2025 WCBB Coaches Hot Seat edition

[CalWBBfan]

Skim's reporting on interviews. For all we know they made a request to talk and she did it out of courtesy. Considering she's local, per another poster, it's not a huge stretch.

Some posters have said the same about Mittie, who is also on this list. The name I'm curious about is the one Skim didn't mention.

I get that they called Charmin, but Missouri is not the kind of institution where Smith would be happy. Raising the Bar tourney…Pride Night…etc. The culture at Cal is a much better fit on so many levels, academic and otherwise.

 

[VA Huskie]

New era. I don't want to pee in your Cheerios but I really don't think in the time of super leagues and NIL that a team that has not done anything in decades is going to be able to suddenly emerge as a power. Good (but not by no means great) WBB programs, like my Cyclones, are going to have a tough time even staying "good" here in Wisconsin's Midwest region. Throw in a soon to retire coach at ISU into the mix of NIL and super leagues and we might be in some big trouble especially if the coach runs out his watch with a senior class and nothing in the roster pipeline behind it. I seriously believe we have a two year window for a league title and NCAA run and then a period of great uncertainty and a real possibility or just wondering in the wilderness of WNIT and the like.

My hometown Gophers, another regional team to Wisconsin, continue to struggle even with a good fan base and a hot region for players. The best they have been able to do is "okay".

Of course it is not impossible, just improbable like TCU catching lightning in a bottle with a new coach and portal home runs but can they actually sustain that? Going to be tough act to follow for Mark Campbell but he's impressed so far.

With that said, I'd kill to have the Badgers volleyball success in any of ISU's women's sports.

“Pee in your Cheerios” - what a disgusting thought☹️

 

[XXXBgEast]

New era. I don't want to pee in your Cheerios but I really don't think in the time of super leagues and NIL that a team that has not done anything in decades is going to be able to suddenly emerge as a power. Good (but not by no means great) WBB programs, like my Cyclones, are going to have a tough time even staying "good" here in Wisconsin's Midwest region. Throw in a soon to retire coach at ISU into the mix of NIL and super leagues and we might be in some big trouble especially if the coach runs out his watch with a senior class and nothing in the roster pipeline behind it. I seriously believe we have a two year window for a league title and NCAA run and then a period of great uncertainty and a real possibility or just wondering in the wilderness of WNIT and the like.

My hometown Gophers, another regional team to Wisconsin, continue to struggle even with a good fan base and a hot region for players. The best they have been able to do is "okay".

Of course it is not impossible, just improbable like TCU catching lightning in a bottle with a new coach and portal home runs but can they actually sustain that? Going to be tough act to follow for Mark Campbell but he's impressed so far.

With that said, I'd kill to have the Badgers volleyball success in any of ISU's women's sports.

Man, its like Illinois doesn't even exist.

 

[KnightBridgeAZ]

Being a nice guy has kept Uncle Joe around for a few years. It's becomes increasingly apparent, particularly since Veronica Burton left, that whatever once made him effective at GW and N'Western (for awhile) is not there anymore. Time to move on or sink further into the basement. Northwestern can fill a certain niche in the B1G (see Vandy & SEC), but the administration has to pay a good, youngish, energetic coach and give them a few years to establish a groundwork.

I met Joe back when he was at GW, he is indeed a nice guy, if a bit unusual. Still the only coach I've seen address the visiting fan group and thank them for coming.

What made him successful - and made Adia's reputation at Arizona - was having the right players at the right time. Granted Joe has aged, and my not have it anymore, but he also doesn't have the "right players" at the "right time". Neither does Adia. He had very talented players at GW, players that could have played in a power conference as we now see it. When your players are largely average - it is very hard to be much more than average.

 

[cancontent]

Seems like the likelihood of Neighbors being gone is increasing.

 

[triaddukefan]

I get that they called Charmin, but Missouri is not the kind of institution where Smith would be happy. Raising the Bar tourney…Pride Night…etc. The culture at Cal is a much better fit on so many levels, academic and otherwise.

The hell with Mizzou

 

[12au]

Seems like the likelihood of Neighbors being gone is increasing.

It did seem kinda ridiculous that they couldn't find someone to pay 1.1m, so they were just gonna run it back. Not that much money.

 

[cancontent]

It did seem kinda ridiculous that they couldn't find someone to pay 1.1m, so they were just gonna run it back. Not that much money.

Well, with Talia also confirming Northam's report, I'm guessing they found someone to fund it.

 

[Geew1992]

 

[12au]

So the Arkansas admins called Neighbors' bluff. They didn't pay buyout because they figured he'd resign anyway

 

[WBBTakeover]

That's just not it. Not saying that Neighbors is blameless (he definitely isn't), but the players who left did so for a variety of reasons. Most didn't hate playing for Neighbors - one did. Most of them like him.

Scott left because of locker room issues. Didn't like the fact that the upper classmen - especially Spencer, who was a very polarizing figure in the locker room -- treated her. A bit immature, a bit prima donna/me first, but didn't need to stand for some of the jealous, mean girl treatment she got.

Poffenbarger left for a few reasons, I think. She wanted to be nearer home, she didn't like getting yelled at consistently by her position coach, and she didn't want to play another year with Spencer. It wasn't just Scott who didn't like her.

Spencer left for money, plain and simple. She said so.

Dauda left because she didn't want to be the only good player left on the roster, and for better money (anything, literally, was better than what Arkansas was able to offer players last year). She barely gets scrub minutes at SC, which is really unfortunate.

