Where do we go from here?

blacksheep wrote:My post a few days ago wasn't impeccable enough for you!?  

I am fully on the Terry Porter band wagon and my only question is what's taking so long!

Haha, yeah it was, I was just doubling down on Porter's interest level.

I could get excited about him because I know his hiring could excite a whole new segment of supporters of UP basketball ($$$), and to some extent recruiting, but I also think it's important to see if there is a current D1 coach who is also eager to come to UP, who understands how to recruit to an academically challenging university, and who would be a good fit for a school that gives no special treatment to athletes.

There may be some former NBA players and coaches who are very successful at the college level (I honestly don't know).....but as I am not a big fan of the NBA in general, I'm a tad skeptical about a "big name" former Blazer hire at UP, again.

Mark Few sounds off again about moving to the Big East in a William C. Rhoden article:

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/03/21/sports/ncaabasketball/imagine-the-big-east-coast-to-coast.html?ref=topics&_r=0

The conference says it's not ready to grow.

Maybe Few should move, without his school.

Few challenges his conference rivals to do more. How many coaching careers has he personally destroyed because they couldn't keep up?

Why should a school spend twice as much on bball if it means GU still outspends you by a few million, and you can never get to the top.

DoubleDipper wrote:There may be some former NBA players and coaches who are very successful at the college level (I honestly don't know).....but as I am not a big fan of the NBA in general, I'm a tad skeptical about a "big name" former Blazer hire at UP, again.

I agree here...  I think we need to make sure we have a coach who has proven success at the D-I level.  While someone who has coached in the NBA certainly will know their X's and O's, being able to find, relate to, and successfully recruit high school players (or transfers) is quite a different skill set.  Running a program with athletes who also have other obligations (i.e. classroom) is different than coaching professional players, as is motivating them, etc.  Assistant Coach hires would be particularly critical if someone like him is hired.

While Porter would likely fire up fresh fan interest locally, the high school athletes he would need to recruit now were not even born when he was a Blazer! (wow.   )  So, would his NBA career itself be that much of a draw for a recruit?    

I am also not well versed on NBA players/coaches returning to D-I to coach... who are the successful examples?

Nick Daschel throws out some names for potential coaches on O-Live: who_is_up_next_as_portland_pilots

PilotNut wrote:I am also not well versed on NBA players/coaches returning to D-I to coach... who are the successful examples?

This article mentions Mark Price, Eric Musselman, Avery Johnson and Chris Mullin.  http://espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/id/13312516/nba-coaches-changing-trend-populating-college-jobs

Of course, Larry Brown has jumped back and forth between pros and college.

up7587 wrote:Nick Daschel throws out some names for potential coaches on O-Live: who_is_up_next_as_portland_pilots

In addition to Porter, I suppose, I saw only three names on that list that made sense, Gonzaga's Daniels and Lloyd, and OSU's Gottlieb.

Can you imagine Bone at UP...."hey, a D grade is a passing grade."

I really like Shaw, and consider him a friend to this day, but.....

Really, Nashif?  I don't think it's allowed to have a coach prettier than the dance team members.  

I really, really like Grier....as an individual.

I agree with PilotNut, and disagree with Daschel regarding Porter having cache' in the living room of teenage recruits.....I took a pole of the 64 high school students I mentor on a weekly basis....the only student who game close to identifying him from his picture thought he was probably a one-time teammate of Bill Russell in Seattle.

I had to roll my eyes at the suggestion of Ken Bone.  He left a mess at PSU (that was not discovered until after he was hired at Wazzu) that should summarily disqualify him.

Grier: Agreed, he is a nice guy, and he was dealt a very difficult hand at USD.... but I did not see much that made me think he might be successful elsewhere.  He will be a good Assistant somewhere (now I might be able to be sold on hiring him as a Pilot Assistant, however).

Gottleib seems like a blend of our last 2 hires...  that has not worked for us.

Hayford and Rafe: Interesting discussion points; they are probably on the radar.  UP is a very different place than Weber or EWU, so I don't know.

