Welcome to Texas, Vic Schaefer

loyallonghorn said:
Vic Schaefer joins Texas: ‘I’ve got no desire to just be good. I want to win championships’ | Hookem.com

"Schaefer met with Cohen about 1:45 p.m. Sunday and then met with his Mississippi State players around 2. Del Conte broke the news with a tweet via a photo he took with the Schaefer family standing under a mounted Bevo head."
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That makes sense.

This was what was posted from their writer:

“I did confirm with a source that the players found out about Vic's decision to go to Texas like the rest of us - via social media. That was something that bothered several players and parents because they felt hurt by the fact that he wasn't transparent about the process. I'm also told that there was some miscommunication with all of that and his plan was initially to tell his team before that announcement was made.”
 
loyallonghorn said:
Vic Schaefer joins Texas: ‘I’ve got no desire to just be good. I want to win championships’ | Hookem.com

"Schaefer met with Cohen about 1:45 p.m. Sunday and then met with his Mississippi State players around 2. Del Conte broke the news with a tweet via a photo he took with the Schaefer family standing under a mounted Bevo head."
Click to expand...
LonghornsWBB said:
That makes sense.

This was what was posted from their writer:

“I did confirm with a source that the players found out about Vic's decision to go to Texas like the rest of us - via social media. That was something that bothered several players and parents because they felt hurt by the fact that he wasn't transparent about the process. I'm also told that there was some miscommunication with all of that and his plan was initially to tell his team before that announcement was made.”
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Wait, so did the tweet go out before or after the MSU players were officially informed?

The time stamp on the tweet is 2:24 p.m., and the above article says Vic met with his players "around 2", which suggests earlier than 2:24 but is quite vague.
 
The press conference is long but so interesting.
1. It appears Jody and Chris Plonsky threw KA under the bus. Looks like CDC kept them completely involved. I suppose it came down to you can't give her one year and 3-5 is so expensive. Now we know why she was let go.
2. I assume CDC had Vic locked up before the dismissal even though he says the story was the other way around. Of course, when he sends a plane to pick him up and the family comes, you know he is signing.
3. I wish he had give KA more credit for taking the program back into national relevance. She did. She brought back a lot more fans than GG. He seemed to be more dismissive than I would have liked.
4. CDC is putting as much effort and money into womens sports as mens. Kudos. That is quite a change.
5. Otherwise, this is a hire we can all get behind. Loves Texas (the state). Will stay up nights to beat Kim. Will push the players to be better on defense. So exciting. We have had season tickets for 20 years and this is a dream once we have come to grips that our friend KA is gone.
 
zztx1 said:
The press conference is long but so interesting.
1. It appears Jody and Chris Plonsky threw KA under the bus. Looks like CDC kept them completely involved. I suppose it came down to you can't give her one year and 3-5 is so expensive. Now we know why she was let go.
2. I assume CDC had Vic locked up before the dismissal even though he says the story was the other way around. Of course, when he sends a plane to pick him up and the family comes, you know he is signing.
3. I wish he had give KA more credit for taking the program back into national relevance. She did. She brought back a lot more fans than GG. He seemed to be more dismissive than I would have liked.
4. CDC is putting as much effort and money into womens sports as mens. Kudos. That is quite a change.
5. Otherwise, this is a hire we can all get behind. Loves Texas (the state). Will stay up nights to beat Kim. Will push the players to be better on defense. So exciting. We have had season tickets for 20 years and this is a dream once we have come to grips that our friend KA is gone.
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Agree we can get behind a guy who's proven.

1. Karen Aston did many good things at Texas - years 3-5 were exciting and encouraging (despite disappointing and avoidable exits) but ultimately Karen Aston got herself UN-renewed not anyone else. She got UN-renewed because she didn't get better as a coach, and her players didn't get better. Period. CDC doesn't strike me as the kind of guy who doesn't know what he wants to do - so, how convenient it would be to be able to blame someone else or "throw someone else under the bus" here but that honor can go to no one. Did CDC ask folks about KA, Vic and others? well, duhhhhh. That's no secret. But ultimately it's hard for an AD to ignore a coach that's kicking ***. If KA had performed better, KA would still be here - really believe that. Fortunately for some, unfortunately for others, this appears to be an AD who holds coaches accountable for the millions they make.

