Let’s Speculate! Potential Valparaiso head basketball coach candidates

[Just Sayin]

https://www.coachesdatabase.com/lets-speculate-valparaiso-head-basketball-coach-candidates/

Snippet:

Dane Fife – former Indiana, Michigan State assistant
Fife left his alma mater after one season as an assistant, but still has love for the Hoosiers and the state of Indiana. Before he spent ten seasons under Tom Izzo at Michigan State, Fife was one of the youngest head coaches in the country at IPFW where he went 82-97 in six seasons (34-27 in the last two). Other mid-majors have courted Fife over the years and he nearly took the Duquesne job back in 2017, but Valpo provides an opportunity to back onto the sidelines in a state he is familiar with (and is very familiar with him!).
Bryce Drew – Grand Canyon head coach
Valpo should at least try to bring Drew home. His Grand Canyon salary isn't public but it is very possible (likely?) that he is the highest paid coach in the WAC and might have to take a pay cut to come back. Drew has a good thing going at GCU and could be holding out for a better job, but if the financials work out it would be hard to count out the alma mater.
Chris Lowery – Northwestern associate head coach
It's been more than 10 years since his last head coaching gig, but Lowery has spent that time as a right hand man at the highest level, first for Bruce Weber at Kansas State and now for Chris Collins and the resurgent Northwestern Wildcats. Lowery's tenure at SIU stagnated after a hot start in which he went to three-straight NCAA Tournaments (with the Salukis' third-ever trip to the Sweet Sixteen in 2007. He was fired in 2012 after going 8-23 but finished with an overall record of 145-115. The 50-year old is an Indiana-native and has plenty of MVC experience.
Billy Donlon – Clemson associate head coach
Donlon is in his first season at Clemson after a three-year tenure as head coach at Kansas City which just wasn't the right fit. He was successful in his six-year tenure at Wright State and his firing in 2016 was a shock in CBB circles, as he had just completed his third 20-win season in four years and finished 2nd in the Horizon. Donlon originally hails from the Chicago suburbs and has spent much of his coaching career in the Midwest.

[oklahomamick]

It's currently 70 degrees and sunshine in Phoenix right now when valpo is most likely cloudy cold and snow on the ground.
Bryce isn't coming back. 

[usc4valpo]

Go with Donlon. Chicago suburb product from a great HS of current college coaches - Scheyer, Collins

[Valpo89]

From that list, Donlon would be my pick.
But I will always be a Tonagel fan.

[VULB#62]

Donlon's Clemson salary is $450K.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/ncaab/2022/04/25/clemson-coach-adds-donlon-dixon-to-mens-basketball-staff/50140079/

Had previously signed a 6 year, $350K contract with UMKC.   Bailed out on UMKC after 3 seasons (46-39).  Twitter chatter after Clemson lured him away says that Clemson had to buy him out of the UMKC contract for $800k. 

Think he'd go back to a UMKC/Valpo-like situation?  Think we can afford him?

[vok22]

The only reason Bryce would come back would be because he grew up here and feels a connection to it. We have a worse program, worse pay, worse facilities, worse fan base, and worse weather than GCU. Not to mention he has a good thing going there and will probably get another P5 chance by continuing his success there. Coming back to Valpo would unnecessarily put that at risk, as it would be harder to dig us out of this hole than to continue his success where he is now.

Other than that, there are a lot of names on that list that I really like. However, I wouldn't expect many of them to actually end up as candidates when the job opens. We have a new athletic director that has his own connections and those will likely be used to the full extent. We simply don't have enough to offer to most of those "name brand" candidates, that another mid major with a job opening can't. Our job isn't special to them, and based on the current position of our program, salary capability, and facilities, we are likely at a disadvantage to most programs that will be hiring. The only ones that might be partial to us are people that have previous connection to the school, and in that case they likely fly below the radar of both Small and Padilla seeing that they just got here last year.

[valpotx]

I had wondered how UMKC achieved a few winning seasons, and it makes sense that it was due to Donlon.  He drove a top Wright State program.  From this list, I would be fine with either Donlon or Fife.

[rogerwilco]

What about Ohio State assistant Jake Diebler? OSU is paying him $500K.

[valpofb16]

Since Lottich is at 345 and University is low on cash. A P5 lead assistant is most likely out of question.

Looking at a lead assistant at a mid major or an up & comer at a small Major are more realistic than the list above

[usc4valpo]

Is Valpo going to lower the job salary?

[valpo tundra]

Phoenix weather is only nice for a few months in the winter. It was over 100 degrees for 145 days in 2022, and who wants to spend almost 30 days where it's over 115 degrees. And as many comedians like to point out, it doesn't matter whether it's dry heat or not, it's still 115 degrees.

[VULB#62]

Weather smeather.  Please, everyone, FORGET about Bryce as a candidate - EVER.

