College basketball coaching carousel: 2024 edition

[ButtFumble 5164]

14 hours ago, Rickylovesweed said:

Is Arkansas really a destination school? That would be Beard’s 5th school in a relatively short amount of time and is it just a stepping stone to another job? 

At some point, Beard has to stick somewhere. 

Ole' Miss has been to one sweet 16 in 2001

they last won a game in the tournament on 2013

they last went to the tournament on 2019

they last won the conference in 2013

their arena seats 9,500 and looks like an old college arena

 

Arkansas has an arena that seats over 19,000 and they can fill it

Walton Arena is a lot older, but it is still pretty modern in feel and they are looking to do $50 to $100 million in renovations to it soon

https://www.wholehogsports.com/news/2023/jun/26/trustees-approve-firms-to-analyze-bud-walton-arena-renovation/

beard is already known from UALR and already knows the area from being at UALR

Arkansas went to the elite 8 on 2022 and the sweet 16 last year

beard could be the top dog coach at Arkansas.....he will always be behind Kiffin at Ole' Miss and probably whoever replaces Kiffin eventually....because football will always be first there especially over basketball

Arkansas let their football coach hire petrino as a coordinator.....after all the shit that happened there......that would be like letting Strong hire Major as a coordinator while Bev still has the lawsuit going.....not that Arkansas still has any legal issues left over from that, but Pittman is on his last leg and pertrino was the fucking head coach when he did his dumb shit not a lower level coordinator

if beard was to get back into the tournament next year and get a win or two and football is shitty enough that Pittman is canned well beard would be golden there and his dumb shit would be forgotten......especially if he did well against Texas

Arkansas is hands down a better basketball school than Ole' Miss

 

[Al_4_ISU 12451]

13 hours ago, Brian Fantana said:

SC is a way better job. You don't have to live in fucking Arkansas.

NWA is about at the top of my "other places I'd live" list.

But I'm an avid mountain biker, so my opinion is wildly skewed by that one factor.

[Pancho 44704]

29 minutes ago, Al_4_ISU said:

NWA is about at the top of my "other places I'd live" list.

But I'm an avid mountain biker, so my opinion is wildly skewed by that one factor.

You also don’t have a Black wife

[Al_4_ISU 12451]

9 minutes ago, Pancho said:

You also don’t have a Black wife

Does Chris Beard?

I've only been there for recreation, but that part of Arkansas seems pretty progressive and quite different from the rest of the state.  It certainly can't be worse than Mississippi right?

EDIT:  Realized you're talking about Musselman.  And Beard has of course already lived in Arkansas.

Edited April 5 by Al_4_ISU

[Blotto 23487]

11 hours ago, Satchel said:

People just haven’t paid attention. Beard is a restless soul. He’s not likely to stay anywhere longer than 5 years

Did he even hit the 5 week mark at UNLV? 

[Don Johnson 4752]

1 hour ago, Pancho said:

You also don’t have a Black wife

There's absolutely nothing to indicate that Dannyelle or Mariah Musselman had bad experiences in Fayetteville.  They had tons of friends and were very active in the community.

With her daughter entering HS, Dannyelle does want to get back into media, and LA is one million times better for that than Fayetteville.

As an Arkansas fan, I loved Muss.  But he did what he does.  He burned out over 5 years.  I wish he would've stayed, but I did have doubts about him having similar success at Arkansas in the future.  5 years ago, he was cutting edge when it came to the portal.  Now, everyone does it.  The group he brought in this year was the worst collection of personalities and mismatched talent I've seen in 5 years.  He also absolutely burned through assistant coaches.  I'll be interested to see who he can bring in at USC as an assistant.

But USC just made sense for him.  We always knew he wanted to end up back in California.  And he was never a small college town kind of guy.  He gets to start over with a new contract and live where he wants to live.  He's older than you think.  About to turn 60.  Arkansas was really the first time he made "real coaching money."  We weren't going to extend his current deal and now he gets what may be his last big lick at USC.  He will do good things there.  May or may not last long, but I think he will be happy.

[ButtFumble 5164]

3 hours ago, Don Johnson said:

There's absolutely nothing to indicate that Dannyelle or Mariah Musselman had bad experiences in Fayetteville.  They had tons of friends and were very active in the community.

With her daughter entering HS, Dannyelle does want to get back into media, and LA is one million times better for that than Fayetteville.

As an Arkansas fan, I loved Muss.  But he did what he does.  He burned out over 5 years.  I wish he would've stayed, but I did have doubts about him having similar success at Arkansas in the future.  5 years ago, he was cutting edge when it came to the portal.  Now, everyone does it.  The group he brought in this year was the worst collection of personalities and mismatched talent I've seen in 5 years.  He also absolutely burned through assistant coaches.  I'll be interested to see who he can bring in at USC as an assistant.

