MBB: College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin

[Next Man Up]

I know he lacks experience, but he seems like a strong candidate.

It's always a steep learning curve for assistant/associate coaches who move up to the top rung; this is definitely the case in the CCIW.  He was also the recruiting coordinator at WLC, which was probably a big reason for his hire.  It looks like he will be a good mission fit as well.   

The head assistant is the recruiting coordinator at many schools. This is nothing unusual. This was the case with all of the NPU finalists.

[Next Man Up]

Lots of recent posts about the selection on the new NPU Head Coach. Hear is what I was able to uncover.

The finalists for the North Park job were;
1. Coach Unkown
2. Obinna Agomo—Former Head Asst at Central IA College for 5 years through 2022. Current whereabouts unknown.
3. Paxton Molinari—Coach at Coe College IA for 7 years, the last 3 as Head Assistant.
4. Zack Jadzak—Head Assistant at Buena Vista IA for the last 3 years. 4 years of prior experience.
5. Sean Smith—Head Assistant at Wisconsin Lutheran for 3 years. New NPU Head Coach.

All also functioned as Recruiting Coordinators in their most recent positions. One also did so earlier in his career.

After the first round of the finals, #s 1, 2, and 3 were eliminated, and it came down to Jadzak and Smith.
You can peruse Coach Smith's background by clicking the link provided by mr_b.

As for Zack Jadzak, I can provide the following;
* Grew up in Wheaton. Played at Wheaton South then at NAIA St. Ambrose 2011-2015.
* Head Assistant at Blackburn IL College 2015-2016.
* Head Assistant and Recruiting Coordinator at Aurora University 2016-2017. Recruited against CCIW schools.
* Enrolled in Grad School at CCIW member North Central in fall, 2017, and served as the NCC Grad Assistant for 2 seasons, 2017-2019. Part of his duties consisted of being heavily involved with recruiting. During his time at North Central, the Cardinals went 42-15. They won the CCIW Tournament in 2019, and went to the D3 National Tournament both years.
* Head Assistant and Recruiting Coordinator at Buena Vista IA University for the last 3 years. Has helped take Buena Vista from the bottom of the league to two straight conference tournament championship appearances.

[kiko]

My only comment on this topic is that I hope no hiring process I am ever part of, as either the hiring party or the candidate, is detailed like this on the internet.

I know our culture treats hiring decisions in sports differently than in many other sectors of the workforce, because apparently Tom from Buffalo Grove on Line 2 has some sort of skin in the game.  But at the end of the day these are people's careers and livelihoods and IMO there's no reason anybody outside of the hiring process needs to know who was a semifinalist, a finalist, etc.

[itsnotmeitsyou]

I know he lacks experience, but he seems like a strong candidate.

It's always a steep learning curve for assistant/associate coaches who move up to the top rung; this is definitely the case in the CCIW.  He was also the recruiting coordinator at WLC, which was probably a big reason for his hire.  It looks like he will be a good mission fit as well.   

I think his leadership qualities are probably off the charts, as well.  If you look at his playing career: three year captain, team went from 5 wins his freshman year to 30 his senior season.  He won a bunch of character awards.  I've got no skin in the game, of course, but I'm intrigued to see what he can do.

The TIU success was a product of a coach who actually attracted a VERY talented roster (relative to the CCAC) and consequently moved up to a job in an upper-level D2 conference.  The coach IS the program at 98% of colleges across the country - not the captain or players on the team.  TIU has been 44-62 since that coach left....

[itsnotmeitsyou]

Lots of recent posts about the selection on the new NPU Head Coach. Hear is what I was able to uncover.

The finalists for the North Park job were;
1. Coach Unkown
2. Obinna Agomo—Former Head Asst at Central IA College for 5 years through 2022. Current whereabouts unknown.
3. Paxton Molinari—Coach at Coe College IA for 7 years, the last 3 as Head Assistant.
4. Zack Jadzak—Head Assistant at Buena Vista IA for the last 3 years. 4 years of prior experience.
5. Sean Smith—Head Assistant at Wisconsin Lutheran for 3 years. New NPU Head Coach.

All also functioned as Recruiting Coordinators in their most recent positions. One also did so earlier in his career.

After the first round of the finals, #s 1, 2, and 3 were eliminated, and it came down to Jadzak and Smith.
You can peruse Coach Smith's background by clicking the link provided by mr_b.

