Let’s Speculate! Potential Valparaiso head basketball coach candidates

[VULB#62]

According to the latest The Victory Bell, Greg Tonagel has opted out. Dang! 

[tiny707]

How are top assistants with no head coaching experience working out in the MVC? Devries is the only one showing success.

[David81]

On Ed Schilling: I don't know anything more about the man than what folks have posted here and what a quick look at his Wikipedia page tells me. OK, so 20 years ago he left the HC job at Wright State with a very mediocre record. Since then, he's had a string of assistant jobs (from Wikipedia):

2003–2005   Memphis (assistant)
2013–2017   UCLA (assistant)
2017–2019   Indiana (assistant)
2020–present   Grand Canyon (assistant)

Maybe he was never cut out to be a head coach. Not everyone is right for the job. Or maybe he's got the right stuff to be an excellent HC, but his first opportunity didn't go well, and subsequent chances never materialized. In any event, I agree with everyone who says that someone can grow a lot professionally and personally over a 20-year period. (Indeed, let's be sad for those who do not.)

Schilling is not mentioned in this morning's Victory Bell report. So maybe he's not even in the conversation. But if he is, then I'm sure that Bryce's impressions of him will be taken very seriously, as they should be.

The Company We're In: Per Paul's Victory Bell update this morning, Valpo is not exactly in elite company among the schools that still have vacant head coaching positions: "There have been 54 openings on the coaching carousel this offseason and as of Tuesday morning, 43 of those have been filled. Valparaiso joins Cal State-Northridge, Coppin State, Kennesaw State, New Hampshire, NJIT, North Carolina A&T, Sam Houston State, Southern Utah, Utah State and Utah Valley as the other schools with openings."

It's possible, even likely, that we get someone who has been passed over, perhaps on multiple occasions, or not even noticed enough to be passed over. If he turns out to be the right guy for this school, that won't matter.

On Greg Tonagel: Also via Paul's update, I was disappointed to learn that Tonagel was never seriously in the mix. I'm guessing that he wasn't interested. In any event -- as an academic in a world where career ambition sometimes overcomes deeper meaning in one's work -- I admire this guy for staying at a place that's right for him. Maybe someday he goes D1. But I'm sure it won't be because of others' expectations of what constitutes success.

[vok22]

I do really like the names and details mentioned in Paul's article this morning. I would be happy with almost all of them. It also sounds like the two guys I really want for the job were in it as recently as this weekend.

[Pgmado]

On Ed Schilling: I don't know anything more about the man than what folks have posted here and what a quick look at his Wikipedia page tells me. OK, so 20 years ago he left the HC job at Wright State with a very mediocre record. Since then, he's had a string of assistant jobs (from Wikipedia):

2003–2005   Memphis (assistant)
2013–2017   UCLA (assistant)
2017–2019   Indiana (assistant)
2020–present   Grand Canyon (assistant)

Maybe he was never cut out to be a head coach. Not everyone is right for the job. Or maybe he's got the right stuff to be an excellent HC, but his first opportunity didn't go well, and subsequent chances never materialized. In any event, I agree with everyone who says that someone can grow a lot professionally and personally over a 20-year period. (Indeed, let's be sad for those who do not.)

Schilling is not mentioned in this morning's Victory Bell report. So maybe he's not even in the conversation. But if he is, then I'm sure that Bryce's impressions of him will be taken very seriously, as they should be.

The Company We're In: Per Paul's Victory Bell update this morning, Valpo is not exactly in elite company among the schools that still have vacant head coaching positions: "There have been 54 openings on the coaching carousel this offseason and as of Tuesday morning, 43 of those have been filled. Valparaiso joins Cal State-Northridge, Coppin State, Kennesaw State, New Hampshire, NJIT, North Carolina A&T, Sam Houston State, Southern Utah, Utah State and Utah Valley as the other schools with openings."

It's possible, even likely, that we get someone who has been passed over, perhaps on multiple occasions, or not even noticed enough to be passed over. If he turns out to be the right guy for this school, that won't matter.

On Greg Tonagel: Also via Paul's update, I was disappointed to learn that Tonagel was never seriously in the mix. I'm guessing that he wasn't interested. In any event -- as an academic in a world where career ambition sometimes overcomes deeper meaning in one's work -- I admire this guy for staying at a place that's right for him. Maybe someday he goes D1. But I'm sure it won't be because of others' expectations of what constitutes success.

