Earlier this week, Mike Kelly and Patrick Ridgell wrote an article in the Daily Times-Call about the CU men's basketball coaching opening at the end of the season drawing interest, and the eyes of one local face.
Knew the Black and Gold Breakdown had to investigate further so I went to the brain trust behind that article, Kelly, the sports editor of the newspaper and Ridgell, who covers the Buffaloes for the publication and is often a part of commentary in this space.
The piece mentioned a lot of names, including former Golden State Warriors' and Stanford coach Mike Montgomery, Minnesota's Dan Monson, SMU's Matt Doherty, a former Notre Dame head man and Oral Roberts' Scott Sutton.
But the name that glowed, the one that has drawn the attention of fans before is current Denver Nuggets' assistant and former Metropolitan State College boss, Mike Dunlap, who ripped off a 248-50 record while on the Denver campus, bagging two Division II national titles during his nine years.
Here is the insight Kelly and Ridgell dropped on the BGB:
BGB: What is your opinion about Patton's decision? Why did it happen?
Ridgell: He wasn't happy with the distraction his players were starting to have with being asked about the future of the program and being asked if every game they win or lose was going to get or cost Ricardo a contract extension and I don't think he wanted to put that burden on them; that's what he says and I believe him when he says that.
BGB: Why is this job attractive to any "hot" name coach?
Kelly: I think the no. 1 thing is it's a major Division-1 program in a conference that's had a lot of success. And the feeling I got is that (Mike Dunlap) likes living here in Colorado. He has turned down other opportunities in the past.
BGB: Is he capable of being the guy who can lift the program, build on the foundation that Patton established?
Kelly: He strikes me, that he probably has a pretty good basketball mind, especially if the Nuggets plucked him out of Division II. I think all that would translate well into a Division-I
job. The Nuggets are now using a new, Phoenix-Suns-type offense and I think he will be a hot commodity, especially if it works.
Ridgell: I think he is genuinely interested. If you read between the lines (of the story) he wants (CU) to contact him but in the proper way.
BGB: We have seen coaches, maybe more assistants than head coaches, have success going from professional football to the college game. Could NBA coaches have that same success, moving down, so to speak, to the college ranks?
Kelly: You look at a guy like Jeff Bzdelik going to Air Force and having success. The pro and college game are so different. In the pro game you have to massage so many egos, deal with so many major corporations (each player). I could see an assistant doing it. Pro (head) coaches like control, it might not be stimulating enough for them.
BGB: What kind of guy is athletic director Mike Bohn going to look for, what kind of coach can do this job well?
Kelly: I would not be surprised in the least if it's the type of coach like Dan Hawkins. Young, energized, with something to prove, a Bohn-type guy. I don't see a Rick Majerus coming in. It could come from 1-AA or D-II level, someone who will be a good recruiter. I don't see a retread coming.
Ridgell: I would not be surprised if what happens is they find some guy that some of us have never heard of or don't know much about, who is young and very smart and very eager for a chance like this. I think the candidates that they bring in and interview will be someone no one is talking about right now.
Whether it's somebody who's a big name or not, I think, isn't as important as it be someone who is willing to embrace the athletic culture at CU, which is much different than all the rest of the Big-12 schools. They have to want to blend in with it, not change it, to go with the flow.
BGB: You mentioned recruiting, Mike. Can Bohn determine if a coach can recruit at the necessary level he's going to be expected to harvest talent if he's coached at a lower level?
Kelly: I think that comes down to the style of basketball you play. Kids today want to run. It is also being able to adapt to talent around you. You have to see if the coach has an eye for talent and the system that fits those players.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment