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A Men's BB Coaching Wish List

doublea1971

doublea1971

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I've not entirely given up on Frank Martin yet, but it appears pretty certain that he's on his way out the door with the conference season grinding on in poor fashion.  As such, I'm giving my notice to the AD that here's the guys I'd like to see him chase after to be the next head coach:

  • Wes Miller (Cincinatti - Current salary and package here),
  • Mike Boynton (OSU- Current salary and package here),
  • Bob Richey (Furman)
  • Luke Murray (Asst., UConn & Dad Bill Murray is often seen around Charleston, SC),
  • Ulric Maligi (Asst., Texas),
  • Jerrance Howard (Asst., Texas)

Others?  Thoughts?  Curious to see what the others like me who want the best for this program think about good choices.

 
Could we get Boynton from  OSU?  I know he's a former player but he's doing ok there salary wise ($2.1M per year through 2028).  Good team last year, 86-55 overall as a coach.  He'd be my #1 guy if he wanted the job and it didn't cost too much.

Wes Miller in his 1st year at Cinci.  Doubt we could pull him away. 

Richey most likely we could get.  Howard would be a great hire. 

 
gamecock88 said:
Could we get Boynton from  OSU?  I know he's a former player but he's doing ok there salary wise ($2.1M per year through 2028).  Good team last year, 86-55 overall as a coach.  He'd be my #1 guy if he wanted the job and it didn't cost too much.

Wes Miller in his 1st year at Cinci.  Doubt we could pull him away. 

Richey most likely we could get.  Howard would be a great hire. 
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Howard is one of those coaches that is “under the radar” to the casual college hoops fan.  But the guy is a STUD recruiter, and gets it done on the court sidelines.

I’m a big fan of Murray too.  Would come pretty cheap, comparatively, but I’ve got a feeling would be a great coach and great recruiter as well.

Boynton is a tough call… I think we could grab him, and I think he’d do it, just to come back to USC, but can he pull the same kind of players here?  IDK.  But he’s proven himself as a coach.  I was a sceptic his first two years.  No longer.  He’s be either my 1st or second choice to pursue.

I think Miller might jump just to cut his head coaching chops against the other SEC coaching.  The fraternity in our league is pretty high quality now.  I’d at least roll the dice and see if he bites.

 
In my fantasy AD world, I would make Boynton say no before going on to other candidates. I do like Wes Miller too. I think he'll be a really good P5 coach when he gets there (either with Cincy or elsewhere). Only negative for him would be that if he's successful, he'll always be on the short list should the UNC job open up. I would also inquire about Earl Grant and Pat Kelsey. BC is a tough gig and Grant might want to see if something better is out there. He knows SC and has recruited some high level talent. As for Kelsey, I just like his systems. His last couple of teams at Winthrop were very fun to watch. I'd be willing to give him a shot.

 
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Nice post and research, @doublea1971. What drives me crazy are the loonies on the bog boards clamoring for Sean Miller, the FBI wiretap poster child. At this point, I'd be happy with anyone to replace Frank who wasn't disgraced nationally at some point, and yes, that means Pitino too.

 
Our men's Big 3 sports have become non-competitive since Tanner took over. 

I have worked with Taters over the years; they are bright-eyed and bushy-tailed and think they know more than they really do.  Tanner is a lot like that.

My sense is that any replacement we hire for Frank isn't really going to do any better than he has.

None of our men's major athletic programs are that competitive right now.  I think Beamer will do okay next season, but the other part of me says he won't because of the system Tanner runs here.

Tanner's had, what, almost 30 years in the State system?  He shouldn't have any money worries as far as retirement is concerned.  Have him retire fairly soon and get a new AD in here pronto to figure out what to do with Frank, for better or worse.

My sense is that any head coach that struggles here doesn't get the right support from our AD to be successful in the long run.  I am saying that except for Dawn, we appear to weak form a personnel management standpoint.

Frank is a principled guy who hates coaches like Sean Miller and Rick Pitino.  Maybe talk of one of those two guys replacing him will make him pull his head out of his arse and coach right for a change.

Having said all of the above: Pitino.

 
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If you want to go the Carolina legacy route, the name we need to go with is DUNLEAVY instead of McKie.  If BJ wanted to come back here as a coach, he would have tried to do so before now.

