WBB: Landmark Conference

[Pat Coleman]

D-mac:
I've got to admit, I have no idea what your cryptic first sentence is even referring to.
The Royals let you in on things that you can't divulge these days?
If Goucher received 100 applications in 2 weeks for that job, why would approx. 300 resumes heading to Scranton be a stretch?
Between Head Coaches looking to upgrade and various assistants looking for a great first stop, I think something in that range is absolutely possible.
I agree with Hoops Fan, based upon the sample size of what was accomplished this season, I would suggest Scranton will not renew the contract of the interim coach.
There are many outstanding young coaches out there...time to bring the best of the best in.

I generally hear about 200 resumes for a prime coaching job.

I would just say that following the legend is a tough job, and I would cut Klingman a bit of slack for this year. I mean, a first-round exit isn't great but 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2013 under Strong were no better.

[saratoga]

Beyond getting to the Elite 8 last season, Scranton, as you've noted, struggled the previous 4 years...even in the Landmark.
That's a very big reason many fans were getting restless with the Legend.
The talent of years past was simply not coming as one recruit after another was lost.
The old adage when Scranton played in the MAC Freedom was the 2 best teams in the league were the Lady Royal starters and their subs.
This is a golden opportunity for a young coach that knows both their x's & o's and is all in regarding the recruiting trail.....wherever that may lead.
Great school, great facilities, great reputation, nice nucleus returning....a program that deserves the energy and passion of a proven young coach.

[Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan)]

What about some current alumni coaches who have had recent success?

Well, there's the current interim coach who would need to decide if the fulltime position appeals to her, Kate P(Cabrini), who I speculate wouldn't want to leave suburban Philly families and her current situation, and Kelly Lewandowski(Salisbury), who's more flexible and loses her best players to graduation this year.

That interim screams "placeholder" to me.  I think if they were going to consider her, they'd've done it before posting the position.  I can't imagine they'll follow a long tenured coach with one in her fifties.

Pearson makes the most sense to me, but I'm not sure she's up for leaving.  As for Lewandowski, they did well this year, but the super talented senior class were not her recruits, and I don't know that they have world beaters behind them - besides, Salisbury isn't a bad situation to be in these days.

I've been hearing a lot of people itching to move.  I'd guess they get 300 resumes and 60 serious candidates.

There are other factors in play... not necessarily Scranton's. I am not at liberty to say, but trust me when I saw it isn't as cut and dry as having Scranton change the title.

BTW - from what I gathered, Goucher had about 100 applications for it's job in two weeks. To be honest... 300 resumes is a bit of a stretch for a lot of jobs including Scranton's. That would be an assistant or head coach from 65% of all Division III institutions, as an example.

That's why I said 60 serious candidates.  You know a bunch of people with no shot at the job will send resumes just because they want out of their current job.  You'll get HS coaches and AAU coaches and whatever.  I'm sure more than half of those 100 at Goucher were likely discarded pretty quickly.  Scranton's a pretty high profile job - they'll have plenty of interest.

[kate]

Saratoga, I swear, if i didn't know better, I'd say you were a "plant" to rev up off-season (for you anyway) chat on D3.  Talk about illusions of grandeur.  Honest to Pete, if I was a young coach, I'd be half afraid to come to Scranton, not the school or the students, but fans like you who make every game a do or die situation!  I, for one, was 100% proud of four of our precious graduating seniors who played in the MAC all-star game this past Sunday - great players, all, but most importantly, all friends, with their Coach Hogan there to see & cheer them on in their final court appearance.  For this old fan - THAT's what it's All About!

[NEPAFAN]

Beyond getting to the Elite 8 last season, Scranton, as you've noted, struggled the previous 4 years...even in the Landmark.
That's a very big reason many fans were getting restless with the Legend.
The talent of years past was simply not coming as one recruit after another was lost.
The old adage when Scranton played in the MAC Freedom was the 2 best teams in the league were the Lady Royal starters and their subs.
This is a golden opportunity for a young coach that knows both their x's & o's and is all in regarding the recruiting trail.....wherever that may lead.
Great school, great facilities, great reputation, nice nucleus returning....a program that deserves the energy and passion of a proven young coach.

Great Facilities? What am I missing?

[saratoga]

kate, Kate, Kate:
How perfectly disingenuous of you to infer you are immune to the sting of defeat.
My God, I had to organize a search party for you in Dec. when you left this board (or at least the one DVC belongs to), for approx. 3 weeks after your beloved Aggies started yet another year off in slow motion.

