Opening at Vandy

[ThisJustIn]

Twitter-sphere is talking about a press conference tomorrow...

 

[Vowelguy]

Vanderbilt's Melanie Balcomb out as women's basketball coach

rather late - wonder why they waited so long.
they just lost 7 weeks while other coaches got snapped up.

 

[Vowelguy]

Former coach Jim Foster is in not too far away in Chattanooga ... (ha)
I wonder if there'd be any interest in/from Courtney Banghart. She certainly already has experience in coaching at a high-quality institution.
Or Niele Ivey?

 

[HuskyFan1125]

While I'm not surprised it's not as if Balcomb is a bad coach. She is an x an o offensive coach.

Could make a real good assistant for an offensive struggling team.

 

[Vowelguy]

Mike Flynn's "alpha list" is:
Gottlieb from Cal
Neighbors from Wash
Cullop from Toledo
Langley from Rice
Ex UNC great Charlotte smith from Elon
Carolyn peck
Tonya cardoza
Pitt assistant McCconnell

Gottlieb and Neighbors seem like long shots. The rest are not too impressive.

 

[Charliebball]

Former coach Jim Foster is in not too far away in Chattanooga ... (ha)
I wonder if there'd be any interest in/from Courtney Banghart. She certainly already has experience in coaching at a high-quality institution.
Or Niele Ivey?

yes let's get Niele Ivey out of ND.............her recruiting success is ticking me off!!

 

[Charliebball]

While I'm not surprised it's not as if Balcomb is a bad coach. She is an x an o offensive coach.

Could make a real good assistant for an offensive struggling team.

310-149 is a pretty darn good record for most coaches..........in the few games I saw them they kind of looked disinterested, she must have lost the locker room at some point

 

[Goodgood]

310-149 is a pretty darn good record for most coaches.....in the few games I saw them they kind of looked disinterested, she must have lost the locker room at some point

Too busy looking for stuffs from Geno to report to the NCAA

 

[Dillon77]

Mike Flynn's "alpha list" is:
Gottlieb from Cal
Neighbors from Wash
Cullop from Toledo
Langley from Rice
Ex UNC great Charlotte smith from Elon
Carolyn peck
Tonya cardoza
Pitt assistant McCconnell

Gottlieb and Neighbors seem like long shots. The rest are not too impressive.

Based on this list (if at all accurate in intent if not accuracy), I'd say Vandy is looking to improve that SEC record and get back in the upper echelon. Apparently, they're returning most of their starters/scorers and have one of the higher rated (highest?) rated
recruiting classes coming into the SEC (link below).

So, I'm not sure they'd want to take a chance on an assistant having his/her first HC job, which is why I don't think they'd go after Niele Ivey and/or Shea Ralph (no matter how much some folks would like to see Ms. Ivey elsehwere ).

One candidate I can think of that is not listed is Gail Goestenkors, who has a bit of experience coaching in an academic-demanding setting and is open to possibilities. (Or will she wait to see what the fall-out in Durham brings?) And I agree with Courtney Banghart of Princeton being an interesting consideration, for the same reasons.

Still, why wait so long to make this move?

Women's Basketball

 

[BIGMAC]

How about that number "1" women at Duke? What's her name again?

 

[KnightBridgeAZ]

Mike Flynn's "alpha list" is:
Gottlieb from Cal
Neighbors from Wash
Cullop from Toledo
Langley from Rice
Ex UNC great Charlotte smith from Elon
Carolyn peck
Tonya cardoza
Pitt assistant McCconnell

Gottlieb and Neighbors seem like long shots. The rest are not too impressive.

I don't see Neighbors going anywhere. Some of these folks I don't know, Peck is probably being mentioned because that's her alma mater, I personally never thought she was a great coach (a "rah" style coach) the 1 NC be darned. Is the Pitt assistant Kathy McConnell-Miller? She's related to Grentz as well as her head coach, so I know her record, very non-impressive.

 

[triaddukefan]

I know of a coach who is currently at a Power 5 private institution in the South who might just be available soon

 

[Dillon77]

Here's an article from The Tennessean from last night (April 27th) on possible HC possibilities for the Vandy job who have in-state connections. Well-researched...there's a lot of coaches working at the mid-major or (next) level down that are doing some good work.

