Vic Schaefer to Texas

[SECbbfan24]

That good shape could become bad shape just like that.

Thats why I said its critical to make the correct hire. Make a good one, MSU could be okay. Make a bad one it could all fall apart quick. But that is why its important to have a diligent coaching search. The Tennessee hire was strictly because Holly worked with Summitt for years. Anyone knows Summitt is the heart beat to that program he did the bulk of the work. The summit tree hasn't exactly been good for most programs.

Attrition happens with coaching changes unfortunately, its just one of those things.

 

[Plebe]

A good friend of mine works in the athletic department at MSU. The kids originally found out via social media. Vic did talk with them about the decision in the call earlier today. After, the AD talked about what the next steps were including a coaching search. I don't expect any attrition until a new hire is made. It depends on who they hire on status of some of the players.

But I take it they didn't find out from the UT AD, as someone else posted?

 

[DeeHusky]

I was today years old when I found out Aston went 1-18 against Baylor. My lord. And I’ve been a women’s watching this whole time. I also didn’t pay attention to how long Vic has been in Starkville. It’s been 8 yrs..seems like 4

 

[SECbbfan24]

But I take it they didn't find out from the UT AD, as someone else posted?

I was told some of the players first found out from the Texas AD announcement/ social media leaks of him accepting the job, I don't know about everyone . The players were notified by MSU officials before officially having that group chat with Vic and then the AD. Many of them saw the writing on the wall with the rumors the last couple days leading up to the announcement. Many of the kids were just in shock it actually happened, and did so quickly.

 

[bballnut90]

A good friend of mine works in the athletic department at MSU. The kids originally found out via social media. Vic did talk with them about the decision in the call earlier today. After, the AD talked about what the next steps were including a coaching search. I don't expect any attrition until a new hire is made. It depends on who they hire on status of some of the players.

The good news for MSU fans is the program currently is in great shape for anyone to take over. It all comes down to getting the right guy/ or woman. Next years starting rotation looked like Taylor, Matharu, Rickea, Cooks and Carter, all are juniors or sophomores. With a great incoming freshmen class.

Ooph. If true that's a brutal way to find out. If they hire brand new staff, I'll be surprised if most strong players stay to be honest. Mississippi State wouldn't be the top choice of school for most kids if it wasn't for the staff. It isn't as easy to sell compared to most other P5 schools.

 

[SECbbfan24]

Ooph. If true that's a brutal way to find out. If they hire brand new staff, I'll be surprised if most strong players stay to be honest. Mississippi State wouldn't be the top choice of school for most kids if it wasn't for the staff. It isn't as easy to sell compared to most other P5 schools.

I think there will be some attrition. Unless J. Harris is hired I expect a couple big departures unfortunately based on what I have. heard. MSU is difficult to sell for a lot of athletes which made the job done by the last staff extremely impressive. Its really shame though, they had a great thing rolling and were getting even better.

I really hope the Miss St AD doesn't go cheap/lazy and makes a legit well thought out hire.

 

[dws3665]

I was told some of the players first found out from the Texas AD announcement, I don't know about everyone .... Many of the kids were just in shock it actually happened, and did so quickly.

Wow, maybe the Twitter gossip was right, at least for some of them. That’s pretty heartless, IF TRUE.

And there’s the other thing: this was not done in one day. Surely there can be no doubt that Texas and Vic — and/or their reps — have been talking for some time about this.

 

[militarydog]

A good friend of mine works in the athletic department at MSU. The kids originally found out via social media. Vic did talk with them about the decision in the call earlier today. After, the AD talked about what the next steps were including a coaching search. I don't expect any attrition until a new hire is made. It depends on who they hire on status of some of the players.

The good news for MSU fans is the program currently is in great shape for anyone to take over. It all comes down to getting the right guy/ or woman. Next years starting rotation looked like Taylor, Matharu, Rickea, Cooks and Carter, all are juniors or sophomores. With a great incoming freshmen class.

Obviously there is no easy way to do this. Although in the world we live it was bound to leak Coach Schaefer was going hurt the players feelings no matter when he told them. As it stands now unless I was told wrong he was contacted last week, took the job this weekend, told his players this morning via conference call, and the announcement made via social media this afternoon.
The good news is that Coach Schaefer built MSU into a top tier program with the talent returning that can contend for the SEC title and a potential Final Four in the next couple of seasons. MSU supports their women’s team and pumps money into it. However the next hire is key.
I was going to say that Tennessee is the only women’s basketball is the program in the SEC where the program is bigger than the coach. However looking back Coach Summit was just there so long and had such consistent national success. Since she left they have fallen back into the pack and the name on the front of the jersey doesn’t invoke the fear it once did.
I’ll be interested to see the direction they take.

 

[bballnut90]

I think there will be some attrition. Unless J. Harris is hired I expect a couple big departures unfortunately based on what I have. heard. MSU is difficult to sell for a lot of athletes which made the job done by the last staff extremely impressive. Its really shame though, they had a great thing rolling and were getting even better.

