Coaching candidates

gophsfan

Member
Joined
Feb 9, 2017
Messages
50
Reaction score
7
Points
8
Aaron Johnston SDSU consistent winner and knows MN
Jennie Baranczyk Drake helped turn Drake around, knows area,
Chris Carr Kansas State breaking into college coaching, knows MN AAU
JD Gravina Western Illinois has done a lot with a program few would want to go to
Jim Peterson/Lyndsey Whalen Co-coaches MN's own?

Just brainstorming, who you want. I can't imagine Stollings not being bought out. So lets come up with replacements. No need for U to hire a firm and pay them cash when most on this board know the game well.

On a side note, I'm willing to chip in 300 bucks myself for the buyout. If everyone at Nebraska game does the same we can buy her out tomorrow. Maybe Coyle should start a go fund me page to raise the money?
 

As mentioned, Marquette's Carolyn Kieger would be a great choice. (She even likes a run-and-gun style of play, like Stollings, but also has interest in defense.)
 


Aaron Johnston SDSU consistent winner and knows MN
Jennie Baranczyk Drake helped turn Drake around, knows area,
Chris Carr Kansas State breaking into college coaching, knows MN AAU
JD Gravina Western Illinois has done a lot with a program few would want to go to
Jim Peterson/Lyndsey Whalen Co-coaches MN's own?

Just brainstorming, who you want. I can't imagine Stollings not being bought out. So lets come up with replacements. No need for U to hire a firm and pay them cash when most on this board know the game well.

On a side note, I'm willing to chip in 300 bucks myself for the buyout. If everyone at Nebraska game does the same we can buy her out tomorrow. Maybe Coyle should start a go fund me page to raise the money?

I really like your top 2 picks as they do very well with the girls they are able to recruit. They also seem to be able to make adjustments as the game goes on. Another whimsical thought would be to bring in Brian Cosgriff from Hopkins, Great coach and consistent winner, then maybe he could hire Paige Bueckers dad and keep her as a Gopher much like Kelsey Mitchel's dad was hired by Ohio state
 

Aaron Johnston SDSU consistent winner and knows MN
Jennie Baranczyk Drake helped turn Drake around, knows area,
Chris Carr Kansas State breaking into college coaching, knows MN AAU
JD Gravina Western Illinois has done a lot with a program few would want to go to
Jim Peterson/Lyndsey Whalen Co-coaches MN's own?

Just brainstorming, who you want. I can't imagine Stollings not being bought out. So lets come up with replacements. No need for U to hire a firm and pay them cash when most on this board know the game well.

On a side note, I'm willing to chip in 300 bucks myself for the buyout. If everyone at Nebraska game does the same we can buy her out tomorrow. Maybe Coyle should start a go fund me page to raise the money?

If there's one thing we've learned about Coyle, he will do his own hiring.

Regarding Jennie Baranczyk: she still has the pending lawsuit against her alleging that she fired former assistant Courtney Graham after learning Graham was a lesbian.

And again I'm not interested in any coaches lacking serious college coaching experience that means Carr, Peterson and Whalen.

Aaron Johnston annoys me; but that's my problem. Anyway he's seems uninterested in leaving South Dakota State. The only time he agreed to leave he reneged on the deal almost immediately. Although, I think he was or thought he was a candidate when Borton was replaced.

With JD Gravina I'd like to know why Illinois passed over him and hired Nancy Fahey. Although perhaps it was just that the new AD was friends with Fahey.
 


My person top 5 is:

1. Niele Ivey-(associate head coach at Notre Dame)
2. Lindsay Whalen-Gopher legend/Last hope for the gopher WBB program?
3. Lacey Goldwire-(former Iowa assistant coach/current assistant at Arkansas)
4. Amaka Agugua-Hamilton (Assistant Coach at Michigan St/Intern Head coach when Merchant had health issues last season)
5. Becky Hammon (a person can dream right?!)

My personal choice will always be Niele Ivey. I feel the coaching tree from McGraw at Notre Dame is a very successful one. There are three in the Big Ten right now (Wisconsin, Penn St and Ohio St) While as a fan of the program, I would also love to see Whalen get the job but I don’t think she will jump right in. I see her as assistant for Reeve with the Lynx personally. My other choices I feel have good big ten connections. Both Goldwire and Amaka have helped their schools recruit MN kids to their program and I thought Amaka did a pretty good job when she filled in for the medial leave for Merchant last season. Hammon I feel is little to actual chance of coming here, but as stated a person can dream right?!