Bryce's teams play in front of wild, sold out (7000 capacity) crowds. He has a winning percentage there of over 70%.

I could not find GCU salary figures but he left Valpo for $16.3 million over 6 years. That's $2.6 million a year. He got bought out, of course. Spent a year with ESPN, then signed with Grand Canyon.  He replaced former pro Dan Majerley who wasn't working for peanuts.

And despite what some think was an amicable split, I believe the Drews had it up to here with the low level of support provided by penny pinching Valpo.  They had the same vision for VU's future as most of us continue to harbor, yet they were continually denied (as have we). They are gone. Bryce will never coach a Valpo team ever again.

We were blessed with 6 years of Gene Bartow and 28 years of the Drews. Let's just move on.

[Dr. T]

"Go with Donlon. Chicago suburb product from a great HS of current college coaches - Scheyer, "


I feel we've had our fair shake at a Chicago suburb product

[rogerwilco]

Former OSU assistant Ryan Pedon is getting $550K at Illinois State. I would think Valpo would have to match the salary of $500K for Jake Diebler. It's unreasonable to expect the loyalty discount even for an alumnus.

[AB]

if you hire Donlon........get used to 48-43 games. Good job at Wright State, never got them to the big dance.

[usc4valpo]

Lottich is a New Trier product, Donlan is from the cradle of college coaches. big difference.

[usc4valpo]

How this guy is not on the radar is beyond, especially when Tonegal is on the list. We need to at least contact him.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ben_McCollum

[VULB#62]

How this guy is not on the radar is beyond, especially when Tonegal is on the list. We need to at least contact him.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ben_McCollum

Agree. See my post in the Tonagel string.

[Just Sayin]

My post was a snippet, not the entire list. From the OP article, here is the entire list. Seems like some of you didn't go the link provided in the OP.

Dane Fife – former Indiana, Michigan State assistant
Fife left his alma mater after one season as an assistant, but still has love for the Hoosiers and the state of Indiana. Before he spent ten seasons under Tom Izzo at Michigan State, Fife was one of the youngest head coaches in the country at IPFW where he went 82-97 in six seasons (34-27 in the last two). Other mid-majors have courted Fife over the years and he nearly took the Duquesne job back in 2017, but Valpo provides an opportunity to back onto the sidelines in a state he is familiar with (and is very familiar with him!).
Bryce Drew – Grand Canyon head coach
Valpo should at least try to bring Drew home. His Grand Canyon salary isn't public but it is very possible (likely?) that he is the highest paid coach in the WAC and might have to take a pay cut to come back. Drew has a good thing going at GCU and could be holding out for a better job, but if the financials work out it would be hard to count out the alma mater.
Chris Lowery – Northwestern associate head coach
It's been more than 10 years since his last head coaching gig, but Lowery has spent that time as a right hand man at the highest level, first for Bruce Weber at Kansas State and now for Chris Collins and the resurgent Northwestern Wildcats. Lowery's tenure at SIU stagnated after a hot start in which he went to three-straight NCAA Tournaments (with the Salukis' third-ever trip to the Sweet Sixteen in 2007. He was fired in 2012 after going 8-23 but finished with an overall record of 145-115. The 50-year old is an Indiana-native and has plenty of MVC experience.
Billy Donlon – Clemson associate head coach
Donlon is in his first season at Clemson after a three-year tenure as head coach at Kansas City which just wasn't the right fit. He was successful in his six-year tenure at Wright State and his firing in 2016 was a shock in CBB circles, as he had just completed his third 20-win season in four years and finished 2nd in the Horizon. Donlon originally hails from the Chicago suburbs and has spent much of his coaching career in the Midwest.
Terry Johnson – Purdue associate head coach
Johnson doesn't have any head coaching experience but his strong ties to the area, going back to his playing days at Anderson HS (IN). He played and coached at Fort Wayne, later spending 14 years working under Chris Holtmann at Butler and Ohio State. He is back in Indiana right now, having joined Matt Painter's staff at Purdue in 2021 (and part of the first two Boiler teams to ever be ranked #1 in the country).
Ed Schilling – Grand Canyon assistant coach
Bryce Drew might be out of reach, but his assistant Ed Schilling should be a candidate in his own right. Schilling graduated from Lebanon HS (IN) and started his career out coaching at several high schools in the state. His tenure at Wright State (1997-2003) was not great (75-93, no postseasons) but that was now 20+ years ago and the 57-year-old has done quite a bit since then. He's at GCU now after two seasons at Indiana, four at UCLA and four as the head coach at Park Tudor HS in Indianapolis.
Ben McCollum – Northwest Missouri St (Div II) head coach
Some D-I program is going to hire McCollum, one of the brightest stars in all of D-II and a four-time National Champion as a head coach (currently the triple-defending champ!). Jumping from Northwest Missouri State to a high-major might be a stretch, but a stop at a Midwestern mid-major first could be a really smart career move for the 41-year-old. He has nothing left to prove in the MIAA (the Bearcats are having yet another magnificent season) so it shouldn't be long until he makes the move.
Greg Tonagel – Indiana Wesleyan (NAIA) head coach
Just like NCAA D-II to high-major D-I is a stretch, NAIA D-II to mid-major D-I might be too far to leap in one move. But Indiana Wesleyan head coach Greg Tonagel is a Valpo alum who was a two-time captain and played in four NCAA Tournaments under Homer Drew. He has been great at IWU, becoming head coach in 2005 at just 24 years old after spending one season as DBO at his alma mater. The Wildcats have won three NAIA D-II National Championships under Tonagel and he was named NCOY in each of those seasons (2014, 2016, 2018). He may be more in line for a staff position under a different Valpo hire, but he needs to at least be on the list of candidates.
Tom Crean – former Georgia, Indiana, Marquette head coach
Another former head coach who needs the right opportunity to get his career back on track, Tom Crean is obviously familiar with the state after his nine-year tenure at Indiana. While IU fans may have been split on his coaching abilities but Crean is widely regarded as a great talent evaluator and recruiter. The Valpo program has tradition, history and a dedicated fan base, but the stakes are much lower there – Georgia seemed like a good idea, as a football school, but Crean's tenure there was not great. A chance to coach in the Midwest again without the pressure of a name brand program seems like a great fit.
Cuonzo Martin – former Mizzou, Cal, Tennessee, Missouri State head coach
There are plenty more former high-major coaches that we could call out, but Cuonzo makes sense due to his ties the area. The Illinois-native played and coached at Purdue just an hour and a half south of Valpo. He's been the head coach at four different D-I schools, most recently at Missouri, and has MVC experience having spent three seasons at Missouri State. Cuonzo also has experience in March, going to four NCAA Tournaments, four NITs and winning the CIT back in 2010. Martin is a great recruiter and underrated coach, and the job he did at Cal looks more and more amazing every week (maybe they will try to get him back?).

