USC hires Andy Enfield (Sp)

UNT90 · April 2, 2013

FGCU cashes in on taking a 15 seed to the sweet 16.

RV, if you are reading this, this is what a good hire looks like.

Travis · April 2, 2013

too soon! Don't you think?

UNT90 · April 2, 2013

too soon! Don't you think?

Maybe for Enfield. I think he probably could have done better than USC,

Or did you mean we need to let RV make 2 or 3 more terrible hires before offering suggestions?

NT03 · April 2, 2013

Also Cal State Northridge hired my guy , Reggie Theus

NT03 · April 2, 2013

Also Cal State Northridge hired my guy , Reggie Theus

CMJ · April 2, 2013

Also Cal State Northridge hired my guy , Reggie Theus

Wow, that is quite a fall for Theus. Have you seen where CSUN plays?

NT03 · April 2, 2013

http://cbsprt.co/XVwgRG

Mean Green Matt · April 2, 2013

Andy Enfield. Head coaching experience? Check. Proven winner? Check.

Tony Benford. (Crickets)

CMJ · April 2, 2013

Andy Enfield. Head coaching experience? Check. Proven winner? Check.
Tony Benford. (Crickets)

Hehhe, while i agree sort of it's not always the best move.

Sometimes legendary coaches are successes straight from being assistants. Roy Williams went straight from being a Dean Smith protege to coaching Kansas of all places. You wouldn't think they'd hire someone without head coaching experience, but they did.

golfingomez · April 3, 2013

RV, if you are reading this, this is what a good hire looks like.

ummm.... what?

how could you even come close to knowing this?

if you want to recognize anyone as a good hire, reference someone like Shaka Smart... someone who has built up a program and would rather stay at his school then jump to a bigger ship...

not Enfield, who

A: has been a head coach for two seasons

B: someone who we clearly had no shot at hiring

and

C: is someone who is not looking to stay at a smaller basketball school

Dr. Seuss · April 3, 2013

Enfield is getting 6 years a million plus a year... Not to bad for a coach who made 157k last year.

UNT90 · April 3, 2013

ummm.... what?

how could you even come close to knowing this?

if you want to recognize anyone as a good hire, reference someone like Shaka Smart... someone who has built up a program and would rather stay at his school then jump to a bigger ship...

not Enfield, who

A: has been a head coach for two seasons

B: someone who we clearly had no shot at hiring

and

C: is someone who is not looking to stay at a smaller basketball school

Come on, man, pick your poison.

Or, are you saying we couldn't afford to hire a coach that wasn't qualified?

And at least he was a coach for 2 seasons, not zero season.

I'm well aware that he wouldn't come here. When Benford is done, the list of people of will come here will have narrowed considerably. Point is, we should have hired a head coach with experience like we were promised.

Travis · April 3, 2013

if you want to recognize anyone as a good hire, reference someone like Shaka Smart... someone who has built up a program and would rather stay at his school then jump to a bigger ship...

While I understand your point in your entire post and agree. Shaka Smart isn't going to a bigger program because he doesn't need to... it isn't like he is getting paid peanuts... He gets 1.5 mil. He is loved at his program, paid very well, and has security. Why would he leave? it definitely was a good hire... but, it was even smarter to do the things necessary to keep him there. if only we....

Edited April 3, 2013 by Travis

Greenrex · April 3, 2013

untbowler · April 3, 2013

any chance his supermodel wife made this decision, so she can keep her tan and be closer to Hollywood?

UNTLifer · April 3, 2013

I'm well aware that he wouldn't come here. When Benford is done, the list of people of will come here will have narrowed considerably. Point is, we should have hired a head coach with experience like we were promised.

Look, everyone, including the national media, thought Benford was the right hire. Hopefully, he will turn this around and prove everyone right, but to say the list of people that will want to come here will narrow considerably should he leave is ridiculous.

UNT90 · April 3, 2013

Look, everyone, including the national media, thought Benford was the right hire. Hopefully, he will turn this around and prove everyone right, but to say the list of people that will want to come here will narrow considerably should he leave is ridiculous.

