The Tulsa Model

ghost of smith hall · April 12, 2012

I know loyalty to the program is very important for many on this board. I can appreciate the coach that wants to make his "forever home" at UNT but I would like to offer up a different perspective. I have always wondered how great it would be if UNT could emulate the success that the Tulsa Golden Hurricane enjoyed for a twenty year period between 1982 and 2003:

NCAA Tournament:

Appearances: 13

2nd Rd: 82, 84, 97, 99, 2002, 2003

Sweet Sixteen: 94, 95,

Elite Eight: 2000

Not to mention the NIT Championship in 2001

Would we take that? Now take a look at who coached them during this two decade run:

Nolan Richardson (1980–1985)

J. D. Barnett (1985–1991)

Tubby Smith (1991–1995)

Steve Robinson (1995–1997)

Bill Self (1997–2000)

Buzz Peterson (2000–2001)

John Phillips (2001–2004)

Two things stand out...whoever their AD was during this time was a freaking genius...and none of these very familiar names stayed very long...Nolan Richardson made people realize that you could win at Tulsa...then it was a matter of smart hire after smart hire to establish the Golden Hurricane as a destination for up and coming coaches. IMO there is nothing wrong with that. Now that our women's coach has taken her dream job, and our men's coach could potentially do the same, the time is now to establish UNT as a destination for the nations brightest up and coming coaches. I don't know for sure but I believe RV is up to that task.

Cooley · April 12, 2012

Excellent post!

greenminer · April 13, 2012

If you can't keep a guy, that is certainly a model to follow.

Comet7745 · April 13, 2012

It wasn't just their AD at the time, it's still going on today. Tulsa, along with Southern Miss, are capable of doing some amazing thing with limited resources.

GrandGreen · April 13, 2012

It is actually the model for most programs, the lower you are on the athletic food chain the more likely you are going to lose successful coaches. There are very few programs that can keep someone from hiring their coaches. Obviously the more money invested in your program, the least likely you are to have someone come in with a bigger offer. Tulsa was just good at it for a long period, as is Boise in football, but it is basically what every AD tries.

The Fake Lonnie Finch · April 13, 2012

Problems:

-TU donors give alot of money to basketball; UNT's do not.

-TU traditionally plays to full or near-full crowds; UNT does not.

The support for basketball, and the importance placed on it, have been night and day different than UNT.

Also, John Phillips? Come on. That was a give up promotion because Tulsa was tired of people leaving. They thought hiring local boy Phillips (he and my mom went to high school together at Tulsa McClain back in the early 60s) would be the answer for coaches using Tulsa as a stepping stone.

The Phillips experiment was terrible. The program eroded quickly under him. His replacement, Doug Wojcik, won games - 140-92 in seven seasons isn't bad - but, he never got them into the tournament.

In my opinion, TU struck out in the hiring of their latest AD and men's basketball coach. I'm also still skeptical of the long-term success of Bill Blankenship. TU's rolled the dice a bunch lately.