Fran Fraschilla & North Texas

[unttau]

I believe him & RV are buddies

RV needs to get on that. I like this

[Censored by Laurie]

Fran is a Meh for me...

Would rather have Capel or Forrest before Fran.

I really want to stop agreeing with you...

[untjim1995]

Kinda like Jankovic may be waiting a long ass time because Larry Brown apparently thinks he is in his 50s.

It was just a joke about SMU's crazy line of thought. But, it makes just about as much sense.

Fran never won a tournament game while coaching at St. Johns, or anywhere, for that matter. But it bothers me that he had St. John's resources and never advanced. And yes, I would prefer Forrest of Fran. Proven recruiter who knows this team. If circumstances were different, I'd say go with a proven coach. Things aren't different.

Oh, and I would be good with Mike Davis ahead of Fran, also.

Nobody has done anything with St.John's resources in the last decade+ and really, with the exception of a couple of years when Artest (Metta World Peace) was there, they haven't done anything since in the last 20+ years.

Fran Fraschilla would be a fine coach here. Plus, he absolutely adores Tony Mitchell's game, so we wouldn't have to worry about the new coach pissing off the golden goose!!

[NT03]

I'm not the biggest fan of Fran , but I think he's the 1 coach not named Forrest who could keep everyone together.

[All About UNT]

ESPN Bio on Fran

Fran's inroads to the DFW (and Texas for that matter) High School and AAU circuits is like no other candidate that has been mentioned so far. You don't think he can recruit the area? If this guy shows up at your door and says you are the talent he is looking for then you might be at least slightly flattered. There are many that take his talent appraisals very seriously.

With that said.... he has not coached in 10 years but think for a second...he shows up to all the AAU events and KNOWS what coaches are showing up there and who are the recruiters getting results. His coaching staff selection would be determined off of this variable (among others) so you know he would be able to:

1.) Identify talent in the area that he has probably seen play since they were freshman.

2.) Identify the coaches that show up to the games and are deeply ingrained in the AAU circuit while looking for talent

3.) His name is ALREADY known by the players in the area and when they play in front of him they hope that he likes what he sees and makes mention of them.

He has won EVERYONE he has gone.... and one could also say that his hiatus from coaching has taught him a thing or two as well. His inroads with other coaches and programs could offer us games against teams that we would LOVE to have in the SuperPit.

Fran to North Texas could be the biggest win of the 3 DFW University's Coaching Selections made this year.

[Harry]

You make a very convincing argument for Fran AAUNT. You really do. The guy is very well respected nationally. I also like that NT03 feels he would be in the best position to maintain and build on the player chemistry we have.

[TheTastyGreek]

Another thing to consider is that ESPN analysts who take time away have had a pretty good run of success at their new destinations, at least in college basketball.

Steve Lavin took 8 years away, Mark Gottfried just 2... But both of them were able to get right back into the swing of it and succeed immediately in their new jobs.

[GoMeanGreen1999]

HIRE him

[Evan]

You make a very convincing argument for Fran AAUNT. You really do. The guy is very well respected nationally. I also like that NT03 feels he would be in the best position to maintain and build on the player chemistry we have.

agreed.....I bet Tony would be happy with it too......Fran has 32,000 followers on twitter and a black book full of NBA contacts...

And he could commute from his current home in Dallas

[Cooley]

