Recent Comments
It was just awfully quick with all the negative JJ stuff and the Shaka Smart previous offer stuff all at once. Color me skeptical.
I've been thinking about this more. How come Mick Cronin hasn't been mentioned? It looks like he makes in the $1.25M range, he's a Babcock coach, has had success at Cincy, and is in a dying conference. Is there something in his contract that would prevent Tech from thinking of him as a decent candidate.
*I don't have enough turkey legs to upvote or downvote.
What hurts us is that VT is really super far away from DC, there's no connection between the school and the area whatsoever...
I wouldn't say that, DC area is our largest alumni base. That being said, I realize that a 4 hour drive to friends/family is quite inconvenient.
Completely agree. We need to get to the point where being towards the top of the ACC is expected, and anything less is unacceptable.
I think your last paragraph covers an important issue: we are in a position to take a risk. It really can't get much worse, from an on the court perspective and fundraising. This isn't just about Pearl (who I strongly support), but any coach that may have some baggage.
I lean heavily towards hiring a known name than an unknown small school talent. If you are going to miss, miss big.
In high school, I ran the 1600 and 3200. I wasn't ever great and I peaked as a sophomore (5:31 & 11:57 respectively) when I finished #15 at the Region C meet in the 3200m. I regularly had a state champion competing against me along with 3 or 4 of his team mates that got to train against him (I on the other hand jokingly described my team as 4 girls, a guy & a handicapped bus), so I had a total of two wins my entire high school career, both at meets that PHHS didn't attend.
I've been piecing this together from a few places, so maybe it would be best if I wrote all my thoughts down in one place.
Let me first start out that I really do respect Coach Johnson for taking over this program and doing what he did. Through absolutely no fault of his own (if you're an assistant who has never been a head coach, you DON'T say no when an ACC program offers you a head coaching job, even if it was in a place at a time where it would have been nearly impossible for even the best head coaches to succeed) he took over a program gutted of talent that had just become a national punchline for how it handled the most recent coaching termination. He took a no-win situation and at least brought in a couple guys who we are going to be able to build around for the future. We might have only beaten 1 ACC team this year, but we were competitive in most games. Not sure how anyone could have reasonably expected anything more of him. I wish him the best of luck in the future regardless of where he ends up. He's still got a bright coaching future ahead of him, its just unfortunate that the timing was so bad here in Blacksburg. And as an aside, I beg the fanbase, don't pine for what could have been should he make it big elsewhere. This team right now is BAD, and its way too much to have asked him to fix. It isn't fair for anyone involved to have kept him on staff for any longer.
As for the future and this hire. Whit has presented himself an incredible opportunity in his early tenure to make a big impression on us, and I really hope he goes for it. We have an absolutely stagnant donor base that mails in the annual minimum to keep football tickets and does little else to financially and vociferously support our other athletics. It has been far, far too long (possibly ever) since we have made a big splash on the coaching circuits and brought in a big name guy. I say it right now, with this hire, that mindset needs to change. What better way to take the jumper cables to the nether regions of the donor base and shock us into action than to go out and bring in a big name head coach. No, it doesn't have to be Shaka Smart, but someone similar. Gregg Marshall would be another guy I would put up there, and he has Hokie ties by being from this area. You want the big money donors to start shelling out their money and to start supporting the Athletic Department more than they do, break the trend of the safe or bargain hires. If it doesn't work, let the contract expire or eventually release him (and to be honest, with all the dead money we're going to be shelling out to Weaver, Greenberg, and Johnson over the next few years, we now know for sure we can afford a massive buyout) and then go and hire someone more economically reasonable for what we think we should be. But should it work out, you're not only looking at VT basketball as being a relevant program in the ACC and a potential NCAA tourney regular, you're now opening up the possibility that the basketball program could eventually be a revenue generator for this Athletic Department. For Whit, this is an opportunity to show everyone that he's serious about Virginia Tech being a legitimate Athletic Department that is serious about competing at the highest of levels. In my opinion, nothing would disappoint me more right now than to see the same old same old average coach from a middling conference who needs a change in scenery. We've been down that path far too often. Its time to go big.
Even before this hire is made, I'm willing to give Whit a mulligan if he goes big with this hire and it doesn't work. We badly need a culture change within this athletic department, and the best way to do it right now in my opinion is to shoot for the stars with this hire, even if we have to slightly overpay the guy. I want to be excited about VT basketball again, and even if that means taking a chance on a hire that could blow up in our faces, I want to say at least we tried. Unfortunately, with this last hire, I never really thought I could ever say with a straight face that we legitimately tried when Seth was let go, and that's just sad.
Agree with both of you. Joe, I think you are absolutely correct when you said we can't rule out anybody. Babcock knows what he is doing, and a home run hire that nobody saw coming wouldn't surprise me one bit although I'm not expecting it.
