This whole discussion is cherry picking other programs. Sometimes its about hiring someone with a little more risk. Auburn was so down they took a shot at a coach that had been in a lot of trouble in the NCAA with multiple programs. He has been a resounding success. Ole Miss is doing the same with Chris Beard. I loved Kelvin Sampson when he was with the Rockets, openly wished the Ags hired him. But he also picked the perfect spot with Fertitta getting really involved in a potential purchase of the Rockets, got to know Kelvin, UH hired him and he built an amazing program. Prior to Sampson and after Lewis, UH was an awful basketball program. St. Johns hiring Pitino was risky, but the risk is sometimes worth the reward.
In our case, we went with a proven guy and money whipped him into coming here. I would argue he has delivered exactly what the AD wanted - albeit a little slower than we planned. They got a guy that everyone in the industry respects, they get to the tourney consistently and they do it without breaking the bank. We aren't doing it with fantastic facilities, or huge NIL. Buzz is just a winner. I actually think we have a guy that can be our first consistent winner in basketball here. Make the tourney 8 of 10 years, find a year that we can make some noise, occasionally get a game changing 5 star that might be paired with a few others and get deep in the tourney. I still feel like he is building something.
Now, if we think that we are legitimately going to try for a FF level team, and really focus on basketball, then I might agree that its worth taking a shot at another coach. But I would argue against going mid major, and swing again for the fence. The challenge is its really hard to get a truly game changing coach to come here with out something really special (and expensive) in mind. But lets play this out. Lets go get a proven winner in the tourney, that is still coaching (or close to it). We are talking - Tom Izzo, Bill Self, Calipari, Pitino, Mark Few, Thad Matta, Dan Hurley, Sampson. then a group of coaches not quite on that level: Altman, Barnes, Chris Beard, Cronin, Painter. Of that list, there are the no way in hells - Izzo, Self, Cal, Hurley, Sampson, Pitino (IMO). So you are left backing up the truck to convince Few, Barnes, Beard, Conin, Oats or Painter to come here. The most interesting of those is hiring Chris Beard. It's the biggest risk (he has some stink on him), but he is a great coach, won everywhere he has been. It would also be a poor mans Schloss punch to the nuts of our rival given he is a Texas alum, and if successful, would really stick in their craw. All that said, we aren't going that route and those coaches won't say yes without, IMO, a new arena and a war chest of NIL to dole out.
