Coaching changes

[kurupt]

I will gladly take Walz. His recruiting level is one of the best and he is clearly doing something right because not many players transfer from his program. Can't say the same for Aston

Walz is a great coach and he too has had his fair share of transfers like most coaches have in cbb.

 

[Jacob Johnson]

Walz is a great coach and he too has had his fare share of transfers like most coaches have in cbb.

Yeah of course every team is going to have transfers but he doesn't lose big time players like aston has. She has had an entire starting lineup leave. You have patterson, Littleton, Hosey, Boothe, prince all leave

 

[kurupt]

Yeah of course every team is going to have transfers but he doesn't lose big time players like aston has. She has had an entire starting lineup leave. You have patterson, Littleton, Hosey, Boothe, prince all leave

Let’s just say if you dig deeper you might be surprised but on the coaching front I think Hillsman would be a good choice although he didn’t have a great year this year.

 

[brnkj]

I will gladly take Walz. His recruiting level is one of the best and he is clearly doing something right because not many players transfer from his program. Can't say the same for Aston

He's had a few transfers himself... pretty much all programs do. But he has proven he knows what to do with the ones he has/keeps. He's my #1 choice. With his volatile history vs. KM, it would create an INSTANT buzz in the WBB world. He doesn't back down either. I think it would make for a great and even more intense rivalry.

 

[brnkj]

Let’s just say if you dig deeper you might be surprised but on the coaching front I think Hillsman would be a good choice although he didn’t have a great year this year.

One of the others I like

 

[Moooooo]

I will gladly take Walz. His recruiting level is one of the best and he is clearly doing something right because not many players transfer from his program. Can't say the same for Aston

Are you kidding me? Walz has more outgoing transfers than just about any head coach out there; Top 5 for sure in losing transfers. He also brings in his fair share of transfers.

 

[Moooooo]

Yeah of course every team is going to have transfers but he doesn't lose big time players like aston has. She has had an entire starting lineup leave. You have patterson, Littleton, Hosey, Boothe, prince all leave

That's a reach. Hosey was never gonna be a starter; and, she didn't transfer because she wasn't happy at Texas. The others had some issues that would have kept them from being consistent starters, but one or two might have had the light switch turn on and commit themselves 100% to becoming a full time starter.

 

[Moooooo]

Money is going to matter in the next hire. We aren't gonna get into a bidding war with someone who wants to keep their head coach, and is willing to match any Texas offer. Best you forget about head coaches at South Carolina, Louisville, Miss. State, Maryland, and Notre Dame. We know UConn and Baylor's coach aren't ever leaving.

So, let's try to be realistic in the coaching search discussion. Karen's salary of $850,000 was probably Top 20. Unless we want to pay close to $2 million annually, we won't be offering anyone a Top 5 national salary.

It's a coach from the PAC 12, IMO. It starts and end from Arizona through California and up to Oregon.

 

[Jacob Johnson]

Are you kidding me? Walz has more outgoing transfers than just about any head coach out there; Top 5 for sure in losing transfers. He also brings in his fair share of transfers.

So it balances out. The players he loses are players who don't get much playing time. It's not like he is losing top players in the country like we are. Like you said even when he does lose them he brings in players to replace them which is something we don't do. Honestly it doesn't matter. He is one of the top coaches I would target. He already has a great relationship with celeste taylor since he coached her on team USA and hopefully some of his players or incoming freshman (Hailey van lith) follow him if he makes the move to Texas

 

[kurupt]

Money is going to matter in the next hire. We aren't gonna get into a bidding war with someone who wants to keep their head coach, and is willing to match any Texas offer. Best you forget about head coaches at South Carolina, Louisville, Miss. State, and Notre Dame. We know UConn and Baylor's coach aren't ever leaving.

So, let's try to be realistic in the coaching search discussion. Karen's salary of $850,000 was probably Top 20. Unless we want to pay close to $2 million annually, we won't be offering anyone a Top 5 national salary.

It's a coach from the PAC 12, IMO. It starts and end from Arizona through California and up to Oregon.

Great points. It might have to be from that second tier of coaches.

 

[Jacob Johnson]

Money is going to matter in the next hire. We aren't gonna get into a bidding war with someone who wants to keep their head coach, and is willing to match any Texas offer. Best you forget about head coaches at South Carolina, Louisville, Miss. State, and Notre Dame. We know UConn and Baylor's coach aren't ever leaving.

So, let's try to be realistic in the coaching search discussion.

It's a coach from the PAC 12, IMO. It starts and end from Arizona through California and up to Oregon.

