Coaching Hot Seat 2021

[SECbbfan24]

Nikki was coaching her rear end off today. Her body language today screamed "Secbbfan24 on the BY wants to see offense! Secbbfan24 on the BY wants to see defense! Well, here they both are. We are going to be wedded together in WCBB bliss for many years yet to come!"

Extension for beating the team that Missouri beat by over 20 on their home court on senior night? Brilliant

 

[huskeynut]

Yes

Nope. Coach Flo fired today.

 

[ed4ourgirls]

I note that in the ASGR 2021 class rankings Illinois was 30th, which may not sound
like much but was 4th in the Big 10. Hopefully, now that Fahey is getting some better
players she'll be able to get Illinois out of the Big 10 cellar.

 

[dws3665]

If Vandy keeps White, the rest of the conference will cheer. She has been terrible for them.

 

[DefenseBB]

I agree...except at Purdue. Sharon Versyp took a program with a National Championship, who was a perennial top-10 team and an upper echelon B1G team to below mediocrity. She should've been fired 5 years ago. It's sad that Purdue cares so little about women's hoops that they've let this go on this long.

Covid or not, she needs to be replaced. .

Wait, what? 6 times in their illustrious history have they been ranked in the top 10 and not once since 2007. So let's not overstate this as an "illustrious program", it was a good mid-western program that has the Big10's lone NCAAT way back in 1998-99. Let's not treat this like it's Tennessee. BTW, Kristy Curry (Yes, she of Alabama fame) led the way with 3 top 10 teams during her tenure and 7 NCAA appearances in all 7 of her years there.

Sharon took Kristy's team to the Elite 8 that 1st year in 2006-07, went back to the Elite 8 in 2008-09.
That said, it is time for Sharon to find a new gig as while she did make the NCAAT in 2016 and 2017, 2016 was clearly a charity gift as she was 20-12 and 6th in the Big10. Her trend has been down since topping out with #13 rank at some point during 2011-12 season. They haven't sniffed the top 25 ranking since 2013-14.

So all that said, this program hasn't been relevant since 2005-06 when it wouldn't pay Curry better money.

 

[DefenseBB]

Do you think this is because they are basically paying Malzahn to be the FB coach at UCF, or is there actual faith that Coach Flo can turn it around? If it's the latter, I worry about the Auburn athletics leadership.

I replied yes because as I noted in the Williams-Flournoy thread, her contract ran through 2023. Buying out the last year is usually logical but not two years. However upon hearing of the firing, I did some digging in my data trove to find she was only paid $425K (total comp) in 2019. Worst case is Auburn pays $850-900 for the last two years or I think there was a 50% buyout so it only costs $450ish.

 

[Vowelguy]

Wait, what? 6 times in their illustrious history have they been ranked in the top 10 and not once since 2007. So let's not overstate this as an "illustrious program", it was a good mid-western program that has the Big10's lone NCAAT way back in 1998-99. Let's not treat this like it's Tennessee. BTW, Kristy Curry (Yes, she of Alabama fame) led the way with 3 top 10 teams during her tenure and 7 NCAA appearances in all 7 of her years there.

Sharon took Kristy's team to the Elite 8 that 1st year in 2006-07, went back to the Elite 8 in 2008-09.
That said, it is time for Sharon to find a new gig as while she did make the NCAAT in 2016 and 2017, 2016 was clearly a charity gift as she was 20-12 and 6th in the Big10. Her trend has been down since topping out with #13 rank at some point during 2011-12 season. They haven't sniffed the top 25 ranking since 2013-14.

So all that said, this program hasn't been relevant since 2005-06 when it wouldn't pay Curry better money.

Purdue went to the final 4 with three different coaches — to me, that’s the sign of a strong program. But they’ve really sputtered in the past decade.
wonder if the rise of ND, Ky, Lou was part of the cause

 

[DefenseBB]

Purdue went to the final 4 with three different coaches — to me, that’s the sign of a strong program. But they’ve really sputtered in the past decade.
wonder if the rise of ND, Ky, Lou was part of the cause

So then by your logic with Purdue's last noted Top 10 regular ranking back in 2003-04, The Lady Techsters and Women of Troy must still be considered an elite programs.

