04-02-2006, 01:22 PM
Hats off and in the ring. ;-)
I have read how everyone thinks that we need to hire an experienced coach like Mike Davis or Scott Edgar, and not an assistant moving up. I am here to say that no one we are considering is a sure thing. Even Mike Davis. He made it to the NCAA finals with Bobby Knights players, but what about since then? Plus, he has never coached at a school like UAB. It's much easier to recruit to Indiana than to UAB. The only current candidate that has that experience is Scott Edgar, but that is as an assistant. Plus, he did coach and succeed at Murray State, but then again, he failed at Duquesne. It's basically a crap shoot.
So what do you want? Do you want to spend $700,000 type money on a Mike Davis or other big name and get a short term PR boost, but ultimately an unsuccessful coach? In other words, you are spending a lot of money on poor results. Or do you want to gamble like we did with Mike Anderson and get an assistant for around $350K. If he's unsuccessful, you aren't losing as much money.
Let's look at the other side. $700K coach comes in and is wildly successful. To keep him, you have to make salary increases, with a start point at $700K. UAB can't afford that. Or, $350K coach comes in and is wildly successful. UAB can afford to make those salary boosts.
As I said from the very beginning, it wasn't about money with Mike Anderson. It was about the conference. There's only two things we can do about the conference:
1. Wait for the next realignment and hope and position ourselves into a better situation.
or
2. Drop football and try for the MVC or A10.
Most everyone here would choose option 1.
The money UAB could be spending on a high priced coach who may or may not win, could be going to other long term needs such as facilities. Maybe the current adminsitration is thinking along those terms. The money they save on a basketball coach may be going to get experienced athletic director, which is more of a sure thing than an experienced basketball coach.
I have read how everyone thinks that we need to hire an experienced coach like Mike Davis or Scott Edgar, and not an assistant moving up. I am here to say that no one we are considering is a sure thing. Even Mike Davis. He made it to the NCAA finals with Bobby Knights players, but what about since then? Plus, he has never coached at a school like UAB. It's much easier to recruit to Indiana than to UAB. The only current candidate that has that experience is Scott Edgar, but that is as an assistant. Plus, he did coach and succeed at Murray State, but then again, he failed at Duquesne. It's basically a crap shoot.
So what do you want? Do you want to spend $700,000 type money on a Mike Davis or other big name and get a short term PR boost, but ultimately an unsuccessful coach? In other words, you are spending a lot of money on poor results. Or do you want to gamble like we did with Mike Anderson and get an assistant for around $350K. If he's unsuccessful, you aren't losing as much money.
Let's look at the other side. $700K coach comes in and is wildly successful. To keep him, you have to make salary increases, with a start point at $700K. UAB can't afford that. Or, $350K coach comes in and is wildly successful. UAB can afford to make those salary boosts.
As I said from the very beginning, it wasn't about money with Mike Anderson. It was about the conference. There's only two things we can do about the conference:
1. Wait for the next realignment and hope and position ourselves into a better situation.
or
2. Drop football and try for the MVC or A10.
Most everyone here would choose option 1.
The money UAB could be spending on a high priced coach who may or may not win, could be going to other long term needs such as facilities. Maybe the current adminsitration is thinking along those terms. The money they save on a basketball coach may be going to get experienced athletic director, which is more of a sure thing than an experienced basketball coach.