Coaching Candidates - Tommy Birch (DMRegister)

[Let's Go State]

Criteria - I agree with some of that - all of it for consideration. My issue with Mitchell (and even hesitation with Schwab) is 'What got you here won't get you there'.

#1) Wrestler Development
- Physical
- Technique
- Team mentality
- Mental (I believe that this is was our current coaching staff was missing - pre-dual prep, especially mentally wasn't there. Not enough team/coach support before NCAA's. Too much 'I had to do it myself' from what I hear in interviews from former wrestlers.)

#2) Ability to Recruit
- Wrestlers is obvious
- Donors
- Alumni / Students - Get Hilton Packed and Jacked
- Even non-wrestlers with 'Wrestling Basics' on Cyclones.TV
- HS / Youth Coaches - Clinics / Outreach / Wresting Room items beyond team posters. Not just Iowa either.

If I'm JP - I'm not just looking at success on the mat, I'm looking for someone who walks in with a plan to make ISU a product that builds the sport - builds the base that doesn't understand the sport. And makes Jamie want to find resources to make things happen.

 

[djhart69]

Pretty sure Manning was approached in 2009 and said "Not interested".

 

[ceyeclone]

what happened to Joe Heskett

 

[jkbuff98]

Heskett is currently in an Athletic Administration position at West Virginia, I am sure he will be at the dual on Sunday.

 

[buf87]

Be interesting to see if Jamie is at the duals in Pitt and esp WV. Could also see Dresser in addition to Heskett

 

[CloneVIII]

Criteria - I agree with some of that - all of it for consideration. My issue with Mitchell (and even hesitation with Schwab) is 'What got you here won't get you there'.

#1) Wrestler Development
- Physical
- Technique
- Team mentality
- Mental (I believe that this is was our current coaching staff was missing - pre-dual prep, especially mentally wasn't there. Not enough team/coach support before NCAA's. Too much 'I had to do it myself' from what I hear in interviews from former wrestlers.)

#2) Ability to Recruit
- Wrestlers is obvious
- Donors
- Alumni / Students - Get Hilton Packed and Jacked
- Even non-wrestlers with 'Wrestling Basics' on Cyclones.TV
- HS / Youth Coaches - Clinics / Outreach / Wresting Room items beyond team posters. Not just Iowa either.

If I'm JP - I'm not just looking at success on the mat, I'm looking for someone who walks in with a plan to make ISU a product that builds the sport - builds the base that doesn't understand the sport. And makes Jamie want to find resources to make things happen.

Once again, if you disagree with my criteria, please tell me what part or why you disagree.

I truly believe if Kevin Dresser ever wants to win a NCAA team title, Iowa State would be the right situation to make that happen over Virginia Tech (no disrespect to VT, just environment and history back that up the assumption).

I also assume the purpose to being an assistant coach is to one day become a head coach. Jaggers, Hahn, Guerrero all have superior credentials as competitive wrestlers, have learned from highly successful coaches, and worked their way up through their respective programs coaching ranks to become ready to take their talents to the next level. Once again, ISU's talent in the room, supporters, environment, facilities, and desire to return to the elite level make this an ideal situation to step into.

I admit that Mark Perry is a bit of a reach, and maybe Nebraska's Snyder and OK State's Esposito should be ahead of him in consideration, but the guy is putting in the work to learn his trade and you can't deny his credentials or pedigree and really the only thing is that he hasn't gotten is experience coaching at a perennial "Top 10" school.

Iowa State needs to commit to finding a proven coach from a consistent program. Settling for a "good" coach who occasionally makes a brief appearance in the top ten only to slide back to the 20-40 program tier is no improvement and we might as well resign ourselves to that and just keep things as they are! We need a coach with high goals, knows how to achieve them, and has proven consistency.

To accomplish this ISU will have to wait until after the NCAA tourney so as to be respectful of their candidates programs as they prepare their teams for the tourney. If a couple of recruits are trying to dictate the pace of the program's coaching search , let them walk! Finding the right coach with the proper experience and credentials can't be rushed.

 

[CyGold]

Neither Bono or Reader have been part of a National Championship team. Though I don't agree with his criteria.

Ahhh, I stand corrected. When I initially read it I thought winning a individual title met that qualifier. That said I don't agree with the criteria either. KJ met the criteria and Cael didn't and we all know which one has had more success as a coach.

