"Possibly" emerged as Tulsa candidate

[Chairback]

http://www.tulsaworld.com/sportsextra/tu/valparaiso-s-bryce-drew-emerges-as-tu-coach-candidate/article_1e1159a7-59e1-5149-835a-efc25ebd283e.html

Win a game in the NCAA tourney or beat a major team here at Valpo first before you flirt with greener pastures.........

[wh]

I have no idea who this guy is, but he and his "sources" are clueless. I don't care how many wins/tournament appearances Tulsa has or doesn't have. Bryce would never move to the middle of nowhere USA for nothing more than a lateral move to a mid major conference ranked only slightly above the Horizon League.

[Grizz]

Do u really believe a league with the national champ, UCONN, Cincinnati and Memphis is ranked slightly above the Horizon. Who's clueless here?

[Grizz]

Also, Tulsa offered Manning 1.2 million to stay. Where is Bryce to that, the point 2

[wh]

I forgot that Tulsa will be leaving C-USA for the AAC. That changes the profile of the opportunity, but I still highly doubt Bryce would be interested.

[vu72]

I forgot that Tulsa will be leaving C-USA for the AAC. That changes the profile of the opportunity, but I still highly doubt Bryce would be interested.

Absolutely!  Who wouldn't want the chance to coach against East Carolina, Tulane and Navy!  The American will be a work in progress for sometime and probably ends up looking like a rehash of C-USA.  Rutgers and Louisville are already gone. 

[wh]

Here are some comments Bryce made when he signed his new 10-year agreement in December:

"My wife and I are very comfortable living in Valparaiso," Drew said. "We love it here, we have family here and we're an hour away from Chicago. This is a great place for a family."

"I feel that with President (Mark) Heckler and Mark LaBarbera, we have great leadership at Valparaiso University," Drew said. "We had excellent talks on the current status of the basketball program and I have complete trust in their leadership."

"The commitment the school is making sends a message to recruits," Drew said. "I'm a kid who grew up here; I watched my Dad and my brother coach here. I've seen the progression of the community and the campus. We're in a top-12 league in the country right now. I'm really excited about the opportunity to keep improving our program."

Do these comments guarantee that Bryce will be here 10 years from now?  Of course not.  What they do say IMO is that it would take a very special opportunity to lure him away.  Coaching at Tulsa University and living in Tulsa Oklahoma just doesn't fit the bill.  As to the money, Bryce has already had several million dollar paydays.  From everything I hear he has invested his money and lived conservatively so he doesn't have to make decisions dictated by the almighty dollar.  That's a pretty great position to be in when seeking true happiness and fulfillment in life. 

 

[oklahomamick]

Obviously I want Bryce to stay put.  I understand tulsa is no nwi but it's close to a million people counting the suburbs.  If he leaves I'll have a place setup for him at the dinner table. 

[Valpo89]

Just a guess here, but with Bryce's wife having a baby soon, I don't know if he'd be interested in adding a move to the equation. Can't imagine Homer and Janet would be too happy about a new grand baby moving away.

[valpo04]

I forgot that Tulsa will be leaving C-USA for the AAC. That changes the profile of the opportunity, but I still highly doubt Bryce would be interested.

Absolutely!  Who wouldn't want the chance to coach against East Carolina, Tulane and Navy!  The American will be a work in progress for sometime and probably ends up looking like a rehash of C-USA.  Rutgers and Louisville are already gone. 

Not that it changes the point of your post, but Navy will remain in the Patriot League for all sports other than football.

[Pgmado]

Can't imagine that Homer/Janet would stay in Valpo if Bryce and Scott both lived in southwest.

[usc4valpo]

This position may be better than what a lot of you think.  The coaching position at Tulsa has been a stepping stone for great coaching success.  Look at Bill Self, Nolan Richardson and Tubbu Smith as examples. All 3 coaches eventually led teams to national championships.  The Tulsa metro area is over one million and has a lot of petro cash.

That being said, I am suprised they are looking at Bryce Drew right now as his coaching stock is currently low.  They may want to look at the coach at SFA (Underwood) who did an outstanding job coaching this year and has a lot of experience and contacts with folks in that region.

[historyman]

I think the guy Tulsa should go after is Mercer coach Bob Hoffman, who is from Oklahoma City. He went to Oklahoma Baptist University which is in Shawnee, OK just outside OKC. Hoffman has coached at Oklahoma Baptist, Texas Pan-Am, Oklahoma-Norman as an asst., in the Developmental League in Texas and at Mercer.

[Eaglebackr]

Geez, talk about whistling through the graveyard. 

Some of you guys thinking a coach worth his salt like Bryce might not at least CONSIDER leaving the bright lights of Valparaiso, IN for the balmy environs of the 46th-largest city in America are delusional.

And, equating the AAC to the Horizon League is simply comical.  Look at the top five teams in that league this season:  UConn, Louisville, Cincinnati, Memphis, and SMU.  Who finished at the top of the Horizon this year: some commuter school in Michigan?

For the record, Tulsa is going to pay somewhere between $750,000 to $1 million a year for their next coach.  How is Valpo going to counter that offer?  By playing the "Bryce-please-don't-deprive-your-parents-of-their-grandbaby!" card?  Classic!! 

NOT EVERY COACH IS A LIFER LIKE HOMER DREW. 

MOST ARE MORE LIKE SCOTT DREW. 

COACHES MOVE ON TO OTHER JOBS. 

YOUR NEXT COACH WILL LEAVE FOR ANOTHER JOB SOME DAY, TOO. 

THAT'S LIFE IN COLLEGE BASKETBALL - DEAL WITH IT.

