2024 Offseason Coaching Carousel

[cat fan]

Just speaking big picture, what's the next step(s) up the coaching ladder? Obviously at or near the top are likely either of the two big schools in the state, but are they next up on his list or might there be a middle ground somewhere in between?

My perception is that Hawkeye fans don't perceive Drake to be a rival. The plus side of that is if their job opened up the fan base won't already hate McCollum. The down side is that they likely will have their sights set pretty high, for a big name coach. Now McCollum could rise to that level if Drake would have tournament success, but he will have to do that before the Hawkeyes come calling. The Cyclones have a history of hiring lower level coaches... not sure how their fan base would feel about hiring someone from Drake though.

If you are looking for a "middle ground" smaller step up, the region doesn't have a ton of options: Northern Iowa would be a lateral move from Drake, so that isn't a step up. There is no small step up in Minnesota or the Dakotas. A bunch of lateral moves in Illinois, or the big time with the Illini someday. McDermott likely has a few more years at Creighton, and his coaching tree is so large that I suspect it'll be a former assistant when his replacement is needed. Wichita State or Tulsa in the AAC is possibly a small move up from Drake although both programs have been pretty bad lately. Now Mizzou... given McCollum's history in the state that might be a logical next rung of the ladder, especially if they continue to have years like the last one. It's become a tough place to win. Seems like the SEC move has made it harder to succeed there than it used to be.

[voicefromthestands]

My perception is that Hawkeye fans don't perceive Drake to be a rival. The plus side of that is if their job opened up the fan base won't already hate McCollum. The down side is that they likely will have their sights set pretty high, for a big name coach. Now McCollum could rise to that level if Drake would have tournament success, but he will have to do that before the Hawkeyes come calling. The Cyclones have a history of hiring lower level coaches... not sure how their fan base would feel about hiring someone from Drake though.

If you are looking for a "middle ground" smaller step up, the region doesn't have a ton of options: Northern Iowa would be a lateral move from Drake, so that isn't a step up. There is no small step up in Minnesota or the Dakotas. A bunch of lateral moves in Illinois, or the big time with the Illini someday. McDermott likely has a few more years at Creighton, and his coaching tree is so large that I suspect it'll be a former assistant when his replacement is needed. Wichita State or Tulsa in the AAC is possibly a small move up from Drake although both programs have been pretty bad lately. Now Mizzou... given McCollum's history in the state that might be a logical next rung of the ladder, especially if they continue to have years like the last one. It's become a tough place to win. Seems like the SEC move has made it harder to succeed there than it used to be.

Iowa State hired Maury John from Drake in 1971. John attended college first at William Jewel and finished at Central Missouri.

[Stanger86]

In NSIC alum coaching news, SCSU grad Mahmoud Abdelfattah was fired as head coach of the Sydney Kings.

https://www.espn.com/nbl/story/_/id/...ud-abdelfattah

[MrMustang]

Honestly guys I don't really know which league is better in basketball. I was just trolling.

love it

[MrMustang]

I predict Ben will win a NCAA D1 title somewhere before he retires.

Final Four for sure -- winning the whole thing requires a bit of good luck - getting to the final four also requires luck, but not as much

[MrMustang]

I predict Ben will win a NCAA D1 title somewhere before he retires.

not a ridiculous prediction

[southside]

I predict Ben will win a NCAA D1 title somewhere before he retires.

It’s hard to imagine the guy won’t be extremely successful. I’m not gonna say he didn’t have great talent But he obviously put them in a system that worked very well, and did it very consistently. I would guess a few years to get the right guys (unless most return I don’t know a lot about Drake bbal)and integrate his system. Year 3 or so look out!

[Alfred33]

It’s hard to imagine the guy won’t be extremely successful. I’m not gonna say he didn’t have great talent But he obviously put them in a system that worked very well, and did it very consistently. I would guess a few years to get the right guys (unless most return I don’t know a lot about Drake bbal)and integrate his system. Year 3 or so look out!