GU Assistants: I have to think Lloyd would be the only one we would seriously consider.  Does he want to try to turn a program around at UP or maintain his place in line in Spokane?  I am not sure a GU (or BYU)  assistant is right for our current situation either.

Shaw: Another great guy, but I think we need to stick with D-I coaches.  If he was that good as an assistant at all those places, would he now be at WOU?

Hmmm, maybe we should just hire Geez. I mean he has shown the ability to get a paper airplane at least onto the floor and not hit me in the back of the head.

Found on the SCU board, a radio interview with Kerry Keating. Lot of talk about the state of the WCC. If you have the time, it's a good listen.
http://media.957thegame.com/a/114144016/db-show-hour-4-3-16-16.htm?q=keating

up7587 wrote:Found on the SCU board, a radio interview with Kerry Keating.  Lot of talk about the state of the WCC.  If you have the time, it's a good listen.
http://media.957thegame.com/a/114144016/db-show-hour-4-3-16-16.htm?q=keating

Was Gonzaga really on the verge of closing? I have to echo Keating's comments about institutional support. UP basketball won't just rise up with a new coach. We really need everyone on board with this program. And, of course, $$$.

up7587 wrote:Nick Daschel throws out some names for potential coaches on O-Live: who_is_up_next_as_portland_pilots

And of course, one has to wonder how these potential hires are an improvement on our good friend Reveno? If the coaching change was made because those in charge of the decision thought they could improve our fortunes, these potential candidates do not inspire great confidence that there is a wise hand guiding the helm. Though I understand the concern about hiring yet another NBA player, Terry Porter might generate the most excitement from that list.

Good points, wrv. It's a good thing that The O is not the one making the hiring decision!

Who are the two former Blazers that went on to coach the Pilots? Holton and.... ?

Larry Steele: a third round pick from Kentucky. A fan favorite many years ago.

Haha, when I read that, I immediately knew Larry Steele, from the iconic Blazers of Jack Ramsey era, but had to think for a second who the other might be. I think of Holton more as a UCLA guy than a TrailBlazer guy.

blacksheep wrote: I am fully on the Terry Porter band wagon and my only question is what's taking so long!

Okay, now I know why you are on the Terry Porter band wagon.....

Most of you know know who I am and I have had the pleasure of meeting a few of you guys. My perspective of the program is a bit deeper than most due to Ryans tenure on the Bluff. I see things from both sides, wins are very important but also from a parents perspective I can say that Rev and UP did everything they said they would when they recruited Ryan.
They put him in a safe enviornment, they ensured that he earned his degree, they allowed him to grow as a man and as a player. The staff had a vested interest in every player on the team and to a man, every coach was very involved in helping every player succeed not only on the court but in the classroom.
I was saddened to learn of Rev's dismissal, regardless of his win/loss record he was a great ambassador for the University and put in endless hours trying to do the one thing that in the end was his demise, winning games.

I only hope that Leykam has a plan because he released a coach that can never be faulted for lack of effort or lack of involvement. If you look at Few at Gonzage one of the things that he has done was surround himself with assistants that compliment his weaknesses. I would have rather seen Rev try to strengthen his "core" and get a couple well connected assistants that could have helped in the recruiting efforts.

Terry Porter might be a good hire and I hear that he has been looking for a head coaching job for a few years now.

Great post!

It echoes my feelings about Rev. Sorry to see him go, and Scott being able to get somebody who connects all the dots is by no means a given.

If every player worked as hard to get better, and played with the same intensity as Ryan, perhaps we wouldn't be having this discussion.

There appear to have been 31 D1 college basketball head coach vacancies following the regular season. Five schools have already hired a head coach.

In a general sense the Pilots have 25 other programs that may seek to hire some of the candidates they seek. Some of the competition no doubt have greater resources. I am not sure whose on the "short list" Leykam suggests he is using, but he should get his motor in gear.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_current_NCAA_Division_I_men%27s_basketball_coaches

Interesting list.....not surprising the Stoney Brook and SF Austin coaches have already been hired at bigger programs after their NCAA Tourney performances. (Rutgers and Oklahoma St.)

