2013 College hoops coaching carousel thread

I know the tournament is far from over, but UCLA just made this news official and I figure this is as good a place to start as any.

http://www.cbssports.com/collegebasketball/blog/eye-on-college-basketball/21940447/official-ucla-fires-howland-

 

Since you always seek to replace someone with someone who strength was a weakness of the previous coach, I figure UCLA will go younger with a "player's coach." Josh Pastner would work, though the early word is Shaka Smart, maybe Jay Wright.

 

Pastner would be an intriguing choice. Been successful at Memphis and has Pac-10 roots in having played at Arizona.

Well he was on the team since, as I recall, his main role was to keep the team GPA up. Dude was working on his doctorate when his eligibility ran out.

 

Two openings in LA, with USC also open. Jamie Dixon staying at Pitt, as per the Press-Telegram.

 

USC might just be the worst job in the Pac-12. You'll always be second fiddle to football and there always seems to be some internal stuff going on.

 

I would probably go for Brad Stevens over Shaka Smart, but everything I read seems to indicate that Dan Guerrero has it bad for Smart, and who could blame him.

Who knows though, at the rate things are going, I'm half-expecting Andy Enfield to get a call...

Pastner has been rumored for the USC job. I'm not sure that's a move that makes a lot of sense. I know USC got a ton of (deserved) bad publicity when they interviewed Tim Floyd earlier in the month.

 

It seems like there is a lot less movement this year than in previous years...

I know Howland wasn't well-liked by the higher-ups at UCLA, but I think the way he was fired would give coaches pause about taking that job. Obviously, it's a top job, but some of the names that were floated when the hiring was first announced seem pretty stupid. Billy Donovan? Please... If he wouldn't leave for Kentucky, a school where he has coached before, why would he even consider UCLA?

You would think that a job like UCLA would attract interest from a top coach from a top conference. A couple years ago people seemed to indicate that Brad Stevens was waiting for the Indiana job. Well, that job isn't likely to open anytime soon. I think Shaka Smart was wise to avoid Illinois and North Carolina State, but he would seem to be a better fit in the SEC, Big 10 or ACC than he would in the Pac-12.

 

Because those are the areas where he has coached and recruited before. It doesn't have to make a difference, but it could.

 

Anybody have an extra 2.5 they can wire Minnesota?

The general mood around the program was that the Gophers needed two wins in the tournament for Smith to feel safe. That’s not to suggest Teague would base his decision solely off two games. But coaches don’t typically lose their job after taking their team to the Sweet 16.

Teague’s policy is to wait until after the season to evaluate any program publicly, but now he must address Smith’s situation in the next few days. It serves no purpose to have this cloud hanging over the program any longer than necessary.

Teague and Mike Ellis, his senior associate athletic director, are smart basketball people. They’re hell-bent on elevating this program’s stature and profile. Smith’s $2.5 million buyout is hefty, but he looks tired right now. The whole program looks that way. It needs some life and fresh energy.

http://www.startribune.com/sports/gophers/199795911.html

 

Tubby's the best coach the Gophers have had in a long time. I'd be careful about shoving him out the door too quickly.

 

Minnesota is one of those jobs that with a coach like Tubby, if you're going to fire him, you better make sure you can get someone better.

I kind of felt the same way about UCLA firing Howland, but I don't think he was fired for losing. I think they fired him because they didn't like him and the way he did business.