[olldflame]

Can someone explain why Odam is a better hire then Soucie?

I see it opposite. They have both only been assistant coach's, so neither have proved they can win as a HC. Most of the recruits will stay if Soucie gets the job. I dont think this would be a stepping stone for Soucie b/c he loves this place and is a really really good fit here.



So if I'm going to hire someone with only assistant coaching experience my pick would have to be Soucie

I haven't looked at it much, but one school of thought would be that his dad was a coach at the highest level and that he has been an assistant coach in higher levels than Soucie has been an assistant coach in.
That's not mentioning the obvious McKay connection that a lot of people feel dirty about. It's a guilt by association thing.

I'd call that a push SJ. Don't forget Brad was on staff at Pac-10 Oregon.

[Hold My Own]

And Eaker was a Randy guy but that worked out well and everyone got along...When Randy left he didnt leave, he wanted to stay...when RMK left he hasnt left yet and I'm sure he'd like to stay if given the option


I think this whole experience has made Soucie have a lot to want to prove...prove he can be a head coach and prove what in his mind Liberty deserves.



I think their entire resume's are washes but 1 has all of our committed recruits in his hand and the other has a more famous father....considering that a helpful tool for us I think is a reach

[SuperJon]

Forgive me for saying this, but it's starting to sound an awful lot like you have a personal connection to Soucie and you're pulling for your friend in this case.

[jcmanson]

Beej, make sure you're at convo tomorrow with your binoculars.

[Jesus First]

I want whats best for Liberty not whats best for soucie

[SuperJon]

Also:

And Eaker was a Randy guy but that worked out well and everyone got along...When Randy left he didnt leave, he wanted to stay...when RMK left he hasnt left yet and I'm sure he'd like to stay if given the option

Apples meet oranges. Oranges - apples.

You cannot, under any circumstances, compare someone who is married to someone in the athletic department to any other situation. Of course he wants to stay.

[Hold My Own]

Forgive me for saying this, but it's starting to sound an awful lot like you have a personal connection to Soucie and you're pulling for your friend in this case.

haha earlier JK37 blamed me for pulling for Layer and saying I had him on speed dial...I think it's obvious by now I'm simply pulling for anyone with a fighting chance that is considered a Liberty guy...looks right now Soucie has the best shot...so I'm pulling for him....great guy, does things the right way all the while having an unproven HC experience but the same goes for O and I dont know the rest about him to pull for him....good news is I dont have to b/c I'm not making the hire!

[Hold My Own]

you cannot, under any circumstances, compare someone who is married to someone in the athletic department to any other situation. Of course he wants to stay.

How do you know the option for them both to leave hasnt been there?

[SuperJon]

So basically you're pulling for Soucie because you know him and know what he stands for? Is that right? If you were to meet Odom or Cline or whoever, and saw that they were Liberty guys, would that change your opinion?

[SuperJon]

you cannot, under any circumstances, compare someone who is married to someone in the athletic department to any other situation. Of course he wants to stay.

How do you know the option for them both to leave hasnt been there?

What I'm saying is that it's such a unique situation to have two people work such specialized jobs and be able to work together. That's not something that can happen many places. You can't compare someone in that unique situation to other people.

[TDDance234]

Mark Cline is an interesting possibility.

Out of those five, I like Cline the most. He knows VA from his time at VCU and VA Tech. He's floated his name to be a head coach a few times, being the runner up at Marshall University. He's primarily been a big man coach, which would be an interesting change here on the mountain and having Blake Griffin as one of your pupils doesn't hurt recruiting, either.

[Hold My Own]

Of course that would change my opinion...haha that would be the same reason our AD is bringing in people to talk to...so maybe his opinion can be changed....but like I said, I'm simply a fan and dont have to do "research" and other fact checking b/c I'm not making the hire...I'm allowed to pull for someone so I'm pulling for Soucie or DL b/c I know what both stand for....I dont have either phone numbers and maybe have talked to both a total of 10 times combined, so I have no dog in the fight except LU...people talk and its not hard to figure out who the Liberty people are and who arent

[jcmanson]

people talk and its not hard to figure out who the Liberty people are and who arent

We can always be fooled

[ToTheLeft]

Beej, make sure you're at convo tomorrow with your binoculars.

There is no convo tomorrow. Assessment day.

[Hold My Own]

people talk and its not hard to figure out who the Liberty people are and who arent

We can always be fooled

ha 100% right and that's why there are still a lot of people that thought they knew him like

[jcmanson]

Beej, make sure you're at convo tomorrow with your binoculars.

There is no convo tomorrow. Assessment day.

crap

[SuperJon]

My vote means nothing, but I'd love for Cline to get it. We have a good track record with guys who graduated from Wake Forest in the 80's wanting to be a head coach for the first time.

[panfan01]

I sent a PM to Atrain regarding Ryan Odom. Your best candidate for this job is Dale Layer but who knows what ADs are thinking. Layer mentored Buzz Williams, Richie McKay, and Bart Lundy, which you guys may dismiss but that's a pretty good resume'.

[olldflame]

A bit more on the Mark Cline LU connection now that I have refreshed my memory. His 6'9" brother Todd spent a year at LU (88-89), and in fact was our starting center as a Freshman. He didn't return the next year. Rumor had it that Todd was a good ol boy who preferred hunting and fishing to basketball and REALLY preferred them to going to class. SCAR should know, since he was on that team. Mark is the exact opposite personality. He was a gym rat and an honor student at Wake.

[SuperJon]

He was a gym rat and an honor student at Wake.

Who recruited and developed this guy named Blake Griffin.

He was also associate head coach at VT. That's closer to being head coach than anyone else we've mentioned.

He has a ton of ties in Virginia, NC, and likely other places in NC.

He's been to the Elite 8 in the tournament

He was the first hire by one of the best up and coming coaches in America.

That's a pretty good resume.

[jcmanson]

"Used and abused… Do you think Anthony Grant used and abused VCU?"-JCManson

Grant never made a lifelong commitment to VCU, for starters. He also was taking over a program that was in pretty good shape when Capel left. Eric Maynor was a Capel recruit, not a Grant recruit. He left the program in pretty good shape, but I don't think that much better than when Capel left for Oklahoma. That being said, Grant is a superb coach, I think he could be better than Capel. However, I think Grant has been given a lot of credit for what Capel built in Richmond. Basically, VCU is at or near the top of the mid-major pile up. That's as far as they are going. It's as far as LU could ever go in the forseeable future. So, in many ways, for Anthony Grant, mission accomplished. Ritchie McKay didn't even get us to a place of dominance in the Big South. So, I think there is a huge difference.

I agree completely, and that was my point. I have no problem if someone comes here and does what A Grant or Danny Rocco have done, and then leave on good terms and with the program still on the rise.

[jcmanson]

Apparently Cline REALLY wants the job.

[Dr. Sheh]

Just looking at the bio on Cline, looks like he is a pretty solid coach who has never held a head coaching position before apparently. It would be interesting to see how his Va ties could help with recruiting. It would be awesome to see Cline turn Austin Smith into the next Blake Griffin! Either that, or the next Parakhouski

[Rooster Cogburn]

Interesting thread from last time around. I was curious who the candidates were then. Mark Cline was there before.
http://www.flamefans.com/forums/viewtop ... mark+cline

[ToTheLeft]

Apparently Cline REALLY wants the job.

I want to learn more about him, but I am somewhat excited about anyone that is excited to be here.

Okay, not anyone...but a good coaching candidate that is excited and wants to be here.

WE NEED TO HIRE HIM...

sorry for yelling... but we do.