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[nwhoopfan]

My Blue Hose might be losing a coach

Is App. St. a step up from Presbyterian? From afar that seems like lateral if anything.

 

[triaddukefan]

Is App. St. a step up from Presbyterian? From afar that seems like lateral if anything.

HUGE step up. PC is the smallest school in D1. App State has about 21,000 students and a 8,500 seat arena. More money, bigger athletic budget, far greater ability to recruit. Plus the Sun Belt is a much better league than the Big South.

 

[GamecockFam]

My Blue Hose might be losing a coach

I was really impressed with her coaching and the buy in from her players. They just lacked the talent. I could see her being a rapid riser in the college ranks.

 

[WBBTakeover]

I was really impressed with her coaching and the buy in from her players. They just lacked the talent. I could see her being a rapid riser in the college ranks.

Agreed! They had great movement in their halfcourt sets but lacked the horses. I was honestly more impressed by them than I was with UNC.

 

[VA Huskie]

Didn't UVA lose to Clemson, Pitt, and Wake Forest this year? They also played on the first day of the ACCT, so that would indicate that they're right there in the basement with those teams.

Maybe Coach Mox can help them ascend, but I'm not sold on her. She's had some real talent on her two UVA teams (more McDonalds AA than her predecessors, including Debbie Ryan), but that's resulted in a 0.500 record so far. She's starting to give Banghart vibes.

You’re not wrong. They’re still closer to the basement than being in the chase. But they did win four games against ranked teams this year. My hope comes from the fact that they’re way better than the prior 4 years (Tina’s Time), when they lost 2/3 of their games. Yes she had a couple of McDonalds AA, but they were 1st years (excluding Brunelle, who was physically diminished). I see a different attitude that I’m hoping takes us forward. But Mox does have to demonstrate that she can recruit — portal or hs.

 

[VA Huskie]

Because the coaches themselves do that (to sell the program to other HS AAs). So does the fanbase.



I'm aware. Still, it doesn't stop coaches on the staff from selling the point to recruits or to potential season ticket holders, so why can't the presence of HS AAs be used in critiques of a program?



I'm aware of this as well, but there's also the other side--hot-shot young coaches who don't actually get these P5 programs off the ground.

The point of the matter is that UVA is a bottom-of-the-ACC program until further notice. They have not had a Top 3 or better ACC finish since the days of Debbie Ryan. They're not close to being at that level, and I don't know that they have the coach to take them there. Joanne Boyle couldn't. Tina Thompson was a joke. Mox is an incomplete right now, but the trends don't look to be in her favor.

The trends have been way better than the prior 4 years. Yes she’s an incomplete, but let’s not write her off yet.

 

[Ladeeeeda]

Because the coaches themselves do that (to sell the program to other HS AAs). So does the fanbase.



I'm aware. Still, it doesn't stop coaches on the staff from selling the point to recruits or to potential season ticket holders, so why can't the presence of HS AAs be used in critiques of a program?



I'm aware of this as well, but there's also the other side--hot-shot young coaches who don't actually get these P5 programs off the ground.

The point of the matter is that UVA is a bottom-of-the-ACC program until further notice. They have not had a Top 3 or better ACC finish since the days of Debbie Ryan. They're not close to being at that level, and I don't know that they have the coach to take them there. Joanne Boyle couldn't. Tina Thompson was a joke. Mox is an incomplete right now, but the trends don't look to be in her favor.

So thw evaluation of a coach/program is partially based on a coach's sales pitch? Well, I don't even know what to say to that. Listening to a salesperson talk about their product or a competing product without evaluating the efficacy of their statements seems to ensure a biased viewpoint.

 

[WBBTakeover]

You’re not wrong. They’re still closer to the basement than being in the chase. But they did win four games against ranked teams this year. My hope comes from the fact that they’re way better than the prior 4 years (Tina’s Time), when they lost 2/3 of their games. Yes she had a couple of McDonalds AA, but they were 1st years (excluding Brunelle, who was physically diminished). I see a different attitude that I’m hoping takes us forward. But Mox does have to demonstrate that she can recruit — portal or hs.

