If no CRM...then who???????????

[Bullpride08]

Selmon was the one who tried to get Grant.

I don't think there will be a change but if there is I hope we step up like UNC did in football this year......get a great candidate, make a hire and let him start beating up the recruiting trail.

Something tells me you might know something...

I completely agree with Omni here...Grant is making more than CRM now, and what he's accomplishing at VCU is amazing I just don't think we'll be able to offer him what it will take.  VCU has decent hoops facilities, and solid pay.  He continues to do what he's doing there this guy will get a big time job very shortly like Wake Forest, or USC.  Why would he leave for just say $100k more?

To get a guy like Grant it's going to make more than salary.  A top notch guy is going to want a facilities, and funding guarantees from a University.  Grant wouldn't be dumb enough to accept a job at USF unless not only would we raise his salary by double, but also guarantee to double our hoops budget, and improve the facilities within a designated timeframe- say 2 years.  That's what people are missing, to grab a guy like Grant or Hugs these guys just don't walk into a situation purely about salary, it's about support.  KSU guaranteed to add more facilities and increase his recruiting budget.

For Grant, why jump to USF in a rebuilding situation and take a huge risk coaching in the toughest league in the nation with less budget, staff, facilities, and support then all the other conference brethren?  No win?  Tell USF you'll consider if they make a $5M commitment, otherwise I hold down the fort at VCU for another year and wait for Wake Forest, MissSt., UGA, or USC to come open.  At least there he knows he'd get the big salary AND those schools already have the budget, facilities, fans, and support.  

This isn't about the small salary differential and this is why everyone is saying the next coach is not going to have some amazing lineage because the commitment to get a coach like that would be in the $5M range, and I am not even talking salary I am talking about what a coach like that would require in their contract for USF to put money into the hoops budget, facilities, and marketing.  The only reason why CRM may be around for another year, and the same reason Seth was around for 8.

[Guest Ari_Hinkelberger]

Grant is coaching all of Jeff Capel's players.

It was Jeff Capel's players -- Jeff Capel's hard work -- and Jeff Capel's recruiting that turned that program around.

My sister is a graduate of Virginia Commonwealth.

Anthony Grant might be a good coach -- but he DID NOT build that program.

Jeff Capel did -- and he is at Oklahoma now.

Grant has been there one freakin year.  Come on guys.

[Guest Ari_Hinkelberger]

I would do anything for a guy like Bobby Lutz. at UNC Charlotte..  All he does is take his team to the NCAA tourny on a regular basis..

What an awesome coach he is ...

How about Todd Lickliter at Butler -- although he is probably way out of our league.

[Joe]

And Anthony Grant has pulled more all state recruits out of Florida than USF Ari...(Dominque Jones v. Lance Kearse/Joey Rodriguez/Larry Sanders)

He was Donovan's top recruiter. No doubt he'll have some talent to carry on what Capel started. I think he'd be a good fit here.

[hightechbull]

How the worm has turned.  

The Metro and the Great Midwest conferences merge to form C-USA.  VT and VCU were not included in the merger, and they were very pissed about it.  Rumor has it that one or both of the schools scraped the Metro Conference logo off their hard court.  VT responded by winning the NIT Championship that year, which is no small feat even if it is the "little dance".

Years later  VT is in the BIG EAST and Seth bolts to VT.  VT joins the ACC, and USF joins the BIG EAST.  USF's program is at one it lowest points while VT's program is on the rise and apparently so is VCU's.  Many fans are still upset that Seth left for VT, and now some people want to hire VCU's coach Anthony Grant.

How the worm has turned.

[Bullpride08]

I would do anything for a guy like Bobby Lutz. at UNC Charlotte..  All he does is take his team to the NCAA tourny on a regular basis..

What an awesome coach he is ...

How about Todd Lickliter at Butler -- although he is probably way out of our league.

Ari,

First Grant is definitely doing it on the back of Capel's recruits, but he's accomplishing more with them then Capel to this point.  With that being said to schools like S. Illinois, and W. Kentucky ring a bell....year in and year out they're kicking top coaches out to bigger schools.  Coaches like Self, and Bruce Weber- S. Illinois, and yes Weber did a lot of Self's recruits but that doesn't discount the fact he kept the motor moving in the proper direction.  And remember Grant, like Self and Weber, comes from strong lineage spending 7 years on Coach Donovan's staff, much like Weber was at Purdue under Keady, and Self under Roy Williams.  That lineage is why a guy like Grant got the supremo job following up Capel, and will get the next supremo big time job.

As far as Bobby Lutz, at one point I was for him the first time around but since my opinions have severely changed.  First, his UNCC teams have really slipped since dropping to the A10, and this isn't like USF jumping UP to the BE, they dropped down in competition level and last year they barely made the NIT with a 17-13 record, and this year they're 6-7 and 12-13 overall in the A10 mind you.  Furthermore Bobby is a career UNCC guy remember he played there from 77-81, and was an assistant coach there from 94 to 99 when he became HC.  Before his assistant gig he coached in HS and at some tiny NAIA school in the Carolinas where he was ultra successful.  I just don't know how successful Bobby will be leaving UNCC that's his life blood.

