(02-06-2016 06:34 PM)tigerscane Wrote:  If he was to be fired, If as of now, then you can bank on Penny Hardaway being a Top contender to replace him.....He would be High on the list and def top 3 of choice....No Limits...The World Is Ours Memphis....

Top programs don't need to risk hiring inexperienced head coaches.

Similar to what football power UF learned when they hired recent 1st time head coaches in Ron Zook and then Muschamp...UF is not a "learn on the job" type program.

Neither is Memphis Basketball.

Memphis Basketball is one of the "big boys" who also has the $$$ to hire a top EXPERIENCED HEAD COACH...and not have to go thru what they did with their first time head coach in Pastner.

(02-07-2016 03:40 AM)BealeStreetTiger Wrote:  ...Penny has been one of the best in HS, college, and as an all pro player. Most of these guys don’t want to touch coaching but if he does, we should give him the shot he deserves......

A few years ago, UofM gave former Tiger great shortstop Dave Anderson (with his World Series Champion ring) the shot he deserved and learned the hard way that trying to coach college without having contacts and knowing the ropes of recruiting can lead to failure.

My goodness. Penney Hardaway has excelled at every level and not just in sports. I gotta think he can take care of himself. If there is an opening and if he expresses an interest, I doubt he looses any sleep over "his legacy". Successful people don't waste time.

Word on the street is the Dude is not gonna get fired. He is gonna resign and move on, the Dude knows he is at a point of no return

The thought of hiring Penny is a classic example of an idea that sounds good but has waaaaay more cons than pros. Penny was arguably the most talented Tiger ever. He's a great guy that represents Memphis well. Penny and I had a few classes together during my years at MSU. We lived next door to each other for two Summers at Robinson Hall. He loved ping pong and would take the time to play with ANYONE that wanted to play. He had NO ego whatsoever. I could literally go on all night singing his praises as a player and more importantly, a human being. All that being said, lets look at some of the potential cons of the idea of making him head coach.

1.What made (makes) Penny so endearing is that despite his huge celebrity status, he was always the most polite, soft spoken guy. This is a priceless attribute in a person but not so much in a basketball coach. We want a head coach with some fire in his belly. One that doesn't mind stepping on some toes. One of the biggest knocks on Josh has been that he is too polite. Nike created the "Lil Penny" character because they obviously wanted Penny as a spokesman but he lacked the charisma to be the focus of a commercial (100% true story)

2. Penny is and always will be a Memphis legend. Most kids in the area will hear stories about him for generations. But incoming freshmen weren't even alive the last time he played in the NBA so his ability to parlay his celebrity status into recruiting prowess isn't that substantial. And as I said earlier, a calm, soft-spoken demeanor isn't necessarily conducive to landing big recruits.

3. Outside of AAU ball, he has zero coaching experience (If I'm wrong here, someone please correct me)

4. Being such a gifted athlete doesn't necessarily make one a good coach. In fact, it is often a roadblock. Gifted athletes often have a bigger learning curve understanding why "normal" athletes can't execute 100% of the time. See Magic Johnson's coaching career.

5. The most important possible downside (to me anyway) would be the potential damage done to the relationship between Penny and the city of Memphis if he failed to meet our sometimes lofty expectations. From all indications, Penny has been very smart with his money and certainly doesn't NEED this job. I think from the beginning of Josh's tenure as head coach, the one thing that ALL Tiger fans have agreed on is that Josh is a class individual with integrity. He now has to listen to some people refer to him as a "clown", "moron", and countless other insults (Yes, I am aware that this is part of coaching and making $2.6 million a year) but as Holyterror said, Penny is the last guy we need to alienate. His long term relationship with the city is far more valuable than any POSSIBLE success he COULD bring to the basketball program. He could be the Athletic Director or heck, maybe the Mayor of Memphis someday.

Look at the concerns that I listed. Outside of the "Gifted Athlete" part, most of these apply to Josh as well. I would hate to see another of this city's favorite son's (Larry being the other) treated disrespectfully. I love Tiger basketball with all my heart, but wouldn't want us to take those risks over a game. Hire an experienced head coach not a family member.

Successful people are not unaware of the risks, they simply focus on the goal. If there is an opening and if Penny is interested, he should be given serious consideration.

I'm a little confused. Should we expect someone who was a marginal player to be a better coach than one who excelled at the game? And as to demeanor, don't confuse being soft spoken with weakness.

(02-07-2016 03:33 PM)Irish Wrote:  Should we expect someone who was a marginal player to be a better coach than one who excelled at the game?

Don't expect it, but by the same token you shouldn't expect someone to be a great coach just because they excelled as a player.

(02-07-2016 03:33 PM)Irish Wrote:  Successful people are not unaware of the risks, they simply focus on the goal. If there is an opening and if Penny is interested, he should be given serious consideration.

I'm a little confused. Should we expect someone who was a marginal player to be a better coach than one who excelled at the game? And as to demeanor, don't confuse being soft spoken with weakness.

No need to be confused. Choose twenty active coaches that we could all agree are successful. How many of them were great players? I never mentioned weakness. I doubt Penny has a weak bone in his body. Again choose twenty high level coaches and recruiters. The vast majority of them could also have successful sales careers because they are aggressive to the point of being pushy, usually outspoken, and willing to step on some toes. Coaching and especially recruiting are very cutthroat in nature...even when all the rules are being followed.

Lastly...why do you think Penny "should be given serious consideration"? Because he's a great guy? Because he was a great player?

(02-07-2016 03:33 PM)Irish Wrote:  Successful people are not unaware of the risks, they simply focus on the goal. If there is an opening and if Penny is interested, he should be given serious consideration.

