Hearing that UK is looking at 3-4 candidates for the Women's Basketball job. The only candidate I can confirm is Virginia Tech's Kenny Brooks, who I believe has interviewed in last couple of days— Matt Jones (@KySportsRadio) March 21, 2024
Can't really tell how legit this reporter is, but if true, this would be extremely disappointing. I know he's losing Liz and Cayla and probably Georgia, but he has such a strong recruiting class and some good young talent already on the team. Add on that he signed a 6 year, $6.4M last year, it just doesn't make a whole lot of sense to jump to a rebuilding UK
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It makes a hell of a lot of sense if the college sports world is about to blow up and there is an accepted belief in Merryman that VT is being left behind
There is? News to me.
I don't know what to believe at this point. Various message board gurus on other sites have posted on and off sort of signaling there's a plan, VT is being proactive. But everything to date signals that there is in fact not a P2 life raft coming. VT actively voted with the Syracuse Wake Forest bloc to invite Calford and SMU to the conference. I just have this sinking feeling that the AD likely knows it needs to go P2, but the administration doesn't want to/prefers the status quo.
Us being tied to UVA politically also worries me - contrary to some news articles suggesting they are a top target for P2 expansion, no way in hell they are seen as desirable if a school like Stanford just got left behind. I fear we may end up in a similar boat. College presidents are going to make the final call on conference affiliation, and that scares me.
IMO - at this point in time - this has far more to do with the P2 and the ACC than VT. I don't feel like VT controls their own destiny.
I hate the move for the college football reasons, but I don't see how doing this hurts VT. It will come with a small, but not insignificant revenue increase for the next 6 years (more than enough to offset additional travel costs).
I have the opposite sinking feeling - I think the entire administration wants to be in the P2, but the P2 may not be interested.
This I sort of agree with. I don't understand how/why UVA is a more interesting target than us. We have a bigger fanbase, we travel better, and are (on average) more invested. But everyone in the media seems to think UVA is a better target. I don't get it.
Anyways - with regards to us being tied to UVA - my concern is that there's not enough room in a single P2 conference for two teams in VA.
5 years ago, I would've agreed. But I think in 2024, the importance of major college football is beyond obvious to college presidents. Good football schools get significantly more applicants (who happen to be more competitive, relative to past applicant pools at the same school). College presidents absolutely care about increasing applicants.
I don't get why UVA is a more tempting target, either, but my bias is pretttty strong. Best I can figure, P2 likes that they're closer to NoVA and Richmond markets, which are sort of "unclaimed" between SEC and B1G. It seems like VT's endeavors to develop their presence in NoVA are crucial to the university!
I think that is just people throwing stuff against the wall to see what sticks. I get they're the "flagship" state school, but they're not like UNC at all. The UNC brand is national thanks to Jordan/basketball, and if you grow up in NC, strong chance you will grow up a Tar Heel. UVA doesn't have anywhere near the same brand - it's basically a private school masquerading as a state school. They don't even admit many in-state students. It would be like admitting another Vandy to the SEC. Plus, the SEC doesn't even sponsor many of the non-rev sports they prop up so much, so see that as a total non starter. They bring no value in football either.
If a school like Stanford, more elite academically than UVA and probably the best all around athletics department in the nation, plus with far more national brand recognition than UVA gets left in the dust, why would P2 care about UVA so much more? If they want the VA market and viewership with football, VT is the only obvious choice. I'm with bar above - being tied to them and having both VA schools likely a package deal is starting to worry me for P2 admission.
Few counters IMO to this. UVA still has about a 63% in state student ratio, so its not terrible (believe they had dropped under 60% at one point, caught flack for it and have course corrected as well). Also, while UVa doesn't have the same brand, Tech's brand has diminished over the past decade and UVa has a lot more pull in places of power (political circles, Richmond, DC, etc) than VT does. Sands has done a lot of work to catch up, but UVa is a lot closer to a school like Michigan (minus the football success) than we are. My bet would be UVa would be more attractive to the BIG10 than the SEC, but there are elements at UVa like baseball and basketball that do blend well with what the SEC is doing well at athletics wise.
