Coaching changes/Players leaving 2017

[ST_Lawson]

Just FYI, because of Coach Nielson, USD and SDSU can now offer multi-year deals up to 3 years for football and basketball head coaches, ADs, and University Presidents.

I doubt USD stepped up to the tune of 350k/year, but they might have given him a really nice raise, maybe on-par with Nielson's $250k, with a 3-year deal and maybe some other nice incentives....plus not having to worry about moving, meeting and recruiting new kids, etc.

[wiu712]

South Dakota gave Craig Smith a 3-year contract worth $275,000 a year, which places him among the 20 highest-paid employees in the state in terms of annual salary.

He still lags behind South Dakota State men’s basketball coach TJ Otzelberger, who ranks 12th in the state with $300,000 a year.

[meganeck]

Tre'Shawn Thurman of Omaha is transferring. He was Omaha's 2nd leading scorer this past season.

[letsgonecks]

The Illini women have hired the Washington University coach, sounds like she has been there a long time and been very successful, just makes you wonder why she had never been hired at the D1 level before. Seems like a big jump from D3 to a big time D1 school. I wonder how successful she will be, but will be interesting to see.

I wondered about the jump as well, but she understands x's and o's and finds players that make her system work. Whitman needs people he can trust and she obviously proved her worth while working together at Washington University.

I'm a diehard Leatherneck, but still wish the Illini had teams I could root for as well.

[meganeck]

Illinois St has hired Lewis University head women’s basketball coach Kristen Gillespie as their new coach.

[meganeck]

Oral Roberts has let their head coach Scott Sutton go

[meganeck]

Also just saw 3 members of the Eastern Illinois men programs are leaving

[sealhall74]

Some sources saying Scott Sutton ultimately released because he did not want to let go of his brother Sean after being asked to do so. If I am a head coach, I would not want to work in a place where I did not have 100% control of my assistant coach hires.

[vatusay]

A little more on Sutton's termination.

http://deadspin.com/oral-roberts-barred ... 1794236093

[sealhall74]

Regarding Sutton being forced to recruit tattooless and God-fearing athletes, a few years back I recall reading somethng, not sure what coach said it, but the crux of it was that recruiting just "good kids" will eventually cost you your job. I think there is a lot of truth to it, especially at the mid-major and below levels where a coach is damn lucky to have one truly gifted athlete on his squad. It is those other kids that he is willing (or unwilling) to take a gamble on that ultimately determine his success.