Coaching Change

[Just Sayin]

Has our current coach done an excellent job of furthering the success of our basketball program and has he earned the privilege of continuing to be the head coach?

[wh]

Has our current coach done an excellent job of furthering the success of our basketball program and has he earned the privilege of continuing to be the head coach?

Q1: Not yet.
Q2: Yes.

[Chitwood]

Q1: eh not really. Mediocre success at best
Q2: no

[VUGrad1314]

Has our current coach done an excellent job of furthering the success of our basketball program and has he earned the privilege of continuing to be the head coach?

Q1: Not yet. Q2: Yes.

Q1: What makes you so confident that he eventually will to say "Not yet" instead of no?


Q2: Why? What exactly has he shown? I mean I get it the University isn't going to buy him out of multiple years because that's not how they do things so like it or not we're stuck with him but what do you see that I'm just not getting? I see a mediocre team that occasionally flashes potential but is maddeningly inconsistent with serious player retention issues that will likely keep it mediocre until a change is made.

[M]

I put leaning no only because a coaching change isn't going to happen (not because it shouldnt happen).

I haven't seen one season where the offense doesn't look lost in half court sets, player development/retention is not good, and in game adjustments are often done better by the opponent. I still think he was the right guy at the time of the hiring to keep the star studded cast we had together.

[oklahomamick]

Scott Drew was an assistant at Valpo for 9 years before becoming the head coach. 

Bryce Drew was an assistant at Valpo for 7 years before becoming the head coach.

And then....ML was a third assistant for 3 years before becoming the head coach. 

Time to reach out to Roger Powell, Paul Mills (ORU coach and Scott Drew Coaching tree) Jarred Nuness (former player and current baylor staff).  All of these are currently coaching in the NCAAT. 

[VUGrad1314]

Just heard this on the pregame show for Florida State-Michigan and it's something to consider for impulsive hotheaded fans like me: Florida State stuck with Leonard Hamilton for seven years before he finally made the NCAA Tournament with the Seminoles. Most programs wouldn't have done that. Now they're a fixture in the Sweet 16 most years. Sometimes patience pays off. I hope that's the case here. I definitely have my doubts but maybe just maybe it can pay off for us too.

[Just Sayin]

Hamilton was a successful coach at Miami before becoming coach at FSU. He continued with that success at FSU. Apples/Oranges

[GoldenCrusader87]

It's all a win-win for ML. We hired him as a HC when (in all likelihood) there most likely wasn't a situation at hand where multiple suitors were vying for his services. No fault to him or slight implied. Just a reality given his relative inexperience in the coaching world to be handed the keys to a HC D-1 job.

He was able to ease into things with the aid of AP and riding off the successes of Bryce and the Drew's long-standing stamp of approval on the brand. Also a tough ask given those realities for anyone taking over.

He's recruited decently well. Been the HC during a major conference move. Won some games that didn't look promising and lost some games that should've been won, etc.

He's managed a pandemic — something only acting coaches will have experience with to date and hopefully something we'll never have to experience again, God-willing.

Has been able to find some good talent out of high school while hasn't had the easiest time retaining such talent. Partially on him, partially on the changing landscape of the league, partially a result of changing player preferences, partially on transfer changes, etc .

While I've never personally been impressed and admit by own biased, limited POV — I still think he's in a win-win.

Keeps saying to trust the process and emphasizes being in a rebuilding phase but largely a result of losing so many players to the transfer portal and not being able to retain talent like other mid majors (Loyola) been able to do.

Best case? He has success here and gets multiple suitors to either drive up his salary here or leave and go make more money elsewhere. He's young and has a career ahead of him  .. worst case, he's mediocre core and we get more of the same .. leading to a lack of suitors and interest by others and his being comfortable here while enabling a mediocre success rate ...

Highly unlikely he ends up being a rock star of a head coach and yet opts to stay — so it's really a matter of if he figures things out and gets snatched up by someone else in which case we were able to take on the growing pains for his eventual success thereafter or we stay "comfortable" in being as-is ...

[crusader05]

My thought is that he has the IQ and recruiting chops but he is clearly struggling with the soft skills of team management and team building. He needs to figure that stuff out because he's recruiting players that have high expectations of themselves and their time playing and won't settle.

He seems to have a lot of (too much?) patience with the players and is missing issues with team cohesion and accountability because of that.

He may never be a "players" coach but maybe he needs an assistant who can run the accountability ship a bit tighter.

I feel like at the end of the day the goals was 1. Keep AP and that core group and 2. Keep someone who knew Valpo and seemed to have good potential as a coach. How much the AD is willing to wait to let him develop is an answer that we will find out within the next 4 years. Either things keep up the way they are and a convo has to happen soon (i say next year, if you see a repeat, I just can't dismiss that this is a weird ass year) or we wait and see where he's at and if it's good enough to stay.

[JD24]

Hamilton was a successful coach at Miami before becoming coach at FSU. He continued with that success at FSU. Apples/Oranges

I get your point but Hamilton is a guy a lot of people think has under achieved with what he's been provided including his current squad. 

[JD24]

If there's something that strikes me, without knowing if it is true, with Lottich is that he may be a bit "soft" which can lead to inconsistency in management. That's just an impression I get and I think some have brought that up as a flaw in his game management.

[vuny98]

I am a bit of a Lottich apologist, not because I think he is some amazing coach, but because I know he is in a really tough position (following up the Drews, switching conferences, a Mid Major school and all the challenges that come with it, the reality of transfers and team building in today's age, a school that does not support the Basketball program as much as many comparable schools, first time head coach, etc)... and also because I know the alternative is not Homer/Scott/Bryce, the alternative could be years of truly sucking (for those that complain, we have been mediocre the last few years, but we have not sucked like other schools have... not up to Valpo standards and what we are used, but we have been competitive each year and have shown signs of improvement).
I am critical of some of Lottich's coaching (I think his rotations sucks, I think his called sets need work and I think we have seen some player relationship/management issues which may have led to some of the transfers). But he's not bad, he's just not good yet. Will he ever become Good. Well maybe, maybe not. I just don't want to be the Cleveland Browns changing coach's every 2 years hoping to strike gold. His recruiting is good and getting better. Eventually that will lead to more success and that success will help solve a lot of the other issues we like to complain about. The arrow is still pointing up. Its a bit flatter than we want but still trending right direction.

[tiny707]

Firm yes.