Steve Prohm returns as head coach at Murray State

[HFCS]

I'd guess Murray is really tired of being a stepping stone job for coaches. Any time they have a little success, the coach leaves. Prohm would end that cycle. He's seen P5 ball and he's not going to leave them for pretty much any job.

That said, he's going to have to be a lot better at roster management than he was at ISU. He was completely derailed by a one and done. With the transfer portal, you have to expect that your best players at that level are there for one good year. He's going to have to rebuild every season and that wasn't exactly his strong suit at ISU.

That’s a good point. One and done can now just be any player who thinks he’s good enough to start in a power conference and has the slightest issue with his school or coach.

We’ll look back and laugh at the days of a player leaving early to be a late second rounder or d/g league guy.

 

[ISUTex]

Missouri Valley is a good fit for him. When is Murray St joining the MVC?

 

[CycloneEggie]

Missouri Valley is a good fit for him. When is Murray St joining the MVC?

Next Year, along with Belmont and University of Illinios/Chicago. MVC wanted to keep the Chicago market. The two teams from OVC are nice compliments and existing rivals. I can see Belmont also competing right away. I remember when MVC regularly got move then 1 bid, (4 bids one year I think?) but its been 1 bid for a while, I think these additions and with Drake and UNI getting better we could see multiple bids again.

 

[CYdTracked]

I held an irrational grudge against McDermott after he left. There was no reason for it, the guy was first class all the way and had some bad luck. I was tired of losing, I guess. But life's too short...if someone does the job with class and dignity, he has my support wherever he goes.

If you only like the guys who succeed - as success is defined in college athletics - there aren't going to be very many people for you to like.

How would you classify Fran at Iowa? LOL, he's been a mix of success and failure there is maybe the best way to put it and he's not a very likable guy to boot yet Barta still extended his contract yet again... I know it's a bit off topic for this thread but he's an interesting situation given the criteria you laid out there.

 

[Clyde4cy]

Steve’s plan

1. Recruit NBA point guard
2. Roll the ball on the floor.
3. Apply chapstick
4. Profit

 

[HFCS]

Would be great if he gets to go back there again. I have no ill will towards Steve or McDermott like some here seem to have. Both are class act guys that represented ISU well and run clean programs. It's unfortunate that both could never have the success at ISU that we had hoped they would have but we've already seen with McDermott and Creighton and his previous stop at UNI that Greg is a good coach and that sometimes guys like him and Steve may not be a good fit at a place like ISU but at another school their system works and they can be successful.

I support both guys while they were here, I was glad for Greg when he took the Creighton job as the writing was on the wall he was probably going to get fired here and I knew we had no choice but to fire Steve after last year's mess too. So far it's worked out well for Greg and ISU with TJ now and I hope that Steve gets to have his success story at his next job wherever that may be.

Chiz is the only ex coach who can go **** himself. Not that I wanted him to stay but I never remotely liked the guy to begin with. I have a feeling I would not have liked the program we’d have become if he stayed longer.

Almost all the others seem like great guys. CPR especially I always liked as a guy and think he did some real things here.

 

[RonBurgundy]

Cross posted, but still Surprised St. Louis University didn't get considered, same large city/Arena. But SLU has had decent basketball success, but not like Xavier, Creighton, and Butler. I guess for that matter Loyola Chicago could have been another target, but they also only recently had basketball success. They would love to get to Big East, but are happy joining Atlantic 10 with St. Louis University as well as a step up from MVC

Agreed. I think he gave a reasonable political answer to the question, but a more truthful answer would be that UConn (non-Catholic) and Butler (non-Catholic) are simply better names with better success in MBB than SLU.

 

[1UNI2ISU]

Next Year, along with Belmont and University of Illinios/Chicago. MVC wanted to keep the Chicago market. The two teams from OVC are nice compliments and existing rivals. I can see Belmont also competing right away. I remember when MVC regularly got move then 1 bid, (4 bids one year I think?) but its been 1 bid for a while, I think these additions and with Drake and UNI getting better we could see multiple bids again.

Agreed. I actually think the Valley came out ahead as I'm not sold on Loyola's long term success.

Keeps the Valley firmly into the tier with the Mountain West, A10, WCC and new AAC.

 

[HFCS]

Think what the MVC would be like if Creighton, WSU, and Loyola all hung around. Add in Murray to UNI and Drake - damn.

It’s similar to how the mountain west in football would basically be a power conference if Utah, BYU, Boise, TCU had banded together around 6-7 other teams. TCU especially was crazy dominant at the moment they left. Utah is easily a top half team in the pac12 and BYU is gonna be a handful for us.

 

[MJ271]

You probably need to readjust your expectations for a OVC coach. Prohm did well at Murray. That's an absolute fact.

Yeah, it looks like he currently has the best career winning percentage in Murray State history. Which is saying something considering you have to go back to the 70s to find a coach there that went below .500.

 

[CoachHines3]

Then I apologize if I made a mistake. Regardless, it's annoying and drags down the conversation to come in here and bag on people for caring about a well-liked former coach, particularly as you're participating in the thread.

trice i like you im not going to bag on you.

 

[awd4cy]

My dream is a Prohm led Murray St (as a 12 Seed) taking out Iowa (5 Seed) in the tourney.

Lofty dream considering he rarely could take out Iowa as an Iowa State coach.

 

[inCyteful]

Lofty dream considering he rarely could take out Iowa as an Iowa State coach.

Well to be fair, we never got to play them in the tournament.

 

[mynameisjonas]

Lofty dream considering he rarely could take out Iowa as an Iowa State coach.

I doubt they’ll be much worse than Richmond. Fran will find a way to choke.

 

[CloneGuy8]

I wish him well, but as others have said if he doesn't get superior talent than his peers I don't think he has the X's and O's ability to overcome that. We'll see - Murray is one of the best mid-major jobs out there.

 

[BillBrasky4Cy]

Next Year, along with Belmont and University of Illinios/Chicago. MVC wanted to keep the Chicago market. The two teams from OVC are nice compliments and existing rivals. I can see Belmont also competing right away. I remember when MVC regularly got move then 1 bid, (4 bids one year I think?) but its been 1 bid for a while, I think these additions and with Drake and UNI getting better we could see multiple bids again.

There was a run there in the mid to late 200's where they or 3 or maybe even 4 teams in.

 

[1UNI2ISU]

There was a run there in the mid to late 200's where they or 3 or maybe even 4 teams in.

3 in 2004 (won two first round games)
3 in 2005 (won two first round games)
4 in 2006 (Bradley and Wichita in the Sweet 16)
3 in 2007 (won two first round games, SIU to Sweet 16)

 

[CY9008]

In 10 years of coaching, Prohm is 4-3 in the NCAA tournament, .618 winning % along with 5 combined conference titles. Another coach in 28 years of coaching is 6-9 in the NCAA tournament with .599 winning % and 8 combined conference titles.

 

[megamanxzero35]

There isn't a Gonzaga out there, but MVC could try and work itself into the premier Midwest Mid Major league. WCC for the west coast, MVC for the Midwest and A-10 for the East Coast.

 

[goody2012]

Agreed. I actually think the Valley came out ahead as I'm not sold on Loyola's long term success.

Keeps the Valley firmly into the tier with the Mountain West, A10, WCC and new AAC.

No. Just, no...