One thing we didn't consider about firing PP mid-season

[SubbaBub]

If the guy goes 6-2 then this is a nice problem worth talking about. I have zero doubt based on Warde's actions yesterday that he will get what he wants in the next coach.

 

[TheJerk]

Is that if Weist starts winning football games, Warde will have his hands tied if he wanted to bring in his own guy. I know TJW is a guy that WM brought in, but I don't know if Warde pictured him as a coach-in-waiting. I actually trust Warde's football instincts very much, and I would love to see who he lands as our next HC without being pigeon-holed to TJW.

kind of a bad problem to have isn't it?

 

[freescooter]

Is that if Weist starts winning football games, Warde will have his hands tied if he wanted to bring in his own guy. I know TJW is a guy that WM brought in, but I don't know if Warde pictured him as a coach-in-waiting. I actually trust Warde's football instincts very much, and I would love to see who he lands as our next HC without being pigeon-holed to TJW.

Not worried. We've been through this exact thing before with the hockey coach. Dave Berard took over for Marshall , took a team that was 0-4-1 and turned the season around, finished with the best record since 2000, best non-conference record in the D1 era, players loved him, they played hard every night for him. He is now the Director of Hockey Operations at Providence while UConn has Mike Cavanaugh as head hockey coach. So I don't think Manuel will necessarily give Weist the permanent job if he goes 5-3.

 

[ruskin]

good thread, but title could have been improved -- going to give WM credit he knew when he pulled trigger on P he was giving TJ an audition and that 6-7 wins gets TJ the job. 3-5 probably keeps him here next year not as HC, with Warde putting in a good word with new HC. If TJ puts together good numbers something he can sell.

 

[TouchdownHusky]

If Weist starts winning football games, then what's the problem?

What...we're gonna go look for a new head coach to replace a winning interim one because his last name isn't s e xy enough? Let me just say that I don't know how TJ is going to be as a head coach, and I don't know what that will mean for recruiting, etc. But if the man is doing the job well, there's no need to replace him...

UConn needs a head coach who can do two things in particular very well. Recruit ( particularly at the playmaker positions) and create a high scoring, pass oriented offense. Those are two very important ingredients for success in today's college game.

 

[gioff23]

UConn needs a head coach who can do two things in particular very well. Recruit ( particularly at the playmaker positions) and create a high scoring, pass oriented offense. Those are two very important ingredients for success in today's college game.

... and energize the fanbase. UConn needs to understand that a lethargic fanbase is one of may things holding it out of the P4 1/2

 

[cohenzone]

Off of what we've seen of the team, I would not pick a number of wins for Weist to prove his ability. There isn't a single game left that anyone can realistically say we "should" win after watching the first 4 games. I think the telling points might not be in W's for the rest of this year. Obviously Ws are an easy standard. But if there are more Ls than Ws, but the quality of play and enthusiasm changes noticeably for the better, the decision becomes even more interesting. Football is a pretty hard sport to make big changes in mid-season given how short the season is. I think most of us think some personnel and scheme changes might help, but you can't change the whole roster or burn a whole lot of red shirts for the sake of maybe getting a few more Ws this year or just to gain a couple more games of experience.

Warde had his hands tied on the head hoops coach. He never had a real shot at going national for a search. Time will tell if that situation turns out okay. Early signs are good for hoops. But the fb hire is really huge right now and while I wouldn't exclude any current staff guy automatically, I think the attempt needs to be made to find the best possible candidate (a tricky definition at best). Unlike Kevin Ollie, who wasn't Warde's guy in terms of having gone through a candidate search, this one is all on Warde and he needs to be as sure as he can possibly be.

 

[Adios]

... and energize the fanbase. UConn needs to understand that a lethargic fanbase is one of may things holding it out of the P4 1/2

All it takes is success to get the fanbase going.

