Goodman: Hurley to UConn (not official)

[Uconnfanatic]

Are you suggesting he's going to live in Kingston and commute to Storrs? That's at least a 100 mile round trip. That's quite a commute over nothing but secondary roads, particularly in the winter with ice and snow.

I am saying he could locate somewhere halfway in between until his kids finish high school. I thought I read somewhere that he didn't want to disrupt his family if he could help it.

 

[the Q]

Stop it. Even if we're in the AAC for good (please god no) we're only one good coaching hire away from being relevant again.


Yup. But so far it's not clear he can coach worth a damn.

I'd take a look at him after Year 4 at the earliest. We just had our run with "assistant who can recruit but has insufficient head coaching experience" and look where we are now.

Totally fair.

But assts from top schools do get jobs like this occasionally. Especially in our current situation.

I recall one article talking about the Virginia asst.

I’m hoping Hurley is the guy. He found a gem in Martin and had one epic class with like 3 four-star players.

Let’s hope with a bit higher profile he can consistently reel in 4s and a few 5s

 

[the Q]

I didn't say they were better. I said they could turn out to be better coaches. the point is we don't know. I like what I see in their overall resumes. Otzelberger looks like he really helped develop players at Iowa State before becoming the head coach at South dakota State. I'm not endorsing anyone and i'm not opposed to Hurley. I am saying I would prefer they not get caught up in a bidding war and overpay for Hurley. If that happens I would look at some of these alternatives.

After everything I said. This is also totally fair. Hurley hasn’t been Brad Stevens, which is also totally unfair to Hurley. I agree he is probably the best fit.

But I think you’re saying he’s not the only fit so don’t go crazy tying to lure him here.

 

[the Q]

I am saying he could locate somewhere halfway in between until his kids finish high school. I thought I read somewhere that he didn't want to disrupt his family if he could help it.

I don’t know where he lives but Narraganset to Storrs is probably about 90 minutes. If he lives closer towards providence than that itll be rather manageable.

 

[Chief00]

Jay Williams is getting his info from the boneyard. Everyone now knows JC visited URI a few times and even talked to their team. He even plays golf in southern RI in the cold, weather permitting. Between those things and Tom Moore being at URI , we know JC has spoken to Hurley on at least a few occasions.

Agree with above and Jim has a house nearby.

 

[Chief00]

I don’t know where he lives but Narraganset to Storrs is probably about 90 minutes. If he lives closer towards providence than that itll be rather manageable.

He has a house in South County, RI and spends a lot of time there.

 

[Danzz]

I call that overpaying. There are likely better young coaches than Hurley out there that would jump at the chance to bring UConn back to its former status and would would see $1.5 million as a very good offer and a big step up in pay. Otzelberger and Konkol are two and I'm sure there are many others and they could prove to bhe better coaches than Hurley. I'm not against Hurley. I just want DB to be thorough and disciplined and not just go with the popular choice, particularly if it involves a bidding war. I am also not suggesting we settle. I just think that there are several good, young coaches out there. We just have to find them.

Benedict knows everyone who is a possibility and he has been doing his homework from whenever it was he knew he was going to fire Ollie. Benedict is not an idiot.
UConn is still a major brand and Benedict should hire the coach he thinks will do the best job. Basketball is too important to the UConn in many ways to hire some bargain basement coach. Right now Hurley appears to be the guy but he is going to get market value.

 

[intlzncster]

Oh good. This game is fun.

If this is sarcasm, how do you evaluate candidates?

now try Oats and CB McGrath on for size.

Nate Oats: 3 years HC experience. Took over a successful program from Bobby Hurley and has managed to sustain it. 1 conference championship. Two conference tournament championships. Going to second NCAA this year.

I like his success at Romulous High School. Provides a good base. He can obviously coach and developed some college players there. I'm unsure about his ability to recruit at this level.

Oats is an intriguing candidate, but I don't think he's leaving Buffalo short term, he just extended his contract last week, indicating he'd like to stay. An important point is that his wife loves it there, got her cancer treatments and is currently being monitored there.

CB Mcgrath: 1 year HC experience. 11-21 for UNC Wilmington. Just not enough experience or record to base anything off of. No idea if he can run a program well. Needs to get a quality mid major after his stop at Wilmington.

Long time high major assistant who is familiar with those recruiting circles. That's a plus. Why didn't he get (or maybe pursue) a HC position in those 14 years at UNC?

Too many unknowns. Proven nothing.

 

[Chief00]

Could be off the mark, but doesn't JC now live in Westerly or somewhere near Kingston? If so, the avid golfer likely finds his way on a few southern RI links.

I don’t want to be too specific, but closer to Kingston than Westerly.

 

[Chief00]

@Chief00 what say you man?

Sorry - I can’t comment at the moment - things are sensitive given circumstances. Let Hurley complete his season with his team - I am old school that way.

 

[the Q]

If this is sarcasm, how do you evaluate candidates?