Also, I keep seeing people talk about TV markets/viewship like its 2015. This stage of realignment has been about more than just viewship/eyeballs. UCLA and Washington aren't outsized TV draws, and if that was a reasoning behind the current waze of consolidation (i'm not sure its really going to be true expansion much longer), then VT definitely draws more eyeballs than UVa.
I also am not confident UVa and VT are actually a package deal in the long run.
I do agree on the throwing things at the wall point - I think there are trends and possibilities (UNC pushing to kill the ACC would be a big one), but I am not sure where things stand in 5 years. I do still think at some point people stop playing dumb and realize we need to disconnect football from all other sports from a conference perspective.
I agree with all this. I don't think UVa and VT are a package deal this time around. The VA govt was dealing from a position of strength in 2003. Not this time.
If I had to put odds on UVa and/or VT ending up in a P2 conference, I'd guess UVa 33% (B1G or less likely SEC) and VT 15% (SEC only).
UVA is not a true state school. The Land Grant Universities are the true state schools. For Virginia that is Virginia Tech.
The SEC has the following Land Grants:
1 University of Florida
2 Georgia,
3 Auburn
4 Mississippi State
5 Louisiana State University
6 Texas A&M
7 Arkansas
8 Missouri
9 Tennessee
and Kentucky
So that is at least 10 things in common with the SEC.
Of course, the B1G members are
1 Maryland
2 Rutgers
3 Penn State
4 Ohio State
5 Wisconsin
6 Michigan State
7 Minnesota
8 Purdue
9 Illinois
10 Nebraska
So we fit in either group. :)
Some great points here. Didn't realize their in-state acceptance had picked back up, I knew it had dropped previously. Agree about their political influence in Richmond as well, that's the benefit of a lot of wealthy donors and a law school.
If it's not about new states and eyeballs this time around, I worry the whole state of VA could miss out on the P2. VT's football brand has been hurt significantly over the last decade, and UVA brings nothing in that regard. If this were a few years ago I would definitely agree on the UVA basketball angle, but that is starting to slip and I think even becoming a bit of a national punchline - the Bennett brand of basketball has won a lot of games but not exciting to watch, and they are getting their doors blown off by high powered offenses more frequently. I don't see the SEC as a fit for UVA at all, especially since they don't even sponsor lacrosse or men's soccer. Big Ten might be their only bet.
On the flip side, I don't think VT has much of a shot with the Big Ten due to AAU status. I'm sure if we had a choice the academic side may prefer the B1G, but don't know if we will have that luxury. I think it's really SEC or bust for VT - will the SEC consider us again? Maybe but maybe not.
Argh you said similar stuff to what I said but better and a few minutes earlier. Guess I'll have a morning drink
My understanding is that VT meets all the requirements for AAU just needs a sponsor. UVA is NEVER going to do that for VT. Duke and UNC understand that might make VT more desirable for leaving, so why would they do it.
Interesting enough I have heard rumors that Bennett might retire from UVA or at least being encouraged to retire. They have been slipping in recruiting during NIL, or just his play style. But losing in that system means you generally lose badly and that looks bad.
I think if we really wanted to do it, Miami might be a good option. They have just enough delusions of grandeur to want to get out of the ACC and if assisting us by sponsoring us helps break up the GoR, then I don't see a downside of their sponsorship.
I find it real hard to believe that UVa wouldn't sponsor us. History has repeatedly demonstrated that outside of the athletic departments, the two schools try to work together. (Except when they stole that whole data department of ours a few years ago!)
Unless they changed the requirements in the last year we do not. Previously we've never been able to meet the minimum research dollars requirements because it specifically excluded USDA or some other category of agricultural research dollars. If this research could be included we would easily meet all the requirements at this point.
I agree with almost all of what you've said here; great comment.
However I also think you contradict yourself by saying that this round of realignment is about viewership/eyeballs. If that is the case, college baseball means absolutely squat, and uva is not a desirable commodity due to their extreme lack of interest in football. Yes they have been good in basketball but I doubt their viewership moves the needle enough to overcome the negative that is uva football.
