2021 Coaching Carousel

[JPgmuswim]

Mason can pony up and get a proven coach. When there is a will there is a way.

Been a Mason fan and even a student athlete back when I went there.....that is not the Mason way. It’s been proven over and over again.

 

[GMUgemini]

I think selling yourself short is a looser mentality. Mason can pony up and get a proven coach. When there is a will there is a way.

Paulsen was a proven coach. So was Hewitt. Dambrot is a proven coach and while he’s done wonders for that program, they aren’t any closer to an NCAA than we are.

 

[Falco]

Everybody is nervous, and you have every right to express your concerns. I would just suggest you resist reverting back to your old tendencies of trying to derail every conversation, especially since your posts the last few months have been very reasoned. I'm not suggesting we all pretend like any potential hire is going to turn us around over night, but I will say that this is the most optimism these boards have seen in a very long time.

Sure but this is our opportunity to make it known who we want. If the the overwhelming reaction to the English target was negative, Edwards would go a different direction.

With that said, I’m excited for a change and will continue to be a fan. I will never ever be a blind homer though.

 

[gmujim92]

I think selling yourself short is a looser mentality. Mason can pony up and get a proven coach. When there is a will there is a way.

Our last 2 coaches were “proven” to various degrees and neither got us where we want to go. It’s time to try something different.

 

[Falco]

Our last 2 coaches were “proven” to various degrees and neither got us where we want to go. It’s time to try something different.

That’s fair, I get there are different approaches. I was actually really excited about the Paulsen hire and looked how that turned out. Hopefully English works out (if hired).

 

[Patriot Lawdog]

I think selling yourself short is a looser mentality. Mason can pony up and get a proven coach. When there is a will there is a way.

"Proven"? Hewitt was a "proven" winner at Siena. Archie had a ton of built-in advantages at Dayton. Amaker has failed once before....I'm just tired of Mason putting up these barriers to getting the best coach by saying "we won't hire you unless you've been a head coach before." It's assanine. There are plenty of programs with history way better than ours that think that way of thinking is nonsense. You know what's "proven" to me? Proven is the fact that I would bet my mortgage on English recruiting his a** off. I'll take that.

 

[mkaufman1]

No matter who mason hires I will be ready to complain about it!

 

[MasonSAE4]

I think selling yourself short is a looser mentality. Mason can pony up and get a proven coach. When there is a will there is a way.

Don’t forget that Virginia basically outlawed raising student fees to pay for athletics beyond a certain point so a good chunk of the budget has to come from revenue/sponsorships/donations. The former is obviously down because of COVID, and the latter is not something Mason excels at. So unless everyone on this board wants to pony up a very nice chunk of change, Mason probably can’t just throw money at the next head coach. Unless they want to cut sports and/or hire PiKapp as the coach of the women’s team on an incentive-based contract and move that money over to men’s ball.

 

[KAOriginal]

For comparison in the "proven HC vs "unproven HC":

Our last 3 coaches since 1997 were all proven head coaches--had run programs and had some success prior to arriving at Mason--2 didnt work out so well.

Since 1998, vcu had not hired a person with actual head coaching experience since McCarthy in 98 and then Rhodes in 17. (6 total coaches--2 previous HCs and 4 asssitants)

And they are the 40th most valuable basketball program in the country, 2nd in Va and 2nd in A-10 (WSJ, 2017) and have a few more various banners in their rafters.

It's always a roll of the dice.....

 

[Bricker]

I'm gonna go the other way on this and say that I would be more concerned if we hired a "proven head coach"

The fact that we aren't going that route is huge. English is the most un-Mason hire ever. We want a change, and we're getting it. I don't care if Wilber Marshall is suddenly announced as professor emeritus of the interpretive dance department in the fall. Let's start doing more un-Mason stuff, play exciting ball, and surprise a down A10 next season.

 

[mkaufman1]

For once mason is thinking outside the box for basketball. That’s a good thing.

 

[KAOriginal]

Maybe I missed it.....but my only question is what got Brad "locked" onto English as the answer?

Im not saying he would be a bad hire....but you when you have the entirety of the basketball landscape of available former HCs and amazing assistants....what locked him on the guy so hard so fast...?

