Annual Schmidt to New England Rumors

3rdShayCripSet

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Some beat writer for UMass is claiming Schmidt would "listen" to an offer if the Minutemen are so inclined.

The UMass fan(s) think it is a no brainer being that they have such deep pockets, great facilities and such a rich basketball tradition.

I wouldn't mind Schmidt interviewing or holding Bona's feet to the fire if it means the hoops program gets more $$, but I would be shocked if he truly considers going to Western Mass.

Last I checked, SBU has a bigger MBB budget than UMass, but maybe that'll change after this offseason.
 
Let's see, go to UMass and play 2nd fiddle to a really shitty football program or keep beating the Minutemen from the comfortable position he's in now.

I don't think Schmidt would even entertain an offer, and by "listen", sure if they email him a starting point and he opens it and reads it, I suppose that counts as listening. I'd be (a) shocked if he even held a phone call with someone, and (b) extremely disappointed in him personally and professionally if he did so.
 
Schmidt isnt going to work for a team that "hired" someone for 15 minutes then turned out to not even have had a phone conversation yet. I enjoy the UMass center of the world personas sometimes but the daily grind of tweets about the coaching search when the season is still going is getting on my nerves.

Maryland if they strike out on everyone else I could see but I think they have donors that would buy out a bigger name before they let the AD hire Schmidt. Tangential to the Maryland opening is Seton Hall which might be a good fit if he wants to step up in conference.

For the record I hope he doesnt leave but wanted to throw out a scenario much more likely than him to UMass.
 
I think any non-major MBB job that entertains FBS football has a very low ceiling and will always be a distant second to the aspirations of the football program.

The only thing that annoys me with this talk is this point: School X has much better facilities and "financial backing" than SBU.

Do you know how many programs in the country have a nicer arena than Bonaventure? I would say it's over 150 D1 schools. BUT, if you're like UMASS and draw less than 3,000 on a typical night in a 10,000 seat arena, that's a hard sell. AMHERST east is just like AMHERST WEST. No soul or fan support unless they have an amazing team.

If it was such a great job, they would have more than one NCAA trip in the last ~25 years.
 
If UMass didn't stumble on one of the greatest coaches of all time, in his first ever stop as a HC, they would have exactly 2 NCAAT appearances, ever. The only reason why their fans aren't the worst in the A10 by a mile is because the team is so bad, they're not worth listening to.

The arena isn't even nice, it's just big. Give me a gym that packs them in, and fills with noise like the RC, Hawk Hill, St Mary's gym, etc etc any day of the week, over some cavernous concrete block hockey arena. Not to go down the RC rabbit hole- it needs upgrades, but nothing crazy. Look at Davidson, a nearly identical size gym as an example.

I agree with Jive. Tough for me at this point to see P5, but Big East is plausible. There's plenty of obvious similarities to the A10 across the board, but for the most part without the pillow fighting bottom feeders that really hold the A10 back.
 
Schmidt cost himself any shot at a p6. The fact that this team isn’t an at-large contender is a massive failure. I wouldn’t be surprised to see him leave because he’s built this team to win this season and this season only. However, the best he’s going to get would probably be another mid-major with deeper pockets leaving us with Coulibaly at center.
 
...The fact that this team isn’t an at-large contender is a massive failure...
I think he may be near his ceiling at SBU, which is occasional AL berth. He needs to catch up in the recruiting game, or player development, one or the other, maybe both. This was the year it needed to all come together, could/should have, and unfortunately if all 5 weren't clicking the wins were too hard to come by.

Our best teams under Schmidt have all had head-scratching flaws. The kind that keep an SBU out of the conversation. With OOC being 10x more important as the A10 keeps lagging, we don't have the kind of schedule that allows for those flaws. Every non-marquee game has to be a dominating performance. The kind that get your bench serious minutes on the court.

I don't think he leaves for another MM. I think he would be on the radar for a very struggling P5 but those schools are where they are for a reason. Jeff Capel was supposed to save Pitt. Nope. Those kind of schools can't bring in anyone and succeed because the kind of coach they need won't touch them. If Schmidt had gone to BC they'd still be a bottom 4 team in the ACC. Why leave this situation when the fan base worships you, you have some modicum of success, and the gig is real comfortable.
 
I agree with everything written in this thread so far. But, this year worries me more than prior years.
 
Oh BR, "MM" just saves space over typing out "the six conferences that are not P5/6 that may be worth coaching/playing for". I hear you though.
 
It does creep into the lexicon, even among those of us who despise it. I'll submit to 30 lashes and abstain from quality beer this evening in repentance.
 
Schmidt cost himself any shot at a p6. The fact that this team isn’t an at-large contender is a massive failure. I wouldn’t be surprised to see him leave because he’s built this team to win this season and this season only. However, the best he’s going to get would probably be another mid-major with deeper pockets leaving us with Coulibaly at center.
Where would he be going? I'd be shocked to see him leave for another school.

Doesn't matter how "deep your pockets are if you're in a lesser conference than the A10. I doubt he'd jump at more $ to go to a MAAC, MAC or CAA school.

He's not dumb enough to think a slightly bigger budget or salary would be worth jumping to a one-bid league.

The only openings that I could see him being even remotely interested in would be ECU (if it opens). UMass is open so we shall see how that plays out, but they face as tough sledding as we do.
 
Where would he be going? I'd be shocked to see him leave for another school.

Doesn't matter how "deep your pockets are if you're in a lesser conference than the A10. I doubt he'd jump at more $ to go to a MAAC, MAC or CAA school.

He's not dumb enough to think a slightly bigger budget or salary would be worth jumping to a one-bid league.

The only openings that I could see him being even remotely interested in would be ECU (if it opens). UMass is open so we shall see how that plays out, but they face as tough sledding as we do.
What I really meant is that Umass would probably be the only destination he would leave for. Their fan situation sucks but you could argue they are in a better position to be successful next year because of how he's handled the bench/advancement at home. Hopefully doubling his salary (if the rumors are true about their offer) isn't enough of a draw to continue in mediocrity but have 12 fans rooting you along as you do it.
 
What I really meant is that Umass would probably be the only destination he would leave for. Their fan situation sucks but you could argue they are in a better position to be successful next year because of how he's handled the bench/advancement at home. Hopefully doubling his salary (if the rumors are true about their offer) isn't enough of a draw to continue in mediocrity but have 12 fans rooting you along as you do it.
I have to imagine UMass (and 80% of D1 MBB) has either the same ceiling as us or slightly below us.

If we somehow make the NCAAs this year, we will be two missed shots away from having six NCAA bids in a decade. So long as we have Schmidt, our ceiling is as high as most non-power schools.

BUT, now is the time to invest in this program. Ya know, strike while the iron is hot.
 
my one crackpot theory is Cooley could leave Providence for a higher profile job and they could bring in Schmidt, but it seems super unlikely
 
my one crackpot theory is Cooley could leave Providence for a higher profile job and they could bring in Schmidt, but it seems super unlikely
For whatever reason, coaches north of 55 don't get many chances at these top jobs. I'd imagine they'd go with someone much younger.

I truly don't get why any program would higher a coach younger than 35.

Yes, if they kick ass that's great, but so many of these coaches are the next best things since sliced bread and only two things ever happen:
1.) They tank and you're looking for a new HC.
2.) They kick ass for four or five years then leave.

The hardest thing to do in MBB is higher a coach. I would not want to do that multiple times in a 3-5 year span. If Bona is ever looking for a HC in the near future, I hope they opt for a coach that HAS actually coached a D1 game before and that's not <10 years removed from playing.
 
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