Craig Smith available
- Thread starter Buffel
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15-12, 7-9 doesn't seem worthy of mid-season firing. It's not good, but let him play it out. I think they just wanted to beat UNLV to the marketplace.
I mentioned Craig long ago that he might be canned and he will get a buyout. Which makes him a candidate to be a good coach that can be hired on our budget.
65 percent winning percentage in his career and lots of experience in comparison to CKK to be an upgrade.
We could do worse (CKK, Menzies) but I think there are better options Harper will pursue. If Craig was hired, I would be fine with it especially if he can put together a good staff.
65 percent winning percentage in his career and lots of experience in comparison to CKK to be an upgrade.
We could do worse (CKK, Menzies) but I think there are better options Harper will pursue. If Craig was hired, I would be fine with it especially if he can put together a good staff.
Not only no on Craig Smith but hell no! He wont he able to bring in the players to UNLV to be a top 1-2 in the conference. I guess if being a middle of the conference team is acceptable then he would be a good candidate. But at that point is that much of an approvment over Kevin?
Harper needs to bring in someone that attracts attention and has proven they can win and bring in talent
Harper needs to bring in someone that attracts attention and has proven they can win and bring in talent
Craig is 43-13 vs the MWC.
There’s not going to be a coach brought in that would sell tickets right away, I’m not even sure Will Wade would sell tickets right away.
It needs to be someone that has experience and has experience turning programs around. We need someone with serious competency to lead everyone. Craig is similar to TJO in certain areas but again he has experience and now the experience of being fired. Sometimes that allows the coaches to step back and reevaluate things.
I agree, more than likely no coach brought in is going to raise ticket sales siginificantly. At first. Only way that will happen it to start winning and playing better home schedules. I dont see Craig Smith being able to do that at UNLV. He might have UNLV as a 4-5 team but that wont change a thing. We need a coach that can get the players with the talent to make UNLV a team that will win, compete for a conference title each year, and produce excitment around the program if we want to see fans in the seats again. a Wade or Marshall or coach like that would be more inline to be able to produce those results
I was cool to it at first, but looking at the entire set of facts if we have a chance to get him I think it's a no brainer. Multi-year assistant ( I think that's a big plus ). He's been successful everywhere except the Big 12. And it's not like he's at the bottom of that league. He's tied w/ WV, 1 game from the middle of the league. Three of his losses ( admittedly blowouts ) were to top 25 teams - but he got a win against # 17 Kansas. His conference record is 11th, 8th and 6th and he will most likely be tied for 7th this year. He took Utah State to the NCAA's more times than we have been in 12 years. If we want him he could potentially be hired the day after CKK gets the boot - a real positive to get started on recruiting.
He was making @ 2.2 Mil and has a 5 Mil payoff from Utah. His pay at Utah State was $ 900 thousand. I don't see a bidding war for him and he could be had for less than $ 1.5 mil. ( he had a six year contract and If I was harper I would never go that high)
He has something to prove.
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I just want a team that's competitive, well coached and fun to watch. Lived the Tark years from beginning to end .That is not happening again but I want to go into the last few minutes of a game hoping for a win and not dreading on how we will blow it.
Outside of hiring Rick Pitino sr. The only thing that will bring fans back is winning and winning with style will accelerate that. I’ve been beating the drum for buckyball the last few days. But I will support any good coach that will have us competing for a mwc title and getting us in the tourney. Harpers 1st, 2nd and 3rd calls should be Will Wade, Gregg Marshall and Ben McCollum. If they all say no, I make Bucky an offer he can’t refuse
I have been watching UNLV basketball since 1977, maybe that is why i dont want to settle. I know we are not going to be what we were under Tark but really would like to be something more than a mediocre has been
That’s certainly how I look at it, he’s not on the top of the list but when you think about it, his experience is what is needed at unlv. Are there better options? Yes but Craig is an option, you can’t ignore his dominance in the MWC. I also believe Craig has out recruited CKK and a couple targets went to Utah.
Craig + good staff will put a better product on the floor, guaranteed. His offense was solid at Utah State.
I hope Harper has his sights set way above Craig whatever his name is!
There’s probably 50-75 coaches in college basketball that can elevate this program to where we need it to be. Some of them are totally out of reach, but a lot of them are at a smaller school and would absolutely listen to what Harper has to say.
We obviously aren’t getting a bill self, we probably aren’t getting anyone like Wade or a Bryce Drew. I’m not even sure we could get a Gregg Marshall, But we can get a guy that’s proven and will win 70% of the time.
