Next Coach

[NH]

It seems clear this board really wants a proven name. I myself am a little more open to up-and-comers.

Drew is 38, played in the NBA and won 22 games his first year at Valpo. I'm not saying he's our guy. But if I'm Chris May I think he's definitely worth a look.

[willie]

I hope none of the three you listed is on our bench next season. I'd like to see Gary Williams.

I think I like this name.

[STLfan]

It seems clear this board really wants a proven name. I myself am a little more open to up-and-comers.

I would much rather take a shot on a young up and coming coach. The only way we are going to get an elite coach is to catch him on the way up. Rick Majerus was a very unique situation, I doubt we get that lucky again.

Brad Stevens, Shaka Smart, Chris Mack, Mark Few, Randy Bennett, Buzz Williams, Jamie Dixon, Frank Martin, and Steve Prohm were all assistant coaches when they were hired. Even Chris Mooney only had one year of head coaching experience before Richmond hired him.

With the possible exception of Prohm I don't think we could steal away any of those coaches now. They have all already turned down better offers from schools in bigger conferences with more history and probably more money. We've got to find the next one before they become big.

My first choice is to throw our best offer at Steve Prohm (though I'm sure he will have other offers as well) and see what happens. If we can't get him I'd like to see us get one of the countries top assistants. Matt Graves from Butler and Tim Fuller from Mizzou would be my next top picks.

IF we have to go with the a fired coach I would prefer a younger one like Capel or Pelphrey but like I said above I really hope we take a shot on an up and coming coach, the potential ceiling could be much higher.

[moytoy12]

Moytoy and Bizzle,

Would you prefer Drew or Leitao over Moser, assuming PM's squad has a good year this season?

I don't know enough about Drew or Leitao do give you a decent answer. I like a lot of things about PM, but the fact that he fell on his face when he was in charge of the team on gameday leaves a lasting impression.

[STLfan]

I don't know enough about Drew or Leitao do give you a decent answer. I like a lot of things about PM, but the fact that he fell on his face when he was in charge of the team on gameday leaves a lasting impression.

For Leitao he was an assistant at UConn became the head coach at Northeastern and went 22-35. After that he went back to UConn for a while as an assistant before becoming the head coach at DePaul. At DePaul he went 58-34 in three season with two NIT appearances and one NCAA appearance. Virginia hired him away and after four years was only able to go 63-60. After Virginia he became an NBADL head coach and is now an assistant at Mizzou.

We can do better.

As for Drew I assume you are talking about Bryce Drew. He was an assistant for a long time at Valpo under his dad and brother and is now in his second season as the head coach at Valpo. His brother is Scott Drew down at Baylor. He wouldn't be a bad hire but he wouldn't be one of my first choices either. I also wonder if we would want to leave. He played there, only coached there as an assistant, and got his first shot as a head coach there.

[brianstl]

I want to agree, but man, I still have visions of him looking clueless on the sidelines when he filled in for RM.

Most coaches look clueless when compared to Rickma.

[brianstl]

I hope none of the three you listed is on our bench next season. I'd like to see Gary Williams.

Put me in the camp of not wanting a coach that is quickly approaching the average life expectancy age.

[volfan]

I would much rather take a shot on a young up and coming coach. The only way we are going to get an elite coach is to catch him on the way up. Rick Majerus was a very unique situation, I doubt we get that lucky again.

Brad Stevens, Shaka Smart, Chris Mack, Mark Few, Randy Bennett, Buzz Williams, Jamie Dixon, Frank Martin, and Steve Prohm were all assistant coaches when they were hired. Even Chris Mooney only had one year of head coaching experience before Richmond hired him.

With the possible exception of Prohm I don't think we could steal away any of those coaches now. They have all already turned down better offers from schools in bigger conferences with more history and probably more money. We've got to find the next one before they become big.

My first choice is to throw our best offer at Steve Prohm (though I'm sure he will have other offers as well) and see what happens. If we can't get him I'd like to see us get one of the countries top assistants. Matt Graves from Butler and Tim Fuller from Mizzou would be my next top picks.

IF we have to go with the a fired coach I would prefer a younger one like Capel or Pelphrey but like I said above I really hope we take a shot on an up and coming coach, the potential ceiling could be much higher.

Martin Inglesby of Notre Dame. He has been an assistant for about 10 years and is looking and is well though of as good recruiter and coach. Would be great to get a young coach who will be here for awhile and build a program, plus he comes form a school that has great academics as SLU

[moytoy12]

Most coaches look clueless when compared to Rickma.

But PM looked really lost. I think he thought he had to make a substitution every 20 seconds.

[Clock_Tower]

Bryce Drew and Dave Leitao don't excite me in the least.

