Let’s Speculate! Potential Valparaiso head basketball coach candidates

[4throwfan]

I'm asking this because I don't know the answer, not because I'm suggesting anything.

If there is a financial issue, I wonder if the financially strapped universities can juice their offers with incentives based on financial return of the team.  For example, maybe the lower base-pay offer could include additional payment as a percentage of ticket sales, tv revenue, NCAA tournament payout, etc.

If we have a confident coach with a healthy incentive package, we may be able to 'out bid' other schools only offering guaranteed pay.  Actually, the entire staff should be on an incentive package.

Again, I don't know how it works in college athletics, so simply asking if anyone has insight.

[Dr. T]

Powell, Diebler, & Tonagel are all (3) hires that I'd be 100% supportive of if Dr. Small were to land one of them. I don't see it happening with Diebler, however. He's an Ohio guy & has built up a reputation that far exceeds Valpo. Why take a pay cut to come back & rebuild this program? He's young & has a family he & his wife are raising.

Mark Few is 60 & has been at Gonzaga since 1999. He reportedly makes around $2,000,000 a year. He's from Oregon & a UO grad.- he's a West Coast guy. When he's ready to retire, I see him getting an opportunity at Gonzaga to take over in some athletic administrative role.

Roger Powell is 40 - aka 20 years younger than Few. I see him riding it out and taking over the reins.

Tonagel, however, is the guy I see as being most probable from these three options. I've been vying for him since Bryce left. The Tonagel family is absolutely amazing. They, like the Drews, are a family that Valparaiso would generationally embrace for years to come. Greg, like Homer, is pursuing his doctorate. He's a cerebral, level-headed, family-oriented man of faith. He's been the HC at Wesleyan since 2005.

And, he's a proven coach - I don't care that it's NAIA:

IWU COACHING HIGHLIGHTS:
3: NAIA Div. II National Championships (2014, 2016, and 2018)
25: NAIA Div. II NAIA All-Americans
12: Crossroads League Regular Season Championships
5: Crossroads League Tournament Championships (2010, 2015, 2018, 2019, 2020)
2: NAIA National Player of the Year (2020 & 21: Kyle Mangas)
1: Small College Basketball Player of the Year (2020: Kyle Mangas)
4: Finished Seasons as the No. 1-ranked team in NAIA Division II.
Winningest Coach in Program History
Highest Winning Percentage (.795)
Most Wins (420)
Most NAIA National Tournament Victories (32)
Most National Tournament appearances (13)
Most Crossroads League Regular Season Championships (11)
Most Crossroads League Tournament Championships (5)

As a player, by the way, here's some stats:

AS A PLAYER:
Led Valparaiso to 4 NCAA Tournaments
Won 20 games each of the Four Years as a Starter
Compaq National Play of the Week
Set Single Season Free Throw Record
Academic All-Conference
Two-time Team Captain
Team Chaplain and Bible Study Leader

[historyman]

It comes down to budget and this is a very low paying high mid major job. Point and case Western Kentucky signing a coach to 300k more than Lottich made from a small major.

Your answer covers the whole spectrum.

low,  high & mid

[tiny707]

Dr. T, spot on. The longer this drags out and the more people drop it becomes more apparent that Greg is the one. Home run. The good thing is they definitely did their due diligence and explored every avenue in the process.

[historyman]

Tonagel, however, is the guy I see as being most probable from these three options. I've been vying for him since Bryce left. The Tonagel family is absolutely amazing. They, like the Drews, are a family that Valparaiso would generationally embrace for years to come. Greg, like Homer, is pursuing his doctorate. He's a cerebral, level-headed, family-oriented man of faith. He's been the HC at Wesleyan since 2005.

If Greg takes the Valpo HC job, his son plays for Valpo, hits an incredible last second three pointer in the 2nd round of the NCAA Tournament called Buck with the younger Tonagel receiving a pass from an identical triplet named Harry whose brothers are Larry & Les that eventually sends the Beacons to the Elite Eight. After 22 years at Valpo, with two of his sons serving as assistant coaches, one taking over at a scandal ridden Texas Christian and eventually taking them to a national championship and his other NCAA highlight son after playing for the Sixers, Nets & Pacers becomes the Valpo HC for six years eventually winning an N.I.T. championship with the help of a highly recruited player from near Decatur, IL. Then and only then will I compare Greg to Homer.