I really hope the Miss St AD doesn't go cheap/lazy and makes a legit well thought out hire.

I know--really felt like MSU finally had established itself as a premier program and it was reflecting in their recruiting the past 2 years to potentially propel them to the next level. Sort of like where Dawn was a few years ago and where Graves appears to be now.

 

[MSSportsGuy]

My two cents:
I am grateful for all the memories Vic helped give us MSU fans. Even those who would have never paid attention to women's basketball in Starkville were screaming with joy and helping fill the Hump as the team continued to win. He was a tireless promotor for his program and probably could have been elected mayor of Starkville if he ran.

I felt as MSU began to rise he would bolt for A&M when Blair retired. Then Vic signed a large contract that would pay him among the largest salaries in the country. Suddenly national level recruits were either committing or at least had us as finalists. There isn't much going on in Starkville on a good day so the fact he could get these young ladies to look at MSU or come play was a minor miracle and I began to think he may stick around for a bit and see if he could get that championship. His family plugged themselves into the community and his personality and demeanor were a great fit. I think he was given everything he was asked for to build his program and maintain it.

Texas has incredible resources and deep pockets and likely "can" give him more. However, their football, men's basketball, and women's basketball programs have tended to underachieve so much even with all the resources I wonder if it's a cultural issue in the department. Austin is truly a vibrant, cool city that compares to few places yet football is an even larger than life presence there than many SEC programs. It will be challenging for Vic to garner the type of excitement from a fan base that has many more options for entertainment on a Sunday afternoon than in Starkville. He will have a lot more competition for program recognition on campus and the community. Of course that could likely change if the team is successful and I will say he's one of the five best coaches in America and I honestly hope he is successful.

 

[bballnut90]

My two cents:
I am grateful for all the memories Vic helped give us MSU fans. Even those who would have never paid attention to women's basketball in Starkville were screaming with joy and helping fill the Hump as the team continued to win. He was a tireless promotor for his program and probably could have been elected mayor of Starkville if he ran.

I felt as MSU began to rise he would bolt for A&M when Blair retired. Then Vic signed a large contract that would pay him among the largest salaries in the country. Suddenly national level recruits were either committing or at least had us as finalists. There isn't much going on in Starkville on a good day so the fact he could get these young ladies to look at MSU or come play was a minor miracle and I began to think he may stick around for a bit and see if he could get that championship. His family plugged themselves into the community and his personality and demeanor were a great fit. I think he was given everything he was asked for to build his program and maintain it.

Texas has incredible resources and deep pockets and likely "can" give him more. However, their football, men's basketball, and women's basketball programs have tended to underachieve so much even with all the resources I wonder if it's a cultural issue in the department. Austin is truly a vibrant, cool city that compares to few places yet football is an even larger than life presence there than many SEC programs. It will be challenging for Vic to garner the type of excitement from a fan base that has many more options for entertainment on a Sunday afternoon than in Starkville. He will have a lot more competition for program recognition on campus and the community. Of course that could likely change if the team is successful and I will say he's one of the five best coaches in America and I honestly hope he is successful.

That is a good point. Going from Mississippi State to Texas means he loses the hugely supportive fan base from Starkville and women's basketball will not be as big of a deal in Austin. Texas, even during its most recent prime (03/04) hasn't been able to draw massive crowds like Mississippi State has the past few years. Fans will still come out for the Baylor game and likely any other top 10 foes who show up but it'll just definitely be a different experience for Vic. He came to Mississippi State taking over a struggling program with people likely just hoping for the best but without big expectations. Now with him going to Texas, all eyes will be on him to see if he can transform the program. Women's softball and volleyball are premiere programs too so even if he attains ample success like he did at MSU, his program isn't going to stand out like it did at MSU. All that said, I'm really excited to see what he can do at Texas, especially if he can hit the ground running in the transfer portal or on the recruiting trail.

 

[Gamecockfan77]

Not at all the case. SC was the favorite going forward but Mississippi State definitely appeared to be formidable competition for SEC crowns in coming seasons. Both were likely title contenders for several years with really good young rosters. Unless MSU can land a great hire and keep all players there, they likely take a back seat now. SEC might look more like how the Big 12 has looked the last several years without any peer.

Seems like it kind of hinges on Rickea Jackson.

I agree with the idea that the miss state-south Carolina game probably would have decided the league for the next three years as I'm not sure anyone else was really in ballpark.

Obviously, some other school could have made a big recruiting get and changed that.

 

[Gamecockfan77]

I think piling dirt on miss state is a little premature.

Need to see who stays and who they hire. If the roster is intact they figure to be very good. Unclear though how much difference Vic made.

 

[TheFarmFan]

My two cents:
I am grateful for all the memories Vic helped give us MSU fans. Even those who would have never paid attention to women's basketball in Starkville were screaming with joy and helping fill the Hump as the team continued to win. He was a tireless promotor for his program and probably could have been elected mayor of Starkville if he ran.

