Coaching Rumors

[vu72]

I will no doubt be criticized for not recognizing the cause of our problems--lack of facilities.  Or, perhaps the cry is that if we don't do something then Bryce will leave or if he leaves and we don't have better facilities we are done for.  These arguements may all be true but also may not be.

No doubt, the success of the basketball program has been tied to the Drew's coaching AND recruiting ability.  If we put 15 mil into a renovated ARC and Wake Forest offers Bryce 2 mil a year, will the renovated facilities keep him?  We all know the answer.  Will the renovations add more folks to the crowds?  Perhaps for a while but winning is what will really add to attendance.  If we get ranked next year and schedule some decent home games, the people will come, trust me.

The idea that if Bryce leaves the program is done is also silly. We once had a coach named Gene Bartow.  He took Valpo to the NCAAs and then left for greener pastures, namely Memphis, Illinois and UCLA. A few years later we find a guy named Homer Drew.  His background? D3 and D2.  Took five years of disaster before he figured it out. 

Now, will better facilities attract a better coach?  Perhaps.  Will it attract better players?  I think we all can see that the coach is the really significant part to recruiting.

Do I think we should plow all sorts of money into the basketball program?  Yes, for sure.  Will it guarantee success after Bryce?  Absolutely not.  Just ask Loyola.  Has their pathetic attendance improved since they redid their arena?  I doubt it.  If anything it has improved based on their competition now that they are in the Valley.

[VULB#62]

USAToday posted a Tourney Coaches Pay Database of the 68 coaches in the 2015 dance.

http://sports.usatoday.com/ncaa/salaries/mens-basketball/coach/

No surprise Calipari is at the top at $6,356,756

Bryce is #56 out of 68 with $285,927.  Mark Turgeon, the guy he almost beat, comes in at #19 $2,252,488.  Bryce could be ranked even lower because Brigham Young, Butler, Harvard and Hampton did not provide figures.  FWIW - Belmont's HBBC makes $709,101 (#42)  All four Final Four Coaches are rated in the top 10:  Calipari #1, Krzyzewski #2, Izzo #5, and Bo Ryan #10.

[agibson]

Bryce is #56 out of 68 with $285,927. 

That sounds like his 2012 (year ending June 30, 2013) IRS 990 number. 

So, who knows how careful their methodology is, or can be.  Like as not that's the only number publicly available.  Who knows how complete, or comparable, it is.

[a3uge]

Did Bryce get a pay raise when his contract got extended?

[Vale O. Paradise]

You're right: That $285,927 figure is from the 2012-13 tax return (page 39): http://207.153.189.83/EINS/350868125/350868125_2012_0a7a96ca.PDF

That fiscal year ended (June 2013) before Bryce's inked the 10-year extension (December 2013). http://www.valpo.edu/news/2013/12/18/valparaiso-university-signs-bryce-drew-to-long-term-contract-extension/

Guessing that extension came with a pay bump.

[VULB#62]

You're right: That $285,927 figure is from the 2012-13 tax return (page 39): http://207.153.189.83/EINS/350868125/350868125_2012_0a7a96ca.PDF

That fiscal year ended (June 2013) before Bryce's inked the 10-year extension (December 2013). http://www.valpo.edu/news/2013/12/18/valparaiso-university-signs-bryce-drew-to-long-term-contract-extension/

Guessing that extension came with a pay bump.

Let's hope so.

But $285.9K is what the public sees right now, unfortunately.  But ya gotta wonder about the accuracy.  Still, in terms of order of magnitude I would guess that Bryce might still be in the bottom ⅓ where the ceiling is around $500K

Top ⅓ (1-23):
$6.3MM - $2.06MM

Middle ⅓ (24-46)
$1.85MM - $525K

Bottom (47-68)
$479K - $161K

[valpo84]

BTW, was on Duke campus this past weekend, and it isn't just facilities, but also the atmosphere of the game day experience. Cameron is a dump based on contemporary standards. It's similar in age/vintage to Hilltop. Hilltop is now a very fine practice facility for hoops (unfortunately it is not exclusively for just basketball like some universities have, e.g. Wake Forest). Duke's old Hilltop like facility is their kind of intramural facility and it looks and feels like 1946 (if I had been around in '46). Renovations are sufficient for the ARC. But, someone has to get it on the Board's highest priority list and find the donors (next major campaign maybe). But, a new intramural facility would help alleviate the congestion in scheduling and open the ARC up for more permanent renovations (which is also a critical factor because the facility is used for a number of things). Having been to the Wolstein ("W") in Cleveland a few times lately, that is a white elephant for basketball and there is nothing CSU can do about it. They're stuck with it.

