Do you think Tennessee will go after Mulkey when they dump Holly Warlick? Mulkey could, very quickly, recreate Pat's dynasty there.
I don't know that they could lure Mulkey away from Baylor after all she has already accomplished there. Some on the Vol Nation board are talking about Becky Hammon, not sure if she would coach college ball or not, but that would be interesting.
Reading in the past about Warrick under the hot seat I thought about this possibility as well....but I'm thinking that Tennessee has higher ethical bar than a certain school in Waco.
Two things are fairly certain, Mulkey will never leave BU (What can even a powerhouse like Tenn offer that they cannot?) and her replacement will be a woman. One with proven success. It will be someone who has been successful, but not a mega personality. Maybe someone like Brenda Freese, maybe even Gail Goestenkors. Its always easier to follow the person who followed the legend, although I dont see Tenn making a change this year. We're acting as if Tenn was not in the elite 8 just last year.
Nikki Caldwell, a former Lady Vol, would have been a great candidate but she seems to be nose-diving at LSU. Brenda Freese could be a good candidate, as could Cori Close of UCLA. The ideal coach would probably be Jeff Waltz of Louisville; but, will the "Lady Vols" hire a male as their head coach? As for Mulkey, maybe. Her kids are all grown up now; so, no reason for her to stay in Waco unless she loves it there.
Nikki was my first thought as well, but she would have to right the ship at LSU first. One name that I didn't mention before from former Lady Vol land is Jody Adams @ WSU has exceeded expectation there for quite some time. Mulkey is a non starter in my eyes, who would want to build on someone else's legacy rather than continue to build on their own? Same money, same resources. No real reason to leave. I always thought the biggest threat even with their contentious history was La Tech just because of her connection. When they couldn't get her I realized she would probably be at BU for life. Again I say though, Warlick is safe for at least 2 more season.
I think they go outside the Lady Vol family. Would not surprise me if Gail Goestenkors returns to coaching, and she has the skins on the wall to be a candidate for the Lady Vols head coaching job.
Any chance this could be a job Chris Dailey would leave UCONN for or is she a Husky assistant for life?
Perhaps there is a WNBA coach who would want to coach them. Not sure how the salaries in the WNBA compare to collegiate head coaching. Just think they will go with someone who has a history of winning and recruiting talented players from coast to coast.
I think Tennessee gives Holly a lot more leeway, can't see her getting dumped anytime soon, or as Pat lives and breathes....
Tennessee has beeen relegated to middle-of-the-pack in the SEC as of now; South Carolina has a stranglehold on it for the time being, with MSU and A&M challenging a bit. Holly has no recruits signed yet for 2016. How are they supposed to get better with everything remaining "pat" (no pun intended)? The only way is to part ways with Warlick.
Hard for me to believe she's NOT sitting on a very hot seat. I had forgotten about the 2016 recruit situation. They are hanging by a thread in the Top 25 and are going to need a strong finish to cool that seat down.
If Tennessee wants their program back to its historic level, all they need to do is hire Mulkey. She'll have them back in The Final Four within 2 years.....with their name and her talent, it's a "slam-dunk." Yes, she would dump Baylor in a heartbeat to be coaching ,arguably, the premier program in the history of women's basketball. Baylor vs Tennessee? Seriously? There's no comparison.
Not familiar with all the coaching salaries, but I believe Mulkey may be up there after Geno. So, Tennessee would have to pay Mulkey more than the $1 million-plus Baylor is already paying her which would probably exceed what they were paying Summitt. Brenda Frese makes a lot of sense to me. Again, not sure what Maryland is paying her, but doubt it's $1 million. So, the pay increase would be a big incentive for her. She recruits nationally, especially the East coast and the south.
Money would have nothing to do with it, actually. Look at how much we paid for our previous coaching hire. Tennessee is used to being the top program in this sport, as well as having crowds of 14,000 and up, so they'd offer whatever it takes to get them back to the top. The question is: Does Mulkey want the exposure that Tennessee would, automatically, give her? Something tells me her personality begs for that kind of exposure. My concern is her finding leather pants that are neon orange.
I suppose Coach Mulkey would have interest, but I'd be surprised if she left Baylor after who she has recruited over the past two seasons. Zero recruits for next year at Tennessee? I would be shocked to see Coach Mulkey move to Tennessee.
Let's see: Waco, Tx......with 10% exposure.....to Knoxville, Tennessee.....the SEC....and 100% exposure......Mulkey thrives on it......she'd take the job in 5 seconds IF she was offered it. She'd get recruits from all over the USA...and most any she'd want, if she made the move from "the Bermuda Triangle" to the University of Tennessee. Rocky Top would never be the same.....lol.....
I keep reading that "She absolutely would leave" for Tenn. But no one is saying why. The only reason you leave a place like BU is to go somewhere "better" not sure that Tenn fits that mold. Hell, she recruited the #1 player in the country to go to BU. She's won national titles at BU. What could she possibly do at Tenn that she couldn't do at BU? Lateral move no at best.
Also don't think Dailey would get consideration as she is seen as Geno's number 2. Meaning that she is just as responsible for all of the perceived wrongs that ended the rivalry in the first place.
I respectfully disagree. BU gets just as much national attention as Tenn does these days. Times have changed and as much as I hate to admit it, BU is firmly on the national map.
A long-term concern for Mulkey could be what happens to Baylor if the Big 12 conference dissolves when the Granting of Rights is over. Most predict Baylor will have no desirable landing place if Texas, Oklahoma,, and Kansas bolt for greener pastures. Granted conference realignment hasn't affected UConn women's hoops. But, lack of TV revenue (based on power conferences) could limit funding towards practice facilities, etc. Honestly, I don't see her leaving Baylor as the immediate future is brighter than that at Tennessee. Heck, maybe she would rather replace Geno one day . . .