 

[IMind]

WM proved already with the hockey hire that just because Weist might win, doesn't mean he will be our HC next year. Anyone who has followed the hockey program, knows he made a very difficult decision, but in the end the right decision to go with Cavanaugh. That decision included taking him over a very "s e xy" name (one with multiple national championships to his credit).

That being said if Berard has gotten us into the NCAA tournament and maybe won a game or two then it would have been much harder to go in a different direction. I think the same thing applies here. I love the way Warde put it. "If he wants any shot at the job he has to win." It implies that he's got to earn the right to even be considered.

 

[Jimdish255]

If one thing came across loud and clear yesterday it's that Warde is not making any committments to anyone and will do a thorough search to get his guy. I'm surprised anyone couldn't feel that determination oozing through their panel.

 

[HistoryMajor]

Medic - Don't call out the History Major. Butch is just a wanna be.

 

[BHusky]

Having fired PP, this is a great position for us to be in. The only real internal candidate for the HC job is Weist who fits the "up and coming, offensive minded" coach we would be looking for. We get a 8 game trial run with him and he in turn gets an 8 game trial run with the remaining coaching staff to see if they gel with him as HC. The seaosn is not completely lost, but Weist can only bring us up from where we are while hopefully letting loose both with his team (no more strict/NFL type regiment) and the gameday play calling. Things could work out or they may not, but at least there would not be second guessing if things don't work out and WM looks elsewhere.

 

[kingdobbs]

Not worried. We've been through this exact thing before with the hockey coach. Dave Berard took over for Marshall , took a team that was 0-4-1 and turned the season around, finished with the best record since 2000, best non-conference record in the D1 era, players loved him, they played hard every night for him. He is now the Director of Hockey Operations at Providence while UConn has Mike Cavanaugh as head hockey coach. So I don't think Manuel will necessarily give Weist the permanent job if he goes 5-3.

Although to wit, Berard's performance this season got him into the conversation and got him an interview. So it's not like the turnaround he was able to put together got him *nothing*; if he'd finished last in the league, it would have been "Thank you for stepping up to serve UConn hockey. Clean out your office by 5 PM, thank you."

 

[freescooter]

Although to wit, Berard's performance this season got him into the conversation and got him an interview. So it's not like the turnaround he was able to put together got him *nothing*; if he'd finished last in the league, it would have been "Thank you for stepping up to serve UConn hockey. Clean out your office by 5 PM, thank you."

I agree. And I suspect that if he got them to the Frozen Four, it would have been "Let me introduce the next head Coach of UCONN Hockey, to lead us into Hockey East, Coach Dave Berard." I'm just saying that barring a miracle turn around, Manuel has demonstrated a willingness to replace an interim coach even if he does a better than expected job. 4-4, 5-3, maybe even 6-2 gets him into the conversation, but is nowhere near a guaranty he'll get the head coach position permanently. 4-4 probably gets him a courtesy interview.

 

[Nostical]

He's already established a level command, presence and professionalism that creates some hope.

I agree. I just had the opportunity to view his press conference in its entirety. I came away with two thoughts.

1. This is a serious, thoughtful, and passionate man who I believe has the ideas and energy (to use his favorite word) to get this team back on track. He was delicate in his praise for the man who hired him but you could very much tell he saw the same things we did--a flat sideline demeanor and numbing look on the face of Coach P and an overcomplicated approach to the game, especially the O-Line. Imagine him trying to run plays knowing GDL (having the ear of PP) was screwing up the line schemes. His number one directive to Mike Foley---simplify and hit somebody. And although he may have other ideas for our D, Weist is totally dependant on H Hughes to come through. Edsall decided he wasn't the answer. We'll see how that turns out.

2. He's just the type of coach that Susan Herbst wants leading our program. Now all he has to do is win.

 

[Adios]

Medic - Don't call out the History Major. Butch is just a wanna be.

I was never a history major. I have a degree in IT. History is just a hobby. And you'd be surprised who I hang around.

http://www.profootballresearchers.org/

Was asked if I want to join.