USFDaveG

His hiring doesn't make me instantly run out and buy season tickets, but it is preferable to Pelphrey, Antigua, Neal, etc.

Concensus seems to say: Good recruiter, lousy floor coach. With that said, he's won a boatload of games over the past three years.

This is not going to happen, but there is a precedent right on campus that's shown it can work. Jose Fernandez was an assistant to Jerry Ann Winters when she was fired in 2000. Paul Griffin gave Jose the job even though he'd had no collegiate head coaching experience. He was primarily a high school coach. Those of us around the program at that time thought it was a crazy hire. Well, that one's turned out pretty darned good.

Constantly rubbing his arm, rubbing behind his ear, stooped over. Absolutely terrible body language and looks strung out.

Kellogg: Won 39 games his first three seasons at UMass and hasn't finished higher than tied for 5th in the A-10. Has he shown upside? Yes. Again, if you're going to fire Stan Heath, you need to bring in a guy that clearly has a better track record. Is this the guy? No. And, is that slicked-back hair look really still around? With the names being tossed around, I just really can't see this hire ending in someone that re-invigorates USF hoops NOW. And that's what we all need. We can't afford a 2-3-4 year rebuilding project.

Looks like the media folks would REALLY enjoy working with him from this "testy" pre-NCAA news conference:

CPA: OK, baggage. Fine. When somebody - like Marquette - hires him and ends up in the Sweet Sixteen, tell me about the baggage again while we struggle along with another rebuilding project under some unproven head coach with no faults. At least we'll be able to apply for sainthood.

I still don't see why Ben Howland isn't the best possible hire. Let's assume there is no issue with him and Harlan. Somebody explain to me why you wouldn't make a huge run at him? The rap on him is he doesn't play a flashy enough style? If his team has more points on the scoreboard at :00 that's plenty flashy for me. The guy has a track record of consistent success. Now you're all gonna tell me why I'm wrong. I get it. But who'd be unhappy with Ben Howland at USF. Be honest.

One upset win over Duke and one NCAA Tournament appearance gets you an interview? Guess it's time to bring Seth back. This guy has had a good run the past three years with one group of players, the rest of his career is a big zero. Looks just like Bobby Paschal's run at USF with Lewis, Russell, Dobras and Co. from 1989-1992.

If it wasn't going to be a "splash" hire, then they should have given Stan Heath one more year - especially since he was still under contract. If they were concerned about dwindling fan interest and attendance, they're not going to make any impact there next season by hiring a career assistant (Antigua), a head coach from a mid/low-major (White, Tyndall, etc.) or a retread (Pelphrey).

You're right that this was not USF's fault with regard to Masiello, but I have little confidence that they will find the right person and it will get better. There is no track record of that since Paul Griffin left the athletic department.

All of this would be totally laughable if it wasn't so depressing. So we're gonna end up with some nothing for a basketball coach (Antigua, Pelphrey, etc.), we'll be paying TWO football coaches, TWO basketball coaches and TWO athletic directors with Woolard still on the payroll? They've let Prado wallow with the baseball program. They're pissing away all the money they received as compensation from the Big East breakup and will be left at the bottom of a mid-major conference. Sounds great. I've been a diehard Bull since the mid-80s - even put more than two years of my life into a publication for USF athletics - but there is a limit to everything. It's pretty difficult to support something when you consistently see bad decisions being made. The basketball hire is the absolute topper for me. The names now being thrown around - Antigua, Pelphrey, White, Tyndall - are all non-starters. They generate no excitement in a program that is in desperate need of some. I couldn't possibly make an argument that any of those names jump-start USF basketball and are a clear upgrade from Stan Heath. The older I get, the less patience I have for what's happening with USF athletics. A program that looked to be rising star just a few years ago hasn't just taken a step back, it has fallen off a cliff.

charsib: Not only did we let UConn get one, we let Northwestern and Rhode Island get one, and Columbia get two, and . . .

PCBull: The intent of my post was not to criticize the search firm idea - it was meant to criticize the Lelo Prado idea. His team is playing its way quickly out of at-large NCAA Tournament potential with maybe 10 losses or more before April. Time to say goodbye to Lelo.

Have they hired the search firm yet to find a new baseball coach?

Pelphrey? Seriously? If that's the choice, just shut the damned program down.

Howland is "not known as a good recruiter?" His last recruiting class at UCLA was ranked No. 1 in the nation. And everyone needs to look beyond his UCLA tenure - which was pretty darned good with three Final Fours. I can't believe anyone wants to gloss that over. I don't care what school you're at - UCLA, Duke, whatever - there is more parity in college basketball than ever before and anyone going to three consecutive Final Fours is pretty darned amazing. He took over a Pitt program in 1999-2000 that had been to one NIT in the five previous seasons. In his four seasons at Pitt, they won two regular-season Big East titles, one Big East Tournament and went to two Sweet Sixteens. He was the national coach of the year in 2001-2002. To me, if Howland wants the job, it should be his. If he doesn't get it because Harlan fired him at UCLA (I don't know this), then I think we made the wrong hire for A.D. I'll take a hoops coach with 400 career wins over a first-time A.D. Unless there's personality and off-court baggage to contend with that we don't know about, you simply can't argue with Howland's long-term, sustained success. Maybe he wasn't the right guy for UCLA, but USF isn't UCLA and Ben Howland would be an amazing hire for this school.

For me, it all comes down to Harlan's relationship with Ben Howland. Bruce Pearl has won, but not at the clip Howland has. Take a look at that guy's resume. He's put up great records year-in and year-out. He's the best available and his style would fit perfectly at USF. He's a defensive-minded guy and that's how USF has to win. That's how we won in 2011-12 and that's how we'll always win because we can't recruit the most skilled offensive players. They go elsewhere. Didn't shed a single tear about Bruce Pearl to Auburn, but I will if Ben Howland ends up somewhere else. Only those inside really know whether he's a viable candidate or not, but on paper, no one is even close.

Cop out by the NCAA selection committee on USF. They point to USF being 0-for-8 against Top 50 RPI, but not that FIVE of those games were against not just Top 50 RPI, but Top EIGHT RPI, and seven were against Top 20 RPI. The eighth was Oklahoma State (29 RPI). Dig a little deeper. Isn't that the committee's job?

Rhode Island is now 3-13. Does that qualify as a bad loss?