The landscape has changed dramatically since Curry last made them relevant in 2004. I stand by my comments as this being a"mere good" program.

 

[Vowelguy]

So then by your logic with Purdue's last noted Top 10 regular ranking back in 2003-04, The Lady Techsters and Women of Troy must still be considered an elite programs.

The landscape has changed dramatically since Curry last made them relevant in 2004. I stand by my comments as this being a"mere good" program.

No sorry I was unclear. At the time I considered them an elite program. Maintaining excellence through multiple coaches is impressive.
But they have gone dry for far too long.

 

[Rooster C.]

Using Terri Williams-Flournoy as a baseline for possible termination (Net Ranking:112) these are the schools/coaches with this years worst Net Rankings among all P5 conferences:
NR#254 California Charmin Smith 2 years (13-35,4-27conf.) but extenuating circumstances. Signed 4 top-100 recruits 2020 none in 2021. Has time and the recruiting class to turn things around.
NR#224 Virginia Tina Thompson 2+ years (25-41,13-23conf.) covid-shortened season. No top-100 recruits for 2020 and 2021. Unless she is able to attract some talented transfers she could be in trouble a few years from now.
NR#177 Illinois Nancy Fahey 4 years (26-73,6-64conf.) Has yet to win more than 2 conference games in any season. No top-100 recruits for 2017,1 for 2018,none for 2019 and 2020,1 for 2021. Not getting the job done and the clock is ticking.
NR#158 Vanderbilt Stephanie White 4+ years (46-83,13-54conf.) covid-shortened season. Has not won more than 4 conference games in any season. Although she had 2 top-100 recruits in 2016,1 in 2017,2 in 2018,and 2 in 2019,she had none in 2020 and 1 in 2021. This year was a lost opportunity to show improvement. Has the recruits so next year probably a make-or-break season.
NR#157 Wisconsin Jonathan Tsipis 5 years (50-98,14-74conf.) Has never won more than 4 conference games in any season. Had 1 top-100 recruit in 2016,none in 2017,2018,or 2019,1 in 2020 and none in 2021. On borrowed time.
NR#134 Minnesota Lindsay Whalen 3 years (45-38,21-33conf.) Each year has had worsening overall record but this year was her best conference record at 7-11. Had 1 top-100 recruit in 2018 and 2019,2 in 2020 and 1 in 2021. Needs to show capable of at least a break-even record (overall as well as in conference) next season.
NR#125 Purdue Sharon Versyp 15 years (301-191,141-117conf.) Her best conference record over the last 4 years was 9-8 in 2017-18. Top-100 recruits: 2008(2),2009(2),2010(0),2011(1),2012(2),2013(1),2014(1),2015(4),2016(1),
2017(1),2018(1),2019(1),2020(2),and 2021(2). In spite of having a strong recruiting class in 2015 she has made the NCAAT only twice in the last 6 years. She can remain Purdue's coach as long as she wants but an improved conference (Maryland,Ohio State,Michigan,Indiana,Michigan State,Northwestern and Iowa, makes getting back to the NCAAT a real challenge.
NR#118 Pittsburgh Lance White 3 years (21-60,6-43conf.) Best year was this last year with 3 conference wins. No top-100 recruits in 2018,2019,or 2021 and 1 in 2020. Things don't look good for turning Pitt around any time soon.
NR#113 Utah Lynne Roberts 6 years (87-91,40-69conf.) Has had only one break-even year in conference (9-9) in 2018-19 and has been heading in the wrong direction last two years. No top-100 recruits in 2015 or 2016,1 in 2017,none in 2018,1 in 2019,2 in 2020,and 1 in 2021. Recent recruiting may help turn things around but with a tough conference of Oregon,Stanford,Oregon State,UCLA,Arizona,Arizona State,and improving Cal,USC,Colorado and Wash.State, doing any better than break-even will be difficult and reaching the NCAAT nearly impossible. I think she'll be around for awhile yet.

