MBB: Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association

[Flying Dutch Fan]

I WIN!!

You win what?

[ziggy]

Sure hope Izzo stays put and the Izzone can continue to live on.

Sometimes my mind races when I'm trying to fall asleep and I came up with this last night: If Izzo leaves then number one on the list would probably be Tom Crean. Assuming he becomes MSU's next coach, the Izzone could then become "The Crean and White". Pretty good, right?

[Knight In The Stan]

Sure hope Izzo stays put and the Izzone can continue to live on.

Sometimes my mind races when I'm trying to fall asleep and I came up with this last night: If Izzo leaves then number one on the list would probably be Tom Crean. Assuming he becomes MSU's next coach, the Izzone could then become "The Crean and White". Pretty good, right?

I was thinking more along the lines of Brian Gregory of Dayton, former assistant at MSU.

[ChicagoHopeNut]

Got enough sources to run with it.

http://www.d3hoops.com

Quite a process (and debate on this board) just to name the Assistant Coach (and in-house candidate) as the successor.

Just a thought, but could he be keeping the seat warm for a couple years for Chad Carlson to take over for the long term?  Because it seems Carlson was being groomed in that direction and he is young.

Lots of thoughts on this.

1) Most importantly, Congratulations to Matt Neil. I think this promotion is well deserved and I wish him and the team the best.

2) Neil certainly is not in the position to coach for 20 plus years like GVW and Russ DeVette before him so the theory that someone like Chad Carlson could come in down the road certainly seems reasonable.

3) There is a part of me that felt it would be good for Hope to go outside the program at this stage but I certainly cannot question the decision to hire Neil.

4) That said. It is rather amazing it took this long to hire the assistant who was the obvious candidate from day 1. Clearly, the supposed concern about "hiring faculty" and getting a PhD was not all that important after all. Of course, considering it took this long to end up at the most obvious choice also makes one wonder what was going on the last 2 months. It also makes me wonder if anyone turned down the job (with the elusive PhD) or pulled out of consideration.

[almcguirejr]

Quite a process (and debate on this board) just to name the Assistant Coach (and in-house candidate) as the successor.

Just a thought, but could he be keeping the seat warm for a couple years for Chad Carlson to take over for the long term?  Because it seems Carlson was being groomed in that direction and he is young.

I have to agree with you about the process.  It is hard for me to believe that Matt Neil was the best candidate.  He barely meets any of the desired qualifications in the job description.  No Head Coaching experience.  Hope really went out on a limb on this one.  GVW will still have his fingerprints all over this program.

[KnightSlappy]

Sure hope Izzo stays put and the Izzone can continue to live on.

Sometimes my mind races when I'm trying to fall asleep and I came up with this last night: If Izzo leaves then number one on the list would probably be Tom Crean. Assuming he becomes MSU's next coach, the Izzone could then become "The Crean and White". Pretty good, right?

I was thinking more along the lines of Brian Gregory of Dayton, former assistant at MSU.

Crean was also an MSU assistant, wasn't he?

[ChicagoHopeNut]

Quite a process (and debate on this board) just to name the Assistant Coach (and in-house candidate) as the successor.

Just a thought, but could he be keeping the seat warm for a couple years for Chad Carlson to take over for the long term?  Because it seems Carlson was being groomed in that direction and he is young.

I have to agree with you about the process.  It is hard for me to believe that Matt Neil was the best candidate.  He barely meets any of the desired qualifications in the job description.  No Head Coaching experience.  Hope really went out on a limb on this one.  GVW will still have his fingerprints all over this program.

As I said before I am very happy with Neil. But as you point out he doesn't fill the qualifications that caused so much discussion on this board, which makes one think this process did not play out smoothly and probably not as planned by the powers that be at Hope.

[Knight In The Stan]

Sure hope Izzo stays put and the Izzone can continue to live on.

Sometimes my mind races when I'm trying to fall asleep and I came up with this last night: If Izzo leaves then number one on the list would probably be Tom Crean. Assuming he becomes MSU's next coach, the Izzone could then become "The Crean and White". Pretty good, right?

I was thinking more along the lines of Brian Gregory of Dayton, former assistant at MSU.

Crean was also an MSU assistant, wasn't he?

YOU WIN!!