In regards to SDSU Johnson, I will put this as nice as possible. HELL NO. He will jump ship right back. He is in a situation he should stay in. Two other names that might be worth a phone call is Neil Fortner who reportedly called about the gopher opening 3 seasons ago before Marlene got it and the Marissa Mosley who is currently an assistant at Uconn but also a former Gopher Assistant. Might be worth a call at least. But I agree with most, I feel Marlene’s time at Minnesota needs to end.
 

We really don't know yet how much Coyle values excellence in the Gopher women's programs, so it's hard to say if he would be willing to pull the trigger on a buyout. He inherited really strong programs in volleyball, softball, and hockey. Hopefully, he'll want to get women's basketball to the same level as those other programs. I like bball's list of candidates. Although Becky Hammon has no college coaching experience, she would certainly be worth a phone call. I would love a Whalen/Peterson coaching combo at the U. Although I've never heard Whalen discuss her future plans after coaching, she is the type of person I would "hand the keys to" if she is interested. I can't imagine Whalen losing at anything, as she is very competitive and she embodies the type of person I'd like running the program. Jimmy Pete would make a great assistant, although we have to remember that he retired from the Lynx to spend more time at home and jumping back into college recruiting may not correspond with those objectives. It should be pointed out that Hammon, Whalen, and Peterson do not have college coaching experience and that is a negative, however those are three exceptional people for whom I would waive college coaching experience. Aaron Johnson.....No. Chris Carr...No. Do I recall that he was involved in some kind of controversy at his previous high school job or his AAU job? I know there are some on this board who think that the current coach should be doing a better job of getting MN recruits. It should be pointed out that the cupboards have been relatively bare in recent years for MN girls players...although some very good recruiting classes on the horizon.

IMO, Nell Fortner's time has come and gone. Gail Goestenkoer's is another previously successful (and unsuccessful) coach in the same vein. It's not a bad mention, but neither she nor Fortner are the right person for the job.

And while I am rambling, it doesn't seem like the women's college coaching pipeline is as full of rock star's as the men's pipeline is. As I look around the country, it's not as easy to identify mid-major coaches who might be ready to take the next step. It seems like Amy Williams could be the right person to get Nebraska back on track, but too early to tell.
 

The people who don't how to spell Aaron Johnston's name probably don't know enough to give a proper critique. With him, at least we can keep more Minnesota players around.

I like the idea of Whalen.... as an assistant. She's already kind of an assistant when she joins the practice.

Have people already forgotten Peterson? He'd be intriguing if he could fit it into his schedule. He can get assistants who know their way around the college scene.

Niele Ivey always gets brought up (by the same person?) She has the name recognition, but how long has she been in the market for a head coaching job and how many times has she been turned down?
 

First time poster here. I enjoy reading these boards everyday, so many knowledgeable people on this site. What about Connie Yori? Had some very good years at Nebraska, known for being a good recruiter especially in the Midwest plus has experience coaching in the BIG. Not sure if she had a no compete clause when she resigned, but should be complete by now. Would love to see Whalen coach but not sure she is finished playing. We cannot allow Destiny Pitts career be wasted like AZB, Kelly; Banham and now Sadly Wagner’s.
 



Again, I'm not sure, but I think Whalen has one more year remaining on her contract. I'm sure the Lynx will let her play on a year-to-year basis as long as she wants to, given all that she has done for that organization. (And her level of play is still very good.) If Whalen wants to coach, and that's a big if, I'm wondering if she would be a more likely candidate to be an assistant for the Lynx than for the Gophers...as she already has a close relationship with Cheryl Reeve and she wouldn't have to spend any time recruiting. If she was a head coach, I'm thinking that she'd have the ability to assemble quite a staff, based on her WNBA contacts and other basketball contacts. As far as Ivey goes, I might be wrong, but I thought I recalled that she has turned down offers to interview with other universities. Has she interviewed for any jobs that she's been turned down on? I'll admit that I'm attracted to the idea of hiring a UConn or Notre Dame staff member. But we all know how that worked out with Wisconsin. Wasn't Bobbie Kelsey a Stanford assistant before she was hired by the Badgers? And, if anyone is a registered member of the Spelling or Grammar Police, I'd suggest abstaining from almost all internet forums, including this one. (That's said in sarcasm and does not require a response.)
 

