Search For The Next Head Coach

[3rd&twenty]

No, since he failed to mention Boals was on KD's staff before going to OSU.

[morris buttermaker]

9 minutes ago, clarkwgriswold said:

I heard today that AD Williams is on vacation, in a place where he can only be reached late at night.  Nice timing when they need to get on this quick.

Ha... I knew that press release was written on a phone

[skip-zip]

 

27 minutes ago, akronzips71 said:

 To suggest that he should pay for repairs out of pocket is offensive.

 

Sounds like someone who attended too many Bernie Sanders rallies last year.  

[skip-zip]

28 minutes ago, jupitertoo said:

I love the second paragraph...GT identifies the top priority: finding a new coach. 

 

WOW !!    Now, that's digging deep into the subject matter !!

[clarkwgriswold]

28 minutes ago, morris buttermaker said:

Ha... I knew that press release was written on a phone

As was George Thomas's article.

[GJGood]

59 minutes ago, jupitertoo said:

You need to avoid Anthony Stewart like the plague.  Got fired by Ohio (Jim Christian) for, um, a very good reason.

 

Fair enough

[kreed5120]

I've seen some good suggestions. I'm kind of torn on which route we should go. Do we bring in someone the players know for damage control and prevent us from hitting rock bottom? Do we go with someone with local ties to keep the steady flow of local recruits coming? Do we just bring in someone random and hope he can convince kids to come to NEO to play?

 

I'm not sure what Dru Joyce makes at SVSM or what Akron pays its assistants, but I wonder if he'd be interested in a job as an assistant coach?

 

 

[Sergeant Zip]

 

[akronzips71]

I have no problem with the coaching staff going with him - they would mostly be unemployed when a new HC comes in anyway.

 

But the players were recruited with UA money, NOT KD's money. It was always understood that their college degree would be from The University of Akron, NOT "KD University". Taking the team with him is just wrong.

[UAZip0510]

1 hour ago, akronzips71 said:

I have no problem with the coaching staff going with him - they would mostly be unemployed when a new HC comes in anyway.

 

But the players were recruited with UA money, NOT KD's money. It was always understood that their college degree would be from The University of Akron, NOT "KD University". Taking the team with him is just wrong.

 

Not saying it's right but it's common for players to leave when a coach does.  I'll also point out that Josh Wiliams, Tavian Dunn-Martin, and Ty Dalton are the only one's that have formally said they're leaving.  Williams isn't going with him (I think there's a better chance of him returning to UA than going there - he wasn't happy with KD).  Dalton doesn't seem like an A10-quality player, so I'm not sure where he lands.  TDM is extremely loyal to the coaches because they were his only D1 offer.  

 

As for the unsigned recruits, you see this with almost every coaching change.  I'll note that zero of them signed with Duquesne to this point, so let's see what happens.  

[mes102]

Anyone interested in knowing more about McDevitt, this interview was done 27 days ago.

15:15 into the podcast starts the interview(starting at 26:55 is where his philosophy talk shows. Before that is just specifics about his UNC-A team)

http://www.hipcast.com/podcast/H1tJ6XnG

Edited March 28, 2017 by mes102

[Blue & Gold]

2 hours ago, clarkwgriswold said:

As was George Thomas's article.

 

[gozips19]

EA's take 

 

http://www.cleveland.com/sports/college/index.ssf/2017/03/will_akron_replace_keith_dambr.html#incart_river_mobileshort_index

[LZIp]

13 minutes ago, gozips19 said:

EA's take 

 

http://www.cleveland.com/sports/college/index.ssf/2017/03/will_akron_replace_keith_dambr.html#incart_river_mobileshort_index

"Wlliams was with donors at a golf outing." Seems he isn't on vacation like was reported on here. Then again, I can't imagine too many golf outings were happening in Northeast Ohio today.

[Z.I.P.]

28 minutes ago, LZIp said:

"Wlliams was with donors at a golf outing." Seems he isn't on vacation like was reported on here. Then again, I can't imagine too many golf outings were happening in Northeast Ohio today.

Well, I could say I just passed him at the Mai Tai Bar, but I don't know anyone who knows what he looks like.  Anyone here ever seen that guy in person?

[ZippyRulz]

37 minutes ago, LZIp said:

"Wlliams was with donors at a golf outing." Seems he isn't on vacation like was reported on here. Then again, I can't imagine too many golf outings were happening in Northeast Ohio today.

 

He was with DONORS?!? The coaching search can wait !!

 

[Z.I.P.]

8 hours ago, Blackburn said:

 

KD was the only one who coached. I saw Thomas at times talking to players. I have never been, but from I am told, KD was the only one that coached in practice. 