Of course Cleveland native triplet Les Johnson will hate the phrase "Nothing Less"   


P.S. I did leave out the 8 MVC championships and 5 Conference USA championships Greg and his sons will win.


P.P.S. Oh yeah, Greg's "The Shot III" son will marry a Nets cheerleader who's father plays Ralph Kramden's son on the show the Honeymooners.


P.P.P.S. Greg's grandson will find a better way to make microwave popcorn that tastes better and become a very VUASC (@valpoarchives) • Instagram photos and videos in Valpo. Greg's grandson will pay for a 15,000 seat arena with A/C which will be a true state of the art facility.


And I can once again order the $1.00 spaghetti.

[Just Sayin]

Agree with all of the posts here regarding Greg.  I think it's going to be him. Great hire if it happens.

[Chairback]

How long will the entire Ohio State coaching staff be employed with a another season like they had.  Excuses will not buy you time there. 

If they don't win quickly and miss another year of tourney that whole staff will be wiped out in a blink. 

[FWalum]

David81 to your point this old article (2018) touches on all your points you just made.  Tonagel is growing on me.

https://www.news-sentinel.com/sports/2018/03/14/tom-davis-indiana-wesleyan-coach-greg-tonagel-just-keeps-winning-and-being-ignored/

Greg would check all of the boxes for me now. I thought back in 2013 that he still needed some seasoning. However, agreeing with Tom Davis just makes me sick because he is such an ass.

[mp91]

I'm asking this because I don't know the answer, not because I'm suggesting anything.

If there is a financial issue, I wonder if the financially strapped universities can juice their offers with incentives based on financial return of the team.  For example, maybe the lower base-pay offer could include additional payment as a percentage of ticket sales, tv revenue, NCAA tournament payout, etc.

If we have a confident coach with a healthy incentive package, we may be able to 'out bid' other schools only offering guaranteed pay.  Actually, the entire staff should be on an incentive package.

Again, I don't know how it works in college athletics, so simply asking if anyone has insight.

Yes! Not only is it possible, it's actually pretty common to you have incentives built-in to the contract. This can include a variety of things such as -number of wins, postseason awards, academic performance, etc. At Indiana, Archie Miller actually had bonuses reliant on how they finished in RPI or Kenpom. Lots of different ways to get creative.

[4throwfan]

I'm asking this because I don't know the answer, not because I'm suggesting anything.

If there is a financial issue, I wonder if the financially strapped universities can juice their offers with incentives based on financial return of the team.  For example, maybe the lower base-pay offer could include additional payment as a percentage of ticket sales, tv revenue, NCAA tournament payout, etc.

If we have a confident coach with a healthy incentive package, we may be able to 'out bid' other schools only offering guaranteed pay.  Actually, the entire staff should be on an incentive package.

Again, I don't know how it works in college athletics, so simply asking if anyone has insight.

Yes! Not only is it possible, it's actually pretty common to you have incentives built-in to the contract. This can include a variety of things such as -number of wins, postseason awards, academic performance, etc. At Indiana, Archie Miller actually had bonuses reliant on how they finished in RPI or Kenpom. Lots of different ways to get creative.

Thanks mp91.

Obviously, VU would need to find a coach to agree to some sort of incentive-heavy agreement, but I think that could be something that could solve some issues.

First, VU could offer some sort of retention bonus so that stability is incentivized.  For example, there could be a base pay less than Matt's, but could offer, for example, a $500K payment if he stays for 5 years.  There would have to 'termination for cause' and 'good leaver' provisions, but that's not hard.

Second, given the university's financial situation, I'd probably try to tie bonus to financials rather than pure performance. For example, maybe he could get a pro rata bonus paid based on MBB revenue growth.  If the revenue growth is greater than 10% for each year, then he would 'be in the money'. Could say that revenue growth over 10% would result in receiving percentage of base pay up to a maximum of, say 50%.  They could set that max at something like 20% revenue growth.  So, if he gets paid, say $300K, then under my example, he would get an additional $150K annually if MBB revenue grows by 20% each year.  The benefit of this would be that high pay could be easier to justify to other staff who are not highly paid.  Maybe they would want to go on an incentive program for their own compensation.

