Oliver Purnell out at DePaul
- Thread starter MadRU
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Don't be surprised to see Ben Howland at the helm at DePaul. He interviewed 5 yrs ago for the job but was selective. He really wants to get back onto coaching.
Most knew after his first 2 years that he was a really bad fit in Chicago. Depaul wasted a lot of money and a few years. Eddie has a better chance to turn RU around than Purnell did in the midwest.
Jordan's entering his third year of a 5 year contract, Purnell just finished year 5 of a 7 year contract.
Not many HCs will be successful , right away, taking over a program like RU was when Eddie took over.
Rice left a stench, even if he didn't mean to and getting top talent to come to RU ( except for the occasional gem) has been a problem for a long time.
Eddie Jordan might not be the HC to make RU MBB a winner, but 2 years on the job is not enough to give up on him being able to. Year three will be the time to start judging , in my opinion, and feel RU is just muddling through, or showing some life under Jordan .
Purnell was considered a very good hire at the time. Most were very surprised he would leave Clemson where he was having moderate success.
I'm referring to the job RU has done hiring coaches at this point. I would give my left nut as well as my right one to have BH coaching at RU.
What will be very interesting is the following:
- DePaul has a PG named Billy Garrett Jr who is very good. In fact he was so sought after by Purnell that he hired Garrett's dad as an Assistant Coach. Will be interesting to see if Garrett is retained, and if not - then what school does Garrett Jr. presumably transfer to?
- Several days ago, DePaul actually got a commit who was somewhat highly sought after. I forget his name but unless the ass't who recruited him stays or is elevated to HC - I'm sure this kid will decommitt.
- DePaul has a PG named Billy Garrett Jr who is very good. In fact he was so sought after by Purnell that he hired Garrett's dad as an Assistant Coach. Will be interesting to see if Garrett is retained, and if not - then what school does Garrett Jr. presumably transfer to?
- Several days ago, DePaul actually got a commit who was somewhat highly sought after. I forget his name but unless the ass't who recruited him stays or is elevated to HC - I'm sure this kid will decommitt.
I think the kids name was Cain. DePaul made a big financial commitment to Purnell and it did not work out. I guess they decided next year would not be better based on the kids in the program along with those committed. The question is whether or not they pay the big bucks again to try and make another statement. For whatever reason (could be fan support, facilities, financial commitment) they don't strike me as invested in the program as say Marquette which would seem to be the most local league rivalry. Should be interesting to see where they go. Howland would be a good hire and would recruit this area hard.
Depending on what opens up, I could see Ben Howland going there. I posted the article a few weeks back where he said he wasn't going to be so choosy this time around so it's definitely a possibility.
They paid him a good chunk of change IIRC so that's why he left Clemson. He resigned but was there any mutual agreed on buyout for him to do so? Purnell was there 5 years though, so like I said 4 years is usually the minimum and sometimes a little longer as we see in this case. So I expect EJ to be here 2 years more at least, so you better hope he can turn it around because realistically I don't see him going anywhere soon.
They paid him a good chunk of change IIRC so that's why he left Clemson. He resigned but was there any mutual agreed on buyout for him to do so? Purnell was there 5 years though, so like I said 4 years is usually the minimum and sometimes a little longer as we see in this case. So I expect EJ to be here 2 years more at least, so you better hope he can turn it around because realistically I don't see him going anywhere soon.
People always say this and I don't agree with it. Basically, I always see this lean towards youth and buzz words like energy, etc..
I don't have a problem with youth and energy, etc. but I don't like the narrowing of the pool of candidates. If a coach is a good coach, don't care about his age if you feel he can still coach and has it in him. If you think he's mailing it in well that's a different story but if not then age doesn't bother me.
When we hired Rice, I preferred Skinner but most here had the same issues age, lazy recruiter, etc.. But he was a guy who won some with unheralded players and I think that was/is necessary for us to have any chance. Depaul is probably the same and Howland won with less heralded players at Pitt IIRC. I didn't have a problem with Rice but it wasn't the youth energy that made me okay with him, it was his record and performance. We see how Rice did. Could we have done any worse with Skinner or maybe actually done better? I don't know but I wouldn't have held his age against him.
Larranaga in his 60s seems to be doing about the same job as Haith before him. More NITs and the occasional NCAA appearance. You saw him dancing around in the lockerroom that year they went to the NCAAs. If your'e worried about age, then I'd just make sure to put some good assistants under the guy but if a guy can coach and has the passion to still do so, I have no qualms about it.
This post was edited on 3/15 9:42 AM by rutgersguy1
Purnell was never going to win at a football school like Clemson...where he had a losing conf record and never made it past the 1st round of the NCAA.
Clemson wanted him to leave (hence why his buyout was just $250,000...basically a month's salary for top coaches).
He thought a basketball only school like DePaul might be better in the old Big East...but playing in a terrible arena by O'Hare Airport...and inability to recruit, lead to a 15-65 conf record at DePaul.
Next DePaul Coach will have advantage of their new 10,000 seat (high revenue amenity filled) downtown arena that is scheduled to open in Feb 2017 so that might help inject some life into that lost program.
This post was edited on 3/15 10:09 AM by Knight_Light
Clemson wanted him to leave (hence why his buyout was just $250,000...basically a month's salary for top coaches).
He thought a basketball only school like DePaul might be better in the old Big East...but playing in a terrible arena by O'Hare Airport...and inability to recruit, lead to a 15-65 conf record at DePaul.
Next DePaul Coach will have advantage of their new 10,000 seat (high revenue amenity filled) downtown arena that is scheduled to open in Feb 2017 so that might help inject some life into that lost program.
