[jmdickens]

Back to the issue at hand: our new head coach.

if Alex gets overlooked for the head coach position, what makes us so sure that he doesn't become a canidate at Winthrop after Marshall leaves?

Are we really comfortable with him moving on to something good in our conference and we end up with someone like Duckett who was hired simply because he knew Barber at South Carolina of all places. Since when was the University of South Carolina known for quality basketball?

Can we be certain that any coach can come in here and keep our core group of players together unless Alex Sherard remains on in some capacity?

In the final analysis, isn't Sherard clearly the safer pick?

Isn't he clearly the logical choice?

no, because he has too much baggage from the last mistake of a head coach

[SuperJon]

Sherard will be a great coach in his own day.

However, he is not the right fit for head coach at Liberty University in 2007. The students will not rally behind someone who was part of the former staff. To them, it will be the same thing, and they will expect the same mediocrity we've had. You laugh at the fact that I think student perception is big, but your main source of attendance is the students. It's going to take someone from outside the program to come in and provide a spark to this program.

[SuperJon]

Safe isn't always best.

[paradox]

True, but in this case, he may be the safest and the best available.

[NJLibertyboy]

Agreed SJ 100%. Attendance has dropped significantly since my freshman year (Came in Fall 2004). Our students are boring, and besides the Killer B's and the Bakers Bunch. They rock!!!

I would love to have Sherard as an assistant, but we need a rejuvinator.

[SuperJon]

I may get a date within the next week, but there's no way to prove that at this point.

[thepostman]

I may get a date within the next week, but there's no way to prove that at this point.

sweet dude...congrats...when are you popping the question??? 2 weeks??

.....i don't know...it just seemed right


OK I am....



what is the topic again....man, i don't want to write this paper I am "writing" right now

[WWJFD]

I have to kind of disagree. Sherard was only here 2 seasons and really only recruited one class + Campbell this year. To say he is baggage from RD is a slight overstatement. Sherard was hired here to recruit. It was not like he was one of Randy's boys for the last 15 years. If that was so, then I'd say no chance.

Seriously, people talk about a coach to revive the program. What do you want him to do, physically do "cartwheels" before games and during timeouts? Will that fill the seats? Stuff Great Northern bath tissue in his trunk to look like J-Lo? Will that fill the seats? The bottom line is to bring in the best talent and fill the seats with W's. We do not need a Ringley Brothers, we need WINS to fill the seats. Any new hiring will give instant hope. Plus, don't you think Sherard has observed the last two years and seen what has gone wrong. I am sure he has ideas to make the program better. He was not the Head Coach, just an assistant with his primary role to recruit! He is not an identical mold of RD.

If Jeff Barber says LU has the talent now to be the top of the conference, Sherard has alot to do with that. He is only going to grow on what he has done in his limited time here. He has a deep pipeline from his northeast (PC) and mid-Atl (VA) roots to bring in the talent to succeed.

I am 100% confident JB will make a good choice and I will be happy with what direction he goes in, whether internal or external.

[NJLibertyboy]

And what is Sherard struggles? We will have another year of sagging attendance. If he does well, it will take longer to get people in the seats because people will have to jump on board.

Even if our new coach that comes in struggles, we will automatically sell more tickets and fill up alot of the seats we have not been filling up. If he does well, we do even better.

Look at football... season ticket sales skyrocketed after Rocco was hired. There is a corrolation between a new hire, and renewed excitement in the program. We finished 6-5 and had massive attendance increases from the year before.

Of course, winning = continued support. But right now, for an instant impact, you bring in someone exciting. No, he doesn't have to do cartwheels, but if you bring in a good coach who can energize the student base like Rocco did, we'll be in for an exciting season.

[Purple Haize]

Was that about me or Dale Gibson? I have shared a meal or 2 with him and if it was a drinking game I would have been under the table Haize is big time division 1 as well in terms of putting food away (at the same meal no less).

I was just happy to come away from there with all my fingers intact with you two!!! I felt like the little poodle trying to sneak a bone from to Rotweilers with those chips!

[#10]

Bob Davis is on my short list. He's done a firstclass job at LaTourneau and started with nothing.

[PAmedic]

Only because something at work distracted me mid-post.

BUT: anyone else find that hysterical?

like me, sometimes SCORCHO gets "distracted" by work when on Flame Fans

[El Scorcho]

Hey when all of my work looks like , it's easy for things to get mixed together.

[buckets]

I think we should look for someone who has done or been a part of the things we want to accomplish regardless of job title or conference affiliation. Show me NCAA tournament experience, been part of a winning tradition, ability to reach out to the student body and the community, and a CHRISTIAN. Now we have got something. The alphabet... SEC,ACC,WCC.... doesn't do a hole lot for me.

[paradox]

Buckets:


All good points.

If everything works out, and the canidate is who we think it is, then certainly your very apt description would apply to him. He'd be a solid hire for our conference.

[paradox]

I'm interested to see how things change from a recruiting standpoint with the new coach. His connections appear to be primarily in the deep south and south west.

Also, I sure hope that we can keep Nate Campbell from HMA in the fold.

I guess it will all be out on the table within the next few weeks.

[flameshaw]

Back to the issue at hand: our new head coach.

if Alex gets overlooked for the head coach position, what makes us so sure that he doesn't become a canidate at Winthrop after Marshall leaves?

Are we really comfortable with him moving on to something good in our conference and we end up with someone like Duckett who was hired simply because he knew Barber at South Carolina of all places. Since when was the University of South Carolina known for quality basketball?

Can we be certain that any coach can come in here and keep our core group of players together unless Alex Sherard remains on in some capacity?

In the final analysis, isn't Sherard clearly the safer pick?

Isn't he clearly the logical choice?

Kinda like our last coach, hired only becuase he was good friends with someone close to the throne, without considering any other candidates? And where did he come from of all places? Been there, done that, have the Tshirt, no thanks!!!!!!!!!!

[TallyW]

I would take Ducketts resume over Dunton's.... Bad analogy. Besides that would only be true if JB only looked at a few guys and made the decision in a vacuum. I doubt that will happen... he knows this is his first big hire. He'll make it count in his mind and in the minds of his peers.

[BJWilliams]

Well Coach Sherard is definitely somebody worth considering in the debate (he just emailed me and said he is applying for the HC position full time or at worst staying as an assistant)

[flameshaw]

NM

[BJWilliams]

I'm interested to see how things change from a recruiting standpoint with the new coach. His connections appear to be primarily in the deep south and south west.

Also, I sure hope that we can keep Nate Campbell from HMA in the fold.

I guess it will all be out on the table within the next few weeks.

Well I was thinking about that as well and so I emailed him about the kid I mentioned to Coach Dunton last semester and he said that he is on their 2008 priority list so Im guessing that as long as he is the coach he will maintain the connections that he has made with recruits already and look to establish some new connections as soon as possible so that whoever comes in as the new coach (whether its him or somebody else) plenty to work with

[TallyW]

Has this board appointed a new coach already?

[paradox]

Yea, I agree, Alex needs to stay on in some capacity. JB has his eye on someone, if it falls through, then Alex may get his opportunity to be the head guy.

From what I understand, Duckett and McKay are out of the picture.

JB seems to be closing in on his guy, and if it's who I think it is, I'm sure that the majority of us on this board will be pleased.

Let's be patient and see how this thing plays out.

[El Scorcho]

Let's be patient and see how this thing plays out.

So far as I can tell, you're the only who's getting worked up about it already.

[thepostman]

Ducket is still very much a possibility from everything I am hearing...not sure how he is out of the picture....