Mornin Mates...
Today's Topic = Upgrade and Energize
That's RA's mission as he has clearly stated since having fired Herb last week...so what would constitute an upgrade and what would constitute energization in this case...Herb won .538 of his games at ASU and .442 of those games in the PAC and didn't have much tournament success, whether it was the PAC tournament or getting into and winning at the Dance, etc...
Additionally, as Hansen points out in the Star this morning, "bland is one thing...Sendek took it to another level...the old joke used to be that Sendek had a charisma bypass"..."you've got to know what you're paying for and that was ASU's error...college basketball is in the entertainment business and Herb put the Sun Devil basketball audience to sleep the past nine seasons"...
I could care less if he was as boring as rock sitting in my yard as long as he won enough games to make life more interesting in the winter when everyone else, it seems, is studying their tournament brackets...our big question usually involved who would we face in the Not Invited Tournament this year rather than at AU, where they are trying to figure out if they will be a #1 seed in the Dance tournament and who they will face in the Elite 8...
An upgrade to me would mean two things...1) a coach who can consistently have the Devils in the top third of the PAC each and every year, which would mean that you would most likely have a very good chance of going Dancing, and 2) that you would have much more success in the PAC tournament and advance in the NCAA tournament and maybe even get to the Sweet 16, once in awhile...
In terms of energizing the program, with a personality makeover, almost any coach with a pulse would be an upgrade over Herb...ideally, you would welcome a personality like that of Todd Graham who is outgoing, somewhat brash and certainly a guy who aspires to do great things at ASU...
In short, you don't want a guy who points out all the obstacles at ASU related to elevating the basketball program but, rather, have a coach who can inspire, by pointing out what a great job it is and that there are no good reasons not to excel with it...
After pointing out what a whiz bang Ray Anderson is, given his NFL related resume and all he has done at ASU so far (excluding of course the ill advised Herb extension) Hansen points out that "there probably is not a sexy, home run basketball coach willing or available to replace Sendek"...
Steve Lavin..."don't make me laugh...his best record at UCLA was 24-8...he never took advantage of the Bruins heft in the So Cal recruiting market"...
Duke assistant Jeff Capel..?? "He wouldn't move the needle in any market outside of North Carolina"...
Josh Pastner..?? "That would've been like Arizona hiring one of Frank Kush's assistants from the 1970s...there's way too much bad blood...half the fan base wouldn't buy it"...
But, Hansen likes RA's chances to win the hiring process because he is on a Greg Byrne type trajectory and hiring the right basketball coach will make him a saint in Tempe and he knows that better than anyone"...
I agree with most of his analysis and conclusions and the only real interesting thing to happen in the search so far is the Team USA and Jerry Colangelo angle that has come to light, although I'm not sold on Jeff Capel, as either an upgrade or someone that could automatically energize the program...
My intuition tells me that we need a real ambitious and hungry guy, with a blue collar background, who is willing to hitchhike to recruiting destinations if necessary, in order to get recruits, rather than a coach who will tell ASU that he is ready to recruit once the limo is summoned and the private jet is fueled...
For this isn't just a matter of getting a makeover of sorts but, rather, it is a "reclamation project" that probably needs a plumber who can crawl under the house to repair some leaking pipes and once that is accomplished, can go to a mall to meet some fans and tell some good stories and jokes, while figuring out how to beat more PAC opponents than he loses to, and who can make Dance reservations, even if though he isn't wearing $1,500 suits...
I like Ray Anderson not because he comes from the NFL or because he went to an Ivy League school or because he has a law degree but because his house is near the campus and he mingles with the students and fans around ASU and Tempe on a regular basis and that's also what I want with our next coach as well...
I don't have a problem with the JC-Team USA deal and can live with Jeff Capel, as long as he comes here with the right attitude and isn't stuck on himself and really wants the job and isn't just taking it because it will pay him $2M a year and is okay until something better comes along...
In the meantime, spring practice is moving along and it looks like the athleticism and length that Graham and his staff covet is taking place there at almost every position, which can only mean good things are going to happen in the fall...
Additionally, the baseball and softball teams are doing well so far and the lady basketball team under CTT made it to the Sweet 16 and are in good hands under Charli moving forward...
Now, if we could just find a similar coach for our men's basketball program...she came from NAU and maybe we'll find our men's coach from the same sort of situation...I'm for taking a chance as opposed to just rehashing what we've already been through at ASU for decades...
The mission to upgrade and energize won't be easy but it can be done as the hiring of Todd Graham proves...
G'day Mates...Championships or Bust...Go Devils!!!
