(03-14-2024 11:37 PM)owl40 Wrote:  

(03-14-2024 10:44 PM)NYNightOwl Wrote:  McClelland seems to be implying the next candidate will either be someone with prior head coaching experience or someone with Rice experience.

https://twitter.com/i/status/1768420968697872847

Sounds like Willis Wilson is the perfect candidate from his description.

Pastner hired Wilson as an assistant coach at Memphis FWIW.

Seth Davis implied that Josh Pastner would inject some energy into the Rice program and I just...don't see it? He was great when Memphis was in Conference USA but immediately struggled when they moved to the American and the talent deficit shrunk. His tenure at Georgia Tech, an admittedly difficult place to win, was meh at best. I get that he is (or was) a Houston guy, but I don't see him as an inspired hire.

In terms of assistants with Rice experience who McClelland might be referring to, the obvious guys are Carlin Hartman and Brent Scott. Hartman we've talked about and I'm not sold on Scott being head coach material.

McClelland's job is difficult here because there aren't a ton of guys jumping off the page as home run hires. But there ARE a lot of guys who, at least to me, seem like immediate duds. I hope he's doing a comprehensive search. Look at HCs in lower ranked conferences, look at HCs in D2/D3/NAIA, look at assistants with experience dealing with academics, etc.

https://www.cbssports.com/college-basket...use-fired/

Rice
Out : Scott Pera
Rice sacked Pera after seven seasons in Houston, the high point being 2022-23, when the Owls went 19-16. Early names for this job include Longwood coach Griff Aldrich, former Georgia Tech coach Josh Pastner, Florida assistant Carlin Hartman and Xavier assistant Adam Cohen.

(03-15-2024 08:45 AM)WIowl Wrote:  https://www.cbssports.com/college-basket...use-fired/

Rice
Out : Scott Pera
Rice sacked Pera after seven seasons in Houston, the high point being 2022-23, when the Owls went 19-16. Early names for this job include Longwood coach Griff Aldrich, former Georgia Tech coach Josh Pastner, Florida assistant Carlin Hartman and Xavier assistant Adam Cohen.

Cohen, with his experience at Rice and Stanford, seems like one of our more “traditional” selections. I wonder if his coaching of Quincy this year would translate into anything more than just, what a coincidence.

(03-14-2024 11:37 PM)owl40 Wrote:  

(03-14-2024 10:44 PM)NYNightOwl Wrote:  McClelland seems to be implying the next candidate will either be someone with prior head coaching experience or someone with Rice experience.

https://twitter.com/i/status/1768420968697872847

Sounds like Willis Wilson is the perfect candidate from his description.

No thank you.

Aldrich is the interesting candidate. His background makes him super intriguing, and on paper him turning around Longwood is a super job (as was his work with UMBC during their Cindarella season) . The metrics don't love him, though. As far as I can tell, he's never had a top-125 season offensively or defensively. But on the flip side, he wins games. In what's been a down year (6-10 in conference), Longwood still beat the #4, #1, and #2 seeds on the way to another NCAA tournament bid.

Pastner, see above. Also sounds like he's meeting with Rice today (gulp)

Hartman, I'm mixed on. Think he would use Rice as a stepping stone but also know he's very well respected in the industry and players love him. Obviously has experience at Rice.

Cohen, would depend on his staff. Would be a youngish and inexperienced HC, which means he'd need to surround himself with experienced coaches. Would clearly be a guy who appreciates the academic side of things.

Aldrich was a partner at V&E. Not on the bingo card for most coaching candidates. Phi Beta Kappa and Virginia law school graduate, not bad academic qualifications.

Anybody Rice lawyers who worked at V&E have any thoughts? I sent a message to Bill Irish, who just retired as associate AD at Longwood and whose wife Teresa used to work in Rice sports information, asking him for his thoughts.

Also, while at V&E he coached AAU ball in the Houston area. That could be useful for recruiting.

My understanding is that there is or will be a proposal that if Brent Scott is employed as Head Coach, that Carlin will join as the "Associate Head Coach". My personal opinion is that this would be a great proposal.

No thanks to Brent Scott. Sounds like Jose Cruz Jr. 2.0.

Yeah I'm also leaning towards against Scott. Admittedly, I don't know too much about him but I didn't get HC vibes from him when he was at Rice with Rhoades. But that was a few years ago.

(03-14-2024 10:25 AM)elw4796 Wrote:  Trilly Donovan, probably the best source on the internet for coaching and recruits and transfers, says: "Heard everyone from Griff Aldrich to Josh Pastner for the Rice job. Should be a fun one to track." Aldrich is a UVA law graduate, former partner at Vinson & Elkins, founder of an oil and gas company in Texas, and former CFO of a private investment firm. Really interesting story and solid coach from what I've heard. Pastner, on the other hand...I'd be less thrilled about. Wouldn't be a bad hire but uninspired.

Griff Aldrich would be an interesting pick - he’s taken Longwood to the tourney twice in five years. If he’s the man he ought to look at his Farmville, VA neighbor Caleb Kimbrough, the HC at Hampden-Sydney, who at age 38 has his Tigers playing for the D3 National Championship only five years into this first HC job.

(03-15-2024 12:11 PM)ExcitedOwl18 Wrote:  No thanks to Brent Scott. Sounds like Jose Cruz Jr. 2.0.