My point is that UVA is still in the basement, ranked wins notwithstanding. They have two fewer ACC wins than the train wreck that is Tina Thompson had in her first two ACC seasons. The ACC Tournament performances have been disastrous so far. We've seen the impact that freshmen/1st years can have on a program (JuJu, Hannah, Madison Booker, MiLaysia), so I'm not sure why their class would be mentioned (especially since one of them was a 2nd team All-ACC selection). Yes, Sam Brunelle had physical limitations, but her transferring in was hyped up beyond someone just coming home. She was being sold as a star--until she wasn't.

There is a lot of excitement from those who have followed the program recently (Thompson and Mox days), but as someone who has followed the program since well before that (i.e., the days of Debbie Ryan--and not just the Staley/Reiss/Burge twins high point), I'm not as impressed as you all are with Mox. I see some troubling signs that are being ignored. Sure, Mox is bringing the energy (Tina brought none--she was lazy) that one would like to see from a new young coach. But she's also bringing the arrogance and callousness that I would rather not see from someone in her position. I believed that, at the time of her hiring, the AD could've done better, and I maintain that position two years later.

Anyway, I'll end the Mox/UVA-specific discussion here so that we can return to the original focus of the thread (coaches getting fired and hired).

 

[WBBTakeover]

So thw evaluation of a coach/program is partially based on a coach's sales pitch?

Um, yes. The discrepancy between what was promised and what was delivered is open to scrutiny.

 

[triaddukefan]

 

[Vowelguy]

New Hampshire coach resigned after 4 years.

 

[cancontent]

Interesting. Didn't expect to see Keiger on this list.

 

[Dillon77]

Interesting. Didn't expect to see Keiger on this list.

Nor I ...
The word "among" caught my eye....wonder if this is slightly larger than these three?
Griffith is a Columbia alum and former player who does has done stellar work there, establishing a solid program.
Wonder if she's wedded to staying in NYC and/or the Mid-Atlantic (she's from Main Line region of Philly) or if she venture to the U.

 

[WBBTakeover]

Interesting. Didn't expect to see Keiger on this list.

I did.

Kieger coached under Katie Meier during a time when Miami was starting to assert itself in the ACC (with Shenise Johnson and Riquna Williams). This is a case of a mentor trying to toss her mentee a bone/lifeline. It's easier (at least for now) to recruit the type of athletes that Kieger wants to coach at a school like Miami than it is at Penn State. She wouldn't have to worry about hitching her wagon to moderately-athletic Wisconsinites anymore.

That said, I don't think she's earned the position.

 

[cancontent]

Nor I ...
The word "among" caught my eye....wonder if this is slightly larger than these three?
Griffith is a Columbia alum and former player who does has done stellar work there, establishing a solid program.
Wonder if she's wedded to staying in NYC and/or the Mid-Atlantic (she's from Main Line region of Philly) or if she venture to the U.

Good question. Since posting it, Northam updated his post noting Fernandez is not interested and out of the running. As you say, stay tuned.

 

[WBBTakeover]

Good question. Since posting it, Northam updated his post noting Fernandez is not interested and out of the running. As you say, stay tuned.

I'm still surprised by Jose's decision. Seemed like a decent enough fit. But maybe Katie is looking for a woman to replace her and he sensed that.

 

[cancontent]

I did.

Kieger coached under Katie Meier during a time when Miami was starting to assert itself in the ACC (with Shenise Johnson and Riquna Williams). This is a case of a mentor trying to toss her mentee a bone/lifeline. It's easier (at least for now) to recruit the type of athletes that Kieger wants to coach at a school like Miami than it is at Penn State. She wouldn't have to worry about hitching her wagon to moderately-athletic Wisconsinites anymore.