+2

[BillyKen]

How about this one for an outside the box hire...Mike Fratello. Before you laugh this one off, just give it some thought. OK, I fully recognize the negative is that he has never coached college ball. Additionally, he is 66. BUT, he has not coached full-time for quite a while. Also, he clearly got the coaching itch when he decided to coach Ukraine in the 2011 FIBA World Championships. I am not sure if he is stil committed to that team and/or what the time commitment is or if there are rules on not being able to coach both college and a foreign international team. Either way, SLU could be in a position to offer him a new challenge. 1) it would be appealing to the Catholic 7 to invite us. 2) He would be persuaded by the fact that we may/could be in the "new" big east. With Mike, I doubt money would be the issue. Obviously, we would have to cough up a respectable mil (give or take) but he would be taking the job for the new challenges it presents and the opportunity to get back to the game and to coach young guys...It could be the perfect fit.

Fratello's style is key here. He loves D. He hates zone and focuses on man-to-man play. He also loves the 3 ball on the other end. As the 19th winningest coach in NBA history, he has the name. All we would have to do is convince kids that he will be there for several years.

Personally, I think that, if he would ever even take such a gig, he would be a nice fit and perfect transition from Rick and to a new conference. He also has a big east coast connection given that he is a Jersey guy. He has the national rep due to his TNT job and coaching history.

Thoughts?

[billiken_roy]

i hope the billikens take a hard look at lower D1 and D2 successful coaches. while taking an assistant from a top program that has been an ultra successful recruiter, let's not forget that recruiting to a top D1 school is no where near the same experience as recruiting to a Saint Louis University. some of those big schools recruit themselves. i always think of pretty q when someone yearns for an assistant.

I also question taking a recyled head coach that is coming off a firing. they were fired because they couldnt keep up. it's a reach to expect them to now be able to do such.

the very successful head coach at a lower level has had to succeed with no name recognition, no budget, horrible schedules, etc. one would hope that coach with an increased budget, a higher visibility conference and schedule might be the perfect guy to break out. let's not forget that coach k was the Army coach before going to Duke, Bo Ryan labored a lot of years as a lower level head coach before getting to Wisconsin, even majerus had his time at ball state before getting the utah job.

[HusakAttack]

Moytoy and Bizzle,

Would you prefer Drew or Leitao over Moser, assuming PM's squad has a good year this season?

Yes...Porter was 0-10 as head coach of the Saint Louis Billikens.

[ACE]

i hope the billikens take a hard look at lower D1 and D2 successful coaches. while taking an assistant from a top program that has been an ultra successful recruiter, let's not forget that recruiting to a top D1 school is no where near the same experience as recruiting to a Saint Louis University. some of those big schools recruit themselves. i always think of pretty q when someone yearns for an assistant.

I also question taking a recyled head coach that is coming off a firing. they were fired because they couldnt keep up. it's a reach to expect them to now be able to do such.

the very successful head coach at a lower level has had to succeed with no name recognition, no budget, horrible schedules, etc. one would hope that coach with an increased budget, a higher visibility conference and schedule might be the perfect guy to break out. let's not forget that coach k was the Army coach before going to Duke, Bo Ryan labored a lot of years as a lower level head coach before getting to Wisconsin, even majerus had his time at ball state before getting the utah job.

Majerus was also fired before he went to Ball State. Coaches who have been fired can learn from their mistakes. Give me somebody who was successful at a "mid-major" moved up to the BCS level and then was fired... look at how well Monson and McDermott have done since being fired at a BCS program and returning to "mid major" land. Jeff Capel is one guy who fits the profile I'm talking about.

[moytoy12]

Majerus was also fired before he went to Ball State. Coaches who have been fired can learn from their mistakes. Give me somebody who was successful at a "mid-major" moved up to the BCS level and then was fired... look at how well Monson and McDermott have done since being fired at a BCS program and returning to "mid major" land. Jeff Capel is one guy who fits the profile I'm talking about.

I watched Capel's OU teams, including the one with B. Griffin. It was not pretty even though they were winning. Capel appears to be a strong recruiter, but recruiting to SLU is much different than recruiting to OU. Without the same level of recruits, I cringe when thinking about Capel on the sidelines. Maybe if Capel had a few years under RM, then I'd feel better. I'd rather have Harriman than Capel.

[Box and Won]

i hope the billikens take a hard look at lower D1 and D2 successful coaches.

++++++++++

[JMM28]

Majerus was also fired before he went to Ball State. Coaches who have been fired can learn from their mistakes. Give me somebody who was successful at a "mid-major" moved up to the BCS level and then was fired... look at how well Monson and McDermott have done since being fired at a BCS program and returning to "mid major" land. Jeff Capel is one guy who fits the profile I'm talking about.

Well hopefully we won't be a "mid major" level for much longer.

I agree with Roy about a successful D1 coach. I just don't think 1 year of Bryce Drew is enough to consider him successful yet.

