basketball wise Legans should objectively be front runner for this job. The WCC is better than the Big Sky and yet helped bring Portland from the dead into a serviceable team, irrespective of what players he brought in. Portland is not a winning place...at all. Across prior coach Terry Porter in his 4 seasons, UP won 7 conference games. This season UP won 7 conference games. This is the first time UP has won more than 15 games since 2016-2017. Let me reiterate that the WCC is better than the Big Sky so this isn't some slouch. Not to mention the energy he has and the buy in around the program. Goes to bat for his players, especially as someone who has seen him coach in person at Santa Clara he will go to hell and back for the players.
As for the suggestions to Nick we appreciate the new and creative ideas. We have a schedule that we work with, and if Nick wants to happen to adopt your idea, he will do so in a manner that fits his desire whether that is in two days or two months. You don't dictate when the content comes out.
On the list, maybe, but not the front runner. LetтАЩs see how he does this yearтАжyouтАЩd like to see a little more success at the mid-major level than a Big Sky bid & a .500 season, and with a different cycle of players? Can he recruit the right players to win at Cal...he has zero P5 coaching/recruiting experienceтАжthatтАЩs a big ask. Getting the Pilots to .500 is admirable - my cousin was an Asst. Coach there & itтАЩs a tough place to win.
No secret I and many others are still creased at him for totally quitting on his Cal team - showed an incredible lack of leadership with the timing (literally right before school started - totally left a loaded Bears team hanging). If he got the gig, would definitely give him a shot, as I did with FoxтАжbut would definitely prefer a different candidate. The list of realistic potential candidates is admittedly short, however, and heтАЩd definitely be on it. Seems to know how to navigate the transfer portal tho, which is essential nowadays.
I do think youтАЩre underselling him on what heтАЩs done at Portland. ItтАЩs basically the St Peters of the WCC. You get no help from fans or the athletic department, so to turn a steaming pile of garbage into something respectable says a lot. Certainly says more than anything we have to show for.
I don't mean to diminish Shantay's accomplishments, but I would want to see him take that program further (a WCC championship is probably out of reach for any team not named Gonzaga, but a tourney appearance maybe) before concluding he should be a frontrunner. Hiring him today feels like we would be underselling ourselves. Campinelli took James Madison to 5 tourneys before taking the Cal job, Braun took Eastern Michigan to 3 tourneys and beat a typically talented Duke team in one of those before he was hired. Mike Montgomery was Mike Montgomery and had been to a final four. And Cuonzo had taken a Tennessee team to the Sweet 16. He may be on his way, but sans Wyking, his resume is simply not comparable to what we are accustomed . . . yet.
I think the way the WCC is setup he's going to need to make consistent NIT runs. Gonzaga is Gonzaga and the only team well equipped to take them down consistently is St.Mary's. UP will not beat St.Mary's on a basis consistent enough to get towards the tournament. So to judge his advancements he needs to being Portland into a consistent NIT program. We don't have room to play hardball so we may have to dig for him whether we like it or not.
Portland did quite well last year beating the teams they were supposed to beat...if Fox had done that, the Bears have 3-4 more P12 wins, plus the UCSD disaster.
As for Portland, I absolutely acknowledge that the WCC is a legitimately challenging conference, but at the end of the day, 5 of UP's 7 conference wins came v. UOP, LMU and Pepperdine, all of whom were awful. Like the Bears, they had 1 quality win, at USF...
Would like to see more, and based on your analysis, I figure we can expect to...he's got a decent nucleus coming back, and Robertson could be in WCC POY conversation.
Point taken, thereтАЩs always the desire to see more from Legans myself included. I like what IтАЩve seen from him at EWU and Portland so far and would see limited issues at least initially if he were to take over here. He couldтАЩve beat USF twice but they lost on the final possession in a game they had in the bag. The stepping stones are there for him and he can definitely take care of business unlike Fox.
I recommend searching up Moses Wood, Chris Austin, and Kristian Sjolund, each of which provide their own niche and flavor. IтАЩd love to have any of them on this Cal team especially Wood. IтАЩm a big energy and buy in guy and Legans clearly has it he just has to continually harness it.
Respectfully, I donтАЩt think I amтАжbut when Legans gets Portland to the Tournament, let alone the Sweet 16, IтАЩll maybe quit underselling him.
Getting a middling mid-major like Portland to .500 in conference is nice, but hardly an elite coaching job. And Holloway had crucial P5 AC/recruiting experience prior to St PтАжis Shantay a dynamic recruiter thatтАЩs going to attract 4* talent to Cal? Doubtful. Can he accurately sell an institution he himself bailed on? HeтАЩs not a graduate, so does he really see the value of a Cal education? He didnтАЩt as a SR.
I actually have some pretty fond memories of that era...Lamps, Shipp, Wethers, etc...had some real exciting wins, with Tamir going for 39 in the Oregon win being a highlight. Haas could get to rocking...
Only BYU plays football and they are leaving. As you said earlier the WCC is better in basketball because of those big brand names on the West Coast. If Portland and Santa Clara continue to ascend they can be there too in 5-10 years. The Big Sky will never be ahead of the WCC due to the history and name branding.
2 Things:
basketball wise Legans should objectively be front runner for this job. The WCC is better than the Big Sky and yet helped bring Portland from the dead into a serviceable team, irrespective of what players he brought in. Portland is not a winning place...at all. Across prior coach Terry Porter in his 4 seasons, UP won 7 conference games. This season UP won 7 conference games. This is the first time UP has won more than 15 games since 2016-2017. Let me reiterate that the WCC is better than the Big Sky so this isn't some slouch. Not to mention the energy he has and the buy in around the program. Goes to bat for his players, especially as someone who has seen him coach in person at Santa Clara he will go to hell and back for the players.