 

[ca4cy]

How many of our prospective coaches will be milling around at the state tournament next week? I would think that would be a good opportunity for Pollard to get some of the out of staters to sit down somewhere for a talk.

 

[CyGold]

My criteria is to hire the guy (or girl) that is GUARANTEED to bring the team title back home to Ames. Enough said.

Seriously though I appreciate your posts and criteria's but I personally don't think you can rule out anyone just because they don't meet ALL of the points listed. Most of the candidates mentioned in these threads ARE top level coaches or assistant coaches. KJ was a great candidate when he was hired based upon his Olympic Gold and coaching Team USA experience. I was ALL IN when he was hired but he didn't deliver the results needed. Because of this experience I'm probably leaning towards someone who has had success (or is trending upward) as a head coach.

These are the guys that would be on my short list based upon that criteria:
1. Cael
2. Dresser
3. Popolozio (sp?)
4. Bono

2 - 4 are not in order of preference.

They would have an edge over the assistant coaches or the non-coaches mentioned. The exception to this assistant coach comment would be Cody Sanderson. However IF I was JP and someone come in with a clear detailed plan and impressed me then I would definitely give them a fair chance to earn the position. I agree with LetsGoState's criteria the most.

 

[Tornado man]

My criteria is to hire the guy (or girl) that is GUARANTEED to bring the team title back home to Ames. Enough said. Seriously though I appreciate your posts and criteria's but I personally don't think you can rule out anyone just because they don't meet ALL of the points listed. Most of the candidates mentioned in these threads ARE top level coaches or assistant coaches. KJ was a great candidate when he was hired based upon his Olympic Gold and coaching Team USA experience. I was ALL IN when he was hired but he didn't deliver the results needed. Because of this experience I'm probably leaning towards someone who has had success (or is trending upward) as a head coach. These are the guys that would be on my short list based upon that criteria:
1. Cael
2. Dresser
3. Popolozio (sp?)
4. Bono

2 - 4 are not in order of preference.
They would have an edge over the assistant coaches or the non-coaches mentioned. The exception to this assistant coach comment would be Cody Sanderson. However IF I was JP and someone come in with a clear detailed plan and impressed me then I would definitely give them a fair chance to earn the position. I agree with LetsGoState's criteria the most.

To get a big name, you need an AD that takes it as a "challenge" to go after them and do a sales job - convince them that ISU is the place for them even if they are initially reluctant.
Jamie doesn't do that - look at his history. He has hired coaches that have begged for the job (Hoiberg) or come from schools that in ISU is a huge upgrade in income, budget, and prestige (Campbell, Prohm).
Yes, there are some athletic directors who would say to themselves, "I'll call Cael - what's the worst that can happen? He'll tell me to f*** off?"
That's not JP...

 

[SouthJerseyCy]

What would your criteria be exactly? Just disagreeing doesn't shed any light on what you think Iowa State should look for in the new coach. Please discuss if you have better ideas.

Hey no offense man. Just think you're going to leave off an awful lot of qualified candidates if you require them having been a part of a National Championship team. Hell, that would have left Cael off before he went to PSU.

 

[CloneVIII]

Ahhh, I stand corrected. When I initially read it I thought winning a individual title met that qualifier. That said I don't agree with the criteria either. KJ met the criteria and Cael didn't and we all know which one has had more success as a coach.[/QUOT
This isn't about hiring Cael, it's about finding a suitable candidate to restore the program. We need to learn from the past and make the hire due to experience and results, period.

BTW - KJ did not meet the criteria snce he had no prior experience in D1 coaching and, using this criteria, wouldn't have been considered to replace Cael.

 

[CloneVIII]

Hey no offense man. Just think you're going to leave off an awful lot of qualified candidates if you require them having been a part of a National Championship team. Hell, that would have left Cael off before he went to PSU.

This isn't about hiring Cael, it's about finding a suitable candidate to restore the program. We need to learn from the past and make the hire due to experience and results, period.

BTW - KJ did not meet the criteria snce he had no prior experience in D1 coaching and, using this criteria, wouldn't have been considered to replace Cael

 

[HitItHard58]

This isn't about hiring Cael, it's about finding a suitable candidate to restore the program. We need to learn from the past and make the hire due to experience and results, period.

