And so it begins.............

[xbus]

This is from CBS Sportsline...

Final thought: Another week, another coach goes down.

But this one is different because it'll start the domino effect that's always crazy.

No more John Brady at LSU means LSU needs a new coach, and the first place the school will look is Southern California's Tim Floyd. It's no secret LSU has always been Floyd's dream job because he's from the area. But living in Los Angeles -- and coaching in the new Galen Center -- is kinda dreamy too, and the early word out of Baton Rouge is the school might not be willing to pay the type of money it would take to lure Floyd from the sweet situation he's enjoying.

If LSU won't pay, Floyd probably won't move -- in which case some obvious targets are Virginia Commonwealth's Anthony Grant, Ole Miss' Andy Kennedy and Washington State's Tony Bennett. But for the sake of argument, let's pretend Floyd does move to LSU because that's when things could get really silly.

Would Pittsburgh's Jamie Dixon then take the Southern California job?

(Perhaps. But I'm not sure he'd want to battle UCLA's Ben Howland).

Would Xavier's Sean Miller then move to Pittsburgh?

(Definitely. He would move to Pitt in like 1.2 seconds)

So yeah, the speculation is endless and head-spinning and tiresome.

But we're going to ride this coaching carousel again this March, for sure.

[Wisexuowl]

Oh don't worry about money ... LSU prints that stuff ... and Floyd would be a super hire for them reflecting on what he did at UNO ... and the only problem he ever had was drinking with students at ISU ... and at LSU that would not be frowned upon ... it would be expected.

I think competing in the SEC would be a lot more enticing than going against UCLA year after year.

Reminds me though what Bob Boyd (one time USC coach) said after turning down the Duke job back in the early 70's when he was asked ... "aren't you sick and tired of finishing second in the Pac 10 every year?" ... he said .. "Maybe, but it beats the hell out of finishing fifth or sixth in the ACC."

[jaxalum]

You notice the last 3-4 years how Mark Fews name never comes up anymore for ANY job. Has he said no so many times that he is not even approached anymore/so entrenched, treated like a god in Spokane? Miller will be at the top of every list of the elite Major programs looking for a coach, especially after this year. It is going to be a battle to keep him, and it will be harder year after year, UNLESS, he becomes entrenched like the Few situation. I have a hard time seeing Dixon leaving Pitt...which seems to be the only job Miller would for sure jump to.

Millers really on the edge of building a national power here, all bias aside. The 2008 class is top 25, and the 09 class has the potential to better. if there is a conferene realignment, X would have to be at the top of the list to move to some hybrid catholic conference, which would make Miller moving almost anywhere else, a lateral move at best. Offseason will continue to suck concerning Miller(just lst year it was reported he took the Minn job) because he will be mentioned for every major opening out there, and the press wil expect him to take it/one because of that horrid tag X has of being a "stepping stone" job... Hopefully he'll be around for the 08 class' senior year, which could be very special. Atleast the 08s are locked in (LOIs signed and sent)

[wkrq59]

As a former scribe who never played it, I remind all posters of the "lazy reporter, columnist, network analyst "insider" and other pundits with unnamed sources" game.
Sean will be mentioned every time there is an opening even at sub-mid-major conference schools.
He and his family are happy here. He has two fine recruiting classes, one signed and the other under study and negotiation.
Say what you will, but I'd rather raise my kids in Cincinnati than in Pittsburgh. Nothing against Pittsburgh but there is a reason it's called "Tough.'' Every city, including Cincinnati, has its drawbacks.
But Sean and his staff have been quite successful in building a program that has gained national recognition in a very short time. He can truly be called the Mark Few or the Dana Altman of Xavier.
The pressures of a big program like Pittsburgh, LSU, Kentucky are unbelievable. Sean Miller is not like his former boss--most recent one. He has a decent salary and benefits. Again his family is happy here.
There are certain penalties to be paid when you rise to the top of the coaching food chain, salary-wise. Once you reach that rarrified air, your life is not your own. And the lure of "going home" can be a very brief taste of joy...just ask Mick Cronin, who may never be accepted by certain loud-mouthed, ignorant and definitely opinionated fans, who are also Nancy Zimpher and BOT haters. I doubt Huggins will have a long leash at W. Va. if he doesn't start winning and winning big.
There have been numerous cases where "going home" worked out well. But those are special schools --see Miami University, North Carolina, and that's about it.
Xavier offers something special. It did for many coaches who weren't nearly as successful as Sean. I guarantee you the folks at Ohio State will be very nervous if the Indiana job opens any time soon.
After a while you have to ask yourself is the money--which the tax man gets a large chunk of anyway--is worth the angst that always accompanies it.
But no amount of reasoning will ever convince some reporters, like the ones who had Sean on the way to Minneapolis to take the Minnesota Gophers job when Sean had never even been contacted, nor had Bobinski.
It's very easy to start a rumor, especially if you have an editor that wants a juicy story no matter what the facts are. It's also very easy to ruin a coach's future if he doesn't have an understanding AD or an understanding president.
Sadly, this will be a never-ending saga each time there is an opening at any school...Hell, even Pat Summit has been reported as one of the top candidates to coach a men's team elsewhere. There will always be a Lou Holtz on ESPN who suggests, almost demands that "University of Michigan hire Brian Kelly, the coach at Cincinnati.' And as near as I can tell, Kelly was never even approached by U of M.
So, when the experts and "those who know" say something is a lock, put a hold on the worry button.

