Re: Bringing Back Porter

by ExpatPilot Wed Feb 12, 2020 6:31 am

DoubleDipper wrote:
FloridaPilot wrote:As an aside: was there not a former Pilot who was assistant coaching in the NBA somewhere? I want to say that they were with the Spurs and then the Hawks for a while? What are they up to? No, not Spoelstra; he's busy.
Ben Sullivan, 2007 UP Grad and current assistant coach for the Milwaukee Bucks...

Graduate of Lake Oswego HS, played his freshman year at Cal St. Northridge prior to transferring to UP to play for Michael Holton for two years and Rev for one.

He's highly regarded by players and coaches alike...I've heard his name mentioned more than once as a potential UP coach.

https://www.businessinsider.com/bucks-nba-offense-ben-sullivan-giannis-antetokounmpo-2019-4

Thank you! Those are some impressive credentials Sullivan has accumulated and it makes me want to cheer for the Bucks a little now. Doubt he would want to leave an NBA contender team at this point in his career. There goes my contribution to this discussion... out the window!

by DoubleDipper Wed Feb 12, 2020 11:30 am

Dean Murdoch wrote:Well the Gonzaga assistant with obvious Portland ties is Brian Michaelson...

Bingo!

As I looked around for a young coach (Michaelson will be 39 in October) with the background for the job, Michaelson is the guy that stood out, and not just because of his seven years as a coach at GU (plus five years at GU as an administrative assistant/DOBO), but because of his local ties.

A Portland native, Michaelson was a basketball standout at Jesuit and was a redshirt walk-on at GU in 2020, and before graduating in 2005 he earned a scholarship for his senior year and was named co-captain. In his five years at GU he was part of five NCAA Tournament teams before leaving for the business world after graduation and then returning to work for Coach Few in 2008.

His UP tie is his sister, Emily, who all followers of UP soccer know was a big part of the Pilots National Championship team in 2005 before graduating in 2008.

The only three coaches currently on my list to replace TP whenever he or the university decides it's time to make a change are:

1. Jim Shaw, currently the associate head coach at WSU
2. Brian Michaelson, assistant at GU
3. Ben Sullivan, assistant for the Milwaukee Bucks

I'm sure there are plenty of other names that will be brought up between now and whenever, but who will take the challenge of turning the program around, and at what risk to their reputations?

by bobtcat2 Thu Feb 13, 2020 5:03 am

I will. I was a mediocre player in high school, so on the theory that the better the player, the worse the coach, I'm the man. I'd do it for 50K plus a free gym membership.

by wrv Thu Feb 13, 2020 10:56 am

Dean Murdoch wrote:Well the Gonzaga assistant with obvious Portland ties is Brian Michaelson... given that Gonzaga has been moderately more successful than Portland the last few years, would the Pilots program be a tough sell for a guy like that?

Is it too far outside the box to think that one of the current assistants could fill the position: Johnson or Geving?

They both seem competent to me, though it would be unusual, and courageous to give them a shot.

Sullivan and Michaelson might well be less qualified than one of the current assistants.

Shaw brings significant experience.

by Geezaldinho Thu Feb 13, 2020 11:48 am

bobtcat2 wrote:I will. I was a mediocre player in high school, so on the theory that the better the player, the worse the coach, I'm the man. I'd do it for 50K plus a free gym membership.

I never played the sport. On the same theory I’ll do it for Only twice Terry’s contract. (MAC CLUB, of course)

5 years, no buyout clause.

by bobtcat2 Thu Feb 13, 2020 1:49 pm

This could quickly become a race to the bottom. I'll do it for all you can eat pregame pasta.

by Geezaldinho Thu Feb 13, 2020 2:21 pm

Ok, I’ll do it for triple Terry’s contract.

And free tuition for Sophie the cat

[img(600px,600px)

by Guest Thu Feb 13, 2020 2:53 pm

Geezaldinho wrote:The next coach should have college HEAD coaching experience with a winning record.
Anywhere will do.

Geezaldinho wrote:I never played the sport. On the same theory I’ll do it for Only twice Terry’s contract. (MAC CLUB, of course)

5 years, no buyout clause.

Norman wrote:Does not compute!

by bobtcat2 Thu Feb 13, 2020 3:44 pm

That's a good looking animal, merits a scholarship for sure.

by Geezaldinho Thu Feb 13, 2020 4:46 pm

Norman wrote:Does not compute!

That was before I learned of the latest theories on coaching qualifications.

by DoubleDipper Fri Feb 21, 2020 2:03 pm

Dean Murdoch wrote:A potential Porter buyout in addition to the Cantu buyout means a ton of possible dead salary on the books - gotta be $750,000 or more if the entirety of that final year has to be bought out - so I'm not nearly as confident there'll be a coaching change as some posters in here.

Turns out you're correct!

I have spoken to three highly placed UP administrators in recent days, and all have indicated that unless a number of deep-pocketed UP basketball fan steps up with the required buy-out money, TP will be back for one more season.

A buy-out could happen, but it would seem the university would much rather a donation of a half a million dollars go toward student scholarships or teacher's salaries.

In the big picture...seems reasonable.

by dholcombe Fri Feb 21, 2020 2:22 pm

Can we fire tp, have one less coach and see what one of the assistants can do... Or do their contacts say we have to pay them now if they take over the team?

by Woodless 2.0 Fri Feb 21, 2020 3:23 pm

Dude....I always trust the information you get, DD.

What.
A.
Joke.