The recent moves have been about football. Texas and Oklahoma went to the sec because of football. Ucla is a different story since they are a basketball blue blood, but the big 10 adding usc was because of football. Cincy got into the big12 because of football. The big10 took oregon and Washington because of football.
I just don't see how uva gets in to a p2 due to basketball and baseball when all the other moves seem football driven and uva acts like they'd rather not have a football team.
Political games is a different story that could be a major factor, but I think they'd have to overcome the athletics part of it for uva
While adding them might not bring as many eyeballs from UVA "fans", adding them as fodder, while keeping to the AAU member part could be exactly what the BIG10 are looking for. The top football schools get to put another Auto W on their record while it still is a conference win. BIG10 has repeatedly shown that they really don't want to challenge their already established brands with the schools they are bringing in. Oregon is probably the only real threat in the PAC-12 teams they are adding. UCLA and USC hang on their history because neither has been a consistent top tier team in recent years. Washington might have been good if their program hadn't just been dismantled by Alabama hiring DeBoer and taking players and coaches with him. UVA might just be another East Coast version, similar to Rutgers and Maryland. Neither add much in football but add a little to basketball.
That could be a risky strategy for the B1G long-term. It's not value additive to add a bunch of clunkers in football for easy wins. If there are four time slots in a Saturday for a slate of games and you're competing head-to-head with the SEC for viewership, I think even a lower-tier SEC matchup like Kentucky vs Missouri would draw more national eyeballs than UVA vs Maryland or Rutgers. At some point the cost of adding clunkers will outweigh their value to the tv contract. USC and Oregon will draw national eyeballs. Washington and UCLA to a lesser extent. Don't know that UVA is in the same conversations there.
I'm going to push back on this. In the past decade, VT has gone from #73 to #47 in the USNWR rankings. The academic brand is stronger than it has ever been...and while UVa does have more pull in places of power, the biggest VA political power player is still a Hokie Alum (Bill Goodwin).
Can confirm. I grew up in VA and as a kid I was a Tar Heel because a lot of my family was in NC. Thankfully I saw the light before it was too late. I never gave two shits about loluva. I don't remember anyone who did.
If it's about collecting the best fan bases and competitive programs to the $EC and B1G, I have to believe Pry is getting us back to a much better place in the convo. If it's about slimy political crap, well, we may be effed.
When I moved to NC from VA, first day of 3rd grade my classmates asked who my team was. Being from Manassas, I said the Redskins. They said, "No, who's your basketball team?" I said the Chicago Bulls (this was during the Jordan/Pippen/Grant years). They said, "No, who's your college team?" I said I didn't have one and, like wizarding school, I was sorted into NC State. Luckily by the time '99 happened, I understood enough of what my dad was putting down to realize that I was a Hokie and have been since.
It makes...sense...if...there is an accepted belief in Merryman that VT is being left behind
Perhaps I misinterpreted the comment, but I assumed the 'if' only applied to the college sports blowing up part; not the accepted belief part.
i just went with the basic logic. ifand. If they were separate statements I'd agree with you. But it's a compound statement connected by and so I think the if applies to both.
Like, if he'd said:
or:
then, yeah, I'm with you.
But it's more like he said:
as opposed to:
Yep, yep and yep
Thanks!
Matt Jones is legit.
Married to a Wildcat. Can confirm.
This is the difficulty with making the "we are a family" pitch. College sports is a business and everyone needs to look out for his own future. If Kenny is worried about the financial viability of Tech moving forward, then, as a business decision, he needs to look to move one. But having built a program on the family atmosphere of the team, moving on means abandoning that family. I guess in the transfer portal era there's a chance a couple of his players transition with him, but not all of them. I just feel bad for the players who may have turned down more prestigious offers because of the camaraderie Kenny has built only to have to scramble to find a land placing if he leaves.
In the portal era, the entire team could transfer with him if they wanted to. The family would just be moving to another state
What are the chances he tells 100% of the Kentucky players to GTFO though? More than a few players are being left behind, especially if you account for incoming recruits.
EDIT: but that would be interesting. If you had a Final Four team and 100% of them transferred to another school with the coach, would everyone just rank the new Kentucky team like they would have ranked the Tech team had they stayed?