2. The timing of CDC's decision? All year. Who cares when he called Vic, really? It's semantics. Karen had all year to prove that she deserved this job. You don't earn a job by what you did last year. So, spare me the stats and season records. Just like starters don't earn their spots by what they did last season. It doesn't work that way at schools that want to remain elite. Come to work and go to work -- that's how it's done in places that win championships. If that philosophy gets lost - well, you can expect a program to start trending downward. A great AD saves a program before it spirals too far down. This hire HAD to happen this year.

3. I see a lot of dissension online about the "why didn't we hire a woman" thing but the women coaches who have proven that they can step in and produce immediately - ain't leaving their posts -- nor should they. And the pool of Tier One women coaches who would leave the confines of their current jobs + who can also instantly sign Texas ballers -- who've also gotten to Final Fours - and achieved several other key factors to deserve a job like Texas - is less than 3.

So, we want a woman who's NOT ready for Texas to come in and do what? Stumble around for 3 years and hope we sign talent, and hope we compete in the Big 12 and hope we make it past 2nd round? We've already seen that movie. Why would we buy another ticket for the same movie? I'm glad we snagged Vic when we did. And here's to seeing a team on the floor that resembles what a Texas team should look like. Hook 'Em.
 
I'm not really sure when it all happened, but if you read their 247 Page (if you have an annual account for Horns247), Vic landed a transfer from Penn State on Thursday, 6-4 C Lauren Ebo, but she was just waiting to make her announcement public.

Another interesting thing I read on the site was that Chloe Bibby was planning to transfer regardless of whether or not Vic had left MSU. She was the lone player who publicly congratulated Vic, so perhaps she may be willing to follow time.

The three players I have my eyes on are Rickea Jackson, Jessika Carter, and Sidney Cooks. Get one of them to play next to Charli and we're a much, much better team.
 
I like hearing about the connection between Jody and Vic. She told CDC he should go get Vic out of Mississippi. I doubt that Jody threw KA under the bus. We don't know what went down. CDC may have made a decision on Karen before he asked Jody for her opinion. Jody was very happy when KA was hired and, it seemed to me, supported her greatly over the years.

It is odd that no one is even mentioning Karen's name in all this. It is if she didn't exist. As a few have mentioned, she brought us out of a low place to a lot of success. You can't just wipe out those 3 Sweet Sixteens and that Elite 8 and many good wins. Even this year when things were off kilter, she beat Stanford. These officials should be expressing appreciation to her and valuing her, rather than being too embarrassed to mention her name.
 
zztx1 said:
The press conference is long but so interesting.
1. It appears Jody and Chris Plonsky threw KA under the bus. Looks like CDC kept them completely involved. I suppose it came down to you can't give her one year and 3-5 is so expensive. Now we know why she was let go.
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I didn't understand to be that KA was thrown under the bus. I understood that CDC had made the decision to terminate KA and then CDC went to Jody, who was of like mind and suggested going out to get Vic.
 
Hornzupp said:
3. I see a lot of dissension online about the "why didn't we hire a woman" thing but the women coaches who have proven that they can step in and produce immediately - ain't leaving their posts -- nor should they. And the pool of Tier One women coaches who would leave the confines of their current jobs + who can also instantly sign Texas ballers -- who've also gotten to Final Fours - and achieved several other key factors to deserve a job like Texas - is less than 3.

So, we want a woman who's NOT ready for Texas to come in and do what? Stumble around for 3 years and hope we sign talent, and hope we compete in the Big 12 and hope we make it past 2nd round? We've already seen that movie. Why would we buy another ticket for the same movie? I'm glad we snagged Vic when we did. And here's to seeing a team on the floor that resembles what a Texas team should look like. Hook 'Em.
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Totally agree Hornzupp. It's ridiculous that there's a minority who would rather finish finish 3-4-5th place in the Big 12, go to the NCAA and lose in the first round so long as it is a woman, instead of winning the Big 12 and competing for the national championship with a man. Can't argue with them, no point wasting time.
 