Thomas was the one who brought in players. McFadden may be titled the "recruiting coordinator" but putting down visits on a calendar and actually bringing in players is two different things. 

This is an interesting issue that you bring up -- practice culture and hierarchy.  I have had the opportunity to watch only a couple of Akron practice sessions, here in Hawai'i prior to tournaments.  The first occasion was in 2000, I believe, which was the year KD moved from StV/M to be Hipsher's assistant.  I sat down at courtside at Blaisdell Arena with my plate lunch just as practice was commencing.  I remember how impressed I was that Dambrot was more involved in running players through plays than the head coach was.  Then, when the team returned to the U of Hawai'i in 2013 I was at a couple practices, and KD was fully in charge.  Other coaches -- and even GAS were on the floor with the players, but Keith was the only one speaking during the drills and play sets.  Also, I was on contact with both Brian Walsh and Steve McNees, as that was just a week (actually just 3-4 days) after coach Peters got his cancer diagnosis, and didn't travel with the team.  I guess Brian had more experience with the job, and knew what to do, but Steve was really like a puppy and was leaning on Brian for guidance.  I really have the most respect for both those young men as they handled the situation very professionally.  They shared the job that Dan Peters would have have had.  BTW -- I saw just one media person mention Dan's son as a candidate for the opening.  Is the son on Ball State's staff?

[skip-zip]

10 minutes ago, Z.I.P. said:

I saw just one media person mention Dan's son as a candidate for the opening.  Is the son on Ball State's staff?

 

Yes, for a couple of years now, at least.  He's really young.  I don't even think he's 30 yet.  I can see the emotional connection, but I don't know why else we'd consider a young staff assistant at a mid-level MAC school.  

[a-zip]

9 hours ago, NWAkron said:

And Dambrot knew this.  He couldn't keep the facade up much longer.   I went to that surreal net cutting before the MAC tourney and listened to him speak. Something clearly wasn't right.  He was going through the motions.  Maybe he left Akron because he knew there was nothing more he could do here.  And give the Zips an opportunity to move onward and upward. (And get a big raise and take a few of our recruits).

This is a great point.

 

Everyone on here doesn't seem to understand what is going on.....go ahead and give me the repetitive mark or kick me off.  It's supply and demand....it's not build it and they will come.  The previous administration went for that and built a beautiful campus......exponentially better than when I was there.  Apparently they convinced people (banks) that was the solution.  Now there are vacant buildings, dorms, stadiums, declining enrollment and now financial distress. 

 

I seriously don't understand.  If someone could explain it to me I will drop it.  I don't see a logical marketing study or trend to justify "that stadium" as much as I love it.  All you have to do is look at the statistics around UA sports attendance, MAC attendance from the last 30 years.  When has there ever been over 30K come to a UA football game?  EVER!!  So why would you build a luxurious stadium that big?  For those of you that want out of the MAC and aspire to the A10....why don't you look at those schools.....how many of them have football programs.....let alone money pit football programs.  Is that too hard to see?  I'll help ya 

http://www.atlantic10.com  

 

There are two schools in Ohio that can maintain competitive football and basketball programs - Ohio State and Cincinnati.  After that.......you gotta deal with Xavier, Dayton and then the rest of the MAC.  We had an advantage because of KD and Lebron.  Now that is gone.

 

Do you really have to ask why KD left?  All you have to do is look at UA history.  The same decision was made back in 1986 to invest in football at the expense of basketball.  UA fired my coach D, dissed Huggins and gave Gerry Faust a blank check to go D1.  Huggins was gone a year later ....yes he ultimately would have left but I can tell you he left for the same reason KD now left.

 

To get to the next level KD needed players.  In order to get players you need facilities.  In order to get facilities you need money.  You get money from attendance and support. Akron has NEVER had that.  Same holds true for football..........you ain't getting top recruits with high school (5K) attendance.

 

We are now just another MAC program.  A couple years ago we had Keith Dambrot, Caleb Porter, Terry Bowden and Jim Tressel.....wow!  It ain't getting better folks.  Revolving door of an up a coming coach if we are that lucky.

 

Edited March 29, 2017 by a-zip

[Oldschool]

11 hours ago, jupitertoo said:

You need to avoid Anthony Stewart like the plague.  Got fired by Ohio (Jim Christian) for, um, a very good reason.

 

Not true at all. I was on staff with Coach Stewart the 2 years he was there with Jim.

