Archie Miller to IU

[Blue_2_the_bone_rivals]

Sounds like Alford was their top choice but he didn't want to leave & Archie was next on the list.

 

[Untouchables22]

I gotta say Greg Marshall must be the biggest a$$ hole in the world because he is an excellent, excellent coach and from reports he privately campaigned for the Texas job and wasn't really considered and I don't think IU really considered him either. He has been excellent at both Winthrop and Wichita State and the top dogs won't give him a sniff. I understand he has a grating personality to deal with but when your coaching ability is that high you must really be something for your attitude to outweigh your coaching talent to these athletic directors.

 

[d2atTech]

I gotta say Greg Marshall must be the biggest a$$ hole in the world because he is an excellent, excellent coach and from reports he privately campaigned for the Texas job and wasn't really considered and I don't think IU really considered him either. He has been excellent at both Winthrop and Wichita State and the top dogs won't give him a sniff. I understand he has a grating personality to deal with but when your coaching ability is that high you must really be something for your attitude to outweigh your coaching talent to these athletic directors.

He can't recruit

 

[BlueRunner11]

Meh

 

[65pacecar]

I heard from Indiana alum that Archie was the fourth/fifth call. Stevens said no quickly, Donovan was a no and barely acknowledged, Alford was a no after he found out he wasn't the first call. Also said Marshall was contacted but the guy was basically a Dick and Glass wasn't interested. The alum I know has good contacts and is a donor to IU from the Marion area.

 

[Blue63Madison]

I'll just give you exhibit 1:

They had to hire a coach from Dayton.

You might think IU is the better job, but it doesn't appear that coaches agree. Else they would have made a more impressive hire.

SMH

 

[RacerX.ksr]

Can you imagine the collective groan in Bloomington the first time Archie claps his hands on the sideline?

I think the series with IU will renew now and will be played wherever Cal decides to play it.

 

[darkshadesofblue]

Good pick up for them

 

[Aike]

SMH

Shaking your head about what? Do you also think IU is a better job right now than Arizona?

Kind of a dumb subject, but it seems to have a lot of folks in a twist.

 

[rick64]

Just goes to show how far IU has dropped. Had to settle for a mid major coach. You think UK, Kansas, UNCheat and Duke will have to settle for a mid major coach. No way!!

 

[barryn2000]

Best hire they could have made.....Not sure who would have been better.

Not a lot of top tier coaches interested in coaching basketball at a soccer school

 

[YourPublicEnemy]

I heard from Indiana alum that Archie was the fourth/fifth call. Stevens said no quickly, Donovan was a no and barely acknowledged, Alford was a no after he found out he wasn't the first call. Also said Marshall was contacted but the guy was basically a Dick and Glass wasn't interested. The alum o know has good contacts and a donor to IU from the Marion area.

Can't blame them for aiming high but asking Donovan is like asking out an A-list supermodel. Not going to happen. I knew Stevens wouldn't bail because he's doing very well in the NBA and it's freaking March. He ain't leaving right before the playoffs.

I wouldn't have left if I was Alford either but whoever told him he wasn't the first choice is a fool.

 

[jrpross_rivals]

When did he get a top job? I thought it was IU that hired him.

It's a stepping stone to see how well he does before we consider hiring him as a candidate for Cal's replacement.

 

[TankedCat]

I bet things are tense in the Marshall household today with each one blaming the other

 

[buck8113]

I hope we don't start playing them again. It was not about the coach it is their crazy fans. You stop to eat before or after the game and their fans will cuss at you throw food at you . no, not going anywhere near IU game or fans

 

[TankedCat]

Nothing against Archie Miller, but I'm not sure I would have paid a $4m buyout of Tom Crean to get him. I'm sure IU fans are looking at this with optimism....and they should...but its not a "we're back" statement I think they were hoping for.

 

[Rupp'sRunt]

I think they strike out on all their big names and eventually get Archie Miller. What say you ?

#CalledIt

 

[JDHoss]

Shaking your head about what? Do you also think IU is a better job right now than Arizona?

Kind of a dumb subject, but it seems to have a lot of folks in a twist.

IMO Arizona is a better job. Quality of life means a lot, and we're talking about Tuscon vs Bloomington. [laughing] I did hear that they offered Donovan a hog farm, but even that didn't move the needle.

 

[MegaBlue05]

IMO Arizona is a better job. Quality of life means a lot, and we're talking about Tuscon vs Bloomington. [laughing] I did hear that they offered Donovan a hog farm, but even that didn't move the needle.

They offered Mr. and Mrs. D his and hers corn silos too. Those Donovans drive a hard bargain.

 

[TortElvisII]

IU is not a Blue Blood.

MSU is the closest the Big Ten gets to that.

 

[RogerIndy]

I hope we don't start playing them again. It was not about the coach it is their crazy fans. You stop to eat before or after the game and their fans will cuss at you throw food at you . no, not going anywhere near IU game or fans

You are right. I have lived in Indianapolis for 39 years and the only 2 times I have set foot on the IU campus is to see UK/IU baseball games. Both times, there were as many people in blue as there were IU baseball fans. But we sure as hell didn't stop in B-town to eat anything. I have no problem in Indy wearing my UK gear. There are more Ohio State people at my workplace than IU people.

 

[MdWIldcat55]

I think it's a decent-to-good hire. I also think it's always risky to hire a guy making a step up to a mega job.

