Alot of big time jobs are open. VCU is now open. I thought of that as a midmajor job like ours, but supposedly Grant made close to $850,000 there counting his extra incentive money- that's hard to believe. Will the dominoes fall so that Steve is in the picture anywhere? I would think that's a reasonable possibility with his having won 23 games (5 more than Porter ever won with a more difficult schedule), 2 straight 20 win seasons, and 2 straight division titles- although a postseason berth would have likely greatly increased his chances to move up. I also wonder if he would feel this is a good time to leave- 4 starters gone and a rebuilding job ahead. In addition, as some have speculated the AD not accepting a CIT/CBI bid may have been telling him something. Anyway, it's always rather interesting to watch the coaching carousel whether we're involved or not.

Anderson at Mizz is only making something like 850k, so I would think he will get a huge raise or take one of the SEC jobs that pay double that.

(03-28-2009 01:19 PM)mjs Wrote:  Will the dominoes fall so that Steve is in the picture anywhere?

Sure. They always do. Shields has a good resume, and by this time has lots of connections.

Anderson would have to get a LOT of money thrown at him to leave Mizzou for an SEC school where football is the main sport. Mizzou is a good fit for him right now. If Anderson takes an SEC job it would have to be Kentucky.

Shields has a good record, but he has done nothing to build his resume. Porter Moser was a unique situation. He took a team that won 4 games and won 18. He never went to the NCAA, but that turn around was enough to get him noticed someplace like Illinois State, which I put in the same book as VCU. If Shields went anywhere it would be a lateral move or a step down. He doesn't have the resume to go to a school like Illinois State or VCU.

(03-28-2009 10:55 PM)ez272 Wrote:  Anderson would have to get a LOT of money thrown at him to leave Mizzou for an SEC school where football is the main sport. Mizzou is a good fit for him right now. If Anderson takes an SEC job it would have to be Kentucky.

Shields has a good record, but he has done nothing to build his resume. Porter Moser was a unique situation. He took a team that won 4 games and won 18. He never went to the NCAA, but that turn around was enough to get him noticed someplace like Illinois State, which I put in the same book as VCU. If Shields went anywhere it would be a lateral move or a step down. He doesn't have the resume to go to a school like Illinois State or VCU.

Ill St. was near Porters home or Porter had ties there.....

(03-28-2009 07:19 PM)MICHAELSPAPPY Wrote:  

(03-28-2009 01:19 PM)mjs Wrote:  Will the dominoes fall so that Steve is in the picture anywhere?

Sure. They always do. Shields has a good resume, and by this time has lots of connections.

I believe Steve will have to either get to the NCAA and possibly win a game, or the NIT and win to solidify his resume as far as a larger program is concerned. My son in law says to tell everyone on the board that we'd be crazy to fire Steve, and if we do we'll be down for ten years. I don't think many of us are calling for Steve to be fired, and the only way Chris would fire him would be if he feels the program isn't heading in the right direction. 23 wins is pretty good direction.

If anyone watched any of the Oklahoma game today (I watched about ten or fifteen minutes), there were many aspects that played into the win for UNC, but the main thing the announcers pointed out was that UNC had a bunch of people who could shoot the 3 point shot, and Oklahoma didn't have any, and wasn't going to win by making 2 point baskets.

That is exactly why most of us feel we haven't been able to make the next step. Our offense can't normally outscore a Western by shooting 2 point shots when they have at least three players who can shoot the 3. I would think that after ten years in the league Steve will finally realize what it will take to win the league. Good 3 point shooters. Maybe some more are on the way. I would like to see Bozeman, III, and Curtis Jackson, along with Courtney and either Smith, Burton or Bails, on the floor at the same time. That could lead to the type of offensive scoring we need to compete at the highest level.

I doubt Steve could get any wrinkles from a BCS school. But (sad to say) the SBC is in a position now where there are several rungs on the ladder above us before you get to BCS. And in those conferences coaches who have back-to-back 20 win seasons would attract some interest. I think.

In the 24 years I've been following the program only 2 coaches have left UALR to go to another college job. That's not a great track record for stepping stones. Newell to Lamar and Porter to Illinois State. I don't see Steve getting any nibbles at all until he wins an NCAA game. In reality winning 23 games and not going to post season would be a red flag to me if I'm on the hiring end looking in. Our graduation rate is second to none, but most BCS schools don't put much stock into that.
I think Steve stays here and we have a good competitive program that graduates players and HOPEFULLY SOMEDAY returns to post season.

