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Post by LIONS90045 on Mar 13, 2014 21:08:16 GMT -5
uncurselmu - you sound like a man of the world - I hope you are correct. Iron has a valid point but I can see the merit of having the next coach on board promptly to avoid an exodus of top players. Imagine if Husak had taken two months to decide on the next coach, many of those we want to keep either on the team or recruited would have found "greener" pastures in the interim.
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Post by ALioninWinter on Mar 14, 2014 2:20:55 GMT -5
Husak did not wake up one morning earlier this week and say, "Gee, I think I'll go out and hire Mike Dunlap as my new basketball coach today." This is something that has been in the works for some time. Don't assume there were not interviews (formal or informal) and feelers.
I also would not discount the thought that Husak did approach Max and perhaps suggest he retire. Whether he did or not, Max and his staff certainly should not have been surprised at the non-renewal of the contract.
Ironlion doesn't like the timing, but for Husak to have waited until after the season to even begin a coach replacement process would have really put the school's program at a distinct disadvantage. The new coach and his staff need all the time they can get to build a roster for next year and figure out how to develop that team. Making the announcement immediately after the WCC tournament was exactly the right time.
Dunlap may or may not be the best choice to replace Max, but he's certainly a viable option. He has a great background and certainly gives us the game strategist that we have been wanting. I think nearly all of us were shocked 6 years ago when Husak gave Max a 5 year contract. I totally agree that that move did not make much sense. It sure seemed like an easy way out of a situation and is definitely not what I would have done had I been AD. This time, the choice makes a lot more sense.
I support the hiring of Coach Dunlap and look forward to seeing him in action.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 14, 2014 9:23:12 GMT -5
Coaching changes happen every season- how many schools name the new coach within 24 hours ?
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Post by TexasCat on Mar 14, 2014 10:12:38 GMT -5
Iron - Nothing wrong with being decisive if the choice is a good one and only time will tell with Dunlap.
Without having any inside knowledge and being far away from the University, the way I see it is that Husak has taken his time on three/four separate occasions with bad results so it's kind of refreshing that he gave this some thought before Max was let go when there was no direct pressure on him from the outside. You might have some more insight into the thoroughness of the review that I don't have.
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Post by TexasCat on Mar 14, 2014 10:14:13 GMT -5
How soon do you think we will hear decisions from current players? From recruits? The more time that passes the better?
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Post by TexasCat on Mar 14, 2014 13:45:10 GMT -5
One hour of Coach Dunlap mentality - a lot around college role of a coach outside the game. Enjoying the talking - building up my expectations for this coach.
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Post by craft on Mar 14, 2014 15:43:25 GMT -5
This could be the start of something very special. Granted, all of us have been disenchanted and the options on the list are great. My first choice is Larry Brown-I'm being facitious. But We could be getting a head coach that can bring momentum in this ball club to mimic what has happened at SMU. Mike Dunlap succeeded Paul Silas, only after Larry Brown for the Bobcats. Is this a sufficient condition for Dunlap to move the Lions to a top 25 rank as Larry Brown did after 3 decades for SMU? No, but I can't help but expect Dunlap to make a comeback and restore the respect this club desperately needs. Yes, Dunlap isn't Brown, and LMU isn't SMU, but when a high school kid get's a letter reading "Hi, I'm Coach Dunlap, I coached in the NBA...", that's going to have a bigger impact than a former assistant coach saying whatever he's going to say. I'm assuming Brown did this when he recruited 5th ranked recruit in the country and 2nd ranked pg Emmanuel Mudiay. There's 100 more variables that go into recruiting high calibers, other than a letter, but in theory that should knock some socks off. If I could pick Wyking or Dunlap, it would be a tossup.
Another interesting fact is Dunlap took the Bobcats 21-61 2012-13. And the previous season Silas only gave the Bobcats 7 wins, with Silas being there 2 seasons. Going from assistant coach at the collegiate level to NBA, with a times 3 win ratio from previous season, with a terrible roster, and not having enough time to put in his system, is a big accomplishment. One thing is for sure, this coach is eligible to bring the roar back, just got to give him some time. Here's to another Cinderella Run.
