What to do with Coach Prohm Poll..

[Land Shark]

Its going to be really interesting to see if Jamie Pollard will Pull the Plug on Coach Steve Prohm...In a Covid19 year it could go either way... and it probably just depends on what the "Money People" want to do with Coach Prohm...

Nope- it's Jamie's call 100%, even if the money is there.

The money is a big fan of one possible hire above all others tho. Personally, I am a way bigger fan of TJ than the others. He could have stayed at SDSU and had a glossy record and everyone would be cool with hiring him. Instead, he took on a new challenge that will help him grow as a coach and especially in a total rebuild like ISU is now. This thing is absolutely gutted to the ground- can't hire a silver spoon coach who was handed the keys to a good job like a Murray State or SDSU, need someone who has taken some bumps along the way. This is going to be hard to build back up IMO.

 

[larrysarmy]

I honestly agree. I'd rather just keep Prohm as opposed to hiring TJ.

Agree, not sure how this would be different vs a new coach, fresh start mantra.

If, and that’s a big IF, CSP can retain all key players, get Hinson, Hunter and Foster healthy and on campus, I think next years team has a chance and could build to be even better in 2 years.

 

[Urbandale2013]

Agree, not sure how this would be different vs a new coach, fresh start mantra.

If, and that’s a big IF, CSP can retain all key players, get Hinson, Hunter and Foster healthy and on campus, I think next years team has a chance and could build to be even better in 2 years.

Why would they be better? The problem isn’t talent it’s coaching. The first two years were basically player run due to highly motivated and experienced players.

The Shayok year won in spite of the coaching deficiency. TJ has had one bad year as a head coach. I’d give pause and consider other options than him because of this year but I see no reason to not be optimistic if we hired him.

 

[larrysarmy]

Why would they be better? The problem isn’t talent it’s coaching. The first two years were basically player run due to highly motivated and experienced players.

The Shayok year won in spite of the coaching deficiency. TJ has had one bad year as a head coach. I’d give pause and consider other options than him because of this year but I see no reason to not be optimistic if we hired him.

I think this and last years team had/has a talent issue.

 

[Halincandenza]

Why would they be better? The problem isn’t talent it’s coaching. The first two years were basically player run due to highly motivated and experienced players.

The Shayok year won in spite of the coaching deficiency. TJ has had one bad year as a head coach. I’d give pause and consider other options than him because of this year but I see no reason to not be optimistic if we hired him.

And for what they have and all the time they missed with Covid stuff, they aren't bad. I mean, they actually beat KSU. They have had some really good players transfer out since he came in.. That guy that Baylor got from UNLV is going to be good. He just needs some polish. I think next year they will be pretty good with guys they have coming back and their recruiting class.

 

[BryceC]

Why would they be better? The problem isn’t talent it’s coaching. The first two years were basically player run due to highly motivated and experienced players.

The Shayok year won in spite of the coaching deficiency. TJ has had one bad year as a head coach. I’d give pause and consider other options than him because of this year but I see no reason to not be optimistic if we hired him.

I think a big part of it for me is that oftentimes when you hire or fire coaches, or even just make any change, there is a desire for a fresh start and a bit of a change of direction. When we fired Wayne, we wanted a strong personality to instill a system here when it was considered too loose. When McD left, we wanted to get an uptempo, exciting guy after the grindball of his era. In this case, I would like a little more structure. I think it's a personal preference thing for me. I don't want to go full Tim Floyd but I think we've seen the limits of middling to below average defense teams.

 

[BryceC]

I think this and last years team had/has a talent issue.

When a team is this bad it's an everything issue.

 

[cyclonepower]

When a team is this bad it's an everything issue.

agreed, thats why while TJ is not number 1 on my list, we need a fresh start if it is TJ so be it...

 

[clonefreek]

i'll cheer for you...only for a couple years...then you're fired. take your $2mm and GTFO, ok?

I accept these terms...

