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Realistic coaching candidates

@Consigliere

I see it as very unlikely that he becomes a candidate for multiple reasons, but thinking outside the box, I'm curious to how you would feel about Dave Smart as a candidate.

Some background on Smart:
- Coached at Carleton University in Canada from 1999-2019, and is now the Director of Basketball Operations there (also currently doing consulting for the Ottawa Senators, though that is clearly irrelevant to basketball)
- Career record of 591-48
- Between 2003 and 2019, he coached Carleton to 13 Canadian national championships
- Has served as an assistant coach for the Canadian national team

While dominating Canadian competition doesn't sound like a big deal, his teams have routinely beat quality NCAA teams during the summer when college programs do any sort of trip to Canada. In the summer of 2014, they beat the Wisconsin team that went to the championship game by 13. In 2017, they went 5-1 against NCAA teams, including wins over Alabama, Providence, and Vanderbilt. In 2018, they beat Cincinnati, Ole Miss, and South Dakota St. (with Mike Daum) all by double digits, and it got to a point where there was a conversation regarding whether Duke ducking them while Duke went on a Canadian exhibition trip that summer.

From a recruiting perspective, obviously Canada is where he has the most connections, but he's had success bringing transfers in from U.S. colleges as well.
 
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mtsucalico85 said:
@Consigliere

I see it as very unlikely that he becomes a candidate for multiple reasons, but thinking outside the box, I'm curious to how you would feel about Dave Smart as a candidate.

Some background on Smart:
- Coached at Carleton University in Canada from 1999-2019, and is now the Director of Basketball Operations there (also currently doing consulting for the Ottawa Senators, though that is clearly irrelevant to basketball)
- Career record of 591-48
- Between 2003 and 2019, he coached Carleton to 13 Canadian national championships
- Has served as an assistant coach for the Canadian national team

While dominating Canadian competition doesn't sound like a big deal, his teams have routinely beat quality NCAA teams during the summer when college programs do any sort of trip to Canada. In the summer of 2014, they beat the Wisconsin team that went to the championship game by 13. In 2017, they went 5-1 against NCAA teams, including wins over Alabama, Providence, and Vanderbilt. In 2018, they beat Cincinnati, Ole Miss, and South Dakota St. (with Mike Daum) all by double digits, and it got to a point where there was a conversation regarding whether Duke ducking them while Duke went on a Canadian exhibition trip that summer.

From a recruiting perspective, obviously Canada is where he has the most connections, but he's had success bringing transfers in from U.S. colleges as well.
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No. Nothing about that sounds like he is ready for our job. He would struggle to get a job at a D1 school. He is in no way qualified with that experience.
 
Consigliere said:
No. Nothing about that sounds like he is ready for our job. He would struggle to get a job at a D1 school. He is in no way qualified with that experience.
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He's been offered D1 jobs in the past and turned them down, though not sure what schools they are. He's someone very highly thought of by top coaches as a defensive guru - people like Jay Wright and John Beilein have flown up to Canada just to learn from him. This article details more on him, but I will pull out these paragraphs to give an indication of his reputation with those high up in the sport.

In particular, Smart sought to build a top-notch defense, one that functioned on instinct and muscle memory rather than through a coach’s instruction, and it’s that defense which has fueled the Ravens’ sustained success.

“Their defensive system is the most unique I’ve seen,” says (Jay) Wright. “I’ve tried to steal it, just based on watching film, but I couldn’t do it, so I asked Dave to come and explain it in depth to our staff.” What began as a schematic melding of forcing ballhandlers to both the middle and baseline of the court transformed into a free-flowing amorphous-like defense that seeks—and largely succeeds—to deny open looks. Rather than a constant stream of information, the Ravens use one-word commands to instruct the man on the ball, a basketball shorthand that enables defenders to anticipate rather than react. “When we played them, we couldn’t score,” says Wright. “Those four players are all communicating what an opponent is going to do next. It’s very complex.”

During the Ravens’ four-game exhibition slate this summer which featured two 2018 NCAA tournament teams, opponents scored an astounding .82 points per possession. That included a 62-point win over South Dakota State, a team that nearly registered a March Madness upset against Ohio State. “Carleton is a machine,” says SDSU assistant coach Eric Henderson. “They make the offense do what the defense wants, and the unison with which they play is something that is more impressive in person that it is on tape—all five guys moving more times correctly at the same time than incorrectly. The discipline, freedom, and versatility they have guarding certain actions is unique.”

Other Division I coaches have attempted to glean aspects of Carleton’s defensive brilliance. According to Smart, John Beilein (Michigan), Mick Cronin (Cincinnati), Bill Coen (Northeastern), and Paul Weir (New Mexico) have all trekked to the Raven’s Nest, the squad’s 1,300-seat multi-use gym, in recent years. “More and more NCAA guys will talk to me about our defense, and continue to talk to me about it, and then do their own thing with it,” he says.
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mtsucalico85 said:
He's been offered D1 jobs in the past and turned them down, though not sure what schools they are. He's someone very highly thought of by top coaches as a defensive guru - people like Jay Wright and John Beilein have flown up to Canada just to learn from him. This article details more on him, but I will pull out these paragraphs to give an indication of his reputation with those high up in the sport.
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When you say "D1 jobs" do you mean an assistant position? That isn't what I am taking about. I'd be curious which specific D1 schools offered him an HC gig. My guess it would be some sub-par schools and he would struggle to get them.

I really can't debate the qualifications of this guy with you; there would be no point. He has nothing I would consider for an HC job today. That is just my opinon.
 
