[ATrain]

One of two things happened:

1) Ritchie was our #1 all along and we hired the search firm as a smoke screen in case Ritchie said no.
2) We went for bigger guys and they turned us down so we went to Ritchie.

There's no middle ground.

It was #2. Ritchie was third or fourth on our list.

That answers my question from a few weeks ago: our job really isn't a good job right now.

Honest question...was it ever a good job to begin with?

[SuperJon]

One of two things happened:

1) Ritchie was our #1 all along and we hired the search firm as a smoke screen in case Ritchie said no.
2) We went for bigger guys and they turned us down so we went to Ritchie.

There's no middle ground.

It was #2. Ritchie was third or fourth on our list.

That answers my question from a few weeks ago: our job really isn't a good job right now.

Honest question...was it ever a good job to begin with?

That's the question I posed earlier in the process. There are so many negatives with the program that I didn't think it was that great of a job.

[TDDance234]

We're a bottom tier program with a recent history of being one of the worst in NCAA with recruiting challenges.

If anything - we've got a few things that swing in our favor: we have money (and apparently lots of it) and an above average facility. We now have a coach that's familiar with the Virginia landscape and has proven that he can lure talent to Liberty.

The biggest challenges are going to be keeping those recruits here and building a rapport with the community again.

[comet]

One of two things happened:

1) Ritchie was our #1 all along and we hired the search firm as a smoke screen in case Ritchie said no.
2) We went for bigger guys and they turned us down so we went to Ritchie.

There's no middle ground.

It was #2. Ritchie was third or fourth on our list.

That answers my question from a few weeks ago: our job really isn't a good job right now.

My hunch is the purpose of the search firm wasn't so much to help us find a new coach, but to help JB contact prospective candidates. LU is LU, and there is no better way to gauge an ideal candidate but through the lens of LU.

[Purple Haize]

One of two things happened:

1) Ritchie was our #1 all along and we hired the search firm as a smoke screen in case Ritchie said no.
2) We went for bigger guys and they turned us down so we went to Ritchie.

There's no middle ground.

It was #2. Ritchie was third or fourth on our list.

That answers my question from a few weeks ago: our job really isn't a good job right now.

My hunch is the purpose of the search firm wasn't so much to help us find a new coach, but to help JB contact prospective candidates. LU is LU, and there is no better way to gauge an ideal candidate but through the lens of LU.

Or just to cover our bases if we rehired someone

[flamesfilmguy]

Or just to cover our bases if we rehired someone

I think you are becoming the Ritchie Mckay of the dark side by being happy about this one. Does this mean there will be a position open in Dark Side leadership at the Potentate level?

(Note: This post is meant to be funny and completely tongue and cheek. While i do not agree with the hire I also don't agree with not giving the man a chance at redemption.)

[JDUB]

I think my, and many of my fellow alumni, biggest concern in this hire is the flight risk. I hear all the nice things everyone is saying, but the fact is those things are hard to believe. He played the 'God card' on us, we feel like we got burned, and we see it happening again. Hopefully that isn't the case, and he'll stick around and build a great program, but I just don't see that happening.

I think he is a decent coach and is capable of doing good things. He did good things before when he was here. The problem is the flight risk. With that I'll bow out. It's been fun reading and being back on for a few hours. See ya next year lol

[Rooster Cogburn]

Folks, I was one of the biggest detractors of Ritchie after he left. Yes back now and it's time to get on board. I don't care if he's been here before if he can run a clean program and win. Let's do this. Forgiven. I do hope he addresses it in some way though.

Then he needs to sit down with Tomasz.

[TDDance234]

Does Brad Soucie return with him as well?

[Purple Haize]

Or just to cover our bases if we rehired someone

I think you are becoming the Ritchie Mckay of the dark side by being happy about this one. Does this mean there will be a position open in Dark Side leadership at the Potentate level?

(Note: This post is meant to be funny and completely tongue and cheek. While i do not agree with the hire I also don't agree with not giving the man a chance at redemption.)

Im just saying had they rehired RMK w/out the search firm then it would be criticized for not looking at 'all the options'. Now that he's apparently hired, people will say 'Why did we hire a search firm if we were going to hire a guy we already knew'

I'm extremely meh about this hire

[bballfan84]

you guys are ridiculous..this is a great hire..