But with 15 years of college coaching experience.

I assume Tudor/Trauber/Peakes would have crossed paths with Aldrich professionally, given that Aldrich was in V&E's corporate M&A group.

Brent has coached at Rice, TCU, LSU, VCU and now at Penn State. He was the primary recruiter at TCU and LSU and joined up with Rhodes back at Rice. He would have stayed at Rice when Rhodes left but he wasn't treated fairly at that time (my opinion).

He's coached a number of post players that have been good in D-1 at the P-5 level and have gone on to NBA/pro careers.

To me, the first recruiting job would be to keep Mason, Akuchie and Shelby (and maybe convince Cam to return if he's healthy). I don't think there is much doubt that Brent could recruit great players to Rice since he's had a fairly long track record at the top levels of D-1 basketball.

Reply from Bill Irish:

“Interesting. You know his wife is Jack Blanton‘s granddaughter? Her family is worth about $1 billion and Griff made a good living as an oil and gas attorney in Houston so there are plenty of friends there. Money wouldn’t be an issue because he only gets paid about 175 a year here. My only concerns about him are he has a [reputation as a] screamer and a yeller and that doesn’t always seem to work with today’s student athlete, but he seems to get the job done and as long as he has support for the way, he coaches and treats players, he would be a really good fit at Rice. He is best friends with Longwood president and there’s no way that Longwood could match salary with Rice. You just never know. They were [law] school classmates at UVA and they knew each other from what I am told in college as their fathers were part of the same law firm in Richmond, before Taylor Reeley, the third became president of the college of William and Mary. Taylor, the fourth is the president of Longwood. And the one that gave Griff a chance as an untested basketball coach and at Longwood.”

(03-15-2024 01:18 PM)westsidewolf1989 Wrote:  I assume Tudor/Trauber/Peakes would have crossed paths with Aldrich professionally, given that Aldrich was in V&E's corporate M&A group.

I’m kind of wondering if he’s the Tudor/Trauber/Peakes candidate in this field.

(03-15-2024 12:20 PM)johncatworth Wrote:  

(03-14-2024 10:25 AM)elw4796 Wrote:  Trilly Donovan, probably the best source on the internet for coaching and recruits and transfers, says: "Heard everyone from Griff Aldrich to Josh Pastner for the Rice job. Should be a fun one to track." Aldrich is a UVA law graduate, former partner at Vinson & Elkins, founder of an oil and gas company in Texas, and former CFO of a private investment firm. Really interesting story and solid coach from what I've heard. Pastner, on the other hand...I'd be less thrilled about. Wouldn't be a bad hire but uninspired.

Griff Aldrich would be an interesting pick - he’s taken Longwood to the tourney twice in five years. If he’s the man he ought to look at his Farmville, VA neighbor Caleb Kimbrough, the HC at Hampden-Sydney, who at age 38 has his Tigers playing for the D3 National Championship only five years into this first HC job.

There really is a Farmville.

Here's one...

Carlin Hartman is entering his first season as Associate Head Coach for the Florida Gators. Hartman carries 22 years of experience at the collegiate level, including five seasons at Oklahoma under Lon Kruger and a season at UNLV under Kevin Kruger. Hartman additionally was on staff at Columbia with current Floria Head Coach Todd Golden for a couple seasons. Hartman has a proven track record of magnificent coaching and elite recruiting. In 2021-2022, Hartman assisted at UNLV and led the Runnin Rebels to an 18-win season, including double-digit Mountain West Conference victories. At Oklahoma, Hartman carved his way into an established recruiter leading the Sooners to their best recruiting class in the Lon Kruger Era in 2019. Hartman recruited and mentored Oklahoma legends, Trae Young, Isaiah Cousins, and Austin Reaves while in Norman. Prior to Oklahoma, Hartman served on staff at Rice, Columbia, and Richmond. Hartman played four year at Tulane and is celebrated as a part of Tulane’s 1990s All-Decade Team.

A Scott/Hartman combo is intriguing. I personally wonder if he would go from being the associate head coach at Florida to the associate head coach at Rice. But I know Carlin has always had a special place in his heart for Rice basketball.

I’m not sure what to think about Aldrich. He has an interesting background to be sure. The only thing that scares me about him is he relied heavily on the transfer portal at Longwood, and I’m not sure if he can get those type players to Rice. One of his best players currently is Walyn Napier, who I loved some years back at USM. I’m shocked he is still playing but I remember saying several years ago he was the type of player we need at Rice. If he can qualify academically. He does seem to have his kids doing well academically at Longwood so that’s a plus.

(03-15-2024 03:46 PM)Fort Bend Owl Wrote:  A Scott/Hartman combo is intriguing. I personally wonder if he would go from being the associate head coach at Florida to the associate head coach at Rice. But I know Carlin has always had a special place in his heart for Rice basketball.

I’m not sure what to think about Aldrich. He has an interesting background to be sure. The only thing that scares me about him is he relied heavily on the transfer portal at Longwood, and I’m not sure if he can get those type players to Rice. One of his best players currently is Walyn Napier, who I loved some years back at USM. I’m shocked he is still playing but I remember saying several years ago he was the type of player we need at Rice. If he can qualify academically. He does seem to have his kids doing well academically at Longwood so that’s a plus.

Aldrich just signed a 10-year extension to stay at Longwood. He has done an incredible job for them.