Pistol

What a disaster for Richmond, and all it took was the last 2 games.

Last time he moved up a level, he crashed HARD. He also seems to be kind of a weirdo. Cycles through assistants quickly. Can sell a program but doesn't seem to build long-term relationships with players. I think he's a specific flavor and fits at certain places culturally (Valpo, GCU) that might not translate everywhere. Same for his brother - Baylor is the absolute perfect fit for him as the highest level program where he could thrive. But Homer still lives in STL, right? Not surprising certain local media figures are pushing Bryce.

I will edit the list as things become official. Rumors, no matter how solid, aren't official. Edited, thanks. I'll add him. It's not my job she cares about. We have a 4-year-old who is now at 5+ days with strep throat and it's been a nightmare to deal with - not eating, not sleeping, up coughing all night, breaking out in rashes, maintaining a 100+ fever. Antibiotics seemed to work for a bit and then her symptoms returned. So when I have to head to my studio (basement corner) to hit record for a few hours, she's dealing with that (and a 7-year-old) solo. The timing for this couldn't be worse.

I actually have serious misgivings about this name.

I know all of these names have already come up elsewhere but I think we need to establish a comprehensive list and keep it in one place. I'll add the note that I think about 6-8 of these guys aren't realistic at all. And of the rest, SLU will obviously not reach out to all of them. Josh Schertz - Indiana State Chris Mack - Retired Porter Moser - Oklahoma Darian DeVries - Drake Brian Wardle - Bradley Blake Ahearn - Memphis Grizzlies (assistant) Mike Brey - Atlanta Hawks (assistant) Dustin Kerns - Appalachian State Bruce Weber - Retired Mark Byington - James Madison Bryce Drew - Grand Canyon Ben McCollum - Northwest Missouri State Mike Morrell - UNC Asheville Chester Frazier - Illinois (assistant) Bucky McMillan - Samford Jake Diebler - Ohio State (interim) Preston Spradlin - Morehead State DeAndre Haynes - Marquette (assistant) Chris Holtmann - Fired by Ohio State - DePaul Dusty May - Florida Atlantic Pat Kelsey - Charleston Danny Sprinkle - Utah State Tom Crean - Retired Chris Carrawell - Duke (assistant) Chris Harriman - SLU (assistant) Cuonzo Martin - Retired Joe Gallo - Merrimack

Start on this page. It's there. They have unkind things to say about SLU.

Apparently Frank Cusumano said they told Ford 3 weeks ago. I guess he said this on the air somewhere? I don't listen to STL sports talk radio and was focused on the postgame pressers and Spaces last night, so I haven't been able to confirm. Even if a few local media members knew, I think they wanted it to be addressed when they got back to St. Louis, not when the buzzer sounded last night.

It was brought up on Spaces last night that "Team Blue" has to go. Based on how this went down - Kilcoyne's tweet right before the buzzer, Ford not wanting to discuss it in any detail, SLU not making it official until an hour and a half after the game - it looks like they wanted to get everyone back to St. Louis and then take control of the announcement and media interactions. Vintage Chris May. 'Let's keep a lid on this as long as possible and control the narrative' has backfired more than once now.

Full summary of postgame press conference comments in this thread.

Hop on Spaces with us:

Rammer and Earl wrapping up now, thanking everyone on the staff, then the production and arena and AD staffs.

A10 postgame starting shortly:

Is this a hint that we're going to be hit with a cease and desist letter?

The other half of @Midtown Madness would be in charge of all gameday, promotion, and event decisions so I will defer to him on this matter.

We'd sure have some fun, I can promise you that.

To A Bomb and 3 Star's posts, I'd add that Indiana State is not an easy place to win. Last regular season championship was 2000, last MVC Tournament championship is 2011. They've been to the NCAA Tournament 3 times since Larry Bird was there and won 1 game. In 3 seasons, Schertz has equaled (23) and passed (26+) their highest win totals in any single season since 1979. His conference win percentage of .850 this season is the second highest in program history. This is a top-3 season in program history with a shot to be a solid #2. It's pretty remarkable to have done that in just 3 seasons in charge. Lastly, I'll add that his team is a blast to watch on the offensive end. They play with vision, purpose, and discipline. I'm ready for a coach with a plan and an ability to execute it. I'm not saying Schertz is the only one who offers that, but there's no question he can.

This more or less lines up with what I've been told and seems to be in line with what Troy has said publicly, or at least doesn't contradict any of his broad-strokes figures. It's a little higher at the high end than what we've heard for the A10, but that could be the influence of top-half MWC teams or a program like Memphis from the American. (We will have more to say about NIL on an upcoming @Midtown Madness episode, once we have more time to address it.)

I'm sure Ford already knows his fate. I'd rather see Harriman coach them in Brooklyn (although I understand there are reasons Ford might still have to be the HC until we stop playing). We know we can beat Rhode Island and we could very well take out Duquesne, too. The game against Dayton would be Thursday night. Can you imagine this announcement being dragged into the weekend?

I'd have an easier time trusting the process if we had a different AD in charge, if there weren't a cone of silence over everything at all times, and if getting this hire correct weren't so crucial to the survival of this program. I hope the end result that satisfies the most people also aligns with the best possible coach for this job. The latter is the most important thing.

If that happens we will do A Very Special Episode.

They have 3 signed incoming HS players but they're still going to need to do a lot of work in the portal.

Baseball team won today.

Every time they can make it a 1-possession game, they can't convert. Down 5 with just over 2 minutes.