Candidates for our new assistant head coaching vacancy

Discussion in 'Women’s Basketball' started by Moooooo, Apr 16, 2018.

  1. Moooooo

    Moooooo 5,000+ Posts

    Didn't want to discuss replacement candidates in the thread devoted to Tina Thompson being named the head coach at Virginia.

    So, I started this thread so we can discuss things from now until the new hire is made.

    Obviously, we need someone to coach our forwards and post players. That someone should also be a good recruiter, and hopefully someone with a lot of connections.

    If not for recent problems at her current school, I'd be nominating Trisha Stafford--Odom (Iman's aunt).

    If Lance White at Florida State is the one who coaches the front court, I'd be all in favor of him. He is also supposedly a very good recruiter, and has plenty of connections in Texas as former Texas Tech hoopster.
     
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  2. Moooooo

    Moooooo 5,000+ Posts

    Lance White's bio:

    http://seminoles.com/staff/lance-white/

    My favorite blurbs:

    Responsible for Florida State’s offensive principles . . .

    For his standout coaching efforts in 2016-17, White was named the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association National Assistant Coach of the Year.
     
  3. overseasbbfan1

    overseasbbfan1 1,000+ Posts

    There are so many possibilities, I will have to think about this for a while. No doubt there will be a very long list of interested parties!
     
  4. racerx5908

    racerx5908 2,500+ Posts

    The irony is that Tina's hiring (to UT) was an out-of-the-blue hire as well; someone with no prior HS or college coaching experience.
     
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  5. Moooooo

    Moooooo 5,000+ Posts

  6. Moooooo

    Moooooo 5,000+ Posts

  7. UTexRulz23

    UTexRulz23 500+ Posts

    I’d love to stay with a former WNBA player. I think that creates a lot of good buzz and momentum for our players.

    Someone with post experience would be great.

    So a pipe dream wish list:
    Yo Griffith
    Michelle Snow
    Rebecca Lobo
    Candice Dupree

    Lol

    Nah but I’m fine with someone without experience coaching so long as they’ve got great playing experience and can be a magnet for young women.
     
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  8. Moooooo

    Moooooo 5,000+ Posts

    Coaching-experience wise, we had a very "young" coaching staff; we still do as Jamie and George haven't been coaching in college very long.

    Getting someone who played in the WNBA would be great, but they would probably have limited coaching experience (unless they have been retired for many years).
     
  9. Moooooo

    Moooooo 5,000+ Posts

    What is Cynthia Cooper up to these days? She wasn't the best at being a head coach, but maybe she'd be better as an assistant coach. I recall her speaking at one of our summer camps last season, and she did put in a good word for us with Destiny Littleton.

    While she was an incredible guard throughout her playing career, maybe she could coach post players.
     
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  10. DFW_Horn

    DFW_Horn 2,500+ Posts

    Tina, and before her Jalie, seemed to be the coaches that made the closest connections with the players so I can see where @UTexRulz23 is coming from. Anyone know if Cynthia Cooper ever worked with posts?
     
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  11. jusme828

    jusme828 2,500+ Posts

    Wonder if Taj McWilliams-Franklin would get a look? She's an assistant coach for the Dallas Wings, and attended St. Edwards University in Austin. Just a thought.
     
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  12. DFW_Horn

    DFW_Horn 2,500+ Posts

    Hah - I’d say great minds think alike but I hesitate to put either of us in that category.
     
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  13. DFW_Horn

    DFW_Horn 2,500+ Posts

     
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  14. Moooooo

    Moooooo 5,000+ Posts

    Who was the male assistant coach who Coach Goestenkors hired at Texas (from Florida State)? Thought he went on to be a head coach in the ACC (Wake Forest?).
     
  15. jusme828

    jusme828 2,500+ Posts

    He's the head coach at Houston now. Ronald Hughey.
     
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  16. kurupt

    kurupt 1,000+ Posts

    I wouldn’t mind seeing Coach Aston move Coach George back to coach the post and hire Edwina or Tai Dillard or maybe just hire Stacy. Having coaches going on to take head coaching jobs are great, but I’m sure Coach Aston wants to try to get some continuity longer than a couple of years.
     
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    Last edited: Apr 16, 2018
  17. DFW_Horn

    DFW_Horn 2,500+ Posts

    It is not my intent to derail this thread but, based on Karen’s dedication to advocating for opportunities for female coaches, I’d be surprised if she hired a second male coach.
     
