Was someone on mgoblog quoting “an insider” who has been correct in the past.
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Oh, good. I think he might be a nice match for Juwan. All the names I had seen rumored had some personal connection. It’s good news if he’s casting a wider net.
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The wording of this Tweet, “THE new coach”, rather than “a new coach”, would seem to imply it’s a head coaching position at a level below D1. Could be just careless wording, though. Martelli would be an intriguing choice. Wouldn’t mind having him on staff here as a former head coach with a lot of experience.
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Totally agree…I just meant that (a) it’s an increasingly common arrangement, and (b) if you can get a recent NFL HC in that type of role (and on ASU’s budget), then you can definitely get a recent college HC in that type of role at Michigan.
I assume it’s an organized operation that we’d be going for in that role specifically. Best practices for dealing with donors, NCAA rules, all the stuff you don’t have to think about in the NBA. But if you get a guy that can bring that experience in addition to being a great recruiter, then obv having him in an assistant spot is better.
I don’t see this as having to be anyone we’ve heard of–or renowned at all. Just someone who Juwan was extremely comfortable with who spoke to him quietly at the right times, who he could bounce stuff off of and reality-test with as he moves into the college coaching world. I saw the term ‘consigliere’ used somewhere, and thought that might be about right.
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Point I was trying to make is that I’d rather have:
400k assistant and 100k special assistant
than
300k assistant and 200k special assistant
You want to put the money behind the positions that are going to a) teach on the floor b) recruit players.
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And I guess my thought is I’d rather have the 3 assistants plus 1 special assistant that Juwan wants, at market rates, than “just” the 3 assistants. I hope we’re willing to invest in a robust support structure for our first time coach.
(which you’ll note is not me disagreeing with you)
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Brendan is having a chat on the Athletic now. He answered a question I asked him about the staff. Below is his response:
It was reported this weekend that Howard Eisley’s name is in the mix and I can tell you that, yes, I’ve very much been told the same. No formal offer yet, though. I believe he’ll ultimately get a spot.
So Eisley and Saddi Washington.
As for the third spot. There’s some interesting stuff happening here. The third coach will be a former head coach at the Division I level. I know of one name very much involved but it’s not at a point that can be reported.
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That would make 2 Detroit based guys. Saddi is a decent to good recruiter, Eisley has never recruited. So hopefully Eisley and Juwan take quickly to recruiting, it can be done as Mike Miller has shown.
Worth noting that Miller at least had his own AAU program before he was hired at Memphis. Not sure of any connections Eisley has to the grassroots scene but I could be missing something.
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So yeah, I’d really want that last spot to be an ace recruiter then. Would honestly prefer that to a guy with head coaching experience, but maybe we can get both.
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his son plays for the psa cardinals, that’s the only one I could find
his younger son, Howard Jr. is a 8th grader I believe. He has an older son, not sure he plays
One of the new staff members — asst coach, advisor, special assistant to the coach, whatever you want to call it — needs to be someone with a background dealing with academics. There’s a lot of logistics that go along with athlete academic schedules, transcripts, class work, exams from the road, practice schedules around class schedules, etc. A lot of first time coaches get tripped up with the time constraints academics present. Having someone on staff in a more senior position who can help Juwan navigate that will be key, in my opinion; frees Juwan up to focus more on basketball in Year 1 and Year 2.
(The role is less important for a veteran coach like Beilein who was used to navigating the academic constraints — and in some situations may have placed tougher academic requirements than the academic side required)
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Isn’t the academic side where the administrative staff everyone keeps discussing would come significantly into play?
I keep thinking the same thing. And that’s true, though maybe to a lesser extent, with many of the issues we’ve discussed (scheduling, recruiting calendar, etc.). It would be great to have someone on staff with head coaching experience, sure, but there’s an entire Athletic Department at Michigan will help Juwan navigate the of-the-court issues specific to the college game.
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Who in the athletic department is an expert on basketball scheduling or something like that? That all falls on the coaching staff.
Yes there are people in the AD to help on the academic side, but it is more that Howard will have to spend time managing it. An admin specialist with experience can help take some of that pressure of him.
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All I’m saying is that one of the on-court assistants doesn’t really need academic expertiseZ
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That’s true. Much more of a DOBO or special assistant role.