[Hold My Own]

All I'll say on the manner:
[*]One of the worst teams in the country just landed the top assistant of a team that blazed through the ACC and was #2 most of the year. Seriously think about that and how unlikely that is regardless of history.
[*]Many say he's the brains behind the operation, and when you watch during a timeout I can't disagree.
[*]Yes, he's been here before but I see that as all the most positive. He knows exactly what it takes to win here, and has a full understanding of his future if he was to fail here.
[*]He's taking a far bigger risk by choosing us than vice versa.
[*]Coming to LU regardless of what he'll now be paid this can't be a logical business decision from his perspective, because if UVA continues down this path TB will get top offer after top offer and he'll be there for the ride. I do not want to open this can of worms but there has to be deeper reasons to choose this offer rather than some of the others he's had presented over the last couple of years. That's the part that excites me the most. Someone who still has something to prove, and isn't in the twilight of their career.
[*]It'll take a solid few years to be a force again in the BSC. Hopefully we'll get a new conference at some point which would put us down again. Age is on his side to see us through any phase we come across.

If he left us for a UVA program that ended up bottom of the ACC year after year then I'd feel completely different about all of this. Same goes for Seth....I was really bitter at the time but to see how his career played out you can't hate the guy for it...it was a smart move. I believe he could have turned LU into a Davidson and still gotten some exposure but to say it was just as likely as what we know happened at Duke would be false.

Make no mistake about it...this is a huge day for the Flames. I agree with Sly...expect to see him around here for a long time. His coaching legacy depends on what happens in the next 4-5 years....and it's going to be fun!

[SuperJon]

I think my, and many of my fellow alumni, biggest concern in this hire is the flight risk.

That's the scariest part of the situation.

[flamesfilmguy]

Or just to cover our bases if we rehired someone

I think you are becoming the Ritchie Mckay of the dark side by being happy about this one. Does this mean there will be a position open in Dark Side leadership at the Potentate level?

(Note: This post is meant to be funny and completely tongue and cheek. While i do not agree with the hire I also don't agree with not giving the man a chance at redemption.)

Im just saying had they rehired RMK w/out the search firm then it would be criticized for not looking at 'all the options'. Now that he's apparently hired, people will say 'Why did we hire a search firm if we were going to hire a guy we already knew'

I'm extremely meh about this hire

oh good. I was hoping you weren't going soft on me. I feel the same. If he succeeds great. If not and he bolts. I will not be surprised.

[olldflame]

Does Brad Soucie return with him as well?

It will be a HUGE surprise if he doesn't. He's gone everywhere Ritchie went for almost 20 years, including taking a basketball ops job at UVA when McKay wasn't even the HC.

[flameshaw]

If it is McKay, I will welcome him back. You know what they say about a kid touching a hot stove one time, very unlikely to do it again. It is easy to forgive him for leaving the first time. made a decision he thought was best for him and his family, and he was probably correct. Saying that he never wanted to leave LU was a mistake, but who here has not made one? We are a school of second chances and I am proud of that. Sometimes it works out, some times it doesn't. Guys here getting their panties in a wad over him leaving the first time, need to get a real life. How can a decision tah someone made 6 years ago, still make you bitter? smh.
Finally BSK mush have been hitting the bottle early this morning, either that or has OD'ed on stupid pills. LOTS of schools would have been happy to hire McKay. And it is 100% speculation that we offered another coach and it was turned down,
I have to agree with many here, this is the most fun I have had with my clothes on in a while. Love it.

[Purple Haize]

All I'll say on the manner:
[*]One of the worst teams in the country just landed the top assistant of a team that blazed through the ACC and was #2 most of the year. Seriously think about that and how unlikely that is regardless of history.
[*]Many say he's the brains behind the operation, and when you watch during a timeout I can't disagree.
[*]Yes, he's been here before but I see that as all the most positive. He knows exactly what it takes to win here, and has a full understanding of his future if he was to fail here.
[*]He's taking a far bigger risk by choosing us than vice versa.
[*]Coming to LU regardless of what he'll now be paid this can't be a logical business decision from his perspective, because if UVA continues down this path TB will get top offer after top offer and he'll be there for the ride. I do not want to open this can of worms but there has to be deeper reasons to choose this offer rather than some of the others he's had presented over the last couple of years. That's the part that excites me the most. Someone who still has something to prove, and isn't in the twilight of their career.
[*]It'll take a solid few years to be a force again in the BSC. Hopefully we'll get a new conference at some point which would put us down again. Age is on his side to see us through any phase we come across.

