Nothing really to report or pass on. Just a couple articles and thoughts.
Eric Musselman is likely out of the running now. Simply because I doubt Pitt can wait for him now that he got Nevada into the Sweet 16. I mean, unless they KNOW they he is already in the can. Which I find highly improbable. Still, he seems like an amusing maniac.
Nate Oats got a bump in salary and an increased buyout from Buffalo before the NCAA Tournament. Even the local paper there, concedes that it means nothing.
The extension, signed March 8 during the Mid-American Conference Tournament, increased Oats’ annual base salary from $355,500 to $600,000, making him one of the higher-paid coaches in the league. (Akron’s John Groce is the top-paid MAC coach. He gets $800,000 next season from Illinois — which fired him last March — and $400,000 from Akron. After that, Akron pays him a $650,000 base.)
The buyout figure, though, is more significant than the salary.
All coaches have buyout details in their contracts, laying out what it will cost the coach to exit the contract early. The numbers are up for negotiation but are generally relative to the overall value of the deal.
If Oats were to leave for another job this offseason, his contract says he would owe UB $1 million. If he were to leave after next season, the figure shrinks to $500,000, and gets smaller in each following year…
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Accounting for his base salary, benefits and opportunities for other income, that could Oats put in the range of $1 million a year, making him one of the highest-paid public employees in the entire state.
And yet, big-time college basketball programs would look at that number and shrug. If they want Oats badly enough, his new extension isn’t stopping him from leaving.
That’s a buyout even UConn could handle.
Speaking of which, in a previous post I indicated UConn’s conference/money issues could hinder them from landing Dan Hurley. Other articles still suggest he favors the situation at UConn — at least in the short term. Which makes sense given the state Pitt is in. The questions surrounding UConn with the FBI investigation and the NCAA will still give him pause… Or a good excuse to leave for another job sooner then expected.
And now, because his damn name keeps coming up for reasons I can’t fathom. A bit more on Sean Miller.
Let’s start with the basis of everything. Money.
Miller is currently under contract through May 31, 2022, a deal that pays him a guaranteed amount of $2.6 million plus bonuses, with $100,000 salary escalators added each fiscal year through 2020-21. He is also fully vested in $4.17 million worth of Western Refining Logistics stock, with payment due in May 2020. He’ll receive another $1.2 million of stock in 2022 if he stays until June 2020.
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The father of former UA commit Brandon Williams said Miller told him earlier this month that he isn’t going anywhere, but the coach’s future has nonetheless been the subject of speculation. Some believe Miller will be considered at his alma mater, Pitt, which is looking for a coach to replace Kevin Stallings. Miller would owe the UA $500,00 if he leaves for another job. If the UA decides to move on from Miller, its financial obligation would range from nothing (if the coach is fired for cause) to $4.3 million (if it’s not for cause).
Between the FBI, NCAA, loss of this recruiting class and another flame-out in the NCAA Tournament. Well, I can imagine there are some Arizona fans that are starting to think that it might be time for a change.
Of course those first three items on the list might be an impediment to hiring the kind of coach they want. I can’t help but think that even if Miller wanted to get out ahead of the posse and Arizona wanted to move on from him, they might be stuck with each other while the FBI investigation and federal trial play out.
But this isn’t about Miller and Arizona. This is about Miller and Pitt.
Let me repeat.
NO.
Leave aside that he stayed before. Has repeatedly professed how much he wants to stay at Arizona. How his father loved to throw bombs at Pitt about the situation in Arizona being superior in terms of money, recruiting and ability to win — and that latter part is really true when you compare the PAC-12 to the ACC.
Even try to pretend that suddenly running to Pitt wouldn’t look like he was bailing on a mess at Arizona that he helped create.
I kind of got off a little twitter rant at the end of the week about not having Miller at Pitt. In no small part because I kept seeing the local media push the stupid idea.
Let me go through it. Pitt does not want anything coming close to hurting its reputation as a clean school and program.
After Dixon left, Pitt wouldn’t even look at Kevin Keatts because he was an assistant at Louisville when the stripper scandal happened. (Yes, there is the crony factor in the search, but Keatts wasn’t even considered because of the cloud over every Louisville assistant from that period) In what world does Pitt consider ANY coach (even an alum) who is very much wrapped up in an FBI investigation and court case? Even considering Miller isn’t taking a big swing for a coach. It is pouring gasoline over yourself and then dancing around a bonfire. You are begging for problems.
This isn’t presuming guilt on the part of Miller, by the way. It comes down to this.
1) Miller’s lead assistant for 10 years is up on federal charges.
2) NCAA holds head coaches responsible for their activities.
3) That means the penalties will follow Miller.
4) His culpability will not be resolved while Pitt is looking to hire a new head coach.
It can’t happen.
I had an easier time seeing Crean as “the guy” vs. Hurley being “the guy” mostly because Crean has extinguished dumpster fires of similar magnitude before, and that’s really saying something. A lot of people don’t like the guy, and that’s fair for a lot of reasons, but he has some fairly unique credentials when it comes to this sort of thing.
Why can’t I ever seem to find myself embroiled in any good stripper scandals? I mean, if you’re going to go down, there might was well be strippers. If Miller goes down, he’ll wish there were strippers. And when you’re old, and people are asking what did you in?