As for Zack Jadzak, I can provide the following;
* Grew up in Wheaton. Played at Wheaton South then at NAIA St. Ambrose 2011-2015.
* Head Assistant at Blackburn IL College 2015-2016.
* Head Assistant and Recruiting Coordinator at Aurora University 2016-2017. Recruited against CCIW schools.
* Enrolled in Grad School at CCIW member North Central in fall, 2017, and served as the NCC Grad Assistant for 2 seasons, 2017-2019. Part of his duties consisted of being heavily involved with recruiting. During his time at North Central, the Cardinals went 42-15. They won the CCIW Tournament in 2019, and went to the D3 National Tournament both years.
* Head Assistant and Recruiting Coordinator at Buena Vista IA University for the last 3 years. Has helped take Buena Vista from the bottom of the league to two straight conference tournament championship appearances.

Mr Sager....now THAT (see above) is what you should call a "shallow applicant pool"!

btw - i've been involved in college athletics for three decades - when did the term "Head Assistant" become a thing? There's Head Coach, Associate Head Coach, Assistant Coach (whether full or part-time), Graduate Assistant Coach, or Volunteer Coach. 

[itsnotmeitsyou]

My only comment on this topic is that I hope no hiring process I am ever part of, as either the hiring party or the candidate, is detailed like this on the internet.

I know our culture treats hiring decisions in sports differently than in many other sectors of the workforce, because apparently Tom from Buffalo Grove on Line 2 has some sort of skin in the game.  But at the end of the day these are people's careers and livelihoods and IMO there's no reason anybody outside of the hiring process needs to know who was a semifinalist, a finalist, etc.

Do you actually think that these candidates actually made it to this stage of the hiring process WITHOUT their schools/employers/superiors knowing?  I mean, if I'm an AD and a prospective candidates' boss DOESN'T call me with a recommendation, I'm DEFINITELY making contact to discuss their responsibilities, personality style, strengths/weaknesses, coaching style, maturity, problem solving abilities, communication skills, and many other facets of their potential job performance.

If a candidate ever communicated with me: "I am the best person for this job and here's why, but please don't contact my current employer"... my response would be: "Thank you for your interest. We'll let you know...." and then scratch them off my list.

[itsnotmeitsyou]

In case your unfamiliar with how the college-coaching-world-job-search process works and what it means... it's pretty simple:

- Lots of coaches will apply for a vacant Head Coaching job - whether they really want the job or not.
- Once in process, coaches will learn what the AD is looking for and then try to mold themselves (via back channel contact/recommendations) to fit that ideal.
- Goal #1: just get an interview
- Goal #2: get a job offer
- THEN decide if you want the job or not!

The most obvious "take away" from the process re: NPU is this:  This is not viewed as a very good job by most basketball people.

Clearly, Head Coaches from lower-level D3 conferences do not view this position as a step up or a place where you can be successful relative to the rest of the conference.  Salary, abilities to attract talent, cost of living, budget, institutional support, facilities, etc. all play a part in that decision making process.

If I were to group schools based on desirability (considering the factors I mentioned above) the list would be:

Tier 1: Elmhurst, IWU, North Central, Wheaton, Augustana
Tier 2: Carthage, Carroll
Tier 3: Millikin, NPU

[Gotberg]

In case your unfamiliar with how the college-coaching-world-job-search process works and what it means... it's pretty simple:

- Lots of coaches will apply for a vacant Head Coaching job - whether they really want the job or not.
- Once in process, coaches will learn what the AD is looking for and then try to mold themselves (via back channel contact/recommendations) to fit that ideal.
- Goal #1: just get an interview
- Goal #2: get a job offer
- THEN decide if you want the job or not!

The most obvious "take away" from the process re: NPU is this:  This is not viewed as a very good job by most basketball people.

Clearly, Head Coaches from lower-level D3 conferences do not view this position as a step up or a place where you can be successful relative to the rest of the conference.  Salary, abilities to attract talent, cost of living, budget, institutional support, facilities, etc. all play a part in that decision making process.

If I were to group schools based on desirability (considering the factors I mentioned above) the list would be:

Tier 1: Elmhurst, IWU, North Central, Wheaton, Augustana
Tier 2: Carthage, Carroll
Tier 3: Millikin, NPU

I have no idea if Coach Smith will be successful at NPU, but I really like the hire.

The only criteria that matters, is the criteria and intent of the person applying for the job.  Perhaps he wants to be a program maker, rather than a follower.

[Next Man Up]

In case your unfamiliar with how the college-coaching-world-job-search process works and what it means... it's pretty simple:

- Lots of coaches will apply for a vacant Head Coaching job - whether they really want the job or not.
- Once in process, coaches will learn what the AD is looking for and then try to mold themselves (via back channel contact/recommendations) to fit that ideal.
- Goal #1: just get an interview
- Goal #2: get a job offer
- THEN decide if you want the job or not!

The most obvious "take away" from the process re: NPU is this:  This is not viewed as a very good job by most basketball people.

