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Username Post: Bucknell Announces Men’s Basketball Coaching Change        (Topic#27090)
Bison137 
Professor
Posts: 16147
Bison137
Reg: 01-23-06
03-02-23 06:12 PM - Post#352861    


https://bucknellbison.com/news/2023/3/2/coachin g-c...




 
Bison137 
Professor
Posts: 16147
Bison137
Reg: 01-23-06
Bucknell Announces Men’s Basketball Coaching Change
03-02-23 07:57 PM - Post#352870    
    In response to Bison137

This is a very necessary first step in rebuilding the program, and I congratulate JT for doing it. But it is only a first step. The program has been badly damaged, and it may be hard to get some of the desirable candidates to apply. Also will there be any restrictions on who can be hired?

Two items I really hope the search committee addresses:

1. Does a given applicant have the energy and the vision to sell recruits that this program is going to quickly be rebuilt?

2. Does a given applicant have a plan to rebuild the relationship between the team and its fans (and the students). This relationship has been badly damaged during the ND regime.


Of the names on the list on the other thread, I certainly hope that they reach out to John Griffin. Also Jamion Christian, Landry Kosmalski and Josh Loeffler.




 
Bison54 
PhD Student
Posts: 1800
Bison54
Reg: 11-18-09
Re: Bucknell Announces Men’s Basketball Coaching Change
03-02-23 08:02 PM - Post#352871    
    In response to Bison137

Here's one that astounds me:https://www.sportskeeda.com/basketball/news-who-n athan-davis-coaching-reco rd-bucknell-bison

Tom Crean???????????????


 
Bison137 
Professor
Posts: 16147
Bison137
Reg: 01-23-06
Re: Bucknell Announces Men’s Basketball Coaching Change
03-02-23 08:04 PM - Post#352872    
    In response to Bison54

  • Bison54 Said:
Here's one that astounds me:https://www.sportskeeda.com/basketball/news-who-n athan-davis-coaching-reco rd-bucknell-bison

Tom Crean???????????????




There is some buffoon who has been floating Crean's name as a joke for the past 10+ days. Last week he claimed to have inside knowledge that Crean was a done deal for Lafayette.




 
Doktore K 
Masters Student
Posts: 473

Reg: 11-11-09
Re: Bucknell Announces Men’s Basketball Coaching Change
03-02-23 08:07 PM - Post#352873    
    In response to Bison137

Why would there be restrictions on whom could be hired? Please clarify. Are you talking salary ceiling or other factors?

And would DP potentially be interested in coming back?

I think JG is the leading candidate in my view. We need a top recruiter too.


 
Bison137 
Professor
Posts: 16147
Bison137
Reg: 01-23-06
03-02-23 08:11 PM - Post#352874    
    In response to Doktore K

I think DP is definitely interested in coming back. But without his two main recruiters, would he be successfull? Also does he have the type of personality to rebuild a program that has been all but destroyed?




 
MrPhillie 
Postdoc
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MrPhillie
Loc: NE PA
Reg: 07-14-08
03-02-23 09:21 PM - Post#352879    
    In response to Bison137

I think Griffin should be the top candidate. If not, Loeffler is interesting, Christian….wouldn’t mind DP if no Griffin, but does he have the drive to basically start this program again from scratch and deal with many headaches including transfers?

 
BeckyBison91 
Freshman
Posts: 21

Age: 54
Reg: 05-03-11
03-02-23 09:34 PM - Post#352880    
    In response to MrPhillie

Agree about Griffin. I would love to see his enthusiasm and energy on our sideline again.
BeckyBison91


 
jkrun80 
Postdoc
Posts: 3305

Age: 65
Reg: 05-07-12
03-02-23 10:04 PM - Post#352886    
    In response to BeckyBison91

Coax Jay out of retirement? That would rebuild the program quickly.

 
DrBison 
Junior
Posts: 244

Age: 73
Reg: 12-22-08
03-02-23 10:30 PM - Post#352888    
    In response to jkrun80

I would certainly hope they would reach out to Jay for advice.

 
MrPhillie 
Postdoc
Posts: 2757
MrPhillie
Loc: NE PA
Reg: 07-14-08
03-02-23 10:47 PM - Post#352891    
    In response to DrBison

If Charles Lee wasn’t on the fast track to NBA head coach, he would look good on the Bucknell sideline.

 
bison75 
Masters Student
Posts: 487

Reg: 01-26-06
03-02-23 10:48 PM - Post#352892    
    In response to DrBison

What do I know, I’m just a fan, but the more I look at Kosmalski the better I like him.