My biggest fear for Ben is not getting the talent he needs to win. We all know he can coach, but the style/tempo/pace that he plays is, dare I say it, a little old school. Now if he gets the right guys, it can be absolutely beautiful basketball... they way they move and screen, the way the ball moves. Even the defense can be fun to watch... A 60 point game can look flawless with the right guys. The other side of it, if the talent isn't there and he's not winning, it could turn on him pretty quick. I look at a guy like Cuonzo Martin, who won when he had talent. Not to the scale that Ben has, but 2 out of 4 years at Mizzou, he made the tournament... but man it was ugly when the team lacked offensive talent. All you read on the forums was how boring the games were to watch... things like "I'd rather have a team lose 88-82 than 56 - 50... at least that's entertaining". I'm glad he's getting his first shot at a (successful) mid major... I do believe he'll keep it going there, but if I am to have a concern, that would be it.

[Stanger86]

My biggest fear for Ben is not getting the talent he needs to win. We all know he can coach, but the style/tempo/pace that he plays is, dare I say it, a little old school. Now if he gets the right guys, it can be absolutely beautiful basketball... they way they move and screen, the way the ball moves. Even the defense can be fun to watch... A 60 point game can look flawless with the right guys. The other side of it, if the talent isn't there and he's not winning, it could turn on him pretty quick. I look at a guy like Cuonzo Martin, who won when he had talent. Not to the scale that Ben has, but 2 out of 4 years at Mizzou, he made the tournament... but man it was ugly when the team lacked offensive talent. All you read on the forums was how boring the games were to watch... things like "I'd rather have a team lose 88-82 than 56 - 50... at least that's entertaining". I'm glad he's getting his first shot at a (successful) mid major... I do believe he'll keep it going there, but if I am to have a concern, that would be it.

Honestly, he reminds me a lot of Tim Miles in that way. I think mid-major is a good landing spot for him. I always thought Tim would've been great in the Valley, but he went west instead of south. But to what you're saying, it might not work at a big school...

[NWFanatic]

Also, with the turnover in D1 can he keep players long enough for them to buy into and learn his system?

[southside]

My biggest fear for Ben is not getting the talent he needs to win. We all know he can coach, but the style/tempo/pace that he plays is, dare I say it, a little old school. Now if he gets the right guys, it can be absolutely beautiful basketball... they way they move and screen, the way the ball moves. Even the defense can be fun to watch... A 60 point game can look flawless with the right guys. The other side of it, if the talent isn't there and he's not winning, it could turn on him pretty quick. I look at a guy like Cuonzo Martin, who won when he had talent. Not to the scale that Ben has, but 2 out of 4 years at Mizzou, he made the tournament... but man it was ugly when the team lacked offensive talent. All you read on the forums was how boring the games were to watch... things like "I'd rather have a team lose 88-82 than 56 - 50... at least that's entertaining". I'm glad he's getting his first shot at a (successful) mid major... I do believe he'll keep it going there, but if I am to have a concern, that would be it.

I agree. I’m not guaranteeing success or anything. So many factors go into it. Just sustaining the amount of success he had is extremely difficult.

as you mentioned, the style of play, if he can convince and teach his squad to play like that for portions on the game I think he’ll win a lot in the valley.

[southside]

Also, with the turnover in D1 can he keep players long enough for them to buy into and learn his system?

True but I would argue he had a track record of keeping kids that were obviously good enough to move on too. Now it could be the potential to win a natty versus go to the tournament isn’t enough to keep some kids. I honestly think he’ll keep or draw in his fair share.

[Augieholic]

Tom fills out his staff at Emporia with Casey Schlatter and Devin Whitelow.

https://twitter.com/ESUSports/status...eaWY0PiIg&s=19

[Purple Mav Man]

https://fox11online.com/amp/sports/c...ter-one-season

The juice is loose, again.

[Thunder]

He's on a pretty incredible rise over the last 6 or so years and I'm happy to see him back home (again) as the head coach. Every place he has been over that time has seen improvement and had good seasons. I would love to see Sunny in the same place for a few years to see what kind of program he can build. I think he is a fantastic coach and has an unmatched energy. I don't think he's reached the end of his coaching journey yet either, but I look forward to seeing what he can do with the Cowboys.