Wolfenbarger - that's a different story. Lots of blame to go around here. She (and her family) did have beef with Neighbors, who they thought wasn't developing her to be a guard well enough. She also had some outside basketball things going on that interfered with her focus. A change of scene was probably what she needed. Though ... playing for Mulkey doesn't seem to have really upped her game all that much. At least she has accepted that she's better suited to play closer to the basket, which she would never have done at Arkansas.

Neighbors is responsible for the culture in the program, and he put too much faith in his seniors to keep things under control, imo. It blew up last year. And the crap recruiting the past two years just left the squad a shell of an SEC team.

Neighbors hasn't had any money to recruit since Scott's class signed. Which is why this year you had foreign kids and JUCOs mostly, and next year is two foreign kids and one pretty decent US player - and why he missed out on the top US kids he was going after (esp Snead). He claims that the Rev Share plan will allow them to be "uber aggressive" in the portal this offseason. We'll see.

Welp, now he's gone.

 

[Vowelguy]

I don't know why you keep listing Arkansas. My guy ain't going anywhere. Just saying.

 

[Vowelguy]

Open 7: Auburn, Mizzou, Arkansas // Houston, BYU, ASU // Wisconsin

P4 changes that could still happen? (Years at school)

• ACC: SMU (4)
• SEC: TAMU, Georgia
• BiG: NWern (17), Rutgers (3)
• B12: TxT (5), UCF (2)

Prob safe: UVa (3), Ariz (9)

 

[cancontent]

Open 6: Auburn, Mizzou, Arkansas // Houston, BYU, ASU

P4 changes that could still happen? (Years at school)

• ACC: SMU (4)
• SEC: TAMU, Georgia
• BiG: NWern (17), Wisconsin (4), Rutgers (3)
• B12: TxT (5), UCF (2)

Prob safe: UVa (3), Ariz (9)

Shouldn't Wisconsin be included in the "Open" category?

 

[bballnut90]

So the Arkansas admins called Neighbors' bluff. They didn't pay buyout because they figured he'd resign anyway

Question: why would he resign instead of forcing them to fire him? Optics? He’s leaving over a million dollars on the table

 

[Vowelguy]

Question: why would he resign instead of forcing them to fire him? Optics? He’s leaving over a million dollars on the table

Maybe he ran out of gas and didn’t have the energy for another bad season?

 

[Magy Cannon]

Hearing Molly Miller to AR

 

[KnightBridgeAZ]

Open 7: Auburn, Mizzou, Arkansas // Houston, BYU, ASU // Wisconsin

P4 changes that could still happen? (Years at school)

• ACC: SMU (4)
• SEC: TAMU, Georgia
• BiG: NWern (17), Rutgers (3)
• B12: TxT (5), UCF (2)

Prob safe: UVa (3), Ariz (9)

By the way, as much as Rutgers fans are drooling for a coaching change on their message board (and I don't think they are wrong, really), they are pretty realistic that it probably won't happen, as Rutgers has neither an AD nor a University President. It would seem unlikely, apparently her buy-out is something like 2.5 million.

 

[Plebe]

The rise and fall of Mike Neighbors.

He seemed to have an “it” factor for a while and the winds of the transfer portal were at his back. The peak was probably in Dungee's final year and then a brief plateau followed by a mild decline and then by a sudden death spiral with recent exodus of key players.

 

[Plebe]

View attachment 107687

Oh no, not the receipts again

 

[Dillon77]

Hearing Molly Miller to

According to this article by Mitchell Northam, "The Razorbacks will owe Neighbors a buyout of north of $1 million," so "resignation" is a nice term for being kicked out of the gym...seemingly on your own accord.

And, yes, Northam is hearing that Molly Miller is a prime (the prime?) candidate. Kellie Harper is apparently in the mix (Northam thinks she's not a candidate at Missouri anymore). Elena Lovato, another of Vic Schaefer's long-time assistants, is also mentioned.

MSN

 

[Dillon77]

Imported from the Transfer thread: in the article on the Reynolds sisters deciding West Lafayette isn't for them,
the writer had an update on B1G coaching situations, including this one:

"• In other Big Ten coaching news, Northwestern’s Joe McKeown is expected to return despite three straight seasons of nine victories. McKewon completed his 17th season with the Wildcats and has a 268-258 record with the program. Next season is McKeown’s 40th as a head coach."

Wow, could this be a case of Northwestern giving Joe his 40th year and not having to pay off some guaranteed monies?

 

[dws3665]

Welp, now he's gone.

Yup. A donor volunteered to pay the buyout. Not hard to understand, and I think most Ark fans both a) appreciate the highs of the Neighbors era, and b) think that it makes sense to move on at this point.

 

[dws3665]

So the Arkansas admins called Neighbors' bluff. They didn't pay buyout because they figured he'd resign anyway

He's getting his buyout.

 

[dws3665]

Question: why would he resign instead of forcing them to fire him? Optics? He’s leaving over a million dollars on the table

The staff were told they were being retained for one more year.
Subsequently, a donor informed Yurachek that they would pay the buyout for Neighbors if we got a certain coach, or if that coach were open to negotiate for the job (the story is a little vague here - whether it was a hard contingency or a more flexible one). Yurachek reached out to the coach, who either agreed to negotiate or accepted the job. Mike was given the option of being fired or resigning. He opted to resign (knowing he would still get his buyout). Until yesterday morning, the staff thought they had another year.