I give you Shaka Smart. At one time he was by far the hottest coach in America. He was considered absolutely can't miss at Texas. And he still might do big things. But he won four conference games in his second year, with some decent talent. It's a lot different playing WVU and Baylor and Kansas and Iowa State every week rather than Davidson and Duquesne and LaSalle, and then ambushing a couple of majors who aren't prepared for you.

I'm not saying Archie can't succeed. I'm saying it is a bigger jump than many on this thread seem to understand.

 

[DocLockdown]

@DocLockdown Donavon is a lock write it down...???

I was dead wrong man! Thought it actually made sense. I responded in the other thread too.

 

[TeoJ]

I thought Alford was the next choice done deal.

 

[DelkBowl]

That's a long first contract.

 

[morgousky]

Eh, no one knows if this is a good hire. Indiana is now a risk taking basketball school. No big names want that job.

Miller is a good coach at Dayton. We'll see if it translates. Big10 is gonna be a load for him and I'm not sure he does much better than Crean.

 

[morgousky]

@DocLockdown Donavon is a lock write it down...???

He's in Bloomington this morning sources confirm.:joy:

 

[morgousky]

Solid hire, but not one that is going to cause me to lose sleep as a UK fan.

Think he needs to cut his teeth a bit more before you offer him a job that big, especially for those terms, but I suppose all the home run hires turned them down.

Kind of a shame too. I really like Archie and now those idiots are going to ruin him.

Man, *if* Sean Miller were to ever become the UK head coach, talk about a rivalry.

I just don't think Indiana is elite at all anymore. Not a blue blood, and not really even on the level of Michigan State or Syracuse. Probably below them on the third tier. They couldn't get anyone.

 

[Aike]

I just don't think Indiana is elite at all anymore. Not a blue blood, and not really even on the level of Michigan State or Syracuse. Probably below them on the third tier. They couldn't get anyone.

I don't think it would take much for them to be second tier. But Blueblood status is something else all together. Tough to overcome an entire generation of mediocrity.

 

[65pacecar]

Heard Bennett turned them down again after he was contacted, same as in 2008. He forgot to include him on the list.

 

[Primedfor9]

Pretty good hire I guess. I certainly didn't get the appeal of Alford, this is the only team I can remember him having being a top ten team (still just a sweet sixteen team) and he's been coaching forever, good recruiter now but only because he's at UCLA. I remember him being their fourth choice or so and having to settle for him. It wouldn't surprise me if this year ends up being Alford's best year ever in the regular and post season.

 

[truebluewildcat_rivals34254]

Miller is a solid double. Maybe he'll have a chance to steal third down the road.

 

[MegaBlue05]

He's in Bloomington this morning sources confirm.:joy:

He was letting the Millers know what he'd found out about the local housing market and school districts. Billy is a true giver. It was nice of him to take time out of his busy NBA schedule to assist Archie.

 

[UK90]

Yep. People vastly overrate IU's potential because of history (old history at this point) and because they have so much in-state talent. That in-state talent has ALWAYS been less enamored of IU than a lot of people think (huge cultural difference between the north and south parts of the state), and recently, IU has held almost no sway at all among Indy players. That can change, but it's never going to hit the point where IU puts a blanket over all the top Indiana talent.

Arizona, OTOH, is Nike's flagship western school for basketball. People need to take a look at all the talent that comes off west coast Nike EYBL teams, then look at how many of those guys end up at Arizona. Not to mention that they have great proximity to Findlay Prep. There's a base for them to recruit, every single year. IU needs to rebuild their base, which was never really developed nationally even in their heyday.

This post is spot on correct. I've seen a lot of people who wonder how IU can have such an avid fan base, and the state of Indiana produce SO much in-state talent, yet IU land so little of it.

But what they don't understand is that IU-mania is NOT a statewide border-to-border thing the same way UK-mania is. Instead it's largely just a SOUTHERN Indiana thing, yet the state's best players tend not to come from the southern portion of the state (there's a big cultural difference between Northern and Southern Indiana that most folks outside the state don't understand). North of Bloomington the primary sports loyalty gets widely diffused between quite a few different teams (Colts, Pacers, Notre Dame, Purdue, Butler, etc.) And north of Indy (especially in Purdue country) a **** ton of people flat out hate IU.

It's a quite different dynamic than the statewide fandom domination advantage that programs like Kentucky and Kansas enjoy.

 

[MasonCoBlue]

He was a great hire, given the situation. Unfortunately, that program needed a bigger shot of adrenalin to once again reach the level their fans want.

I'm old and really miss the rivalry. Time will tell, but I don't think he's going to get the recruits needed. Just an opinion...

 

[westerncat]

Again, Jeff. I know you relish a good debate.

But IU is a has been.

Could they return to prominence? Sure.

But why on earth would Sean Miller leave a great situation at a premier job to go to IU?

Does he have ties to IU?

Think before you type.

Money

 

[westerncat]

Good hire by IU. I think he is a good coach. Time will tell if he can recruit & get the job done.

 

[TankedCat]

While I don't think Miller is a home run hire, I would bet he stays at IU longer than Alford stays at UCLA

 

[plaxico80]

You really believe IU didn't reach out to Alford before anyone? I like Miller but I think Alford was the big "splash" hire that Indiana needed.

I believe they didn't reach out to Alford.

Tell me exactly what Alford has accomplished as a head coach.

 

[Aike]

Money

Fair enough.

Sean Miller makes $3 million a year at Arizona. If IU had wanted to pay him $5 mil per, maybe that would have been enough to entice him?

But is Sean Miller really worth what you would have to pay to get him? Probably not.

All speculation anyway. No way to know if IU was interested in him. But I think it would have taken quite a package to get him to make a backwards move.