Tweet
Originally posted by srw
View Post
-
Agree about recruiting, but I think almost anyone would consider Bradley a tremendous step up from Princeton. Question is only if he's waiting for a bigger offer.. or if he's the rare guy who just wants it for his alma mater. But if he's trying to get along on his way up, Bradley's a big step up from any Ivy League program. -
Was very impressed with what I saw from him but if you watch the press conference after the game he seems like he loves being at Princeton. I think he'd be a great hire but I just dont see him leaving.Comment
-
I think Johnson should be scoped out if he is interested in the job...do we know he actually does have any interest???
Here's where I think we have to be careful....Ivy League coaches have not always moved on and been successful....and Johnson has not yet showed sustained degree of success...remember James Jones?
The last Princeton coach was hired at Denver in 2007 and has floundered there way under .500 at a low major.
And -- back to Jones...the last time we hired, we also considered an Ivy League coach as one of the final four in the hiring process.
He also looked good at the time -- but he stayed at Yale and done absolutely mediocre since them -- 104-120 and never more than middle of the pack in the IVY League.
Then there's the President's brother-in-law, Craig Robinson, who had Sydney-Johnson-like success at Brown and was hired at Oregon State and has done terribly there so far -- with his offense scoring in the 30's & 40's so often and entrenching themselves at the bottom of the Pac-10 so solidly that Beaver fans are already clammoring to get rid of Craig.
Cornell's coach was a hot topic a year ago -- but he stayed at Cornell - and nobody's mentioning his name this year...they're terrible...
Bill Carmody also moved on from Princeton and despite modest success at Northwestern - he's never made the NCAA and the Northwestern fans are not universally happy..
I know some Ivy League coaches have moved on and been successful -- but actually I can only find two such examplesComment
-
Tornado, some excellent, excellent points though I think the situation with Johnson and Bradley would be VERY different, primarily because Bradley is a true basketball school with engaged alumni, terrific facilities and a rich tradition. Denver and Northwestern have never even been to the NCAA tournament and Oregon State has little tradition to speak of, outside of nice runs with Ralph Miller coaching and (later) with Gary Payton playing.Originally posted by tornado View Post
Bottom line, and I think this is the rare thing that ALL of us on this board can agree upon: Bradley provides a much better base for success than all of those other schools. It is also a completely different animal than Princeton and the Ivy League.
My wife and I were living in Princeton in 2004 when they won the Ivy League, went 20-8 with one loss in the league. Their team was excellent that year and you didn't hear a peep about that team anywhere in town. The students aren't huge sports fans and many of the local residents support teams from nearby Philly or New York. 180 degrees from Peoria, where BU is THE game in town.
A few more points:
1. I think the tie with Dr. Cross cannot be ignored. Let's hope he can sell Sydney on BU being the excellent opportunity that it is. It certainly doesn't hurt that Cross came here from Princeton as well.
2. I saw the emotional press conference with Sydney crying yesterday. Maybe he was crying because he knows there are other opportunities on the horizon and that yesterday may have been his last game for the Tigers.
3. The guy was an assistant at Georgetown before returning to Princeton. I don't think you coach in the Big East unless you're an ambitious guy who wants big things. And, though John Thompson III was an exception (an his family ties certainly played a role), you are very rarely going to make a move from the Ivy League to an elite basketball school. BU is a natural next step for Sydney.
4. I'm not sure if he'd be in Peoria forever, but I think Sydney would win while he was here, and win big.
Let's go get this guy and Restore the Roar!Comment
-
Here is a pretty good, detailed bio on Sydney Johnson-
After his career as a player at Priceton, he played 7 years professionally in Europe. He was only at Georgetown for 3 seasons as an assistant before he was hired as head coach at Princeton.
Personally, I do not think he will be a serious candidate for the Bradley job.Comment
-
Well, if he is not a serious candidate for the BU job then I'll be disappointed. He's exactly what we need and, in my view, would be a significant step up for BU.Comment
-
DC, I'm curious what you mean...
Not serious because BU isn't interested, or because he's not interested?Comment
-
Just an opinion. I think Bradley will look to a top D1 program, not an Ivy league, non-scholarship coach.Comment
-
You may be right, DC. Have to think that Dr. Cross, based on his connections, at least reaches out to Coach Johnson though, right?Comment
-
It depends on his interest, but if he did apply, Bradley would certainly be interested and would probably pursue him.Comment
-
DC, what do you think of Johnson? Where would you rank him among coaching candidates?Comment
-
Since I don't know who any of the candidates are, you are putting me on the spot. And I do not know what kind of coach they want to hire. I would see Johnson as a solid possibility that I would be happy with, unless we could get a knockout candidate with Top 25 pedigree who is a proven great recruiter.Originally posted by Missouri Brave View PostComment
-
But as you know, the guys a Princeton basketball coach recruits are slightly different overall than the guys a MVC school would recruit. Can he recruit.. Yes... but I would want someone with some midwestern ties as an assistant.. Coach Scott may be that guy..Originally posted by srw View PostBradley 72 - Illini 68 Final
???It??™s awful hard,??™??™ said Illini freshman guard D.J. Richardson, the former Central High School guard who played prep school ball a few miles from here and fought back tears outside the locker room. ???It??™s a hometown thing. It??™s bragging rights.??™Comment
-
Fair enough... So you think they'll go after one of the Big Ten assistants, then?Originally posted by Da Coach View PostComment
-
There are plenty of people that could be great hires. But at this point I think Sydney may be the hot prospect as far as other schools being interested. I think it may be enough to get players to stay. I am just not sure he would be interested.
If we do go with someone from a top 25 program then I would guess you mean a assistant. I would also be fine with that, but I think it makes it more possible we lose other players and have to build up the team again.Comment
Comment