Gopher Posted March 30, 2009 Share Posted March 30, 2009 Looks like Tony Bennett is going from the Pac-10 (WSU) to the ACC (Virginia). Hopefully, this clears up whether or not Tubby Smith stays in Minnesota as well (there have been a ton of rumors revolving around Tubby and the Virginia job). Link Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gopher Posted March 30, 2009 Author Share Posted March 30, 2009 It also sounds like there is a very good chance that John Calipari goes to Kentucky, maybe even committing within the next 24 hours... Link Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billay Posted March 30, 2009 Share Posted March 30, 2009 And the buzz on other chat boards would indicate that Callipari has accepted the UK job, or that such acceptance is imminent. This decision may come back to haunt UK basketball... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gopher Posted March 30, 2009 Author Share Posted March 30, 2009 Still a lot yet to be determined, including the Arizona job... Feel free to post thoughts, comments, predictions, etc. on anything to do with the college basketball coaching carousel. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billay Posted March 30, 2009 Share Posted March 30, 2009 Looks like Tony Bennett is going from the Pac-10 (WSU) to the ACC (Virginia). Hopefully, this clears up whether or not Tubby Smith stays in Minnesota as well (there have been a ton of rumors revolving around Tubby and the Virginia job). Link This is an interesting choice by UVA. I'm a little surprised as I thought they really might swing for the fences this year, but with other openings at Arizona and UK,going ahead and securing a solid coach was the prudent thing to do. Bennett is a good coach in a tough league. It will be interesting to see how he fares in the ACC, which has a reputation for raking good, but not great, coaches over the coals. UVA has had particular problems with this. Pete Gillen showed promise, but could never get it together. Without some of Gillen's players, Leito would have never lasted this long. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theprofessor Posted March 30, 2009 Share Posted March 30, 2009 (edited) This is an interesting choice by UVA. I'm a little surprised as I thought they really might swing for the fences this year, but with other openings at Arizona and UK,going ahead and securing a solid coach was the prudent thing to do. Bennett is a good coach in a tough league. It will be interesting to see how he fares in the ACC, which has a reputation for raking good, but not great, coaches over the coals. UVA has had particular problems with this. Pete Gillen showed promise, but could never get it together. Without some of Gillen's players, Leito would have never lasted this long. IMO, The Cavs couldn't be bringing in a better coach. Look at what he's been able to do with mediocre talent at Wazzu. He'll definately bring a defensive mindset into UVA's program. Edited March 31, 2009 by theprofessor Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vinatieri Is God Posted March 31, 2009 Share Posted March 31, 2009 I'm curious why Bennett would turn down LSU & Indiana last year and then accept Virginia this year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billay Posted March 31, 2009 Share Posted March 31, 2009 I'm curious why Bennett would turn down LSU & Indiana last year and then accept Virginia this year. I thought I read somewhere that IU turned him down. UVA has got to be a pretty good job. I know I'm an ACC snob, but UVA is a solid academic institution that really wants to get back in the upper echelon of college basketball. I'm sure that they are willing to put up a good amount of money. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vinatieri Is God Posted March 31, 2009 Share Posted March 31, 2009 I thought I read somewhere that IU turned him down. UVA has got to be a pretty good job. I know I'm an ACC snob, but UVA is a solid academic institution that really wants to get back in the upper echelon of college basketball. I'm sure that they are willing to put up a good amount of money. He had talks with IU but decided very early in the process he was going to stay at WSU. I know UVA has top of the line facilities for sure. I guess if they throw enough dough at him, he can't say no. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bushwacked Posted March 31, 2009 Share Posted March 31, 2009 What a blow to Wazzu, although I didn't expect him to stay long. This could potentially send the WSU BB program reeling. The buzz is they may try to snag Ken Bone from Portland State. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
