Five Year Contract For Jj?

[GrandGreen]

The DRC mentioned today that NT is negotiating an 5 year extension for JJ. I think that JJ had a great year and is deserving of a raise and an extension, but I see absolutely no benefit for NT in extending a long term contract to any coach. It looks like our AD would have learned from the DD debacle. As strongly evidenced by the current basketball coach carousel, contracts do not keep any coach from moving on but to cash deficit programs like NT it does present a great obstacle if the University wants to make a coaching change. I see no pluses in extending any coach's contract more than 2 or at most 3 years.

[CMJ]

Five years does seem a bit excessive to me too. Especially considering if we make it back to the Dance acouple more times another program will try and snatch him away.

[GreenBat]

Five years does seem a bit excessive to me too. Especially considering if we make it back to the Dance acouple more times another program will try and snatch him away.

And if we don't. NT is stuck with another medicore coach it can't afford to fire.

[CMJ]

And if we don't. NT is stuck with another medicore coach it can't afford to fire.

Also true...but I try and be a glass half full kinda guy.

[GoMeanGreen1999]

The DRC mentioned today that NT is negotiating an 5 year extension for JJ. I think that JJ had a great year and is deserving of a raise and an extension, but I see absolutely no benefit for NT in extending a long term contract to any coach. It looks like our AD would have learned from the DD debacle. As strongly evidenced by the current basketball coach carousel, contracts do not keep any coach from moving on but to cash deficit programs like NT it does present a great obstacle if the University wants to make a coaching change. I see no pluses in extending any coach's contract more than 2 or at most 3 years.

My thoughts exactly. Actually, when JJ made it to the tourney this year, I was excited for the team and the national exposure that would come from it, but in the back of my head I was thinking "Great, just as we are about to make a move to get another coach in here, he goes off and takes us to the tourney.....just like DD did right as they were about to remove him, he goes off and starts that conf streak."

[UNT_92_Fan]

That would be horrible if JJ ran off four straight sunbelt championships.... Give the guy a damn break before you hang him on getting paid. He took your team to the tourney and he has a really good looking team coming in next year....

[greenminer]

My thoughts exactly. Actually, when JJ made it to the tourney this year, I was excited for the team and the national exposure that would come from it, but in the back of my head I was thinking "Great, just as we are about to make a move to get another coach in here, he goes off and takes us to the tourney.....just like DD did right as they were about to remove him, he goes off and starts that conf streak."

I think there are some visible clues that we're dealing with a different animal here. JJ is much more eloquent and a gem to hear speak. He preaches about the potential of this program and has never spoken once in line with "woe is me" or "it's us against the fans".

There's no such thing as a bad conference winning streak. Even DD's. If JJ takes us to consecutive titles and is hired away to a higher profile program, all the power to him. Thanks for what he's given us. If he doesn't do anything with the tourney trip, flops with next year's team (which he won't), and gives us consecutive losing years so that we'd have to let him go, I feel he's too much the gentlemen to break out the black jerseys (literally or figuratively).

[emmitt01]

My thoughts exactly. Actually, when JJ made it to the tourney this year, I was excited for the team and the national exposure that would come from it, but in the back of my head I was thinking "Great, just as we are about to make a move to get another coach in here, he goes off and takes us to the tourney.....just like DD did right as they were about to remove him, he goes off and starts that conf streak."

Yeah, my thoughts exactly. I was thinkin' to myself "Geez, now this guy goes and takes us to only our second NCAA tournament appearance ever. Now I'll have to deal with almost two weeks straight of seeing NT in the local and national media. Recruits we could have never touched might consider coming to NT. Now we'll have an established coach at our school who will have stability and continuity in the program and coach to sell to said recruits. That happens all the time so this is just more of the same. Please, oh please, won't somebody get rid of this JJ guy!?"

[GoMeanGreen1999]

Yeah, my thoughts exactly. I was thinkin' to myself "Geez, now this guy goes and takes us to only our second NCAA tournament appearance ever. Now I'll have to deal with almost two weeks straight of seeing NT in the local and national media. Recruits we could have never touched might consider coming to NT. Now we'll have an established coach at our school who will have stability and continuity in the program and coach to sell to said recruits. That happens all the time so this is just more of the same. Please, oh please, won't somebody get rid of this JJ guy!?"

The above paragraph you just typed, was typed so much after the first, much more after the second and third and fourth straight bowls that DD took us to. How did that work out for us? The fact is that JJ had done very little to come back after last year, until the little run we went on. That "good" team that we had this year finished 5th in the Belt. FIFTH! I agree you needed to add a couple of years to his contract and maybe even a raise, but 5 years? And let's see how much better recruits we get from going to the tourney. Yea, more recruits might "think" about coming here as a result of it, but if all they do is "think" and not come here, it really doesn't matter.

[UNT_92_Fan]

JJ will never be good enough unless he runs the table in SunBelt and the NCAA tourney... No Extention, No raise, No Nothing until they cut down the nets in a Final Four*...

some of you people are brutal....

*Sarcasm for those who cant figure it out

[GoMeanGreen1999]

Now we'll have an established coach at our school who will have stability and continuity in the program and coach to sell to said recruits.

I see it is working well for our recruiting, as we have just lost our #1 target for next season to a school who went 14 - 17 last season.

[greenminer]

I see it is working well for our recruiting, as we have just lost our #1 target for next season to a school who went 14 - 17 last season.

How are we at forward? Maybe he reasoned he had a better opportunity to play right away at NO.