As I hypothesized at the beginning of this thread, the AD mostly likely convinced the president and regents that a change was needed a year short of Rev's contract expiring.  With that in mind, and with all that is on the line for him professionally, I think he'll spend a bit of time ensuring he has the right man to move the program forward.

Some interesting nicknames on the list....the Presbyterian Blue Hose may not be easy to shout (Go, you hosers!), but in recent years the name signifies "fierce Scottish warriors," according to their website.

Man, I have way to much time. I went through the list, and found that UP had an equal or better record than all but four schools that fired coaches. Four other schools also had 12 wins (OK St, TCU, Tulane, UCF). The four schools with better records were USF with Rex, Stanford firing Johnny Dawkins after a 15-15 (8-10) season, Denver not retaining Joe Scott and hiring alum Rodney Billups, and UNLV firing Dave Rice mid-season (they finished 18-15).

Stanford and UNLV have higher expectations than UP, Denver apparently had someone else lined up, and Rex was Rex.

OK St and TCU are Power 5 schools, and UCF aspires to Power 5. Tulane is a mid-major similar to UP, just 3 times bigger.

UGAPilot wrote:Was Gonzaga really on the verge of closing? I have to echo Keating's comments about institutional support. UP basketball won't just rise up with a new coach. We really need everyone on board with this program. And, of course, $$$.

Gonzaga's financial troubles were in the late '60's and early '70's, following an ambitious campus expansion. Around 1974 the university was $2 million in debt and the banks were threatening to call in the loans, effectively closing the school. A millionaire trustee, Harry Magnuson, called the banks and pledged his personal assets as collateral which gave Gonzaga time to turn things around. The basketball success some 20 years later was instrumental in increasing donations and enrollment and the Administration knew a good thing when they saw it and committed more resources to the basketball program, allowing the success to build upon itself. I think KK conflated the sequence of events.

“up7587” wrote: I went through the list, and found that UP had an equal or better record than all but four schools that fired coaches.  Four other schools also had 12 wins (OK St, TCU, Tulane, UCF).  The four schools with better records were USF with Rex, Stanford firing Johnny Dawkins after a 15-15 (8-10) season, Denver not retaining Joe Scott and hiring alum Rodney Billups, and UNLV firing Dave Rice mid-season (they finished 18-15).

The expression of confidence in the administration is easy, perhaps a reflection of a willingness to be supportive, like a fan, to fall in line with those in power. Whether that expression proves justified is another matter altogether. The short list reference by Leykam suggests some plan: I hope this is more than gambling on a roulette wheel, which it may yet prove to be.

The U is quite small as compared to most other D1 schools and has limited resources and a limited fan base and yet the administration fires a coach for a performance that might have been sufficient to bring him back with most programs, per the post.

Confidence should be earned not gifted. To mix metaphors, the jury is still out.

Pilot basketball needs a strong basketball coach and an even better recruiter. Yes, I know UP has its challenges recruiting but so did so many other mid-majors who have gone on to be successful. We need a young, charismatic, hungry coach. I really liked Reveno, but his style grew stale and complacency began to creep in. I've attended the vast majority of home games during Rev's tenure and I saw him losing his players. So, what's the solution? Here's a start: "Matt Logie, formerly the Associate Head Coach at NCAA Division I Lehigh University, has done what no other NCAA Division III men's basketball coach had ever accomplished in his four seasons at Whitworth.

Heading into his fifth year at the helm, Logie has posted a record of 100-18 over his first four seasons, becoming the first head coach in Division III history to reach the 100-win plateau in only his fourth year as a head coach.  He also has a 58-6 mark in the Northwest Conference, and he has led the Pirates to the NCAA Division III tournament in each of his first four seasons.  (See below for year by year results.)  Whitworth has extended its streak of Northwest Conference regular season championships to six in a row over Logie's first four seasons and he has been named NWC Coach of the Year three times (2012, 2014 and 2015).  In 2013 he was a finalist for the Glenn Robinson National Coach of the Year award.

