WBB: American Rivers Conference

[LA RAMS]

Won a national title as a player, though, along with the aforementioned individual honors. Worth giving her a shot because if Luther didn't, someone would have.

Pat, that's great that she won a title as a player but exactly how does that make her qualified to be head coach; particularly with little or no experience?  There's a lot of coaches out there with experience who should have been considered before Nechuta.  I can respect that when an assistant has paid his or her dues at a job for a certain number of years and then gets a shot at a head job.  But this is a trend I don't like.

[Ghost of MIAC Past]

I agree with LA Rams.  Great players rarely make great coaches.  They can't teach others how to do the things they were able to do as a player, and that's what made them great.  Too many AD's don't want to do their job and just settle on young female coaches that haven't shown any ability to do the job.

[Bird Dog]

 I am sure the Luther AD exercised the appropriate due diligence in selecting Coach Nechuta.  It is easy to sit here and criticize this choice or that only time will tell.

I am sure that the AD in his mind feels that she is a good role model, sucessful recruiter, and knowledgable coach.  Maybe Coach Nechuta will be very successfull and then move on in a 4 or 5 years to coach Wisconsin Stevens Point or higher.  

By that time maybe Luther would be interested in a young assistant from Wartburg.  

Good luck to Coach Nechuta may you beat every team in the league except Coe and U.D.

[doolittledog]

Shameful for the Luther AD to not consult with LA RAMS amd east coast miac fan before selecting a new womens basketball coach.  Who has ever heard of an assistant coach moving up the ranks and becoming a head coach  

[LA RAMS]

Shameful for the Luther AD to not consult with LA RAMS amd east coast miac fan before selecting a new womens basketball coach.  Who has ever heard of an assistant coach moving up the ranks and becoming a head coach  

I'm not saying Nechuta WON'T be a successful coach at Luther; maybe she will.  Who knows?  I'm just saying that there's LOTS of potential candidates out there with considerably more experience who are more deserving at a shot like this. 

[doolittledog]

I see what you are saying, but you were painting with a pretty broad stroke there.  We don't know who applied at Luther.  We don't know what Luther is willing to pay for a head womens basketball coach.  You made it sound like Luther made a bad hire and should have hired another when we really don't know what went on in the selection process at Luther. 

[Bird Dog]

Shameful for the Luther AD to not consult with LA RAMS amd east coast miac fan before selecting a new womens basketball coach.  Who has ever heard of an assistant coach moving up the ranks and becoming a head coach  

I'm not saying Nechuta WON'T be a successful coach at Luther; maybe she will.  Who knows?  I'm just saying that there's LOTS of potential candidates out there with considerably more experience who are more deserving at a shot like this.  

Are there that many potential cantidates?

I have often pondered the question?  How much does a DIII women's basketball coach make?  Of course it depends on the school but, if it paid more than a high school coach makes, I would think you would see more highly qualified and successful high school coaches applying.  Could the H.S. coaches recruit?  Would they give up tenure?

With a lot of DIII school being private how could you tell.  The publics in the WIAC if it is like Iowa would publish salaries?  Does anybody know?

In my memory bank I can remember someone hiring an AAU coach, but the only high school coaches that seem to go to DIII are retired.

[5 Words or Less]

• nationwide search produced 100+ applications
• at least three were interviewed

[Pat Coleman]

I agree with LA Rams.  Great players rarely make great coaches. 

This is a bit of a reach, isn't it?

Guess there was some MIAC assistant or something you guys think should have gotten the job?

[kate]

"A bit of a reach?" - this is absolutely none of my business (that's never stopped me  ), but please reference if you care to the Great Delaware Valley College All American 2001 graduate, Alisa Di Bonaventura, for the past several years a Very successful coach for the Widener University Pride.  Shout out there to our Aggies!  She was an assistant at Del Val for two years, so perhaps changing schools doesn't count, but she's still a great coach.  As for the Coach in question, i personally think it's great for someone who knows the school, the area, the players to step into the position.

[kate]

Sorry about the DVC/MAC/Widener reference - just a hopeless homer here - as you were, but best luck to the new coach!

[5 Words or Less]

Successful women, players and coaches

'04, '98, '94, '89, '87 Naismith COY, Pat Summit of Tennessee –As a player she won All-American honors, playing for University of Tennessee–Martin.  Co-captain of the first United States women's national basketball team and 1976 Olympic silver medalist. Eight years later in 1984, she would coach the U.S. women's team to an Olympic gold medal, becoming the first U.S. Olympian to win basketball medals as a player and a coach.

'10 Naismith COY, Connie Yori of Nebraska - Yori is a two-time inductee into the Iowa Girls' High School Athletic Union Hall of Fame—once as a basketball player, the other as a softball player.  Yori ranks third on Creighton's all time scoring list.  A 1992 inductee to the school HOF, Yori holds records for season scoring average and career steals.  Yori's first coaching job was at Loras College of IIAC.

'07 Naismith COY, Gail Gostenkors of Duke – As a player Goestenkors played collegiately at Saginaw Valley State University and was a NAIA All-American in 1984 and 1985 and the GLIAC Most Valuable Player as a senior. She scored 1,158 points and recorded 469 assists.  SVSU posted an 114-13 record in Goestenkors' four years on the team, and the team finished as NAIA runners-up her senior year.

'05 Naismith COY, Pokey Chatman LSU – As a player:5 time AAU All-American, All time Steals and Assists leader at LSU, 3 time All SEC, 1991 SEC tournament MVP

'01 Naismith COY, Muffet McGraw Notre Dame – As a player, she was a standout point gurad for SJU during the first four years of varsity competition.  SJU finished 6th in the AIAW basketball tournament her senior year and she played professionally with the California Dreams before becoming a coach.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naismith_College_Coach_of_the_Year

[Bird Dog]

Good retort 5 words.  On the men's side you have Bill Sharman and Lenny Wilkens who are Basketball Hall of Fame members as players and coaches.  Also some guy named John Wooden who was the first ever three time All American at Purdue and I think he also got into the Hall of Fame as a Coach.

This good players can't coach is rooted in Ted Williams who had a .429 as a manager.  Managers today make millions with that record.

[Ghost of MIAC Past]

I never said great players NEVER make great coaches, I said rarely.  And if you can come up with 5 coaches in women's D1 basketball out of the 300 or more coaches that have coached D1 in that time frame, that sort of validates my point.  Also, Pokey Chatman is not a good coach.  She's been fired for inappropriate relationships with her players.  Also, if I walked in to her situation at LSU, with Semione Augustus and company, I'd be a COY too.  She hasn't done enough to warrent being considered a good coach.

Anyone who can tell me hiring someone with 4 years or less experience in coaching, is a good hire, is a bold face liar.  There's way too many politics in hiring now with schools today.  Rarely is it about finding the BEST coach regardless of sex, race or whatever.  As to the point about high school coaches applying for D3 jobs, many do.  They aren't qualified.  That's why they don't get the job.  Luther wrapped up the entire job search in like 3 weeks.  Every other D3 that opened with jobs in the area around the same time as Luther, has not hired yet.  Luther knew they were going to hire her before the search even started.  What has she done as a coach to warrent that though?  That's my only question.

[5 Words or Less]

She's a helluva hall director