 
Bison137 
Professor
Posts: 16147
Bison137
Reg: 01-23-06
03-02-23 11:03 PM - Post#352893    
    In response to bison75

  • bison75 Said:
What do I know, I’m just a fan, but the more I look at Kosmalski the better I like him.





One thing I like about him - other than all of his Davidson experience - is that he took over a really bad program at Swarthmore, one with extremely high academic standards - and turned it into a really good team. When he arrived there, they had gone 16-74 over the previous five years, and hadn't had a winning season for 15 years. After a couple rebuilding years, they have now gone 173-34 over the past seven years, and 128-14 since 2018-19. To me, this success with a tradionally awful team is more impressive than going into traditional powerhouses like Randolph Macon or Williams and having success.




 
Paulie777 
PhD Student
Posts: 1767

Reg: 11-11-07
03-03-23 09:15 AM - Post#352909    
    In response to Bison137

John Griffin head coach with Kevin Bettencourt Asst./recruiter. We could improve dramatically in two years and bounce back in three! All with Bucknell connections.


 
HoleinOne 
Masters Student
Posts: 596

Loc: Bluffton, SC
Reg: 02-15-09
03-03-23 10:17 AM - Post#352921    
    In response to Paulie777

Recruiting, recruiting, recruiting. I would suggest digging deep into any potential coach's results - did he personally bring in the top players or did he have super recruiter(s) who is now with another team? Many D3 candidates are great strategists but fail to bring in top talent at the D1 level. 1-2 top players could quickly turn this team around and coupled with a great basketball history, should make this a good home for the right candidate.

 
dirtynine 
Sophomore
Posts: 127

Reg: 02-01-06
03-03-23 01:59 PM - Post#352947    
    In response to HoleinOne

JR Holden is with the Nets (director of player personnel) - not a coaching candidate per se but like Wright I hope they reach out to him for thoughts/advice. In general I hope the bball alumni network is invited to help the program where they can.

 
MrPhillie 
Postdoc
Posts: 2757
MrPhillie
Loc: NE PA
Reg: 07-14-08
03-03-23 08:09 PM - Post#352977    
    In response to dirtynine

Do you believe the same network advised the hire of Davis?

 
candyfan 
Masters Student
Posts: 459
candyfan
Reg: 01-10-10
03-04-23 09:01 AM - Post#352991    
    In response to MrPhillie

Yes, I do believe that the same group promoted Davis. But consider:

1) Davis already had a great resume here as Asst. to Pat Flannery, which included recruiting.
2) Davis had a a couple of steller seasons at Randolph-Macon, winning big time.

So at the time it looked like John Hardt had made a good choice? And Davis delivered with his inherited (perhaps all time best) team including Foulland, Brown and Thomas!

What the national press is missing in their reports, showing their ignorance and investigation failure is that, YES, Davis won big with the Paulsen recruited players right away!

However once they graduated, we mostly got second tier, bench warmers here, with the result that the program has fallen lower and lower each succeeding year? Was it fault of Harrison and staff? Nonetheless, Davis is head coach and was responsible.

It's been Recruiting, not Coaching that got BU into last place in the Patriot League and now, unfortunately, discouraged too many fans.

Nights of 2500 fans excited to see Bucknell play are reduced to 500, 700, etc. Gonna be a hard road to get them back.

Poor Screen is victim of this system, as he likely has more talent to show, given his size, but to date, we haven't been able to capitalize on it?

 
bison75 
Masters Student
Posts: 487

Reg: 01-26-06
03-05-23 10:02 AM - Post#353135    
    In response to candyfan

Turnarounds can be surprisingly quick, especially with the whole transfer portal thing. FDU was 4-22 last year. This year, with a new coach (from D2) they’re 19-14 and in their conference championship game. Not saying we can do it quite that fast, but with the right coach it shouldn’t take very long. Look how fast our women’s program turned around when Roussell arrived. I’m very optimistic.

 
bison63 
Postdoc
Posts: 3857

Reg: 01-23-06
03-06-23 12:22 AM - Post#353247    
    In response to bison75

Past coaching hires had head coach experience as a prerequisite ( not sure in Flannery’s case if it was actually required, but was for DP & ND.) If Truax follows that course, not an unreasonable one, it works against Griffin, whom I would love to see get the job. My gut says “no” to DP, you can’t go back, and a Fisherless DP does not excite me.
The road map has been to hire a successful D3 coach. Maybe the ND failure will result in a new map. Also Griffins family history may obviate the lack of actual HC experience. Hope so.