I felt as MSU began to rise he would bolt for A&M when Blair retired. Then Vic signed a large contract that would pay him among the largest salaries in the country. Suddenly national level recruits were either committing or at least had us as finalists. There isn't much going on in Starkville on a good day so the fact he could get these young ladies to look at MSU or come play was a minor miracle and I began to think he may stick around for a bit and see if he could get that championship. His family plugged themselves into the community and his personality and demeanor were a great fit. I think he was given everything he was asked for to build his program and maintain it.

Texas has incredible resources and deep pockets and likely "can" give him more. However, their football, men's basketball, and women's basketball programs have tended to underachieve so much even with all the resources I wonder if it's a cultural issue in the department. Austin is truly a vibrant, cool city that compares to few places yet football is an even larger than life presence there than many SEC programs. It will be challenging for Vic to garner the type of excitement from a fan base that has many more options for entertainment on a Sunday afternoon than in Starkville. He will have a lot more competition for program recognition on campus and the community. Of course that could likely change if the team is successful and I will say he's one of the five best coaches in America and I honestly hope he is successful.

You and the other MSU fans are a credit to your program. You've all been gracious about this in a way I'm not sure I could be if Tara suddenly announced she was headed to Storrs or South Bend or Waco. I have been a genuine admirer of your program, players, and coach, and I'm hopeful you guys land a great replacement and pick up right where you left off.

 

[garddog]

It sucks! But Texas (the state) is his home. I sincerely hope we give Johnnie Harris a shot at the head spot. She is the recruiter. And she has done well with all the forwards and centers especially. If you ever watch on TV, she more than Vic does the sideline coaching. When a player is pulled they almost always came and sat with her.

Vic will be missed, but from what I heard, he must be getting 2 mil plus.

 

[southie]

"As of today"

I hope she does stay though and MSU makes a good hire. We need good coaches and teams in the SEC.

Players are emotional today, which is understandable. I doubt any make a 100% decision today; calmer heads will prevail and they'll wait to finalize decisions until AFTER MSU hires a new head coach.

 

[MSSportsGuy]

You and the other MSU fans are a credit to your program. You've all been gracious about this in a way I'm not sure I could be if Tara suddenly announced she was headed to Storrs or South Bend or Waco. I have been a genuine admirer of your program, players, and coach, and I'm hopeful you guys land a great replacement and pick up right where you left off.

Well I never said I was happy lol. My fear is we make a lazy hire, ignoring what has been built and sliding down the ladder again. There are some great coaches out there who have what it takes to keep us competitive. I just hope we match up and the chemistry is there.

As I said, Vic was a perfect fit for MSU. I’m not opposed to giving someone a chance and know there will be bumps in the road. Thank you for your kind words and support

 

[SECbbfan24]

 

[G-Dawg]

The MSU beat reporter for the Jackson, MS Clarion-Ledger is saying that he was on a phone call with the AD (John Cohen) around 4 pm and that Vic had just talked to the girls (I'm assuming online?) before that call. The tweet from the UT AD was at 2:44 pm. I would have lost every dollar to my name if you had told me Vic would leave that way. I hope and pray that it didn't go down this way. If that were me, I'd be telling the UT AD, "Hey man...give me an hour or two to talk to my team before we make any kind of announcement."

 

[southie]

It can't be true. @southie guaranteed us it would be a coach from the Pac 12 because all of the schools underpay their coaches.

Glad to be wrong; none of my PAC 12 candidates had the ties to the state of Texas which Vic Schaefer has; and none of the them have had the NCAA post-season success Schaefer has had. PAC 12 schools shouldn't feel all that comfortable though, as now MSU has to find a replacement, and they have every intention of offering up to $2 million annually.

You're familiar with Mississippi State, right? The school who easily poached Mike Leach away from Washington State.

 

[SimpleDawg]

It's interesting. Gail Goestenkors says she wants to get back into coaching and this spot opens up. Seems to align perfectly with her desires.

Obviously she was elite at Duke, but the magic wore off the day the moment she stepped into the 40 Acres. I'd still have her in my top 5 easily though for a replacement.

 

[nwhoopfan]

You're familiar with Mississippi State, right? The school who easily poached Mike Leach away from Washington State.

Have you been to Pullman? It's pretty easy to poach a coach from there.

 

[southie]

Have you been to Pullman? It's pretty easy to poach a coach from there.

And, a no-brainer when an SEC school waves all that green in your face . . .

 

[nwhoopfan]

And, a no-brainer when an SEC school waves all that green in your face . . .

Well at least the Pac 12 has the highest paid and least effective commissioner of any of the P5 conferences, while the conference falls further and further behind the others in revenue.

 

[southie]

Well at least the Pac 12 has the highest paid and least effective commissioner of any of the P5 conferences, while the conference falls further and further behind the others in revenue.

I feel for you. Larry Scott has made a lot of mistakes. The Big 12's Bob Bowlsby (former Stanford AD) isn't all that popular with a lot of folks, but I'm thankful to have him considering some of the other alternatives.