Consigliere said:
When you say "D1 jobs" do you mean an assistant position? That isn't what I am taking about. I'd be curious which specific D1 schools offered him an HC gig. My guess it would be some sub-par schools and he would struggle to get them.

I really can't debate the qualifications of this guy with you; there would be no point. He has nothing I would consider for an HC job today. That is just my opinon.
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No they were head coaching positions. I can't speak to what level of D1 school offered him since I don't know what programs. He did say that there was one job he planned on accepting but changed his mind on - I assumed that this job would have been a High Major job or a higher quality Mid-Major (a program like a Dayton, for example). Given his reputation and what he had going on in Canada, I don't see any way he would have considered anything lower than that.

It isn't happening either way, so probably not worth getting hung up on.
 
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Take it for what it's worth. To my knowledge no inside info, just a bunch of guys talking. I was told over the weekend from someone plugged in the college game that Coach L will be asked to retire/step down and the job will be Anthony Grant's to lose. Don't kill the messenger!

GO CANES!!!
 
King of Allapattah said:
Take it for what it's worth. To my knowledge no inside info, just a bunch of guys talking. I was told over the weekend from someone plugged in the college game that Coach L will be asked to retire/step down and the job will be Anthony Grant's to lose. Don't kill the messenger!

GO CANES!!!
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I will not kill the messenger.
Just wondering, why Anthony Grant.
Does he have a connection to Blake James?
 
mtsucalico85 said:
No they were head coaching positions. I can't speak to what level of D1 school offered him since I don't know what programs. He did say that there was one job he planned on accepting but changed his mind on - I assumed that this job would have been a High Major job or a higher quality Mid-Major (a program like a Dayton, for example). Given his reputation and what he had going on in Canada, I don't see any way he would have considered anything lower than that.
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I don't buy Dayton. Maybe some much lower tiered school. But it is what it is.
 
King of Allapattah said:
Take it for what it's worth. To my knowledge no inside info, just a bunch of guys talking. I was told over the weekend from someone plugged in the college game that Coach L will be asked to retire/step down and the job will be Anthony Grant's to lose. Don't kill the messenger!

GO CANES!!!
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One of these things is not like the other...

14-17 (8-10) [Conference Win % = 44%]
21-12 (13-5) [Conference Win % = 72%]
29-2 (18-0) [Conference Win % = 100%]
14-8 (9-7) [Conference Win % = 56%]
 
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Honestly, I'm shocked Coach L hasn't stepped down yet and stuck through all this turmoil the last couple years. I'll always be grateful for what hes done but it's time to move on. We should target WHOEVER is the best suited lmao idc how old idc about philosophy idc about anything but winning. Only thing I'll say is Grant does not seem like a good idea, whoever it is though I'll support *whispers* (please ill cry if we promote one of these bum assistants)
 
As everyone might know, Mike Young was ACC COY this year. Before he got to VT, he was the HC at Wofford for 17 seasons. During that time:

Conference Champs: 5
NCAAT Appearances: 5
Furthest in to NCAAT: Round of 32
In-Conference Record over the last 5 seasons: 66-24 (73%)

Random Notes: Before Mike Young, Wofford never had a winning season in D1. He also lead them to their first NCAAT.
 
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@mtsucalico85 Great Stuff

It was you who brought up Dennis Gates. I'm sure you're aware that Cleveland State is going to the NCAAT after winning the conference tourney. Cleveland State was a very sub-par program and it has been over a decade since their last NCAAT appearance/conference tourney (e.g. Norris Cole).
He is very young and he definitely is a name that is going to garner much more attention. Although I don't think he is ready for a power HC gig, he is very much on the right track.
 
Consigliere said:
@mtsucalico85 Great Stuff

It was you who brought up Dennis Gates. I'm sure you're aware that Cleveland State is going to the NCAAT after winning the conference tourney. Cleveland State was a very sub-par program and it has been over a decade since their last NCAAT appearance/conference tourney (e.g. Norris Cole).
He is very young and he definitely is a name that is going to garner much more attention. Although I don't think he is ready for a power HC gig, he is very much on the right track.
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I'd be surprised if he didn't get one this year. His name has been very heavily connected to BC, Minnesota, and Penn State. I'd prefer to see one more year from him to get some more experience, but I really like his future.

I watched Cleveland State throughout the Horizon tournament. You can definitely see the Leonard Hamilton influence...very active on defense, not reliant on one or two stars but more so with a balanced lineup. Tougher to tell at CSU compared to a bigger program, but I would expect that at this level he would be reliant on building a deep team that goes at least 9 deep.

Outside of the experience factor, the one concern I have with him is that I don't love his offense - from a pure X's and O's standpoint, I think Craig Smith stands out more on that end when watching them play. But I've never regarded Hamilton as a pure offensive tactician either - his strengths are elsewhere.
 
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Notsince1985 said:
This is not a post saying I think L should come back. This is an honest question. Does anyone actually think L is stepping down? I don't.
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No I expect him to be back for another year.

Since there is basically no such thing as a Miami basketball insider, the only reference I've seen to the status of the Miami job was from Matt Norlander at CBS a couple days back, where this was said:

Let's start with some coaching-cycle scuttlebutt. You better believe there are schools sending out feelers to people connected to coaches to politely gauge their interest in any potential openings. In talking to various sources in the past week, here's my impression as of today with power-conference gigs that have speculation around them and expectations in the coming days and weeks.

Jobs I've been told are definitely opening: DePaul, Minnesota.

Jobs I've been told are definitely not opening: Marquette, Miami, Notre Dame.

Jobs I've been told will probably not open: Indiana, Kansas State, South Carolina.

Job I've been told is more likely to open than not: Iowa State.

A unique situation no one can predict: Arizona.
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