LosAngelesZipFan Posted November 30, 2016 Report Share Posted November 30, 2016 Really good article on Herman leaving UH...well worth a read. Fun to think about the Akron connection to the athletics (Mack, Hunter). I love the ambition and commitment of the their president, that they hired great ADs (with Akron ties), and young up and coming coaches. My big takeaway is that if UH is struggling to move up to a new conference, keep its coach, etc., what do universities like Akron do. http://www.nytimes.com/2016/11/29/sports/ncaafootball/houston-power-5-conference-tom-herman-renu-khator.html?_r=0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Captain Kangaroo Posted November 30, 2016 Report Share Posted November 30, 2016 10 hours ago, LosAngelesZipFan said: My big takeaway is that if UH is struggling to move up to a new conference, keep its coach, etc., what do universities like Akron do. I think the best plan to keep a coach, if indeed that is your #1 priority, is to avoid being either terrible or great. If you float in the middle your coach can't leave for better offers, and you can't fire him/her. Rather than focus on keeping a coach I would instead prefer having a strong athletics department where great talent is consistently replaced by great talent. Toledo Football seems to be a great example of hiring great coaches, and reloading with another winner when the incumbent leave for greener pastures. Schools like Boise State (football), and VCU (basketball) are some of the many examples of schools who've figured out how to build a Program and thrive after repeated coaching departures. Kent Basketball thought they had it figured out...but they don't. Maybe OU basketball does... Akron has never had a strong Department of Athletics. Sure Thomas/Waddell and Rhodes/Yurachek did enough work at UA to strike oil at P5 programs, but the changing of the guard every 4-5 years always seems to send us a step backwards. And don't even get me started on the Wisterc_I-ll era. Maybe Larry Williams is the guy to arrange a winning team that breaks the trend? If he kicks butt and moves to a better AD job, "Akron" guys like VanHorne and Newhouse could ascend and give UA that combination of investment, stability and leadership we've been lacking for the past umpteen years. But the next Wistec_I-II...or I-and-ll-o...or Coleman Crawford... is always just a hire away. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kreed5120 Posted November 30, 2016 Report Share Posted November 30, 2016 7 minutes ago, Captain Kangaroo said: I think the best plan to keep a coach, if indeed that is your #1 priority, is to avoid being either terrible or great. If you float in the middle your coach can't leave for better offers, and you can't fire him/her. Rather than focus on keeping a coach I would instead prefer having a strong athletics department where great talent is consistently replaced by great talent. Toledo Football seems to be a great example of hiring great coaches, and reloading with another winner when the incumbent leave for greener pastures. Schools like Boise State (football), and VCU (basketball) are some of the many examples of schools who've figured out how to build a Program and thrive after repeated coaching departures. Kent Basketball thought they had it figured out...but they don't. Maybe OU basketball does... Akron has never had a strong Department of Athletics. Sure Thomas/Waddell and Rhodes/Yurachek did enough work at UA to strike oil at P5 programs, but the changing of the guard every 4-5 years always seems to always send us a step backwards. And don't even get me started on the Wisterc_I-ll era. Maybe Larry Williams is the guy to arrange a winning team that breaks the trend? If he kicks butt and moves to a better AD job, "Akron" guys like VanHorne and Newhouse could ascend and give UA that combination of investment, stability and leadership we've been lacking for the past umpteen years. But the next Wistec_I-II...or I-and-ll-o...or Coleman Crawford... is always just a hire away. Thankfully age + his connection to Akron has helped prevent more aggressive offers from coming Dambrot's way. Lack of postseason success probably plays some part too. It's too be seen if he has built Akron into a brand that will be sustainable after he decides to leave (hopefully many years from now). I wouldn't be surprised if he has some say in whoever his replacement is and can see him staying connected to the basketball program in some way even in retirement. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lee Adams Posted November 30, 2016 Report Share Posted November 30, 2016 Lived in 'the great state of Texas' for years. If you think the folks in CBUS are wacko about OSWhooo, not only is it Austin,but the entire state. They are the Cowboys of college Fball down there. Hope 'ol Tom knows what he is getting himself into. Way more pressure than he has EVER experienced! Nothing around here is close to comparable! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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