Chris Mooney for Our Next Coach

[THE DEUCE]

Comparing Mooney's first two years at Richmond to [Redacted]'s first two years at Wake isn't fair to Mooney. The three years before Mooney was hired, Wainwright went 40-42. The three years before [Redacted] came in, Wake went 61-31.

Frankly, they are similar coaches, the difference is that Mooney proved he could rebuild a program, [Redacted] never did that.

There is almost no way that [Redacted] was the better option than Mooney then or now. That we seemingly completely ignored Mooney to go with a worse candidate from the other side of the country is baffling.

ETA: Read this: http://www.aolnews.com/2010/10/04/chris-mooneys-graceful-toughness-rebuilds-richmond-into-threat/ (before the Sweet 16, after the hire). Perfect fit, especially if Wellman really believed a culture change was needed.

I think it is fair to say that the "culture change" was not thought up thoroughly.
Plus, RW underestimated the sports IQ of Deacon fans!

 

[TBR]

Anthony Grant (#12 Bama) and Chris Mack (#11 Xavier) both could have been persuaded to come to Wake.
BTW.. does the pitchforks come out if we get blasted by HPU?

If we get blasted? Probably. If we lose? Well I won't be pitchforking, just like I am not pitchforking now and just like I wasn't pitchforking after Dayton. It's in my 50-50 category (and we're 1-1 currently, since I counted the Old Spice separately). We should win, but it wouldn't surprise me if we don't. This team isn't consistently "getting up" for games as we saw yesterday. That could be a big problem at High Point.

 

[THE DEUCE]

That could be a big problem at High Point.
^ No ACC school should have to worry about playing HPU......that is problem!!!

 

[Strickland33]

If we get blasted? Probably. If we lose? Well I won't be pitchforking, just like I am not pitchforking now and just like I wasn't pitchforking after Dayton. It's in my 50-50 category (and we're 1-1 currently, since I counted the Old Spice separately). We should win, but it wouldn't surprise me if we don't. This team isn't consistently "getting up" for games as we saw yesterday. That could be a big problem at High Point.

I don't think we lose to High Point.

Seton Hall is going to be a tough game and, dare I say it, we could struggle against Yale if they get their big guy going early enough...

#gulp

 

[RJKarl]

TBR would like everyone to give Mooney a pass at Richmond when he in 11th and 12th in his first seasons....the same pass he isn't willing to give [Redacted].....

Bzelik may not be the righht guy for us, but TBR and others have multiple sets of criteria.

 

[VaDeac]

Anthony Grant (#12 Bama) and Chris Mack (#11 Xavier) both could have been persuaded to come to Wake.
BTW.. does the pitchforks come out if we get blasted by HPU?

Yes ,I'm sure they do.

Few here wanted Mack because he was part of the same coaching tree that we were trying to get away from. Didn't make any sense, even though he's a good coach.

 

[TBR]

TBR would like everyone to give Mooney a pass at Richmond when he in 11th and 12th in his first seasons....the same pass he isn't willing to give [Redacted].....

Bzelik may not be the righht guy for us, but TBR and others have multiple sets of criteria.

Yes, I have a different, tougher set of criteria for someone who spent 20 more years coaching. Really strange, isn't it?

For what it's worth, I think I have pretty much given [Redacted] a pass for his first year or two at all of his stops too. The problem with him is that once you do that you aren't left with much of anything. I can't understand why we would hire someone with so little track record when next door we had someone like Mooney, who coaches very similar offensive and defensive schemes and has a similar track record of stepping into a culturally challenged program and setting things right, but is also the superior candidate in many ways. The only way [Redacted] was a better candidate is if you think coaching in the NBA is more like coaching in the NCAA than it actually is.

 

[TBR]

I don't think we lose to High Point.

Seton Hall is going to be a tough game and, dare I say it, we could struggle against Yale if they get their big guy going early enough...

#gulp

Yeah, I don't think we can win at Seton Hall, but then I didn't think we could win at Nebraska either. Yale is another in my 50-50 category.

So far we're ahead of my projections which I am happy about, just wish we hadn't come out so flat in the ASU, Richmond, and Texas Tech games.

 

[Strickland33]

Yeah, I don't think we can win at Seton Hall, but then I didn't think we could win at Nebraska either. Yale is another in my 50-50 category.

So far we're ahead of my projections which I am happy about, just wish we hadn't come out so flat in the ASU, Richmond, and Texas Tech games.

That's what made the Richmond game such a breath of fresh air, in my opinion...