Logie has guided several of his players to impressive post-season honors.  Most recently Kenny Love was voted as Northwest Conference Player of the Year and a Third Team All-American by the NABC.  Dustin McConnell was the Northwest Conference Player of the Year and a First Team All-Region (NABC and D3hoops.com) and Third Team All-American as a senior in 2014.  He developed into a dominating point guard in his three seasons under Logie's guidance after playing a total of 55 minutes as a freshman.

McConnell was also First Team All-NWC in 2013, along with teammate Wade Gebbers.  Gebbers was also selected First Team All-Region (D3hoops.com).

In 2012, Idris Lasisi and Felix Friedt were both named First Team All-NWC and Second Team All-Region (NABC).  Lasisi has gone on to reach the top level of professional basketball in his home country of Belgium.

Finally, both McConnell and Friedt were finalists for the prestigious Jostens Award, giving to the NCAA Division III player with the strongest combination of basketball ability, academic success and community service.

The eighth leading scorer in Lehigh school history upon his graduation, Logie completed his second season as the associate head coach at his alma mater in the spring of 2011. Logie re-joined the Mountain Hawks coaching staff for his second stint prior to the 2007-08 season and played a large role in leading Lehigh to the 2009-10 Patriot League regular season and tournament championships.

In 2010 Logie was named as the top Patriot League Assistant Coach in men's basketball in a Foxsports.com Coaches Poll and was later recognized as one of the top 50 Assistants in Mid-to-Low Major College basketball by Hoopscoop on-line magazine. Furthermore, his recruiting efforts not only led to highly ranked Lehigh recruiting classes, but built the foundation of the 2012 Lehigh team that would go on to beat Duke in one of March Madness’s all-time greatest upsets.

After returning to his alma mater in 2007, Logie's role as the top assistant coach and associate head coach at Lehigh played out most notably in the recruitment of C.J. McCollum who was selected as the 2010 Patriot League Player of the Year and Rookie of the Year after leading all NCAA Division I freshman in scoring, and in his scouting and game planning for the 2010 Patriot League Tournament and NCAA First Round game against overall-top seed Kansas. McCollum would go on to finish his Lehigh career as the all-time leader in Patriot League scoring, an AP 1st Team All-American, and first round pick (#10 overall) of the Portland Trailblazers in the 2013 NBA Draft.

Logie has coached under several mentors, including current Lehigh head coach Brett Reed. Billy Taylor coached Logie during his senior season at Lehigh before Logie joined Taylor's Mountain Hawk staff for three seasons (2004-06). Taylor is now on staff at the University of Iowa under former Lehigh head coach, Fran McCaffery. Logie also worked for Jim Christian at Kent State in 2006-07. Christian was named head coach at Boston College in the spring of 2014.

During his playing days at Lehigh, Logie scored 1,524 career points and his 262 three-point field goals is still a school record. In addition, Logie twice led the Patriot League in free throw percentage for a season. He graduated from Lehigh in 2003 and earned his Master's in Educational Leadership in 2006.

Logie grew up surrounded by the game of basketball as the grandson of Mercer Island High School head coach Ed Pepple. Pepple, a legend in Washington's high school ranks, won 952 games and four state championships in 49 years as a head coach, 42 of which came at Mercer Island. His 1985 squad, which featured future Duke star and current Utah Jazz head coach Quin Snyder, is regarded by many as one of the Washington's greatest teams. His career win total is nearly 300 more than Pat Fitterer of Ellensburg, who is next on the list with 680 victories in 34 years.

Logie was part of two state championships while playing for his grandfather from 1997-99. He earned First Team All-State as a senior while leading the Islanders to a 27-3 record and a state 3A championship in 1999." Whitworth basketball website.