re: Replace This With The Basketball Off-Season Thread

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Forbes seems to be the best mid-major bet (always a gamble though)

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A lot of basketball people believe Forbes is an incredible coach.

I remember when AU hired Pearl, there was real concern about Pearl sans Forbes being able to recreate his TN success

If we’re going to go the mid-major route, I’ve been a Forbes fan all season. However, I’ve been watching John Brannen at Northern Kentucky and I feel like he may be an equally good choice. Flip a coin, I’m good with either.

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However, I’ve been watching John Brannen at Northern Kentucky and I feel like he may be an equally good choice. Flip a coin, I’m good with either.

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Brannen has done a great job - he took over what was basically still a D2 program playing in D1 and by year 2 had them winning 20+ games and ranking in the Top 140 in KP.

If Brannen bring's Grant's defensive teaching skills along with an average offense I'd be happy to bring him back. He's familiar with the program and likely still has plenty of recruiting connections. I'd be really worried about hiring a guy who basically learned his trade from a guy we already had to fire for being mediocre though.

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If Brannen bring's Grant's defensive teaching skills along with an average offense I'd be happy to bring him back. He's familiar with the program and likely still has plenty of recruiting connections. I'd be really worried about hiring a guy who basically learned his trade from a guy we already had to fire for being mediocre though.

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I agree. I think he's a fantastic last resort option if some of the bigger names or Forbes turn us down/go elsewhere though.

Would anyone be open to Steve Alford?

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Would anyone be open to Steve Alford?

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Frick no

Regarding John Brannen, according to KenPom stats, his offensive efficiency is actually higher than his defensive efficiency. They were ranked 75th in the country in adjusted offensive efficiency and 143 in adjusted defensive efficiency.

NKU stepped up from Division II to D I in the 2012-13 season joining the Atlantic Sun conference. They were ineligible for the post season until completion of a transition period in 2016. In 2015 they joined the Horizon League, leaving the Atlantic Sun. In their first 3 seasons in D1, longtime successful coach Dave Bezold went 11-16, 9-21, and 13-17. He was let go after the 2014-15 season and John Brannen took over.

Brannen went 9-21 his first season at NKU and finished 8th in the Horizon.

In his second year he went 24-10, finished 3rd, won the league tourney and secured the automatic bid to the NCAAs as a 15 seed where they lost in round 1 to Kentucky 79-70. Last year, they went 22-10, won the Horizon League regular season but got upset by Cleveland State in the quarterfinals of the tourney and landed in the NIT where they lost to Louisville in round 1 66-58.

This year they are 26-8, finished tied with Wright State for the regular season title and beat them in the tourney finals yesterday to secure their 2nd ever NCAA bid, both under Brannen.

He’s winning the games he’s supposed to win and losing the ones he probably should lose like this season at Cincy and at UCF. We have no room to talk on UCF. He’s a solid coach. I think Forbes probably has a higher ceiling but Brannen would be a nice safety net if someone else takes Forbes which is going to happen if we don’t get off our arse.

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I think Johnson will go away for about $3 million. If he stubbornly stays through next season that’s all he would collect anyway after April 15. So why deal with all the headache and heartache until then ?

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An extra $3 million, plus he obviously thinks he can turn it around. So in his mind at the very least he has $6 million more coming his way by trying to turn it around.

Battle wanted nothing to do with any coaching search, especially after the first one or two he attempted went south on him. He would leave every coach we have in place even if they went winless.

I think Byrne is much more proactive but he doesn’t have free reign to hire and fire while ignoring the economics of the situation. The fact is, someone royally screwed up with both of the previous basketball hires with extensions and buyouts and it has put us in a bad spot. Honestly I think Byrne is like the rest of us and sees this Avery thing ain’t working out and that won’t change. But I also think that unless Avery meets us halfway and negotiates that ridiculous buyout down, he’s not getting fired, not until after April 15th, 2020 when it becomes $3 million.

Avery will have to leave of his own accord or he would have to get caught in something that gives us cause to fire him. God, I hope I’m wrong or I hope they are so miserable they back up and go back to NOLA but I’m not sure that will happen.

ETA: Here’s our only hope: on April 16, 2019 his buyout goes from $8 million to $6 million. Now we can suffer through another season of Avery and go about 14-17 next year while Avery collects another $2.9 million in salary and on April 16th we pay him another $3 million to go away. Or on April 16th, 2019, we can pay him $6 million to go away now. To me, that $100,000 difference isn’t worth letting the basketball program fall further behind the league. I’d go to him and say he can “resign” after tomorrow and we’ll pay him his $6 mil to leave or he can wait till April 16th and we’ll fire you publicly for the same amount. The choice is clear to me.