I would go with Baker Dunleavy, who played for Nova and then worked for Jay Wright as Associate Head Coach during Nova's 2016 national title run.

image_handler.aspx


"Baker Dunleavy – who was the associate head coach for a national-title winning team at Villanova in 2016 – will enter his fifth season at the helm of the Bobcats’ program in 2021-22.

Dunleavy recently completed his fourth season as Head Coach at Quinnipiac. He helped guide the Bobcats to nine wins this past season, including an 8-5 record at the People’s United Center in Hamden. Under Dunleavy’s guidance in 2020-21, Quinnipiac won four of its last seven regular season MAAC games. The Bobcats ranked No. 8 nationally in defensive field goal percentage last season, as opponents shot just 39.0% from the field against QU. Quinnipiac also grabbed 28.32 defensive rebounds per game in 2020-21, which ranked best in the MAAC and No. 17 nationally.
 
Quinnipiac had three All-MAAC selections following the completion of the 2020-21 season. Under Dunleavy, senior Jacob Rigoni (11.8 PPG, 6.3 RPG) was named to the All-MAAC Second Team while Luis Kortright (10.3 PPG, 3.9 RPG, 2.7 APG) and Tymu Chenery (9.7 PPG, 3.8 RPG) both garnered All-Rookie honors.

Dunleavy was named head coach for Quinnipiac University's men's basketball program on March 28, 2017, becoming its seventh head coach in Quinnipiac's 67-year basketball history, and the third in its 19 years at the Division I level.
 
He has won 52 games over his first four years at Quinnipiac. Dunleavy led the Bobcats to the MAAC Semifinals in his first season in 2017-18, then guided Quinnipiac to a MAAC Tournament first round bye in both 2018-19 and 2019-20. Quinnipiac made a postseason appearance (CIT) for just the fifth time in program history during Dunleavy’s second year in 2018-19.

Dunleavy has been consistently ranked among college basketball's top young head coaches. Dunleavy earned a spot on Seth Davis' "40 under 40" list published by The Athletic in October of 2020, and was also selected to ESPN's "40 under 40" in May of 2020.

Dunleavy joined the Bobcats after spending seven years on the men's basketball staff at Villanova University, where under Jay Wright, he helped the Wildcats capture the 2016 national championship with a 77-74 win over North Carolina. He began at Villanova as the director of basketball operations in 2010, before being elevated to assistant coach in 2012 and to the associate head coach position in 2013.

Dunleavy assisted Wright in all facets of the program as the associate head coach, including on-court teaching, player development and recruiting. In his four seasons as associate head coach, the Wildcats posted an impressive 129-17 record, including 63-9 in the BIG EAST Conference, while winning four straight regular season league titles and two postseason titles. Villanova earned No. 1 seeds in the NCAA Tournament in 2015 and 2017 (including the No. 1 seed in the entire tournament in 2017), as well as No. 2 seeds in 2014 and 2016, placing the Wildcats in the top eight in the country in all four years.

While serving as an associate head coach, Dunleavy had a key role in Wright winning three straight BIG EAST Coach of the Year honors from 2014-16, as well as the 2016 Naismith Men's College National Coach of the Year award. Dunleavy helped coach the last three BIG EAST Players of the Year, Ryan Arcidiacono (2015) and Josh Hart (2016 and 2017), while Hart was also named a first-team All-American by the National Association of Basketball Coaches this winter."

https://gobobcats.com/sports/mens-basketball/roster/coaches/baker-dunleavy/8705

If our problem really is a "Frank" problem specific to Frank only and no one else, then go with a guy like Baker Dunleavy, who comes from a coaching family with ties to USC.

His brother, Mike Jr., who was a standout at Duke and then played in the NBA for a while, is currently an Assistant GM with the Golden State Warriors.  I would say shake things up and make him our next AD, but he's probably an NBA guy like his dad.

From a coaching legacy standpoint, pulling Baker Dunleavy in here would be like getting another Shane Beamer.

So I would say Baker Dunleavy, too.

 
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I wouldn't be opposed to Baker Dunleavy.   

In addition to the coaches I have already mentioned, I would also consider:

Niko Medved (Colorado St)

Matt McMahon (Murray St)

Ryan Odom (Utah St)

There are several guys who might be successful at USC.  The problem  is, there is no way to really know if they would be successful before you hire them.  Its a gamble with any hire. 

