WakeForest Fan
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can i get a tattoo of shaka/wake now?
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The coach before Bobby Hurley was Reggie Witherspoon. He had 4 20 win seasons in 14 tries and a 0.465 record. Bobby Hurley, with Nate Oats on his staff, certainly started the program on the trajectory it is on today. However, when Nate Oats took over, it was still a program in a bad conference, with limited resources, and a terrible recruiting area.
That won 23 games in back to back years which landed Hurley at a better program. Oats may be a slam dunk hire and when we look back in 20 years, a better head of a top 25 program in an elite conference than Shaka, but there is nothing on his resume that says he can turn around a program a la Dave Clawson's resume before landing at Wake. His resume certainly suggests he can coach, and he can ramp up an already good program (comparative to its conference peers).
BTW, you can essentially say the same about Shaka. Clawson's was a unique resume. But I just don't think the narrative that Oats took a moribund program from the depths of hell to the top of the heap anchored in reality.
I didn't say he took it from the depths of hell. I said it was a terrible program. And it was, is, and likely always will be.
Maybe a shitty conference, but it just wasn't a terrible program. Maybe it was a shitty program before Hurley arrived but not on his departure and Oats ascension. Explain how it was a shitty program after back-to-back 23 win seasons? Maybe I am not understanding your point or metrics.
If Kenpom end of season rankings are any indicator, Hurley left the cupboard bare and then Oats built and elevated the program nationally far more than either of the previous coaches.Um, I am certainly pro Nate Oats. But let's be clear, Buffalo was NOT an awful program in a bad conference before Oats. Bobby Hurley did a lot of the leg work, and I think the coach before him was involved in turning the program into a perennial 20-win team as well. I think Buffalo won 23 games prior to Oats taking over went Hurley when to Arizona State. Unless I am missing a crater year and a 1-year coach between Oats and Hurley.
There is certainly a scenario where this can happen - think Georgia Tech / Memphis and Josh Pastner a few years ago. Both coach and school are stuck with each other because of the buyout, unless another school comes along that allows for everyone to save face and $.
I'm sure Texas wants to hire Chris Beard (an alum) so they may be be willing to let Shaka walk without firing him, while contributing some amount of money to make it happen.
That's actually Brandon Childress range, #192.
Jamie Lewis was #276.
Bryant Crawford was #99.
That's the state of our point guard recruiting under Manning/Childress.
And it's reason #1 our team sucks. You're going nowhere with a #200+/- starting PG.
Maybe program is the wrong / confusing word.
I'm referring to how easy it is to win there. That Hurley won there for a couple of seasons does not change that it is really hard to win there. It is certainly harder to win at Buffalo than it is at VCU.
Goodman ranked it as the 6th best job in the MAC: https://watchstadium.com/news/mac-c...k-the-best-jobs-in-the-conference-01-10-2019/
Those are based on coaches' polls. Meanwhile, Wake is 11th in the ACC. https://watchstadium.com/news/acc-coaches-vote-duke-best-job-in-conference-unc-third-best-10-04-2018/
That won 23 games in back to back years which landed Hurley at a better program. Oats may be a slam dunk hire and when we look back in 20 years, a better head of a top 25 program in an elite conference than Shaka, but there is nothing on his resume that says he can turn around a program a la Dave Clawson's resume before landing at Wake. His resume certainly suggests he can coach, and he can ramp up an already good program (comparative to its conference peers).
BTW, you can essentially say the same about Shaka. Clawson's was a unique resume. But I just don't think the narrative that Oats took a moribund program from the depths of hell to the top of the heap anchored in reality.
But also, this all seems like an unsurprising yet still definitive overreaction. It's not surprising Currie would go down to Texas to meet one last time with the people paying him money the last year.
Could be something, but it probably is nothing -- enhanced by the fact that Currie tweeted it out