I mean, it ain't exactly unprecedented.
Or the (real) family are adults now and off on their own.
But yeah, interesting to blend teams between the 2 rosters for a solid team next year. Mad scientist stuff if you can pull it off.
BUT, honestly, those that end up in Blacksburg are prob less likely to enter the portal. I don't have numbers to support, but there's something in the water in the Valley. I know everyone loves their school, but VT truly is a special place. And once you get there, it's difficult to leave. It has a huge spot in your heart for a long long time.
Someone needs to tell the players on the men's team this.
Yeah, not a hard and fast rule, but in general. There are some recruits that have large egos and are chasing NIL $$$, but generally...I'd say it's a tougher decision to leave Blacksburg to follow a coach versus leaving other towns to follow a coach.
Need to get the fellas off that bottled water.
I - officially/supposedly - took off and worked for a year as a lab tech after graduation to get more experience before going to grad school. Truth is, I just didn't want to leave and the extra experience was just a byproduct of getting to spend another year with the great hiking, cycling and pick up volleyball in and around Blacksburg.
So you're saying that Tom Brand was just ahead of his time.
Oranges
One of four.
Just an interview.
BUT...kids are grown and out on their own, and an opportunity is present. Worth checking in to...
Kentucky might be lateral, but they've been up before recently. Plus in w Tenn, LSU, USCe, etc...
Honestly, if I were a coach, Kentucky would be a huge draw for me. SEC money with lower expectations (for football) and history (for basketball). It's got a fan base that is not your typical "burn it down after a bad season" SEC crowd. I can see a good coach being able to build a program long term there, especially in women's basketball where you can still find a lot of overlooked quality players.
And you're second tier to the top notch teams of Tenn, USCe, and LSU now. Get paid to knock them off their throne, and not fired if you don't. It's an easy recruiting spot, pretty part of the country, and tons of upside with deep pockets around.
Maybe I am being too simplistic however:
SEC dolla bills. There are just more of them than ACC dolla bills.
Mid or lower level performing SEC and BIG teams are already better funded or as well funded as top level ACC teams. Making your name in the ACC and then getting paid in the SEC or BIG is a trend that will continue into other sports.
I think he is getting 2 mil a year which is a lot of money in this area. Sadly, I greatly prefer this area to that area.
Kentucky's current coach is making $775,000 this year with a base salary of $400,000.
Brooks is doubling that in Blacksburg, and I can imagine that Whit isn't going to let him go without a counteroffer.
This makes me sad
Does this mean that we have thrown in the towel on this tourney? Heading into the NCAAT and the coach is off job hunting
I think all but the most optimistic among us expect to that Kitley is out for good and thus only expect a win or two, at most. As much as I'd like to hope the team can pull together and make a run, laying a foundation for the post Georgia/Liz era, this is not a great sign that Kenny thinks it can happen.
It's honestly pretty disappointing that he would be abandoning the team and recruits like this after preaching family so much and Whit and the fans doing so much to support the team. He'd rather give up on what has been built here because the player that was going to graduate anyway is hurt? Or was he always planning to leave when Kitley graduated?
SEC money runs circles around ACC money. This is the reality of college sports now. You can have the best program in the land at a lower school, and as soon as one of the big money schools come calling, you're gone because they can just afford to give you more in literally every aspect of the job.
I swear, if Kenny posts a Brooksketball logo in blue and white between WNCAAT games....
Whit plz. before someone else does.
A) This is a rumor only. Don't get too excited.
2) Brooks has a big family here and other involvements.
iii) Tech has paid him well and just gave him an extension. Continued improvements will get more money.
d.) Vastly increased attendance money from Women's basketball this year will continue to generate Tech money. That assist in item iii.
Major legs for your numbering scheme. I do that too, because I'm easily amused.
Glad to know I am not the only odd numbering guy around here.
X²+1: You always listen to offers as a coach, whether you want to leave or not. You never just say no or you are burning bridges you might need down the road. An interview somewhere else might also get you resources you need here like extra $$ for you assistants and such. There is precedent for that right here at good old VT.