[valpofb16]

Tom Crean lol

[justducky]

We have a Bruce Weber thread and one for Tom Crean. We also have threads for JR Blount and Greg Tonnegal.

How this guy is not on the radar is beyond, especially when Tonegal is on the list. We need to at least contact him.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ben_McCollum

Agree. See my post in the Tonagel string.

Who can keep track? 

In addition we have traveled from a FIRE LOTTICH IMMEDIATELY thread on to a Its time to fire Lottich thread to this new topic speculating on potential Lottich replacements. Since we are near total agreement that we need to move on with a new coach, why don't we add Bruce Weber to the new list that Just Sayin now posted and keep our discussion in one place?

This topic was started yesterday  and already has more replies that the Evansville game thread!  . That kind of shows us where we are at.

[Just Sayin]

We have a Bruce Weber thread and one for Tom Crean. We also have threads for JR Blount and Greg Tonnegal.

How this guy is not on the radar is beyond, especially when Tonegal is on the list. We need to at least contact him.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ben_McCollum

Agree. See my post in the Tonagel string.

Who can keep track? 

In addition we have traveled from a FIRE LOTTICH IMMEDIATELY thread on to a Its time to fire Lottich thread to this new topic speculating on potential Lottich replacements. Since we are near total agreement that we need to move on with a new coach, why don't we add Bruce Weber to the new list that Just Sayin now posted and keep our discussion in one place?

This topic was started yesterday  and already has more replies that the Evansville game thread!  . That kind of shows us where we are at.

1. Fire Lottich Immediately was started by Chairback on November 1.
2. It's time to fire Lottich was started by mj on December 10.
3. Let's Speculate? Potential Valparaiso head basketball coach was started by Just Sayin on January 14.

You could argue the December 10 post could have latched on to the November 1 post, but it was over a month later.

Speculating about a replacement doesn't fit in a topic about firing Lottich. It assumes that has aready happened.

Go ahead and add Bruce Weber and put it in the new coach speculation thread, not the fire Lottich thread.

Hope you are no longer confused Ducky.

[VULB#62]

This topic was started yesterday  and already has more replies that the Evansville game thread!  . That kind of shows us where we are at.

2. It's time to fire Lottich was started by mj on December 10.

1. Fire Lottich Immediately was started by Chairback on November 1. January 7

3. Let's Speculate? Potential Valparaiso head basketball coach was started by Just Sayin on January 14.

Just getting the sequence right. Chairback's string was an escalation of mj's December 10 string.

[valpofb16]

Guys.... Let's be real.... Tom Crean and Bruce Weber aren't coming to Valpo

[AlaskaCrusader19]

Terry Johnson would be an excellent hire, but I'm not sure how likely that is. He makes over $300K at Purdue, and Micah Shrewsberry recently went from Purdue assistant to Penn State head coach. Johnson might be waiting for a power conference job.