But USC just made sense for him.  We always knew he wanted to end up back in California.  And he was never a small college town kind of guy.  He gets to start over with a new contract and live where he wants to live.  He's older than you think.  About to turn 60.  Arkansas was really the first time he made "real coaching money."  We weren't going to extend his current deal and now he gets what may be his last big lick at USC.  He will do good things there.  May or may not last long, but I think he will be happy.

Muss also has a coaching style that does not sit well with Arkansas fans......he is the type that will fuck off the regular seasons with the idea in mind of "finding the rotation that works by the end of the regular season".....and then get into the conference tournament and (hopefully) the NCAAs with a team that has some rested players, a line up that he finally has decided to go with and then they try and make a run.......I think Texas fans might recognize the same things with Pierce in Baseball

that shit is not how you fill a 19,000 seat arena and not how you build wild fan support and have things like "Barnhill South"......you can get away with that when you are making the elite 8 or even the sweet 16 and bringing back a lot of the core group......but just like with Texas Baseball there is a demand to win week in and week out and of course to make the post season and advance......and just like with Texas Baseball if you miss the post season or you do not advance well into the tournament a lot of questions arise about why there is not better player depth, more focusnessness on winning all season long, and how long can we sustain this 

['stache 21795]

6 hours ago, Al_4_ISU said:

Does Chris Beard?

I've only been there for recreation, but that part of Arkansas seems pretty progressive and quite different from the rest of the state.  It certainly can't be worse than Mississippi right?

EDIT:  Realized you're talking about Musselman.  And Beard has of course already lived in Arkansas.

My sister moved to Bentonville 20 years ago and it definitely felt like a small rural area near a college town. It's changed a ton since then, in large part to Walmart and the Walton's trying to keep young professionals longer term, and to generally attract more economic development. It's worked, the Bentonville town square is very active these days and feels modern. It's still not a place I'd go out of my way to live, I prefer more centralized cities, but if something arose, I would give it serious consideration. I think the area is a lot like Tulsa on the cr scale, still overwhelmingly conservative, but plenty of pockets of more progressive thinkers, if that's your preference, especially in Fayetteville in and around the university (last time I walked the area lots of rainbow flags and similar political yard signs). I think it's still considered a big time job, their 1994 national championship was a long time ago, but not like their 1960's football championship that feels like ancient history. 

[ButtFumble 5164]

well it looks like Arkansas should go after Buzzy Williams......I am not sold on Tang his history is not long enough and while Williams is not killing it at aggy.....well who kills it at aggy in any sport you go to aggy to collect a big check for your career getting killed

['stache 21795]

Tang would be pretty underwhelming for UA, but might also be a sign that the 1994 championship is far enough in the past to not really matter anymore.

[Pancho 44704]

Why would Buzz leave A&M? He made it well known he wanted to get back to Texas for him and his family. A&M isn’t firing him any time soon as they have no basketball history and don’t give 2 shits about basketball.

[ButtFumble 5164]

7 minutes ago, Pancho said:

Why would Buzz leave A&M? He made it well known he wanted to get back to Texas for him and his family. A&M isn’t firing him any time soon as they have no basketball history and don’t give 2 shits about basketball.

perhaps he wants to collect a check and have a chance to win something meaningful vs. just collecting a check.....he is still really young even if he looks old as fuck and Arkansas is not that far from Texas.....at the very least Arkansas should pull an LSU and make aggy over pay the shit out of him to keep him

[Texzilla588 769]

There's absolutely nothing to indicate that Dannyelle or Mariah Musselman had bad experiences in Fayetteville.  They had tons of friends and were very active in the community.
With her daughter entering HS, Dannyelle does want to get back into media, and LA is one million times better for that than Fayetteville.
As an Arkansas fan, I loved Muss.  But he did what he does.  He burned out over 5 years.  I wish he would've stayed, but I did have doubts about him having similar success at Arkansas in the future.  5 years ago, he was cutting edge when it came to the portal.  Now, everyone does it.  The group he brought in this year was the worst collection of personalities and mismatched talent I've seen in 5 years.  He also absolutely burned through assistant coaches.  I'll be interested to see who he can bring in at USC as an assistant.
But USC just made sense for him.  We always knew he wanted to end up back in California.  And he was never a small college town kind of guy.  He gets to start over with a new contract and live where he wants to live.  He's older than you think.  About to turn 60.  Arkansas was really the first time he made "real coaching money."  We weren't going to extend his current deal and now he gets what may be his last big lick at USC.  He will do good things there.  May or may not last long, but I think he will be happy.

Muss stayed at Arkansas longer than he has anywhere else. I think he really screwed the pooch this season with such a sorry collection of misfits and dontgiveashits. He allowed cancers to come and go. It was a pathetic season.

