Baylor hires Atlanta Dream HC Nicki Collen as its next HC

[SECbbfan24]

Thanks for the update. Do you have any idea if Brock will be retained at Baylor?

I’m assuming he will coach at Baylor if they retain him. If not he will likely retire. He’s up in age and all his family is local, I think Baylor is his last job in terms of coaching. He’s past the point in his life moving and starting over.

 

[oldude]

I’m assuming he will coach at Baylor if they retain him. If not he will likely retire. He’s up in age and all his family is local, I think Baylor is his last job in terms of coaching. He’s past the point in his life moving and starting over.

I have always believed that coaching transitions generally work better if a new HC retains at least one member of the outgoing staff that’s familiar with the players, the administration, etc. If Collen doesn’t rehire Brock, that will signal a complete house cleaning which can be challenging when everything she does will inevitably be compared to a HOF coach.

 

[Ozimoto]

See the drama at Notre Dame over the staff when Neile took over...

 

[SimpleDawg]

I love this idea that Big programs can just buy their next coach and raid Louisville or whatever other established program coach is hot. The only ones that I can think of that did that is Texas twice with GG and Vic, and now LSU with Kim - with GG and Kim they were already on the outs with their school/AD, and everyone knew Vic was headed back to Texas as soon as a good job showed up. I don't even include Mike Neighbors as 1) he wasn't really 'established' at Washington and left the place after his one good class graduated, 2) he was headed home, 3) he left the cupboard empty - I don't think Jody Wynn was responsible for 1-17 in the Pac her first season.

The fact is the choices for HC for all programs most of the time are: 1) really good assistant coaches at really good programs, 2) really good HC at lower level D1 programs, 3) itinerant HC at P5 programs that have not established themselves/their program, 4) really good coaches at really good programs at D2/D3 level. It appears that WNBA HC is a now also being tapped. Another one to add to that list was Seton Hall hiring Anne Donovan - also not a success. Most HC hires are mediocre at best in WCBB, MCBB, and FBS - it is a tough, competitive world in college sports and D1 and even P5 is full of mediocre programs in all sports many of which have always been mediocre.

The bright spot for this hire is that WNBA HC is a small part of the resume and college assistant is a larger portion of the resume - one also hopes her husband provides some extra support in the intricacies of being a college HC.

It also appears that they reached out to at least one of the 'itinerant P5' HC before settling on this hire.

It's really hard to pluck a top coach from an established school no matter what caliber program you are. This is obvi.

 

[fang]

What strikes me about the hire: white, married, heterosexual. History suggests that these are at least as important to Baylor as coaching credentials.

 

[UcMiami]

What strikes me about the hire: white, married, heterosexual. History suggests that these are at least as important to Baylor as coaching credentials.

I'll give you the second and third, but not the first. I would replace that with Christian. (Reportedly they reached out to GA HC during the process afterall.)

It's really hard to pluck a top coach from an established school no matter what caliber program you are. This is obvi.

And it isn't just plug and play either if you do: GG was a disaster in TX when everyone thought TX had hit the lottery!

 

[KnightBridgeAZ]

I’m assuming he will coach at Baylor if they retain him. If not he will likely retire. He’s up in age and all his family is local, I think Baylor is his last job in terms of coaching. He’s past the point in his life moving and starting over.

He just got into the Assistant Coach Hall of Fame, which I had never heard of, with, among others on the women's side, Jolette Law (now at SC) and former Tennessee and elsewhere assistant Al Brown. It was an interesting list, I don't follow men's BB so the only name I recognized was the late Bill Guthrie (NC). Someone from Rutgers, but no idea who he is.

 

[Go/huskies]

I’m assuming he will coach at Baylor if they retain him. If not he will likely retire. He’s up in age and all his family is local, I think Baylor is his last job in terms of coaching. He’s past the point in his life moving and starting over.

Or he could head to Austin, I believe Vic is in need of a post coach.

 

[SECbbfan24]

Or he could head to Austin, I believe Vic is in need of a post coach.

Didn’t they just hire someone?

 

[southie]

Didn’t they just hire someone?

Not a replacement post coach for the departed Johnnie Harris. Texas fans have been wondering what the delay is as Harris left for Auburn like 4-5 weeks ago. Perhaps Vic is waiting on someone to make a decision . . .

 

[Go/huskies]

Hiring a ‘home run’ head coach is like catching lightning in a bottle. Pat Summit was hired as a graduate assistant and got promoted to head coach when her predecessor quit. Geno had no division one head coaching experience when he took over UCONN. Coale was a high school coach before Oklahoma. Louisville was Walz’s first head coach job. All of them were the right person in the right place at the right time. I almost think you are better off taking a chance on someone very promising than trying to buy an established head coach. You just don’t know if their style will be successful at another school.

Or you could say they brought in the right recruit at the right time. Pat had Edwards, Geno had Bascom, Sherri had Whaley, and Jeff had McCoughtry. I’m not convinced that Collen will keep Baylor at an elite level, history has the odds against her, but who knows maybe Dauda will be that player who will help keep the program relevant.

 

[Adriacus]

Collen's 1st bad year had nothing to with players opting out. It was basically the same team she had the previous year minus the team's best player Angel McCoughtry.

McCoughtry, Dantas & Clarendon [the latter two collectively averaging about 31 mpg]. Best player and two rotation players [key subs]. No impact adds. Basically replacing about 30% of the team’s minutes.

 

[Baylorfan]

I’m a BU fan. I was surprised by the hire, but the more I listen to her, the more confidence I gain. We will play pro-style wbb. Perhaps more exciting and attractive to today’s recruits. Collen knows she can’t even try to be Kim Mulkey and will be herself. Geno is fantastic, but when he retires you will see that he can’t be reinvented. No one will match his record, just as no one can match Kim’s. And established Coaches will use your interest to simply get pay raises where the are. UConn is a great program, and I wish you the best. Just be sure not to discount Collen too quickly. I think she will do well.

 

[Plebe]

I’m a BU fan. I was surprised by the hire, but the more I listen to her, the more confidence I gain. We will play pro-style wbb. Perhaps more exciting and attractive to today’s recruits.

Just a side note FWIW: I'm pretty sure I remember Steph White saying the exact same thing when she took the Vanderbilt job.

 

[chrissaran]

I love lobster bisque and loathe corn chowder.