As for the Scranton position.....
The timid need not apply.

The reality of the situation is that some teams are perfectly comfortable playing .500 ball.
For many of these schools, making it to their league playoffs once every 5 years is a monumental achievement.
If their administration is ok with that, and the kids are going to class, earning degrees, having fun and being good citizens then, good for them.

At other colleges and university's, expectations run a little higher.
These schools turn out outstanding students as well.
Most become friends for life, they are exceptionally focused & driven, they're good citizens as well and they move into their chosen fields of study after graduation with a confidence that success on the court or field has nurtured and developed.

If a coach does not have an inert passion for the game, the players will sense that and they'll play to the level of comfort allowed.
At some schools, the bar is set higher and the expectations, regardless of overall talent level, is never lowered or compromised.
What works at one school may never work at another for a variety of reasons.

However, one item always remains constant.
Good coaching will trump good talent 9 times out of 10.
That's why I, and many others, hope the UofS has put together a great search committee that will bring in someone that knows the game and has the passion and energy for coaching and recruiting.

If those few things are in place, lessons will be learned, the game will be taught correctly, teamwork will be developed, the kids will grow into even better adults and the wins will take care of them-self.

Should a coach be afraid to establish that standard, then they belong at the school's that are happy with .500 records.

Nobody wins all the time & no one expects anyone to be in that position all the time.
What you should expect is that your team is organized, passionate and prepared.
If you've got that going, you're already ahead of much of the competition.....especially those that continually lower the bar.
As for me, I'll take playing in March over a season essentially over in Jan. any day.....and I'd want my coach to establish the work ethic necessary so that opportunity is on the table year in & year out.

Scranton will have strong candidates for the position...they'll know the tradition & the expectations and they'll want that challenge.
Coach's satisfied with .500 seasons will be looking elsewhere....and, that's ok.

[kate]

Misericordia has prepared you well, Saratoga, in the art of answering people like me!  After my second cup of coffee, I'll attempt to answer you, but just want to tell you that I did kind of enjoy your responses to my points, not agree, just enjoy!

[kate]

Saratoga, you are one tremendous Scranton fan.  As much as I love Del Val, I've never done any recruiting for them, tho I wear my Aggie garb often enough, but perhaps I should be in the trenches, scouting H.S. talent and in general talking up the program.  My other old lady friends, however are tired of hearing me extol the virtues of the team complete with endless pictures of said team .  Certainly with the meteoric rise of FDU I see what you mean about coaching.  Can't even recall the coach before Coach Mitchell.  I sincerely hope that Scranton finds a great one, and that any of us in the MAC, including the Aggies, beat the daylights out of you  , after this new coach has their bearings.  The only "good" thing in my opinion about not having you guys with us, is that it makes it oh so much easier to root against you.  Glad you had the opportunity to express your feelings about Scranton, their coaching and team philosophies.  Yes, we both live for November, actually July for schedules and October for rosters, though I'm sure you're privy to that info sooner.  Would actually like to sit and discuss our love of D3 sports some day.

[kate]

Last post - promise, but if Anyone out there in our d3 world saw Lauren Hill on the View this morning, THAT puts it all in perfect perspective.

[NEPAFAN]

Last post - promise, but if Anyone out there in our d3 world saw Lauren Hill on the View this morning, THAT puts it all in perfect perspective.

Don't stop posting. Keep it up! I didn't see the video, but can only imagine.

[ronk]

Last post - promise, but if Anyone out there in our d3 world saw Lauren Hill on the View this morning, THAT puts it all in perfect perspective.

I saw her,stlill battling.

[NEPAFAN]

I was looking at the job posting for the UofS job, why are they requiring a Masters  degree. Any thoughts?

[ronk]

I was looking at the job posting for the UofS job, why are they requiring a Masters  degree. Any thoughts?

  Have to be able to explain the why of techniques and strategies to the intellectuals?

[Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan)]

I was looking at the job posting for the UofS job, why are they requiring a Masters  degree. Any thoughts?

Most coaching positions require them because there is some teaching involved and it's tough to get a Bachelor's degree past the accreditation committee without seriously unusual circumstances.

[Dave 'd-mac' McHugh]

Goucher announced it's new coach: bit.ly/1cf8NIS