 

[JellyBean]

Don’t know when contracts end but coaches I would think are in danger:

SEC
Auburn (TFWs 9th yr)
maybe Fl (4th yr) but not sure he’s been there long enough
LSU is not terrible but is that the standard?
Vandy — White may get one more bc of COVID but things have not gone well

BIG
Purdue
Wisconsin? (5th yr)
Illinois — Nancy Fahey (4th yr) experiment not working but they may give her more time

PAC
Wash — this is her 4th year
Utah?

ACC
None?

B12
Oklahoma?

SEC:
Auburn- Yeah. Plus didn't their coach resign or something?
LSU-They are good. Coach Fargas ain't going no where.
Vandy- Coach White....Yeah I can see her staying.

The rest of the coaches are safe in the SEC.

Big Ten:
Purdue: I think Coach Versyp is safe for another year or two. Unless she gets sick of the BS from unrealistic fan base and walks away. I can see her coaching for a another year or two.

Wisconsin: I gotta say, Coach Tsipis is safe for another year or two. Like with Coach Versyp, just depends on if the coach can put up with the fan base.

Illinois: I don't see them pulling the plug yet on Coach Fahey. I think this was her 3rd or 4th year. Pieces are falling into place in terms of getting players that fit her system.

The rest of the Big Ten...safe.


PAC 12:

Washington- Coach Wynn is safe. Not sure what happened this season. That program regressed badly! But I think that going into year five, they will show some improvement and get things turned around. Coach is safe.

Utah- No idea.

The rest of the PAC 12 pretty safe.


BIG 12:

Everyone is safe unless a better job offer comes along. Coach Sherri ain't leaving Oklahoma until she is ready to leave that program.

 

[DefenseBB]

Using Terri Williams-Flournoy as a baseline for possible termination (Net Ranking:112) these are the schools/coaches with this years worst Net Rankings among all P5 conferences:
NR#254 California Charmin Smith 2 years (13-35,4-27conf.) but extenuating circumstances. Signed 4 top-100 recruits 2020 none in 2021. Has time and the recruiting class to turn things around.
NR#224 Virginia Tina Thompson 2+ years (25-41,13-23conf.) covid-shortened season. No top-100 recruits for 2020 and 2021. Unless she is able to attract some talented transfers she could be in trouble a few years from now.
NR#177 Illinois Nancy Fahey 4 years (26-73,6-64conf.) Has yet to win more than 2 conference games in any season. No top-100 recruits for 2017,1 for 2018,none for 2019 and 2020,1 for 2021. Not getting the job done and the clock is ticking.
NR#158 Vanderbilt Stephanie White 4+ years (46-83,13-54conf.) covid-shortened season. Has not won more than 4 conference games in any season. Although she had 2 top-100 recruits in 2016,1 in 2017,2 in 2018,and 2 in 2019,she had none in 2020 and 1 in 2021. This year was a lost opportunity to show improvement. Has the recruits so next year probably a make-or-break season.
NR#157 Wisconsin Jonathan Tsipis 5 years (50-98,14-74conf.) Has never won more than 4 conference games in any season. Had 1 top-100 recruit in 2016,none in 2017,2018,or 2019,1 in 2020 and none in 2021. On borrowed time.
NR#134 Minnesota Lindsay Whalen 3 years (45-38,21-33conf.) Each year has had worsening overall record but this year was her best conference record at 7-11. Had 1 top-100 recruit in 2018 and 2019,2 in 2020 and 1 in 2021. Needs to show capable of at least a break-even record (overall as well as in conference) next season.
NR#125 Purdue Sharon Versyp 15 years (301-191,141-117conf.) Her best conference record over the last 4 years was 9-8 in 2017-18. Top-100 recruits: 2008(2),2009(2),2010(0),2011(1),2012(2),2013(1),2014(1),2015(4),2016(1),
2017(1),2018(1),2019(1),2020(2),and 2021(2). In spite of having a strong recruiting class in 2015 she has made the NCAAT only twice in the last 6 years. She can remain Purdue's coach as long as she wants but an improved conference (Maryland,Ohio State,Michigan,Indiana,Michigan State,Northwestern and Iowa, makes getting back to the NCAAT a real challenge.
NR#118 Pittsburgh Lance White 3 years (21-60,6-43conf.) Best year was this last year with 3 conference wins. No top-100 recruits in 2018,2019,or 2021 and 1 in 2020. Things don't look good for turning Pitt around any time soon.
NR#113 Utah Lynne Roberts 6 years (87-91,40-69conf.) Has had only one break-even year in conference (9-9) in 2018-19 and has been heading in the wrong direction last two years. No top-100 recruits in 2015 or 2016,1 in 2017,none in 2018,1 in 2019,2 in 2020,and 1 in 2021. Recent recruiting may help turn things around but with a tough conference of Oregon,Stanford,Oregon State,UCLA,Arizona,Arizona State,and improving Cal,USC,Colorado and Wash.State, doing any better than break-even will be difficult and reaching the NCAAT nearly impossible. I think she'll be around for awhile yet.