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Post by LIONS90045 on Mar 14, 2014 21:56:33 GMT -5
craft - I can't wait to see the cutout of Dunlap's face being waved about in the student section!
I'm with you and am excited about LMU basketball for a change.
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Post by LIONS90045 on Mar 14, 2014 23:16:50 GMT -5
The link did not work for me but I found it on you tube using “Mike Dunlap Cal Lutheran.”
I watched most of the video (it hit a snag about the 58 minute mark) – these interviews can be bland and boring but I was fascinated by the views and style of communicating of our new coach.
Here’s the key thoughts I noted:
1. Knew about Bikram (“hot”) yoga – definitely a California item. He looks fit.
2. Knows what it’s like to have his scholarship cancelled – it happened twice to him.
3. Likes “grinders” like himself
4. Has a sense of humor
5. Appreciates different skills players bring to the team and their position
6. Takes responsibility for players’ adjustments to expectations to college life, especially those from deprived backgrounds – don’t assume anything, let them know what the expectations are and help them achieve
7. He is patient – has a multi year perspective
8. Has international experience and the sometimes legal problems with “contracts.” He is “worldly” in other words.
9. Appreciates giving credit for successes to players when things go well, and takes ownership for team’s shortcomings when they don’t.
10. Has the proper perspective about life’s values.
11. Philosophy: “the professor always appears when the student is ready to learn”
12. “Surround yourself with wisdom” – learn from those with experience.
13. Reads Malcolm Gladwell – stresses long term observations to see reality of events
14. Is thoughtful
15. Predicts “mega leagues” eventually will break away from NCAA
16. No rigid boundaries
I’m still liking what I see of this new hire.
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Post by LIONS90045 on Mar 14, 2014 23:17:50 GMT -5
Texas -the link worked now! Thanks for the find.
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Post by ALioninWinter on Mar 15, 2014 15:06:30 GMT -5
In addition to 90045's observations, I heard...........
1. He definitely prefers college coaching because it presents so many teaching opportunities.
2. He acknowledges he has not been a head coach at the D1 level (other than on an interim basis), and he is looking for an opportunity to take a D1 team that hasn't been winning (describes LMU to a "T") all the way up to the pinnacle. Translating that to LMU, I don't think he sees a WCC championship as "the pinnacle." He's thinking higher.
3. He says it takes some time to get things going, especially when winning hasn't been a way of life. I liked his fly wheel analogy. It takes awhile to get the darn thing going, but once it is going ..... look out! Translating that to LMU, don't expect a title next season. We need to show a little patience.
4. Practices should be harder than games. Practices have purpose and ritual. I think this is an area where we will see major changes from the Max Good era. I know Max had some offensive and defensive structure in mind when he went into practices. I heard him talk about some of those things on multiple occasions. I just don't think he had an ability to translate that structure to the players thru his practices. As fans, we saw the final product ........... which wasn't very successful. That's all going to change now. I think one could learn quite a bit about the game of basketball merely by watching some Dunlap-led practices.
5. He reads quite a bit for self improvement.
Things are gonna' be different!
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Post by uncurselmu on Mar 15, 2014 18:17:20 GMT -5
Years ago I was hoping for Reggie Theus to replace Max. In just one season at CSUN he has weathered an up and down season to a near even w/l record. They've come together in the Big West Tournament and knocked off Long Beach last night, and are now one game away from a NCAA tournament birth. They play Cal Poly on ESPN 2 at 730.
I only caught the end of their last game but CSUN was playing some great basketball. They were funneling Long beach into solid help defense and offensively they have a great motion offense. Off the ball movement was varied and sequenced/well coordinated. Each trip down the floor multiple picks were set and they were all well spaced. I caught a few times where they offered two high screens on both the left and right for their PG to really just have potential multiple lanes at his disposal. They played with good discipline/clock management for the most part and look like a solid squad. I thought Reggie Theus could have done wonders with LMU and from that small sample he would have met those expectations (and he's not even known as an x's and o's coach).