Hopefully it just does not follow the precedent of what happened the last time when we gave a big long contract extension for [insert name of who shall not be named].
Yeah I know, it is a totally different story with long-term success vs. 1 good year. But still ...
Always say yes until you have to say no.
ugh, I'm a maroon - deleted
as long as you're a Chicago Maroon, you're ok in my book
Recently fired Kentucky coach Kyra Elzy was due for the following salary - with years in bold still owed by Kentucky:
23-24: $775,000
24-25: $800,000
25-26: $825,000
26-27: $850,000
Considering Kentucky still owes Elzy $2.475 million, I think it's unlikely they back the Brinks truck up to Brooks' driveway. My guess is they will offer him a modest salary increase, which he'd be smart to at least consider.
But contrary to what I think a lot of people here think, SEC money isn't infinite money. Kentucky isn't likely to just pour money over a women's basketball coach until they agree to take the job.
I honestly think it would take at least 2.5-3 a year for Brooks to even consider it if it exists. Even at the low range, that would be a huge increase in expenses for Kentucky. And if I am Brooks at this point in his career, a guaranteed salary or substantial buyout is part of my contract.
SEC money isn't
infiniteTexas oil money...I'll give you that.But it IS Kentucky basketball money...and that's what they care about. Calipari is the highest paid college coach at over $8.5mil a year. What's some more couch coins for a women's coach?
I mean, 25%+ of Calipari's salary compared to 10% is a big increase in spending. That's not couch coins.
Edit: I'm an idiot. 3 year extension which means he now has a 6 year, 6.4 million contract overall. Much closer. Still a bump though.
If Brook's agent has him interviewing for a job which may only have a modest salary increase then Kenny needs to find a new agent. There is no way he would put himself out there interviewing for just a modest salary increase. The damage control he would have to contend with would not be worth the risk unless the salary increase was fairly significant imo.
It's either 1) significant salary increase or 2) a "shot across the bow" at VT athletics similar to Fuente/Baylor, that we aren't putting enough resources toward WBB to compete like SEC programs are. Either way, isn't good.
And for Kentucky, it's a plus to interview a coach that has it going on, so they can compare other candidates to him. How they stack up, responses, attitudes. They either are in it to win (and will be compensated accordingly), or in it for the money (which they will be compensated to some extent.)
If Brooks' agent isn't having him interview for these jobs, they're not doing their job.
This can easily be a ploy to get more resources for the team (which also includes more money for the agent)
Brooks is set to make nearly a million dollars next year at Tech, not counting bonuses.
He's not denying it
This is a crap situation to be in right now. I'm sure Brooks is testing the waters and has the resume to leverage more resources for VT WBB from the AD. He has a right to ask for that at this point and look around if he feels he's not getting that commitment here.
From our perspective, with so much riding on the success of our football program over the next couple of years (and maybe even primarily this coming season with things moving rapidly now), how do you not simply put all of your eggs into the football basket at this point, if you're trying to make a case for a P2 invite? The cracks in the foundation of the ACC are showing big time now. If we want to hang on to coaches like Brooks, we better hope there's a P2 lifeline coming.
He is Hunter Cattoor's agent and trying to set him up with his first head coaching job.
Fuck it's going to happen isn't it
Mitchell is good too...he knows his hoops.
And this kind of stuff is why VT athletics will die if we aren't in the P2. You can't build on success if you have no hope of ever being able to pay enough to retain anyone who sniffs it.
I hate the timing of this for the players.. maybe Kenny has been honest with them but, if not, regardless of the outcome this is still hanging over their heads for as long as they are still playing.
Oh, he gone.
Just another reason to give up on college sports.
Dang. Kitley out. Brooks gonna be gone....guess we'll find out what Amoore likes more VT or Brooks...
She's almost certainly going pro.
I don't think he's going. I think this is just smart business on his part to make sure VT keeps investing in his program. Of course he is their top target. He's a great coach and a winner. He's gonna stay here and keep winning.
I'll have what OP's having
Remember when Bonnie left to take that sweet gig at Kansas? Didn't work out too well for her.
