Coaching Hot Seat 2021 | The Boneyard

Coaching Hot Seat 2021

Joined
Aug 24, 2011
Messages
21,266
Reaction Score
50,264
Don’t know when contracts end but coaches I would think are in danger:

SEC
Auburn (TFWs 9th yr)
maybe Fl (4th yr) but not sure he’s been there long enough
LSU is not terrible but is that the standard?
Vandy — White may get one more bc of COVID but things have not gone well

BIG
Purdue
Wisconsin? (5th yr)
Illinois — Nancy Fahey (4th yr) experiment not working but they may give her more time

PAC
Wash — this is her 4th year
Utah?

ACC
None?

B12
Oklahoma?
 

nwhoopfan

hopeless West Coast homer
Joined
Feb 16, 2017
Messages
28,778
Reaction Score
52,996
PAC
Wash — this is her 4th year
Utah?
Colorado?

I can't believe Wynn has a 6 year contract. I don't expect they'll pull the trigger now, but if next year is more of the same, it has to be her last season. There's just no way to justify keeping a coach winning well under 20% of her conference games.
 

bballnut90

LV Adherent. Topic Crafter
Joined
Dec 19, 2011
Messages
6,923
Reaction Score
29,889
Don’t know when contracts end but coaches I would think are in danger:

SEC
Auburn (TFWs 9th yr)
maybe Fl (4th yr) but not sure he’s been there long enough
LSU is not terrible but is that the standard?
Vandy — White may get one more bc of COVID but things have not gone well

BIG
Purdue
Wisconsin? (5th yr)
Illinois — Nancy Fahey (4th yr) experiment not working but they may give her more time

PAC
Wash — this is her 4th year
Utah?

ACC
None?

B12
Oklahoma?

I'm guessing most hot seat coaches will get a pass due to covid. Probably wouldn't be the best PR move to fire a coach in a non-revenue sport this offseason.
 

nwhoopfan

hopeless West Coast homer
Joined
Feb 16, 2017
Messages
28,778
Reaction Score
52,996
I'm guessing most hot seat coaches will get a pass due to covid. Probably wouldn't be the best PR move to fire a coach in a non-revenue sport this offseason.
I agree, which is gonna buy several coaches an extra year that they absolutely do not deserve.
 

DefenseBB

Snark is always appreciated!
Joined
Nov 10, 2016
Messages
7,862
Reaction Score
28,465
Don’t know when contracts end but coaches I would think are in danger:

SEC
Auburn (TFWs 9th yr)
maybe Fl (4th yr) but not sure he’s been there long enough
LSU is not terrible but is that the standard?
Vandy — White may get one more bc of COVID but things have not gone well

BIG
Purdue
Wisconsin? (5th yr)
Illinois — Nancy Fahey (4th yr) experiment not working but they may give her more time

PAC
Wash — this is her 4th year
Utah?

ACC
None?

B12
Oklahoma?
As we know, no coaches will get fired BUT contract with contracts expiring will probably not get an extension.
Auburn Terri Williams-Flournoy contract expires 2023
LSU Nikki Fargas expires 2022
Vanderbilt Stephanie White expires 2022

Purdue Sharon Versyp expires 2022
Wisconsin Jonathan Tsipis expires 2024
Illinois Nancy Fahey expires 2025

Washington Jody "NWhoopfan loves me" Wynn expires 2023
Utah Lynn Roberts expires 2023
California Charmain Smith expires 2024

Oklahoma Sherri Coale expires 2024
ACC has Virginia Tina Thompson expires 2023

SEC also has Cameron Newbauer whose contract does expire 2021 but he did sign Briggs and they are much improved.

Unless some of these "hotseat coaches" with expiring contract in 2022 ask their AD for an extension like Joanne P. McCallie and then resign when one isn't offered, I don't think we will see any P5 coaching changes.
 
Joined
Dec 14, 2011
Messages
574
Reaction Score
983
DefenseBB is right, do not see coaches being bought out. Looks like very few hot seat coaches have contract ending in 2021.

The other way jobs could open are through retirement. Muffet caught me by surprise last year. Could there be other coaches who decide I want to travel and vacation once the world opens back up instead of grinding it out in the coaching ranks?
 
Joined
Nov 21, 2018
Messages
6,839
Reaction Score
17,073
LSU is not terrible but is that the standard?
Losing record this season, year 10, has not won a NCAAT game in over 7 years and likely not making it again this year.

Doubt they fire her during COVID year but zero reason for any extensions. The extension excuses for "recruiting purposes" are dumb. They extend for that reason but refuse to want to pay the buyout after that. It completely goes against logic.
 