If we hire a mid-major coach, I don't know why we wouldn't hire one of the guys in-state (Kelsey, McAuley, Richey).  Their records are comparable to most of the other mid-major coaches we might consider.   And those guys already know the state.

What we do know for sure is that Frank has not been as successful as we want a coach to be.  I wish that were not true, but it  is.  I always hate to change coaches, but sometimes you have to.   Frank should have a pile of money, so he'll be fine financially.

 
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Gary said:
I wouldn't be opposed to Baker Dunleavy.   

In addition to the coaches I have already mentioned, I would also consider:

Niko Medved (Colorado St)

Matt McMahon (Murray St)

Ryan Odom (Utah St)

There are several guys who might be successful at USC.  The problem  is, there is no way to really know if they would be successful before you hire them.  Its a gamble with any hire. 

If we hire a mid-major coach, I don't know why we wouldn't hire one of the guys in-state (Kelsey, McAuley, Richey).  Their records are comparable to most of the other mid-major coaches we might consider.   And those guys already know the state.

What we do know for sure is that Frank has not been as successful as we want a coach to be.  I wish that were not true, but it  is.  I always hate to change coaches, but sometimes you have to.   Frank should have a pile of money, so he'll be fine financially.
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@Gary For me, the biggest issue is can the coach recruit well, not does he have a good record as a head coach in the state of SC.  Most of the guys we're talking about have proven that they're good at coaching... Even as an Asst. Coach at a mid-major/P5, you've got to have SOME kind of chops, or you don't get the offer.  But the BIG question is... can they go head to head with other coaches in the SEC and coaches nationally to grab the attention of the PTP-ers (to quote Dick Vitale).  Frank Martin has not been terribly successful in recent years at grabbing those recruits.  That is why I suggested many of the names for potential HC choices that I did.  Especially guys like Miller, Murray and Howard (Howard is probably the best of the 3 at getting in homes of top 100 recruits).  To be competitive in our league we need to be able to grab a recruiting class that has 4-5* guys and someone who sits in the top 75 nationally out of HS.  Otherwise, we're simply going to be outclassed year after year after year.  I was hopeful that we had that team this season.  Not feeling so confident about that any longer, hence this thread.

 
kingofnerf said:
If you want to go the Carolina legacy route, the name we need to go with is DUNLEAVY instead of McKie.  If BJ wanted to come back here as a coach, he would have tried to do so before now.

I would go with Baker Dunleavy, who played for Nova and then worked for Jay Wright as Associate Head Coach during Nova's 2016 national title run.



"Baker Dunleavy – who was the associate head coach for a national-title winning team at Villanova in 2016 – will enter his fifth season at the helm of the Bobcats’ program in 2021-22.

Dunleavy recently completed his fourth season as Head Coach at Quinnipiac. He helped guide the Bobcats to nine wins this past season, including an 8-5 record at the People’s United Center in Hamden. Under Dunleavy’s guidance in 2020-21, Quinnipiac won four of its last seven regular season MAAC games. The Bobcats ranked No. 8 nationally in defensive field goal percentage last season, as opponents shot just 39.0% from the field against QU. Quinnipiac also grabbed 28.32 defensive rebounds per game in 2020-21, which ranked best in the MAAC and No. 17 nationally.
 
Quinnipiac had three All-MAAC selections following the completion of the 2020-21 season. Under Dunleavy, senior Jacob Rigoni (11.8 PPG, 6.3 RPG) was named to the All-MAAC Second Team while Luis Kortright (10.3 PPG, 3.9 RPG, 2.7 APG) and Tymu Chenery (9.7 PPG, 3.8 RPG) both garnered All-Rookie honors.

Dunleavy was named head coach for Quinnipiac University's men's basketball program on March 28, 2017, becoming its seventh head coach in Quinnipiac's 67-year basketball history, and the third in its 19 years at the Division I level.
 
He has won 52 games over his first four years at Quinnipiac. Dunleavy led the Bobcats to the MAAC Semifinals in his first season in 2017-18, then guided Quinnipiac to a MAAC Tournament first round bye in both 2018-19 and 2019-20. Quinnipiac made a postseason appearance (CIT) for just the fifth time in program history during Dunleavy’s second year in 2018-19.d

Dunleavy has been consistently ranked among college basketball's top young head coaches. Dunleavy earned a spot on Seth Davis' "40 under 40" list published by The Athletic in October of 2020, and was also selected to ESPN's "40 under 40" in May of 2020.