Kitley "hearted" a comment I made about Brooks leaving, so I guess they're aware.
What was the comment? WHAT DID YOU SAY?!?
Look on the bright side, if Brooks leaves, it all but guarantees that Pry leads VT football to the playoffs next year. We are permitted one good team per year. Science.
(yeah I know I heard baseball and softball are doing pretty well, but I don't consider those as sports - respect my decision)
Me neither, but I reserve the right to begin considering them sports should they win a natty.
If Brooks jets the Kentucky, would they be paying his buyout to VT?
Currently under contract through '28-'29 for another $5,475,000
I think that's his salary, inclusive of retention bonuses. I have not seen that there is a buyout. But, KB likely wouldn't pay for his own buyout so presumably in order for another school to hire him, they would have to pay for the buyout, if there is one.
Salary breakdown link
Sure, buyout wouldn't be the entire remaining salary, but I can't imagine there wouldn't be something
It's not clear that the base salary for K. Brooks was guaranteed. If so, then Babcock should have definitely bargained for a buyout.
If someone has a copy of the actual contract, then we could look at the terms.
UK would pay any buyout and it would be pocketchange for them at this point.
Indiana football payed $15 million extra in buyout $$ (I believe it was negotiated down some) to fire Tom Allen a few months early--to hire a geriatric from JMU that they probably could have hired after the season.
The B1G and SEC are going to dominate college sports and rub everyone else's noses in it. Its inevitable. If you are a top 20 coach, there's no reason to wallow in any other Conference.
The TV Networks colluded with the SEC and B1G to use NIL and the Transfer Portal to create "superconferences" to help them line their own pockets. To the public, it got sold as a lifeline for "poor College athletes." It was always bullshit and this is the fallout, spilling over into other sports.
UK women's basketball is a joke, the only reason to consider going there is overwhelming amounts of $$$
First Kitley, now this. I has the sads.
Certainly has taken out the wind from the sales on excitement of this team
Who is buying excitement?
Pontiac owners?
It's an older meme, sir, but it checks out
...goddamnit
Beamer walked back from UNC, so there is reason for hope.
Possibly, but this is a different world now.
You can't be a H.C. who wants to compete at top levels and not have to consider who is going to supply you with bags of cash to pay off recruits and transfers year after year...and whether your institution has the resources to compete in that world.
If your school isn't in the P2, you are always going to be at a disadvantage.
Women's basketball certainly isn't the same in terms of compensation as CFB, but I can virtually guarantee you McD's All-Americans aren't signing for free..
(free here obviously being a loose term as the $150-200k of tuition, room, academic support, and stipend doesn't actually have any value apparently)
That's the impetus here, plus Brooks is about to lose 2 transformational players, its a good time to duck out.
And if Amoore for some reason decides to return, UK can always pay her off too to get her to Lexington.
College Sports are awesome!!
Exactly. If Brooks does go to Lexington and Amoore plays next year my money says she will be in blue and white. 😞
His current recruiting class is at least #6 in the Country. He is getting the players now. Silva and Lexie could also be transformational players.
That glass is half full dammit.
True...but he can possibly double his salary, have UK payoff his recruits and take them with him.
The Transfer Portal and NIL have made tampering pretty much universally accepted as a Recruiting method.
The idea here is...if you can pull the #6 class in the country with an ACC budget, you certainly would be expected to do as well or better with an SEC one.
The question is..how truly dedicated is UK to women's basketball?? Maybe that gives him enough pause to turn this down.
The point, though, is that he doesn't have to.
Maybe he doesn't right now but in order to be consistently competitive at a top-15 level, VT has to invest in WBB at a P2 level and where that cash is going to come from is a mystery to me.
LSU is the model--hire a big-name coach and buy the best team you can.
Call me pessimistic, but the recent actions of the SEC/B1G suggest pretty clearly what their intentions are over the next few years: to pick apart the valuable parts of the other Conferences and leave everyone else to wither.
We've entered Phase II of this..the P2 have a huge monetary advantage and now have the media in their pockets..time to start dismantling everyone else. Its like the scene in Independence Day with the alien ships over the major cities, just waiting for the countdown to start the attack.