Not really. By year 4, which is what we give all coaches, regardless of performance, because we are beholden to the bottom line, this program will be a train wreck and many will see it as a dead end job,,

Army of Dad · April 4, 2013

Look, everyone, including the national media, thought Benford was the right hire. Hopefully, he will turn this around and prove everyone right, but to say the list of people that will want to come here will narrow considerably should he leave is ridiculous.

I disagree. It probably already has narrowed considerably. No more NBA lottery draft pick on the roster, no longer in the sun belt (and a lower competition level to beat up on in your first season), and no proven big men on the roster has to give any prospective coaches pause.

UNTMike81 · April 4, 2013

Don't know how the right hire will be after Benford. Clearly the last "right" hire we had was Coach Jones. He built our program. Turned down other SEC jobs before leaving for his school LSU. Problem with Coach Benford he was given proven winnner, couldn't handle the pressure, isn't coaching material. Now every new recruit has seen him in action and that should scar them 1/2 to death.

To top that off our AD doesn't have the guts to fire Benford hire someone like Tuby Smith (sp), and have "name coach" talk Tony into staying another year showing Tony he'll install an offense that Tony can furish in for one more year and restoring millions to Tony's pocket book. Benford cost UNT and Tony Mitchell millions and RV still believe's Benford's a winner, or can't/won't admitt Coach Benford was the wrong man as UNT head BB coach.

As countless times before UNT faithfull are being asked to walk through the dessart like for another 30 to 40 years to sniff a shot at winning. Again, my thanks...let's toast RV for the distruction of a perfectly good basketball program.

UNT90 · April 4, 2013

Look, everyone, including the national media, thought Benford was the right hire. Hopefully, he will turn this around and prove everyone right, but to say the list of people that will want to come here will narrow considerably should he leave is ridiculous.

Not everyone, My friend. I believeTasty for one was very wary of the hire. Even I said the hire looked good on paper, but we had no idea if he could coach because he never had. Several others were upset because RV didn't do what he said he was going to do, hire a coach with head coaching experience. We liked his recruiting ability, but had no idea how he was as a coach. The fact that numerous programs said no thanks should have give RV a clue.

But like I have said a thousand times (as you point out), the sin isn't the hire, the sin is the acceptance of failure after the hire failed miserably. But that is what we are good at at UNT.

Edited April 4, 2013 by UNT90

TheTastyGreek · April 4, 2013

Not everyone, My friend. I believe Tasty for one was very wary of the hire.

I was a little confused by the hire when I first heard about Benford as a candidate, but honestly, I was on board when he got the job. By far, the biggest thing I was looking for in a new coach was someone who could keep the roster together and let us field the team JJ had spent 10 years building.

I thought and still think that last year was the brass ring, our once in 2 or 3 generations shot at the sort of year that would cement us as a real basketball program, and redefine our ceiling in terms of postseason success and high level recruit awareness. Absolute worst case, I thought any caretaker coach who had our lineup could basically roll the ball out on the court and get out of the way, and we'd get to 20 wins and contend for both the NIT and NCAA auto-bids. When Benford was hired and managed to keep the roster intact (which I thought and still think was less than 50/50, depending on our hire)... I thought it was a solid hire.

The Marquette thing was a concern, and I did expect an experienced coach (even though my top choice, the one I was very vocal in advocating for, was an assistant with no prior head coaching experience). But Priority 1, by far, was keeping the team together so that we could take our shot at the brass ring. That happened, and because of that, I don't second guess the process or fault the reasoning that led to Benford's hire.

I have no problem with the initial hire, given what we knew at the time.

But, just like with Dodge, I have a lot of problems with what we've allowed to happen since the hire. I think we've made different, but potentially much worse mistakes, with how we've allowed Benford to run things. And they aren't the sort of choices that are exclusively at Benford's discretion... The most galling one (worse than Trey, in my opinion) needs RV or someone in academic administration (not sure which) to approve cutting a stipend check.

And at this time, I think we know what we've got. Beyond just blowing our shot at the brass ring, I think that even 2 or 3 full years of this is going to set our program back 10 years. But I don't think we've got $1.7 million to throw at Benford to make him go away now.