[CMJ]

That "good" team that we had this year finished 5th in the Belt. FIFTH!

Technically it was 3rd in the West. It's useless to try and do a pure 1-13 ranking in a conference which is split into divisions.

[Green Means Go!]

Well actually, the league does rank all 13 of the teams when it comes to SBC tournament time. And, we were the 5th seed, as I recall. So, going by that, I'd say that we finished 5th, as well.

[Travis]

How are we at forward? Maybe he reasoned he had a better opportunity to play right away at NO.

After next year he could easily be the "go-to" guy at the forward spot. Regardless, he was still our number one target and apparently he got away... and to New Orleans of all schools. I am not so sure how much it has helped in the recruiting front.

[CMJ]

Well actually, the league does rank all 13 of the teams when it comes to SBC tournament time. And, we were the 5th seed, as I recall. So, going by that, I'd say that we finished 5th, as well.

Well they have to seed the tournament is some fashion, and the SEC(also with divisions) format wouldn't work with the West 3 vs the East 6(in round 1) with us since the odd number of teams would throw it off. The ACC does rank schools 1-12, but they were complaining about that on the ACC touarnament TV coverage. Frankly when you don't play everyone in your conference it's almost impossible to do a real 1-12(or 13...or 16) ranking system. We tied for 5th best recod in league play(with FAU). Out of the 4 schools ahead of us, we didn't play Monroe or USA twice. And we played BOTH on the road the first time(losing nailbiters to both).

Not a reach to suggest we would've beaten each in the SuperPit.

[Green to the Bone]

Anybody who doesn't think a 5-year contract gives the program better options than a one-year is just nuts.

[CMJ]

Anybody who doesn't think a 5-year contract gives the program better options than a one-year is just nuts.

I'd definitely agree with that. But I would've wanted something more akin to a 3 year deal personally. If JJ continues to be successful we'll likely have to rework his 5 year deal anyways in acouple of seasons(maybe even next year) - or hire a new coach because he's left for greener pastures.

[GrandGreen]

Anybody who doesn't think a 5-year contract gives the program better options than a one-year is just nuts.

I'm nuts. What exactly are the better options for the program of a coach with a 5 year contract over a 1 year? A long term contract might have a slight positive effect on recruiting and staff retention but that is greatly overshadowed by the risk of having to either buy out a contract or having to live with an under-performing head coach. By the way, I have not seen anyone state that JJ should not get an extension over 1 year.

[greenminer]

I'm nuts. What exactly are the better options for the program of a coach with a 5 year contract over a 1 year? A long term contract might have a slight positive effect on recruiting and staff retention but that is greatly overshadowed by the risk of having to either buy out a contract or having to live with an under-performing head coach. By the way, I have not seen anyone state that JJ should not get an extension over 1 year.

You don't know that. And neither do I, but my first inclination was that the positive effect could be immense. Telling a kid that you can be his coach for the entire 5 year stay if he comes to your school would be a big deal to me if I were the recruit, or his parents.

Again, we really just don't know for sure either way. Another thing to keep in mind (and I don't really know how all this works) are buy-out clauses and such. It'd be fantastic (imo, feel free to disagree) to get him on a 4 or 5 year contract with some kind of clause that says he has to pay US a large amount if he leaves early for another job, and a small amount for HIM if we terminate it.

Either way, 1 year isn't enough, and 3 years just seems, well, odd...

[Green to the Bone]

I'm nuts. What exactly are the better options for the program of a coach with a 5 year contract over a 1 year? A long term contract might have a slight positive effect on recruiting and staff retention but that is greatly overshadowed by the risk of having to either buy out a contract or having to live with an under-performing head coach. By the way, I have not seen anyone state that JJ should not get an extension over 1 year.

Long-term thinking:

Build a long-term successful program.

Recruit and retain four- and five-year players.

Let the program be identified with a face that can become known outside Denton.

Add credibility to the claim that this program is in for the long haul.

Short-term thinking:

Plan one year at a time; expect defeat every year.

Tell recruits that God knows who'll be the coach by the time you start school.

Play musical chairs with the leadership.

Signal to players and fans that we have no confidence.

Nuts because it embraces a loss-avoidance approach that says it's wiser to fear the consequences of failure than to pursue success.

Nuts because building is never a short-term venture.

Nuts because it's the same tired old attitude.

Edited April 12, 2007 by Green to the Bone

[GrandGreen]

Long-term thinking:

Build a long-term successful program.

Recruit and retain four- and five-year players.

Let the program be identified with a face that can become known outside Denton.

Add credibility to the claim that this program is in for the long haul.

Short-term thinking:

Plan one year at a time; expect defeat every year.

Tell recruits that God knows who'll be the coach by the time you start school.

Play musical chairs with the leadership.

Signal to players and fans that we have no confidence.

Nuts because it embraces a loss-avoidance approach that says it's wiser to fear the consequences of failure than to pursue success.

Nuts because building is never a short-term venture.

Nuts because it's the same tired old attitude.

Yes that long term contract really accomplished all that with DD at the helm of the football program. You seem to have made the very questionable conclusion that a long term contract means that a successful coach is more likely to remain at the university. Have you not noticed that most successful coaches at every level move on despite contract terms. Again, no one has stated that JJ should have only a one year deal. As for the other platitudes that you have tossed out as support, most are opinions not facts. Who has recommended that NT plan only one year at a time? Being economically prudent IMO is far from demonstrating a loss of confidence, and is the direct opposite of being a short term solution.

Edited April 12, 2007 by GrandGreen