As for the suggestions to Nick we appreciate the new and creative ideas. We have a schedule that we work with, and if Nick wants to happen to adopt your idea, he will do so in a manner that fits his desire whether that is in two days or two months. You don't dictate when the content comes out.
On the list, maybe, but not the front runner. LetтАЩs see how he does this yearтАжyouтАЩd like to see a little more success at the mid-major level than a Big Sky bid & a .500 season, and with a different cycle of players? Can he recruit the right players to win at Cal...he has zero P5 coaching/recruiting experienceтАжthatтАЩs a big ask. Getting the Pilots to .500 is admirable - my cousin was an Asst. Coach there & itтАЩs a tough place to win.
No secret I and many others are still creased at him for totally quitting on his Cal team - showed an incredible lack of leadership with the timing (literally right before school started - totally left a loaded Bears team hanging). If he got the gig, would definitely give him a shot, as I did with FoxтАжbut would definitely prefer a different candidate. The list of realistic potential candidates is admittedly short, however, and heтАЩd definitely be on it. Seems to know how to navigate the transfer portal tho, which is essential nowadays.
I do think youтАЩre underselling him on what heтАЩs done at Portland. ItтАЩs basically the St Peters of the WCC. You get no help from fans or the athletic department, so to turn a steaming pile of garbage into something respectable says a lot. Certainly says more than anything we have to show for.
I don't mean to diminish Shantay's accomplishments, but I would want to see him take that program further (a WCC championship is probably out of reach for any team not named Gonzaga, but a tourney appearance maybe) before concluding he should be a frontrunner. Hiring him today feels like we would be underselling ourselves. Campinelli took James Madison to 5 tourneys before taking the Cal job, Braun took Eastern Michigan to 3 tourneys and beat a typically talented Duke team in one of those before he was hired. Mike Montgomery was Mike Montgomery and had been to a final four. And Cuonzo had taken a Tennessee team to the Sweet 16. He may be on his way, but sans Wyking, his resume is simply not comparable to what we are accustomed . . . yet.
I think the way the WCC is setup he's going to need to make consistent NIT runs. Gonzaga is Gonzaga and the only team well equipped to take them down consistently is St.Mary's. UP will not beat St.Mary's on a basis consistent enough to get towards the tournament. So to judge his advancements he needs to being Portland into a consistent NIT program. We don't have room to play hardball so we may have to dig for him whether we like it or not.
Portland did quite well last year beating the teams they were supposed to beat...if Fox had done that, the Bears have 3-4 more P12 wins, plus the UCSD disaster.
As for Portland, I absolutely acknowledge that the WCC is a legitimately challenging conference, but at the end of the day, 5 of UP's 7 conference wins came v. UOP, LMU and Pepperdine, all of whom were awful. Like the Bears, they had 1 quality win, at USF...
Would like to see more, and based on your analysis, I figure we can expect to...he's got a decent nucleus coming back, and Robertson could be in WCC POY conversation.
Point taken, thereтАЩs always the desire to see more from Legans myself included. I like what IтАЩve seen from him at EWU and Portland so far and would see limited issues at least initially if he were to take over here. He couldтАЩve beat USF twice but they lost on the final possession in a game they had in the bag. The stepping stones are there for him and he can definitely take care of business unlike Fox.
I recommend searching up Moses Wood, Chris Austin, and Kristian Sjolund, each of which provide their own niche and flavor. IтАЩd love to have any of them on this Cal team especially Wood. IтАЩm a big energy and buy in guy and Legans clearly has it he just has to continually harness it.
What makes you think any of them could get admitted?
I mean these kids arenтАЩt dumb lol. Portland isnтАЩt a bottom feeder of an academic school so IтАЩd take my chances on admissions letting them in.
I mean we passed him over twice already. The third time will not be the charm.
Respectfully, I donтАЩt think I amтАжbut when Legans gets Portland to the Tournament, let alone the Sweet 16, IтАЩll maybe quit underselling him.
Getting a middling mid-major like Portland to .500 in conference is nice, but hardly an elite coaching job. And Holloway had crucial P5 AC/recruiting experience prior to St PтАжis Shantay a dynamic recruiter thatтАЩs going to attract 4* talent to Cal? Doubtful. Can he accurately sell an institution he himself bailed on? HeтАЩs not a graduate, so does he really see the value of a Cal education? He didnтАЩt as a SR.
Important questions
[technically an alumnus only has to have attended a school - graduation is not necessary]
TILтАжfixed it!
Tho were Legans a graduate itтАЩs a different conversation. Instead, tho a potential team captain as SR PG, he quit in August. That matters.
Oh - I agree. Also that era of Cal teams I have the least connection to - I don't care much for the Shipp/Vanderlaan/Legans/ etc. teams.
I actually have some pretty fond memories of that era...Lamps, Shipp, Wethers, etc...had some real exciting wins, with Tamir going for 39 in the Oregon win being a highlight. Haas could get to rocking...
Only BYU plays football and they are leaving. As you said earlier the WCC is better in basketball because of those big brand names on the West Coast. If Portland and Santa Clara continue to ascend they can be there too in 5-10 years. The Big Sky will never be ahead of the WCC due to the history and name branding.