Caputo Gone

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First of all, congrats to Caputo. GW is a really good mid-major job in an extremely fertile recruiting base that he already is familiar with. That said, it's probably a good sign that he left if you consider that Blake's lazy *** would have just promoted him to HC or hired someone like Eric Konkol to come back after Larranaga retired.

What this tells me is that, with a real AD now in place, there will be a proper, national search whenever that time comes. Am also going to be interested in who Larranaga brings on. Irving is very green and Courtney is more of a journeyman, so the ideal fit is someone who, like Caputo, will be able to come in and be an associate HC-type.
 
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Good for him as GW can be a very good job and Caputo has paid his dues. It's a definite loss to our staff but it's good in the long run too. I trust Rad but this eliminates an "easy" hire to replace L in a couple of years. If Caputo kills it at GW then he'll deservedly at least be in the mix to come back here.
 
Time is good for him and us. I think the hire here has to be a young up and comer who can be in the mix to replace Jim in four years.

Hope Caputo kills it at GW and Konkol does well at Tulsa.
We have an AD that isn't going to make a lazy hire and run a real search. I'm sure both will be in the mix but neither are a lock by any means
 
We have an AD that isn't going to make a lazy hire and run a real search. I'm sure both will be in the mix but neither are a lock by any means
That was my concern if Coach L left after last year. You know James would've promoted Caputo because it's the easiest thing to do. He may end up being a great coach, but I'd still prefer not to take the chance that happens by accident by promoting prematurely here.
 
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That was my concern if Coach L left after last year. You know James would've promoted Caputo because it's the easiest thing to do. He may end up being a great coach, but I'd still prefer not to take the chance that happens by accident by promoting prematurely here.


You have crushed the proverbial nail right on the head. This is why I have been talking about "succession plan" for years. If you need Konkol or Caputo to go out and get HC experience, encourage it. Find another guy to groom and then if those guys succeed as HC, bring one back. Otherwise, go out and find a guy who could be hired as HC, and get him in the system now to learn from L and to get used to the players.

Or see if Seth Greenberg wants to come back to the U (I know, he's probably happy at ESPN).

Regardless of the approach, we shouldn't be waiting two more years to start thinking about these things. Even Carolina and Duke have had to think about this stuff. Even if Hamilton had stayed, we'd be needing to think about this stuff soon.
 
You have crushed the proverbial nail right on the head. This is why I have been talking about "succession plan" for years. If you need Konkol or Caputo to go out and get HC experience, encourage it. Find another guy to groom and then if those guys succeed as HC, bring one back. Otherwise, go out and find a guy who could be hired as HC, and get him in the system now to learn from L and to get used to the players.

Or see if Seth Greenberg wants to come back to the U (I know, he's probably happy at ESPN).

Regardless of the approach, we shouldn't be waiting two more years to start thinking about these things. Even Carolina and Duke have had to think about this stuff. Even if Hamilton had stayed, we'd be needing to think about this stuff soon.
Hamilton's a year older than Coach L.
 
I go back with GW basketball to when they had no on-campus arena and played their home games across the Potomac at the old Fort Myer Field House.

I may be proven wrong but the job has been a coach's graveyard more than a springboard to success. Locally, I'd rate them as certainly way behind Maryland and Georgetown, and surpassed by George Mason. I can't recall their last decent recruit.
 
We have an AD that isn't going to make a lazy hire and run a real search. I'm sure both will be in the mix but neither are a lock by any means

Point being, he's going elsewhere to cut his teeth and prove what kind of head coach he can be.

Cristobal was a failed FIU head coach when he wound up at Miami on Golden's staff for five minutes, before Alabama poached him and after four years in Tuscaloosa, he got his shot at Oregon—all of which paved the way for him to return to Miami ready for prime time

If Caputo did, or didn't wind up at Miami—at least he's going elsewhere to learn how to be a head coach and wouldn't learn on the job here.
 
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Point being, he's going elsewhere to cut his teeth and prove what kind of head coach he can be.

Cristobal was a failed FIU head coach when he wound up at Miami on Golden's staff for five minutes, before Alabama poached him and after four years in Tuscaloosa, he got his shot at Oregon—all of which paved the way for him to return to Miami ready for prime time

If Caputo did, or didn't wind up at Miami—at least he's going elsewhere to learn how to be a head coach and wouldn't learn on the job here.
Agree to disagree on Mario having failed at FIU. He succeeded IMO 10x over. Making bowl games at FIU in that era was like what Campbell is doing at ISU now. But Caputo can either go win and come back to run the program or lose and it's on to the next one
 
We have an AD that isn't going to make a lazy hire and run a real search. I'm sure both will be in the mix but neither are a lock by any means
didn't Rad not give a flying **** about basketball at Clemson? could be wrong. either way, L is safe obviously for a few years till he likely retires.
 
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L isn't going anywhere for at least 3-4 years. What he's accomplished at CanesHoops is second to none. He's endeaered himself to the school, media and community and will no doubt end up in the Naismith HOF. Konkol has already shown he can win more with less at LaTech and if he does well at Tulsa he will be at the top of many college lists, not just Miami should L retire by then. Caputo is behind Konkol just given the gap in experience but if he turns GW into a winner he most likely gets in the convo too. I thought Huger was heading toward a better job but transfers and covid killed his last 2 seasons. All this said the new AD knows how key it is to bring in a proven coach to keep up the progress L has made but we're a few years away from having this conversation
 
I go back with GW basketball to when they had no on-campus arena and played their home games across the Potomac at the old Fort Myer Field House.

I may be proven wrong but the job has been a coach's graveyard more than a springboard to success. Locally, I'd rate them as certainly way behind Maryland and Georgetown, and surpassed by George Mason. I can't recall their last decent recruit.
You can* make the Tournament there and these were their 2021 recruits/transfers under a horrible coach so that's why I think it could be a "good" job for a guy like Caputo if he's actually worth his salt as a lead guy.

I wouldn't argue your current regional hierarchy but Georgetown is an absolute ****show right now. Will be interesting to see how long that continues.

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L isn't going anywhere for at least 3-4 years. What he's accomplished at CanesHoops is second to none. He's endeaered himself to the school, media and community and will no doubt end up in the Naismith HOF. Konkol has already shown he can win more with less at LaTech and if he does well at Tulsa he will be at the top of many college lists, not just Miami should L retire by then. Caputo is behind Konkol just given the gap in experience but if he turns GW into a winner he most likely gets in the convo too. I thought Huger was heading toward a better job but transfers and covid killed his last 2 seasons. All this said the new AD knows how key it is to bring in a proven coach to keep up the progress L has made but we're a few years away from having this conversation
Agreed. I actually think if L is able to duplicate something close to last season one more time before he sails off into the sunset that it'll take the notion of replacing him with an "up and comer" completely off the table. The job will be too desirable by established coaches to not want and the standard around the program will be too elevated to fill it that way (as it hopefully coincides with football success).
 
Caputo is very close with all the big boys who matter in the UM athletics universe. He is an extremely smart guy (and good guy) who I believe we would be lucky to have as head coach after L. And if he succeeds at GW as I expect him to, I think that will likely and hopefully be the case.
 
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