I think his move to USC is driven by age, family, etc. he was well paid, I believe he was the 16th highest paid coach. He did not deserve an extension or raise after such a horrible season. His wife and kids have been active in Fayetteville and seemed happy.

His mother is in San Diego and should be in her 80’s. That’s his home. His wife will be wanting to get back to broadcasting. USC presents challenges: entry standards, long travel distances, etc.

[closetohumping 17434]

Curious why tang turned Arkansas down

[Brothahorn 10087]

Reading about the Bama assistant who got caught in the FBI investigation and this part stood out to me..

Quote

 

But in March 2019 — a year and a half after the FBI first announced 10 arrests as part of its investigation into college basketball — a federal indictment accused Murphy of accepting $6,000 from an undercover FBI agent during a meeting between Murphy and Dawkins. A day later, Creighton placed Murphy on administrative leave; he ultimately resigned the following November. According to Murphy’s attorney, Murphy passed a polygraph test that said he did not keep the money, take action with it, or maintain any relationship with Dawkins after that meeting. “The old ‘innocent until proven guilty’ didn’t really apply in those scenarios,” McDermott says, “and at Creighton, we did everything we could to keep him employed and support him during that process.”

In June 2021, the NCAA hit Murphy with a two-year show cause. 

 

So what happened to the money? He didn't say it was rejected. He probably got the example treatment. But it's not as if he is as innocent as the article would lead you to think.

https://theathletic.com/5394716/2024/04/06/alabama-preston-murphy-fbi-final-four/

 

 

[Hookem2147 21194]

 

[Texas Wahoo 3389]

 

[LTtxfan 49143]

7 hours ago, Hookem2147 said:

 

So many better coaches better than these two... this has to be bullshit right???

[Hookem2147 21194]

Just now, LTtxfan said:

So many better coaches better than these two... this has to be bullshit right???

My biggest takeaway from the Arkansas search is I think they will be looking for a new AD soon.

[Duane Moore 5237]

 

[Js1 85275]

Who did Kentucky AD a blow to convince Arkansas to bail them out of Cal’s ludicrous contract by hiring him away??

[Hookem2147 21194]

This feels a little like Jimbo 2.0, but maybe Cal is agreeing to change his ways and will dominate the portal with all the NIL money Arkansas is about to give him.

Edited April 8 by Hookem2147

[MuellerHorn 4228]

Woah. I’m really interested to see who UK gets. 

[The Ace of Aces 5175]

5 year deal apparently. Piggy paying a guy Kentucky wanted out is funny to me. 

[naija 2854]

oops, didn't see this thread.

everyone wins?

[The Ace of Aces 5175]

Nate Oats to Kentucky? He has a load of baggage but do they care?

Edited April 8 by The Ace of Aces

[Hookem2147 21194]

11 minutes ago, The Ace of Aces said:

Nate Oats to Kentucky? He has a load of baggage but do they care?

Oats has a $18 million buyout 

[The Ace of Aces 5175]

Just now, Hookem2147 said:

Oats has a $18 million buyout 

Yikes. 

Scott Drew, come on down. 

[Lonestar88 4629]

If true, then Christmas came early for Kentucky. That ridiculous buyout is the only reason Calipari hasn’t already been fired .

[HookEm 2463]

Gonna be funny when Arky hires Calipari and then Kentucky hires Beard.

[Lonestar88 4629]

9 minutes ago, Lonestar88 said:

If true, then Christmas came early for Kentucky. That ridiculous buyout is the only reason Calipari hasn’t already been fired .

Scratch the if, I’m late, it’s official.

[Hookem2147 21194]

 

[Rickylovesweed 14262]

Donovan to Kentucky has felt inevitable for a couple years and now it's perfect timing after Arkansas pulls this move. 

 

[Rickylovesweed 14262]

Bruce Pearl would be the funniest outcome. He's Cal 2.0. Recruits really well but then underachieves. 

 

[The_Great_Hornsby 3236]

So you are telling me that Calipari was available and we are stuck holding onto Rodney fucking Terry. The world is a cruel place. 

[The_Great_Hornsby 3236]

1 hour ago, Hookem2147 said:

This feels a little like Jimbo 2.0, but maybe Cal is agreeing to change his ways and will dominate the portal with all the NIL money Arkansas is about to give him.

I think that is precisely what is about to happen. I think this will end up being a home run hire. 

7 hours ago, Hookem2147 said:

My biggest takeaway from the Arkansas search is I think they will be looking for a new AD soon.

This did not age well. 

[Rickylovesweed 14262]

3 minutes ago, The_Great_Hornsby said:

So you are telling me that Calipari was available and we are stuck holding onto Rodney fucking Terry. The world is a cruel place. 