I'll admit that I'm attracted to the idea of hiring a UConn or Notre Dame staff member. But we all know how that worked out with Wisconsin. Wasn't Bobbie Kelsey a Stanford assistant before she was hired by the Badgers? And, if anyone is a registered member of the Spelling or Grammar Police, I'd suggest abstaining from almost all internet forums, including this one. (That's said in sarcasm and does not require a response.)

Bobbie Kelsey was a Stanford assistant. Her replacement, Johnathon Tsipis, was a long time Notre Dame assistant (associate head coach) before taking the George Washington head coaching job on his way to the Badgers. As far as coaching trees go, I think Muffet McGraw's dwarfs Geno's and Tara's.
 

My apologies. HELL No to Aaron JOHNSTON. He would back out and leave the team scrambling. He can stick at SDSU. good situation.

and I know for one I do bring up Niele Ivey's name a lot anytime head coach is mentioned. I will say the only two jobs I knew she had her name connected to was gophers 3 years ago and Vanderbilt before taking Stephanie White. later finding out that the gopher job was never an open search, she really has only been turned down for one job. She comes from a strong coaching tree at Notre Dame and knows the Midwest recruiting circles. oh not to mention, seems to the fighting irish coach that has the most contact with a certain MN recruit named Paige Bueckers. Maybe gophers could cash in on that connection?


In regards to Connue Yori, maybe the men's football and basketball history has left a bad taste in my mouth, but I would stay far FAR away from any coach that had complaints of improper treatment of players and unethical actions leadind to dismissal or resigning. Just my two cents.


The people who don't how to spell Aaron Johnston's name probably don't know enough to give a proper critique. With him, at least we can keep more Minnesota players around.

I like the idea of Whalen.... as an assistant. She's already kind of an assistant when she joins the practice.

Have people already forgotten Peterson? He'd be intriguing if he could fit it into his schedule. He can get assistants who know their way around the college scene.

Niele Ivey always gets brought up (by the same person?) She has the name recognition, but how long has she been in the market for a head coaching job and how many times has she been turned down?
 

In regards to Connue Yori, maybe the men's football and basketball history has left a bad taste in my mouth, but I would stay far FAR away from any coach that had complaints of improper treatment of players and unethical actions leadind to dismissal or resigning. Just my two cents.

Agreed, stay far away from Yori.
 



First time poster here. I enjoy reading these boards everyday, so many knowledgeable people on this site. What about Connie Yori? Had some very good years at Nebraska, known for being a good recruiter especially in the Midwest plus has experience coaching in the BIG.

I'm not sure what she's been doing lately, but I felt she was done very wrong by Nebraska after bringing the club to national prominence. She had the full support of Natalie Romeo who went on to Washington. Might be a better choice than I've seen here.

We cannot allow Destiny Pitts career be wasted like AZB, Kelly; Banham and now Sadly Wagner’s.

If you're talking continued pro careers, the only person who is probably hurt is Wagner, who has endured 4 years of Stollings... Pitts might be hurt in the future, but so far it's between her and Cain for Big Ten freshman of the year.

Shae Kelly was actually helped. She became relevant enough to be drafted by the Lynx and they held onto her in the #12 spot on a championship year. I believe she plays ball overseas.

AZB got out after a year of Stollings. She got drafted #2, has struggled in the WNBA but is relevant overseas. She's doing alright .

Banham was able to me-ball her way to 60 pt games and 3093 career pts, which helped her become a lottery pick. Hard to say if she'll become relevant. Have to wait and see.

So I guess maybe you were talking in terms of college careers?
 

I am another fan of Niele Ivey. She has been the key recruiter for the series of All American point guards for the Irish. She has the experience, recruiting ability and as I also follow ND the players regularly compliment her. I love the dream of Whalen or Petersen but I think they will both be staying out for awhile. I am sure there are other coaches out there with talent and I hope we can get a good hire.
 