I'm a little confused. Should we expect someone who was a marginal player to be a better coach than one who excelled at the game? And as to demeanor, don't confuse being soft spoken with weakness.

Being a good coach and a good player are widely different skill sets. Some possess both, some possess one. Penny is a great unknown in the coaching ability...that just means it's a big gamble. Financially, we might not have a choice, though. But don't ever confuse playing with coaching, totally different things.

(02-07-2016 03:50 PM)howboutthemtigers Wrote:  

(02-07-2016 03:33 PM)Irish Wrote:  Successful people are not unaware of the risks, they simply focus on the goal. If there is an opening and if Penny is interested, he should be given serious consideration.

I'm a little confused. Should we expect someone who was a marginal player to be a better coach than one who excelled at the game? And as to demeanor, don't confuse being soft spoken with weakness.

No need to be confused. Choose twenty active coaches that we could all agree are successful. How many of them were great players? I never mentioned weakness. I doubt Penny has a weak bone in his body. Again choose twenty high level coaches and recruiters. The vast majority of them could also have successful sales careers because they are aggressive to the point of being pushy, usually outspoken, and willing to step on some toes. Coaching and especially recruiting are very cutthroat in nature...even when all the rules are being followed.

Lastly...why do you think Penny "should be given serious consideration"? Because he's a great guy? Because he was a great player?

I don't think he should be considered because he's a great guy or because he was a great player. But those things sure don't hurt. I have no idea if he would be interested or if he wohld be any good. However, neither does anyone else on this board. If he expresses interest, why would you not give him serious consider? You would only offer if you felt he was the best choice and that would require knowing all of the applicants.

(02-07-2016 03:14 AM)Tiger Greg Wrote:  The Tigers would be in deep doo.

That doesn't begin to cover it.

(02-07-2016 02:48 PM)howboutthemtigers Wrote:  The thought of hiring Penny is a classic example of an idea that sounds good but has waaaaay more cons than pros. Penny was arguably the most talented Tiger ever. He's a great guy that represents Memphis well. Penny and I had a few classes together during my years at MSU. We lived next door to each other for two Summers at Robinson Hall. He loved ping pong and would take the time to play with ANYONE that wanted to play. He had NO ego whatsoever. I could literally go on all night singing his praises as a player and more importantly, a human being. All that being said, lets look at some of the potential cons of the idea of making him head coach.

1.What made (makes) Penny so endearing is that despite his huge celebrity status, he was always the most polite, soft spoken guy. This is a priceless attribute in a person but not so much in a basketball coach. We want a head coach with some fire in his belly. One that doesn't mind stepping on some toes. One of the biggest knocks on Josh has been that he is too polite. Nike created the "Lil Penny" character because they obviously wanted Penny as a spokesman but he lacked the charisma to be the focus of a commercial (100% true story)

2. Penny is and always will be a Memphis legend. Most kids in the area will hear stories about him for generations. But incoming freshmen weren't even alive the last time he played in the NBA so his ability to parlay his celebrity status into recruiting prowess isn't that substantial. And as I said earlier, a calm, soft-spoken demeanor isn't necessarily conducive to landing big recruits.

3. Outside of AAU ball, he has zero coaching experience (If I'm wrong here, someone please correct me)

4. Being such a gifted athlete doesn't necessarily make one a good coach. In fact, it is often a roadblock. Gifted athletes often have a bigger learning curve understanding why "normal" athletes can't execute 100% of the time. See Magic Johnson's coaching career.

5. The most important possible downside (to me anyway) would be the potential damage done to the relationship between Penny and the city of Memphis if he failed to meet our sometimes lofty expectations. From all indications, Penny has been very smart with his money and certainly doesn't NEED this job. I think from the beginning of Josh's tenure as head coach, the one thing that ALL Tiger fans have agreed on is that Josh is a class individual with integrity. He now has to listen to some people refer to him as a "clown", "moron", and countless other insults (Yes, I am aware that this is part of coaching and making $2.6 million a year) but as Holyterror said, Penny is the last guy we need to alienate. His long term relationship with the city is far more valuable than any POSSIBLE success he COULD bring to the basketball program. He could be the Athletic Director or heck, maybe the Mayor of Memphis someday.

Look at the concerns that I listed. Outside of the "Gifted Athlete" part, most of these apply to Josh as well. I would hate to see another of this city's favorite son's (Larry being the other) treated disrespectfully. I love Tiger basketball with all my heart, but wouldn't want us to take those risks over a game. Hire an experienced head coach not a family member.

You make some good points. You're way off on #2 though. Penny played in the League less than 10 years ago. And he still has a shoe. Kids know him. And have you ever talked to Larry Brown or Roy Williams. Those guys are not loud, obnoxious salesmen. But they do pretty well recruiting.

And on #3, he has current HS experience. No college, but more than just AAU.

I'm with you on #5. It's a big risk. You would have to have serious convos with Penny up front about what are the benchmarks and what happens if we don't hit those. Eyes open for all parties.

But even with the risk, I've come around. If he's willing to help us rebuild and get out of the budget crunch, give him the shot.

(02-07-2016 12:30 PM)Gray Avenger Wrote:  

(02-07-2016 03:40 AM)BealeStreetTiger Wrote:  ...Penny has been one of the best in HS, college, and as an all pro player. Most of these guys don’t want to touch coaching but if he does, we should give him the shot he deserves......

A few years ago, UofM gave former Tiger great shortstop Dave Anderson (with his World Series Champion ring) the shot he deserved and learned the hard way that trying to coach college without having contacts and knowing the ropes of recruiting can lead to failure.

His replacement hasn't done much better