LSU Vacancy

[mhettel]

Brady and Davis from IU are guys that got really lucky. Loads of talent, but coudn't consistently win. but that ONE NCAA finals appearance will give each of these guys a ton more mileage.

Great situations, bad coaches

I don't think Miller will leave for LSU. I do think he would leave to Pitt, and that whole list of REALLY top jobs, but I don't see many of them opening up anytime soon. I just don't see Miller as a guy that wants to leave. XU is a good job. Where else do you work where the entire administration is aligned to your department. The IMAGE of the school is centered around the program.

Very few jobs offer that.

Is it conceivable that XU would fire a coach? When was the last time we did that? Name as many schools as you can where there hasn't been a coach forced out or fired for 25 years. Hell, name one. The entire school is aligned, and we're pointing to the top. We take one step forward every year. Every brick we put in place is gonna last forever. We have a remarkable foundation, and this is a premier job.

In my mind there are maybe 10 jobs out there that Miller would certainly leave for. And it he DID leave, we'd have our choice among the very best of the up-and-comers.

What would an offseason be if we didn't have to worry about the coaching situation? It's just part of the 365 day XU basketball season in my mind.

[LA Muskie]

I don't think Miller will leave for LSU. I do think he would leave to Pitt, and that whole list of REALLY top jobs, but I don't see many of them opening up anytime soon.

I don't think anyone thinks there's a significant risk of Miller going to LSU.

The risk is the ripple effect. As one example, (and like the article said), Tim Floyd, a Louisiana native who likely will lose OJ at the end of the season (and quite possibly his #2 player, Taj Gibson), will be priority #1 for LSU. If he takes that job, Jamie Dixon likely will be high on USC's list. And trust me, the USC job is a very attractive opportunity: Pac 10, tons of money and resources available (including a brand-new on-campus arena) in sunny Souther California, and an opportunity to make a name by eating into the UCLA monopoly on college basketball in LA. Needless to say, if Dixon leaves, Miller likely would be option #1 for Pitt, and I think we all know that Pitt is probably Miller's dream job.

Are there other jobs that I think Miller might leave us for? Sure, there probably are. But they are probably far fewer in number than any of his recent predecessors. And I think it's probably a pretty select list (for example, I don't think he would leave for programs like Providence or Wake Forest, notwithstanding their conference affiliations).

I am resigned to the fact that someday Coach will move on. He's too good and too well respected not to get a opportunity he can't turn down at some point in the relatively near future. But I am confident that he will leave the program in an even better state than how he found it (which, frankly, is pretty amazing itself all things considered), and that Bobo and Fr. Graham will again find a great replacement, whenever that may be.

Out of selfishness, though, I hope that's not for several more years. I'd really like to see Coach coach the recruits he's assembling right now...