Not really about a D2 coach, that is a totally different ball game.

[Billiken Rich]

Well hopefully we won't be a "mid major" level for much longer.

I had that thought too.....

It would be extremely interesting to be the poacher rather than the poached in selecting a head coach.....

[slufanskip]

We can name coaches in every category that have been succesful and ones that have failed.

Lower level D1 coaches move up and fail all the time, as do top asst's getting promoted to their 1st hc job.

I've said it before, I don't care if he's an asst getting his 1st job or a smaller mid major moving up. Find the right guy who is a fit at SLU both on the court and academically.

[moytoy12]

Find the right guy who is a fit at SLU both on the court and academically.

So now we have to look at their college transcripts?

[ACE]

I watched Capel's OU teams, including the one with B. Griffin. It was not pretty even though they were winning. Capel appears to be a strong recruiter, but recruiting to SLU is much different than recruiting to OU. Without the same level of recruits, I cringe when thinking about Capel on the sidelines. Maybe if Capel had a few years under RM, then I'd feel better. I'd rather have Harriman than Capel.

He's had time with Coach K, although so did cokehead Quin, so who knows. I would think telling recruits you were the guy who recruited Blake Griffin would have some appeal. Plus, I give him points for building a foundation at VCU. He's still under 40 with time to learn from past mistakes. There are other good candidates. I just think I should be on the search committee.

As others have touched on, if we know we are in a Big East type league by the time the coaching search begins, that will probably open up more possibilities. I really think over time, if marketed properly, this "basketball first" league could really develop into the best overall league in the country. Sure, some programs like North Carolina, Kansas and Kentucky figure to always be elite, but from top to bottom, this new Big East has an opportunity to be better than a lot of the BCS leagues. Basketball will always play second fiddle at some BCS schools like LSU, A&M, Georgia, Ole Miss, USC and a lot of other places. I would think being the BMOC at a high profile basketball only league as opposed to playing in the shadow of the football program, could be a real strong selling point to recruits as long as the TV deal is strong. This new Big East has the potential to remain as strong as ever.

[Cowboy]

We can name coaches in every category that have been succesful and ones that have failed.

Lower level D1 coaches move up and fail all the time, as do top asst's getting promoted to their 1st hc job.

I've said it before, I don't care if he's an asst getting his 1st job or a smaller mid major moving up. Find the right guy who is a fit at SLU both on the court and academically.

-Amen Skip, just find the right coach

[Cowboy]

He's had time with Coach K, although so did cokehead Quin, so who knows. I would think telling recruits you were the guy who recruited Blake Griffin would have some appeal. Plus, I give him points for building a foundation at VCU. He's still under 40 with time to learn from past mistakes. There are other good candidates. I just think I should be on the search committee.

As others have touched on, if we know we are in a Big East type league by the time the coaching search begins, that will probably open up more possibilities. I really think over time, if marketed properly, this "basketball first" league could really develop into the best overall league in the country. Sure, some programs like North Carolina, Kansas and Kentucky figure to always be elite, but from top to bottom, this new Big East has an opportunity to be better than a lot of the BCS leagues. Basketball will always play second fiddle at some BCS schools like LSU, A&M, Georgia, Ole Miss, USC and a lot of other places. I would think being the BMOC at a high profile basketball only league as opposed to playing in the shadow of the football program, could be a real strong selling point to recruits as long as the TV deal is strong. This new Big East has the potential to remain as strong as ever.

-I agree there could be very, very good things that come from this, we just need to be invited.............. and find the right coach

[brianstl]

The Coach K coaching tree isn't exactly the greatest. Mike Brey is the only real quality it has turned out and some people (not me) think he has underperformed.

[slu06]

I'm not going to pretend that I've read this entire thread. But a random thought regarding finding a new coach.

I was randomly watching UIC (I'm from Chicago) play because I've heard they are supposed to be solid this year. Towards the end of the game, Dave Kaplan (who I generally don't like, but he knows his baksetball) started praising/talking about their third year head coach, Howard Moore. Here's his school profile: http://www.uicflames.com/sports/m-baskbl/mtt/moore_howard00.html

Now, I'm not saying this is an actual candidate for the HC position. And I'm not suggesting we should be the school to give a guy like this his first crack at a HC position But I hope we make a smart decision and recruit someone like him: a motivated upstart head coach with proven ties to STL, a successful history of recruiting, and has been exposed to various playing styles / successful coaches.

An expensive, splashy signing like RM is great for publicity. However, I am doubtful we can get lucky and "buy" success / relevance a second time with a big name coach. RM - in that regard - was pretty unique [motivation, commitment to SLU / not having a family / big life outside coaching, basketball IQ].

Also, off topic - but I recently saw a movie and there was about a two minute SLU ad. I didn't know we were spending such money to recruit students from Chicago.