I wouldn't underestimate CDC and his ability to bring in top coaches. I mean he got the best coach in collge in Mike White from oregon softball to come to Texas and that was a bidding war. He has said if oregon offered more money he would have stayed. So it may cost a lot to bring in a top coach but the reward is much greater in the long run because softball has filled the stands and is bringing in money so if he spends a lot on a coach and the program turns around then the stands will be filled and will generate much more money.

 

[Moooooo]

I wouldn't underestimate CDC and his ability to bring in top coaches. I mean he got the best coach in collge in Mike White from oregon softball to come to Texas and that was a bidding war. He has said if oregon offered more money he would have stayed. So it may cost a lot to bring in a top coach but the reward is much greater in the long run because softball has filled the stands and is bringing in money so if he spends a lot on a coach and the program turns around then the stands will be filled and will generate much more money.

You can't call it a bidding war if Oregon's AD refused to give Mike White an additional penny because he had just given him a raise a couple of years prior when he flirted with Arkansas. White went on the record saying he would have stayed at Oregon for less money than Texas was offering, but he at least wanted to be paid market value.

 

[hoopsalot]

Yeah of course every team is going to have transfers but he doesn't lose big time players like aston has. She has had an entire starting lineup leave. You have patterson, Littleton, Hosey, Boothe, prince all leave

This is so ridiculous. Yes, Aston lost the 2017 class, primarily because she should not have signed most of them in the first place. They were not the right players at the right time. Prince was the only possible "program changer." Prince (2018) has blamed the University of Texas but never the coaching staff. Geno Auriemma has lost entire recruiting classes and often loses half or more of a class. Did Hosey go and become a star elsewhere? No. Boothe - earned few minutes at Middle Tennessee State after coming back from injury this year. Let's see what she does next year. And, if she does succeed, could she have done just as well if she had worked hard and showed some patience at Texas? She wanted instant star treatment without putting in the work. Littleton was a last minute signing who just wasn't in the right place for her. I do not blame her or Texas other than both made hasty choices. Texas could certainly have used Patterson's gifts last season. But, again, programs lose players for lots of reasons.

 

[brnkj]

I like the Arkansas coach too... He took Washington to the Final Four and has done a good job bringing Arkansas back into the Top 25. He's got a pretty innovative coaching philosophy that I think resonates with young student athletes. But... He's an Arkansas boy so who knows?

 

[brnkj]

While I'm not thrilled about the top recruits we lost under Aston, as previously mentioned, it happens to programs all the time. I was much more concerned with the results the last couple of seasons.

 

[Moooooo]

The good news is that we are the most lucrative job opening this off season.

The bad news is that some of my ideal candidates have ties to their current schools/regions/states: Barnes, Close, Graves, Roueck. More money might not be enough to lure them away.

 

[UTSUgrad]

I like Walz, but he has not had success against Notre Dame and UConn, much as Aston has not had success against Baylor. Walz may not want to leave after this year, when he finally is beating his major rivals.
No. 2 Louisville looks to make history vs No. 1 Notre Dame

It's easy to blame all the team dysfunction on KA, because it is ultimately her responsibility to fix it, but I also blame players. Players - fill in the names you know - have been erratic and seemingly disinterested in the past 2 years. This dysfunction is unacceptable to me, as a loyal fan and Texas Ex. I'm glad to see a change coming. I do fear another Big Name Bust, but hope CdC will work his magic.

I want a coach that can relate to today's players (some still will leave) and do what good coaches do - get players to consistently perform at their maximum skill level. I really hated watching those games when it appeared that we were mailing it in, even when we won.

 

[Moooooo]

Texas moves on from women's basketball coach Karen Aston after eight seasons | Hookem.com

 

[SabreHorn]

Only two possibilities for this:

1) Aston told Chris she was tired and wanted to retire. She qualifies for Texas State Teachers Retirement Fund, which is based on the average of her last three years salary. In this case, Chris will be scrambling to find someone that will take the job.

2) I have posted before, you don't run one off unless you already have the replacement. If this is Chris' doing, I'm sure the deal is cut, but he is waiting for a press conference when the new coach doesn't have to compete for airtime with politicians.