Why would we want anything to do with Cal? 

He's been an underachiever going on 5 years now. Hasn't been to the 2nd weekend in 5 years. This is a Jimbo hire in basketball form. 

[Rickylovesweed 14262]

4 minutes ago, The_Great_Hornsby said:

This did not age well. 

Kentucky wanted to get rid of Cal because he's been an underachiever for 5 years. 

It aged perfectly well. Arkansas just hired a coach a blue blood has been trying to get rid of but simply couldn't because of the contract/buyout. 

[The_Great_Hornsby 3236]

Just now, Rickylovesweed said:

Why would we want anything to do with Cal? 

He's been an underachiever going on 5 years now. Hasn't been to the 2nd weekend in 5 years. This is a Jimbo hire in basketball form. 

You could be right (but I actually think he lights the world on fire at Arkansas, sometimes all you need is a change of scenery), but I will take a guy that has been to multiple final fours with multiple schools and a national championship over a guy that has zero track record with any school. 

[HookEm 2463]

If Rick Barnes can get back to his old self with a change in scenery, I’m sure Calipari can. The problem with Kentucky is, how do you turn down blue chip high school players in favor of older, but lower potential transfers? He will be forced to use the portal at Arky.

[The_Great_Hornsby 3236]

1 minute ago, Rickylovesweed said:

Kentucky wanted to get rid of Cal because he's been an underachiever for 5 years. 

It aged perfectly well. Arkansas just hired a coach a blue blood has been trying to get rid of but simply couldn't because of the contract/buyout. 

Time will tell. But I think this was a home run for Arkansas. Expect them to be a perennial top 15 team going forward. Cal has been successful at Umass, Memphis, and Kentucky.  

[Lonestar88 4629]

23 minutes ago, The_Great_Hornsby said:

So you are telling me that Calipari was available and we are stuck holding onto Rodney fucking Terry. The world is a cruel place. 

Calipari is the biggest underachiever in college basketball right now. You don’t have to turn everything into a complaint about Rodney Terry.

[Rickylovesweed 14262]

22 minutes ago, The_Great_Hornsby said:

Time will tell. But I think this was a home run for Arkansas. Expect them to be a perennial top 15 team going forward. Cal has been successful at Umass, Memphis, and Kentucky.  

Maybe it will but even Arkansas didn't want him. They ended up hiring him after several other coaches said no and were then down to coaches from Arkansas Little Rock. 

Edited April 8 by Rickylovesweed

[The_Great_Hornsby 3236]

3 minutes ago, Lonestar88 said:

Calipari is the biggest underachiever in college basketball right now. You don’t have to turn everything into a complaint about Rodney Terry.

I don't like when our rivals get national championship winning coaches with long track records of success. Sue me. 

[Rickylovesweed 14262]

6 minutes ago, The_Great_Hornsby said:

I don't like when our rivals get national championship winning coaches with long track records of success. Sue me. 

Musselman has achieved much more at Arkansas than Cal has at Kentucky since he was hired. He's also a much better fit in today's world because he utilizes the portal. 

As a rival fan, I don't know how this would make you mad. Arkansas is clearly downgrading here. 

[The_Great_Hornsby 3236]

Just now, Rickylovesweed said:

Musselman has achieved much more at Arkansas than Cal has at Kentucky since he was hired. He's also a much better fit in today's world because he utilizes the portal. 

As a rival fan, I don't know how this would make you mad. Arkansas is clearly downgrading here. 

Clearly not a downgrade. Your recency bias is clouding your judgement. But again time will tell. So we will just have to revisit this in a couple of years. 

[Rickylovesweed 14262]

3 minutes ago, The_Great_Hornsby said:

Clearly not a downgrade. Your recency bias is clouding your judgement. But again time will tell. So we will just have to revisit this in a couple of years. 

Do you think Mack and Jimbo are still elite coaches? Granted, that was a longer time ago but how long does recency bias last?

In the last 5 years: Mussleman two elite 8 and a sweet 16, Cal has 1 tournament win in the same timeframe. It's clearly a downgrade when you also consider Musselman is much better at utilizing the portal. 

[shadow_operative 15932]

 

[Rickylovesweed 14262]

1 hour ago, shadow_operative said:

 

I'm having a difficult time understanding why Kentucky would hire Pearl. He's advanced out of the 1st weekend 1 time in 10 years at Auburn. He's a worse version of Cal. 

I guess if Arkansas is willing to hire Cal anything is possible but feels like he's the most unlikely out of that group. 

[Underdog 28558]

Can’t say I saw this coming, Cal going to Arky, but him leaving was a real possibility. It’s kind of like Tubby leaving for Minny… but here we go.