(03-29-2009 09:27 PM)Karl B Wrote:  In the 24 years I've been following the program only 2 coaches have left UALR to go to another college job. That's not a great track record for stepping stones. Newell to Lamar and Porter to Illinois State. I don't see Steve getting any nibbles at all until he wins an NCAA game. In reality winning 23 games and not going to post season would be a red flag to me if I'm on the hiring end looking in. Our graduation rate is second to none, but most BCS schools don't put much stock into that.
I think Steve stays here and we have a good competitive program that graduates players and HOPEFULLY SOMEDAY returns to post season.

and I would barely call those moves "up". At that point in time, Lamar was a relatively respected program, probably a slight move up, all though it is clearly below us now. The MoValley got fewer teams in the last two NCAA tournaments than the Sun Belt did- the main thing they have over the Sun Belt is passionate fan support. Newell supposedly had the Marquette job if he wanted it- that would have been a huge move up. It's possible that if he had won there, that would have helped the perception of UALR as a "stepping stone" program like Tulsa and WKU. As it is, no UALR coach has ever left here and been successful somewhere else. Kestenbaum got a job at Brooklyn College but they dropped DI basketball, Newell was fired at Lamar, Platt is still a successful assistant but was fired from a head coaching position at Charleston Southern, Wimp never coached again, Sidney never coached in college again, Porter was fired at Illinois State, and Steve is still here after 6 seasons. Pretty amazing record when you think about it. It would certainly make an assistant from a big time program, who has aspirations to coach at a higher level, think long and hard about coming here if we had an opening.

(03-29-2009 09:48 PM)mjs Wrote:  

(03-29-2009 09:27 PM)Karl B Wrote:  In the 24 years I've been following the program only 2 coaches have left UALR to go to another college job. That's not a great track record for stepping stones. Newell to Lamar and Porter to Illinois State. I don't see Steve getting any nibbles at all until he wins an NCAA game. In reality winning 23 games and not going to post season would be a red flag to me if I'm on the hiring end looking in. Our graduation rate is second to none, but most BCS schools don't put much stock into that.
I think Steve stays here and we have a good competitive program that graduates players and HOPEFULLY SOMEDAY returns to post season.

and I would barely call those moves "up". At that point in time, Lamar was a relatively respected program, probably a slight move up, all though it is clearly below us now. The MoValley got fewer teams in the last two NCAA tournaments than the Sun Belt did- the main thing they have over the Sun Belt is passionate fan support. Newell supposedly had the Marquette job if he wanted it- that would have been a huge move up. It's possible that if he had won there, that would have helped the perception of UALR as a "stepping stone" program like Tulsa and WKU. As it is, no UALR coach has ever left here and been successful somewhere else. Kestenbaum got a job at Brooklyn College but they dropped DI basketball, Newell was fired at Lamar, Platt is still a successful assistant but was fired from a head coaching position at Charleston Southern, Wimp never coached again, Sidney never coached in college again, Porter was fired at Illinois State, and Steve is still here after 6 seasons. Pretty amazing record when you think about it. It would certainly make an assistant from a big time program, who has aspirations to coach at a higher level, think long and hard about coming here if we had an opening.

True, our program has been no stepping stone, but the bottom line is this, while Newell and Moser didn't go far up the food chain with their moves, they did get the opportunity to move, whether you consider it an upward or a lateral move, they were offered a job somewhere else. Steve has not been offered. Hopefully he will, but there's probably not a lot of schools looking to sign on with grinder ball. They want something exciting, and something that brings fans in.

(03-29-2009 09:59 PM)LRTrojan Wrote:  

(03-29-2009 09:48 PM)mjs Wrote:  

(03-29-2009 09:27 PM)Karl B Wrote:  In the 24 years I've been following the program only 2 coaches have left UALR to go to another college job. That's not a great track record for stepping stones. Newell to Lamar and Porter to Illinois State. I don't see Steve getting any nibbles at all until he wins an NCAA game. In reality winning 23 games and not going to post season would be a red flag to me if I'm on the hiring end looking in. Our graduation rate is second to none, but most BCS schools don't put much stock into that.
I think Steve stays here and we have a good competitive program that graduates players and HOPEFULLY SOMEDAY returns to post season.