Yep Shades I meant their college careers culiminating with post season success in NCAA tourney which obviously helps with recruiting
 

One thing that has doomed Stollings is that nonsense about her team being the most FIT team in women’s college basketball! I don’t care how fit you are, when you’re playing a lot of minutes the lactic acid builds up in your muscles and slows you down. No one is immune to it!! You could couple that with her inability to do simple situational substitution especially when the game is on the line!! I sincerely hope the U can convince Lindsey Whalen for forgo her last year in order to coach the goph!! If not then Becky Hammon, who is helping coach professional men and would give her some insight on how to coach woman to be more aggressive!!
 

I agree with most of what you said but I will take issue with the notion that the recruiting cupboard has been bare for Minnesota players. I think the issue is not that there hasn't been a lot of available talent in Minnesota in recent years – it's that there isn't so much that fits the Stollings style, and what there is available she hasn't been able to recruit. Minnesota teams win major AAU events on a regular basis and there are lots of great power conference players.
For example, current starters and major contributors include seniors Chase Coley (Iowa), Cayla McMorris (Wisconsin); juniors Alex Wittinger (Illinois), Madi Guebert (SDSU – a high major player who chose to play near family); sophomores Taylor Koenen (North Carolina), Courtney Fredrickson (Wisconsin), Abby Scheid (Northwestern) plus Kiara Russell (22 mpg at Arizona State), and freshman Annika Jank (Colorado) who has started every game and is averaging 12 & 8, Kristin Scott & Rae Johnson (20 mpg each at Iowa State) and Rachel Ranke (12 & 3 at Kansas State). Throw in Bell and Wagner and that's a pretty good Big 10 team. I can think of at least another 10 that would have been impact players here.
 

GMac39, you mentioned some Minnesota players that are having solid college careers, but none of them seem to be program-changers. There are certainly some talented players among those you mentioned, but, in my opinion, most of them would either be "bit" players for the Gophers or they really aren't any better than the players we have...or they weren't must-gets out of high school. And, as you pointed out, some of them don't fit Stollings style or preferences. It's interesting that some people viewed Nia Hollie as a must-get or at least a good-get. She was a Ms. Basketball. She really hasn't done much for MSU so far, although she had a good game against the Gophers today. Again, many of the players you listed could have played for the Gophers, but I don't think that many of them would have made the Gophers significantly better.
 

GMac39, you mentioned some Minnesota players that are having solid college careers, but none of them seem to be program-changers. There are certainly some talented players among those you mentioned, but, in my opinion, most of them would either be "bit" players for the Gophers or they really aren't any better than the players we have...or they weren't must-gets out of high school. And, as you pointed out, some of them don't fit Stollings style or preferences. It's interesting that some people viewed Nia Hollie as a must-get or at least a good-get. She was a Ms. Basketball. She really hasn't done much for MSU so far, although she had a good game against the Gophers today. Again, many of the players you listed could have played for the Gophers, but I don't think that many of them would have made the Gophers significantly better.

I was just responding to the assertion that the Minnesota talent pool is weak. Koenen and Scheid and Wittinger and Jank and have already proven they are better than Kaposi and Edwards for example who came halfway across the world to do the same job. Koenen had tons of high D1 offers. Russell at ASU has done more already on this level than Jasmine Brunson and is a similar player. The issue is not that there are no players here. The issue is Marlene has been unable to recruit them. In fairness, many of the best kids were committed before she had an opportunity but right now the Gophers' connections with the best players still in high school are very poor. She is not going to get Bueckers. I hope they have offerred Jade Hill and Amaya Battle and Kaylee Van Eps because others have. They need to be on these kids in 8th and 9th grade. It's frustrating because as soon as an assistant builds some rapport in the AAU community they are gone. We are on the fourth one in four years.
 

Illinois went to a successful D3 coach. How about Ruth Sinn from St. Thomas. Scholar of the game. Deep Minnesota roots. Good AAU background and connections. No clue if she'd consider it, but someone who deserves a mention given her year in and year out success.
 

Illinois went to a successful D3 coach. How about Ruth Sinn from St. Thomas. Scholar of the game. Deep Minnesota roots. Good AAU background and connections. No clue if she'd consider it, but someone who deserves a mention given her year in and year out success.

Not working so far for Illinois.
 

Not working so far for Illinois.

No but that program is/was a lot more of a mess than what we have. It was down before they hired Bollant. The whole racial lawsuit issue with Bollant's asst. coach probably didn't help either. Going to take 3 years plus there to change stigma.
 