godtomsatan Posted March 31, 2009 Share Posted March 31, 2009 I'm curious why Bennett would turn down LSU & Indiana last year and then accept Virginia this year. Because he will only have 4 players who got minutes last year returning at WSU. Strike while the iron is hot because it will get cold quickly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billay Posted April 1, 2009 Share Posted April 1, 2009 Callipari accepted. What a ridiculous deal. 2.5 million signing bonus. 3 million per year for 4 years, then 4.5 for years after that. I know it's Kentucky, but this deal is obscene. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kid Cid Posted April 1, 2009 Share Posted April 1, 2009 Callipari accepted. What a ridiculous deal. 2.5 million signing bonus. 3 million per year for 4 years, then 4.5 for years after that. I know it's Kentucky, but this deal is obscene. Considering that Kentucky is living in a fantasy world when it comes to basketball, they might as well throw fantasy like numbers at him. It's the only way they could get a high profile name to take the job. Personally, I think that Calipari had everything he wanted/needed at Memphis; this will go down as an epic fail, kinda like Pitino and the Knicks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
detlef Posted April 1, 2009 Share Posted April 1, 2009 (edited) Did anyone catch the guy from Memphis on the Dan Patrick show this morning talking about the situation? He was pretty much trashing Calapari big time and saying that it's going to be a train wreck. That it took Memphis fans about 5 minutes to stop looking the other way about all the shady crap Calapari was doing and start being disgusted once he wasn't the coach who was bringing them 30 wins a year. Essentially he said, that if UK is expecting him to deliver them a winner without completely selling the entire program to the devil, they're in for a big surprise. On the local level, I wonder how this will impact the PG out of Raleigh, Wall. Memphis was his #1 choice but Duke was on the list. Coach K looks like he's finally prepared to welcome a kid that is nearly certain to be one and done to his program, which is something that he has been adamantly opposed to in the past. Sure, a few did ditch after a year, but that was not expected like it will be with Wall. I'd pretty much written off Duke as a legit suitor but now wonder. He could really make Duke a major player next year if he comes as he is considered the #1 prospect in the country at that position. Edited April 1, 2009 by detlef Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cyclones Posted April 2, 2009 Share Posted April 2, 2009 I love it when rival fans get their panties in a bunch. Roy Williams has more official NCAA violations than John Calipari - FACT. And these Memphis fans are outside Cal's house one minute begging him to stay and tearing him down the next. Cal no doubt pushes the recruiting envelope as far as it will go, and that's fine with me. Just like a NASCAR team gets within 1/1000th of an inch of the limits on spoilers, etc, if you're not pushing it you're not doing your job. Cal plays the dribble drive offense, which is very attractive to guards and wings that want to play in the NBA, that's one big reason he drags in so much talent. As a UK fan, I'm obviously biased, but this was a grand slam hire. We would have paid Billy Donovan or Tom Izzo the same amount of money, but Cal is the best fit here. We likely just went from mediocrity to national title contender next year, as its looking pretty likely that Wall and Cousins will follow Cal to Lexington (Henry likely to Kansas.) With Meeks and Patterson returning and Orton and Hood already committed (Gillispie's 3rd commit for 2009, GJ Vilarino, already de-committed) I think we are looking great for next year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billay Posted April 2, 2009 Share Posted April 2, 2009 (edited) I love it when rival fans get their panties in a bunch. Roy Williams has more official NCAA violations than John Calipari - FACT. And these Memphis fans are outside Cal's house one minute begging him to stay and tearing him down the next. Cal no doubt pushes the recruiting envelope as far as it will go, and that's fine with me. Just like a NASCAR team gets within 1/1000th of an inch of the limits on spoilers, etc, if you're not pushing it you're not doing your job. Cal plays the dribble drive offense, which is very attractive to guards and wings that want to play in the NBA, that's one big reason he drags in so much talent. As a UK fan, I'm obviously biased, but this was a grand slam hire. We would have paid Billy Donovan or Tom Izzo the same amount of money, but Cal is the best fit here. We likely just went from mediocrity to national title contender next year, as its looking pretty likely that Wall and Cousins will follow Cal to Lexington (Henry likely to Kansas.) With Meeks and Patterson returning and Orton and Hood already committed (Gillispie's 3rd commit for 2009, GJ Vilarino, already de-committed) I think we are looking great for next year. UK fans are funny. I have never seen so much puffing up over a coaches hire. You're like N.C. State fans on a roid rage. Pat Forde sums it up pretty well. I also think it will be interesting to see how well Coach Cal holds up under the pressure. What kinds of expectations was he under at UMass?, at Mamphis? He could do no wrong for their fans. UK will be an entirely different animal.. It's one thing to win. It's something else when you absolutely have to win. How will the fan base react if he doesn;t win the SEC next year? How will they react if he doesn't make the final 4 in 3 years? or doesn't win a national title in 5? Calipari has never faced that kind of pressure to win. Remember Tubby left, Pitino left. you fired Gillespie after 2 season. Really? what can a new coach get accomplished in 2 seasons? If Callipari doesn;t hit a homerun ont of the box in 2 years, UK fans will be running him out of town too. And when he leaves UK in a bunch of NCAA hot water, because he "pushed the envelope" to far, too many times, because he was under such tremendous pressure, don't say nobody told you so. ETA: Clearly I gave UK fans too much credit, as you're looking to compete for a national title next year. Edited April 2, 2009 by billay Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cyclones Posted April 2, 2009 Share Posted April 2, 2009 UK fans are funny. I have never seen so much puffing up over a coaches hire. You're like N.C. State fans on a roid rage. Pat Forde sums it up pretty well. I also think it will be interesting to see how well Coach Cal holds up under the pressure. What kinds of expectations was he under at UMass?, at Mamphis? He could do no wrong for their fans. UK will be an entirely different animal.. It's one thing to win. It's something else when you absolutely have to win. How will the fan base react if he doesn;t win the SEC next year? How will they react if he doesn't make the final 4 in 3 years? or doesn't win a national title in 5? Calipari has never faced that kind of pressure to win. Remember Tubby left, Pitino left. you fired Gillespie after 2 season. Really? what can a new coach get accomplished in 2 seasons? If Callipari doesn;t hit a homerun ont of the box in 2 years, UK fans will be running him out of town too. And when he leaves UK in a bunch of NCAA hot water, because he "pushed the envelope" to far, too many times, because he was under such tremendous pressure, don't say nobody told you so. ETA: Clearly I gave UK fans too much credit, as you're looking to compete for a national title next year. Keyword "competing" for a national title - which means being in the conversation, something that hasn't happened in the last 5 years. I'm smart enough to know that national titles are special and really hard to come by. Hell, UK has been playing basketball for 100 years and we have 7 titles. Even Carolina, which has been graced with more talent than the 80's Lakers over the years, only has 4 - no school has done less with more. Its because it takes alot of luck to win 6 straight games against good teams. You have to avoid injuries (Kenyon Martin, for example,) a 3 point guy getting hot against you, etc. Pitino left after going to 3 final fours in 5 years, winning a national title and playing in another championship game. He didn't leave because of pressure, he left because the Celtics offered him 50 million bucks. And, I only said we'd be in the conversation if 2 of the 3 big recruits follow him, which hasn't happened yet. As for Forde, the guy is a Louisville grad and a huge homer, so take what he says with a grain of salt. Almost every other analyst out there is calling this a perfect fit. Forde is just pissed that he told Mike and Mike he would stake his salary that Travis Ford was getting this job and he was dead wrong. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billay Posted April 2, 2009 Share Posted April 2, 2009 Keyword "competing" for a national title - which means being in the conversation, something that hasn't happened in the last 5 years. I'm smart enough to know that national titles are special and really hard to come by. Hell, UK has been playing basketball for 100 years and we have 7 titles. Even Carolina, which has been graced with more talent than the 80's Lakers over the years, only has 4 - no school has done less with more. Its because it takes alot of luck to win 6 straight games against good teams. You have to avoid injuries (Kenyon Martin, for example,) a 3 point guy getting hot against you, etc. Pitino left after going to 3 final fours in 5 