Ed Schilling's name has never came up in any conversation I've had with any person about the Valpo job. Not once.

[crusader05]

I do think that it being late in the cycle is not going to be as big a deal. This isn't a job where the most sought after candidate are going to consider it if they're on the market. It's a job where you reach out to people who have a connection or think would be drawn to this type of position. I never really thought we'd get someone with a lot of current head coach experience unless it was DII or someone with a really bad recent record. Are best bets are the coaching tree, personal networks, or someone out there looking to prove themselves who love a challenge.

[UNIFTW]

How are top assistants with no head coaching experience working out in the MVC? Devries is the only one showing success.

Jacobson has worked out pretty well for UNI


His entire coaching career

1993–2000   North Dakota (assistant) (UND is his alma mater - class of 93)
2000–2001   North Dakota State (assistant) - under Greg McDermott
2001–2006   Northern Iowa (assistant) - under Greg McDermott
2006–present   Northern Iowa - hired as HC when McDermott went to Iowa State

McDermott was an assistant at UND when Jake was a player and 1 year as a coach with him. McDermott hired Jake at NDSU in 2000 and then brought him to UN in 2001.

[VU2014]

Quote from: VU2014 on April 03, 2023, 08:04:34 PM
My guy says Ed Schilling is going to get the job.

I hope it's Jake Diebler, but I can't get a sense of who is in or out right now. The people who are in the know are aren't talking.

Is your guy drinking?  Schilling would  be Lottich lite.
Look at his record.

I should clarify and say my gut* not guy. Sorry guys. Typo.

Maybe I'm a little too down on the coaching search after hearing the Tonagel news and I got cynical that we'd need to settle for Ed.

But Paul's article this morning is encouraging as it indicates that Jake and Roger are potentially seriously in the mix!

I'm all for Jake or Roger!

[mp91]

On Ed Schilling: I don't know anything more about the man than what folks have posted here and what a quick look at his Wikipedia page tells me. OK, so 20 years ago he left the HC job at Wright State with a very mediocre record. Since then, he's had a string of assistant jobs (from Wikipedia):

2003–2005   Memphis (assistant)
2013–2017   UCLA (assistant)
2017–2019   Indiana (assistant)
2020–present   Grand Canyon (assistant)

Maybe he was never cut out to be a head coach. Not everyone is right for the job. Or maybe he's got the right stuff to be an excellent HC, but his first opportunity didn't go well, and subsequent chances never materialized. In any event, I agree with everyone who says that someone can grow a lot professionally and personally over a 20-year period. (Indeed, let's be sad for those who do not.)

Schilling is not mentioned in this morning's Victory Bell report. So maybe he's not even in the conversation. But if he is, then I'm sure that Bryce's impressions of him will be taken very seriously, as they should be.

The Company We're In: Per Paul's Victory Bell update this morning, Valpo is not exactly in elite company among the schools that still have vacant head coaching positions: "There have been 54 openings on the coaching carousel this offseason and as of Tuesday morning, 43 of those have been filled. Valparaiso joins Cal State-Northridge, Coppin State, Kennesaw State, New Hampshire, NJIT, North Carolina A&T, Sam Houston State, Southern Utah, Utah State and Utah Valley as the other schools with openings."

It's possible, even likely, that we get someone who has been passed over, perhaps on multiple occasions, or not even noticed enough to be passed over. If he turns out to be the right guy for this school, that won't matter.

On Greg Tonagel: Also via Paul's update, I was disappointed to learn that Tonagel was never seriously in the mix. I'm guessing that he wasn't interested. In any event -- as an academic in a world where career ambition sometimes overcomes deeper meaning in one's work -- I admire this guy for staying at a place that's right for him. Maybe someday he goes D1. But I'm sure it won't be because of others' expectations of what constitutes success.

Ed Schilling's name has never came up in any conversation I've had with any person about the Valpo job. Not once.

Good to know. I heard he was explored as a target. But, if you haven't heard anything, his candidacy must have ended pretty quickly.

Curious though – how many names have you heard regarding the position? I'm assuming there might be a few that ended early and were never shared publicly or mentioned in your articles? So, just wondering how many names you have heard that were actually in the mix/explored? (And, if you're willing to share, what percentage of the names tossed around on social media were accurate? 50%? 75%?)

[valpo tundra]

Perhaps all of you will be put out of your misery tomorrow.  Listen for something out of Chicago...

