One key I am focusing on...

[j4state]

Chris, I think you are overstating the importance of both Otz and the recruits coming in. I would rather see a guy come in and not panic, take his lumps for a year and bring in a solid class of his guys in year two.

Agree with this. I won't lose any sleep seeing an assistant or a couple recruits go with a coaching change.

If we kept Otz it would feel like trying to resist starting completely over. I don't think any successful hire would want to be force-fed leftovers after accepting the position.

 

[Frak]

Just my opinion, but it's not like these recruits have a ton of other offers. And you know, ISU is not going to release them from their scholarships until after a new HC gets a chance to speak with them. Any HC worth his salt as a recruiter should be able to talk them into considering staying with ISU. Say ISU hires Forbes...don't you think that that TN style run and gun would be appealing to guys like Ejim and Phillips? The ONLY thing I'd be worried about is if Creighton has a bunch of open spots.

 

[CycloneErik]

Just my opinion, but it's not like these recruits have a ton of other offers. And you know, ISU is not going to release them from their scholarships until after a new HC gets a chance to speak with them. Any HC worth his salt as a recruiter should be able to talk them into considering staying with ISU. Say ISU hires Forbes...don't you think that that TN style run and gun would be appealing to guys like Ejim and Phillips? The ONLY thing I'd be worried about is if Creighton has a bunch of open spots.

Wouldn't Dendy make a nice shotblocker at the end of a press?

 

[HititHard]

I'd be surprised if the new coach of any caliber would want to keep any of the assistants. As far as the recruits they are the former regime's and a certain amount of attrition should be expected.
Grayer could be the exception. The new coach would be smart to keep in him in some capacity. If not as an assistant coach maybe A role like Danny Manning had at KU before he became a full fledged assistant.

 

[Cydkar]

Chris, I think you are overstating the importance of both Otz and the recruits coming in. I would rather see a guy come in and not panic, take his lumps for a year and bring in a solid class of his guys in year two.

This. Chris is completely off base.

 

[jdoggivjc]

Apparently I haven't seen the level of talent at ISU coming in that others have. I could care less if we lose anyone else at this point. Sometimes you have to decide to just tear down and build new because remodeling is no longer an option.

This cannot be stressed enough.

The biggest argument against McDermott being forced out out right now seems to be that we're going to lose all the progress that McDermott made and lose all the talent that he brought in.

What progress?
What talent?

The bottom line is there HASN'T been any progress made in the four years he's been here, and it's arguable that the talent on the team for this upcoming season is worse than the talent on his first team. Bottom line - next year would have been McDermott's fifth here at ISU, and there is no indication that we'll be any better next season, much less 5 years from now.

For those that say that now isn't the time to give up hope on McDermott and press the gigantic RESET button, when is? 5 years from now? 10? After we let him spend his entire career here?

 

[swarthmoreCY]

Brackins, WJ, Taylor are all Ortz recruits right?
If they are, that is a pretty solid start.
One of the reasons McD has underperformed is because he had the talent to do better, it was not all just being totally out manned.

Imo, any good coach coming in would want to keep Ortz on staff. They do get three assistants, and those spots are never permanent. I would think keeping most of our class, players with other BCS offers, this late in the game would be worth one assistant position.

 

[cyatheart]

Chris, I think you are overstating the importance of both Otz and the recruits coming in. I would rather see a guy come in and not panic, take his lumps for a year and bring in a solid class of his guys in year two.

Agree, TJ is linked to Mac and as soon as he faulters at all people will want his head. Anything involving GMAC is way too toxic to touch right now. Just get someone new, start over, take our lumps...again.

 

[ajk4st8]

Can Otz. Can the entire staff. Let the new guy start over if he wants.

Nobody on that last staff did anything worth a crap besides bring in players that took us to a sub .500 record every year.

There is a 'coach otz' out there at every school in the Big 12 . It is not like we have something special.

 

[abcguyks]

You guys are vicious. Remind me never to work on your project team cuz if you screw it up, we would all be out the door.

 

[ISUFan22]

You guys are vicious. Remind me never to work on your project team cuz if you screw it up, we would all be out the door.

Welcome to the real world.

 

[swarthmoreCY]

But do not, absolutely never, ever, ever, ever - let current players/assistants or recruits determine your HC hire.

Has this been suggested? Imo, most of the candidates will want to have Ortz, thus we need to do what we can to make that an option.

 

[MadBr]

Grayer and Nurse would be paid very well for a couple of weeks worth of work. The buyout from Creighton would pay their contract off. It may look bad but I would not hold a new Head Coach to the assistants on hand if he wanted to bring in his own successful team. Jamie could always make room for Grayer in the AD.

 

[BryceC]

While the GMac era was disappointing, it was far from being one of the worst era's in Cyclone MBB history.

What beats it? The other "era's" were after period of complete ineptitude. This is a period of complete ineptitude following a long run of competitive basketball.

I'm coming around to the notion that completely cleaning house is a good thing. We lose five seniors in 2010 so there will be heaps of playing time to offer.

 

[ISUFan22]

Has this been suggested? Imo, most of the candidates will want to have Ortz, thus we need to do what we can to make that an option.

Oh it's been suggestion to hire TJ. It's also been suggested to hire Nurse in order to help keep TJ.

 

[swarthmoreCY]

Oh it's been suggestion to hire TJ. It's also been suggested to hire Nurse in order to help keep TJ.

As a head coach?

 

[Clonehomer]

What beats it? The other "era's" were after period of complete ineptitude. This is a period of complete ineptitude following a long run of competitive basketball.

I'm coming around to the notion that completely cleaning house is a good thing. We lose five seniors in 2010 so there will be heaps of playing time to offer.

Isn't that what we did when Morgan left? Where'd that get us. If you look around the country at successful coaching transitions you see a lot of situations where the new coach was able to succeed when the cupboard wasn't bare. We need someone here for next year or it's going ot get really difficult to recruit to a program that's had to compete with walkons all year.

 

[Chitowncy]

This is totally misplaced focus. The focus should be on getting the best possible HC...period. You do that and you have no troubles keeping any recruits that you want to in the fold for next year. It's not like we have some sort of top 5 recruiting class coming in or something...jeesh.

Exactly. I think keeping Otz around is a bad idea, unless perhaps as an assistant coach.

The assistants learned the McDermott system and are more likely to employ the same ineffective offensive sets and retain the same inflexible defensive mindset.

Plus, as several posters pointed out, it's not like we have a world-beater class coming in. Clean house and let the new coach start fresh.

 

[Clonehomer]

Exactly. I think keeping Otz around is a bad idea.

The assistants learned the McDermott system and are more likely to employ the same ineffective offensive sets and retain the same inflexible defensive mindset.

Plus, as several posters pointed out, it's not like we have a world-beater class coming in. Clean house and let the new coach start fresh.

How much of Otz's job was X's and O's vs recruiting? If he was their primary recruiter then I doubt he was also responsible for most of the game planning and coaching. But, I obviously wasn't at practice to know what exactly he was responsible for.

 

[abcguyks]

Welcome to the real world.

I've been in the "real world" for over 25 years which is probably about 25 years more than most who post on this board.

If you screw up, you should pay for it (i.e. get demoted, reassigned, fired, etc), but those who were following your orders should get a fair shake and be evaluated based on their contribution to the failure. That is the real world that I've seen.