[historyman]

Geez, talk about whistling through the graveyard. Some of you guys thinking a coach worth his salt like Bryce might not at least CONSIDER leaving the bright lights of Valparaiso, IN for the balmy environs of the 46th-largest city in America are delusional. And, equating the AAC to the Horizon League is simply comical.  Look at the top five teams in that league this season:  UConn, Louisville, Cincinnati, Memphis, and SMU.  Who finished at the top of the Horizon this year: some commuter school in Michigan? For the record, Tulsa is going to pay somewhere between $750,000 to $1 million a year for their next coach.  How is Valpo going to counter that offer?  By playing the "Bryce-please-don't-deprive-your-parents-of-their-grandbaby!" card?  Classic!! NOT EVERY COACH IS A LIFER LIKE HOMER DREW. MOST ARE MORE LIKE SCOTT DREW. COACHES MOVE ON TO OTHER JOBS. YOUR NEXT COACH WILL LEAVE FOR ANOTHER JOB SOME DAY, TOO. THAT'S LIFE IN COLLEGE BASKETBALL - DEAL WITH IT.

Now I bet you all would like a "DISLIKE" button!!!

[ARCInsider]

Can we get orumom and oruterry to chime in on this please?

[LaPorteAveApostle]

Can we get orumom and oruterry to chime in on this please?

Nope, their sect shunned them both for two years for posting on a Lutheran team board the last time

[ARCInsider]

It's a special brand of crazy over there, isn't it?

[FWalum]

That being said, I am suprised they are looking at Bryce Drew right now as his coaching stock is currently low.

You keep saying that and I can tell you that you are incorrect with that assumption.

[VULB#62]

Sorry, but Eaglebacker has some points.  Once this string started I checked out the TU athletic website.  They are about the same size student body wise, but they are a legit D-I program, IMO, in terms of consistently competitive teams, while VU, IMO, is a D-I MBB school trying to be D-I in others.  Their facilities are very good -- 30,000 seat FB stadium, 8300 seat basketball arena, and a $31 million sports complex that includes a facility for their #15 ranked WSB team.  But, I am curious though as to why they don't have a baseball team.  They share the Tulsa one million person demo with ORU, but I get the strong sense that TU has the lion's share of that.  They are the big show in that town and as USC mentioned, there is a lot of $$$$ there to support their recruiting.  It actually is a logical next step for a guy like Bryce.  But I sincerely hope (1) he is not a serious candidate (this year), and even if he is, (2) he will wait a bit longer to make a move.

[Pgmado]

Bryce Drew's stock is low? Hahahahahahaha. Hold on a second. Hahahahahahahahahaha. Ok, I'm good.

[LaPorteAveApostle]

I would say "lower than at this time last year", yes.  Wouldn't you?

(And if you don't think yearly swings are significant, ask Andy Enfield.  And no, that's not an Amanda Marcum joke.)

If the dude interviewed with an SEC school, he's going to leave some day, but only for a major conference team.

And, no, what with UConn et al. looking to move elsewhere, the AAC isn't at that level.  It'd be like getting a nicer house in Miller Park or Beach, ca. 1966.

(Plus he's not going to leave for a Presbyterian school. : )

[wh]

Geez, talk about whistling through the graveyard. 

Some of you guys thinking a coach worth his salt like Bryce might not at least CONSIDER leaving the bright lights of Valparaiso, IN for the balmy environs of the 46th-largest city in America are delusional.

And, equating the AAC to the Horizon League is simply comical.  Look at the top five teams in that league this season:  UConn, Louisville, Cincinnati, Memphis, and SMU.  Who finished at the top of the Horizon this year: some commuter school in Michigan?

For the record, Tulsa is going to pay somewhere between $750,000 to $1 million a year for their next coach.  How is Valpo going to counter that offer?  By playing the "Bryce-please-don't-deprive-your-parents-of-their-grandbaby!" card?  Classic!! 

NOT EVERY COACH IS A LIFER LIKE HOMER DREW. 

MOST ARE MORE LIKE SCOTT DREW. 

COACHES MOVE ON TO OTHER JOBS. 

YOUR NEXT COACH WILL LEAVE FOR ANOTHER JOB SOME DAY, TOO. 

THAT'S LIFE IN COLLEGE BASKETBALL - DEAL WITH IT.

Speaking of which, I don't see Scott Sutton's name being thrown around for the Tulsa job.  Why not?  He has 14 years of experience as head coach, a good career coaching record, and he's still a young guy.  ORU and Tulsa are 8 miles apart. All he has to do is pack up his office and unpack it 15 minutes later. He doesn't have to move his family.  Tulsa can save a ton of relocation money. He can keep whoever he wants from Tulsa's staff and take whoever he wants from ORU's staff without uprooting anyone.  He's recruited the that region for years and has to be highly networked with high school and AAU coaches.  Seems like the perfect win-win.

[usc4valpo]

Very good point.   Enfield and his model wife are in LA trying to get the USC basketball program to a competitive level.  It will take some time - USC has always been a football school and they compete with UCLA. 


Guys, Bryce is a decent coach, but there are others who are rising up too.  Billy Donlon will not be at Wright St. for much longer.


The Tulsa job is a decent opportunity but I doubt Bryce will be coaching there next year.

[ARCInsider]

Speaking of which, I don't see Scott Sutton's name being thrown around for the Tulsa job.  Why not?  He has 14 years of experience as head coach, a good career coaching record, and he's still a young guy.  ORU and Tulsa are 8 miles apart. All he has to do is pack up his office and unpack it 15 minutes later. He doesn't have to move his family.  Tulsa can save a ton of relocation money. He can keep whoever he wants from Tulsa's staff and take whoever he wants from ORU's staff without uprooting anyone.  He's recruited the that region for years and has to be highly networked with high school and AAU coaches.  Seems like the perfect win-win.

Why take a Sutton when you can get a Drew?