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I agree with what I think…

I agree with what I think your intention is but in reality a degree is an accomplishment no matter how it is achieved. In the meantime, some people change their minds and move around a lot. They change schools, switch jobs, move to different cities, etc. Of course this disrupts continuity and the building of a coherent resume, ie. it's sub-optimal in general terms, but individuals have their reasons and shouldn't be dissuaded IMHO. They are adults and are free to choose if they see fit, even if some of us on the outside think it's not a great idea.

Listening to him speak as he…

Listening to him speak as he responds to questions and talks about his philosophy and approach, he really seems like a salt of the earth guy. Articulate, bright, energetic, and by all accounts a man of integrity. The more I learn about him, the more I really like this hire.

Unfortunately, "reasonable…

Unfortunately, "reasonable source of insider information" is kind of an oxymoron. Personally I trust Sam Webb and John U. Bacon because they don't report any "news" unless it's confirmed by multiple sources, aka the way proper journalism used to work.

All of the others, in my opinion, have sources and are right sometimes but are also wrong a lot of the time and when they first offer up their news it's impossible to tell how credible it is.

That means they are operating on a one source clickbait model of sorts and putting their betterment ahead of the veracity of what they say. No thanks.

Listening to the MGoPod this…

Listening to the MGoPod this am and now reading this update it's fascinating to hear Brian's evolving views on the May hire. There's a lot to like there, both in terms of analytics/track record and the effect he had on the team as an assistant at UF vs. how they performed after he left (poorly). But my favorite emerging truth about May is his likeability and apparent character as a human being. Sounds a lot like Coach Beilein to me and he made Michigan basketball such a joy to watch! Go Blue!

Great (unpaywalled) read-…

Great (unpaywalled) read--thanks OP! It's really nice to read a description of how proactive Warde was in this instance--and how he made great use of trusted confidants in the process. I'm sold on Dusty May--Go Blue!

I think there's no question…

I think there's no question. Carver averaged ~5K fans/game before she arrived and now she sells out every home game as well as every road game. Tickets for the Albany regional and Women's Final Four in Cleveland are currently selling for more than regional and Final Four tickets for the men. Indianapolis and environs anticipating her being the #1 draft choice of the Fever are already getting very excited and I'll bet their season tickets get sold out.

Meanwhile the tv #s for Iowa games (as well as other high profile women's games) are higher than ever. If the Hawks return to the Final Four they may top the 9.9M number from last year's final.

It's nothing short of a true phenomenon that we've never really seen in women's sports. And the catalyst is a young woman from West Des Moines, IA. Incredible.

One other thing: if you are interested in her and have 45-60 minutes of reading time available this weekend, I highly recommend this article on the ESPN website:

https://www.espn.com/womens-college-basketball/story/_/id/39740282/caitlin-clark-iowa-2024-ncaa-women-basketball-tournament-ready-march

It's a great piece of writing that makes the time spent very worthwhile.

No f-ing way. He's an awful…

No f-ing way. He's an awful human being who, during his eight years in the B1G here at Iowa, went 61-67 (.477) in conference play and never made it past the NCAA round of 32. He's right where he belongs at a mid-major that nobody cares about and where he just lost (again) in the NCAA round of 64 after what appeared to be a promising regular season. HARD pass.

Source?

Source?

Where did you find this…

Where did you find this information? Creighton is a private institution and generally not subject to FOIs so it would be difficult to know unless you've got inside info. OTOH if it's true, or even close to true, it makes hiring him a non-starter at Michigan.

Well...not so coincidentally…

Well...not so coincidentally DeVries was one of McDermott's assistants for many years at Creighton before his successful head coaching gig at Drake. So the "hand over the keys" part is sort of baked into a prospective DeVries hire at Michigan.

I agree with you that people…

I agree with you that people are (sort of understandably) overreacting to the dismal performance of the last 2 seasons and I also agree that Michigan is a top 20 job. The caveats are that "football is king" as compared with, say Louisville, which means that broadly speaking Michigan's vast resources are directed towards success in football.

Michigan basketball's track record during the Beilein era demonstrates that it's certainly possible to succeed on the national stage but looking back over my lifetime (Johnny Orr to the present) I think it takes a coach with special talent in at least one area to achieve that level of success. Bill Frieder for all his flaws was a great recruiter, Steve Fisher was a great relationship builder and Beilein was a brilliant identifier of unpolished gems on the recruiting trail as well as an amazing X's and O's coach.