BTW - KJ did not meet the criteria snce he had no prior experience in D1 coaching and, using this criteria, wouldn't have been considered to replace Cael

Well Cael wouldn't have met all of your criteria and obviously somebody like him would be a good hire. Maybe you should update your criteria just a little.

 

[Clone83]

. . . . If I'm JP - I'm not just looking at success on the mat, I'm looking for someone who walks in with a plan to make ISU a product that builds the sport - builds the base that doesn't understand the sport. And makes Jamie want to find resources to make things happen.

. . . . . IF I was JP and someone come in with a clear detailed plan and impressed me then I would definitely give them a fair chance to earn the position. I agree with LetsGoState's criteria the most.

I think there is a potential entrepreneurial aspect here, that might appeal to certain candidates more than others. On the mat performance is by far the biggest part of it. But some coaches's personal characteristics are likely more consistent with this aspect than others -- due to past performance, name recognition, new ideas, desire, or whatnot.

Again, I don't know how popular a destination ISU is for wrestling camps right now, but I would guess is there is room for growth. The camp aspect is not only a way a coach might increase his own financial return, but a way to build inroads into the high school (and younger) wrestling community. It doesn't have to result in immediate return in number of top recruits, though it might. But it is a way to lift performance overall for those that attend, for Iowa high schools in general, and a way ISU might build a larger fan base get more people attending and watching meets -- like high school and younger coaches and camp attendees.

Des Moines is the biggest city in the state, and western and north central Iowa are closer to Ames than Iowa City. A market exists not too far away.

I've used Dresser as an example, because of what he has accomplished at Virginia Tech and as a Virginia high school coach, and as he is a native of north central Iowa.

But it could be someone else, anyone else, like Popolizio, or other qualified candidates:
http://gopack.com/coaches.aspx?rc=285&path=wrestling

It could be anyone else, as long as certain other criteria are met (IMO not quite as specific as some are saying, but a good coaching candidate in other respects).

Travis and Trent have some experience in this area, as their high school coach at Lewis Central, Keith Massey, led his own club. During that time period, Lewis Central was the top ranked high school team in the country at one point. Neighboring Underwood, where the club was located and where Lewie Curtis, Massey's high school teammate at Lewis Central, coached, was similarly highly successful at state.

Maybe there are other ways to increase excitement and meet attendance.

 

[CloneVIII]

Well Cael wouldn't have met all of your criteria and obviously somebody like him would be a good hire. Maybe you should update your criteria just a little.

Once again, this is not about hiring Cael. When Cael, or "somebody like him" becomes available, I will update the criteria. This is the criteria needed for hiring a coach now in our current situation. It is about finding the best and most qualified candidates for the Iowa State job now. Instead of me lowering my standards, maybe you should raise yours.

 

[HitItHard58]

Once again, this is not about hiring Cael. When Cael, or "somebody like him" becomes available, I will update the criteria. This is the criteria needed for hiring a coach now in our current situation. It is about finding the best and most qualified candidates for the Iowa State job now. Instead of me lowering my standards, maybe you should raise yours.

I honestly don't know how to even begin responding to this.

 

[NEICyFan]

Wow. I'm impressed by the thoughtfulness of the posts I've read today. It shows how much passion exists for Cyclone Wrestling.

However, anyone mentioning Cael as a legit candidate is wasting their time, everyone else's, and bandwidth. It is just flat out not happening.

 

[CloneVIII]

I honestly don't know how to even begin responding to this.

I honestly don't know how to even begin responding to this.

Sorry if that came back a little overly aggressive, I'm pretty sure we both want the same thing which is for The Clones to get back to the level of perennial contender.

 

[HitItHard58]

Wow. I'm impressed by the thoughtfulness of the posts I've read today. It shows how much passion exists for Cyclone Wrestling.

However, anyone mentioning Cael as a legit candidate is wasting their time, everyone else's, and bandwidth. It is just flat out not happening.

Think the only people who actually think it's a legit possibility are very casual wrestling fans or maybe just barely pay any attention to wrestling at all. They mostly seem to think it's only an issue of money and Pollard should just throw a lot at him and everything will be fine. A lot of these same people don't even know how much money it would take to even come close to topping what he's already making. I never say never but in this case, if Pollard is at ISU Cael won't be and most likely not even after he's gone.