[belcherboy]

This article makes me VERY leery of this guy. I don't know ANYTHING about him, but I hope he changes his recruiting strategies if he does come here.


http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/b ... nal01.html

Ritchie McKay's fall into the Pit

By Bud Withers

Seattle Times colleges reporter

Today, about a decade later, he has met the fate of a lot of coaches — soon to be out of work.

How he got to this state is a remarkable tale.

"It's a new phase for me," he conceded earlier this week. "I've never been let go. I'm not sure what God has in store for us."

His ceiling once seemed unlimited. A guard at Seattle Pacific in the late '80s, McKay was hired to Bob Bender's UW staff back in 1993. He was there only two years, recognized as an effective recruiter and rising star, when he left to take over a Portland State program that was being revived after a long hiatus.

After a solid two years there, McKay was snapped up by Colorado State, and he went 37-23 in two seasons. Then it was off to Oregon State in 2000, and if there's a point when McKay's career began to go off the tracks , it was in Corvallis.

There's hardly a mention in the New Mexico press guide of McKay's time at OSU, and no wonder. It wasn't just that he went 22-37, it was how he did it. A tyrannical figure in practice, McKay drove some players to the edge.

click link to read the rest

[PAmedic]

some scary stuff there.

Anybody in Hancock reading this?

[Fumblerooskies]

Whole Lee Krapp...
...if this doesn't raise red flags. Sure hope JB does his homework and digs deep.

[thepostman]

Yeah, they more I have looked the more I am sold on Cooper...I thought McKay would fit well here, but not sure I like some of the negative things I have heard....which is why my vote was for Cooper in the other thread

[Rocketfan]

So if he gets the job (according to that article) hell be searching the rap sheets of teams nation wide to see who is available.....i think it was stated correctly by someone earlier and that article just restates it.....this could be a recipe for Dekay!

[Fumblerooskies]

Perhaps someone with a pipeline to the mansion can forward a copy of the article up the food chain.

[TallyW]

Wow... I certainly hope we don't go after this coach if this stuff is true... I'm all for redemption... I just wonder why he'd have gone to those lengths to get players... one or even two on a team will be tough... but when most of your team have rap sheets... that's not a good sign...

[PAmedic]

allegedly

[Hold My Own]

they are aware of it

[olldflame]

Is it just me, or has there been an awful lot of negativity toward Ritchie McKay on this board from a bunch of people who have never met the man? I just read the Seattle Times article by Bud Withers for the third time, and each time I realize more how little he really had to say. The single thing that concerns me most is said almost in passing, about how McKay flew to games seperately from the team at OSU. I'll bet there's a logical explaination for that though. His practices were described as "tyrannical", and apparently a few sissy-boys quit over it. Sounds like my kind of coach. My guess is they couldn't have played for Bob Knight or any number of other coaches. Maybe not even RD.

McKay had some players at NM who were apparently less than angelic in their conduct, but when you look down the list, one thing seems to be lacking, and that is any mention of anyone being convicted of anything, which is more than Jeff Meyer or even Dale Gibson can say. One guy was mentioned because he was the VICTIM of a crime. Yes that's right, he was the "stabeee" not the "stabber"! Was he probably in the wrong place at the wrong time......yes. One had "alleged" sexual assault charges dropped, another got drunk and gave the cops a hard time and another apparently was guilty of nothing worse than a vagabond nature and poor study habits. McKay was fired from NM for 1 reason and 1 reason only, because 82-67 wasn't good enough for the hardcore "Pit Vipers" at NM.

Would I be upset if a comparable group of individuals were recruited to LU? You bet I would, but we need to understand that this was New Mexico, not LU. I would hope McKay, or any other coach we hire is smart enough to understand that too.

I'm kind of playing "devil's advocate" here, because he would not be my first choice either. I'm just concerned that too many flamefans will buy into all the speculation and then if McKay is hired he will have a bunch of "haters" to deal with before he even starts. Food for thought guys. With very few exceptions, members of this board have expressed a high level of confidence in Jeff Barber, and I hope that will continue with this very important hire, regardless of who he chooses.

[LUconn]

I for one, welcome our new overlord....

[thepostman]

Not a bad thought man..I understand where you are coming from....I don't think hiring him will be the end of the world, but I think we could do better...

From everything I know he isn't even in the top 2...but what I know changes on the hour it seems...so take that for what its worth

[Hold My Own]

yeah...a lot has changed

[thepostman]

So it would seem....but I won't fully believe anything I hear until an official announcement is made...

[Knucklehead]

Did I miss something, did Cooper turn it down?

[Hold My Own]

there was a hold up

[FlameNForest]

there was a hold up

Uh...one of McKay's former players?

[Knucklehead]

there was a hold up

I'm new here, and not quite used to the inside code references. That and I am a Knucklehead!

[SuperJon]

That wasn't an inside code reference. We don't have too many of them here.

There was a hold up - what's the biggest holdups in contract negotiations?

[thepostman]

$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

[WWJFD]

I saw where McKay's 3 recruits for next year have been asked for their release from UNM. 2 were from Phoenix. Wonder if McKay, if hired, will sway them to come to LU?

[Knucklehead]

what's the biggest holdups in contract negotiations?

I got that, but not knowing the inside connections of the folks on the board, I was looking for where the insider info came from. I can make an assumption that the $$$$'s were not there, but that doesn't make my assumption right. Obviously someone here is in a position to know, and I'll just take it at face value from here on!

[thepostman]

I saw where McKay's 3 recruits for next year have been asked for their release from UNM. 2 were from Phoenix. Wonder if McKay, if hired, will sway them to come to LU?

hmmm interesting...were these guys any good??

[olldflame]

If it isn't money, it could have to do with assistant coaches, for example retaining Alex or not. Possibly a combination. I have no problem with anyone negotiating to get what they are worth. Cooper's salary at Auburn was reported at $125,000 I believe. I'm sure we offered him more than that. I'm not so sure we should offer Greg Marshall $$ (and of course I'm talking about what he's making NOW, not what Winthrop is offering him to stay) to someone with no head coaching experience at any level.

[LUconn]

Let the propoganda blitz begin!

Look! I found another interesting article.


http://www.sltrib.com/sports/ci_5328799

"So often a perception is created for us by others, most of whom don't know it," Fisher said. "When Ritchie was first hired, I vividly remember someone writing, 'Why does New Mexico have to settle for someone from the C list?' If that doesn't plant a perception to fans and others, nothing does. I do know, having coached against Ritchie, that he's an exceptional basketball coach."