That said, I don't think she's earned the position.

Dang, what did the state of Wisconsin do to you? That was a stray I didn't expect in this response.

 

[KnightBridgeAZ]

Dang, what did the state of Wisconsin do to you? That was a stray I didn't expect in this response.

That was a bit unfair, but there "is" a stereotype (or was in years past) of the type of players that schools like Wisconsin and it's neighbors tended to recruit locally. I don't know they were local, but I think of Ohio State's run of centers (including Jessica Davenport, IIRC) and other teams that were bigger and less athletic than some of their opponents. Even Iowa at one time. Kansas too.

 

[cancontent]

That was a bit unfair, but there "is" a stereotype (or was in years past) of the type of players that schools like Wisconsin and it's neighbors tended to recruit locally. I don't know they were local, but I think of Ohio State's run of centers (including Jessica Davenport, IIRC) and other teams that were bigger and less athletic than some of their opponents. Even Iowa at one time. Kansas too.

Yikes. This would be the equivalent of a Canadian labelling players from Alberta or Saskatchewan being athletically challenged.

 

[WBBTakeover]

Dang, what did the state of Wisconsin do to you? That was a stray I didn't expect in this response.

Nothing! It was more of a swipe at Natisha Hiedeman (not a fan) specifically.

 

[cancontent]

Nothing! It was more of a swipe at Natisha Hiedeman (not a fan) specifically.

So, a random shot at the home state of someone who has been able to sustain a mutli-year WNBA career. Got it. If that's what you consider moderately athletic, I'd take it in a heartbeat.

 

[KnightBridgeAZ]

Yikes. This would be the equivalent of a Canadian labelling players from Alberta or Saskatchewan being athletically challenged.

I didn't say it was accurate - but that was what fans at Rutgers back in the late '90's and early 2000's were saying about the mid-west teams, based largely on the style of play that some of the coaches (especially in the Big 10) favored. It was perceived that this was one of the reasons Vivian was successful at Iowa and even, much later, why Maryland was such a splash when they joined the B1G.

Every conference tended to be "characterized" by fans from other conferences, especially at a time when there were very long time coaches - many of whom built the leagues - setting the tone. Now, even apart from conference realignment, those days are gone forever.

 

[JstVisiting]

Is App. St. a step up from Presbyterian? From afar that seems like lateral if anything.

Multiple steps up. It’s a bigger jump than from bottom of the Big West to upper tier West Coast.

Presbyterian is the poorest athletic department in the 33rd rated Big South (Massey). Appalachian State’s budget is upper half of the 14th ranked Sunbelt, and in most sports they generally overachieve relative to budget.

PC is private, but wealthier conference mates Upstate and UNC-Asheville have budgets just shy of 9m, and, unlike Presbyterian, neither of them play football. App State is spending 38.5m.

PC should be D2. Some admin moved them up to pad his resume and they’ve been too proud to admit the mistake and go back down. They stopped playing a heated football rival of 100 years bc Newberry stayed in D2 and continued to beat them.

 

[JstVisiting]

Yikes. This would be the equivalent of a Canadian labelling players from Alberta or Saskatchewan being athletically challenged.

But teams from Alberta and Saskatchewan are athletically challenged.

 

[LETTERL]

They stopped playing a heated football rival of 100 years bc Newberry stayed in D2 and continued to beat them.

A Newberry College reference!! I taught math at Newberry as an adjunct instructor for 5 years. It was my first experience teaching college athletes. Maybe because it was Division II...but they all came to class as they were expected to...and several of the coaches wanted to know if any of their students were absent.

At that time, I had a no make-up policy on quizzes. One morning a volleyball player missed class and missed a quiz. Later that morning, she came to me in tears because she had overslept and missed her morning classes and was terrified of what her coach might do to her and how the team would be punished for that. I allayed her fears that I wouldn't let the coach know she had missed...and did allow her to make up the quiz in my office before she went to practice.