AH1971

I mean when Brad Stevens inevitably says no and Dusty May signs his extension here in the next couple of weeks, guys like Ben McCollum and Jerrod Calhoun not only become realistic candidates but likely options. Not sure why those guys are a definitive yes and Pitino Jr an emphatic no? Of those three, only one has coached at the Power 5 level (with some moderate success) and taken a team to the NCAAT. Hint, it's not Calhoun or McCollum. I don't think Richard Pitino Jr is going to be the coach here but to act like he's not worthy of discussion is asinine.

If we're going to throw out names like Jerrod Calhoun, Ben McCollum, and Brad Brownell as serious candidates....Richard Pitino Jr absolutely deserves a mention.

If the coach at New Mexico was named anything but Richard Pitino Jr I suspect this board would want IU to take a long, hard look at him. He's 66-26 over the course of the last 2.5 seasons and has a decent chance of being ranked here in the next couple hours.

DeVries is an interesting candidate and one with potential but really need to see how he fares without his son Tucker. Tucker was a 4* recruit who could have played at a lot of high-major schools yet chose to play for dad and dominated the MVC the last three seasons.

Good thing I never compared Archie Miller to Dusty May. But to discredit what Archie did at Dayton “because it’s Dayton” doesn’t make an ounce of sense either. Nobody has done what Archie did at Dayton in the 64 team era and nobody has really come close.

He’s still only 42. Plateaued at Minnesota (which isn’t an easy job to begin with) but had some success there and recruited some nice individual pieces. He certainly not at the top of my list but probably worth a look if it gets there. He’s rumored for the Miami job which makes a ton of sense so probably a moot point anyway.

If we’re talking about Mountain West coaches, what about Little Pitino who just rolled Calhoun in his own gym last night? New Mexico on fire this year and made the tournament last year.

Silly.

Archie took Dayton to 4 straight tournaments as an at-large. Dayton undoubtedly is a solid program with history but nobody else there has come close to doing that. Anthony Grant is in year 8 after replacing Archie and has made the tournament one time (would have been 2 had COVID not cancelled) and are probably on the outside looking in this year.

Woof

Kentucky’s KenPom DRtg (which wasn’t very good to begin with) dropped from 72 to 89 after that game.

Woof

All that non-conference goodwill is gone after this game. BBN twitter is pure comedy right now. Pope doesn’t have a prayer. Calling it now, 4 years tops.

Mark Pope’s honeymoon officially about to be over.

So there’s a different set of rules for different posters? Interesting and noted.

I want IU to hire someone who will succeed here. I thought that’s what we all universally want? Will Wade is one of the few coaches capable of succeeding here that would actual take the IU job.

I’m not doubting McCollum’s ability to draw up a play or execute X’s and O’s.

I wasn’t inferring that he was going to leave voluntarily lol.

Reported

But it’s not nearly as depressing as talking about Ben McCollum or Brad Brownell. Lord have mercy on either of their souls if they get hired here.

Breaking an NCAA rule isn’t a crime. I thought you were a lawyer? Ouch.

UK’s analytic measures aren’t nearly as good as some make them out to be. They’re a subpar defensive team that’s over-reliant on the 3 point line, a recipe for disaster in the tournament. That and Mark Pope has been a disaster in the tournament.

What crimes has Will Wade ever been charged with, let alone been exonerated from? Your character assassination of Will Wade for breaking an NCAA rule that is no longer a rule is frankly disgusting. Grow up.

And as far as being a contrarian? Nahh, I’m just being a realist. To succeed at IU as a coach, you need: a) high level basketball acumen b) the personality, the chops, the demeanor to handle the noise. You need both, you aren’t goin to succeed with just one. Will Wade, in my opinion, has both…that’s why he’s my top choice as he is one of the few coaches with A and B who actually take this job. And I’m not saying there isn’t a mid-major out there who doesn’t have it, but there are few and far in-between. It’s a crapshoot.

lol. Pope’s 15-5. Guess who was 15-5 ranked in the top 10 in the country at this juncture last year? Yeah, that’s right the guy whose head UK fans wanted on a platter last year. That’s why they ended up with Pope. As always is the case with Kentucky, it comes down to March. We’ll see how UK fans view Pope heading into next season will they inevitably bow out in the R32 here next month. As far as Pat Kelsey goes, he’s done an admirable job so far. Good for him. There was literally nowhere to go but up for that program. He seems like a good dude, we’ll see if he can build and sustain any type of success.