Coler

LSU/Rutgers fan
Joined
Sep 1, 2011
Messages
1,791
Reaction Score
2,762
If Purdue pulls the plug, I think that GG should be the first person called for it. Either Purdue or Wisconsin. I would love to see GG coaching in the B1G.
 
Joined
Dec 6, 2014
Messages
1,064
Reaction Score
4,000
I’d think that Tina Thompson would be vulnerable at some point. The only Top 100 recruit she’s had in 3-4 years was Shimera Williams - and she transferred out after 1 year. Multiple other transfers out as well. You can’t build a strong program in the ACC without good recruiting. I gave her a pass her first couple of years, but when she had no top recruits for 2020/21 and currently has no top commits for next year - I’m worried.
 
Joined
Aug 24, 2011
Messages
21,266
Reaction Score
50,264
I’d think that Tina Thompson would be vulnerable at some point. The only Top 100 recruit she’s had in 3-4 years was Shimera Williams - and she transferred out after 1 year. Multiple other transfers out as well. You can’t build a strong program in the ACC without good recruiting. I gave her a pass her first couple of years, but when she had no top recruits for 2020/21 and currently has no top commits for next year - I’m worried.
This was only her 3rd year.
 
Joined
Dec 6, 2014
Messages
1,064
Reaction Score
4,000
This was only her 3rd year.
Sorry, my bad. I wasn’t sure and was too lazy to look it up. However, next year, as her 4th year, still has no ranked recruits. I don’t know how long her contact is for, but I do know schools are losing $$ due to COVID. So a buyout is unlikely. I, for one, hope she can turn it around.
 
Joined
Dec 14, 2011
Messages
574
Reaction Score
983
Depends on the value of the buy out, right?

Isn't it usually whatever is remaining on their contract? Maybe there are exceptions but for example if a coach had 1 year left and made $400k, I assume the buyout is $400k? In women's basketball the programs often are already money losers so AD's don't want to pay a buyout. Especially now with the budget issues thanks to COVID, just seems like low odds.

Maybe there are some programs who have a coach with a buyout that is very low. I just haven't heard of one yet.
 

DefenseBB

Snark is always appreciated!
Joined
Nov 10, 2016
Messages
7,862
Reaction Score
28,465
Sorry, my bad. I wasn’t sure and was too lazy to look it up. However, next year, as her 4th year, still has no ranked recruits. I don’t know how long her contact is for, but I do know schools are losing $$ due to COVID. So a buyout is unlikely. I, for one, hope she can turn it around.
Like I posted above, the good news is she only got a 5 year contract (2023) vs. someone like Kyra Elzy who got 6 years!

What did surprise and many Bulldogs fans can at least console themselves is Nikki McCray-Penson only got a 4 year deal so hers expires in 2024. I have not found any other P5 coaches who received only a 4 year initial contract, most are 5 and 1/3 are 6 years. Why anyone would give 6 years anyway is beyond me but it happens more than it should. 5 years allows 3 full years of their recruits, their 2nd year would be any recruits they could sway from other schools who hadn't signed the end of their Junior year of HS (the 1st year is the prior coaches recruits who were sprng semester seniors in HS when the new was hired).

The new paradigm of pay will also be interesting given lower revenue.
 
Joined
Aug 24, 2011
Messages
21,266
Reaction Score
50,264
Isn't it usually whatever is remaining on their contract? Maybe there are exceptions but for example if a coach had 1 year left and made $400k, I assume the buyout is $400k?
Don’t think so.
pretty sure I can recall cases where a shaky coach got a 1 year extension (because players won’t commit to a school if they think the coach is done), but the fine print is that the buyout is quite small. The coach gets the longer contract for recruiting but the school can still pull the trigger and dump him/her.
 
Joined
Aug 24, 2011
Messages
21,266
Reaction Score
50,264
Don’t think so.
pretty sure I can recall cases where a shaky coach got a 1 year extension (because players won’t commit to a school if they think the coach is done), but the fine print is that the buyout is quite small. The coach gets the longer contract for recruiting but the school can still pull the trigger and dump him/her.
Can also be a way for the coach to bet on themselves. “I know you don’t want to set my contract at $X because if I suck it’s a lot of money to get rid of me. But what if the buyout is only $Y? I get the reward if I’m good and you get the lower payout if you want to dump me.”
 
