I copied this from Mark Berman's Blog:
http://www.roanoke.com/sports/columns_and_blogs/blogs/courtside/blog-bab...
I'm just copying what I thought was the meat of Mark's Blog entry and am highlighting some key phrases from what Whit said.
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I certainly could debate the point of why Coach Johnson should get another year and I did so many times in my mind, Babcock said. But at the end of the day I made the decision for the primary reason that I didnt feel that our staff was ultimately one that could lead our program successfully for the long term and to get us to our goal of the NCAA tournament. . A new direction was needed sooner rather than later.
Babcock said he ideally wants to hire someone with head-coaching experience.
Our search may take a week or it may likely last past the Final Four, as some of the people we want to visit with will be coaching in the NCAA tournament and other postseason tournaments, said Babcock, who officially began his job at Tech last month. I really feel its critical that they have head-coaching experience.
Do we have a wish list of candidates? Yes we do. Do we have a succession plan of candidates? Yes.
Even more important than our wish list is the list of candidates that will truly take our job if offered. Thats the real list that we need to focus on.
Babcock said Tech could hire a "proven, high-profile head coach with a strong track record, a known commodity, a splash hire that wins the press conference."
"We are prepared, within reason, to invest for a favorable return," Babcock said. "Sometimes you have to spend to acquire talent in this profession and were prepared to do so if its the right person and the right fit.
"We wont spend frivilously, but we must be aggressive if this opportunity presents itself."
But Babcock said such candidates are "hard to get" because "many wont leave for a rebuilding project no matter how hard we recruit them" and because they are already well-compensated.
So he said he might instead hire "an up-and-coming head coach" who might be young or be at a mid-major school or be a "short-tenured" head coach.
"Up and comers are proven but lesser known nationally, and indentifying the ones who can make the leap to the ACC is a bit more of an inexact science," he said. "Its critical that we identify and evaluate which up and comers are ready to step up in recruiting, player evaluation, player development, handling the media, handling the pressure and are ready to coach under the brighest of lights in the ACC. .... An up and comer can absolutely work if we identify and recruit the right one.
"If we make a hire and the Hokie family has to Google search them to learn a little bit more about who they are, .... I would just ask that you not panic."
Babcock would not say how much he is willing to spend on a new coach.
"Thats like going to a salesman and telling him how much money youve got in your pocket," Babcock said. "It depends on the person. I would say aggressively but within reason. But I do believe youve got to spend to get some talent occasionally."
Babcock said ideally the next coach would know the I-95 corridor from a recruiting standpoint, "but I dont know that thats critical."
He said he also wants to see how a coach develops players and what his track record of success is.
"Do they really have what it takes to be a scrapper and a fighter to build this program in what I think is the nations toughest conference?" he said.
Babcock said he will give the next coach "some time to get it right."
Babcock said he met with Johnson on Sunday, made his decision Sunday night and fired Johnson on Monday morning.
"Do I think we could have been incrementally better next year? I do," Babcock said. "But when I came to it my own mind that I didnt feel that this group was the one that could us to the middle of the conference or higher, I just felt like we needed to go ahead and do it.
"I do think the one thing that makes it a little bit difference than two years is the fact that he was here for five before that as an assistant, recruited some of the players."
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Where is my popcorn?....