Today's Topic = Upgrade and Energize
That's RA's mission as he has clearly stated since having fired Herb last week...so what would constitute an upgrade and what would constitute energization in this case...Herb won .538 of his games at ASU and .442 of those games in the PAC and didn't have much tournament success, whether it was the PAC tournament or getting into and winning at the Dance, etc...
Additionally, as Hansen points out in the Star this morning, "bland is one thing...Sendek took it to another level...the old joke used to be that Sendek had a charisma bypass"..."you've got to know what you're paying for and that was ASU's error...college basketball is in the entertainment business and Herb put the Sun Devil basketball audience to sleep the past nine seasons"...
I could care less if he was as boring as rock sitting in my yard as long as he won enough games to make life more interesting in the winter when everyone else, it seems, is studying their tournament brackets...our big question usually involved who would we face in the Not Invited Tournament this year rather than at AU, where they are trying to figure out if they will be a #1 seed in the Dance tournament and who they will face in the Elite 8...
An upgrade to me would mean two things...1) a coach who can consistently have the Devils in the top third of the PAC each and every year, which would mean that you would most likely have a very good chance of going Dancing, and 2) that you would have much more success in the PAC tournament and advance in the NCAA tournament and maybe even get to the Sweet 16, once in awhile...
In terms of energizing the program, with a personality makeover, almost any coach with a pulse would be an upgrade over Herb...ideally, you would welcome a personality like that of Todd Graham who is outgoing, somewhat brash and certainly a guy who aspires to do great things at ASU...
In short, you don't want a guy who points out all the obstacles at ASU related to elevating the basketball program but, rather, have a coach who can inspire, by pointing out what a great job it is and that there are no good reasons not to excel with it...
After pointing out what a whiz bang Ray Anderson is, given his NFL related resume and all he has done at ASU so far (excluding of course the ill advised Herb extension) Hansen points out that "there probably is not a sexy, home run basketball coach willing or available to replace Sendek"...
Steve Lavin..."don't make me laugh...his best record at UCLA was 24-8...he never took advantage of the Bruins heft in the So Cal recruiting market"...
Duke assistant Jeff Capel..?? "He wouldn't move the needle in any market outside of North Carolina"...
Josh Pastner..?? "That would've been like Arizona hiring one of Frank Kush's assistants from the 1970s...there's way too much bad blood...half the fan base wouldn't buy it"...
But, Hansen likes RA's chances to win the hiring process because he is on a Greg Byrne type trajectory and hiring the right basketball coach will make him a saint in Tempe and he knows that better than anyone"...
I agree with most of his analysis and conclusions and the only real interesting thing to happen in the search so far is the Team USA and Jerry Colangelo angle that has come to light, although I'm not sold on Jeff Capel, as either an upgrade or someone that could automatically energize the program...
My intuition tells me that we need a real ambitious and hungry guy, with a blue collar background, who is willing to hitchhike to recruiting destinations if necessary, in order to get recruits, rather than a coach who will tell ASU that he is ready to recruit once the limo is summoned and the private jet is fueled...
For this isn't just a matter of getting a makeover of sorts but, rather, it is a "reclamation project" that probably needs a plumber who can crawl under the house to repair some leaking pipes and once that is accomplished, can go to a mall to meet some fans and tell some good stories and jokes, while figuring out how to beat more PAC opponents than he loses to, and who can make Dance reservations, even if though he isn't wearing $1,500 suits...
I like Ray Anderson not because he comes from the NFL or because he went to an Ivy League school or because he has a law degree but because his house is near the campus and he mingles with the students and fans around ASU and Tempe on a regular basis and that's also what I want with our next coach as well...
I don't have a problem with the JC-Team USA deal and can live with Jeff Capel, as long as he comes here with the right attitude and isn't stuck on himself and really wants the job and isn't just taking it because it will pay him $2M a year and is okay until something better comes along...
In the meantime, spring practice is moving along and it looks like the athleticism and length that Graham and his staff covet is taking place there at almost every position, which can only mean good things are going to happen in the fall...
Additionally, the baseball and softball teams are doing well so far and the lady basketball team under CTT made it to the Sweet 16 and are in good hands under Charli moving forward...
Now, if we could just find a similar coach for our men's basketball program...she came from NAU and maybe we'll find our men's coach from the same sort of situation...I'm for taking a chance as opposed to just rehashing what we've already been through at ASU for decades...
The mission to upgrade and energize won't be easy but it can be done as the hiring of Todd Graham proves...
G'day Mates...Championships or Bust...Go Devils!!!