Dunleavy joined the Bobcats after spending seven years on the men's basketball staff at Villanova University, where under Jay Wright, he helped the Wildcats capture the 2016 national championship with a 77-74 win over North Carolina. He began at Villanova as the director of basketball operations in 2010, before being elevated to assistant coach in 2012 and to the associate head coach position in 2013.

Dunleavy assisted Wright in all facets of the program as the associate head coach, including on-court teaching, player development and recruiting. In his four seasons as associate head coach, the Wildcats posted an impressive 129-17 record, including 63-9 in the BIG EAST Conference, while winning four straight regular season league titles and two postseason titles. Villanova earned No. 1 seeds in the NCAA Tournament in 2015 and 2017 (including the No. 1 seed in the entire tournament in 2017), as well as No. 2 seeds in 2014 and 2016, placing the Wildcats in the top eight in the country in all four years.

While serving as an associate head coach, Dunleavy had a key role in Wright winning three straight BIG EAST Coach of the Year honors from 2014-16, as well as the 2016 Naismith Men's College National Coach of the Year award. Dunleavy helped coach the last three BIG EAST Players of the Year, Ryan Arcidiacono (2015) and Josh Hart (2016 and 2017), while Hart was also named a first-team All-American by the National Association of Basketball Coaches this winter."

https://gobobcats.com/sports/mens-basketball/roster/coaches/baker-dunleavy/8705

If our problem really is a "Frank" problem specific to Frank only and no one else, then go with a guy like Baker Dunleavy, who comes from a coaching family with ties to USC.

His brother, Mike Jr., who was a standout at Duke and then played in the NBA for a while, is currently an Assistant GM with the Golden State Warriors.  I would say shake things up and make him our next AD, but he's probably an NBA guy like his dad.

From a coaching legacy standpoint, pulling Baker Dunleavy in here would be like getting another Shane Beamer.

So I would say Baker Dunleavy, too.
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@kingofnerf, with all due respect to you, I wouldn't get anywhere near Baker Dunleavy in the selection process.  He's HCing at Quinnipiac, which granted is a tough place to recruit simply because of the league they play in (Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference).  But here's the problem... His record at Quinnipiac AT BEST in 5 seasons there is 1 game over .500. (16-15 in 2018-19).  He has not done any better than 1st round of the CIT with his team.  That's simply NOT the kind of HC I think that we deserve at USC.  I respect the heck out of him and his father, but no... just no.

 
doublea1971 said:
@Gary For me, the biggest issue is can the coach recruit well, not does he have a good record as a head coach in the state of SC.  Most of the guys we're talking about have proven that they're good at coaching... Even as an Asst. Coach at a mid-major/P5, you've got to have SOME kind of chops, or you don't get the offer.  But the BIG question is... can they go head to head with other coaches in the SEC and coaches nationally to grab the attention of the PTP-ers (to quote Dick Vitale).  Frank Martin has not been terribly successful in recent years at grabbing those recruits.  That is why I suggested many of the names for potential HC choices that I did.  Especially guys like Miller, Murray and Howard (Howard is probably the best of the 3 at getting in homes of top 100 recruits).  To be competitive in our league we need to be able to grab a recruiting class that has 4-5* guys and someone who sits in the top 75 nationally out of HS.  Otherwise, we're simply going to be outclassed year after year after year.  I was hopeful that we had that team this season.  Not feeling so confident about that any longer, hence this thread.
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If you want an assistant that comes from a school that has recruited well, then Duke, UNC, Kentucky, Kansas, UCLA, Auburn, are places to look.  However, just because a coach is on staff at Duke or UK  does not mean they can recruit elite players to USC.   If it were that easy, then it wouldn't be that hard to find a new head coach who can recruit well to USC.    Don't mean to rain on  your parade, but I guess I did.

 
I'd like a coach who in some ways is the opposite of Frank Martin.  I'd like a coach who plays a defense that guards the paint and tries to force opponents to shoot jump shots.  Keep our guys inside the 3 point line and stay between the other team and the basket.  If we can force a  jump shot, then there would be no reason to foul because you should never foul a jump shooter.  We're getting killed by being outscored on FT.  I want a coach who will change that.   If we have guys who can block shots without fouling, that's fine.  But if you foul trying to block a shot, you're better off not to try to block it.  Just put up your arms and get the rebound if they miss.  I want a team that commits fewer fouls than any other SEC team.

