From what I hear, the biggest issue for Raridon and Tharp (beyond personal/family situations even) is staffing. Dennie Bridges is too cheap to provide a full-time assistant coach, like most successful programs have. Tharp has one at Lawrence, Raridon at NCC. In the CCIW there is John Baines at Elmhurst, Tom Jesse at Augustana, etc. (Guys that have other duties at the school, but mainly are the basketball asst coach.) I think everyone but IWU has one.
At IWU you get Dennis Martel, the head baseball coach, as your assistant. Martel does not recruit and he even has to miss playoff games because by that time he has to coach his baseball team. IWU has the two good volunteer guys in Steinbrook and Hudson, but they are just that - volunteer.
Now, I have heard all along that down deep Bridges was learning towards hiring someone with green blood who would stay forever (Rose or Baines), but the simple fact is that Bridges lost Raridon and Tharp because of his refusal to get with the times and give IWU a full-time assistant. You'd think the "best job in Division 3" (Bridges' words) would merit a full-time asst, right?
We'll see how IWU competes as the years go on.
At IWU you get Dennis Martel, the head baseball coach, as your assistant. Martel does not recruit and he even has to miss playoff games because by that time he has to coach his baseball team. IWU has the two good volunteer guys in Steinbrook and Hudson, but they are just that - volunteer.
Now, I have heard all along that down deep Bridges was learning towards hiring someone with green blood who would stay forever (Rose or Baines), but the simple fact is that Bridges lost Raridon and Tharp because of his refusal to get with the times and give IWU a full-time assistant. You'd think the "best job in Division 3" (Bridges' words) would merit a full-time asst, right?
We'll see how IWU competes as the years go on.