[SM#24]

Floyd would be a super hire for them reflecting on what he did at UNO ... and the only problem he ever had was drinking with students at ISU ... and at LSU that would not be frowned upon ... it would be expected.

I believe the drinking incident was Eustachy, not Floyd (unless there was one w/ Floyd as well).

[xuhuh!]

what took so long? miller i$ happy. life is good.

[Biff Tannen]

WKRQ:
about raising kids in Cincinnati over Pittsburgh and Pitt being referred to as a "tough city" Cincinnati is ranked as the 16th most dangerous city in the US < http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0921299.html > Going by that I would say that Cincinnati is a much "tougher" city than Pittsburgh. In addition to that the Xavier campus is located in one the dredges of the city< http://www.cincinnati-oh.gov/police/dow ... f15590.pdf > (Avondale-District 4/ Evanston-District 2). So not buying into the whole Pittsburgh "is a tough city and you don't want to raise your kids there" argument to keep Miller.

[Mr. Neutral]

Don't we always say (1) what a great place to live Cincinnati is, (2) what a great gig our coach has got at Xavier, (3) he's got the chance to build something really special and long-term at X, (4) et., and then our coach ends up leaving anyway?

All coaches have to do is see Brady get fired (and I'm not arguing it was the right or wrong move) to confirm that loyalty in college basketball means absolutely nothing unless that loyalty is also followed by 20-win seasons and NCAA appearances.

Miller may get offers, he may not. He may stay, he may go, but anyone who thinks there aren't other, more attractive jobs out there is deluding himself.

[Masterofreality]

LSU's AD Bertman is retiring after this school year on June 30. If I'm an established coach somewhere, I'd be very careful about taking a job when I don't even know who my new boss will be. LSU probably won't even start the search game until April or May and probably after that and if they try to hire a coach before the AD change, it sure seems like putting the cart before the horse. Who knows if the two individuals will be oil and water? Any media speculation on a "coaching short list" right about now is ludicrous on its face.

By the way, the guy who LSU will kowtow to as far as selecting an AD will be Les Miles. That guy drives the train in Baton Rouge-especially since last month and his new deal. The basketball coach and program is way second fiddle. Established coaches know this and along with a concern about the perception created by letting a guy go in the middle of the season two years after a Final Four, the LSU job is not displayed in a very attractive light to prospects. Throwing the money out there is, but balance that against the ugly scenes of Sean's pal Herb Sendek being railroaded out of NC State despite pretty good success and it makes a guy think twice.

Sean is on record of saying that he loves to come to work everyday at Xavier and that the personal and working relationship that he has with Mike Bobinski and the XU administration is something special. He has said that there is more to doing this job than money and Xavier provides a nice income plus great non-financial benefits that he likes. He knows and has said that a National Championship is possible at XU and he has a great recruiting class coming in. In my short meetings with Sean, I believe him to be a man of integrity and a straight shooter, as opposed to the shifty-eyed Beaknosed former coach. Sean has a long term contract with Xavier that has "sweetening incentives" for performance. If this season proves out, he could be making a whole lot of money next year.

As Peter Gillen has stated, "You never say never." Maybe Sean would leave for Pitt, but Tony Yates showed that it isn't always wine and roses when you come back home. Sean may eventually leave, or maybe not. The LSU job is in no way a fit. Period.

[WCWIII]

Also the Miller's put curtains up on their windows - they're planning on staying!