Clearly, Head Coaches from lower-level D3 conferences do not view this position as a step up or a place where you can be successful relative to the rest of the conference.  Salary, abilities to attract talent, cost of living, budget, institutional support, facilities, etc. all play a part in that decision making process.

If I were to group schools based on desirability (considering the factors I mentioned above) the list would be:

Tier 1: Elmhurst, IWU, North Central, Wheaton, Augustana
Tier 2: Carthage, Carroll
Tier 3: Millikin, NPU

I have no idea if Coach Smith will be successful at NPU, but I really like the hire.

The only criteria that matters, is the criteria and intent of the person applying for the job.  Perhaps he wants to be a program maker, rather than a follower.

Excuse me if I'm missing something here, but wouldn't the intent of any applicant be, hopefully within the rules, to win?
And, what applicant/hire wouldn't go into a new job looking to be a program maker rather than a follower? Even more pertinent to the hiring process what hiring manager would consider hiring anyone who didn't make that desire evident in the interview process?

[Next Man Up]

My only comment on this topic is that I hope no hiring process I am ever part of, as either the hiring party or the candidate, is detailed like this on the internet.

I know our culture treats hiring decisions in sports differently than in many other sectors of the workforce, because apparently Tom from Buffalo Grove on Line 2 has some sort of skin in the game.  But at the end of the day these are people's careers and livelihoods and IMO there's no reason anybody outside of the hiring process needs to know who was a semifinalist, a finalist, etc.

Some people like to know things, others don't care. Some people are overly sensitive and others not so much.
In light of the choice seemingly being somewhat surprising to several people including even the most ardent NPU supporter, I think, for comparisons sake, that it's interesting to see who the other choices were.

Also, it's pretty difficult to see how being known as having been a finalist for a head coaching job at a member institution of arguably the top D3 conference in the nation could, in any way, be damaging to someone's career and/or livelihood. On the contrary, I would think that being known as a finalist for a head-coaching position would enhance the career prospects of any prospective applicant.
Furthermore, all head coaches know their assistance are desirous of moving up, and will eventually apply for an open head coaching position at another school. Add to that the fact that any assistant applying for a head job is going to inform his boss that he is doing so.
There is no mystery involved here, and you can count on the fact that no secrets are being revealed.

[Gotberg]

In case your unfamiliar with how the college-coaching-world-job-search process works and what it means... it's pretty simple:

- Lots of coaches will apply for a vacant Head Coaching job - whether they really want the job or not.
- Once in process, coaches will learn what the AD is looking for and then try to mold themselves (via back channel contact/recommendations) to fit that ideal.
- Goal #1: just get an interview
- Goal #2: get a job offer
- THEN decide if you want the job or not!

The most obvious "take away" from the process re: NPU is this:  This is not viewed as a very good job by most basketball people.

Clearly, Head Coaches from lower-level D3 conferences do not view this position as a step up or a place where you can be successful relative to the rest of the conference.  Salary, abilities to attract talent, cost of living, budget, institutional support, facilities, etc. all play a part in that decision making process.

If I were to group schools based on desirability (considering the factors I mentioned above) the list would be:

Tier 1: Elmhurst, IWU, North Central, Wheaton, Augustana
Tier 2: Carthage, Carroll
Tier 3: Millikin, NPU

I have no idea if Coach Smith will be successful at NPU, but I really like the hire.

The only criteria that matters, is the criteria and intent of the person applying for the job.  Perhaps he wants to be a program maker, rather than a follower.

Excuse me if I'm missing something here, but wouldn't the intent of any applicant be, hopefully within the rules, to win?
And, what applicant/hire wouldn't go into a new job looking to be a program maker rather than a follower? Even more pertinent to the hiring process what hiring manager would consider hiring anyone who didn't make that desire evident in the interview process?

No

[Next Man Up]

In case your unfamiliar with how the college-coaching-world-job-search process works and what it means... it's pretty simple:

- Lots of coaches will apply for a vacant Head Coaching job - whether they really want the job or not.
- Once in process, coaches will learn what the AD is looking for and then try to mold themselves (via back channel contact/recommendations) to fit that ideal.
- Goal #1: just get an interview
- Goal #2: get a job offer
- THEN decide if you want the job or not!

The most obvious "take away" from the process re: NPU is this:  This is not viewed as a very good job by most basketball people.

Clearly, Head Coaches from lower-level D3 conferences do not view this position as a step up or a place where you can be successful relative to the rest of the conference.  Salary, abilities to attract talent, cost of living, budget, institutional support, facilities, etc. all play a part in that decision making process.

If I were to group schools based on desirability (considering the factors I mentioned above) the list would be:

Tier 1: Elmhurst, IWU, North Central, Wheaton, Augustana
Tier 2: Carthage, Carroll
Tier 3: Millikin, NPU

I have no idea if Coach Smith will be successful at NPU, but I really like the hire.