Nate Oats: 3 years HC experience. Took over a successful program from Bobby Hurley and has managed to sustain it. 1 conference championship. Two conference tournament championships. Going to second NCAA this year.

I like his success at Romulous High School. Provides a good base. He can obviously coach and developed some college players there. I'm unsure about his ability to recruit at this level.

Oats is an intriguing candidate, but I don't think he's leaving Buffalo short term, he just extended his contract last week, indicating he'd like to stay. An important point is that his wife loves it there, got her cancer treatments and is currently being monitored there.

CB Mcgrath: 1 year HC experience. 11-21 for UNC Wilmington. Just not enough experience or record to base anything off of. No idea if he can run a program well. Needs to get a quality mid major after his stop at Wilmington.

Long time high major assistant who is familiar with those recruiting circles. That's a plus. Why didn't he get (or maybe pursue) a HC position in those 14 years at UNC?

Too many unknowns. Proven nothing.

Not sarcasm at all.

I've been dying for ANYONE to discuss Oats on this board. So I thank the now 3 people total who have discussed him beyond just a name drop.

 

[the Q]

I don’t want to be too specific, but closer to Kingston than Westerly.

But between those 2?

Ok so yeah he's looking at 3.5-4 hour commute everyday (home and back).

 

[Chief00]

The word is he is will get paid here. I don't think the money is an issue.

I can say this - you are correct about the money.

 

[Chief00]

Of course "not a dime back,' but does anyone think Calhoun might contribute to Hurley's contract? Speculation makes it seem like he's in on this deal, plus he knows we need financial support.

LOL - No chance - I would be shocked - but he is very, very generous to charities.

 

[Chief00]

But between those 2?

Ok so yeah he's looking at 3.5-4 hour commute everyday (home and back).

Closer to Point Judith but not Point Judith.

 

[BleedHuskyBlu]

Does he troll UConn fans? Or is just realistic about the program, which bothers fans?

I mean i clearly recall him ragging on UConn in 2014 when they won the championship

 

[Chief00]

You can't have two head basketball coaches. If you hire one while KO is technically head basketball coach, you may be viewed as having violated his agreement.

That’s a tricky issue. KO is not going quietly into the night.

 

[the Q]

Closer to Point Judith but not Point Judith.

Got it.

I stand by my previous comment.

 

[Chief00]

But between those 2?

Ok so yeah he's looking at 3.5-4 hour commute everyday (home and back).

He can car pool with Calhoun during the summer months - LOL

 

[GuardU]

Sorry - I can’t comment at the moment - things are sensitive given circumstances. Let Hurley complete his season with his team - I am old school that way.

Confirme_?

 

[Huskyfan4evr]

Who cares about the money. Everyone is tired of losing. Spend the money to get the best coach possible and someone who can put a good product on the floor. We need excitement again in Storrs. Something positive

 

[SirHypeAlot]

I can say this - you are correct about the money.

I know the anonymity of boosters is personal preference, some are known to the fanbase and others are not, but I gather some deeper pockets have entered the fold outside of the normal consortium. I'm not here to unmask anyone. Diaco was wiped with the snap of the finger. From what I'm hearing the brinks truck will be backed up for the next hire. This is Benedict's legacy. He's a football guy but he knows this is a basketball school. He has tapped a wider syndicate. @Chief00 and i can agree that the money aspect is covered here. Benedict needs to get his man.

 

[intlzncster]

Not sarcasm at all.
I've been dying for ANYONE to discuss Oats on this board. So I thank the now 3 people total who have discussed him beyond just a name drop.

At the end of the day, If we ended up with Nate Oats, I wouldn't be sad. I'm going to be worried no matter who it is. I'd be even more uneasy about the prospects of him running a college program, simply because of the lack of track record. But when it comes down to it, I know he can coach. I read that Bobby Hurley was recruiting one of Nate's players at Romulus and ended up being so impressed with his coaching that he offered him an assistant gig when Bobby took over Buffalo. So Nate definitely has something.

 

[Banta55]

I don’t want to be too specific, but closer to Kingston than Westerly.

I'm pretty sure Hurley lives in East Greenwich..

 

[BlueMAB]

If Hurley gets Pitt to consistently be 4th in the ACC every year, he's going to be in the top 25 every season and he's getting a big raise. They have a pretty strong history, too, and you don't have to go back too far for them to have been a very strong program. I think we're the better job, but if Pitt literally doubles what we're offering like some here are suggesting, I seriously doubt Hurley turns down that much money. He could buy his family plane tickets every weekend if the commute is that rough.

Be careful, I've tried to make this argument here and it doesn't end well.

People forget how good Pitt was in the Big East. I went back 20ish years and they were typically ranked between 5th and 10th in the country. They were the Cincinnati of the Big East, always floundering in March. But from November to February, they were one of the top 10 teams in the country for a solid 15 years. And they did it out of one of the toughest/deepest conferences in the country. The ACC today is not much tougher, if at all, than the Big East was from 2000-2012.