Third, there could also be other incentives based on W/L (only for Div 1 W's), but again these incentives may need to be secondary, but might be easier to understand for most coaches.

Again, there might not be many coaches that would agree on such things, but it would help get a quality coach for less up-front payment.  A Div II coach would likely jump on this (and the incentives would lose effect) simply because the base pay is already more than they make.  So, my thinking is geared more toward someone who would have other Div 1 offers from more attractive positions simply so that VU"s offer becomes potentially more lucrative.

Just some thoughts.

[usc4valpo]

Tonegal seems like a decent guy, but don't stick only on the Valpo tree. The NAIA to D1 transition in this day and age of NIL and transfer protocol requires a different cat of a coach.

Ideally, Ben McCollum would be ideal, but doubt it would be a mutual fit. I think McCollum is looking for a higher MVC or Big 12 job.

[tiny707]

Just my opinion, but I think we are down to Ed Schilling and Greg Tonagel. Both want the job and meet the Valpo criteria. Small has to get over his "fear" that Tonagel may be too religious or NAIA is too small. Either one will have to help raise money for facilities. UCONN has no NIL players on roster...

[vu84v2]

Tonegal seems like a decent guy, but don't stick only on the Valpo tree. The NAIA to D1 transition in this day and age of NIL and transfer protocol requires a different cat of a coach.

Ideally, Ben McCollum would be ideal, but doubt it would be a mutual fit. I think McCollum is looking for a higher MVC or Big 12 job.

There are multiple models that work in today's NIL and transfer protocol world. Yes, one model is to continuously attract better talent than your competitors each year via transfers. But another model will emphasize a system and connectedness, in which greater value is placed in players who fit the system and who have the maturity and behavior to connect with their teammates. These types of programs will still have some inbound and outbound transfers, but far less than many other programs. For Valpo, saying its just going to continuously win the recruiting battle for first-year and transfer players may not have the likelihood of success that building a system associated with a specific on-court strategy and getting players to connect with one another has. I honestly don't know if Greg Tonagel is the guy to do that, but from what I have heard and read he may be.

[vu84v2]

Just my opinion, but I think we are down to Ed Schilling and Greg Tonagel. Both want the job and meet the Valpo criteria. Small has to get over his "fear" that Tonagel may be too religious or NAIA is too small. Either one will have to help raise money for facilities. UCONN has no NIL players on roster...

Tonagel is fully entitled to his religious beliefs, but (like anyone) he would need to respect everyone else's beliefs in the work environment. This includes players, athletic department staff, etc.

[David81]

My guess (from a distant perch, concededly) is that if there are issues with Tonagel's religious beliefs and how he would comport himself as a coach, that they will be openly and honestly discussed so as to leave no room for misunderstanding. If he's announced as the new HC, it will not have been a hastily made decision, given a school whose MBB program is at a critically important crossroads and a guy who has been in his current coaching position for 18 seasons.

[vok22]

Just my opinion, but I think we are down to Ed Schilling and Greg Tonagel. Both want the job and meet the Valpo criteria. Small has to get over his "fear" that Tonagel may be too religious or NAIA is too small. Either one will have to help raise money for facilities. UCONN has no NIL players on roster...

I really, REALLY hope Schilling is not in the final two. Would be a disaster in my opinion.

[wh]

Just my opinion, but I think we are down to Ed Schilling and Greg Tonagel. Both want the job and meet the Valpo criteria. Small has to get over his "fear" that Tonagel may be too religious or NAIA is too small. Either one will have to help raise money for facilities. UCONN has no NIL players on roster...

I really, REALLY hope Schilling is not in the final two. Would be a disaster in my opinion.

Are we honestly considering someone who was so bad at Wright State that they fired him with 3 years left in his contract? Matt Lottich has a better track than Schilling has - in a much tougher league. I'd have more confidence in someone from this board than I would him.