VT (and similar schools) are gonna have to hope Will Smith magically appears and saves the day.
The odds have always been against VT, and VT has risen to the occasion. VT has a lot of positives, so I'd be hesitant to count them out based on internet comments.
VT just needs to...
... invent the future.
The academic side may have punted on that phrase, but it doesn't mean we can't use it for sports.
I feel like Brooks hasn't stayed at VT long enough to establish his legacy. I hope he sticks it out here for a while longer.
Would be nice to just build something special with our school for once...
Haha. We did, my guy. From 1987 to 2015. It didn't win a natty, but it was something special.
Came close once, then the top brass thought resting on their 2nd place laurels would continue to get the job done.
Shoulda specified besides the Beams.....
Why can't we have nice things?
Because we aren't getting asked to the p2 and this is why college sports fandom will be ruined for me when this happens
I recognize it's not yet a done deal or at least not yet announced however if we lose Kenny to UK, it's one thing to be a farm system to the blue bloods, but being a farm system to Kentucky.
Next we will be developing coaches and players for Rutgers and Vandy.
Praying he's using the Beamer tactic to get the AD more invested in the women's bb program...
See Coach they're not so great!
They're not so great Coach 😭
This (CKB possibly going to KY) is worse news than Kitley's career ending injury. This was Kitley's final season regardless, but at least we would still have that great recruiting class coming in plus Amoore's possible return. However CKB leaving would rip out every last shred of anything good with respect to VT WBB. Gutted like an inferior fish.
This is going to be a pivotal moment for VT athletics if rumors are actually true. VT doesn't necessarily need to pay him the most, but needs to pay him "enough" in order to keep him grounded. IMO, if VT wants to, they will. If VT doesn't, it's because they don't want to and not because they can't.
You see, either way, what happens next at the very least from a perception standpoint, and most definitely a reality, is VT will either decide to become a "P2" type university or show everyone they aren't really committed to sports in the "blue blood" fashion.
To me, this outcome may be the biggest event in establishing VT as a serious P2 contender or not. The ball is in VT's court.
Kentucky losing last night was great for my schadenfreude. Hopefully CKB sees the fan response.
Might be a good time to remind folks to donate to the Hokie Club
Somebody slide those expired Hardee's coupons across the table
We aren't losing CKB. He's a Virginia guy, loves VT and iis not done building his legacy with back to back top 10 recruting classes. We can and should afford to restructure his contract
Yes, we need to give him a bear hug and hold on tight.
Rupp Arena is better than Cassell. I hope Whit has a plan. It was fun while Brooks was here, but we can't overcome the arena.
Yeah, if it's some additional salary or something like that, I hope we can work to keep him. If it's facilities and wanting a multimillion capital investment in Cassell, we have to put everything we have into football right now. If we don't get a P2 invite eventually then whatever money we commit to basketball right now won't matter. Really hope we can keep him but football being very successful should be the top focus for the next 1-2 years.
Cassell today is 100% better than when I was in school. They renovated the concourses etc not too long ago. They replaced every seat in the arena, new scoreboards, etc. I'm told Hahn Hurst is one of the better practice facilities as well- But in modern college (pro) sports, VT should probably tear it down and build a new one now too. Ironically Kenny's teams play much better in that old barn than they play on the road. Maybe there is something to that? Maybe tarped off upper deck at Rupp is not quite as intimate? But this is where we are. Win at VT, and get poached by an SEC school. We aren't JMU in terms of a stepping stone, but it's getting close to that.
Hopefully the Hokies are sticking with plan A.
Yeah it's entirely possible the now expected outcome is that KB stays in Blacksburg and he went with Clemson rather than waiting.
Man I hope we aren't on the wrong side of this timing... if Brooks leaves I'd no lie try and steal Poppie from Clemson (doubtful I know)
Hopefully
the Hokies areBrooks is sticking with plan A.FTFY
Come on Whit, keep the gang together
Something that I've been thinking about.... is it really just a sign of the times that a guy who just extended his contract goes out and interviews for other jobs?
It's a sign of the times that when folks with aimless money call, you go. You get something whether you stay or go.