Beyond whining there's a point to this all. 1. Even if we don't make the tournament next year we have some hope for a quick rebuild and coming close. 2. LMU has a lot more behind it's program than CSUN does and I'm really hopeful that Dunlap can make some small adjustments that will go a long way in fixing our systemic problems in the Good-era. It would have been nice to see Ireland under a coach who can run a decent offense, but we are where we are and if Dunlap can keep this roster together and our recruits I think we can be a contender next year. When that happens we'll easily forget about what could have been and the dark years this program has been through.
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Post by slblions08 on Mar 15, 2014 22:34:52 GMT -5
In addition to 90045's observations, I heard........... 1. He definitely prefers college coaching because it presents so many teaching opportunities. 2. He acknowledges he has not been a head coach at the D1 level (other than on an interim basis), and he is looking for an opportunity to take a D1 team that hasn't been winning (describes LMU to a "T") all the way up to the pinnacle. Translating that to LMU, I don't think he sees a WCC championship as "the pinnacle." He's thinking higher. 3. He says it takes some time to get things going, especially when winning hasn't been a way of life. I liked his fly wheel analogy. It takes awhile to get the darn thing going, but once it is going ..... look out! Translating that to LMU, don't expect a title next season. We need to show a little patience. 4. Practices should be harder than games. Practices have purpose and ritual. I think this is an area where we will see major changes from the Max Good era. I know Max had some offensive and defensive structure in mind when he went into practices. I heard him talk about some of those things on multiple occasions. I just don't think he had an ability to translate that structure to the players thru his practices. As fans, we saw the final product ........... which wasn't very successful. That's all going to change now. I think one could learn quite a bit about the game of basketball merely by watching some Dunlap-led practices. 5. He reads quite a bit for self improvement. Things are gonna' be different! Personally, I'm not even looking at a WCC championship. I just want to see us finish in the top 4 at least three times in a 5 year period and maybe reach a WCC Championship game. I could understand if we lose to BYU or Gonzaga as a 4 seed for a couple times. But not in the first round or quarterfinal, but in a Semis with a real chance to win. I don't want to be a Hail Mary situation where we might be in a game but nobody really thinks we're going to win. If LMU could get to the NCAAs I'd be ecstatic and he'd get a free meal at the Lair from me anytime I saw him. Forget the Lair, from Roski's! St. Mary's is going to be a bit down. Gonzaga will still be ferocious with their incoming guys next year (aka they'll have team Canada) and BYU will always be solid (even though they lose Mika) but c'mon why can't we at least be USF or St. Mary's? I hope Dunlap, even though he was a transfer, has some love for LMU where he wants to see the program succeed before he left. I'd hate if he just showed up for a year or two and then bounced. I hope he's had a conversation with President David Burcham. And I hope Burcham had a role in the hiring. Burcham has asked us alums to give him money to reach his $300 million and beyond goal of donations so that we could compete with the Georgetowns and the Boston Colleges in term of national recognition among Jesuit schools. I hope that he realizes that a strong athletic program is almost just as important. Sure its superficial but its the only way for us to get notoriety on the east coast. Based on our region of talent and education, there's no way we can't be at least be competitive with Gonzaga |
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Post by ALioninWinter on Mar 15, 2014 23:36:24 GMT -5
Getting competitive on a national basis ala Gonzaga takes time. So, yes, next year a competitive team and a finish somewhere near the top of the WCC and we all be ecstatic. On the other hand, you won't attain success higher than your goals.
Listen to Dunlap's talk at Cal Lutheran. His goal is not a third place finish in the WCC. It's also not just winning the league title. He also goes to some lengths to emphasize that turn arounds take time. I don't think he sees his gig at LMU only lasting a couple of years. I believe he is coming in with a mission. That mission will take some time. If he is successful, he might eventually be enticed to a larger program or even back to the NBA. If he has that much success we will probably consider erecting a statue in his honor in front of Gersten.
If he's not successful ........ Shoot. I don't even want to go there ....
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Post by greendoberman on Mar 15, 2015 12:53:18 GMT -5
Congratulations Coach Turner and the Anteaters. A classy guy and one who went about turning a program the right way. One can't help but wonder what would have happened if our clown@$!#erpieceofsh*t AD Bill Husak had hired Mr. Russell before alcohiday Bayno, playerchoker Good or arrogrant@$!# Dunlap.
Congrats again, and 26 years of suffering.
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