Great job detailing this list! For further edification, the expiration of these contracts comes into heavy consideration. I really only have 3 minor issues on your comments concerning Vandy, Purdue and Utah.
Cal-Smith contract expires in 2024
UVa-Thompson contract expires 2023
Illinois-Fahey expires in 2025 (2 yr extension signed in April 2020)
Vanderbilt-White expires in 2022 and MAKES $900k and as you've shown she's had recruits and still stunk. Her fate is sealed-She is not going to get extended especially with Vandy in the RED from a budget perspective.
Wisc-Tsipis got an extension to 2024 last year.
Minn-Whalen expires in 2024
Purdue-Versyp expires 2022. Where you lost me here is your comment "she can remain Purdue's coach as long as she wants" IS SIMPLY NOT TRUE. The alumni were calling for her to go after last year so much so that the AD had to make a statement. I would say her odds of staying after this year are 25%. If she does stay, she will not be renewed unless she has an unbelievable year next year.
Pitt-White expires in 2024.
Utah-Roberts expires in 2023. I don't buy your "I think she'll be around for awhile yet" as there is zero evidence of her showing conference improvement and her OOC is cupcake city. She's in the bottom 3 coaches along with Smith and Jody Wynn. Speaking of which
NR#83 Washington's Jody Wynn has been an abject failure. Yes she inherited a HORRIBLE roster from Neighbors, but there is little to get excited about and her contract expires in 2023. I know our fine colleague @nwhoopfan is daily "x-ing" out the calendar days on this one.

For the P5 schools, the most successful path is usually hiring another HC from a mid-major vs. a top assistant. What really is disastrous is hiring an INTERNAL assistant coach. Hiring an HC without ANY experience is also a recipe for disaster. Whalen proves that and Lawson quit the season much too soon-A true leader would and should have steered the ship a bit longer before quitting. She may be good eventually but her leadership thus far was not good.

 

[Vowelguy]

Versyp & Roberts seem like the only other ones that could be vulnerable this year.
Getting rid of someone after <4 years seems crazy, especially if one of them is a covid year.

I can't see Whalen getting fired anytime soon, unless they are a complete disaster. She's a local hero.

 

[nwhoopfan]

Washington- Coach Wynn is safe. Not sure what happened this season. That program regressed badly! But I think that going into year five, they will show some improvement and get things turned around. Coach is safe.

Melgoza graduated is what happened. She kept them semi-sorta competitive the previous year almost by herself.

 

[HuskyMJ]

How about San Diego State? Just ended their season with disappointing loss to Air Force in round 1 of MWC tournament. Never played in postseason with their current coach after 7 years.

 

[HuskyFan1125]

Melgoza graduated is what happened. She kept them semi-sorta competitive the previous year almost by herself.

that was my first thought as well. Wasnt she a Mike Neighbors recruit?

 

[SECbbfan24]

LSU-They are good

lol no

IF LSU were to move on, they would only owe her around 200,000 for the year left on her contract, which isn't that much in the grand scheme of things.

If people thought this year was bad. LSU is in a world of hurt next year if Pointer doesn't take a 5th year and with no Aifuwa.

 

[nwhoopfan]

that was my first thought as well. Wasnt she a Mike Neighbors recruit?

Yep. His last class at UW didn't raise any eyebrows, but Melgoza and McDonald scored a ton of points between the 2 of them. Just unfortunately one of them scored most of those points at another school.