and I would barely call those moves "up". At that point in time, Lamar was a relatively respected program, probably a slight move up, all though it is clearly below us now. The MoValley got fewer teams in the last two NCAA tournaments than the Sun Belt did- the main thing they have over the Sun Belt is passionate fan support. Newell supposedly had the Marquette job if he wanted it- that would have been a huge move up. It's possible that if he had won there, that would have helped the perception of UALR as a "stepping stone" program like Tulsa and WKU. As it is, no UALR coach has ever left here and been successful somewhere else. Kestenbaum got a job at Brooklyn College but they dropped DI basketball, Newell was fired at Lamar, Platt is still a successful assistant but was fired from a head coaching position at Charleston Southern, Wimp never coached again, Sidney never coached in college again, Porter was fired at Illinois State, and Steve is still here after 6 seasons. Pretty amazing record when you think about it. It would certainly make an assistant from a big time program, who has aspirations to coach at a higher level, think long and hard about coming here if we had an opening.

True, our program has been no stepping stone, but the bottom line is this, while Newell and Moser didn't go far up the food chain with their moves, they did get the opportunity to move, whether you consider it an upward or a lateral move, they were offered a job somewhere else. Steve has not been offered. Hopefully he will, but there's probably not a lot of schools looking to sign on with grinder ball. They want something exciting, and something that brings fans in.

You're probably right- but if a coaching search was done right (I know it rarely is) he may have gotten an offer or two without anyone knowing about it. Wouldn't shock me if some Southland school, from his home state, has contacted him over the last year or two. Certainly not a move up, but sometimes going home is appealing for some people. It would be interesting to know how Steve is viewed among the "coaching fraternity" nationally. Maybe others perceive him the way you do. It's also possible that some may say "Boy, he's doing a heck of a job winning 20+ games in Little Rock a place where no one has won like that in 20 years.

(03-29-2009 10:07 PM)mjs Wrote:  

(03-29-2009 09:59 PM)LRTrojan Wrote:  

(03-29-2009 09:48 PM)mjs Wrote:  

(03-29-2009 09:27 PM)Karl B Wrote:  In the 24 years I've been following the program only 2 coaches have left UALR to go to another college job. That's not a great track record for stepping stones. Newell to Lamar and Porter to Illinois State. I don't see Steve getting any nibbles at all until he wins an NCAA game. In reality winning 23 games and not going to post season would be a red flag to me if I'm on the hiring end looking in. Our graduation rate is second to none, but most BCS schools don't put much stock into that.
I think Steve stays here and we have a good competitive program that graduates players and HOPEFULLY SOMEDAY returns to post season.

and I would barely call those moves "up". At that point in time, Lamar was a relatively respected program, probably a slight move up, all though it is clearly below us now. The MoValley got fewer teams in the last two NCAA tournaments than the Sun Belt did- the main thing they have over the Sun Belt is passionate fan support. Newell supposedly had the Marquette job if he wanted it- that would have been a huge move up. It's possible that if he had won there, that would have helped the perception of UALR as a "stepping stone" program like Tulsa and WKU. As it is, no UALR coach has ever left here and been successful somewhere else. Kestenbaum got a job at Brooklyn College but they dropped DI basketball, Newell was fired at Lamar, Platt is still a successful assistant but was fired from a head coaching position at Charleston Southern, Wimp never coached again, Sidney never coached in college again, Porter was fired at Illinois State, and Steve is still here after 6 seasons. Pretty amazing record when you think about it. It would certainly make an assistant from a big time program, who has aspirations to coach at a higher level, think long and hard about coming here if we had an opening.

True, our program has been no stepping stone, but the bottom line is this, while Newell and Moser didn't go far up the food chain with their moves, they did get the opportunity to move, whether you consider it an upward or a lateral move, they were offered a job somewhere else. Steve has not been offered. Hopefully he will, but there's probably not a lot of schools looking to sign on with grinder ball. They want something exciting, and something that brings fans in.

You're probably right- but if a coaching search was done right (I know it rarely is) he may have gotten an offer or two without anyone knowing about it. Wouldn't shock me if some Southland school, from his home state, has contacted him over the last year or two. Certainly not a move up, but sometimes going home is appealing for some people. It would be interesting to know how Steve is viewed among the "coaching fraternity" nationally. Maybe others perceive him the way you do. It's also possible that some may say "Boy, he's doing a heck of a job winning 20+ games in Little Rock a place where no one has won like that in 20 years.