 

[Urbandale2013]

I think a big part of it for me is that oftentimes when you hire or fire coaches, or even just make any change, there is a desire for a fresh start and a bit of a change of direction. When we fired Wayne, we wanted a strong personality to instill a system here when it was considered too loose. When McD left, we wanted to get an uptempo, exciting guy after the grindball of his era. In this case, I would like a little more structure. I think it's a personal preference thing for me. I don't want to go full Tim Floyd but I think we've seen the limits of middling to below average defense teams.

I guess I don’t view the problem as an average/poor defense thing. I still much prefer the up tempo style. I view it as a no identity thing. I could go for offensive or defensive focused but I’d like to be an up tempo team. To be fair I feel like we’ve gotten away from up tempo anyway.

 

[Halincandenza]

I guess I don’t view the problem as an average/poor defense thing. I still much prefer the up tempo style. I view it as a no identity thing. I could go for offensive or defensive focused but I’d like to be an up tempo team. To be fair I feel like we’ve gotten away from up tempo anyway.

Prohm's teams don't push the ball enough. You can have good defense and be up tempo. I don't get playing small and then not pushing tempo. Two years ago they had the perfect team to really get up and down the floor and they were something like 170th in tempo on Kenpom. If you have guys like Haliburton, THT, Shayok, WIggington, etc. you should be looking to run even off of makes

 

[ZRF]

ISU is a good job, but not a great job. ISU has had a solid history over the last 35 years and Hilton is a great homecourt advantage and fans support is awesome. But is Iowa State a destination job where a coach having success at his current Power 5 job will come to Ames? IMO, No. Not selling ISU short, just being realistic.

Look around the Big 12- what schools have a current head coach who jumped ship from another P5 conference school? Bill Self came from Illinois, Jamie Dixon from Pitt and Bob Huggins from K-State. Huggins and Dixon both returned to their alma mater.

How about the Big 10- Mark Turgeon from Texas A&M to Maryland and Underwood from Okie State to Illinois.

How about the ACC - Roy Williams from KU to NC, Tony Bennett from Washington State to Virginia

So the reality is, most P5 schools are hiring:

• Either a P5 assistant
• A mid-major head coach
• An alumni

Obviously Blue Blood schools like Duke, North Carolina, Kentucky, Kansas and UCLA can have their pick of a head coach.

My point on Beilein, he is an east coast guy. Michigan is the farthest west he has taken a job. IF (and that is a big if) he is interested in coaching again, his job history indicates Penn State, Boston College and Notre Dame make more sense. Beilein is 67 and he's coached in the following cities: Cleveland, Ann Arbor, Morgantown, Richmond, Buffalo, Syracuse and Rochester.

Boston College hasn't been relevant in about 15 years, but it does have some tradition with Tom Davis, Jim O'Brien and Al Skinner having success at BC. Plus recruiting guys to Chestnut Hill should be easier than Ames.

I don't disagree with anything here however you inserted Boston College, a school with little to no basketball history or tradition, into the previous discussion. All of your examples above are either: clear program upgrades (Turgeon and Bennett), moves to programs with better support (Underwood), and one odd case where a coach (Williams) was persuaded to go home (as a job a lateral move or a very slight upgrade).

We aren't comparing Iowa State to a NC, Michigan, Kansas, or a host of other schools. But comparing Iowa State to Boston College? Unless a coach had very strong recruiting ties they thought that job would leverage, I don't see how one could argue it's even a lateral job. Better history (last 40 years), possibly more money, and infinitely better support.

As far as being an east coast guy well...he's had a whopping 2 P6 jobs throughout his entire career. Part of his history may be due to regional familiarity and/or the interviews/jobs he was offered. How many jobs did he turn down due to geographic location? He he did make a choice was geography a driving factor? I don't know the answers to those questions but I doubt you do either. What I do know is drawing that conclusion based on his coaching history over the last 15 years is rather silly.

With Beilein it's likely a matter of both timing and the program. I think we can agree he will be highly sought after and will have his pick of open positions. Barring a major surprise however, most of the clearly better jobs won't be looking.