I had a long post in mind when Western Kentucky got added to CUSA about why I respect them so much and what sets them apart from us with respect to success, expectations, history, and financial support. Never made it, but those differences are very relevant to how we're handling (and financially able to handle) what's happening in basketball.

UNT90 · April 4, 2013

I was a little confused by the hire when I first heard about Benford as a candidate, but honestly, I was on board when he got the job. By far, the biggest thing I was looking for in a new coach was someone who could keep the roster together and let us field the team JJ had spent 10 years building.

I thought and still think that last year was the brass ring, our once in 2 or 3 generations shot at the sort of year that would cement us as a real basketball program, and redefine our ceiling in terms of postseason success and high level recruit awareness. Absolute worst case, I thought any caretaker coach who had our lineup could basically roll the ball out on the court and get out of the way, and we'd get to 20 wins and contend for both the NIT and NCAA auto-bids. When Benford was hired and managed to keep the roster intact (which I thought and still think was less than 50/50, depending on our hire)... I thought it was a solid hire.

The Marquette thing was a concern, and I did expect an experienced coach (even though my top choice, the one I was very vocal in advocating for, was an assistant with no prior head coaching experience). But Priority 1, by far, was keeping the team together so that we could take our shot at the brass ring. That happened, and because of that, I don't second guess the process or fault the reasoning that led to Benford's hire.

I have no problem with the initial hire, given what we knew at the time.

But, just like with Dodge, I have a lot of problems with what we've allowed to happen since the hire. I think we've made different, but potentially much worse mistakes, with how we've allowed Benford to run things. And they aren't the sort of choices that are exclusively at Benford's discretion... The most galling one (worse than Trey, in my opinion) needs RV or someone in academic administration (not sure which) to approve cutting a stipend check.

And at this time, I think we know what we've got. Beyond just blowing our shot at the brass ring, I think that even 2 or 3 full years of this is going to set our program back 10 years. But I don't think we've got $1.7 million to throw at Benford to make him go away now.

I had a long post in mind when Western Kentucky got added to CUSA about why I respect them so much and what sets them apart from us with respect to success, expectations, history, and financial support. Never made it, but those differences are very relevant to how we're handling (and financially able to handle) what's happening in basketball.

Again, financing is very much a "want to" proposition. We raised 3.1 million inside of 30 days to add the basketball practice facility. I think, at this point, RV is holding his breath and hoping this thing turns around for self-preservation. A terrible move, in my opinion. Like I said in an earlier post, making a bad mistake is one thing, standing by and hoping that mistake fixes itself instead of doing the RIGHT thing for UNT athletics and being proactive in fixing the problem is very much another.

In 2 weeks we will have a full picture of how much this season and this hire has hurt this program. I think it will shock some.

Like always, Hope I'm wrong.

Andrew · April 5, 2013

Again, financing is very much a "want to" proposition. We raised 3.1 million inside of 30 days to add the basketball practice facility. I think, at this point, RV is holding his breath and hoping this thing turns around for self-preservation. A terrible move, in my opinion. Like I said in an earlier post, making a bad mistake is one thing, standing by and hoping that mistake fixes itself instead of doing the RIGHT thing for UNT athletics and being proactive in fixing the problem is very much another.
In 2 weeks we will have a full picture of how much this season and this hire has hurt this program. I think it will shock some.
Like always, Hope I'm wrong.

So you do not think that anyone can ever turn the tides? One bad year and they should be cut? So "mistakes" can never right themselves? As mentioned earlie duke fans said the same thing about coach K. How stupid do they feel now....

He kept the team together and earned theplayers respect. Hopefully next year he will earn some of the negative whiners respect as well. He may or he may not. Either way mistakes are not just made in one year so chill out.

Army of Dad · April 5, 2013

So you do not think that anyone can ever turn the tides? One bad year and they should be cut? So "mistakes" can never right themselves? As mentioned earlie duke fans said the same thing about coach K. How stupid do they feel now....
He kept the team together and earned theplayers respect. Hopefully next year he will earn some of the negative whiners respect as well. He may or he may not. Either way mistakes are not just made in one year so chill out.

It's the manner of his fail that makes it so bad. Though you are right when you say mistakes are not just made in one year. It looks like we will have at least two of Benford