And now we're in the NIL/transfer portal era where a whole new set of skills are required to construct and maintain the roster. And as we all know Michigan isn't that receptive to undergrad transfers.

TL;DR The Michigan job looks tailor made for success but is deceptively challenging in the current environment.

As for McDermott--as I wrote on another thread yesterday I searched and couldn't find anything about how big his contract buyout is after his recently signed extension. And Sam implied on the Roundtable that it's not sky high so maybe it's worth knocking on his door and making him say No Thanks.

But I think we want a younger up and comer who has a demonstrated 3-5 year track record of success in the new college basketball environment. My bet would be on Darian DeVries but I'm just guessing.

N of 1 (game) means…

N of 1 (game) means something because it's the tournament and all, but what it means is less than clear. FAU looked pretty discombobulated near the end of regulation and most of OT. (Northwestern OTOH played extremely good defense and surprisingly well on offense when the game was on the line.)

To me the problem with Dusty is his short-ish track record. As Brian has said (and written), his Final Four run last year was amazing but can he show consistency with a different roster? No one knows.

Our supposed list of candidates has not done well in the first round of this year's tournament. How does this relate to how any of them might do as Michigan's head coach? Absolutely no one knows.

This hire is a dice roll--not exactly random but at best an educated guess.

This is one of the most LOL…

This is one of the most LOL true confessions ever. I certainly hope that you feel better now that you've said it all out loud.

Although your comment is at…

Although your comment is at least partially tongue in cheek, I have to say that I think about your long "It's Over" post semi-frequently and I respect the fact that you own that you were wrong. Many of us could have written something about it being over (circa 2020) and been just as wrong but you, one of the more prolific commenters on this board, did so.

Move your token ahead 3 spaces from Bargaining to Acceptance. Cheers.

Dimes dimes dimes

I'd draft…

Dimes dimes dimes

I'd draft him before Caleb Williams. But that's why I'm sitting here with nothing better to do than comment on MGoBlog with basketball on in the background.

Even though we all…

Even though we all understand how stupid it is to be watching tournament games--or just snippets of said games--while trying to evaluate coaches we may never have heard of 10 days ago in order to determine who might/should be Michigan's next head coach....here we are playing Friday feelings ball!

I've had NW vs. FAU on in the background for the past hour and Chris Collins' squad made him look like a pretty darn good coach today. Dusty May's squad, OTOH, looked pretty discombobulated at the end of regulation as well as in OT. Small sample sizes mean next to nothing but it's hard to ignore what's happening right now in front of you.

When was the 2nd DUI? I read…

When was the 2nd DUI? I read (here on the Blog) about the first one 7+ years ago but when/where did you discover that there was another before this one?

I just did a search on…

I just did a search on McDermott to see if I could find out what his buyout actually is, but several articles later there's no mention of it. Sam said on the Roundtable that the buyout didn't escalate into sky-high territory, from which he infers it's possible to kick the tires and see if McDermott might be interested.

As I was reading I came across McDermott's quote that "there's no where I'd rather finish my career than Creighton." Not unusual for a newly extended coach to say something like that, of course, but it seems like he might really mean it. He's been there for 14 years and is 59 years old; Michigan's basketball program is in a crater and at least a 2-3 year rebuild away from being relevant again.

I think that I prefer a younger up and comer--DeVries is my first choice (longtime McDermott assistant before taking over at Drake)--and I'm warming to the idea of Medved or May.

No room up there for Space…

No room up there for Space Food sticks?!?

Whether this was a forced…

Whether this was a forced choice resignation or a firing recast as a resignation, it bodes well for Sherrone's leadership and management style. Clear values and a willingness to take action in support of those values is exactly what we want. I'm confident that we will find a great new DL coach soon enough. Onward and Go Blue!

20 seconds in the micro plus…

20 seconds in the micro plus a schmear of viagra cream cheese should do it?!?

I want Darian DeVries but I…

I want Darian DeVries but I'm guessing that Warde goes for either May or Medved. Since I know nothing maybe I'll be pleasantly surprised?!?

