But look at what she was working with there and here. We returned all but one starter from likely a Sweet 16 team.
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Pretty much agree here. I don't know if Mitchell is the answer but he may be. Who care about the bad press; we got bad press now; the press just ain't saying it. We are total trash as a program and team now. If anyone thinks the press is bad now just wait 3 years.
All media folks can say is what a great player she was, how many years she played in WNBA, ties to Pat Summit, Dawn Staley, etc. She has done 0 as a head coach. We must quit hiring off potential unless we have no choice. MSU WBB was not in that shape. We may be at the next hire though.
I have to be honest. I followed WBB when they were winning titles abs going to final fours. I couldn?t care less now.
If we spend one extra penny than required on freaking women’s basketball all while having the lowest football recruiting budget in the conference outside of Vandy I’m going to be extremely pissed off. It’s freaking women’s basketball. We caught lightning in a bottle. Focus on sports that matter.
I agree to y a point; however, when you have a nationally recognized sports program in any sport you can't let it die like this. Believe it or not it helps the entire brand of MSU. It ain't about how much money it brings in. We know who the money sports are but a program like we were in WBB built the MSU winning brand, along with baseball. It all helps football too. Anytime you can bring in national fans it does make a difference.
The issue is she's got a very talented team that doesn't fit what she does. She wants up tempo and pressing, not a lot of half-court. This team isn't that. But our AD should've known this. He did what he's done in every sport but baseball (hmm) and that's tear it all down and go a different direction. It's also why some of this talent is leaving after the season.
And I've been hard on her, but it's really John Cohen.
Of all of the coaching hire blunders Cohen has made, this one was absolutely the worst. I didn't feel the proper decision was being made even when the hire was done. I say that because with what Vic had already built with the culture of MSU WBB, unless you had a PROVEN POWER 5 HC that would take the job (which we didn't), it was pretty much a no brainer to have given Johnnie Harris the job. I mean, maybe she wouldn't have worked out either, but in trying to keep rolling with the winning culture you had, she was absolutely the best opportunity we had available given she was a big part in building it. Plus, in a COVID environment, she already had a close relationship with all the players and didn't have to try and build one over ZOOM calls. Just really, really didn't understand the decision at the time. Just knowing Cohen though he probably ruled Harris out because she didn't come into her interview with a 100 slide Powerpoint brief detailing her 'plan'. Just another case where Cohen outthought himself trying to be the smartest guy in the room. Sometimes you just need to use your basic common sense and do what is right in front of you. Sad part is he did give the softball job to an assistant already on staff and that seems to be working out great. And our softball program was nowhere close to the elite level of our WBB program.
This is correct, but you can't spend buyout money on women's basketball unless you have good reason to think the next person you hire is going to be elite. Not really good and will keep you in the top 25. Nobody knows who the hell the 5th through 20th best women's basketball programs are. You have to think they will be elite. Looks like Matthew Mitchell might be a really good candidate if he were physically able and interested, but just looking at wikipedia, his success at UK doesn't look like it justifies firing a first year coach to hire.
Maybe, but if we have EVER had a program built to allow a top assistant to move up to the top spot it was our WBB program which had never accomplished anything of note before Vic and now may never accomplish anything after. Whatever Vic created, unlike our baseball program for example, was unique to what he was able to do. Trying to allow someone that was with him when he did it and was trained under him to try and continue it absolutely made the most sense given we were apparently not able to attract someone truly proven.
I actually doubt she'd take it now. All coaches have egos, no matter if it's HC or asst. And I imagine we bruised her ego but not giving her the job last year. Kind of like not interviewing Kyle Whittingham after Mullen left and then him not even taking an interview last time around.
I am curious as to why some fans want to fire coach Penson after one season, but have not been calling for the firing of coach Howland.
Howland has only one NCAA Tournament appearance in five seasons. He has an SEC record of 49-55.