Todd Lickliter is more my speed, in his 6 or so years at Butler, including this season, he will have them to 2 NCAA bids, and three NIT, which includes two NIT semi-finals, and one Sweet Sixteen (and could be favored to do it again this year).  All this coming out of the Horizon League, that is lucky to send more than 1 to the NCAA each year and that usually requires a conference tourney win!

I like Todd but I seem to recall he's a Butler boy.  Maybe he'll be drawn to Tampa since he's spent some time down here recently signing one of Tampa's better hoops prospects.   He's a no-brainer, and after this year he might be out of our league, but up until I would say he wasn't.

[ProfessaBull]

Selmon was the one who tried to get Grant.

I don't think there will be a change but if there is I hope we step up like UNC did in football this year......get a great candidate, make a hire and let him start beating up the recruiting trail.

Something tells me you might know something...

I completely agree with Omni here...Grant is making more than CRM now, and what he's accomplishing at VCU is amazing I just don't think we'll be able to offer him what it will take.  VCU has decent hoops facilities, and solid pay.  He continues to do what he's doing there this guy will get a big time job very shortly like Wake Forest, or USC.  Why would he leave for just say $100k more?

To get a guy like Grant it's going to make more than salary.  A top notch guy is going to want a facilities, and funding guarantees from a University.  Grant wouldn't be dumb enough to accept a job at USF unless not only would we raise his salary by double, but also guarantee to double our hoops budget, and improve the facilities within a designated timeframe- say 2 years.  That's what people are missing, to grab a guy like Grant or Hugs these guys just don't walk into a situation purely about salary, it's about support.  KSU guaranteed to add more facilities and increase his recruiting budget.

For Grant, why jump to USF in a rebuilding situation and take a huge risk coaching in the toughest league in the nation with less budget, staff, facilities, and support then all the other conference brethren?  No win?  Tell USF you'll consider if they make a $5M commitment, otherwise I hold down the fort at VCU for another year and wait for Wake Forest, MissSt., UGA, or USC to come open.  At least there he knows he'd get the big salary AND those schools already have the budget, facilities, fans, and support.  

This isn't about the small salary differential and this is why everyone is saying the next coach is not going to have some amazing lineage because the commitment to get a coach like that would be in the $5M range, and I am not even talking salary I am talking about what a coach like that would require in their contract for USF to put money into the hoops budget, facilities, and marketing.  The only reason why CRM may be around for another year, and the same reason Seth was around for 8.

Point taken but don't you give a guy like GRANT the opportunity to say, "NO THANKS!" I still think MAC will be here another year BUT if he's not you at least give a guy like GRANT a phone call.

You always have a shot at something if you try. You'll never have success if you don't.

[Herman_Momart]

How about Tom Pecora from hofstra.  Served as an assistant to Jay Wright at Hofstra for years and took over the position when Wright left.  His first 2 wins in 2001-02 were vs 2 teams that made the tourney and one, Kent State , who went to the elite 8.  

He beat George Mason last year who went on that incredible tourney run.  

They are talking about Hofstra might be getting an at large bid this year, they may not even have to win the Colonial for an auto bid(also almost had a preseason ranking).  I am from about 2 minutes away from Hofstra and they used to have, before jay wright, zero fans or anyone who cared in the community.  Its crazy what a coach who can put a good product on the floor can do.  

I like the Travis Ford from UMASS suggestion as well.  He has players getting him triple doubles in college!

I also think Grant is happy where he is now.  he will build a winner and wait for a better position than USF.  

[Brad]

This talk about Speraw makes me feel ill.  

I think there is great debate on here about who should be at the helm of USF Basketball.  Not next year necessarily, but whether it's next year or in 2008, 2012, or 3000 the same argument applies.  If we can not muster the resources to do it right, I am not so anxious to try to find a diamond in the rough.  That's a vicious cycle.  Should we find the diamond (finally) how to we pay him, how do we keep him?  Everyone knows Sethie-poo was hoping to find success here at USF to launch him into the BE or a top hoops program.  If we can't find the diamond, how often to we "re-build."  I support the more pragmatic approach.  And that is what I like about Mr. Woolard.  I think we will mix some sense and rationale into the equation and do it in the right way - something that is good for USF in the long term.  That may include the current head coach and it may not.  

We've proven time and again, that we won't over-extend or jeopardize our programs to make a media splash and enjoy temporary success.  We will build it the right way with the current administration.

[VeryBullish]

Tommy Amaker or Bobby Lutz, but I don't think we have deep enough pockets for either one.