Please keep looking. That article by Hoover barely mentioned Ben McCollum, who has the most impressive record of any of those guys. Makes me think Hoover should go back to selling vacuum cleaners. Not impressed and that is certainly not a NATIONAL SEARCH.
If KS gets the job, I'll crap Leonard's pants! (And I'll figure the decision had to do with economics - cheap hire!)
I like McCollum a lot, and he might have been No. 1 on my list before the rumor mill had him practically locked in at Missouri State. It still would be worth the effort to contact him, however.
While Missouri St is still most likely, SIU has been looking at McCollum and I believe he is still in the mix.
I think we could get Spradlin here for less than we were paying Mullins. Contract is at 260k/year with Morehead currently.
McCullom is also being discussed for the St Louis opening. Ford was making $2.3 million yearly. The appeal is they could give McCullom a substantial raise over what he currently makes but not near what Ford made. The savings could then be shifted into the NIL fund for basketball. It is not all about money because they are also aware about his coaching credentials and familiarity with St. Louis and Missouri.
Any actual update? Seems like we’re spinning in circles here
I honestly don't think we'll hear much until after games get going in the NCAA tourney
Any actual update? Seems like we’re spinning in circles here
I think that if AD Leonard is keeping the circle of people involved in this search to be a small number, then there won't be much information getting out until they are ready to announce who they have selected.
Any actual update? Seems like we’re spinning in circles here
I mean if guys like Spradlin are candidates we can't interview him yet...
Yeah, if our target is a current head coach, we won’t hear anything till that coaches team is finished
Any actual update? Seems like we’re spinning in circles here
I think that if AD Leonard is keeping the circle of people involved in this search to be a small number, then there won't be much information getting out until they are ready to announce who they have selected.
The anecdotal information seems to support the idea that Leonard is looking at multiple candidates who might not be available right away (for instance, Spradlin's team has a first-round NCAA game next week at the very least, and McCollum and Bronkema will be coaching in the Division II tournament, which starts this weekend). Smithpeters' team was eliminated from the SEC tournament Wednesday night and is done for the season, so if they were bound and determined to hire him, they already could have done so yesterday or today. Unless this is all a smokescreen in an effort to fool the fanbase into believing that a bona fide search is taking place, which has been known to happen.
There is nothing preventing virtual meetings and chats with coaches that are currently still playing. Those meetings have to be taking place to narrow down the field. I think Leonard can get a good feel from those meetings who his top candidates are and then work the contract piece with agents.
Maybe he'll still want an in person interview with his top 1 or 2, but they don't have time to wait until the tournament starts to START interviewing these candidates. Lot of recruiting is already happening and it's only going to pick up. Whoever gets in is going to be late to the party no matter what, we don't want them to be too late.
@siu_2011 You can definitely have those conversations for sure, but I don't think us peasants will know about with whom 😛
There is nothing preventing virtual meetings and chats with coaches that are currently still playing. Those meetings have to be taking place to narrow down the field. I think Leonard can get a good feel from those meetings who his top candidates are and then work the contract piece with agents.
Maybe he'll still want an in person interview with his top 1 or 2, but they don't have time to wait until the tournament starts to START interviewing these candidates. Lot of recruiting is already happening and it's only going to pick up. Whoever gets in is going to be late to the party no matter what, we don't want them to be too late.
Right. They were fast on moving on from Mullins, so you might as well get the benefit of moving swiftly, to the extent they can, on the search.
nobody is saying he’s not talking to people. Hell, he might already have an agreement with someone. But nobody is going to hear anything about it while that coach is still coaching this season. Last thing any head coach would want is for it to leak out that he is leaving as soon as they loseThere is nothing preventing virtual meetings and chats with coaches that are currently still playing. Those meetings have to be taking place to narrow down the field. I think Leonard can get a good feel from those meetings who his top candidates are and then work the contract piece with agents.
Maybe he'll still want an in person interview with his top 1 or 2, but they don't have time to wait until the tournament starts to START interviewing these candidates. Lot of recruiting is already happening and it's only going to pick up. Whoever gets in is going to be late to the party no matter what, we don't want them to be too late.
Leonard has had a week to perform due diligence (including phone/virtual interviews) and probably was compiling an early list and doing some preliminary research for quite a while before that if he thought a coaching change was possible. He should have an idea by now about which direction he's going in.
If Leonard knew that Mullins was going to be fired. This was not a 48 hour decision of letting him go. This had to be in the works for at least a week. To get all the particulars in order with the lawyers and buyout and such.
So I would assume through intermediaries that he sent out feelers to what would be his list of 5-7 candidates according to his criteria of the next HC. So a week out from the firing and at least 2 from when he made that decision to fire Coach. He should be down to his top 3. If he needs to bring them to campus for an interview or go to a neutral sight (St Louis). To do the interviews. Then when the candidates are done with their season. Or already done then this process should be over by the end of the NCAA tournament first weekend.
