UAF: New coach news

[northernGNAChoopfan]

No, there isn't any news yet, but I'm hoping for some in the next week or so. The job position closed on Tuesday, so I'm hoping to see word of campus visits or some sort of sign of life in this search next week or the week after. I'll post anything I see here.

While much of the heart of the Nooks squad were seniors last season, the 3 players that would have been the backbone of experience (Luke, Doman, and Anderson) going into the 24/25 season have all hit the portal now... Which means we'll be starting from scratch from top to bottom. I'll be excited to hear about the coaching changes coming, and I sure hope they can find a coach who's willing to really put their head down and work on this program from top to bottom and can find their place in the community. It's a tough position to fill, but the right person could really thrive here. Hope we can find that person.

[tsull]

Lots of good coaches out there in the basketball world. The supply greatly outweighs the demand, just got to find the right guy.

They should hire some junior college coach from the Northwest, who is very likable and will bring some of his players with him. That's just my opinion.

[gratefuldad]

Frank Ostanik is a finalist for the job.

[tsull]

Frank Ostanik is a finalist for the job.

Looked him up, previous UAF head coach, who resigned. Might be good to get someone who didn't leave the program and wants to be there. Then again sometimes recycling coaches does work.

[northernGNAChoopfan]

No doubt that Ostanik knows how to coach, his high school team has been the cream of the crop for a while. He played for UAF as well, however, when he moved up to head coach after assisting under Sokaitis and the hay day years with Oleson, the program didn't do as well and there started to be dumpster fires everywhere. That doesn't mean he's not a great coach or I wouldn't support him, it just means I would want to understand what role Ostanik owns up to when reflecting on his previous coaching at UAF, and what he would and will do differently. And, the administration and Ostanik need to make sure they can work together.

No doubt he can handle Fairbanks winters; he's been here a long time.

[Anchorage]

Thoughts on Frank. He has the winningest UAF coach in terms of percentage at UAF of those that have coached over 3 seasons. He won’t have the issues with his players that plagued the program under Sparling, he won’t tolerate it. Now…he runs a very methodical and disciplined offense. It’s not 2004 anymore..in the era of get up and down the floor and shoot a lot of threes. Will 2024 players want to come all the way up and stay in Fairbanks in 30 below and grind out 58-50 basketball games? His teams will be very well developed skills wise but will he be able to find those big time players and athletes that you need to thrive in D2 basketball? Good solid basketball players are great but you need a stud or two to really win big. Hes an old school coach and it’s a different world in college basketball than when he left 18 years ago.

[tsull]

Question for the Alaskans: Would it be better for UAF to get a high quality/super coach for 3 or 4 years, who doesn't acclimate to the remoteness and climate and leaves; or is it better to get a seasoned veteran solid (but not great) coach from the state, who is not going to be freaked out by the weather and sticks around? Just wondering. I'm one who doesn't think it's a horrible job; Sparling did win a league title not long ago, after all. But it is a challenging job.

* Speaking of weather not affecting anything, UAF had a men's sprinter win the GNAC 100 meters and he also clocked a blazing 10.2 time this year -- wow!

[Anchorage]

Question for the Alaskans: Would it be better for UAF to get a high quality/super coach for 3 or 4 years, who doesn't acclimate to the remoteness and climate and leaves; or is it better to get a seasoned veteran solid (but not great) coach from the state, who is not going to be freaked out by the weather and sticks around? Just wondering. I'm one who doesn't think it's a horrible job; Sparling did win a league title not long ago, after all. But it is a challenging job.

* Speaking of weather not affecting anything, UAF had a men's sprinter win the GNAC 100 meters and he also clocked a blazing 10.2 time this year -- wow!

For me? I’m tired of the old coaches and the old coach ways. I personally would like to see some fresh coaching blood up here at both schools. I think Alaska needs it. The coaching overall in the state at all levels is very stale. Guys that have been around a long time or guys that came up under them and think the same way. I feel like at all levels we are 15 to 20 years behind most of the lower 48 in the way we play and think about basketball.

[tsull]

For me? I’m tired of the old coaches and the old coach ways. I personally would like to see some fresh coaching blood up here at both schools. I think Alaska needs it. The coaching overall in the state at all levels is very stale. Guys that have been around a long time or guys that came up under them and think the same way. I feel like at all levels we are 15 to 20 years behind most of the lower 48 in the way we play and think about basketball.

Great reply. I've been guilty as have others of hiring and wondering how long a coach will stay, or if he knows a school's culture, place, etc. Yes, those are important things, what's most important is winning and being competitive without breaking rules. Yes, it helps that a coach knows he's going to a small school with limited resources and a small fan base (WOU), and that they should recruit some local players and build a community program, since D2 is not UCLA or Duke. But counting on a coach staying or leaving? I wouldn't worry about it. WOU hired two great coaches back-to-back in Brady Bergeson from Sac State, and alumnus Jim Shaw. Each stayed four years, and while I wish each would've stayed longer, they did their jobs well and moved on. If UAF could get a great coach for 3 years, that's good.

There's a lot of great coaches in the industry at all levels, who just want a shot at being a head coach. Do a national search and see who lands.

[northernGNAChoopfan]

He won’t have the issues with his players that plagued the program under Sparling, he won’t tolerate it.

This is exactly what Frank resigned about last time - players were into drugs, stealing computers on campus, and there were rumors about gangs. I know Frank runs a very disciplined program at Monroe, but he had exactly the same sorts of problems as Sparling did at UAF with the team getting into trouble. This is why I suggested he would need to own up to what part in that he played and what he would do differently this time around. Monroe Catholic is NOT UAF either - Frank does what he wants at Monroe; that won't be the case at UAF. I'm not crazy about this idea; I just don't see either UAF or Frank settling on something they can agree upon.

There are some decent high school coaches in Fairbanks who also played for UAF, have a more modern sense of the game, as Anchorage was alluding to, and don't have this baggage of having had teams that got in trouble before that led to the program spiraling into the dumpster. And Fairbanks is not the end of the earth; plenty of people live here and enjoy the location and climate; finding someone who can enjoy living here and raising a family is not that god awful difficult. There are a few months of the year that are cold and dark, but most geographies come with a few tradeoffs. They just need to find someone who likes this size of a place, enjoys what Interior Alaska has to offer, and knows basketball and can follow the rules.

As to Tsull's thoughs: Question for the Alaskans: Would it be better for UAF to get a high quality/super coach for 3 or 4 years, who doesn't acclimate to the remoteness and climate and leaves; or is it better to get a seasoned veteran solid (but not great) coach from the state, who is not going to be freaked out by the weather and sticks around?

I think it's better to build some consistency into the program. And I'm not sure this has to be a dichotomy between those two choices. I can't speak to what Anchorage is speaking to; UAA has had the same coach for 20 years, their problem is not consistency within the program, so I think the UAF admin should decide based on our very different circumstances.