Akron has the JAR and it is of similar vintage as the ARC. They want a new facility, but resources and basketball revenues do not support a new one or major renovations. But, it isn't a bad facility. Their football stadium is brand new and really, really nice but they do not come close to filling the lower sections. State HS Football playoffs fill the place more. One needs to be very careful with arena envy. Would rather see investment in endowed Coaching salaries and endowed retirement funds/annuities to retain and attract coaching candidates if the "situation that shall not be mentioned" were to occur.

[vu72]

BTW, was on Duke campus this past weekend, and it isn't just facilities, but also the atmosphere of the game day experience. Cameron is a dump based on contemporary standards. It's similar in age/vintage to Hilltop. Hilltop is now a very fine practice facility for hoops (unfortunately it is not exclusively for just basketball like some universities have, e.g. Wake Forest). Duke's old Hilltop like facility is their kind of intramural facility and it looks and feels like 1946 (if I had been around in '46). Renovations are sufficient for the ARC. But, someone has to get it on the Board's highest priority list and find the donors (next major campaign maybe). But, a new intramural facility would help alleviate the congestion in scheduling and open the ARC up for more permanent renovations (which is also a critical factor because the facility is used for a number of things). Having been to the Wolstein ("W") in Cleveland a few times lately, that is a white elephant for basketball and there is nothing CSU can do about it. They're stuck with it.

Akron has the JAR and it is of similar vintage as the ARC. They want a new facility, but resources and basketball revenues do not support a new one or major renovations. But, it isn't a bad facility. Their football stadium is brand new and really, really nice but they do not come close to filling the lower sections. State HS Football playoffs fill the place more. One needs to be very careful with arena envy. Would rather see investment in endowed Coaching salaries and endowed retirement funds/annuities to retain and attract coaching candidates if the "situation that shall not be mentioned" were to occur.

Speaking of dumps at major universities, has anyone else been to Welsh-Ryan at Northwestern?  Their "major upgrades" (last couple of years) included a new floor and a video scoreboard!  The place was built in 1952, seats 8117, 2000 of which are chairbacks and the balance wooden bleachers--one of which I had the displeasure to sit on this past season.

[covufan]

it looks and feels like 1946 (if I had been around in '46).

My eleven year old daughter tells me that I'm (and my taste in music, clothes, etc.) from the 1600's.  Do you kids think that you were around in 1946 (at least when they were teenagers).

[crusaderjoe]

"Speaking of dumps at major universities, has anyone else been to Welsh-Ryan at Northwestern?  Their "major upgrades" (last couple of years) included a new floor and a video scoreboard!  The place was built in 1952, seats 8117, 2000 of which are chairbacks and the balance wooden bleachers--one of which I had the displeasure to sit on this past season."


Sounds familiar...

[valpo4life]

Calling Hilltop a "very fine" practice facility for basketball is kind of a joke to me. I know for a fact two of the side rims are not even 10 feet in height. I am pretty sure none of the side baskets even have a free throw line on the floor. You cannot run sprints without having to slow down before the end line due to the walls being directly behind the basket. Afternoon practices during the winter you will have to deal with the sun being in your eyes depending on the angle at the South basket I believe it is. If it's hot outside, it's guaranteed hotter in the gym. Floor is always dirty due to recreational use. Oh, and the softball team is sometimes practicing at the same time up in their batting cage.

Rant over.

[valpo84]

That was one of my points, if you take out the other sports from Hilltop and move them to a Intramural/Training facility, it frees up Hilltop.

And take it easy on those rims, I could almost dunk on them in college. And learn how to hit shots with something in your vision. Youngsters want everything these days. And they should be running through walls for Valpo. (SI (for newer board members -- "sarcasm intended")

Covufan--the 1600s were great years for Music... also, maybe not quite the 1940s but when I started talking about pre-3 point line they did look at me funny.

[covufan]

Covufan--the 1600s were great years for Music... also, maybe not quite the 1940s but when I started talking about pre-3 point line they did look at me funny.