Based on nothing but…

Based on nothing but speculation I suspect that Warde is going to hire May or Medved, and I think either one would take the job for the opportunity to coach at Michigan as well as for a big raise over their current salary.

One thing that I am confident in: it's basically a dice roll as to whether or not they succeed.

XM--your post prompted me to…

XM--your post prompted me to actually fill out a men's bracket. Disclaimer: I've watched little to no men's college hoops this season. Iowa's men's team sucks, Michigan's men's team was even worse and as I stated in another comment I'm much more interested in the women's games and tournament this season.

My final four: Iowa State, Marquette, North Carolina, Purdue

Championship: Iowa State over Marquette

I'm really impressed with ISU--they looked incredible in the Big 12 tournament and in smashing Houston in the final. TJ Otz is a fabulous young coach--too bad his buyout is way above Michigan's pay grade.

The scoring record pressure…

The scoring record pressure definitely cost Iowa the Nebraska game in Lincoln--they were feeding her nonstop and when she wasn't scoring the offense ground to a halt. Very uncharacteristic for Bluder's teams. I agree with you that the time off will help them here--it's actually going to be almost 2 weeks (13 days) since the B1G tournament final when they tip off this coming Saturday.

I'm way more interested in…

I'm way more interested in the women's tournament, both bc Michigan isn't in the men's tournament and bc I live in Caitlin Clark country. I think that the tournament is where Iowa will really miss Monika Czinano from last year's team that made the finals. This year's team is super fun to watch but Caitlin actually didn't shoot as well as usual from long distance in their last few games and in the B1G tournament. And yet they won anyway so don't count them out. Go Hawks!

Here's an article that lays…

Here's an article that lays out the terms of his extension that was signed last year:

https://www.on3.com/college/iowa-state-cyclones/news/tj-otzelberger-iowa-state-agree-to-two-year-contract-extension/

The relevant portion:

“Otzelberger’s contract now extends through June 30, 2029, and his total compensation will increase to $2.5M on July 1, 2023, $3M on July 1, 2024 and $3.5M on July 1, 2025, followed by $100,000 increases for each subsequent contract year. All other terms of his original contract remain unchanged.”

The terms of his original contract are laid out in this DSM Register article from two years prior:

https://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/sports/college/iowa-state/cyclone-insider/2021/06/28/iowa-state-basketball-t-j-otzelberger-contract-cyclones-staff-big-12-conference-jamie-pollard-isu-ad/7784140002/

The relevant portion:

"If Otzelberger leaves for another Division I or NBA job, he owes Iowa State 100 percent of the remaining compensation left on his contract. That number is halved, though, if Pollard is no longer Iowa State’s athletic director at the time of Otzelberger’s departure."

So....using higher math to add his 2023-2029 salaries together we get: a small-ish remaining portion of this year's $3M ('23-24)+$3.5M ('25-26)+ $3.6M ('26-27)+$3.7M ('27-28)+$3.8M ('28-29)=$14.6M

(The portion of this year's salary that is left is unclear--although I added the entire $3M bc I'm not certain that he would get buyout "credit" for having coached for most of this fiscal year already.)

Total estimate of buyout=$14.6-17.6M

Paying the $17M+ buyout is a…

Paying the $17M+ buyout is a bad way to get a coach IMHO--adds pressure/expectations to an already high stakes decision.

I like Darian DeVries better:

I like Darian DeVries better:

Good elaboration on Brian's…

Good elaboration on Brian's weekend piece about coaching candidates. I maintain that the basketball program needs a hard reset--there were so many red flags and problems with Juwan's tenure that we really need to start completely over. And I maintain that as Warde interviews candidates he needs to be as clear as can be with them about Michigan's approach to NIL and prospective incoming transfers so that the new coach knows what he's getting into and can proceed accordingly.

I agree with Brian et. al. as well as other commenters that we are truly rolling the dice with this hire. It's one thing to identify candidates on paper but a totally different thing to have them come to Michigan, deal with being under the bright lights at big brand school and then have the patience for 3-5 years while they recruit/develop players, manage and maintain their rosters and create a winning culture. Very tough gig these days, perhaps more so in basketball than in football, and it's all happening in the ever changing world of college sports.