One name that caught my attention was Kallie Jolly Harper, the former Tennessee guard under Coach Summitt. Not so much for this position, but for that one in Knoxville if things don't keep going upwards. Here's the thumbnail on her:

Kellie Jolly Harper (Missouri State): A former White County High and Lady Vols point guard, Harper has been a head coach at Western Carolina, North Carolina State and currently Missouri State. In 12 seasons, she has a 224-172 record, four NCAA Tournament appearances and five WNIT berths. Her Missouri State team went 24-10 this season. She won three national titles as UT’s point guard under Pat Summitt.

Here's the link to the entire article. As I said, it's an interesting round-up : Vanderbilt women's coach options with in-state ties

In addition to any of these folks, still think it's worth a call to two coaches who have experience in a Vandy-like situation:
Gail Goestenkors (Duke) and Courtney Banghart (Princeton). At the very least, they might offer some advice.

 

[Vowelguy]

Lol. Harper had a premium job at NC State and failed.
It may have just been the wrong time, but she needs to do more at Missouri st to justify a return to top tier jobs.imho.

 

[UcMiami]

Carolyn Peck's name keeps getting onto lists of possible hires - name comes up in threads at TN frequently. Has she ever given an indication that she wants to go back to coaching? I have never seen an hint that she has interviewed for a job, she is 10 years out of coaching and unfortunately for my ears seems to have found a stead job on the broadcast side as 'The Coach'. Just seems strange.

Of the others - I thought TN hated Vandy and Vandy returned the favor - is having a strong TN connection really a plus? I know it is ancient history for people looking for jobs, but ... It would have the same fan effect of Shea taking the TN job wouldn't it?

Agree about Harper - she has done very well at mid-majors turning two programs into winners sandwiched around a failure at NC State - she should probably get another chance at the P5 level, but maybe in a few years when she has a longer track record - four year stints as a HC doesn't look that good in terms of building and sustaining. (A concern I would have had with the TN assistant hire who seems to do a lot of three year stints before moving on - meaning she is only around for one recruiting cycle.)

I do think regional sensibilities are a consideration in hiring a HC - there can be cultural variations regionally that just don't mix well - GG being the poster woman for that issue. If rumors about Balcomb's salary are correct then Vanderbilt has a pot of money to tempt current HCs away from successful programs - there are certainly a few on that list that are interesting while most are not very impressive. On assumes Vandy will be casting a wider net and the job should be considered 'plum' - great academic institution with a history of solid support for the program and in the SEC.

 

[Dillon77]

Lol. Harper had a premium job at NC State and failed.
It may have just been the wrong time, but she needs to do more at Missouri st to justify a return to top tier jobs.imho.

I knew that...and conveniently forgot about it when I saw it this morning. Not enough coffee when I posted it. Out of sight lines, out of mind. Well, we'll if she can continue to get it together at this stint and work her way back into P5 positions.

 

[Dillon77]

Carolyn Peck's name keeps getting onto lists of possible hires - name comes up in threads at TN frequently. Has she ever given an indication that she wants to go back to coaching? I have never seen an hint that she has interviewed for a job, she is 10 years out of coaching and unfortunately for my ears seems to have found a stead job on the broadcast side as 'The Coach'. Just seems strange.

Of the others - I thought TN hated Vandy and Vandy returned the favor - is having a strong TN connection really a plus? I know it is ancient history for people looking for jobs, but ... It would have the same fan effect of Shea taking the TN job wouldn't it?

Agree about Harper - she has done very well at mid-majors turning two programs into winners sandwiched around a failure at NC State - she should probably get another chance at the P5 level, but maybe in a few years when she has a longer track record - four year stints as a HC doesn't look that good in terms of building and sustaining. (A concern I would have had with the TN assistant hire who seems to do a lot of three year stints before moving on - meaning she is only around for one recruiting cycle.)

I do think regional sensibilities are a consideration in hiring a HC - there can be cultural variations regionally that just don't mix well - GG being the poster woman for that issue. If rumors about Balcomb's salary are correct then Vanderbilt has a pot of money to tempt current HCs away from successful programs - there are certainly a few on that list that are interesting while most are not very impressive. On assumes Vandy will be casting a wider net and the job should be considered 'plum' - great academic institution with a history of solid support for the program and in the SEC.

Given that the Men's team just made a hire, it will be interesting to see what direction Vandy decision-makers go. Successful mid-major? Somewhat younger? Or, as you and I both said, look at a wider net given Vandy's pedigree? The cupboard is not bare and there's a good recruiting class on tap. Throw in the probable good salary as another lure and this could draw a surprising candidate.