We have to remember though that past coaches didn't have the Stephens Center and an up and coming campus with more dorms and apartments. That what makes Newell's accomplishments even more profound. He did it when UALR was truly a non-traditional school with no true home court and nice facilities.

(03-29-2009 10:19 PM)LR Alum Wrote:  

(03-29-2009 10:07 PM)mjs Wrote:  

(03-29-2009 09:59 PM)LRTrojan Wrote:  

(03-29-2009 09:48 PM)mjs Wrote:  

(03-29-2009 09:27 PM)Karl B Wrote:  In the 24 years I've been following the program only 2 coaches have left UALR to go to another college job. That's not a great track record for stepping stones. Newell to Lamar and Porter to Illinois State. I don't see Steve getting any nibbles at all until he wins an NCAA game. In reality winning 23 games and not going to post season would be a red flag to me if I'm on the hiring end looking in. Our graduation rate is second to none, but most BCS schools don't put much stock into that.
I think Steve stays here and we have a good competitive program that graduates players and HOPEFULLY SOMEDAY returns to post season.

and I would barely call those moves "up". At that point in time, Lamar was a relatively respected program, probably a slight move up, all though it is clearly below us now. The MoValley got fewer teams in the last two NCAA tournaments than the Sun Belt did- the main thing they have over the Sun Belt is passionate fan support. Newell supposedly had the Marquette job if he wanted it- that would have been a huge move up. It's possible that if he had won there, that would have helped the perception of UALR as a "stepping stone" program like Tulsa and WKU. As it is, no UALR coach has ever left here and been successful somewhere else. Kestenbaum got a job at Brooklyn College but they dropped DI basketball, Newell was fired at Lamar, Platt is still a successful assistant but was fired from a head coaching position at Charleston Southern, Wimp never coached again, Sidney never coached in college again, Porter was fired at Illinois State, and Steve is still here after 6 seasons. Pretty amazing record when you think about it. It would certainly make an assistant from a big time program, who has aspirations to coach at a higher level, think long and hard about coming here if we had an opening.

True, our program has been no stepping stone, but the bottom line is this, while Newell and Moser didn't go far up the food chain with their moves, they did get the opportunity to move, whether you consider it an upward or a lateral move, they were offered a job somewhere else. Steve has not been offered. Hopefully he will, but there's probably not a lot of schools looking to sign on with grinder ball. They want something exciting, and something that brings fans in.

You're probably right- but if a coaching search was done right (I know it rarely is) he may have gotten an offer or two without anyone knowing about it. Wouldn't shock me if some Southland school, from his home state, has contacted him over the last year or two. Certainly not a move up, but sometimes going home is appealing for some people. It would be interesting to know how Steve is viewed among the "coaching fraternity" nationally. Maybe others perceive him the way you do. It's also possible that some may say "Boy, he's doing a heck of a job winning 20+ games in Little Rock a place where no one has won like that in 20 years.

We have to remember though that past coaches didn't have the Stephens Center and an up and coming campus with more dorms and apartments. That what makes Newell's accomplishments even more profound. He didn't when UALR was truly a non-traditional school with no true home court and nice facilities.

Didn't Sidney leave for a $750,000 a year job with the Dallas Mavericks, and supposedly was going to be the coach in waiting? If that was true, that would have been the greatest move up by a UALR coach, and one who's team won four games in his only season.

(03-29-2009 10:19 PM)LR Alum Wrote:  

(03-29-2009 10:07 PM)mjs Wrote:  

(03-29-2009 09:59 PM)LRTrojan Wrote:  

(03-29-2009 09:48 PM)mjs Wrote:  

(03-29-2009 09:27 PM)Karl B Wrote:  In the 24 years I've been following the program only 2 coaches have left UALR to go to another college job. That's not a great track record for stepping stones. Newell to Lamar and Porter to Illinois State. I don't see Steve getting any nibbles at all until he wins an NCAA game. In reality winning 23 games and not going to post season would be a red flag to me if I'm on the hiring end looking in. Our graduation rate is second to none, but most BCS schools don't put much stock into that.
I think Steve stays here and we have a good competitive program that graduates players and HOPEFULLY SOMEDAY returns to post season.