I'm not enthused about hiring a D III coach; but it's worked okay, thus far, at Oregon State with Scott Rueck who coached at George Fox. He was also an Oregon State alum. The program was an absolute mess when he arrived. His new contract will pay him around $800,000/year.
 

I'm not enthused about hiring a D III coach; but it's worked okay, thus far, at Oregon State with Scott Rueck who coached at George Fox. He was also an Oregon State alum. The program was an absolute mess when he arrived. His new contract will pay him around $800,000/year.

I agree with you in not really wanting to hire a D3 coach. But i asked myself if Stollings was in the MIAC, could I see her being better than Sinn? Doubtful in my opinion. I just want this program to be as successful nationally year in and out as St. Thomas.
 

I agree with you in not really wanting to hire a D3 coach. But i asked myself if Stollings was in the MIAC, could I see her being better than Sinn? Doubtful in my opinion. I just want this program to be as successful nationally year in and out as St. Thomas.

Of course, we did have a, successful, DIII national champion, St. Thomas head coach as a long time assistant to Borton-Ted Riverso.
 

Ruth Sinn can flat-out coach, although I'm of the idea that it's still a huge jump from being a successful DIII coach to a successful DI coach because of the recruiting factor. Although it seems that the Badgers did well with their men's basketball program when they hired Bo Ryan from a DIII school. And, by the way, Ted Riverso is now head coach at Augsburg and one of his assistants is former Gopher Jackie Voigt and another is former Gopher Mikayla Bailey. Former Gopher Kelly Roysland is head coach at Macalester. And speaking of so-called Gopher coaching candidates, anyone else notice that Lindsey Whalen made her debut as a BTN color commentator yesterday. Didn't get a chance to listen to her, but I've heard her when she's joined the Wolves telecast this year. I haven't heard her talk about what her interests are after her playing days with the Lynx are done, but it seems that she might be testing the waters on some different options. Count me in as one of those who would endorse her as a Gopher head coach if and when the time is right, although I realize that may be a pipe dream and she might be more likely to work as a Lynx assistant.
 

Ruth Sinn can flat-out coach, although I'm of the idea that it's still a huge jump from being a successful DIII coach to a successful DI coach because of the recruiting factor.

Absolutely agree. But we always complain about not being able to keep our best players home. Well Sinn coached at the Fury for those years and wasn't she Koenen's coach there? I could be wrong, but I thought I heard she is going to coach at North Tartan this year? If so, her connection to AAU in MN couldn't get any better so maybe we could lock up the state. Anyway, it was just a thought I had. Would have to think on it deeper, and I'm not sure she'd want the job anyway.
 

And speaking of so-called Gopher coaching candidates, anyone else notice that Lindsey Whalen made her debut as a BTN color commentator yesterday. Didn't get a chance to listen to her, but I've heard her when she's joined the Wolves telecast this year. I haven't heard her talk about what her interests are after her playing days with the Lynx are done, but it seems that she might be testing the waters on some different options.

I caught some of that game. They did a quick intro about Lindsey when BTN joined the game late because of the preceding OT. Thus far, Lindsey sounds to me like some one wanting to be an analyst rather than coach. Stephanie White was an example of some one doing color that wanted a college job.
 

Ruth Sinn can flat-out coach, although I'm of the idea that it's still a huge jump from being a successful DIII coach to a successful DI coach because of the recruiting factor. Although it seems that the Badgers did well with their men's basketball program when they hired Bo Ryan from a DIII school. And, by the way, Ted Riverso is now head coach at Augsburg and one of his assistants is former Gopher Jackie Voigt and another is former Gopher Mikayla Bailey. Former Gopher Kelly Roysland is head coach at Macalester. And speaking of so-called Gopher coaching candidates, anyone else notice that Lindsey Whalen made her debut as a BTN color commentator yesterday. Didn't get a chance to listen to her, but I've heard her when she's joined the Wolves telecast this year. I haven't heard her talk about what her interests are after her playing days with the Lynx are done, but it seems that she might be testing the waters on some different options. Count me in as one of those who would endorse her as a Gopher head coach if and when the time is right, although I realize that may be a pipe dream and she might be more likely to work as a Lynx assistant.

It seems in the ESPN videos that she did with Sarah Spain, it seems that color commentary is in Whalen's future, not coaching
 




Top Bottom