As for the Tennessean list, I'm not so much proposing anyone on it as much as finding it interesting to see what's in-state --where they come from, what they've done, where they could go. While I agree that regional considerations are important, how much so for a place like Vandy or Duke, as opposed to a state school? The private schools do recruit locally/regionally but also are casting a wider geographical net, much as they do with their overall student body. So a GG can/did well at one place, not so well at another (although a guy like Foster has worked both sides of that aisle...but think he's too senior at this point.) The other differentiating factor that transcends regionalism, of course, is success and few schools attain that (UConn, Tenn back in the day). Stay tuned.

As for Peck, not getting that either....

 

[HoopsFan21]

Guess Mo'ne Davis will be crossing Vandy off her official visit list.

 

[UcMiami]

While I agree that regional considerations are important, how much so for a place like Vandy or Duke, as opposed to a state school? The private schools do recruit locally/regionally but also are casting a wider geographical net, much as they do with their overall student body. So a GG can/did well at one place, not so well at another (although a guy like Foster has worked both sides of that aisle...but think he's too senior at this point.) The other differentiating factor that transcends regionalism, of course, is success and few schools attain that (UConn, Tenn back in the day).

I am not thinking so much about the specifics of recruiting players, but more about a coach fitting into a local culture - Duke and the research triangle while in NC are a pretty neutral culture, in a transitional state. Vandy is definitely deep south (genteel, not redneck but still deep south) in the way the UTx is definitely Texas, and Cal/Stanford are definitely West Coast, and Uconn is definitely New England, or ND is midwestern. Some coaches can blend into any of those cultures and big city locations can be less distinct, but other coaches just can't adapt that well.

 

[RockyMTblue2]

Gail Goestenkors

She has said, repeatedly, she is not interested in going back to being an NCAA WCBB head coach. What makes you think she is just waiting for "the right opportunity" which would not be Vanderbilt, unless she wants a job with mediocre recruiting options and less than stellar positioning in conference?

 

[Dillon77]

She has said, repeatedly, she is not interested in going back to being an NCAA WCBB head coach. What makes you think she is just waiting for "the right opportunity" which would not be Vanderbilt, unless she wants a job with mediocre recruiting options and less than stellar positioning in conference?

Re: the "mediocre recruiting options and less than stellar positioning in conference." Obviously, the Vandy AD agrees with you regarding the positioning because he's looking for a new coach. However, HoopGurlz thought their 2016 recruiting class was worthy of a top 20 designation, which placed it best in the SEC this year. Here's that link for context: 2016 Women's Basketball Class Rankings

As for the NCAA coaching, I read that off a cut and pasted tweet, either on this board or another one I frequent.
I went googling hard and, alas, couldn't find it...but also could not find one saying what her immediate plans are after resigning from Indiana.

Off to the NFL draft!

 

[RockyMTblue2]

Re: the "mediocre recruiting options and less than stellar positioning in conference." Obviously, the Vandy AD agrees with you regarding the positioning because he's looking for a new coach. However, HoopGurlz thought their 2016 recruiting class was worthy of a top 20 designation, which placed it best in the SEC this year. Here's that link for context: 2016 Women's Basketball Class Rankings

As for the NCAA coaching, I read that off a cut and pasted tweet, either on this board or another one I frequent.
I went googling hard and, alas, couldn't find it...but also could not find one saying what her immediate plans are after resigning from Indiana.

Off to the NFL draft!

You're right. But so am I. Disappointed in Vandy, but that has been their song for so long. As for Gail, I can't find that elusive quote either, but she's made herself a very chancey hire for a couple of reasons.

 

[UcMiami]

She has said, repeatedly, she is not interested in going back to being an NCAA WCBB head coach. What makes you think she is just waiting for "the right opportunity" which would not be Vanderbilt, unless she wants a job with mediocre recruiting options and less than stellar positioning in conference?

Well, she went where the money was when she grabbed the TX cash, and whatever she is making as an assistant in the WNBA is a pittance compared to that, so she might get tempted again and she is still coaching unlike Peck. That said, whatever she left TX with has likely got her pretty well set for life so she doesn't have to chase a big payday at the expense of headaches.

As P5 jobs go, Vanderbilt isn't bad - very good academic reputation and solid funding and support.

 

[Dillon77]

You're right. But so am I. Disappointed in Vandy, but that has been their song for so long. As for Gail, I can't find that elusive quote either, but she's made herself a very chancey hire for a couple of reasons.

Hey...taking a break from the NFL draft. If I find that quote, I'll let you know. If I have a medical check that cast that into doubt, I'll let you know too.