 
Bison137 
Professor
Posts: 16147
Bison137
Reg: 01-23-06
03-06-23 11:18 AM - Post#353268    
    In response to bison63

  • bison63 Said:
Past coaching hires had head coach experience as a prerequisite ( not sure in Flannery’s case if it was actually required, but was for DP & ND.) If Truax follows that course, not an unreasonable one, it works against Griffin, whom I would love to see get the job. My gut says “no” to DP, you can’t go back, and a Fisherless DP does not excite me.
The road map has been to hire a successful D3 coach. Maybe the ND failure will result in a new map. Also Griffins family history may obviate the lack of actual HC experience. Hope so.




Do we know that was a prerequisite? Or is that just the way it worked out? I know when Paulson was hired that they did interview D1 assistants, and I know when ND was hired that there were D1 assistants interviewed. Why interview them if they don’t meet one of your prerequisites?




 
Bison137 
Professor
Posts: 16147
Bison137
Reg: 01-23-06
03-06-23 11:24 AM - Post#353269    
    In response to bison63

  • bison63 Said:
Past coaching hires had head coach experience as a prerequisite ( not sure in Flannery’s case if it was actually required, but was for DP & ND.) If Truax follows that course, not an unreasonable one, it works against Griffin, whom I would love to see get the job. My gut says “no” to DP, you can’t go back, and a Fisherless DP does not excite me.
The road map has been to hire a successful D3 coach. Maybe the ND failure will result in a new map. Also Griffins family history may obviate the lack of actual HC experience. Hope so.




Do we know that was a prerequisite? Or is that just the way it worked out? I know when Paulson was hired that they did interview D1 assistants, and I know when ND was hired that there were D1 assistants interviewed. Why interview them if they don’t meet one of your prerequisites?

It probably doesn’t mean much, but when Truax has hired head coaches in other sports, it has been mixed as to whether they had head coaching experience. In football, women’s basketball, and men’s soccer the new head coach had previously been a head coach somewhere. In field hockey, volleyball, and softball the new coach had been the top assistant at a good program.




 
bison63 
Postdoc
Posts: 3857

Reg: 01-23-06
03-06-23 01:06 PM - Post#353277    
    In response to Bison137

I thought it was a prerequisite with Hardt, but perhaps it was just a preference. In any event, it is a new AD now, and this will be the most significant hire he makes a Bucknell unless and until he has HCto hire another men’s hoop coach.

 
Bison137 
Professor
Posts: 16147
Bison137
Reg: 01-23-06
03-06-23 01:46 PM - Post#353284    
    In response to bison63

  • bison63 Said:
I thought it was a prerequisite with Hardt, but perhaps it was just a preference. In any event, it is a new AD now, and this will be the most significant hire he makes a Bucknell unless and until he has HCto hire another men’s hoop coach.



I think preference is the right word. When Davis was hired, the other two finalists did not have D1 head-coaching experience: Dane Fischer and Rice associate head coach Scott Pera. And in other sports, Hardt hired some with no head coaching experience. Perhaps his best hire was women’s soccer coach Kelly Cook, who was a Dartmouth assistant. .




 
MrPhillie 
Postdoc
Posts: 2757
MrPhillie
Loc: NE PA
Reg: 07-14-08
03-06-23 05:40 PM - Post#353310    
    In response to Bison137

I can see value in any candidate type. Sure, it is nice to have been the leader of a program and all it entails, but it’s also nice to have D1 experience, even if an assistant, and understand recruiting/transfers/deal ing with higher profile athletes, etc….I almost would prefer someone with quality D1 experience.

 
Bison89 
Professor
Posts: 5370
Bison89
Loc: Philadelphia
Reg: 11-14-07
03-12-23 03:31 PM - Post#353899    
    In response to bison63

This shows how much attention I've paid to Bucknell basketball in the last month! None . . .
New season, new team, new dream . . .


 
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