Nothing, except money, and sometimes not even that attracts, and keeps a good coach, and turns a program into a destination, not a stepping stone more then CONSISTENT year in, year out, decade in, decade out WINNING.
IF Mark Few were to retire, would the next coach, assuming he was successful, just use GU, as a stepping stone, or would GU be a destination?
I say GU is a destination, not a stepping stone.
The thing is tho, GU was, used to be a Stepping stone, until Monson, Few turned GU into a DESTINATION.
Same with Arizona, until Lute Olson arrived, and turned Arizona into a Kentucky type, Arizona was a Stepping stone.
Well if it can happen at GU, Arizona, it can happen to WSU.
And WSU just might turn into a Semi Destination in football.
If Rolo is successful, and stays for 4+ years, and builds the program, and wins 8+ games a year, wins 1,2 conference titles, goes to 1 NY6 bowl, rosebowl, Alamo Bowl, wins 11,12 games 1 year, goes to 4 straight bowls, etc, and then if another coach comes in and is successful for another 5 to 10 years of the same, WSU football will, would have arrived, become a destination, and the next coach would stay 27 years if successful.
OR if Rolo stays for 10 to 15 to 20 years, assuming he is successful, WSU would be a destination, not a stepping stone, and the next coach after Rolo, would stay for 27 years, assuming that successful.
After all what coach in their right mind would walk away from, leave a tradition of WSU winning 13 to 17 straight years of 8+ wins a year, 1, 11, 12 win year every 5 years, 1 10, 11 win NY6/Rosebowl every 5 years, 1 9,10 win Alamo Bowl every 5 years, 1 8/9 win bowl every 5 years, 1 7/8 win bowl every 5 years, where the floor is 7,8 win bowl, and the ceiling is 10,11,12 win NY6, Rosebowl?
No coach in their right mind could walk away from that
Now I am not saying WSU would do that. But WSU COULD MAYBE DO THAT.
But if WSU football COULD do that, just like GU, Arizona Badketball did it, then WSU basketball could do it to.
And here is how it could happen:
Lets say that Smith goes to the NIT Championship/2nd round of NCAA, 18 to 22 wins, etc next year.
Year 3. Elleby is gone, but Noah Williams, and the rest of his class pan out, are juniors, and TJ Bamba, Jefferson, Agobidi Pan out and are sophmores, and WSU wins 17 to 21 games, NIT/NCAA.
Year 4. Noah's class are seniors, and Bamba, Jefferson, Agobidi are Juniors. WSU wins 22,23,24,25,26,27 games, goes to NCAA, Sweet 16, Elite 8.
Smith having done for WSU what Dan Monson did for GU Leaves.
WSU hires a replacement coach.
Year 1.
Jefferson, Bamba, Agobidi are seniors, rest of team is a mix of freshman, sophmores, juniors.
Team wins 20 to 25, 2nd round, Sweet 16 in NCAA Tourney.
Year 2. Team a Mix of 2,3,4 freshman, 2,3,4 sophmores, 2,3,4 Juniors, 2,3,4 Seniors
Team wins 21 to 26, 2nd round/Sweet 16 of NCAA tourney
Year 3:
Team wins 22 to 27, Sweet 16, Elite 8.
Year 4: 24 to 29 wins
Elite 8, Final 4
Year 5.
Team wins 19/20, NITchampionship, NCAA 1st round exit or gets knocked out in 2nd round
Year 6.
Team wins 20,21 games NIT champoinship, 1st round NCAA exit, 2nd round exit in NCAA tourney.
Year 7. 21 to 26 wins, 2nd round, Sweet 16.
Year 8. 22 to 27 wins, Sweet 16/Elite 8
Year 9. 24 to 29 wins, Elite 8/Final 4
Year 10. 25 to 30 wins, Final 4, Final 2.
Coach either retires or leaves as the Mark Few of WSU.
Next coach is hired. Woukd that coach in his right mind view WSU as a stepping stone, and leave sfter 2,3,4 years, assuming he is successful?
NO OF COURSE NOT.
He would view WSU as a DESTINATION, and would stay for 13 to 23 years, before either retiring, leaving, assuming he was successful.
And if coach continued on woth similar success every year, WSU would be the next Gonzaga, Arizona, Semi blue blooderish.
Now not saying that would happen.
Only that it could happen, and that since it happened at GU, it can happen at WSU too.