Or pre-shot clock for NCAA. 

Well, at least we aren't talking about the days when it was a jump ball after a made basket! 

[VULB#62]

Covufan--the 1600s were great years for Music... also, maybe not quite the 1940s but when I started talking about pre-3 point line they did look at me funny.

Or pre-shot clock for NCAA. 

Well, at least we aren't talking about the days when it was a jump ball after a made basket!

Just read Geno Auriema's characterization of NCAA Men's BB as a joke.  Poor shooting, sledge hammer defenses - unentertaining: and this is AFTER the introduction of the shot clock, 3-Pt arc (just mentioned below) and the possession arrow  -- all geared to stimulate scoring.  That got me thinking of Gene Bartow's 65-66 and 66-67  Valpo teams that scored 90+ points in 26 out of 57 games in two seasons. And of those 26, 20 were 100+  Now, THAT was entertaining BB --- and without aforesaid innovations. 

[valpo4life]

And learn how to hit shots with something in your vision.

Yes, let's learn how to make shots with the sun in our eyes because that's something that happens in a normal game...

[valpopal]

The coaching shuffle continues: ESPN & CBS reporting Shaka Smart accepts Texas job.

[valpotx]

Not worried about the public school VCU job regarding Bryce.

[valpotx]

Hurley takes the Arizona State job:

http://espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/id/12656943/arizona-state-sun-devils-hire-bobby-hurley-new-coach-college-basketball

[covufan]

I doubt this changes things in Valpo, but the Florida job is now open:

http://espn.go.com/nba/story/_/id/12793263/billy-donovan-agrees-multi-year-deal-oklahoma-city-thunder

[Just Sayin]

http://www.foxsports.com/florida/story/florida-gators-replacing-billy-donovan-archie-miller-jim-larranaga-bryce-drew-050115

[VULB#62]

Good to see the Valpo brand (via Bryce) out there in so many conversations.  Especially valued the stuff I bolded,

From the article:

Valparaiso's head coach has a lot of good qualities that would make him a great fit at Florida. The reigning Horizon League coach of the year, Drew is on the short list of up-and-coming college coaches and brings with him NBA experience as a former pro point guard. Drew has been the driving force for the past four years surrounding Valpo's rise to NCAA tournament prominence, a run that featured a school record 28 wins this past season.*

Those are things that are helpful in recruiting the next level of competitor to our program.

* And to think -- we've  lost only one senior from that team 

[valpotx]

Another school that won't entice Bryce.  I see him wanting to put his own stamp on a program, and that would be impossible at Florida following Donovan.

[VULB#62]

Plus, that is a MAJOR leap to a big time pressure cooker. If/when Bryce moves on, in a short term move I see him going to a MVC or A10 school first and the next step would be Power 5.  In a longer term scenario, I see him staying at Valpo, winning a couple more HL titles, and then considering a direct leap to a Power 5.

[wh]

Plus, that is a MAJOR leap to a big time pressure cooker. If/when Bryce moves on, in a short term move I see him going to a MVC or A10 school first and the next step would be Power 5.  In a longer term scenario, I see him staying at Valpo, winning a couple more HL titles, and then considering a direct leap to a Power 5.

I think part 2 of your comment is the far more likely scenario. Part 1 better fits a guy like Wardle, for example. He was an excellent recruiter and his teams won a lot of games, yet he only had 1 regular season and no tournament championships to show for it. He still has more to prove, and moving to Bradley will give him a new opportunity. Bryce, on the other hand, has won 3 league championships, 2 tournament championships, 2 NCAA appearances, 1 NIT appearance and 2 COY honors in 4 years. All he has to do is keep doing what he's been doing where he's been doing it, and his options will just continue to grow. He's really in a great position right now.

Personally, starting Wednesday the wife and I are going to be enjoying life for a while in America's paradise. Smooth sailing to all...

[valpopal]

Okay, time for people to get nervous again. Rumors have Fred Hoiberg as the leading candidate to replace Tom Thibodeaux as the Bulls new coach, which leaves some wondering if Bryce will be sought to take Hoiberg's spot at Iowa State, a likely pre-season top-10 team. Just to add an odd coincidental twist to this, Bryce's wife's maiden name is Thibodeaux.