 

[GMUgemini]

Maybe I missed it.....but my only question is what got Brad "locked" onto English as the answer?

Im not saying he would be a bad hire....but you when you have the entirety of the basketball landscape of available former HCs and amazing assistants....what locked him on the guy so hard so fast...?

Barnes and Marsh?

 

[gmutom]

I'm gonna go the other way on this and say that I would be more concerned if we hired a "proven head coach"

The fact that we aren't going that route is huge. English is the most un-Mason hire ever.

 

[Patriot Lawdog]

Chicken salad for us.

 

[KAOriginal]

Barnes and Marsh?

But that would mean internally......the Paulsen exit plan was already in the works for awhile, and that Jay Marsh is the greatest salesman ever.

Marsh would have had to introduce the idea....and that would have had to come after some serious talks with Barnes, not just a casual..."if you ever need a new coach."

And then....before doing any other contemplation on what to do, before meeting the guy, before considering anyone else that could possibly be available and avoiding a search firm..........Edwards took Marsh's mentions and was locked down and sold.

There's something interesting here.

 

[gmujim92]

But that would mean internally......the Paulsen exit plan was already in the works for awhile, and that Jay Marsh is the greatest salesman ever.

Marsh would have had to introduce the idea....and that would have had to come after some serious talks with Barnes..."you got to take a look a this guy." And then.....And before doing any other contemplation, before meeting the guy, before considering anyone else that could possibly be available and avoiding a search firm..........Edwards took Marsh's mentions and was locked down and sold.

There's something interesting here.

It actually doesn’t mean any of that.

The WaPo story on Marsh’s retirement noted he remained close with Barnes over the years, and it was no secret that Mason had to decide what to do with DP after this season.

Maybe Barnes made a comment in passing like “if Mason makes a change you should consider hiring this guy,” and it grew from there as DP’s seat got hotter and hotter.

By using a search firm, Edwards would be able to quietly vet English behind the scenes — I wouldn’t be surprised if they met at an airport or somewhere like that to discuss a formal offer.

Just because it hasn’t been public doesn’t mean there hasn’t been due diligence.

 

[JPgmuswim]

It actually doesn’t mean any of that.

The WaPo story on Marsh’s retirement noted he remained close with Barnes over the years, and it was no secret that Mason had to decide what to do with DP after this season.

Maybe Barnes made a comment in passing like “if Mason makes a change you should consider hiring this guy,” and it grew from there as DP’s seat got hotter and hotter.

By using a search firm, Edwards would be able to quietly vet English behind the scenes — I wouldn’t be surprised if they met at an airport or somewhere like that to discuss a formal offer.

Just because it hasn’t been public doesn’t mean there hasn’t been due diligence.

Completely agree.

 

[KAOriginal]

It actually doesn’t mean any of that.

The WaPo story on Marsh’s retirement noted he remained close with Barnes over the years, and it was no secret that Mason had to decide what to do with DP after this season.

Maybe Barnes made a comment in passing like “if Mason makes a change you should consider hiring this guy,” and it grew from there as DP’s seat got hotter and hotter.

By using a search firm, Edwards would be able to quietly vet English behind the scenes — I wouldn’t be surprised if they met at an airport or somewhere like that to discuss a formal offer.

Just because it hasn’t been public doesn’t mean there hasn’t been due diligence.

I said interesting. Not a lack of due diligence.

Barnes may have mentioned English. But Marsh had to to put a real bug in Edwards ear to get him on the radar and not just a post it note "by the way this guy might work."It's also rumored names of Mason legends mentioned on this board only got courtesy phone call interview to appease the natives.

I just find it interesting how fast and strong it was settled. And maybe because our last front runner said no and we went to plan B.

And I was really hoping for Luke Murray now that he's out at Louisville. BILL FREAKING MURRAY in the stands? Yes please!

 

[Patriotsince81]

It doesn't always work out but I want to see 3 stars next to a recruits name and us fighting with Dayton, vcu, The Bonnies, and Power 5 schools to land kids. AND, get some of them! I don't want to see Mason, Elon, and Mary Washington battling for a kid.