Jank

[Ali]

What if we up the ante to keep him, how much would it take? I'm sure ISU could afford it. If not, the carousel trend of coaches leaving will never end. Time to decide if we want to play with the big boys or if we're going to continue to be a coaching farm system for other BCS schools...

If I'm ISU, I'm not sure Jank has done enough to get "big boy" money. Now SMU might disagree, but I'd be surprised if ISU ante'd up big time.

[BirdmanBB]

What if we up the ante to keep him, how much would it take? I'm sure ISU could afford it. If not, the carousel trend of coaches leaving will never end. Time to decide if we want to play with the big boys or if we're going to continue to be a coaching farm system for other BCS schools...

$800K with a 5yr agreement would match what SMU is supposedly offering. Not happening. We are already putting money towards the football renovation. We probably won't be able to offer anything more than the $400K or so that he is already getting.

Time to start looking for a new coach. Hopefully we get someone who can keep this current team together.

[cu8493]

Doc Sadler is looking for a job, and Nebraska will be supplementing his salary to the tune of a few million big ones over then next few years so $400K should be just fine with him. You too can have your BCS coach to bolster your cred.

[CaliRdBrd]

Dan Muller.

[BirdmanBB]

Sounds like Larry Brown is locked up for the SMU position. No word on Jank yet.

[Snaggletooth]

Sounds like Larry Brown is locked up for the SMU position. No word on Jank yet.

sure there is...ESPN reporting the hold up was finalizing Jank contract before Brown committed. So it is done deal.

[CaliRdBrd]

Sounds like Larry Brown is locked up for the SMU position. No word on Jank yet.

sure there is...ESPN reporting the hold up was finalizing Jank contract before Brown committed. So it is done deal.

In teh words of Lee Corso...."not so fast, my friend."

[BirdmanBB]

It's now coming out that Jank is conflicted on whether to move forward with the deal or not.

It's really interesting what SMU is trying to do here. Supposedly the Illinois recruiting classes for the next few years are supposed to be top notch. So SMU's plan is to hire a big name in Larry Brown that players want to play for and have Jerrance Howard and Jank identify players with the contacts they have already developed in Illinois. Howard and Jank get the players in a room with Brown who then seals the deal. This is probably the biggest and only reason why SMU is interested in Jank in the first place. His performance at ISU hasn't merited an $800K per year salary. He's just a guy with coaching experience and a so-so record who these kids they are bringing on wouldn't mind playing for once Brown leaves in 2 years.

....but now Jank may want to stay at ISU.

[CaliRdBrd]

No offense to any SMU alumni, but it's a football school 1st and foremost that thinks they're making a step into the big time. Well...the Big East is a skeleton of what it used to be and probably will be a mess for years (if it lasts that long).
Part of being a Redbird fan, or a fan of most teams in the MVC, is the realization that any quality/successful coach will be heavily pursued and usually leave. We have to assume Jank will be gone at some point, and I guess I'm ok with that, but I don't see this as a very good opportunity. If he does well in '12, with the Birds, he can likely parlay that into a much better opportunity in a better basketball conference (i.e. ACC, Pac 12, Big 12) than SMU and the reeling Big East.

[BirdmanBB]

Another quick update.

Apparently Jank did sign an extension with ISU a few weeks ago or so. $477K and 5 years.