Personally I loved our teams under coach Beilein but his time has passed (even as a prospective assistant!) and I am hoping for a young up and comer with a track record of success in his career thus far. As I've commented previously I favor Darian DeVries but fully acknowledge that it's barely an educated guess at this point.

Agreed about judgment and…

Agreed about judgment and self-control. We were all younger once and did stupid things that in hindsight we shouldn't have done. Adulthood is about knowing yourself well enough to stay away from situations that prey on your weaknesses. For some people that means never going into bars or hanging out with those who drink; for many of us it means knowing that if we go out and have a drink it means one. More than one means taking an outsized risk that can seriously impact your life and other's lives as well. But then again words are easy to type and often harder to live by.

Suspended indefinitely is an…

Suspended indefinitely is an interesting (and appropriate) detail. Spring practice is ongoing, right? No one knows what Sherrone will do but I think dismissal is definitely on the table.

I'm a big believer in second…

I'm a big believer in second chances and (presumably) his senior year in college was a while ago, but consider me skeptical that this turns out to be a good hire.

Very helpful initial list,…

Very helpful initial list, Brian. Personally I'm no more interested in paying a large buyout than Michigan likely is; it adds pressure on the new hire "win NOW." We need a program reset and a dose of patience, plus some clarity for the new coach about how we're handling NIL and transfers. An up and coming mid-major coach with a 3+ year track record of program building success sounds just right to me. I like DeVries but you've convinced me that Medved and Schertz are more or less just as worthy of a shot.

Good question. And in terms…

Good question. And in terms of Warde's performance, the one really crucial moment in his tenure was his handling of Harbaugh's contract after the dreadful 2020 Covid season. Many wanted Harbaugh fired, some wanted him retained, but it was all in the context of a global pandemic that completely altered the context of the decision.

In that extremely unclear and challenging moment Warde did something unconventional and in fact quite remarkable: he cut Harbaugh's salary in half and incentivized him to make needed changes and earn back the cut in his pay. This quite obviously pissed Harbaugh off, making it a very risky move on Warde's part, but it turned out to work perfectly. Despite Harbaugh being offended he did make major changes to his staff and his approach and then we had the best 3 seasons of Michigan football in my lifetime (I'm 61).

While Warde's handling of several other incidents with Pearson, Juwan etc. may be open to question, the one big decision that he had to get right, he nailed. (I'm not blaming him for pulling back on the TRO hearing last fall--I think that decision was probably made above Warde's head.)

As for the impending hire of a new men's basketball coach--the proof will be in the pudding. And it will take 2-3 years to see how it actually turns out. IMHO it's time for the armchair AD's to stand down and continue reveling in the our national championship football team.

Now that the necessary…

Now that the necessary firing has happened and it's time to look forward, I think that it's not just important to get the new hire "right." In my opinion the program needs not just a new coach but a hard reset.

The powers that be need to decide if and how we're going to adapt to the new era of NIL and open transfers/free agency and communicate that clearly during interviews. Otherwise there's a substantial risk of hiring a good coach who's approach doesn't match how Michigan plans to support its basketball program.

Great player but terrible…

Great player but terrible coach with anger issues. We can do better. Go Blue!

PS—Let’s at least consider Darian DeVries from Drake.

That's quite the summary--as…

That's quite the summary--as an Iowa (women's BB) fan who watched the whole game I was impressed with Michigan's early showing. They are a well coached team that currently lacks the talent to hang with an experienced Iowa squad that is basically hitting on all cylinders despite being down a starter.

As others said in the thread yesterday it remains to be seen if Iowa can make it back to the Final Four, although from my vantage point they clearly can. Caitlin Clark has actually been shooting quite poorly from 3-point range so there is a lot of room for improvement. Plus I think starting usual sixth woman Sydney Affolter is an upgrade from usual starter Molly Davis (formerly of CMU).

Nebraska will be a challenge in today's B1G tournament final but Iowa will be extra motivated after losing in Lincoln during the regular season.

I wouldn't bet money but I…

I wouldn't bet money but I also wouldn't be shocked if Williams grossly underperforms vs. expectations as a #1 pick. While I don't think last year was necessarily representative since USC's defense sucked, I do think that he's a boom or bust QB on every play. He wants to hit a "five run HR" each time vs. taking what the defense gives him. Maybe with coaching he'll mature and learn but rock star college QBs who run around a lot to buy time and make plays aren't usually the greatest fit in the NFL. Not a hard and fast rule, of course, and Lamar Jackson has certainly become a better pocket passer (for example) but there's something about Williams' game that gives me pause.

