New Head Coach

huskie · Tue Mar 03, 2020 5:02 pm

What will WIU be looking for in a new Head Coach? Cheap up and comer from a D2 or 3 an assistant coach from a D1 with no head coaching experience ? Glad they made a move now instead of waiting a few weeks.The next month should be interested.

Bball Fan · Tue Mar 03, 2020 5:13 pm

I hope they go for a young successful Juco Coach or D-2 Head Coach who if successful will get a job at a bigger D-1 School in 5 - 6 years. No retreads. Need someone hungry like J,D. Gravina was when hired from successful D-2 program. Heck, maybe J.D. could switch over to Men's Coach !

leatherneckcountry · Tue Mar 03, 2020 6:55 pm

I would love to see WIU make a run at Saul Phillips. I had a ton of respect for him with the bison the only question is would he be ready to come back to D1 after only one year at a D2. Rob Jeter was also a name that was out there a few weeks ago he had quite a bit of success at Milwaukee it looks like he had a falling out with there AD but he really knows the Midwest.

wiu51 · Tue Mar 03, 2020 7:30 pm

Chris Tifft- is a Macomb kid who played at Nevada. He is currently coaching at Central Michigan and was previously at SLU and TCU. He has head coaching experience at Lamar College.

Geoff Alexander- is an assistant at Illinois. He has 2 degrees from WIU and coached here. He was at Evansville before Illinois.

leatherneckcountry · Tue Mar 03, 2020 7:39 pm

wiu51 wrote: Tue Mar 03, 2020 7:30 pm Chris Tifft- is a Macomb kid who played at Nevada. He is currently coaching at Central Michigan and was previously at SLU and TCU. He has head coaching experience at Lamar College.

Geoff Alexander- is an assistant at Illinois. He has 2 degrees from WIU and coached here. He was at Evansville before Illinois.

I considered Alexander but all the U of I coaches just got extensions.

Tue Mar 03, 2020 8:09 pm

Another name I saw tossed out there was Matt Lewis, HC at D3 UW-Oshkosh. He's been very successful there, won the D3 championship last year, won their conference tournament this year and are playing in the D3 playoffs.

Also, he's from Augusta, IL: https://www.uwoshkoshtitans.com/sports/ ... ches/index

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leatherneckcountry · Tue Mar 03, 2020 9:18 pm

Truthfully there will be 50 coaches linked to the job. We will probably end up with someone who will pop up out of nowhere there’s not an obvious choice like when Billy was hired.

sealhall74 · Wed Mar 04, 2020 10:30 am

I think any new hire will fall into one of these categories:

1) Rising star assistant coach at a current blockbuster D1 program (like DT at UNLV)
2) Very successful up and comer from the lower level (like JD at Quincy)
3) Proven D1 HC now sailing into his twilight years as an assistant at a major program (like Mo at Minnesota)
4) Former WIU assistant coach who is familiar with the landscape (like Billy Wright)
5) Former WIU PLAYER who is INTIMATELY familiar with momentous task at hand (a Ceola or Jack Houpt kind of guy)

While 1-4 have been either total flops or had only very brief moments of consequential success, 5 has yet to be tried.
I am leanng in the direction of 5. Go Boldly, Danielle.

Necks2003 · Wed Mar 04, 2020 10:47 am

sealhall74 wrote: Wed Mar 04, 2020 10:30 am I think any new hire will fall into one of these categories:

1) Rising star assistant coach at a current blockbuster D1 program (like DT at UNLV)
2) Very successful up and comer from the lower level (like JD at Quincy)
3) Proven D1 HC now sailing into his twilight years as an assistant at a major program (like Mo at Minnesota)
4) Former WIU assistant coach who is familiar with the landscape (like Billy Wright)
5) Former WIU PLAYER who is INTIMATELY familiar with momentous task at hand (a Ceola or Jack Houpt kind of guy)

While 1-4 have been either total flops or had only very brief moments of consequential success, 5 has yet to be tried.
I am leanng in the direction of 5. Go Boldly, Danielle.

Ceola and Houpt additionally played some professional basketball overseas. Some additional European experience could be a nice mix up as well.

sealhall74 · Wed Mar 04, 2020 11:01 am

Necks2003 wrote: Wed Mar 04, 2020 10:47 am
sealhall74 wrote: Wed Mar 04, 2020 10:30 am I think any new hire will fall into one of these categories:

1) Rising star assistant coach at a current blockbuster D1 program (like DT at UNLV)
2) Very successful up and comer from the lower level (like JD at Quincy)
3) Proven D1 HC now sailing into his twilight years as an assistant at a major program (like Mo at Minnesota)
4) Former WIU assistant coach who is familiar with the landscape (like Billy Wright)
5) Former WIU PLAYER who is INTIMATELY familiar with momentous task at hand (a Ceola or Jack Houpt kind of guy)

While 1-4 have been either total flops or had only very brief moments of consequential success, 5 has yet to be tried.
I am leanng in the direction of 5. Go Boldly, Danielle.
Ceola and Houpt additionally played some professional basketball overseas. Some additional European experience could be a nice mix up as well.

Actually, I was not totally correct. Walt Moore played for WIU back in late 1950s (our NAIA glory years stretch) and later went on to coach the Leathernecks in the mid 70s with limited success. Maybe Brad Bainter would entertain coming out of retirement.

https://www.news-gazette.com/sports/ill ... caa8f.html