You're right about Seton Hall, though. Undisciplined teams (like Nebraska, Arizona State, and Dayton) can look either really great or really terrible and despite being far more talented than we are both inside and outside, we could steal this game if we execute on both ends of the floor and we make perimeter jump shots. Herb Pope may go for 30 and 20, though.

Also, Seton Hall small forward Fuquan Edwin plays a bit like how I envision Aaron Rountree's early-days...

As for Yale, how Carson, Ty, and Nikita deal with Greg Mangano will be a very solid indicator of our post defense's ceiling, I think. He's a big inside-outside guy, a bit like Carson with some stones and up about 40 pounds. They have some guards, too. How did the Ivy get so good? Harvard, Penn, and Yale are rock solid this year!

 

[TBR]

That's what made the Richmond game such a breath of fresh air, in my opinion...

You're right about Seton Hall, though. Undisciplined teams (like Nebraska, Arizona State, and Dayton) can look either really great or really terrible and despite being far more talented than we are both inside and outside, we could steal this game if we execute on both ends of the floor and we make perimeter jump shots. Herb Pope may go for 30 and 20, though.

Also, Seton Hall small forward Fuquan Edwin plays a bit like how I envision Aaron Rountree's early-days...

As for Yale, how Carson, Ty, and Nikita deal with Greg Mangano will be a very solid indicator of our post defense's ceiling, I think. He's a big inside-outside guy, a bit like Carson with some stones and up about 40 pounds. They have some guards, too. How did the Ivy get so good? Harvard, Penn, and Yale are rock solid this year!

Like Wake Forest.

I wouldn't bet on this team against anyone (to win or lose).

 

[RJKarl]

Yes, I have a different, tougher set of criteria for someone who spent 20 more years coaching. Really strange, isn't it?

For what it's worth, I think I have pretty much given [Redacted] a pass for his first year or two at all of his stops too. The problem with him is that once you do that you aren't left with much of anything. I can't understand why we would hire someone with so little track record when next door we had someone like Mooney, who coaches very similar offensive and defensive schemes and has a similar track record of stepping into a culturally challenged program and setting things right, but is also the superior candidate in many ways. The only way [Redacted] was a better candidate is if you think coaching in the NBA is more like coaching in the NCAA than it actually is.

you've given him ZERO % of a pass at Wake Forest. i can't believe you'd have the balls to say you have.

 

[TBR]

you've given him ZERO % of a pass at Wake Forest. i can't believe you'd have the balls to say you have.

I have been record many times over saying that we give him at least three years, and probably four. You will not find anywhere that I said we should fire him immediately. No where. On either board. I don't think he should have been hired, and I think he will fail, but at this point I also think he should be given a chance.

For what it's worth, 8-22 didn't bother me nearly as much as how we got to it. I have never seen a team look so aimless against such mediocre teams as we did against Georgia Tech and NCSU. I think we should have done a bit better record-wise, but mainly I don't think we should have been lost by 20+ points to the likes of the #11 and #10 ACC teams.

Another fwiw, my main criticism from last season seems to still be quite legitimate, even though many said the bad seeds were the root of that problem.

I love how you don't even try to argue that Mooney would have been the better pick anymore since it's so plainly obvious that that is the case (as it was then).

 

[Strickland33]

Like Wake Forest.

I wouldn't bet on this team against anyone (to win or lose).

We are many things, but we're fairly disciplined. We're not good, we mess up a lot, but there's somewhat of a difference in my mind between chaos and us. Look at Dayton since they beat us, for instance. Same with ASU. There's 0 consistency. At least we sort of know what our ceiling looks like (second half of Richmond, Dayton, and Nebraska).

That's what I meant. And I agree with you: not betting on this team against anybody.

 

[TBR]

I don't get the distinction you're trying to draw given how inconsistent we have been.

 

[Strickland33]

I don't get the distinction you're trying to draw given how inconsistent we have been.

I just get the sense that Arizona State plays like they did against us once in every ten games. The same can be said about Dayton.

Whereas we haven't been consistent, but we've only had one game where we just did not look like ourselves at any point (ASU). There have been moments of synthesis and fluidity where we looked like the apex of our potential (with this team): the entirety of the Dayton game, the second half of NCCU, the first 15-minutes of the second half vs. Texas Tech, the last 15 minutes of the second half vs. Richmond, etc.

That's all I was trying to say.

Since beating us, Dayton, in particular, has been absurdly inconsistent, especially getting blown out by both Murray State and Buffalo back-to-back.

 

[BobStackFan4Life]

Anyone have any thoughts on Milwaukee's coach? They're all over Depaul tonight.