Duquesne Dukes Fan Forum » New coach thread

duq81 · 2/14/2017 12:49 pm

I'd think we'd be most attractive to a guy in his 40s, who might have been passed over for some jobs, and feels that he's at the age where he needs to make a move if he's not going to be a lifer at his current level. Most bigger schools are looking for a guy between 35-45 years old, who might be there for a while if he's successful. Guys past 45 are generally less attractive, and these guys, both assistants, and head coaches, might be willing to take a chance on us. The opportunity to bank some nice money for retirement might also be an incentive. These guys will have less to lose, as they realize the best jobs aren't likely in their future, and that they can always land a spot somewhere as a veteran assistant if they fail here.

Westender · 2/14/2017 1:08 pm

If there's any truth to the rumor about Palumbo renovations indicating a greater commitment to the program, don't you think that might garner the interest of better coaching candidates??

ElDuque · 2/14/2017 1:16 pm

Be nice if the commitment included more than a fresh coat of paint, a new white shirt for the nacho guy, and a confetti machine for the scoreboard. We chopped a couple years ago in order to put more $ into men's BB. So far I've seen us add women's bowling & diving, but I don't see anything that says we're spending more on men's BB. In fact, except for John Rhodes, when I look at the assistants, I see no one with any real credentials. Jeremiah played here, one guy's a long-time Ferry disciple, and one guy played baseball at UMass. This tells me we're trying to save a few pennies.

townsonkid · 2/14/2017 1:25 pm

What can they do to the Palumbo that hasnt been done? The court itself is pretty sweet, I think. THey put in seats, they finally painted things from dirty white to red and blue, newer scoreboard is in, although its limited, they put in the new locker rooms/lounge for the players.
Other than building an entire new arena, what can really be done? Fresh hot dogs? I dont know. Its just cold in there, not the temperature, but the feeling/atmosphere. I guess when 898 people show up for a game, its not going to feel too good regardless.

But I would think, in a small way, it could help draw some more coaching(not necessarily better) interest if something was done to show said coach an invested interest from the school.

Dukes2012 · 2/14/2017 2:01 pm

Are we sure that renovations are actually being done? I can't remember where is idea came from but there's really nothing that can be down without basically tearing the entire interior of the building apart.

PhoenixRising2 · 2/14/2017 3:00 pm

Regarding Palumbo, for those old enough to remember, there used to be quite a few concerts there in the late 80's and early 90's. These were big national touring acts... Tom Petty, Yes, Elvis Costello, Keith Richards, Aerosmith, Red Hot Chili Peppers, etc. etc. The building fell out of favor due to poor acoustics, lack of infrastructure to support staging and lighting, bleacher seating etc. etc.

Since the University probably only uses Palumbo 60 days per year for Athletics and Administration (commencements, conferences, etc.), perhaps they should be taking a look at turning Palumbo back into a state of the art multi use facility to fill up some of the other 300 days and tap into another revenue source.

Partnering with somebody like Live Nation to create a concert/show venue that could intimately seat for indoor concerts 2,000 to 4,000 might be attractive. You could have a larger capacity concert space than indoor Stage AE and the Carnegie Library of Homestead Music Hall, but less capacity than PPG or StarLake/First Niagara/KeyBank.

No idea if this is a viable option, but it might be a way to justify the cost of a renovation which DU Athletics would have a hard time supporting. Might be able to grab Ford as a sponsor, since they are sinking a billion dollars into Pittsburgh - the Ford Stage at AJ Palumbo presents in concert... Ten Years Rebuild featuring Jim Ferry on vocals (you gotta do something after your head coaching career is over).

Box & One · 2/14/2017 3:09 pm

In the spirit of "keeping it in the family" Can Mike James coach?
Retire his jersey then announce him as the new head coach

Or - are there any other former DU players ready for a HC job and want to "come home?"

townsonkid · 2/14/2017 3:23 pm

I saw 3 concerts, that I remember, in there, 2 were awful. They could probably built it higher, put classrooms on top of whats there now, if the structure is solid. Or rip the whole thing down, play a season at PPG Paints, somehow work around the Pens schedule, and then build a new arena, 4-5K seats, make it state of the art for such things as concerts, games, classrooms, etc. And get a local company to sponsor it. The Duquesne UPMC Sports Arena

Last edited by townsonkid (2/14/2017 3:24 pm)

ElDuque · 2/14/2017 3:25 pm

Box & One wrote:
In the spirit of "keeping it in the family" Can Mike James coach?
Retire his jersey then announce him as the new head coach

Or - are there any other former DU players ready for a HC job and want to "come home?"