 

[Dokey]

25-63 in conference in 5 years. Expectations must be pretty low for that to be considered acceptable.

Team made strides this year. Beating Stanford got her another year. Sixth place in tough PAC-12 also helped. How far they go in NIT is also a factor, if they don’t sneak in NCAA. Next year she has to replace Mya. Recruiting is of course the key. Two of the best high school players in the country played less than 50 miles from Boulder but have gone or are going to Stanford and could have been CU’s Lobo. The CU men get good recruits.

 

[Rooster C.]

Great job detailing this list! For further edification, the expiration of these contracts comes into heavy consideration. I really only have 3 minor issues on your comments concerning Vandy, Purdue and Utah.
Cal-Smith contract expires in 2024
UVa-Thompson contract expires 2023
Illinois-Fahey expires in 2025 (2 yr extension signed in April 2020)
Vanderbilt-White expires in 2022 and MAKES $900k and as you've shown she's had recruits and still stunk. Her fate is sealed-She is not going to get extended especially with Vandy in the RED from a budget perspective.
Wisc-Tsipis got an extension to 2024 last year.
Minn-Whalen expires in 2024
Purdue-Versyp expires 2022. Where you lost me here is your comment "she can remain Purdue's coach as long as she wants" IS SIMPLY NOT TRUE. The alumni were calling for her to go after last year so much so that the AD had to make a statement. I would say her odds of staying after this year are 25%. If she does stay, she will not be renewed unless she has an unbelievable year next year.
Pitt-White expires in 2024.
Utah-Roberts expires in 2023. I don't buy your "I think she'll be around for awhile yet" as there is zero evidence of her showing conference improvement and her OOC is cupcake city. She's in the bottom 3 coaches along with Smith and Jody Wynn. Speaking of which
NR#83 Washington's Jody Wynn has been an abject failure. Yes she inherited a HORRIBLE roster from Neighbors, but there is little to get excited about and her contract expires in 2023. I know our fine colleague @nwhoopfan is daily "x-ing" out the calendar days on this one.

For the P5 schools, the most successful path is usually hiring another HC from a mid-major vs. a top assistant. What really is disastrous is hiring an INTERNAL assistant coach. Hiring an HC without ANY experience is also a recipe for disaster. Whalen proves that and Lawson quit the season much too soon-A true leader would and should have steered the ship a bit longer before quitting. She may be good eventually but her leadership thus far was not good.

DefenseBB thanks! I did the research more out of curiosity as well as to create discussion by the knowledgeable fans that are here. I would add the following: I believe Thompson may be a good coach but she should be coaching somewhere in the Big12 if she is to succeed. Illinois and Wisconsin are not going to get any better until they change coaches/get better at recruiting. That goes for Minnesota as well imo. As you pointed out, her lack of coaching experience is showing. As for Purdue I think her long past history is akin to that of Sherri Coale at Oklahoma. If she can get them back to post-season play next year I think she can hold on yet. While I agree with you about Utah and Washington I'm not sure their schools are overly concerned about the WBB program enough to make a change soon. Vandy is another story. "if" she can win big games and take her team to the NCAAT next year she could still save her job and get an extension. If she doesn't have a major turnaround next year then I think she's out. I would say the same for LSU.
Finally, regarding mid-major HC vs asst. what would you say about Miss. St. vs. Kentucky this year?

 

[DefenseBB]

DefenseBB thanks! I did the research more out of curiosity as well as to create discussion by the knowledgeable fans that are here. I would add the following: I believe Thompson may be a good coach but she should be coaching somewhere in the Big12 if she is to succeed. Illinois and Wisconsin are not going to get any better until they change coaches/get better at recruiting. That goes for Minnesota as well imo. As you pointed out, her lack of coaching experience is showing. As for Purdue I think her long past history is akin to that of Sherri Coale at Oklahoma. If she can get them back to post-season play next year I think she can hold on yet. While I agree with you about Utah and Washington I'm not sure their schools are overly concerned about the WBB program enough to make a change soon. Vandy is another story. "if" she can win big games and take her team to the NCAAT next year she could still save her job and get an extension. If she doesn't have a major turnaround next year then I think she's out. I would say the same for LSU.
Finally, regarding mid-major HC vs asst. what would you say about Miss. St. vs. Kentucky this year?