I don't have a strong feel for this guy one way or another. Not even sure he is even interested in this job. What intrigues me though is his knowledge and connections with foreign players and coaches around the world. NBA general managers and scouts, stationed overseas, consult with him about draft prospects throughout the year. After each selection of a foreign player in the NBA draft, the broadcasters kick it over to Fran for his expert analysis on the player. What a huge benefit that would mean to any mid major program.The main reason North Texas is nowhere near a top 25 program (closer to 75) is the lack of quality height. (And depth) Since we aren't in a position to attract the talented 6-11 - 7 footers out of high school, bringing over a developing foreign guy is quite appealing to me. Let's be real, most AAU coaches are trouble! These guys are about benefiting individually rather than truly helping the kid and/or school. We don’t want to build a program by working exclusively with the AAU circuit.I’m somewhat relieved that RV has moved on from Shawn Forrest and not felt pressure rush into a decision. We should not be looking for any quick fixes and band aids. I want a sustainable winning program with gradual year over year improvement. (Instead of shooting for 1 great year) I'm not in favor of any more Karen Aston type hires either. I think the Jeff Capel, Reggie Theus hires would be just that. Our goal should be to hire a good coach who will fulfill his initial 5-year contract and at a minimum 1 earned/deserved extension. This program, in a new league, in this market, will be just fine.

[Harry]

This program, in a new league, in this market, will be just fine.

Encouraging words Cooley! GMG!

[All About UNT]

Encouraging words Cooley! GMG!

Agreed....very wise and well thought out Cooley

[UNT90]

Nobody has done anything with St.John's resources in the last decade+ and really, with the exception of a couple of years when Artest (Metta World Peace) was there, they haven't done anything since in the last 20+ years.

Fran Fraschilla would be a fine coach here. Plus, he absolutely adores Tony Mitchell's game, so we wouldn't have to worry about the new coach pissing off the golden goose!!

Exactly. No one had done anything at UNT in the past 20 years before JJ's arrival, either, and we still have not advanced in a tournament game.

ANY coach that is hired is going to adore Tony Mitchell, unless the are just dumber than a stump.

Fran is OK, I just think there are better options.

[UNT74HM]

I thought u had to live in denton to coach at unt?

Fran's situation of being from Dallas and being out of coaching for awhile reminds me of Bill Blakeley's history. Coach Blakeley had been out of coaching (Dallas Chaparrals), lived in Dallas, and knew the key DFW high school players. I think that he commuted to Denton after taking the job (not sure about this). The only issue with Fran commuting would be that he would be late for all the games due to I35 being backed-up due to traffic.

Fran sounds like the coach we need.

[eulessismore]

Fran's situation of being from Dallas and being out of coaching for awhile reminds me of Bill Blakeley's history. Coach Blakeley had been out of coaching (Dallas Chaparrals), lived in Dallas, and knew the key DFW high school players. I think that he commuted to Denton after taking the job (not sure about this). The only issue with Fran commuting would be that he would be late for all the games due to I35 being backed-up due to traffic.

Fran sounds like the coach we need.

Yeah, just a lovely afternoon commute.

[mean green d]

I'd be good with either Monson, Fraschilla or Capel. I wish we could get

an update from the Denton RC once in awhile as to how it is progressing.

GMG

[UNTLifer]

He proved what he could produce playing the ladie's hire close to the vest, so I will wait, be patient and pleasantly surprised when the men's is announced.

[greenminer]

I'd be good with either Monson, Fraschilla or Capel. I wish we could get

an update from the Denton RC once in awhile as to how it is progressing.

GMG

It'd probably sound a lot like "This guy hasn't signed yet."

We all know how well that goes over under the recruiting forum..."Whole lotta nothing" as someone said. Then someone pisses on Brett for not reporting something solid.

So basically, the DRC can't win.

[Green Dozer]

As for the commuting thing for Fran, I really don't care if he moves to Denton or not. The demands of the job are now year round so there is not time for all the community stuff like the old days. So as long as the new coach comes here and wins, I could care less that he has his name on a road sign saying that he keeps a stretch of said road clean.

[MeanMag]

If we really want to be able to land recruits from the metro area like we say we do, him living in Dallas might not be such a bad thing...

[KoldBeer]

Fran would probably maintain his home in Highland Park. He has a son that will be a senior next year. I doubt he would make his son transfer for just one year.

I like Fran. He has great connections and has been in the area for awhile now. Plus, North Texas would surely get a couple mentions on ESPN if we hired him.