I had a suggestion somewhere to bring in Billy Clark, and pair him with a retired Xs and Os guy, someone with recruiting jibs, and someone who's really strong on fundamentals (defense, rebounding, FT shooting).

Or, bring him in as an assistant.

A guy like TJ, when his playing career is over, might want to coach.

Simms · 2/14/2017 3:59 pm

When we talk about keeping it in the family, Kenya Hunter is the obvious choice. What more does he have to do as an assistant? He was even the associate head coach at Grown!

duq81 · 2/14/2017 4:10 pm

ElDuque wrote:
Box & One wrote:
In the spirit of "keeping it in the family" Can Mike James coach?
Retire his jersey then announce him as the new head coach

Or - are there any other former DU players ready for a HC job and want to "come home?"
I had a suggestion somewhere to bring in Billy Clark, and pair him with a retired Xs and Os guy, someone with recruiting jibs, and someone who's really strong on fundamentals (defense, rebounding, FT shooting).

Or, bring him in as an assistant.

A guy like TJ, when his playing career is over, might want to coach.

If he coaches, it'll be in the NBA. An ex player would need to be supported by an expensive experienced coaching staff. The lack of such was a major reason why DAP failed. DAP was very well connected, but that didn't get the talent here. Bringing ex players home rarely works. It might work at St. John's, but Mullin's a Hall Of Famer, who had MAJOR success on big time winning teams at St. John's. The average 18 year old has never heard of Mike James, let alone Kenya Hunter. We need a real coach.

PhoenixRising2 · 2/14/2017 4:22 pm

http://www.collegeinsider.com/mens-mid-major-top-25.php

Might be a good place to mine for a current Head Coach or a Top Assistant. I mentioned the guy from Vermont in another thread.

ElDuque · 2/14/2017 4:32 pm

PhoenixRising2 wrote:
http://www.collegeinsider.com/mens-mid-major-top-25.php

Might be a good place to mine for a current Head Coach or a Top Assistant. I mentioned the guy from Vermont in another thread.

How about Joe Dooley at FGCU?

Tejas_Duke · 2/14/2017 4:52 pm

PhoenixRising2 wrote:
Regarding Palumbo, for those old enough to remember, there used to be quite a few concerts there in the late 80's and early 90's. These were big national touring acts... Tom Petty, Yes, Elvis Costello, Keith Richards, Aerosmith, Red Hot Chili Peppers, etc. etc. The building fell out of favor due to poor acoustics, lack of infrastructure to support staging and lighting, bleacher seating etc. etc.

Since the University probably only uses Palumbo 60 days per year for Athletics and Administration (commencements, conferences, etc.), perhaps they should be taking a look at turning Palumbo back into a state of the art multi use facility to fill up some of the other 300 days and tap into another revenue source.

Saw Elvis Costello and Nick Lowe there back about 1989 or so. Great show!

HookShot · 2/14/2017 4:56 pm

Dooley would be OK, but the better choice is his league rival at North Florida, Matt Driscoll. Built an NCAA program from scratch. And, he is a Pittsburgh kid!

duq81 · 2/14/2017 5:04 pm

HookShot wrote:
Dooley would be OK, but the better choice is his league rival at North Florida, Matt Driscoll. Built an NCAA program from scratch. And, he is a Pittsburgh kid!

I would worry that Dooley is living off of Andy Enfield's work. No problem with Driscoll, although I don't care about him being from here, other than the possibility that he might desire to come home, which might improve our chances. Scott Edgar was local too. Didn't help at all..