Let me pose this in response first- What if Johnnie Harris had gotten the MSU job this year instead of Nikki McCray? Would the MSU team be this bad? Probably not. Would they have met any preseason MSU forecasts? Also probably not, which is exactly what happened to Elzy at Kentucky.

Now the bigger question is in the next 5 years. Elzy has not done great with all that talent of which she was an assistant at Kentucky. Will they improve over the next 5 years, not likely. Is that good enough for Kentucky-don't know as it depends how far they slip.
For MSU, the answer is how far do they fall before plateauing and will it be enough for the fan base. Probably fall too much that Nikki McCray is let go.

My guess in is 5 years, Elzy still has the Kentucky job while McCray will be looking elsewhere, as will Fargas.

What I am curious about is Ole Miss and how they look next year if Austin is gone. Part of me thinks Coach Yo may be ok and part of me thinks she's lucky to get Austin for the one year.

 

[DefenseBB]

lol no

IF LSU were to move on, they would only owe her around 200,000 for the year left on her contract, which isn't that much in the grand scheme of things.

If people thought this year was bad. LSU is in a world of hurt next year if Pointer doesn't take a 5th year and with no Aifuwa.

wait, what? I do recall that her last extension revised the amount of the buyout, so if it is only $200K, they need to move on from her this year! I can hardly find nary a top recruit for her...That doesn't cut it in the SEC...

 

[SECbbfan24]

Let me pose this in response first- What if Johnnie Harris had gotten the MSU job this year instead of Nikki McCray? Would the MSU team be this bad? Probably not. Would they have met any preseason MSU forecasts? Also probably not, which is exactly what happened to Elzy at Kentucky.

Now the bigger question is in the next 5 years. Elzy has not done great with all that talent of which she was an assistant at Kentucky. Will they improve over the next 5 years, not likely. Is that good enough for Kentucky-don't know as it depends how far they slip.
For MSU, the answer is how far do they fall before plateauing and will it be enough for the fan base. Probably fall too much that Nikki McCray is let go.

My guess in is 5 years, Elzy still has the Kentucky job while McCray will be looking elsewhere, as will Fargas.

What I am curious about is Ole Miss and how they look next year if Austin is gone. Part of me thinks Coach Yo may be ok and part of me thinks she's lucky to get Austin for the one year.

i think for Coach Yo, with Austin, this is the time to build up the program and bring in talent before she goes. She has done a good job so far. Obviously Austin is a big part of that but she has recruited well on top of that and supplemented with transfers to help fill those holes. This would be the perfect off-season to add more talent through the transfer portal given the extra year of eligibility.

 

[SECbbfan24]

wait, what? I do recall that her last extension revised the amount of the buyout, so if it is only $200K, they need to move on from her this year! I can hardly find nary a top recruit for her...That doesn't cut it in the SEC...

Nikki Fargas contract
The buyout for her has never been bad, the previous AD just stopped caring

termination is on page 2

Nikki seems like a good person and means well, but this line of business is tough and this comes with the job. IMO she would be a great assistant. She is clearly knowledgeable, great defensive coach, good motivator. Just not good with roster management and recruiting. Unfortunately those are pretty critical components to being able to run a top program

As geno said after the butt kicking in BR years ago, “they don’t have the players”

 

[Dillon77]

Nikki Fargas contract
The buyout for her has never been bad, the previous AD just stopped caring

termination is on page 2

Nikki seems like a good person and means well, but this line of business is tough and this comes with the job. IMO she would be a great assistant. She is clearly knowledgeable, great defensive coach, good motivator. Just not good with roster management and recruiting. Unfortunately those are pretty critical components to being able to run a top program

As geno said after the butt kicking in BR years ago, “they don’t have the players”

I remember the extension last time at LSU was hardly a rousing endorsement. Can't see this getting any better without getting players and, as stated, where are they coming from? Think Nikki has gotten a decent amount of time, but this program won't be going anywhere upwards soon under the current arrangement.