Joined
Oct 8, 2019
Messages
440
Reaction Score
759
I think you really can't properly evaluate a coach until after their fifth or sixth year. That's a VERY long time if you're a fan but it seems to be the case. I think Covid will prevent many coaching changes from happening until at least after the 2021/22 season regardless of contract situation. Having said that I feel several coaches now in their third year (other than Tina Thompson) who could end up in the hot seat are Lindsay Whalen at Minnesota and coach Yo at Ole Miss.
 

nwhoopfan

hopeless West Coast homer
Joined
Feb 16, 2017
Messages
28,778
Reaction Score
52,996
I think you really can't properly evaluate a coach until after their fifth or sixth year.
6 years is a long time to wait for a coach that isn't getting the job done. I looked at coaching records for all of the current Pac 12 coaches (that's the conference I know best). For the ones that I would call successful, most took off by year 3 or 4, only 1 (Charli Turner Thorne) took 5 years. Well, Cori Close was up and down thru 4 years and then took off in year 5. Trakh, Payne and Roberts haven't risen above mediocre at best, they are in year 4, 5 and 6. I see no reason to think any of the 3 is going to significantly improve the situation of their school in the future. My feelings about Wynn are well known. She's in year 4 and I cannot see her being successful, thus far she has BY FAR the worst record in school history. Ethridge in year 3 is still wait and see, but at least they are trending in the right direction. Smith is only in year 2, but it has been a DISMAL 2 years, even worse than Wynn.

In particular, I look at recent examples Rueck, Graves and Barnes. All 3 took over bad situations. All had at least 1 20+ win season and deep run in the NIT within the first 3 years. All 3 had really taken off by year 4 if not sooner.

That's only 1 conference, but to me it seems pretty clear you gotta show you can turn a program around and start winning fairly early on, or you're never going to.
 

npignatjr

Npignatjr
Joined
Aug 27, 2011
Messages
1,377
Reaction Score
3,401
Were some teams seasons shutdown to save the coach. It seems the best coaches are successful during tough times not using excuses.
 
Joined
Aug 24, 2011
Messages
21,266
Reaction Score
50,264
I think you really can't properly evaluate a coach until after their fifth or sixth year. That's a VERY long time if you're a fan but it seems to be the case. I think Covid will prevent many coaching changes from happening until at least after the 2021/22 season regardless of contract situation. Having said that I feel several coaches now in their third year (other than Tina Thompson) who could end up in the hot seat are Lindsay Whalen at Minnesota and coach Yo at Ole Miss.
Coach Yo? She inherited a team with almost 0 players and the first year was rough. Now year 3 and they're out of the SEC basement. I think she's done quite well given that.
 

Dillon77

WBB Enthusiast; ND Alum, Fan
Joined
Nov 6, 2015
Messages
5,601
Reaction Score
19,501
Fahey has some pretty good new players and I hope she gets a chance to develop them.

I watched them against a very energized Rutgers team (in NJ). While they got pulverized -- particularly against the manic Rutgers press -- they kept running the offense and playing hard. Good spirit on-court during player huddles and bench support, as well. Not saying this will play out in the long run, but it's taken a long time for a D3 Coach to get into the P5 ways of recruiting.
 

Dillon77

WBB Enthusiast; ND Alum, Fan
Joined
Nov 6, 2015
Messages
5,601
Reaction Score
19,501
If Purdue pulls the plug, I think that GG should be the first person called for it. Either Purdue or Wisconsin. I would love to see GG coaching in the B1G.

As much as I admire GG's record at Duke, I think there's a better alternative for Purdue: former Purdue guard Austin Parkinson has done a stellar job at IUPUI in both Summit and Horizon leagues, earning a .600+ winning percentage. HIs current team (13-4) is upperclassmen-laden and gave a good run against ND in South Bend. He's young and ready for the next step. Has a good personality and could help keep Indiana talent from fleeing the state (take a look at the Michigan roster...).
 
Last edited:

Dillon77

WBB Enthusiast; ND Alum, Fan
Joined
Nov 6, 2015
Messages
5,601
Reaction Score
19,501
I’d think that Tina Thompson would be vulnerable at some point. The only Top 100 recruit she’s had in 3-4 years was Shimera Williams - and she transferred out after 1 year. Multiple other transfers out as well. You can’t build a strong program in the ACC without good recruiting. I gave her a pass her first couple of years, but when she had no top recruits for 2020/21 and currently has no top commits for next year - I’m worried.

Sorry, my bad. I wasn’t sure and was too lazy to look it up. However, next year, as her 4th year, still has no ranked recruits. I don’t know how long her contact is for, but I do know schools are losing $$ due to COVID. So a buyout is unlikely. I, for one, hope she can turn it around.