years, winning a national title and playing in another championship game. He didn't leave because of pressure, he left because the Celtics offered him 50 million bucks. And, I only said we'd be in the conversation if 2 of the 3 big recruits follow him, which hasn't happened yet. As for Forde, the guy is a Louisville grad and a huge homer, so take what he says with a grain of salt. Almost every other analyst out there is calling this a perfect fit. Forde is just pissed that he told Mike and Mike he would stake his salary that Travis Ford was getting this job and he was dead wrong. North Carolina had 5 National Titles. And you can slam UNC all you want, but I suspect that has something to do with the fact that UNC passed UK for the most final 4 appearances this year and will be regaining their rightful place a the winningest program of all time next year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cyclones Posted April 2, 2009 Share Posted April 2, 2009 North Carolina had 5 National Titles. And you can slam UNC all you want, but I suspect that has something to do with the fact that UNC passed UK for the most final 4 appearances this year and will be regaining their rightful place a the winningest program of all time next year. Oh nooooooooooooooo, the Helms argument again. Haven't we been through this already? And I doubt UNC catches UK now. Care to make a sig bet on that? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billay Posted April 2, 2009 Share Posted April 2, 2009 Oh nooooooooooooooo, the Helms argument again. Haven't we been through this already? And I doubt UNC catches UK now. Care to make a sig bet on that? Oh sure. If my math is correct, UNC is currently 6 wins behind UK as of today. Can you verify? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billay Posted April 2, 2009 Share Posted April 2, 2009 (edited) According to NCAA.com, at the beginning of this season, UK had 1,966 wins. UNC had 1,950. UK won 22 games this year. UNC has won 32 and is still playing. I'm assuming that at the top of the stats page where is says "Through 2008" it means through the 2008 season, and not through games played up until Dec. 31, 2008. Edited April 2, 2009 by billay Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vinatieri Is God Posted April 2, 2009 Share Posted April 2, 2009 Tim Floyd to Arizona?? Could have big repercussions in the Pac 10. Discuss. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cyclones Posted April 2, 2009 Share Posted April 2, 2009 According to NCAA.com, at the beginning of this season, UK had 1,966 wins. UNC had 1,950. UK won 22 games this year. UNC has won 32 and is still playing. I'm assuming that at the top of the stats page where is says "Through 2008" it means through the 2008 season, and not through games played up until Dec. 31, 2008. You're right, UNC is 6 wins behind right now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billay Posted April 2, 2009 Share Posted April 2, 2009 Next year is probably the crucial year is UNC is going to get ahead. As much as I dislike Callipari, I fully expect him to win a lot of games in the years to come. Even if they do get the lead, the two programs are likely to shift back and forth for the next couple of years, so long as the coaching endures. Roy's no spring chicken, but I would assume he's got at least 5 years left in him. Like him or not, the last 3 years, UNC has won more games than in any other 3 year period in its history. This could be an interesting bet. How shall we structure it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cyclones Posted April 2, 2009 Share Posted April 2, 2009 Next year is probably the crucial year is UNC is going to get ahead. As much as I dislike Callipari, I fully expect him to win a lot of games in the years to come. Even if they do get the lead, the two programs are likely to shift back and forth for the next couple of years, so long as the coaching endures. Roy's no spring chicken, but I would assume he's got at least 5 years left in him. Like him or not, the last 3 years, UNC has won more games than in any other 3 year period in its history. This could be an interesting bet. How shall we structure it? Let me think about it. I agree with you, I think this will go back and forth until Roy leaves. Assuming Cal stays for his contract, I would think UK would put some distance there after Roy goes. One other thing favoring UK is that the SEC is really in a down period right now. IF - and thats a big if - Cal gets 2 or 3 guys that were committed to Memphis to come to UK next year, he could win a ton of conference games. I'll post my suggestions for how to structure the bet later today. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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