Bill Self? C'mon, now.
Yep pete. I just wrote a check. WB just stepped up and we need to help him. Dollars will help.
Or just wait for Cincinnati to get bounced quickly.
UVA just won the concerence regular season, tournament, and got a #1 Seed in the NCAA tournament. Basketball isn't football, it's not as hard to "get good" it's designed to be kind of cyclical for all but the biggest programs, but the important part of a cycle is that it has low points AND high points. You get the right coach with the right players in the right system and you can compete.
We don't have to be this bad at basketball for this long. It's OK to demand more. Even in the halcyon days of Seth Greenberg, it was OK to say "this isn't good enough, one tournament appearance in a decade isn't good enough." Even with all of the "obstacles" we face. We can do better than Seth Greenberg, and we can do better than 2 tournament appearances in 20 years.
It's OK to want more.
Yeah, those two stick out to me as well.
I'm also expecting the unexpected. Someone who we don't know isn't happy in their current position.
Why would Whit have to "Justify" how previous administrations have treated MBB Coaches? He's not Jim Weaver. The Post Season and Attendance issues speak for themselves.
Yeah, my post was largely TIC. But, I think Seth got the shit end of the stick. Maybe he wasn't the most congenial of guys but he actually won and had some signature victories... and in ACC competition. I won't be so naive as to pretend VT is going to be a conference championship contender anytime soon (maybe never) but, damn, he was run out of town on a rail.
Keep in mind that Beamer's salary isn't necessarily a reflection of the athletic department's ability to pay him fair market value. We are not privy to the conversations that Beams has had in the past with JW & Co, so I wouldn't be so quick to associate his salary and compensation with a cheap department.
JoePa, for instance, requested and maintained a low base salary to free up more money for other parts of the team and department. Frank has always put his staff ahead of himself, and though his salary is considerably higher than JoePa's was, he is quick to secure fair compensation for his assistants.
Nevertheless, I wholeheartledly agree with you on your point that if we want to compete with the big boys, we need to understand the realities of the current marketplace. This goes back to the discussion we have had time and again in recent months: In order to compete with the big boys and have the funds to compensate our coaches, it begins with all of us and how much we are compelled and/or willing to donate. Enter Whit.
Maybe its time we face reality then about what Frank Beamer makes here. If we are really truly committed to be a football first school than maybe its time Beamer got a raise commensurate with his competition. Then we wouldn't be having this conversation about Beamer's salary or an offensive line coaches salary. If we really want to be the best in either sport than we are going to have to lay out the big bucks.
I am of the same mindset of Brian. This hiring will likely define the next three to five years of this Athletic Department. If Whit is confident in his ability to raise the funds necessary to bring this program into the same air as the SEC football schools, Texas, Stanford, and UCLA than he is going to have to be willing to open the checkbook all the way up. Shaka Smart at $2.5 million plus staff, go after Bill Self and give him a shot at his old mentor year in and year out, make the big confident hire that says Tech is headed higher immediately. What are the dominoes of that decision? It will likely mean needing to renegotiate with Frank Beamer and his staff to ensure the Football First mantra is not offended. Make the plans to replace Cassell or at least initiate a full spectrum review for a major renovation. We have crossed the threshold of getting rid of JJ so now I want to see us jump ahead in a large way.
Will Whit have to then deliver on fundraising? Absolutely, it will mean every one of us on this website will have to find a way to help him deliver. $100 a head x the graduates since 2000 alone would bring in about $5.5 million. Make that annually and some of these discussions of funds go away. Will they get everyone to give $100? No but they need to do all the things Joe talks about plus make it a more well rounded organization with benefits that are not entirely tied to the football program.
Regardless of what happens, we are definitely in a better position than when Weaver waited a month to fire Greenberg. We should have the ability to go after whoever we want.
Seth's success on TV really makes him much more attractive. He is more of a household name now than ever and was never a bad coach.
We won't rehire him, but someone will. And we are looking for a guy a lot like Seth. Experienced, known name, defense first, can excite a program.....
I want his LOI, and I wanted it yesterday!
Whits experience with Tuberville says he thinks you hire the coach then raise the money.
A bad coach sucks your athletic department dry in so many ways.
Send away!
When I get my 20th leg, I'll be sending one your way for this post!
Why not? If we really are serious about competing with UNC, Syracuse, Louisville, and Duke than we have to get after it. Self would bring an entire career of credibility to that work. He is definitely familiar with Coach Williams. He wouldn't flinch from coaching against those guys even in his first season. Is it a bit outlandish, sure? So is Shaka Smart but if we do want to be in the same conversation as those schools that regularly compete for the Capital One Cup, the best overall Athletic Department, we have to be willing to make a huge investment into Men's basketball.