Coaching candidates (for SIU and ISUr fans)

by **ValleyFAN** » February 17th, 2019, 7:41 am

Have been looking through the coaching candidate threads on the various boards and it reminds me of when my Bears had an opening last year. The candidates I just read about on the ISU board within the first few posts are as follows
1) Chris Jans, HC New Mexico St
2) Steve Forbes, HC ETSU
3)Murray State head coach
4) Dana Ford
5) TJ Orzelverger, HC South Dakota State

Lets stop it right there, because Bears fans desperarely wanted many of these guys. We got Ford because he was a valley guy coming from a pretty bad setup at Tenn State. Get your head out of the clouds. Forbes, Jans, etc arent going to your schools. Its a lateral move at best for them. We as fans need to get somewhat realistic expectations about this stuff snd maybe think that our perception of our program is not always reality.

Our ACTUAL candidates list for the Bears last year was Ford, Rob Jeter (fired by UWM), Greg Heiar (LSU asst), Kim English (young Colorado asst), etc. luckily we got a good one.

As a mid, its extremely hard to get a successful HC from a Top 150 program to come to your place and coach! These guys arenwaiting for power conference jobs

PS Redbird fans—Dana Ford would never go to Normal is you fire Dan. If that needs explaining then you really dont know much about these two men.

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by **municup14** » February 17th, 2019, 8:17 am

Well,does Illinois St. fire Dan if they don't make the NCAA.He has had some
great teams but I don't believe they have been to the Dance under Dan.

by **ValleyFAN** » February 17th, 2019, 8:22 am

municup14 wrote:Well,does Illinois St. fire Dan if they don't make the NCAA.He has had some
great teams but I don't believe they have been to the Dance under Dan.

The fans seem to want it but, similar to Lusk, I dont think they can afford the buyout. I am sure they fire him in about two more years when he still hasnt made the tourney. And unlike Lusk, Muller has actually had some good teams, gone to the NIT, etc.

Lusk went to ONE cit tournament in 7 years and lost in the first round.

by **BEARZ77** » February 17th, 2019, 8:30 am

I think you're way off on a number of things, although probably not on Dana. Forbes would have taken the MSU job if the money was right. It wasn't[ largely for things like assistants etc.]and so he stayed at ETSU. He and Jans have some negative history that always precedes them and so they can't be all that picky about opportunities if they're solid ones, and Illinois State would be one. However; I don't see Muller going any where yet, so I think Redbird fans are just setting themselves up for a summer of discontent.

Muller made his mistake by accommodating Yarborough imho; I've always thought they had enough talent w/o him to challenge if they had built the team that way. You can't have MY in and out of the doghouse , yet build the offense around him like Dan did, and expect the kind of consistency needed to win a league title. Of course we all know they could easily jell for 3-4 days yet.

I think Dan will be back, and it will be an important year for him. But anyone seeing gloom and doom i think is short sighted. He has some solid talent back, gets rid of distractions, and oh yeah, has 3 players who have all been practicing this year and who all were double digit scorers in D-1 basketball the previous year. Illinois State will still have one of the top 3-4 rosters in the league going into next year. It'll be interesting what Muller can do w/o the distractions, or does his culture there just create new ones, but the talent will be available again.

by **ValleyFAN** » February 17th, 2019, 8:39 am

BEARZ77 wrote:I think you're way off on a number of things, although probably not on Dana. Forbes would have taken the MSU job if the money was right. It wasn't[ largely for things like assistants etc.]and so he stayed at ETSU. He and Jans have some negative history that always precedes them and so they can't be all that picky about opportunities if they're solid ones, and Illinois State would be one. However; I don't see Muller going any where yet, so I think Redbird fans are just setting themselves up for a summer of discontent.

Muller made his mistake by accommodating Yarborough imho; I've always thought they had enough talent w/o him to challenge if they had built the team that way. You can't have MY in and out of the doghouse , yet build the offense around him like Dan did, and expect the kind of consistency needed to win a league title. Of course we all know they could easily jell for 3-4 days yet.

I think Dan will be back, and it will be an important year for him. But anyone seeing gloom and doom i think is short sighted. He has some solid talent back, gets rid of distractions, and oh yeah, has 3 players who have all been practicing this year and who all were double digit scorers in D-1 basketball the previous year. Illinois State will still have one of the top 3-4 rosters in the league going into next year. It'll be interesting what Muller can do w/o the distractions, or does his culture there just create new ones, but the talent will be available again.

Dont think Im way off—maybe I didnt directly mention it, Money is of course yet another thing that restricts mid coaches from going to other mids. OF COURSE Forbes would have come here if the money was right but the dude is making $600,000 plus RIGHT now! Missouri State cant afford that stuff and I doubt the Redbirds can either.

by **MissouriValleyUnite** » February 17th, 2019, 9:30 am

Unsure RBF is an accurate pulse of Redbird fans.

You’re spot on regarding fan bases in general overrating who they can get and afford. Most coaches aren’t Medveds who jump at the first offer. They’re deliberate about where to go because they understand starting over often delays their destination zone by a few years. Jans/Forbes/McMahon/Otzelberger are unrealistic unless you’re throwing around old money like Bradley.

Last coaches poached came from Tennesseee State (HBCU) and Furman (small private in rural SC). Two programs without a ticket punched since 1994 and 1980.

Cries for a new head man in Blo-No are moot since ISU isn’t buying out 5 years because of a .500 team. The Yarbrough era flopped. I know Dan wishes this had been the Nick Norton era but he followed Randy to UAB then picked Drake. Not having a Paris Lee type PG or leader really killed this cycle.

by **MissouriValleyUnite** » February 17th, 2019, 10:04 am

BEARZ77 wrote:I think you're way off on a number of things, although probably not on Dana. Forbes would have taken the MSU job if the money was right. It wasn't[ largely for things like assistants etc.]and so he stayed at ETSU. He and Jans have some negative history that always precedes them and so they can't be all that picky about opportunities if they're solid ones, and Illinois State would be one.

Dan Muller’s one-sided buyout clause ($50k for poacher, significantly more for ISU) is what it is for one reason: ISU hit a salary ceiling over what it could afford so this was the concession made.

Forbes isn’t leaving for lateral payment. Jans isn’t leaving an annual ticket at NMSU when he can bide time for a higher offer.

by **uniguy** » February 17th, 2019, 10:07 am

I think Otz from SDSU would absolutely take the Ill St job if offered this year. That guy is hungry to move up the chain, and Mike Daum is graduating this year.

SIU? Maybe not only because of the uncertainty at that school right now from a resource perspective. That is a tougher sell.

by **pafan** » February 17th, 2019, 10:47 am

uniguy wrote:SIU? Maybe not only because of the uncertainty at that school right now from a resource perspective. That is a tougher sell.

It's kind of crazy that SIU might be in a worse position now, as far as making a competitive offer to a potential coach, than it was after firing Lowery and paying him that enormous buyout.

by **isumvc1** » February 17th, 2019, 10:53 am

can we include candidates for Indiana State as well, just in case Lansing walks away, or is magically bought out of the last 2 years of his contract?