zztx1 said:
The press conference is long but so interesting.
1. It appears Jody and Chris Plonsky threw KA under the bus. Looks like CDC kept them completely involved. I suppose it came down to you can't give her one year and 3-5 is so expensive. Now we know why she was let go.
2. I assume CDC had Vic locked up before the dismissal even though he says the story was the other way around. Of course, when he sends a plane to pick him up and the family comes, you know he is signing.
3. I wish he had give KA more credit for taking the program back into national relevance. She did. She brought back a lot more fans than GG. He seemed to be more dismissive than I would have liked.
4. CDC is putting as much effort and money into womens sports as mens. Kudos. That is quite a change.
5. Otherwise, this is a hire we can all get behind. Loves Texas (the state). Will stay up nights to beat Kim. Will push the players to be better on defense. So exciting. We have had season tickets for 20 years and this is a dream once we have come to grips that our friend KA is gone.
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Thrown under the bus? Sounds like CDC asked a Longhorn Legend and Hall of Fame coach for a recommendation and she said “Get Vic.”
He would be a fool not to ask Conradt her opinion.
Aston brought Texas back to being a Top 25 team (but not consistently). Hopefully Schaefer brings championships, which Aston never did.
Couldn’t be happier with this hire.
 
My feeling is pretty basic: Hire the best money can buy; man or woman.

Sounds simple doesn't it?

When someone focuses on Vic being a man then they are focusing on social equality and not a ruthless desire to win big.

It appears that Mulkey is the best women's basketball coach out there. Better than Vic based upon results. There may have been others. I seriously doubt Conradt and Plonsky would have sat idly by had the other top tier women coaches sent feelers out to Texas for this job. In the end, it appears they made a great hire and this other stuff is just the usual noise that will always be there.
 
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bystander said:
My feeling is pretty basic: Hire the best money can buy; man or woman.

Sounds simple doesn't it?

When someone focuses on Vic being a man then they are focusing on social equality and not a ruthless desire to win big.

It appears that Mulkey is the best women's basketball coach out there. Better than Vic based upon results. There may have been others. I seriously doubt Conradt and Plonsky would have sat idly by had the other top tier women coaches sent feelers out to Texas for this job. In the end, it appears they made a great hire and this other stuff is just the usual noise that will always be there.
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I semi agree here. While I think you "hire the best", that is subjective because different conferences and landscapes can skew the results. I think there should be something similar to NFL's "Rooney rule" at institutions especially in the women's game. If you're not even considering a female candidate then you're doing women a disservice by barring them from that opportunity. Now in saying that, it must also be said that just because a woman or AA coach is given the chance to interview, it shouldn't come along with the assumption that they'll be hired. CDC is a very smart man, and I am sure that the director of comms for athletics or whomever is earning a ton of many to manage the image of the dept did a great job here. The first thing out of his mouth was that this was Jody and CP's recommendation. That gives him all the cover that he needed. If the female standard-bearer for this program wanted a man to lead it, we all have to fall in line.

I couldn't be happier with the hire, but i'd be lying if I said I was thrilled about the process. If Vic does for UT what he did for MSU, no one will even care about how we got here.
 
utfannforlife said:
I semi agree here. While I think you "hire the best", that is subjective because different conferences and landscapes can skew the results. I think there should be something similar to NFL's "Rooney rule" at institutions especially in the women's game. If you're not even considering a female candidate then you're doing women a disservice by barring them from that opportunity. Now in saying that, it must also be said that just because a woman or AA coach is given the chance to interview, it shouldn't come along with the assumption that they'll be hired. CDC is a very smart man, and I am sure that the director of comms for athletics or whomever is earning a ton of many to manage the image of the dept did a great job here. The first thing out of his mouth was that this was Jody and CP's recommendation. That gives him all the cover that he needed. If the female standard-bearer for this program wanted a man to lead it, we all have to fall in line.

I couldn't be happier with the hire, but i'd be lying if I said I was thrilled about the process. If Vic does for UT what he did for MSU, no one will even care about how we got here.
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I'm not up on the process but it's my impression that Jody and Christ aren't the type to rubber-stamp anything.
 
JoeDallas said:
It is odd that no one is even mentioning Karen's name in all this. It is if she didn't exist. As a few have mentioned, she brought us out of a low place to a lot of success. You can't just wipe out those 3 Sweet Sixteens and that Elite 8 and many good wins. Even this year when things were off kilter, she beat Stanford. These officials should be expressing appreciation to her and valuing her, rather than being too embarrassed to mention her name.
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At the start of the "press conference" on Longhorn Network, CDC did mention Karen at the start and graciously thanked her and said she and her staff were "tremendous" for their 8 years. Starts at the 0:30 mark.