Iowa, Indiana and OSU are…

Iowa, Indiana and OSU are clearly the cream of the crop in the B1G. Any of them could win the conference tournament although the Target Center will be "Carver-Hawkeye North" full of Iowa fans. I'm rooting for and picking Iowa--they are really coming together as the season progresses. P.S. Personally I am wayyyy more excited for the women's conference and NCAA tournaments than for the men's.

I like to watch and I'm not…

I like to watch and I'm not watching. But I just got done watching Caitlin Clark become the all time leading scorer in NCAA D-1 history, men and women. Pistol Pete handed over the crown from his (too early) grave.

https://x.com/BFQuinn/status…

https://x.com/BFQuinn/status/1763667611647172937?s=20

The absence of any…

The absence of any basketball discussion for weeks on end--with the exception of Craig's 5 minute ramble near the end of last week's Roundtable to which no one responded at all--is both a blessing and a blessing. Obviously there's nothing good to say so no need to say anything. Predictions about the head coach's future are meaningless and the situation kind of speaks for itself.

In the meantime, good on Michigan for doing deep dives on new hires' backgrounds and taking the time needed to make sure they all pass muster. They've learned their lession!

RIP Craig Roh.

College towns used to be…

College towns used to be idyllic places where the cost of living was reasonable compared with larger cities. But no more. The market seems to have determined that if college kids can afford $30K-$75K in yearly expenses they can certainly afford rents that are double or even triple what they were 10-15 years ago.

I live in Iowa City which is half the size of Ann Arbor but proportionately in a similar situation wrt cost of living/housing. There’s no escaping the fact that shit’s expensive most anywhere you might want to live.

I'm quite certain this is…

I'm quite certain this is very scientific. /s

Heading to Boulder in a couple weeks to (presumably) finalize my youngest son's college choice. As noted in the article they have "...155 miles of hiking trailers." Either I missed the double wides walking around the foothills wearing boots last time I visited or someone in CNBC's furniture assembly instructions dept. didn't double check their copy before clicking Publish.

Maybe so but there's also…

Maybe so but there's also Darian DeVries, who I had never heard of until he was suggested by another poster several months ago. Looks to me from a distance like a legit up and coming young star in the coaching profession.

Great piece. One of Harbaugh…

Great piece. One of Harbaugh's many strengths was knowing exactly how he wanted to win (starting on both lines) and never wavering on that even during the bad Covid season. After he was confronted by the need to find younger assistant coaches and become more personable he led us to a National Championship by focusing on the opponent, one week and one game at a time.

We stopped shooting ourselves in the foot, which we did for many many years, and came together like no Michigan team had done before and won it all. I will always be inspired by these Michigan men and grateful to have watched it all happen. Go Blue!

If I pay $5 will you record…

If I pay $5 will you record an audio edition of this UFR? I'd like you to read it slowly so I can take in every nuance. And for the record I'm going to wear my Mikey Sainristil NC jersey while I listen.

Admittedly I haven't been…

Admittedly I haven't been following Michigan's women's BB team this season, but living in Iowa City at the epicenter of the Caitlin Clark universe I can offer that Iowa as a team is really rounding into form. Their game the other night against PSU was a great example--Hannah Stuelke went off against undersized PSU bigs because her teammates recognized this and fed her every time down the floor.

If Caitlin Clark was a more selfish player, or if Iowa was more of a one woman team, the game would've played out very differently. Clark scored 'only' 27 but set a Carver record with 15 assists. She really is amazing as both a scorer and a passer and her game flow recognition skills are above and beyond as well.

Although I've defended Kirk…

Although I've defended Kirk Ferentz and Iowa's program in the past, I honestly feel that the referenced post/thread is only superficially about Iowa football. It's a political snipe job that engenders at least as many political comments as ones about Iowa's sad offense. Personally I feel it should be deleted in support of the firm "No politics" rule. And I'm not saying that bc it's Iowa; I would say the same thing about almost any other program (except MSU and OSU).