If he left us for a UVA program that ended up bottom of the ACC year after year then I'd feel completely different about all of this. Same goes for Seth....I was really bitter at the time but to see how his career played out you can't hate the guy for it...it was a smart move. I believe he could have turned LU into a Davidson and still gotten some exposure but to say it was just as likely as what we know happened at Duke would be false.

Make no mistake about it...this is a huge day for the Flames. I agree with Sly...expect to see him around here for a long time. His coaching legacy depends on what happens in the next 4-5 years....and it's going to be fun!

Way to toe the company line
I don't disagree with much of it but you absolutely can NOT under estimate the history. It will be used against him every recruiting battle. If he didn't have the history I agree that this would be a home run. Right now it's a high fly ball.......

[bballfan84]

the fact that some of you guys cant see this as a great hire shows how little you know

[Bigsouthking]

So your girlfriend dates you for 2 years, have some fun together considering you haven't had many good girlfriends. Your girlfriend dumps you when you have a death in the family so to say, messes around for 6 years with other friends and you take her back cause no other girls are working out...whose the fool?

yep pretty much LU basketball in a nutshell

[comet]

the fact that some of you guys cant see this as a great hire shows how little you know

C'mon man! Or, maybe it shows how little you know...

[Purple Haize]

the fact that some of you guys cant see this as a great hire shows how little you know

For those of you who can't see a big asterisk by this hire shows how little you know.

[flameshaw]

All I'll say on the manner:
[*]One of the worst teams in the country just landed the top assistant of a team that blazed through the ACC and was #2 most of the year. Seriously think about that and how unlikely that is regardless of history.
[*]Many say he's the brains behind the operation, and when you watch during a timeout I can't disagree.
[*]Yes, he's been here before but I see that as all the most positive. He knows exactly what it takes to win here, and has a full understanding of his future if he was to fail here.
[*]He's taking a far bigger risk by choosing us than vice versa.
[*]Coming to LU regardless of what he'll now be paid this can't be a logical business decision from his perspective, because if UVA continues down this path TB will get top offer after top offer and he'll be there for the ride. I do not want to open this can of worms but there has to be deeper reasons to choose this offer rather than some of the others he's had presented over the last couple of years. That's the part that excites me the most. Someone who still has something to prove, and isn't in the twilight of their career.
[*]It'll take a solid few years to be a force again in the BSC. Hopefully we'll get a new conference at some point which would put us down again. Age is on his side to see us through any phase we come across.

If he left us for a UVA program that ended up bottom of the ACC year after year then I'd feel completely different about all of this. Same goes for Seth....I was really bitter at the time but to see how his career played out you can't hate the guy for it...it was a smart move. I believe he could have turned LU into a Davidson and still gotten some exposure but to say it was just as likely as what we know happened at Duke would be false.

Make no mistake about it...this is a huge day for the Flames. I agree with Sly...expect to see him around here for a long time. His coaching legacy depends on what happens in the next 4-5 years....and it's going to be fun!

Great post, puts things in perspective quite well.

[SuperJon]

I've been trying to remove myself from the two years of Ritchie we had and look at it like HMO did. When you put those glasses on, it's a great hire. It's hard to forget the past, but there's nothing we can do to change it.

[flameshaw]

I think my, and many of my fellow alumni, biggest concern in this hire is the flight risk. I hear all the nice things everyone is saying, but the fact is those things are hard to believe. He played the 'God card' on us, we feel like we got burned, and we see it happening again. Hopefully that isn't the case, and he'll stick around and build a great program, but I just don't see that happening.

I think he is a decent coach and is capable of doing good things. He did good things before when he was here. The problem is the flight risk. With that I'll bow out. It's been fun reading and being back on for a few hours. See ya next year I chortle audibly.

Flight risk? You have to be kidding. EVERY coach that is worth a dime is a flight risk. Do you want to date a girl that is not a flight risk? Not me. I feel good when people look at my wife who is >60 and is often asked if she is the sister of one of my daughters. Much better than he alternative.

[ATrain]

For those who feel burned b/c he did play the "God card," lest we forget the story of Hosea and Gomer plus the parable of the prodigal son.