 

[gocubs2118]

It’s amazing to see people here **** on TJ for no apparent reason? The dude is a dynamite recruiter and has already proven he can get talent to Ames. I’m confident he can put the right coaching staff around him to succeed, unlike this coach. You can call it a cheap hire or whatever but it would be the right hire. Whether you like it or not, JP isn’t going to spend 3 million or more on our next basketball coach and if you’re gonna take a flier on somebody, you might as well do it with someone who wants to be here.

 

[Halincandenza]

It’s amazing to see people here **** on TJ for no apparent reason? The dude is a dynamite recruiter and has already proven he can get talent to Ames. I’m confident he can put the right coaching staff around him to succeed, unlike this coach. You can call it a cheap hire or whatever but it would be the right hire. Whether you like it or not, JP isn’t going to spend 3 million or more on our next basketball coach and if you’re gonna take a flier on somebody, you might as well do it with someone who wants to be here.

I would think TJ could put together a much better staff given his connections around the country.

 

[Sigmapolis]

And for what they have and all the time they missed with Covid stuff, they aren't bad. I mean, they actually beat KSU. They have had some really good players transfer out since he came in.. That guy that Baylor got from UNLV is going to be good. He just needs some polish. I think next year they will be pretty good with guys they have coming back and their recruiting class.

T.J. is frankly killing it on the recruiting trail out in Las Vegas. Assuming he is at least a partially competent coach otherwise, and I think he is, then a team built around these kinds of guys in the MWC...



...is going to be one of the better ones in the conference.

Kaluma would be our all-time #4 recruit (a little behind Hunter and ahead of Horton-Tucker).

Collins would be #5 right after him.

I do not know if anybody else can get a better staff and better talent to Ames than TJ can. He was behind our #1 all-time recruit in Craig Brackins. It is more a question of what kind of coach do you think he is.

Prohm's teams don't push the ball enough. You can have good defense and be up tempo. I don't get playing small and then not pushing tempo. Two years ago they had the perfect team to really get up and down the floor and they were something like 170th in tempo on Kenpom. If you have guys like Haliburton, THT, Shayok, WIggington, etc. you should be looking to run even off of makes

That has always been the largest mystery of the Prohm era to me as a philosophical matter. Prohm wants to play a 4/1 small style, with rim-running big men as the "1" much of the time, but he also wants to force a half-court game. That despite having guards and wings who would absolutely soar if you turned them loose to run.

I never understood it. I guess I never will. It is not like our half-court defense is any good.

Billy Kennedy's Texas A&M teams were the same way, though -- this bizarre combination of small and slow.

I thought the whole point of going small was to add shooting and offensive firepower to your lineup on the floor and then turn it loose to run and score, hoping you'll outscore any defensive or rebounding deficiencies.

 

[gocubs2118]

I would think TJ could put together a much better staff given his connections around the country.

He had a damn good staff lined up when he wanted the job 6 years ago.

 

[larrysarmy]

I would think TJ could put together a much better staff given his connections around the country.

Now this would be the key, IMO, the staff. Because Prohm and staff has attracted very good talent to Ames...not seeing the difference on the surface. Every class has misses, Prohm has had his, but he’s hit some home runs.

 

[Halincandenza]

Now this would be the key, IMO, the staff. Because Prohm and staff has attracted very good talent to Ames...not seeing the difference on the surface. Every class has misses, Prohm has had his, but he’s hit some home runs.

Problem with Prohm is he seems to either hit home runs or strikes out

 

[gocubs2118]

Now this would be the key, IMO, the staff. Because Prohm and staff has attracted very good talent to Ames...not seeing the difference on the surface. Every class has misses, Prohm has had his, but he’s hit some home runs.

Way too many duds. When you have a 4 man class and just one year later there’s only one member of it still on the roster, it’s a huge problem. It’s why his teams continually have like 6 or 7 new faces a year. It’s hard to win like that.

 

[larrysarmy]

Way too many duds. When you have a 4 man class and just one year later there’s only one member of it still on the roster, it’s a huge problem. It’s why his teams continually have like 6 or 7 new faces a year. It’s hard to win like that.

Don’t disagree at all. Prohm hits homers and then strikes out his next few plate appearances...clearly has to change. But how do we know Otz rosters would be different long term?