No the sign of the times is middle class or in Kentucky's case- likely lower income people in the state giving their hard earned money by the millions to the women's basketball program so they can beat Murray State regularly and get dusted by the upper tier of the SEC. Big Blue is more important than retirement. The thirst for money in college sports is endless. Unless VT donors start giving Whit money at unprecedented levels, we won't have a seat close to the adults table.
The tv revenue and the widening disparity between P2 and everyone else is what's driving this primarily. P2 schools have so much tv revenue that they are covering their operations and capital needs and telling donors to pivot their resources to NIL. The next big shoe to drop is going to be contracts and tv revenue sharing with players - which means that will be the decision point between the haves and the have nots. We need to try and be on that train before it leaves the station.
This to me is just a total symptom of the crazy amount of tv revenue the SEC is getting - they have so much excess cash now that they are investing in other sports.
Revenue Sharing means collective bargaining which means they are employees of the schools- which means a bunch of other shit that I think violates the whole title 9 status and a myriad of other issues. But you are right, money will turn this into the NBA. I wonder if we will see 120-119 games, zero defense played, endless traveling on the court, load management, DJ's blaring music during play, etc on the Hokies?
I have and will always hate and I mean hate when basketball let the players carry the ball endlessly. It's was so God awful bad when they allowed it and is God awful today. It's so cheap to me. The traveling is also getting ridiculous. The excessive, individual elbows and shoulders to the chest, back, face, gut is ridiculous. Basketball is a physical sport but now it's practically full on contact. It's cheapen the game too.
I haven't watched or attended an NBA game in so long. Recently, I was channel surfing and for whatever reason started watching an NBA game. I had never heard the DJ Dance Party continual music before. This right here is unbelievable to me. The NBA is no longer a game of basketball. It's a phucking entertainment show. There is practically zero art or science to the game being played. Boring AF TV show.
I mean, just go look at the scores. If you don't score 100 points, you lose. 147-119 is an actual score from Sunday. Four teams scored 124+, it's nonsense.
Wizards are averaging giving up about 127 points per game
Yes but Capital One Arena is the reason Ted's not making money, nothing to do with the fact the product on the court is absolute garbage.
The Caps are there thru 2047 now.
100%. Moving to Alexandria isn't going to make the Wizards into a competent basketball team.
Fwiw listening to Kentucky Sports Radio and the first 20 minutes was on..... Calipari. Then a brief mention about the men's Louisville opening, and a brief tease about the women's opening right before commercial.
Edit: update, quick 5 minute hit, and they know he can rebuild a school and he is a great coach. They see how sad we'd be if we lost him. Their rumor is they are offering to pay him as 3rd highest SEC coach behind Dawn Staley and Mulkey.
He needs to hold out for more than them. Staley is good Mulkey is a prima donna diva that has to be the center of the show.
Candy colored clown says "Hi"
Such trash
-reminds me of easter
-because of the pink?
-Nope, she's egg hunt
She is the walrus, koo-koo-ka-choo.
Looking forward to the Washington Post treatment.
You mean this coach?
https://apnews.com/article/lsu-kim-mulkey-washington-post-e1fb8c28ec9f48b2836e7364d41897c1
That WaPo article is coming out soon, and I'm going to read it with some popcorn and a big-ass grin.
That would depend on if they are using the Texas A&M coach salary or incoming Texas coach.
A&M coach is getting $1.5M and Texas is $2.3M. First is probably matchable but doubt Whit would go to latter.
A&M would mean giving him a $600K increase per year. Texas would be more than double his current salary which I just don't see Whit doing.
I mean, sure but that's really not the point I'm trying to make, and is kinda just what the well connected KSR guys said.
The broader point is the SEC has fuck you money to splash on WBB coaches without blinking an eye (Texas included now).
Local Lexington press can't even spell Calipari's name right. Jeesh....
Jim Calimari is a legend, and they should put some respect on that man's name
Mmm, now I'm craving some calamari.
KB Out
discussion thread
https://www.thekeyplay.com/content/2024/march/26/kenny-brooks-leaving-ke...