[tiny707]

Chicago?

[Just Sayin]

On Ed Schilling: I don't know anything more about the man than what folks have posted here and what a quick look at his Wikipedia page tells me. OK, so 20 years ago he left the HC job at Wright State with a very mediocre record. Since then, he's had a string of assistant jobs (from Wikipedia):

2003–2005   Memphis (assistant)
2013–2017   UCLA (assistant)
2017–2019   Indiana (assistant)
2020–present   Grand Canyon (assistant)

Maybe he was never cut out to be a head coach. Not everyone is right for the job. Or maybe he's got the right stuff to be an excellent HC, but his first opportunity didn't go well, and subsequent chances never materialized. In any event, I agree with everyone who says that someone can grow a lot professionally and personally over a 20-year period. (Indeed, let's be sad for those who do not.)

Schilling is not mentioned in this morning's Victory Bell report. So maybe he's not even in the conversation. But if he is, then I'm sure that Bryce's impressions of him will be taken very seriously, as they should be.

The Company We're In: Per Paul's Victory Bell update this morning, Valpo is not exactly in elite company among the schools that still have vacant head coaching positions: "There have been 54 openings on the coaching carousel this offseason and as of Tuesday morning, 43 of those have been filled. Valparaiso joins Cal State-Northridge, Coppin State, Kennesaw State, New Hampshire, NJIT, North Carolina A&T, Sam Houston State, Southern Utah, Utah State and Utah Valley as the other schools with openings."

It's possible, even likely, that we get someone who has been passed over, perhaps on multiple occasions, or not even noticed enough to be passed over. If he turns out to be the right guy for this school, that won't matter.

On Greg Tonagel: Also via Paul's update, I was disappointed to learn that Tonagel was never seriously in the mix. I'm guessing that he wasn't interested. In any event -- as an academic in a world where career ambition sometimes overcomes deeper meaning in one's work -- I admire this guy for staying at a place that's right for him. Maybe someday he goes D1. But I'm sure it won't be because of others' expectations of what constitutes success.

Ed Schilling's name has never came up in any conversation I've had with any person about the Valpo job. Not once.

Good to know. I heard he was explored as a target. But, if you haven't heard anything, his candidacy must have ended pretty quickly.

Curious though – how many names have you heard regarding the position? I'm assuming there might be a few that ended early and were never shared publicly or mentioned in your articles? So, just wondering how many names you have heard that were actually in the mix/explored? (And, if you're willing to share, what percentage of the names tossed around on social media were accurate? 50%? 75%?)

I'm gaining some faith in the decision makers.

[crusader05]

As in the leak will come out of Chicago or the coach is based in Chicago?

That could mean a lot

[tiny707]

Yeah, have heard of no coaches out of Chicago. Chris Lowery is in Evanston. Emanuel Dildy is in Oklahoma now.

[wh]

Perhaps all of you will be put out of your misery tomorrow.  Listen for something out of Chicago...

"Out of Chicago" has to mean Chicago media. It must be Chris Lowery.

[tiny707]

Hope no Chris Lowery. If so, look for Matt Lottich to join Chris Collins staff as an assistant. New Trier  and Stanford grad.

[wh]

https://twitter.com/BigTenNetwork/status/1633156060247650329?s=20

Take a glance at all the glowing comments.

[wh]

Harrison graduate Chris Lowery named Big Ten Assistant Coach of the Year
By Keaton Eberly
Published: Mar. 9, 2023 at 4:45 PM CST

https://www.14news.com/2023/03/09/harrison-graduate-chris-lowery-named-big-ten-assistant-coach-year/?outputType=amp

[Just Sayin]

Looks like Chris Lowry was successful his first three years at Southern Illinois, making the tournament, perhaps due to having players from the Weber/Painter previous years. Then it went south for him.