Might as well start investigating the possibility of going down to Division II as this point.

DoubleDipper wrote:
Dean Murdoch wrote:A potential Porter buyout in addition to the Cantu buyout means a ton of possible dead salary on the books - gotta be $750,000 or more if the entirety of that final year has to be bought out - so I'm not nearly as confident there'll be a coaching change as some posters in here.
Turns out you're correct!

I have spoken to three highly placed UP administrators in recent days, and all have indicated that unless a number of deep-pocketed UP basketball fan steps up with the required buy-out money, TP will be back for one more season.

A buy-out could happen, but it would seem the university would much rather a donation of a half a million dollars go toward student scholarships or teacher's salaries.

In the big picture...seems reasonable.

by bobtcat2 Fri Feb 21, 2020 4:21 pm

Incredible. 1-31 or perhaps 2-30 in two conference seasons and he's back.

by Geezaldinho Fri Feb 21, 2020 4:56 pm

bobtcat2 wrote:That's a good looking animal, merits a scholarship for sure.

And named for Sophie Schmidt!

Porter coming back is what I feared. I’m angry.

One has to wonder what the accountability is with administrators at all levels in accepting the contract for a coach with no college coaching experience without a buyout clause.

https://www.athleticbusiness.com/editor-blogs/blog-protecting-your-college-program-with-a-buyout-clause.html

And they work in both directions. Coaches who want to leave early pay the university.

by Dean Murdoch Fri Feb 21, 2020 7:10 pm

Sigh. Someday we’ll get our Coach Meek.

by DoubleDipper Fri Feb 21, 2020 8:20 pm

Dean Murdoch wrote:Sigh. Someday we’ll get our Coach Meek.

Ha, for those who've followed Pilots Womens Basketball for over 30 years, we already have our Coach Meek...although the Pilots did pretty darn good with Coach Sollars, especially when Kelly Graves was his assistant coach and recruiter.

This picture from 1994, shows the young Kelly Graves in the back, and behind Jim Sollar's left shoulder is current assistant coach Tom Batzell's wife, then known as Christie Stein.

by Dean Murdoch Fri Feb 21, 2020 11:31 pm

bobtcat2 wrote:Incredible. 1-31 or perhaps 2-30 in two conference seasons and he's back.

Looking back, the most shocking aspect of it all is that Reveno was fired after a year where the Pilots won six WCC games and were ranked #206 in the country by Kenpom. The Pilots only have one more win than that in the FOUR years combined since, and have been ranked 280/272/326/281. They've lost 36 of their last 37 WCC games!!

It'll be interesting to see what the only other school in the WCC with a coach on the hot seat does. I believe Dunlap at LMU has a year left on his contract as well that I'd assume pays him in the same general ballpark as Coach Porter's contract. As for the Pilots, I'm with dholcombe on this one. Go with Geving as an interim if that's what needs to be done, but something has to happen.

by Geezaldinho Sat Feb 22, 2020 1:10 am

LMU’s form 990 for 2018 shows Dunlap’s total compensation as $626,516

by bobtcat2 Sat Feb 22, 2020 7:53 am

I still wouldn't be shocked to see something work out for him to move on. He must be miserable and the players too. The talent isn't great but there are enough weak teams in this conference that should be winning a few games. Down to 314 in Sagarin, even worse than Kenpom. LMU is really not good but not much hope of a win tonight.

by wrv Sat Feb 22, 2020 9:17 am

Probably shouldn't ban comments that Porter will in essence "do the right thing," and resign, applying tar and feather to the authors might be more fitting considering their 1st amendment rights. Maybe their right(I doubt it)but thinking it might happen is painful, frustrating.
All this and the new rules for transferring. . .can we even retain our best players? Sigh is right.
Another concern for the "administrators" has got to be the growing need to subsidize this ongoing debacle with diminished revenue.
Worst contract in the history of Pilot athletics.

I

by Dean Murdoch Sat Feb 22, 2020 10:01 am

There's comments being banned in here?

Here I thought it was a pretty tame discussion. Maybe I missed a real zinger.

by Geezaldinho Sat Feb 22, 2020 10:35 am

Dean Murdoch wrote:Sigh. Someday we’ll get our Coach Meek.

Before I’m dead?

by Geezaldinho Sat Feb 22, 2020 9:56 pm

DoubleDipper wrote:
Dean Murdoch wrote:A potential Porter buyout in addition to the Cantu buyout means a ton of possible dead salary on the books - gotta be $750,000 or more if the entirety of that final year has to be bought out - so I'm not nearly as confident there'll be a coaching change as some posters in here.
Turns out you're correct!

I have spoken to three highly placed UP administrators in recent days, and all have indicated that unless a number of deep-pocketed UP basketball fan steps up with the required buy-out money, TP will be back for one more season.

A buy-out could happen, but it would seem the university would much rather a donation of a half a million dollars go toward student scholarships or teacher's salaries.

In the big picture...seems reasonable.

I mentioned this at tonight’s game and got three folks to pipe in that they would kick in a grand each. All longtime fans, I don’t think you can call any of them plutocrats.

I still hold out a glimmer of hope someone will do the right thing.

by DoubleDipper Sun Feb 23, 2020 12:38 pm

wrv wrote:Probably shouldn't ban comments that Porter will in essence "do the right thing," and resign, applying tar and feather to the authors might be more fitting considering their 1st amendment rights.

Bring it on, wrv...I had no idea you were a proponent of mob justice.

TP should do the right thing and resign!