Crean was born and raised in Mount Pleasant, Michigan, where he played basketball for four years. According to Crean, "I didn't play a lot, but I knew I wanted to coach."[1] While a student at Central Michigan University, Crean was an assistant coach at Mount Pleasant High School for five seasons,[2] and at Alma College. Crean received his bachelor's degree in parks and recreation from Central Michigan in 1989.[1] Crean is married to Joani Harbaugh, who he met through a mutual friend at a gym where she was working as an aerobics instructor.[3] Her father, Jack Harbaugh, was the head football coach at Western Kentucky University at the time Crean was an assistant basketball coach. She is also the sister of Stanford head football coach Jim Harbaugh (a former quarterback at both the University of Michigan and in the NFL), and Baltimore Ravens head football coach John Harbaugh. Crean and his wife have three children: Megan, Riley, and Ainsley.[4]
[edit]Assistant coaching career

[edit]Michigan State
Crean was hired by then head coach Jud Heathcote as a graduate assistant coach at Michigan State University during the 1989-1990 season, at the behest of then assistant coach Tom Izzo, whom Crean had befriended on the summer camp circuit.[5] He was also a scout for two years, earning the trust of recruiting guru Bob Gibbons.[3] That season the Spartans won the Big Ten title and advanced to the Sweet 16 in the NCAA tournament.[2]

[Dark Knight]

4) That said. It is rather amazing it took this long to hire the assistant who was the obvious candidate from day 1. Clearly, the supposed concern about "hiring faculty" and getting a PhD was not all that important after all. Of course, considering it took this long to end up at the most obvious choice also makes one wonder what was going on the last 2 months. It also makes me wonder if anyone turned down the job (with the elusive PhD) or pulled out of consideration.

Sometimes it takes longer to hire the in-house guy for a position requiring a national search. You have to proceed very deliberately and go through all the steps to make it clear that you aren't playing favorites.

[Pat Coleman]

I talked to Kris Korver, the head coach at Northwestern (Iowa) in the past couple days and while he did not tell me anything, on or off the record, I got the impression that he had been contacted recently by the way he avoided my direct questions.

Actually, I'm sorry, he did tell me something on the record: "I am the coach at Northwestern."

That would have been a really interesting hire, a guy with two ... whatever the NAIA uses for Walnut and Bronzes.

[Titan Q]

When Illinois Wesleyan conducted its national search 4 years ago, and had head coaches at the D2, D3, and NAIA levels apply - and that group included some really successul, highly-regarded D3 coaches - I think many questioned the hiring of Bloomington (IL) High School coach Ron Rose (an IWU grad and former player).  I remember someone saying, "They conducted a national search and ended up hiring the high school coach across town?!" 

I guess that criticism was fair, but with the kids from his first 2 recruiting classes as juniors and sophs last season, Rose took IWU to the Elite 8.  And with those kids as seniors/juniors in 2010-11, IWU might end up being a preseason Top 5 team.  I guess what I am saying is that 4 years later, I can tell you that absolutely no one associated with IWU basketball feels Rose is the wrong choice now among those candidates from 2006.

I think in some situations it is every bit about "fit" as it is about X's and O's (coaching experience).  Ron Rose walked in the door and understood Illinois Wesleyan, his alma mater, and was able to sell kids on the value of coming to Bloomington.  He also undersood all of the quirky behind-the-scenes stuff about IWU (some good, some bad).  Matt Neil will probably start with a similar "fit" at Hope.   

Congratulations to Coach Neil and best of luck at one of the nation's premier programs.

[ziggy]

I talked to Kris Korver, the head coach at Northwestern (Iowa) in the past couple days and while he did not tell me anything, on or off the record, I got the impression that he had been contacted recently by the way he avoided my direct questions.

Actually, I'm sorry, he did tell me something on the record: "I am the coach at Northwestern."

That would have been a really interesting hire, a guy with two ... whatever the NAIA uses for Walnut and Bronzes.

There has to be a connection to Kyle Korver in there somewhere. Kyle and his brothers all have KK names too.

[oldknight]

I talked to Kris Korver, the head coach at Northwestern (Iowa) in the past couple days and while he did not tell me anything, on or off the record, I got the impression that he had been contacted recently by the way he avoided my direct questions.

Actually, I'm sorry, he did tell me something on the record: "I am the coach at Northwestern."

That would have been a really interesting hire, a guy with two ... whatever the NAIA uses for Walnut and Bronzes.

There has to be a connection to Kyle Korver in there somewhere. Kyle and his brothers all have KK names too.

Kris Korver is Kyle's uncle. Kris has three brothers (including Kyle's dad) who played at Central College in Pella. Kris was the only male sibling of the group to play at Northwestern College in Orange City.

[NW Hope Fan]

2) Neil certainly is not in the position to coach for 20 plus years like GVW and Russ DeVette before him so the theory that someone like Chad Carlson could come in down the road certainly seems reasonable.

At 50 he could coach for 15-20 years if he was so inclined...

[veragrace]

Live video stream for the official announcement...if I did this right.


http://www.hope.edu/pr/athletics/vbchampionship/live_640.html