 
HnH said:
At the start of the "press conference" on Longhorn Network, CDC did mention Karen at the start and graciously thanked her and said she and her staff were "tremendous" for their 8 years. Starts at the 0:30 mark.

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This is a delicate balance and I think CDC did a fine job of it. You want to be gracious but not too over the top because you need to keep the consistent tone of needing an change and excitement around the way forward.
 
It's an interesting time that Schaefer has really hit all the various multimedia with interviews right after being hired. But I suppose he's got no where to go recruiting and media sites are starved for content. Soon, we'll learn of places he's dying to eat at in Austin and his favorite breakfast taco combo.
 
racerx5908 said:
It's an interesting time that Schaefer has really hit all the various multimedia with interviews right after being hired. But I suppose he's got no where to go recruiting and media sites are starved for content. Soon, we'll learn of places he's dying to eat at in Austin and his favorite breakfast taco combo.
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I'm just patiently waiting for him to announce his staff that he is bringing with him
 

I don't think outside of Chloe Bibby any other players will be transferring. They seem very close with eachother and based off of what Sidney said they are staying loyal to Mississippi state.
 
I knew some media folks out there would try to bring up gender as an issue. I've always just wanted the best candidate to be hired for any of our sports programs.

Honestly, I always felt that Chris Plonsky used reverse gender discrimination when making coaching hires for Texas. Other than Jerritt Eilliott (who I still don't know for sure if she or Jody hired him), it never seemed like Plonsky even gave male head coaching candidates a sniff. I know we don't always get all the "facts" when it comes to coaching searches, and who is being vetted or interviewed, but during our previous two women's hoops head coaching searches, I don't recall reading about a single male coach who was under consideration by Plonsky. When Gail was hired, I recall hearing about Charlie Thorne (female) from Arizona State, and that might have been hit. I read zero names (male or females) the time Aston was hired.

Female head coaches which Plonsky hired include: Goestenkors, Angela Kelly, Carol Capitani, Aston, the tennis coach from Yale. Unfortunately, they have not had the required success (although Capitani and Aston had some very good seasons).

Male head coaches she hired include: rowing coach Dave O'Neil from Cal, Howard Joffe from A&M tennis, and Ryan Murphy for women's golf (internal hire from men's golf staff). They've all proven to be incredible hires. All were hired within the last 5 years or so.

In two years, CDC has hired 2 male head coaches to lead women's sports programs here. And, one male head coach to lead the combined T&F program.

While Vic is obviously male, all 3 of his current assistant coaches are female. So, we know he doesn't discriminate against women.

Yes, long-winded post just to say hiring decisions are always going to cause debate, regardless of which issues take the forefront.
 
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The Craig Way interview is a good one too. The new coach has perfect Texanisms that will make him endeared in this state. "God Bless Texas and Hook Em" "There is no middle ground in rivalries" when referring to Plonsky emailing him at A&M when his son was in a horrific car accident. "My players will stay as long as the fans want them to kiss babies and hug mamas, or hug babies and kiss mamas. If we win, our team is not getting back to the locker room until all of the fans have been thanked." "You need size to win national championships, but you need elite guard play to get you there."

He knows all of the reporters' names and thanks them for following women's basketball.
 
JoeDallas said:
I like hearing about the connection between Jody and Vic. She told CDC he should go get Vic out of Mississippi. I doubt that Jody threw KA under the bus. We don't know what went down. CDC may have made a decision on Karen before he asked Jody for her opinion. Jody was very happy when KA was hired and, it seemed to me, supported her greatly over the years.

It is odd that no one is even mentioning Karen's name in all this. It is if she didn't exist. As a few have mentioned, she brought us out of a low place to a lot of success. You can't just wipe out those 3 Sweet Sixteens and that Elite 8 and many good wins. Even this year when things were off kilter, she beat Stanford. These officials should be expressing appreciation to her and valuing her, rather than being too embarrassed to mention her name.
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That whole “Jody told me go get Vic” line seems very fishy...we will not know what all went down, but I don’t like how this was handled...”Integrity” and “Class” were Karen’s middle names, it sure is NOT CDC’s...
 
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