ElDuque · 2/14/2017 5:11 pm

duq81 wrote:
HookShot wrote:
Dooley would be OK, but the better choice is his league rival at North Florida, Matt Driscoll. Built an NCAA program from scratch. And, he is a Pittsburgh kid!
I would worry that Dooley is living off of Andy Enfield's work. No problem with Driscoll, although I don't care about him being from here, other than the possibility that he might desire to come home, which might improve our chances. Scott Edgar was local too. Didn't help at all..

This is his fourth year there. So he's been winning with his own kids. One thing worth knowing: 8 transfers on his roster.

phil95 · 2/14/2017 9:22 pm

townsonkid wrote:
What can they do to the Palumbo that hasnt been done? The court itself is pretty sweet, I think. THey put in seats, they finally painted things from dirty white to red and blue, newer scoreboard is in, although its limited, they put in the new locker rooms/lounge for the players.
Other than building an entire new arena, what can really be done? Fresh hot dogs? I dont know. Its just cold in there, not the temperature, but the feeling/atmosphere. I guess when 898 people show up for a game, its not going to feel too good regardless.

But I would think, in a small way, it could help draw some more coaching(not necessarily better) interest if something was done to show said coach an invested interest from the school.

Went to Bonnies vs. GW in D.C. on Saturday. GW has done a rally amazing job with that venue in the last 4 years. Used to remind me very much of Palumbo. Now it is a very attractive, modern, small arena. Exactly what DU you should aim for.

Even though GW controlled the game almost start to finish, SBU crowd was louder & prouder. That says a lot about what they have accomplished in the last 5 or 6 seasons after enduring a horrible controversy.

DU can do it too!

Dukes2012 · 2/14/2017 11:39 pm

Gottfried out at NC State. Plenty of retreads available.

duq81 · 2/15/2017 12:28 am

No retreads need apply!

ElDuque · 2/15/2017 6:30 am

phil95 wrote:
townsonkid wrote:
What can they do to the Palumbo that hasnt been done? The court itself is pretty sweet, I think. THey put in seats, they finally painted things from dirty white to red and blue, newer scoreboard is in, although its limited, they put in the new locker rooms/lounge for the players.
Other than building an entire new arena, what can really be done? Fresh hot dogs? I dont know. Its just cold in there, not the temperature, but the feeling/atmosphere. I guess when 898 people show up for a game, its not going to feel too good regardless.

But I would think, in a small way, it could help draw some more coaching(not necessarily better) interest if something was done to show said coach an invested interest from the school.
Went to Bonnies vs. GW in D.C. on Saturday. GW has done a rally amazing job with that venue in the last 4 years. Used to remind me very much of Palumbo. Now it is a very attractive, modern, small arena. Exactly what DU you should aim for.

Even though GW controlled the game almost start to finish, SBU crowd was louder & prouder. That says a lot about what they have accomplished in the last 5 or 6 seasons after enduring a horrible controversy.

DU can do it too!

Phil, I've never seen G-dub's place. Can you elaborate on what you like? What makes it more "modern"? This is the kind of stuff I hope Mr. Harper is considering.

PhoenixRising2 · 2/15/2017 9:19 am

ED, here's a video on the Smith Center; seats 4,338 for basketball. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JE4TVcaD9ls
Hard to believe that it opened in 1975 and built for $5 million. Donors and GW sunk another $43 million into a complete renovation that was completed in 2011.

Simms · 2/15/2017 3:25 pm

I've always felt that emulating GW was the way to go. I like small arenas.

FAM · 2/16/2017 9:00 am

Dear Moderators...

Thank you for keeping this pinned in the forefront as the first topic. Actually, and I could have easily missed it, I don't remember anything being pinned first like this in the last 7 plus years, but whether it was or wasn't, the point is this was a very smart thing to do so we never lose site of what the program needs.
Thank you,
FAM

Last edited by FAM (2/16/2017 9:01 am)

DCSTL · 2/26/2017 8:58 am

I was trying to think of who Harper may have seen or even had a relationship with in his time in Dayton. This is pure speculation as I have no insight at all but is it possible that Harper had a relationship with former Wright State coach Billy Donlon (now an assistant at Michigan) and what would you think of him? Young guy, and he seemed to have a good reputation and record at Wright State and is from the Brad Brownell tree.