 

[UTSUgrad]

This is so ridiculous. Yes, Aston lost the 2017 class, primarily because she should not have signed most of them in the first place. They were not the right players at the right time. Prince was the only possible "program changer." Prince (2018) has blamed the University of Texas but never the coaching staff. Geno Auriemma has lost entire recruiting classes and often loses half or more of a class. Did Hosey go and become a star elsewhere? No. Boothe - earned few minutes at Middle Tennessee State after coming back from injury this year. Let's see what she does next year. And, if she does succeed, could she have done just as well if she had worked hard and showed some patience at Texas? She wanted instant star treatment without putting in the work. Littleton was a last minute signing who just wasn't in the right place for her. I do not blame her or Texas other than both made hasty choices. Texas could certainly have used Patterson's gifts last season. But, again, programs lose players for lots of reasons.

Agree completely. That class appeared to be a dysfunctional group and that dysfunction spread to the entire team ... and we saw it this year. There were red flags attached to some those players. When they work out, the coach is brilliant; when they fail, it's for lots of reasons. Look at the college quarterback recruiting - 3 of the 4 Heisman finalists and the winner started their careers elsewhere, then transferred.

 

[UTSUgrad]

Only two possibilities for this:

1) Aston told Chris she was tired and wanted to retire. She qualifies for Texas State Teachers Retirement Fund, which is based on the average of her last three years salary. In this case, Chris will be scrambling to find someone that will take the job.

2) I have posted before, you don't run one off unless you already have the replacement. If this is Chris' doing, I'm sure the deal is cut, but he is waiting for a press conference when the new coach doesn't have to compete for airtime with politicians.

I suspect that the retirement qualification was important - her contract expires Aug. 31, the final day of the state's fiscal year, so her retirement calculation will begin Sept. 1.

 

[hoopsalot]

Only two possibilities for this:

1) Aston told Chris she was tired and wanted to retire. She qualifies for Texas State Teachers Retirement Fund, which is based on the average of her last three years salary. In this case, Chris will be scrambling to find someone that will take the job.

2) I have posted before, you don't run one off unless you already have the replacement. If this is Chris' doing, I'm sure the deal is cut, but he is waiting for a press conference when the new coach doesn't have to compete for airtime with politicians.

Well, you know more about these things than I do, for sure. I thought perhaps Aston and Del Conte failed to agree on contract terms. If I were Aston, I would not want to attempt to recruit without a strong contract that told recruits I was likely to be here awhile. I had not thought about the TRS retirement. With 16 years of total service and final three years of service as the factors, that is not an insignificant payout. Financially, that should soften the flow quite a bit. That plus the fact that Aston is highly employable should she care to continue working.

 

[Bobcat]

Well, you know more about these things than I do, for sure. I thought perhaps Aston and Del Conte failed to agree on contract terms. If I were Aston, I would not want to attempt to recruit without a strong contract that told recruits I was likely to be here awhile. I had not thought about the TRS retirement. With 16 years of total service and final three years of service as the factors, that is not an insignificant payout. Financially, that should soften the flow quite a bit. That plus the fact that Aston is highly employable should she care to continue working.

I highly doubt this was Aston's decision. If so, it would have been made clear as such. It was clearly stated that UT was not renewing her contract. I think that pretty much sums that up.

 

[SabreHorn]

I thought she had 18 years total State of Texas employment.

 

[hoopsalot]

I thought she had 18 years total State of Texas employment.

You are probably right. I just looked quickly at Wikipedia to get my number.

Edit: Yes, I forgot her year as head coach as North Texas to start with. And was she an assistant there previously?

 

[Moooooo]

Honestly, I can't believe Karen (or her agent, if she has one) allowed her contract to get beyond having 2 years remaining at any time. At that point, I would have demanded a 2-3 year extension based on my most recent job performance, or started looking elsewhere.

From a negotiating perspective, she lost all leverage continuing to allow her employment years/months to dwindle with no commitment from her boss(es). And, with her last two seasons being her worst (since her initial year at Texas), she did not make a strong case to get an extension. It's unfortunate for her that it turned out that way; but, CDC played it smarter IMO.

Maybe Karen was a casualty of the transition in ADs between Plonsky and CDC. From his perspective, he played it perfectly (other than not moving a week or two faster for our liking). He basically let her "audition" to keep her job, and she didn't produce at a high enough level.

 

[Moooooo]

 

[UTSUgrad]

You are probably right. I just looked quickly at Wikipedia to get my number.

Edit: Yes, I forgot her year as head coach as North Texas to start with. And was she an assistant there previously?

BTW, she did an outstanding job at North Texas, even if only for one year. Her 15-16 record is glossed over, but that team won only 2-3 games the previous year and was at rock bottom. She got a lot of acclaim in the mid-major coaching world for resuscitating the UNT program. I believed that she would do the same at Texas, which she did for about 4 years. ...

 

[longhorn47]

CDC can stop after Barnes for my money...

 

[Moooooo]