He wasn't ever fired. He left Ohio for the opportunity to be the Head Coach at UT Martin which he currently holds and is doing a fabulous job.  They had a run in his last year when Coach Stewart took him to task about how Jim historically treats his minority assistants. Something sad, that had been going on for years but people were afraid to step up and say anything about it. Coach Stewart actually did. I was there and saw it!! 

[skip-zip]

6 hours ago, a-zip said:

When has there ever been over 30K come to a UA football game?  EVER!!

 

Many, many times.  There's attendance record info. somewhere.  We've even had over 40k.  These all happened back in the Rubber Bowl days.  There were actually effective promotions, and the community really looked at some of these games as "community gatherings".  And interestingly enough, we drew all of these people despite crappy bench seating, unheated bathrooms, and long concession lines that people complain about so much today.  It was a different, unspoiled generation of people in Akron.    

 

6 hours ago, a-zip said:

gave Gerry Faust a blank check to go D1.  

 

We were already D-1 in 1986.  We just moved from D-1AA to D-1A.  

 

The "blank check" wasn't the case at all.  Completely the opposite.  We struggled mightily with resources, and were at a severe disadvantage to our competitors.  The guys had to drive to the Rubber Bowl for practice.  They had literally no training facilities.  And despite the fact that we still played many road games on natural grass, it took another 10 years before we were able to even provide the team with a grass field for certain practices.   The move to the "major" division of D-1 was a bold move.  Nobody had successfully done it before.  And we woefully struggled to even make minimal resources available.  

 

6 hours ago, a-zip said:

Huggins was gone a year later

 

Huggins stayed here for 3 more years.  

[Blue & Gold]

3 hours ago, Oldschool said:

Not true at all. I was on staff with Coach Stewart the 2 years he was there with Jim.

He wasn't ever fired. He left Ohio for the opportunity to be the Head Coach at UT Martin which he currently holds and is doing a fabulous job.  They had a run in his last year when Coach Stewart took him to task about how Jim historically treats his minority assistants. Something sad, that had been going on for years but people were afraid to step up and say anything about it. Coach Stewart actually did. I was there and saw it!! 

Thank you for the clarification.

 

Coach Stewart really intrigues me.  He's quickly established UT-Martin as a top mid-major & is a Hoban grad, which I like.  

[zippy5]

Yeah I was googling Stewart and couldn't find anything. Not even on the OU board. Don't think anyone should really make a statement like that

[a-zip]

1 hour ago, skip-zip said:

 

Many, many times.  There's attendance record info. somewhere.  We've even had over 40k.  These all happened back in the Rubber Bowl days.  There were actually effective promotions, and the community really looked at some of these games as "community gatherings".  And interestingly enough, we drew all of these people despite crappy bench seating, unheated bathrooms, and long concession lines that people complain about so much today.  It was a different, unspoiled generation of people in Akron.    

 

 

We were already D-1 in 1986.  We just moved from D-1AA to D-1A.  

 

The "blank check" wasn't the case at all.  Completely the opposite.  We struggled mightily with resources, and were at a severe disadvantage to our competitors.  The guys had to drive to the Rubber Bowl for practice.  They had literally no training facilities.  And despite the fact that we still played many road games on natural grass, it took another 10 years before we were able to even provide the team with a grass field for certain practices.   The move to the "major" division of D-1 was a bold move.  Nobody had successfully done it before.  And we woefully struggled to even make minimal resources available.  

 

 

Huggins stayed here for 3 more years.  

Skip - I was there.  I am well aware of what the Acme-Zip game was.  Yes, it was well attended but rarely went over 30K.  Even if it did, it was the only game to do so.  Every other game was less than 10K......some 5K.  I would hardly call that justification.

 

No, we did not have to drive to the rubber bowl.....we had team buses.  Thanks for clarifying the 1-AA to 1-A, I figured most people understood the point.  OK skip, the check wasn't blank but it was big check relative to the amount of money UA had at the time.  Faust brought in an impressive coaching staff, they didn't come cheap.  Moving to D1A ain't a cheap move.  Basketball was the direction the school was headed but when Faust became available some genius (Muse/Adams) decided to snap him up.  I can tell you Huggins was not happy.  The A10 schools made a conscious and financially responsible decision to focus on basketball - that is why they are more competitive at it than the MAC and why they get multiple bids and why they can attract our b-ball coaches.

Edited March 29, 2017 by a-zip

[kreed5120]

If we're talking UT-Martin coaches, Heath Schoyer  would seem the better choice. He inherited a team that went a combined 21-71 in the 3 years prior to him taking over and in year 1 he turned them into a 21-13 team and 41-28 as his 2 years as head coach before taking the assistant job at NC State. Stewart inherited what Schoyer built.