“Strippers kid… it was the strippers…”
1) Regarding him leaving Arizona – This time is MUCH different than the last time around. It appears that AZ may be willing (and possibly WANTS) to move on from Miller. Also, the buyout information that you quoted differs from all the information I’ve seen to this point. From what I’ve seen, Arizona IS on the hook for his buyout only if they fire him WITH cause (ie: FBI investigation), while if they were to fire him NOT FOR cause (ie: performance), they are off the hook completely. If that is indeed the case, his 1st round ouster this year gives them the crack in the door to give him the boot for under-performing instead of the FBI investigation. Given where they stand as a program right now with their starters headed for the NBA and the recruiting class in shambles after news broke of the FBI, this is a perfect chance for them to look elsewhere. Miller has to know this, so it makes sense that he’d be much more willing to look at other opportunities at this point in time than back when we hired Stallings.
2) The NCAA punishment Miller would receive would probably be nothing more than a minor setback for Pitt if he came here. Jim Boheim was suspended for 9 ACC games due to the issues at Syracuse a couple years ago. Pitino was suspended 9 games. Larry Brown at SMU was suspended 5 games. Given that this investigation is targeting SO MANY of the top NCAA basketball programs, I just don’t see the NCAA coming down with a hammer on this one. Even if he got 15-20 games, would it really matter in the long term to Pitt? Heck, even if the man gets suspended for a full year, that’s nothing if it means Pitt is getting one of the top 15-20 coaches in the nation.
3) Miller has a squeaky clean record to this point at Xavier and Arizona. The NCAA declined to even suspend him when the FBI reports broke and AZ even allowed him to continue coaching this year after he gave them his side of the story. ESPN has changed their story a few times, I just don’t think if there is indeed an audio recording of Miller agreeing to pay a player, that they would have allowed him to continue coaching.
With that said, Miller should be slotted behind Thad Matta and Danny Hurley in the pecking order, but I have serious doubts as to whether or not the Panthers can land either one of those two. If they strike out on Matta/Hurley, then I think they really have to give a serious consideration to pulling the trigger on a proven commodity like Miller over going for one of the stretch candidates like Oats/Musselman, etc.
Hurley name means recruits listen.
Slippery slope. Lyke was a compliance wonk at OSU – I can’t see her getting along well with any coach that’s been sanctioned over any type of issue – NCAA or otherwise. I’m not putting Miller into the same realm of debauchery as Pitino – but where do you draw the line? With an alum?
Look – I eat my own dog food – if Miller ends up back at Pitt I’ll be excited about it, but then I’m all for throwing caution to the wind and making a big splash hire no matter who it offends as long as it benefits Pitt basketball. PSU lost the moral high ground forever and WVU never had one.
And as for Pitino… think of the strippers. The STRIPPERS for cryin’ out loud!!!!! 🙂 It’s ALWAYS better with strippers! 🙂
“She’s all yours. Have fun and no scratches!”
And then it it melts down and becomes so toxic that people stay away for decades.
Please be wrong….
Hypothetical question…who would be happy if we made the NIT next year? I’m not saying happy forever, just for the results next year.
It is about rebuilding their reputation.
It is about giving the fan base some hope.
It is about putting butts in the seats at the Pete.
It is all about the Sizzle and less about the meat.
Oats/Grant/Musselman/Odom fit that bill.
Williard is left over meatloaf.
How is that a flash in the pan?
Any coach they hie will be gone – either through achievemnt or failure – in 4 to 5 years max.
The fans and supporters need excitement in this hiring process- whether it is Oates or Odom or Grant…
Hiring a Williard type will show that the BoT is back to business as usual and will continue to put athletics on a back burner.
For me Mussleman would seem best to do that job. So the man was taped throwing a few F bombs at halftime. I guess no other coaches have ever did that. Will Pitt be abhored by that who knows. But Musselman has a history of coming in and improving basketball teams. What he did at Nevada was done in three years. That speaks volumes to me. Could he do that for Pitt, who can tell but I do know he would work his tail of to do it. The man lives and breathes basketball.
He stepped into NCAA basketball in the 2012-13 an assistant at Arizona State and became associate HC in 2013-14, associate HC at LSU in 2014-2015 and has been HC at Nevada since 2015. The man knows every facet of basketball and has been successful at it. I believe he has the ability to turn Pitt around. He has been my choice from the beginning and hopefully he will be the one.
I’m not sure who the best hire would be, or who would be the best fit for the program, but frankly I’d rather take a shot with a hot young coach like Grant (apparently not interested) or even a guy like Oats or Odom, etc., then try to go safe with a guy like Willard. I find Willard to be a poor man’s Tom Crean, safe hire, probably would do a decent job, meh. I’d get behind him if we hired him, but to be honest I doubt we’re considering it anyway at this point.
I’d rank my picks as:
1. Matta
2. Mussellman
3. Hurley
4. Oats
5. Odom
Not ranked: Crean, Miller, Willard
Reality is, Pitt has 100 way they can screw this up.
Getting any of those in TT’s list, including his Not Ranked, would be a victory here. Anyone NOT on this list is the problem!!!
To me, there is no ranking…just get any one of those please!!
Don’t get me wrong, if they F this up, I’ll be livid because we decimated a rebuild. I’m not just as hopeful. I see a Duzzy type- a knowledgeable, fiery assistant some place that ends up at Pitt.
Honestly, $3M sounds about right – I don’t think Crean would have come here for less, and I don’t know what Matta would have wanted, but I have to guess somewhere in that neighborhood. It’s a good neighborhood – I’m just not sure I want Nate Oats in it at the moment. I’m a huge advocate of getting what you pay for, and I’ve been hyper-critical of Pitt underpaying in the past, but I don’t want to overpay either.
I don’t think it’s a “slap in the face” if he doesn’t take it. We’ve got a real sh*t show here at the moment – it’s not for the faint of heart. Anyone who walks into this better have both eyes wide open and be willing to work hard for a few years with potentially not much in the way of results. Not everyone is up for that gig. That being said, if someone manages to pull it off, the sky is the limit for them.