I look at the career records and look for consistency, upper tier in the leagues they have coached in and I see a dozen guys that are at lower level schools that are attainable and there’s probably more.
Craig smith has really only had reasonable success at usu, maybe he’s one of those guys. I think he would still be a gamble but without the upside of Bucky or Ben McCollum
Mediocre has been. Hmm, Craig Smith background record much like Barry Odom, who brought Unlv up from the ashes in football. And football is much harder to turn around than hoop.
Bucky. I'd pass. Samford Coach. Experience prior to Samford was an extremely successful High School coach. Currently in the Southern Conference ( third in the conference - behind Chattanooga and Greensboro). The Southern Conference is ranked 13th ( MWC is 5th) Samford NET ranking 103
Ben McCollum. I'd hire. - Extensive experience as an assistant. Currently doing great at Drake. Would be an extremely solid hire. If he gets to the dance and has any wins he may be hard to get. Also I can't find his buyout because he's in his first year. ( Can't be too much because he makes around $ 300 k. - has 5 years left so around $ 1 mil) Drake NET ranking 58.
I understand about Bucky, what I like about him goes beyond the record and resume. His style of play and emphasis on defense and pace align with what UNLV basketball was built on, I’ve watched some of his press conferences and he just has “it” even after a loss, he takes responsibility. He will get the players and students fired up.
McCollum would be amazing, he had a tarklike run in d2 and is about as close to a slam dunk as you’re going to find. I don’t know that we would be able to convince him to come but I would be beyond ecstatic.
Yes right now UNLV is a mediocre has been program. Maybe some see it better than that but fighting for a middle of the MWC conference, in my opinion that isnt a great feet. Mediocre at its best.
UNLV needs someone that can bring us to the top upper tier of the MWC not just to the upper middle portion to maybe lower upper tier of the MWC.
I know "thats better than what we are now" well thats not to difficult.
Having been a UNLV fan for 47-48 years now i will route for them no matter if they suck are middle teir or top in the nation. Just a lot more fun the better the team is. Would rather a coach that can bring us there instead of instead of a coach that can just "make us better than we are now".
So will Utah,Indiana, possibly OU get every coach on the Rebel fan wish list leaving UNLV with slim pickings? I am not sure why any top coach would come here to a decimated MWC and reeling program. I think everyone who wants Kruger fired thinks UNLV a better job than any of the coaches out there think. Tell me why I'm wrong? And I'm not against letting Kruger go I just don't think the coaches fans keep listing are coming. There are too many other opportunities.
In the three years he coached in the MW at UTAH STATE his teams were 1st, 2nd and 2nd and went to the NCAA's each year.
There will be coaches available. Good coaches. Many of them won't be acceptable to this forum and will have to win bigtime to get fans on board.
I’ve made a list and posted it here with affordable coaches that would be considered attainable and would elevate the program.
Why even bother having a basketball program then if no decent coach wants to come here in your opinion, correct?
There is a good handful of coaches that would do good here that are attainable . Pure incompetence
I guess the good thing is that we will find out soon.
Harper has seen the return on their investment for football. Harper most definitely sees the possible return on investment with the right hire. I truly believe the City and the LVCVA do as well. Money should be there. If it isn't, someone needs to get a 5 Bullet email from Elon.
I highly doubt the money (2 million plus annual salary) is there. We’ll be lucky to double CKKs salary. Not to mention we’re on the hook for his buyout unless he gets an assistant job elsewhere.
I think salary range is back to what TJO was, and that will attract some more experienced and serious coaches. Not the will wades or Marshalls etc.
We just need a serious coach that can change the culture, good staffing and someone that can persuade people to be active in NIL. That was the first thing Mullen did before he signed on, ensured that NIL will be taken care of.
I think salary range is back to what TJO was, and that will attract some more experienced and serious coaches. Not the will wades or Marshalls etc.
We just need a serious coach that can change the culture, good staffing and someone that can persuade people to be active in NIL. That was the first thing Mullen did before he signed on, ensured that NIL will be taken care of.
I don’t think Craig is pedestrian but he’s a serious coach with experience that has dominated the MWC. He just didn’t dominate the Big12 as he was expected to. He got a nice buyout and should be within our range if we do can CKK.
Again, we should have better options but I don’t think people understand how bad it’s gotten culturally and the development of players are nonexistent. It’s not a coincidence that guys get hurt, sit out, guys in the program 2-3 years never improve. That’s on the HC, there’s no system.
The nepotism experiment failed.
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