So....who'll be the next Tiger coach??? (Memphis, Knoxville: foreclosed, how much)

[JoeCartpath]

Here's my nominations....

1. Bobby Knight

2. Denis Rodman

3. Mongo

[Ginsaw]

Well, at least you came up with some names...that's more than most others are doing. Those doing radio sports chatter are pretty much drawing a blank. Cal gave us a good nine years and we can now say we've been in three Final Fours. Not bad. And something I haven't heard mentioned is he helped get the program over a very rough spot when the conference fell apart and UofM got snubbed by the Big East. That really hurt, but he got us through that transition period in one piece. That was not going to work out well with much of anyone else.

Cal, we understand in your profession Kentucky is a dream to aspire to and most of us would have done the same...just like if a much more famous, prestigious employer came calling on any of us.

But, before you get on the plane, put on your thinking cap and try to help us come up with some names of replacements, who look sharp, have great communication skills, are nationally known, have terrific NBA contacts and/or NBA coaching experience, and above all are unbelievable recruiters.

That aside, thanks for the great nine years!!!

[mzloolue]

That chip Cal used to have on his his shoulder flew off and hit us right between the eyes.

He's leaving us, but he still wants us to be "friends".
Yeah, okay Cal, we're still friends, yeah right...after you left us like a foreclosed house...some old stuff laying around, but everything of value has been carted off...

I'm going to nominate my mama for coach.
She knows her basketball and, more importantly, she won't run out on us.

[c88fly]

Coach Cal did give us nine years, but his timing for leaving us really sucks. I feel for the juniors on the squad (Mack, Kemp, Taggart, Henderson-Niles). I am sure they were excited about next year and just how good Memphis was going to be. Now, all that money the UofM spent recruiting those top notch players is down the drain.

Everything I have read also leads me to believe Coach Cal aggressively went after this job, not vice-versa. Oh I am sure Kentucky wanted him, but he just didn't wait around for the phone call.

OK, with all that said.....I wish Memphis would hire Penny Hardaway as our next coach. If that were to happen, those recruits might still consider coming to Memphis. I'm sure it would never even be considered, so my #1 guess would be Bruce Pearl and I personally think it would be a great fit, but who knows. One can only hope and pray they learned a valuable lesson when they hired in Tic Price.

[JoeCartpath]

I'll admit I'm not a big basketball fan....but I am a Tiger fan...so I don't know who all the big name coaches are. I don't think hiring a big name player is the best route. How many top coaches were also great players? Few, if any. Recruiting and coaching is an entirely different skill set than playing.

I also don't think attempting to hire a coach who is already a big name is the way to go. Why would they want to go to a CUSA school? The big name guys don't want to be a big fish in a small pond. I'd look to the smaller schools/conferences for a coach who has shown the ability to recruit and coach. Someone who has made a successful, winning program in spite of not having the recruiting advantages of a school with a prestigious name in a big conference. Coming to Memphis would be a step up for that coach. I don't know who that might be, but one school that pops into mind is Gonzaga. Who the heck ever heard of Gonzaga until fairly recently, and now they seem to be a strong team every year. If you can recruit good players to a school with a name like Gonzaga, you should certainly be able to recruit them to Memphis.

[strumpeace]

It's going to be hard to get a big-name coach from the ranks of college basketball. I don't think Pearl or Petino or any of the other big names would want to come here because it would be a step down to the lousy C-USA. I can't imagine a coach with any sense leaving the Big East or SEC or Big 10 to come to C-USA -- no matter how much money Memphis waves. There's simply too much to lose. If Pearl comes here and loses, he probably won't have the chance to get back to the bigger conferences. Same for the other big names I keep hearing.

I'd like to get someone in the same situation Cal was in when he was hired. Someone who took a college program far, then dropped off the radar, now trying to get back on track.

My choice is Bobby Cremins. He was great at Georgia Tech. Great recruiter, great coach, great personality. He's likable and would connect well with the city. He took Georgia Tech to a Final Four -- out of what was then the toughest basketball conference in the nation. Then he stopped coaching for several years. Then he showed back up -- at College of Charleston, and he's doing great there. Coming to C-USA would be a step up for him.

I've heard Nolan Richardson mentioned a time or two. That would be interesting. He's well-connected to Memphis. In fact, one might argue that Nolan is the primary reason for Larry Finch being fired from Memphis. Nolan was coming to Memphis, raiding Memphis high schools and taking the best recruits. He won a national championship and competed for another with Memphis-born players. Of course, ending your employment with a lawsuit against your employer is not the way to impress potential future employers, so most schools have been scared away.

[lisake]

Mark Few has been at Gonzaga for 10 years and has turned down other offers. I don't think he's the guy.

Mike Anderson would have been perfect, and Mizzou was smart to resign him so quick.

It makes me ill to think of Bruce Pearl coming here. I promise you, we don't want him. If we offer him the job, I think he'll delight in publicly turning us down. The guy's a royal a**.

And though it would look strange hiring Tubby Smith ("Hey, Kentucky, you took our guy, we'll get your old guy"), I don't think the idea should be summarily dismissed. He's won a national championship. His winning percentage is great. He's open to other offers. He would love to stick it to the SEC. He has national name recognition. He's been able to win at Minnesota--MINNESOTA--and it can't be easy to recruit there. I think he'd much rather be somewhere like Memphis, with our great facilities, FedEx Forum, temperate climate, city amenities, etc. I think he'd do a great job here and have us right back on the map.

There may be other reasons not to hire him, but I hope it isn't just because he used to coach at Kentucky.

[Pearlbob]

Going along with your theory, a coach coming out of retirement would work perfectly - they have nothing to lose, as they were retired in the first place. If it doesn't work out, they go back to retirement. So I agree with you, why would Bruce Pearl leave? Unless he has a fear that UT isn't going to keep him much longer, he's got a pretty great job over there.

Originally Posted by strumpeace

It's going to be hard to get a big-name coach from the ranks of college basketball. I don't think Pearl or Petino or any of the other big names would want to come here because it would be a step down to the lousy C-USA. I can't imagine a coach with any sense leaving the Big East or SEC or Big 10 to come to C-USA -- no matter how much money Memphis waves. There's simply too much to lose. If Pearl comes here and loses, he probably won't have the chance to get back to the bigger conferences. Same for the other big names I keep hearing.

I'd like to get someone in the same situation Cal was in when he was hired. Someone who took a college program far, then dropped off the radar, now trying to get back on track.

My choice is Bobby Cremins. He was great at Georgia Tech. Great recruiter, great coach, great personality. He's likable and would connect well with the city. He took Georgia Tech to a Final Four -- out of what was then the toughest basketball conference in the nation. Then he stopped coaching for several years. Then he showed back up -- at College of Charleston, and he's doing great there. Coming to C-USA would be a step up for him.

I've heard Nolan Richardson mentioned a time or two. That would be interesting. He's well-connected to Memphis. In fact, one might argue that Nolan is the primary reason for Larry Finch being fired from Memphis. Nolan was coming to Memphis, raiding Memphis high schools and taking the best recruits. He won a national championship and competed for another with Memphis-born players. Of course, ending your employment with a lawsuit against your employer is not the way to impress potential future employers, so most schools have been scared away.

[JoeCartpath]

Not so sure the Tiger fans would welcome anyone from Knoxville into the fold. If you're going to recruit someone from there just get Pat Summit

[lisake]

Originally Posted by JoeCartpath

Not so sure the Tiger fans would welcome anyone from Knoxville into the fold. If you're going to recruit someone from there just get Pat Summit

AMEN! Now Pat Summit would definitely be a WOW hire.