I want a coach who recruits players who can make shots.   Especially FT..  Being bad at making FT costs you wins, as USC has proven under Frank.  I'd rather have a guy who can make FT even if he isn''t the best defender around.   I want USC to lead the SEC in FT percentage as a team.

If we could lead the SEC in fewest fouls, fewest turnovers, and team FT percentage, all things that we are not good at now, I believe it would make a huge difference in our record.  

 
Gary said:
If you want an assistant that comes from a school that has recruited well, then Duke, UNC, Kentucky, Kansas, UCLA, Auburn, are places to look.  However, just because a coach is on staff at Duke or UK  does not mean they can recruit elite players to USC.   If it were that easy, then it wouldn't be that hard to find a new head coach who can recruit well to USC.    Don't mean to rain on  your parade, but I guess I did.
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That wasn't raining on my parade.  That was an informed opinion you presented.

I will say this... there are PLENTY of schools with good recruiting going on, who are not the teams that you listed above.  That is exactly why I listed Murray and Howard specifically (though, of course Howard was at Kansas for a while and cut his recruiting chops under Bill Self).  It is a track record thing for me, and also (as you noted with where your coaching choices were from) needs to be regional to SOME extent.  Getting the top guys out of SC is an important step in the right direction, and something that Frank has missed on more than he's hit on.  (Ever wonder what Ja Morant would have looked like paying for the 'Cocks? :basketball-1small:  )

But the real thing here is simply a need to grab some guys who can compete well in the SEC.  Not guys who are talented but need grooming for a few years under a system.  We must get guys who can step in and do their thing immediately while fitting like a glove in a system that the coach has in place.  So I posit that recruiting well is our biggest need and should be the primary thing to look for in the next HC.

 
doublea1971 said:
That wasn't raining on my parade.  That was an informed opinion you presented.

I will say this... there are PLENTY of schools with good recruiting going on, who are not the teams that you listed above.  That is exactly why I listed Murray and Howard specifically (though, of course Howard was at Kansas for a while and cut his recruiting chops under Bill Self).  It is a track record thing for me, and also (as you noted with where your coaching choices were from) needs to be regional to SOME extent.  Getting the top guys out of SC is an important step in the right direction, and something that Frank has missed on more than he's hit on.  (Ever wonder what Ja Morant would have looked like paying for the 'Cocks? :basketball-1small:  )

But the real thing here is simply a need to grab some guys who can compete well in the SEC.  Not guys who are talented but need grooming for a few years under a system.  We must get guys who can step in and do their thing immediately while fitting like a glove in a system that the coach has in place.  So I posit that recruiting well is our biggest need and should be the primary thing to look for in the next HC.
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Maybe we should talk to the coach at Murray St.  I think he's the same one who recruited Morant.  And they are having a good season.   I've often grieved over not getting Morant to USC.   Matt McMahon is 43 years old, born in east Tennessee, played ball at App. St..  I'd llike to interview him at least.

 
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Gary said:
Maybe we should talk to the coach at Murray St.  I think he's the same one who recruited Morant.  And they are having a good season.   I've often grieved over not getting Morant to USC.   Matt McMahon is 43 years old, born in east Tennessee, played ball at App. St..  I'd llike to interview him at least.
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@Gary, I agree that it would possibly be worth kicking the tires with McMahon.  The issue I see there is simply a lack of track record in his stops as an Assistant.  Under Fancher at App. St., Buzz Peterson at UNC-Wilmington, and Prohm at Murray State, the coaches he served under are solid.  Their teams just didn't show much in terms of picks for players during McMahon's stints at each stop.  That recruiting (or lack thereof) may not be a direct reflection on him, but I don't have stars in my eyes when it comes to thinking about grabbing him as a HC.

 
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Frank's teams here have been decidedly weird.

The 2016-17 squad went on a lengthy losing skid, left the SECT early, barely made the NCAAT, yet went to the Final Four and held their own with the Zags.

The 2019-20 squad had a similar trend, but had rebounded pretty well going into the SECT that was cancelled due Covid.  Last season just needs to be trashed for the obvious reasons.

Those last few home games at the end of the 2019-20 season were some of the best I have watched since the 2016-17 season.

Nothing wrong with talking about replacements for Frank at this point, but I still think you have to give the guy the whole season and see what happens.

 
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