This post was edited on 3/15 10:09 AM by Knight_Light
After decades of futility and inattention I don't know if their is a coach out there who can turn around Rutgers at a price they are willing to pay in salary and facility commitments. I would take Howland with no questions asked based on his success at PITT and UCLA.He is a hard nose coach who taught defense and was able to grind out wins on the road.
DePaul is like Rutgers living in past glory which current recruits and high school coaches know very little about.
DePaul is like Rutgers living in past glory which current recruits and high school coaches know very little about.
Yes because that stigma has stuck with him whether true or not. I'm not saying one way or the other but that lazy recruiter was the winningest coach BC ever had and he won with less heralded players and they haven't sniffed that kind of success since. The coach who wins here is likely going to have to do it with less heralded players as well. I thought that then and I think that now so that's a big selling point for me. It's just my opinion but I think he could have at least got us back to the Gary Waters level with some NITs even if not NCAAs. By no means was he some stellar coach but I think he would have done at least what Rice did and likely better, but again just my opinion.
Ben Howland is a good coach but look how less picky he has to be now to get back in. ADs not hiring you is something to take into account for sure but it's not the only thing to take into account. Look at the record of accomplishment as well.
From an article last year:
He kept an eye on vacancies, but not many of them piqued his interest. He even interviewed for a handful of jobs. But whenever Skinner walked into an office, the 385 career wins he carried with him seemed to suddenly shrink.
So did the two Big East Coach of the Year awards in 2001 and 2005, the Atlantic 10 Coach of the Year honor he picked up in 1992, and the National Coach of the Year award he won in 2001.
His record got smaller and all the noise that surrounded his messy split with BC in 2010 got louder.
On his way out, Skinner was hammered for running a no-frills offense (even though at its best that offense led the Big East in scoring), scrutinized for missing the NCAA Tournament in two of his last three seasons (even though he had made it five of the last seven and reached it more than any other coach in BC history), and criticized for not recruiting (even though he had a small army of former players in the NBA).
But the label that stuck the most was that, for all he had done at BC, he was considered lazy.
That was the undercurrent of the news conference held by BC athletic director Gene DiFilippo. In a column, the Globe's Bob Ryan called Skinner "the least-hard-working man in show business."
As someone who had worked beside Skinner for years, it ate at Cooley.
"I think the stigma that has been pegged on Al is 1 million percent wrong," Cooley said. "I can stand by that statement. It hurt me to see the label that was put on him, and it's unfortunate."
At a place like DePaul you aren't bringing in guys from all over the country. There just isn't that much to sell.
So you have to recruit locally and get the kid not looking to go too far from home and looking to play quick.
The AAU scene in Chicago is extremely slimy and right or wrong you need a guy with relationships in that circle.
Ben Howland sure doesn't have them and if you bring him aboard you're going to have a well coached team of players not good enough to line up against the teams they have to play against.
I'd go after Tim Jankovich at SMU if he's interested. Been a successful HC at Illinois St and knows the terrain.
So you have to recruit locally and get the kid not looking to go too far from home and looking to play quick.
The AAU scene in Chicago is extremely slimy and right or wrong you need a guy with relationships in that circle.
Ben Howland sure doesn't have them and if you bring him aboard you're going to have a well coached team of players not good enough to line up against the teams they have to play against.
I'd go after Tim Jankovich at SMU if he's interested. Been a successful HC at Illinois St and knows the terrain.
I think he's the HCIW for Larry Brown isn't he. I think they pay him like 750K as an assistant because of that. Sometimes those HCIW arrangements fall apart though, so you never know.
And yet six of them are in the NCAA Tournament. Which means that even though only one is truly elite and another likes to think it still is, it's not exactly an easy conference to climb in.
They do have a new arena in the works, and that should help.
Oh right, another school with better facilities than we have. Of course, they got some public funding for it.
but the programs are much more manageable and have more in common than the ones that left do.
lots of solid middle of the pack schools which De Paul can aspire to be. Butler was a bottom feeder last year. MU and Creighton were worse than De Paul this year. SHU is a lead sinker.
the point remains that they had no chance to beat out schools like Louisville, Syracuse and UConn for bids. Beyond Nova and possibly Gtown, the rest of the schools are nothing to fear
lots of solid middle of the pack schools which De Paul can aspire to be. Butler was a bottom feeder last year. MU and Creighton were worse than De Paul this year. SHU is a lead sinker.
the point remains that they had no chance to beat out schools like Louisville, Syracuse and UConn for bids. Beyond Nova and possibly Gtown, the rest of the schools are nothing to fear
Well how many coaches should come out in his favor? I haven't looked but have many come out to bat for Howland? But that's kind of besides the point, the coaching endorsements are nice but Cooley is a friend/colleague so you have to take what he says with a grain of salt. Secondarily, coaching is a fraternity how often do you see any coach badmouth others? So you take what any coach says into consideration but also with a grain of salt.
My focus again is on the performance and the track record. Winningest coach at BC, made the tourney multiple times and did it with unheralded players and also in a good conference like the BE. BC hasn't sniffed that kind of success since. Again my opinion, but I think he would have done at least what Rice did and likely better. Maybe not NCAAs but I think NITs and back to Waters' level.
The main point of this is that I see some here narrow the pool to the young energetic type etc.. and just throw out the old coach who they think is past it, lazy etc..I have no problems with young up and coming coaches but I wouldn't dismiss out of hand older coaches who still have the desire to coach and aren't mailing it in. Larry Brown is doing well and Larranaga is doing about what his predecessor at Miami did. If you're worried about the age stick some good assistants under the guy but don't rule him out if he's still a good coach that can do the job.