The only criteria that matters, is the criteria and intent of the person applying for the job.  Perhaps he wants to be a program maker, rather than a follower.

Excuse me if I'm missing something here, but wouldn't the intent of any applicant be, hopefully within the rules, to win?
And, what applicant/hire wouldn't go into a new job looking to be a program maker rather than a follower? Even more pertinent to the hiring process what hiring manager would consider hiring anyone who didn't make that desire evident in the interview process?

No

And is that negative response applicable to question 1, 2, or 3 above? Or perhaps (d), all of the above?
Inquiring minds want to know. 

[kiko]

My only comment on this topic is that I hope no hiring process I am ever part of, as either the hiring party or the candidate, is detailed like this on the internet.

I know our culture treats hiring decisions in sports differently than in many other sectors of the workforce, because apparently Tom from Buffalo Grove on Line 2 has some sort of skin in the game.  But at the end of the day these are people's careers and livelihoods and IMO there's no reason anybody outside of the hiring process needs to know who was a semifinalist, a finalist, etc.

Do you actually think that these candidates actually made it to this stage of the hiring process WITHOUT their schools/employers/superiors knowing?  I mean, if I'm an AD and a prospective candidates' boss DOESN'T call me with a recommendation, I'm DEFINITELY making contact to discuss their responsibilities, personality style, strengths/weaknesses, coaching style, maturity, problem solving abilities, communication skills, and many other facets of their potential job performance.

If a candidate ever communicated with me: "I am the best person for this job and here's why, but please don't contact my current employer"... my response would be: "Thank you for your interest. We'll let you know...." and then scratch them off my list.

For a coaching position, I expect there is a process involved where they notify their current institution that they have applied for jobs elsewhere.  (That is most definitely NOT the case in many other industries.)

But I did not push back against that in my earlier comment as it is not my point.  My point is that there is no reason for randos on the internet to have access to the inner workings of a coaching search.  Does East Dakota State Technical College have a right to know if one of its assistants is applying elsewhere?  Of course.  But they don't have a right to know where that coach may have fallen out in the process if they did not get offered the role.

More importantly -- and this was my very clear point above -- is there a reason for me, a random poster on an internet forum, to know this coach has applied for another role and has advanced to the final round?  Unequivocally no.  I have no business knowing anything beyond what is in the hiring announcement.

[itsnotmeitsyou]

According to a source involved in the NCC hiring process (a part of the phone interview process to this point), who won't divulge candidate names or identifiers, if you do not have head coaching experience, it is a very, very steep uphill climb to be successful.

While I am dubious of the decision-making ability of the person in charge of this hire, at least they are focusing on an experienced candidate.

[Next Man Up]

According to a source involved in the NCC hiring process (a part of the phone interview process to this point), who won't divulge candidate names or identifiers, if you do not have head coaching experience, it is a very, very steep uphill climb to be successful.

While I am dubious of the decision-making ability of the person in charge of this hire, at least they are focusing on an experienced candidate.

So you have someone who has been a head coach for several years and has won about 40% of his games. Not a glittering record.
Then you have a former All Conference player who has seven years of assistant coaching experience at NCC following his NCC playing career. A career NCC guy who for 11 years has been playing for, coaching under, and learning from one of the greatest coaches in the history of Division 3, and who is 30th in wins in D3 history. This is a guy who is so devoted to NCC that, as Recruiting Coordinator in addition to his Head Asst position, has continued to recruit even though he may soon no longer have a job at NCC. He has recently been in Michigan recruiting. One day recently he had three recruits on campus the same day, and two on another day. These potential recruits are in addition to the 4 or 5 kids, including an All-State player, who committed prior to Todd Raridon's resignation. Kids who might change their minds if Todd and Vince are both gone.

So, do you want someone who isn't an NCC guy and who has a losing record, mainly just because he has been a head coach, or do you want a guy who has been a top assistant for seven years at NCC following his All-Conference playing career? A local guy who knows the primary CCIW recruiting territory well. A NCC career guy so devoted that he has continued to work tirelessly on behalf of the school even in the face of the possibility that they might soon tell him "thanks, but we'll see you." I really think Vince has earned the chance to see what he can do.
And, keep in mind that I'm not the only one. Several former players, parents, alums, and boosters have written or called in expressing their concern for Vince. Also, and maybe most importantly, a few weeks ago the NCC team marched into the Athletic Director's office en masse to express their desire to continue to play for Vince

As far as the above comment regarding "the person in charge of this hire," I'm honestly not sure who that will be. I thought I knew, but due to the makeup of the group that recently conducted phone interviews, I am no longer sure. The only thing I am sure of is who should be in charge.