VA Huskie: stick with the courage of your convictions (the first post). Tina Thompson should be under a very focused microscope. Remember, as much as my esteemed colleague DefenseBB and I disagree over the overall acumen of former Yahoo Coach Joanne Boyle, Coach J left the incoming UVA coach a team with a 19-14 record and the three sophomores that helped propel it: Jocelyn Willoughby, Domnique Toussaint and Lisa Jablonowski.

New (and first time in the top spot) AD Carla Williams -- from Georgia -- came in and took longtime assistant (and big name) Tina Thompson, from another football-first state school, Texas. Thompson coached the bigs and had recruiting connection to the Houston area, but the hire always felt forced to a number of us. UVA has always lived and died on the I-95 circuit (Willoughby from NJ, Toussaint from NY).

Still, she has those three sophs. What happened? 12-19 in 2018-19. Hmm. Ok, getting used to the hot seat and the ACC. In 2019-20, they went 13-17 (8-10 in ACC), which some saw as improvement from the prior year, but remember, this same bunch made post-season play as sophomores. Individually, they didnt' get worse...Willoughby played her way into the WNBA.

(BTW, the main reason Shemera Williams even spent a cup of coffee at UVA is that Carolyn Kieger left Marquette for Penn State. Rather than stay at Marquette or follow Kieger to Penn State, Williams went to what was viewed her 2nd choice: UVA.)

So the core three are graduated and then Shemera Williams, the key recruit and Kylie Kornegay Lucas both hit the road. UVA had to scramble to get enough players on the roster under the best of circumstances. Then COVID and injuries hit to -- almost mercifully -- end an 0-5 start.

Like you, I don't see any recruits coming in and I have not been overwhelmed by the pre-game planning. (On the other hand, they're just trying to get kids on the court.)

AD Williams has also walked into a good situation with many established, top-flight programs (men's hoops and lacrosse, women's soccer and swimming, among them). This initial move of hers should get one more year in my humble opinion or UVA is going to fall further behind new coaches at UNC, GT and Duke in the ACC and established programs like Maryland that also prey on I-95 talent.

Nothing against the sisters Thompson: this is just a bad match of program to coach.
 
Joined
Oct 30, 2012
Messages
657
Reaction Score
1,159

I got this information from RebKell.
Losing in-conference records among P5 coaches with at least 3 years of experience as of the 2019-20 season:

Nancy Fahey - Illinois - 4-46 (.080) in 3 seasons
Brandon Schneider - Kansas - 10-76 (.116) in 5 seasons
Jodi Wynn - Washington - 8-53 (.151) in 3 seasons
Jonathan Tsipis - Wisconsin - 12-56 (.176) in 4 seasons
Stephanie White - Vanderbilt - 13-51 (.203) in 4 seasons
JR Payne - Colorado - 17-55 (.236) in 4 seasons
Cam Newbauer - Florida - 12-36 (.250) in 3 seasons
Jen Hoover - Wake Forest - 37-95 (.280) in 9 seasons
Mike Neighbors - Arkansas - 19-29 (.333) in 3 seasons
Kristy Curry - Alabama - 38-74 (.339) in 7 seasons
Adia Barnes - Arizona - 26-46 (.361) in 4 seasons
Lynne Roberts - Utah - 30-42 (.400) in 5 seasons
Terri Williams-Flournoy - Auburn - 48-80 (.400) in 8 seasons
Joe McKeown - Northwestern - 83-121 (.407) in 12 seasons
Kenny Brooks - Virginia Tech - 27-39 (.409) in 4 seasons
Robin Pingeton - Missouri - 71-91 (.438) in 10 seasons
Amy Williams - Nebraska - 30-38 (.441) in 4 seasons
Jim Littell - Oklahoma State - 76-86 (.469) in 9 seasons
Jeff Mittie - Kansas State - 54-54 (.500) in 6 seasons

Coaches with winning career records who have been under .500 over the last 3 seasons:
Sherri Coale - Oklahoma - 20-34 (.370), 244-152 (.616) overall in 24 seasons
Sharon Versyp - Purdue - 25-27 (.481), 136-102 (.571) overall in 14 seasons

The three that stand out for improving for the 20-21 season so far are A. Barnes, M.Neighbors, and J. Littell with K. Brooks, K. Curry, J. Hoover, JR Payne and A. Williams being the next 4 behind them.
 
Last edited:

Online statistics

Members online
137
Guests online
2,376
Total visitors
2,513

Forum statistics

Threads
155,752
Messages
4,030,460
Members
9,864
Latest member
leepaul


Top Bottom