30 games twice, has gone to the elite 8 to come to Iowa City where we just finished the worst three year stretch in the history of the program, than someone else needs to be fired... and I am dead serious about that.
derekforhawks
Well-Known Member
I think Romar would put people in the seats right away. Anyone that knows basketball has heard of him. Huge hire if we were to get him.
AlwaysbeaHawk
Banned
I've resigned myself to the fact, that the new hire, is going to be some no name loser we've never heard of............sigh.........
HAWKEY3
Well-Known Member
Whoa. Cheer up. You sound too depressed over something as trivial to ongoing life as a single University's basketball coach. Start every day with a smile
HawkeyeMike23
Banned
He's a UW alum, almost all of his big recruits (Nate Robinson, B Roy, Abdul Gaddy) have come from the Seattle area, which is home to some of the best high school basketball talent in the country. Him leaving all of this behind to come out to Iowa, where he has no recruiting ties and where I doubt kids from the northwest are going to be real excited to come, seems extremely unlikely.
LG210
Well-Known Member
Agreed--Dixon is impressive and would be an amazing get for Barta. He'd be at or near the top of my list--pretty long shot, though.
HAWKEY3
Well-Known Member
I'm with you here. Similar to the Bob Huggins debate on rivals. When you're talking about Alum/Hometown/Successful being your reasons for staying, that's a big hump to get over, and money might not be enough of an incentive.
busabus114
Well-Known Member
I have a hard time believing that Iowa is going to hire a coach of Dixon's or Romar's caliber. I hope I'm wrong but i dont see any way it happens. More pie in the sky for discussion purposes i guess
hawkifan44
Member
Technically Kirk Ferentz was a "no name loser" too. He was at Iowa before but when hired not too many were excited over him.
I think we need to go big too but going unknown may or may not be bad. It certainly won't be known right away either way.
I think we need to go big too but going unknown may or may not be bad. It certainly won't be known right away either way.
Speaking for only myself I tried to go to as many games as I could because I love Iowa basketball. I admit it was painful and I voiced my displeasure to Barta about certain things like lack of discount on youth tickets. So yes I still have passion and still want to talk about it but also realize that a change had to be made.
I don't mean that Iowa has terrible fans, just not what you find at more tradition rich schools like Indiana. Indiana sold out almost every game this year despite being worse than us. Our student section has no tradition which is a big part of creating a fun atmosphere. I was in school when for Brunner and Horner's senior year. Even that year it was a struggle to get the fans into carver even though that team was fun to watch and manned by mostly Iowa natives. Carver was very quite until about half-way through the Big Ten season.
Iowa has a lot of disadvantages when it comes to basketball that will make it hard to bring fans in. Iowa City is a small town to house a university. That alone is a big disadvantage when you are trying to bring fans in because there is a far smaller pool of people that are going to be willing to travel for a basketball game. It is difficult for us and why I think that record you speak of was really impressive. However, that is in the past and the new coach will have to deal with a future that is not nearly as bright.
It is going to be a hard road back and my point is that the new coach will have to do it without a lot of fan support at first which will make it a very hard sell to a new coach.
TritonHawkeye
Well-Known Member
My god Dixon would be a HUGE get. Still like the thought of Keno but Dixon is a big fish and could seem him doing wonders for the program.
The other thing I like about him is that I have never read anything about misconduct. It appears he runs a clean program and gets very good players to a school that has high academic standards.
The other thing I like about him is that I have never read anything about misconduct. It appears he runs a clean program and gets very good players to a school that has high academic standards.
The more I read about Dixon, the more I like him.
Jamie Dixon - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Look at his record at Pittsburgh. It's comparable to Bruce Pearl's.
Jamie Dixon - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Look at his record at Pittsburgh. It's comparable to Bruce Pearl's.