   Overall   Conference   
Rk   Season   Conf   W   L   W-L%   W   L   W-L%   SRS   SOS   PS/G   PA/G   AP Pre   AP High   AP Final   NCAA Tournament   Seed   Coach(es)
12   2011-12   MVC   8   23   .258   5   13   .278   -3.51   3.12   62.7   69.2                  Chris Lowery (8-23)
13   2010-11   MVC   13   19   .406   5   13   .278   -2.46   1.48   61.0   65.0                  Chris Lowery (13-19)
14   2009-10   MVC   15   15   .500   6   12   .333   3.44   1.27   70.1   67.5                  Chris Lowery (15-15)
15   2008-09   MVC   13   18   .419   8   10   .444   0.35   3.19   63.4   65.7                  Chris Lowery (13-18)
16   2007-08   MVC   18   15   .545   11   7   .611   8.73   5.88   62.6   59.7   24   19            Chris Lowery (18-15)
17   2006-07   MVC   29   7   .806   15   3   .833   13.59   7.53   62.9   56.2      11   14   Lost NCAA Tournament Regional Semifinal   4   Chris Lowery (29-7)
18   2005-06   MVC   22   11   .667   12   6   .667   8.93   4.62   60.4   56.5            Lost NCAA Tournament First Round   11   Chris Lowery (22-11)
19   2004-05   MVC   27   8   .771   15   3   .833   11.54   5.13   67.6   60.7            Lost NCAA Tournament Second Round   7   Chris Lowery (27-8)
https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/schools/southern-illinois/men/

Valpo can do better. This hire would satisfy the diversity, equity, and inclusion hiring goals of Padilla.

[UNIFTW]

He was left the most talented roster the Valley had seen in 2 decades.


He took them from the brink of being an unstoppable MM program to absolute dumpster fire the second that roster lost the Weber/Painter recruits.

He didn't exactly go out and leave a healthy bridge behind him.


If it's him good f'n luck. You won't find a single other person in the Valley that is going to think it's going to work out.

[may know]

I'm assuming "news out of Chicago" means Lowery as Evanston is next door to Chicago. There's no one else I can think of that "news out of Chicago" would mean.

Lowery's had success (and failure). He's had a lot of time to learn from that failure. He was just voted Big Ten ACOY. I like him.

[Chairback]

Sounds like we have our coach.  The telephone game has started. 

Are you going to release it PO??

[Just Sayin]

This is what was written about Chris Lowry by the B10 website:

For the first time, the Big Ten Conference has awarded the Howard Moore Assistant Coach of the Year Award. The inaugural recipient is Northwestern's Chris Lowery. A defensive specialist, Lowery helped create a drastic defensive improvement in Evanston. In his first season on the Northwestern bench, The Wildcats allowed just 62.3 points per game, 18th in the nation, down from 69.9 points a season ago. A well-respected coach throughout the conference, Lowery helped Audige earn Co-Defensive Player of the Year honors, as Northwestern won a program record 12 conference games.

Numbers per KenPom:

Ok, so Mr. Lowry was responsible for the the defensive improvement this year at Northwestern. Taking a look at defensive efficiency:
2019 - 93.8, ranked 19th in the country
2021 - 93.4, ranked 37th
2022 - 97.2, ranked 73rd
2023 - 94.3, ranked 22nd (Lowry's first year)

If he was solely the defensive coach, it appears that he did help to improve the defense. And points allowed is lower than the previous 5 years, which averaged 68.3 vs 62.8 in 2023 including the tournament.
So he should be given credit for that improvement on defense for this year. But this is only one year and the new players on this year's team may have had more to do with defensive improvement than did Mr. Lowry. Don't you want someone with a few more years under his belt?


What do we know about his offensive coaching? Just that he was not successful after apparently losing the players he inherited from Weber/Painter.

If Valpo wants to take the chance that he suddenly developed a great offensive prowess - by osmosis - while not in fact demonstrating any head coaching experience or providing evidence of being and outstanding offensive coach, well then, hire him. At least President Padilla can be satisfied that he is meeting his goal of hiring minorities. That seems to be the acid test for him, and possibly Dr. Small, who knows?

Yes people do change and improve over time after being fired. But where is one scintilla of evidence that his failure to win has been addressed, improved, overcome, and attributable to his offensive knowledge which has demonstrably produced a winning team? It doesn't seem to be there. He would be a high risk candidate in my view.

Valpo can do better. Keep looking. Don't settle for second or third best.

[crusader05]

Had a whole post about all the different reasons we needed to watch Chicago tomorrow but it posted right after Chairbacks comment about us having our coach so deleted it as it seems my 3rd prediction which was "if we have our coach it will leak tonight" might be right.

[wh]

I would assume that Lowery has been working the Chicago metro recruiting circuit for the past year, developing connections along the way. That alone makes him more attractive than anyone else for getting the Valpo program back on track sooner rather than later. Northwestern is of course a school that places the highest value on academics, so there's also that.