and I would barely call those moves "up". At that point in time, Lamar was a relatively respected program, probably a slight move up, all though it is clearly below us now. The MoValley got fewer teams in the last two NCAA tournaments than the Sun Belt did- the main thing they have over the Sun Belt is passionate fan support. Newell supposedly had the Marquette job if he wanted it- that would have been a huge move up. It's possible that if he had won there, that would have helped the perception of UALR as a "stepping stone" program like Tulsa and WKU. As it is, no UALR coach has ever left here and been successful somewhere else. Kestenbaum got a job at Brooklyn College but they dropped DI basketball, Newell was fired at Lamar, Platt is still a successful assistant but was fired from a head coaching position at Charleston Southern, Wimp never coached again, Sidney never coached in college again, Porter was fired at Illinois State, and Steve is still here after 6 seasons. Pretty amazing record when you think about it. It would certainly make an assistant from a big time program, who has aspirations to coach at a higher level, think long and hard about coming here if we had an opening.

True, our program has been no stepping stone, but the bottom line is this, while Newell and Moser didn't go far up the food chain with their moves, they did get the opportunity to move, whether you consider it an upward or a lateral move, they were offered a job somewhere else. Steve has not been offered. Hopefully he will, but there's probably not a lot of schools looking to sign on with grinder ball. They want something exciting, and something that brings fans in.

You're probably right- but if a coaching search was done right (I know it rarely is) he may have gotten an offer or two without anyone knowing about it. Wouldn't shock me if some Southland school, from his home state, has contacted him over the last year or two. Certainly not a move up, but sometimes going home is appealing for some people. It would be interesting to know how Steve is viewed among the "coaching fraternity" nationally. Maybe others perceive him the way you do. It's also possible that some may say "Boy, he's doing a heck of a job winning 20+ games in Little Rock a place where no one has won like that in 20 years.

We have to remember though that past coaches didn't have the Stephens Center and an up and coming campus with more dorms and apartments. That what makes Newell's accomplishments even more profound. He did it when UALR was truly a non-traditional school with no true home court and nice facilities.

Newell's accomplishment were extremely impressive considering the limitations that existed at the time. What he was able to sell was a "dream". No doubt he was a great salesman. He obviously was able to convince recruits that UALR could become the next "UAB, Memphis, Louisville, etc". I think he may have believed that dream himself- I know he had me convinced. However, that type of sales pitch just won't fly with recruits anymore. We're not suddenly going to become a Memphis or Louisville and no recruit is going to be snowed into believing we will. We are what we are- a solid midmajor program with a great facility and an improving campus- but we still don't offer anywhere near the college environment you're going to get at WKU, MTSU, ULLor even Denver.

(03-29-2009 08:32 PM)Dr. J. Wrote:  

(03-28-2009 07:19 PM)MICHAELSPAPPY Wrote:  

(03-28-2009 01:19 PM)mjs Wrote:  Will the dominoes fall so that Steve is in the picture anywhere?

Sure. They always do. Shields has a good resume, and by this time has lots of connections.

I believe Steve will have to either get to the NCAA and possibly win a game, or the NIT and win to solidify his resume as far as a larger program is concerned. My son in law says to tell everyone on the board that we'd be crazy to fire Steve, and if we do we'll be down for ten years. I don't think many of us are calling for Steve to be fired, and the only way Chris would fire him would be if he feels the program isn't heading in the right direction. 23 wins is pretty good direction.

If anyone watched any of the Oklahoma game today (I watched about ten or fifteen minutes), there were many aspects that played into the win for UNC, but the main thing the announcers pointed out was that UNC had a bunch of people who could shoot the 3 point shot, and Oklahoma didn't have any, and wasn't going to win by making 2 point baskets.

That is exactly why most of us feel we haven't been able to make the next step. Our offense can't normally outscore a Western by shooting 2 point shots when they have at least three players who can shoot the 3. I would think that after ten years in the league Steve will finally realize what it will take to win the league. Good 3 point shooters. Maybe some more are on the way. I would like to see Bozeman, III, and Curtis Jackson, along with Courtney and either Smith, Burton or Bails, on the floor at the same time. That could lead to the type of offensive scoring we need to compete at the highest level.

The Sooners had 3 kids that could score from 3 and have been red hot in the tournament. Their pg play is a little weak at the level they play at and the Griffen kids just did not get the loins share of rebounds like they usually get.

The other thing that lost the game for them was coaching and raw talent. UNC had more of both.

http://www.cbssports.com/collegebasketba...y/11315259

Here is one of the best sites for keeping up with the coaching turnover.