[VU2014]

Just my opinion, but I think we are down to Ed Schilling and Greg Tonagel. Both want the job and meet the Valpo criteria. Small has to get over his "fear" that Tonagel may be too religious or NAIA is too small. Either one will have to help raise money for facilities. UCONN has no NIL players on roster...

I really, REALLY hope Schilling is not in the final two. Would be a disaster in my opinion.

Are we honestly considering someone who was so bad at Wright State that they fired him with 3 years left in his contract? Matt Lottich has a better track than Schilling has - in a much tougher league. I'd have more confidence in someone from this board than I would him.

I'm sorry but the Schilling to Lottich comparison is ridiculous.

Schilling has been coaching basketball sincr before Lottich was born when he landed the Valpo job. Schilling has so much experience compared to Lottich.

I'm not saying I would like a Schilling hire but I will say he'd be much more prepared to be a head coach than what Lottich was.

[Chairback]

Wouldn't it be ironic if Greg has zero interest and never applied.   We hype all these "candidates" and it's all just speculation.  I hope I'm wrong.

[Just Sayin]

Given Padilla's heightened interest in hiring minorities, someone like Greg or Schilling may be at the bottom of the list, if at all. I'd love to see Tonagel get the job and I'm betting that he will. If Schilling was let go early in his contract, does it matter how long he has been coaching?  He would be a bad choice in my view. Greg is squeaky clean.

[wh]

Just my opinion, but I think we are down to Ed Schilling and Greg Tonagel. Both want the job and meet the Valpo criteria. Small has to get over his "fear" that Tonagel may be too religious or NAIA is too small. Either one will have to help raise money for facilities. UCONN has no NIL players on roster...

I really, REALLY hope Schilling is not in the final two. Would be a disaster in my opinion.

Are we honestly considering someone who was so bad at Wright State that they fired him with 3 years left in his contract? Matt Lottich has a better track than Schilling has - in a much tougher league. I'd have more confidence in someone from this board than I would him.

I'm sorry but the Schilling to Lottich comparison is ridiculous.

Schilling has been coaching basketball sincr before Lottich was born when he landed the Valpo job. Schilling has so much experience compared to Lottich.

I'm not saying I would like a Schilling hire but I will say he'd be much more prepared to be a head coach than what Lottich was.

If we're going to consider former head coaches who bombed out, let's at least go for a repentant cheater with a winning record.

[historyman]

You guys are just wrong about Ed Shilling. Would Bryce have an older guy on his staff if he didn't believe in his ability to contribute to the coaching staff? You are centering on one decision made at Wright State a long time ago. Ed Shilling was the HS coach of Yogi Ferrel at Park Tudor School. He developed Yogi into an outstanding talent in HS.


Didn't Bryce also get fired at a Div I school? Did we say he was washed up after that?

[4throwfan]

Given Padilla's heightened interest in hiring minorities, someone like Greg or Schilling may be at the bottom of the list, if at all. I'd love to see Tonagel get the job and I'm betting that he will. If Schilling was let go early in his contract, does it matter how long he has been coaching?  He would be a bad choice in my view. Greg is squeaky clean.

From an outsider's perspective, I think Just Sayin is spot on regarding the emphasis likely to be placed on diversity in the hiring.  My 'read of the room' is that this is a priority.

If that's right, someone like Tonagel might not be a priority. 

[Just Sayin]

Ed Schilling.
Only one job as a head coach in his career. Why no head coach jobs after getting fired?  Why didn't a school snatch him up if he is so good? His tenure as assistant wasn't all that long at most gigs.
What makes him the best candidate for Valpo head coach?
As coach:
1995–1996   UMass (assistant)
1996–1997   New Jersey Nets (assistant)
1997–2003   Wright State (Head Coach)
2003–2005   Memphis (assistant)
2013–2017   UCLA (assistant)
2017–2019   Indiana (assistant)
2020–present   Grand Canyon (assistant)

[Just Sayin]

Ed Schilling Record at Wright State. Four of six seasons were losing seasons. 


Season 21-26 https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/schools/wright-state/men/

As to Bryce, while it was grossly unfair in my view for him to have been fired, he did not win one conference game the year before he was fired. He deserved to be fired.