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  18. Moooooo

    Moooooo 5,000+ Posts

    I would love to be able to add "fresh ideas/philosophies" to the coaching staff. Not sure that happens if she hires another former player of hers. Mack Brown did it for football; Augie did it for baseball; and, Barnes did it for men's hoops. Never worked out, IMO.
     
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  19. brnkj

    brnkj 2,500+ Posts

    Good points...I thought our post play under George's tutelage was pretty good.
     
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  20. brnkj

    brnkj 2,500+ Posts

    She might want to focus on trying to hire THE MOST QUALIFIED PERSON to help push the program up a notch, as it seems we have somewhat plateaued.
     
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  21. kurupt

    kurupt 1,000+ Posts

    Yep. He also coached the post on the AAU level.
     
  22. HornView

    HornView 1,000+ Posts

    Plateaued? You can’t be serious.
     
    • Like Like x 1
  23. kurupt

    kurupt 1,000+ Posts

    I think it’s also important to factor in relationships. Having that coach that you can go to with personal situations. That’s something that is also very important. And you can see it by the way the players feel about Tina Thompson. And the way that they felt about Coach Mitchell.
     
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  24. LutherIsMyDog

    LutherIsMyDog 1,000+ Posts

    Although I doubt Kim Cameron's transition from Michigan Tech to take an unspecified job in Division I coaching is connected to the vacancy at Texas, I'll bookmark this Tweet just in case. Her resume as a Div II coach is impressive. I suppose Karen could have crossed paths with Cameron since we are recruiting Rickea Jackson who lives in Michigan.



    http://www.uppermichiganssource.com...ition-at-NCAA-Division-I-Level-479939603.html
     
  25. BabHorn

    BabHorn 10,000+ Posts

    Kim Cameron sounds intriguing. Wonder where she's headed.
     
  26. LutherIsMyDog

    LutherIsMyDog 1,000+ Posts

    Any thoughts on Shimmy Gray Miller as a replacement for Tina? From a quick look at her bio, she's checks a lot of boxes. Shimmy has been an assistant coach Texas Tech, Florida, Nebraska, Arizona and the University of Washington. She has develop posts and forwards and was the recruiting coordinator at Florida. Gray Miller graduated from Michigan where she was a three time letter winner and team captain. From her interviews, she seems very likable and has a charismatic personality.

    https://texastech.com/news/2017/4/20/lady-raiders-add-shimmy-gray-miller-to-coaching-staff.aspx
     
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  27. overseasbbfan1

    overseasbbfan1 1,000+ Posts

    Shimmy is an interesting choice. I do recall, despite the continued losses, that many felt there was an immediate difference with respect to quality of play, team unity and enthusiasm etc, once she took over at Tech. So much so that many assumed she'd be a leading candidate to take over the program, until she made it clear she wasn't interested in the HC position. And given that the program later reached out to, and hired her former assistant at St. Louis, seems to indicate that Tech relied on her inut, or perhaps even gave her a primary role in selecting her successor. She does seem to be highly regarded by her peers, and among others in the coaching ranks. That said I have no idea what her long term career goals are, or whether she would even be interested in the position.
     
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  28. Hornzupp

    Hornzupp 25+ Posts

    Interesting perspective about fresh ideas. Definitely don't think Aston should hire one of her former players - that's just one more asst coach's insights to ignore. Doesn't matter who you hire if you're not going to listen to them. Watching this Texas program under Karen has given us some amazing highs for sure, but the lows are extremely low. We underperformed again this year in the S16 - and don't give me any crap about how good UCLA was - they were average at best. We just didn't show up -- and that's partly players but it is definitely partly HC's fault as well. And fyi, asst coaches don't necessarily always leave a program for other opportunities -- sometimes they leave to get out of their current situation.
     
  29. Moooooo

    Moooooo 5,000+ Posts

    Coach A has recent experience in vetting candidates as she has had to replace Jalie and Travis in the last couple of years or so. In some ways, I'm sure she is ahead of the curve in knowing what she is looking for in her candidates. Of course, this new coach would need to replace most of Tina's skills, and complement Jamie and George.

    And, the candidates she wants have to be willing to leave their current jobs (assuming they are employed). Jolette Law of South Carolina caught my interest as she recently left Tennessee; and, she does not have the title of "Associate Head Coach", so I thought that Texas offering that title could lure her away. I looked up Jolette's Law bio with South Carolina, and it mentions how she decided to accept the job with Staley because it moved her closer to her parents; so, my guess is that she wouldn't be willing to leave (even for a promotion) based on location.
     
  30. Moooooo

    Moooooo 5,000+ Posts

    Weren't George Washington and Travis Mays on her staff at the same time during the first few years Coach A took over?
     
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