With the transfer portal going crazy we are talking about who we could get/ who we want. I think coach Smith has done an excellent job his first two years and has a proven record prior to WSU are there any coaching openings that we should be worried about?
Elephant in the room
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Good question. I saw a poster on another board from another program say Smith "was gone to UT" when it opened because he was "from Texas". I wonder what they think with Beard taking the job? UW fans have tossed around Smith's name.
Smith is a great fit for us because he seems to enjoy uncovering and growing talent. That's not appreciated in a lot of programs. I would think when Bennett moves on from St. Mary's they would inquire. Colorado? Maybe back east? He has kids and he could turn WSU into family stability. It always depends on the opportunity though.
Smith is a great fit for us because he seems to enjoy uncovering and growing talent. That's not appreciated in a lot of programs. I would think when Bennett moves on from St. Mary's they would inquire. Colorado? Maybe back east? He has kids and he could turn WSU into family stability. It always depends on the opportunity though.
As long as Chun stays, no worries. Once that variable changes, who knows?
Tech is going to hire the top assistant. St. Mary's isn't a step up from WSU/Pac 12 - lateral at best.
Beasley rocking with 10K is as good as it gets on the west coast and I'm including U of A and the Kennel. Shake loose a little money for the Klay Thompson Basketball Center and we are off to the races with Kyle Smith again.
Tech is going to hire the top assistant. St. Mary's isn't a step up from WSU/Pac 12 - lateral at best.
Beasley rocking with 10K is as good as it gets on the west coast and I'm including U of A and the Kennel. Shake loose a little money for the Klay Thompson Basketball Center and we are off to the races with Kyle Smith again.
On St. Mary's, that's partly why I said they would inquire. There's a connection but what's probably bigger IMO is why go up against the biggest beast in the country as far as GU? They also seem to control the WCC off the court as well.
If we could get a BOB done that would be a game changer.
Smith has ONLY been at WSU for 2 years. It USUALLY takes a WSU BBALL coach 3,4 years to get poached by another program.
Bennet was WSU coach for 3 years, when he got poached. Smith hasnt even been here, even 3 years. So that alone would say no to Smith getting poached
Also:
Smith's Wife has, had family roots, to Chelan, Eastern WA, WSU, and Smith's Wife, family, were, are WSU FANS. Thst is a DYNAMIC that previous WSU coaches like Bennet, didnt have.
Also:
Smith LOVES WSU, PULLMAN, raising his family here. He is paid well. He has a high standard of living here. He can recruit, win, be, is successful here, doesnt have the Duke type PRESSURE, wont lose his job after only 1 bad season, like at other programs, can, will, carve out a name, recognition here, can turn WSU into a Gonzaga, can be the Mark Few of WSU, can turn WSU into a DESTINATION, instead of a stepping stone.
Because of all the above, I think Smith will stay at least 5,6,7 years at WSU, and 7 to 17 years at WSU before, and if he Smith leaves.
Smith is NOT Bennet, Sampson, Raveling, as far as he us probably not gona leave WSU as soon as he can, etc.
Also as long as Chun is the AD, an or replaced with a Chun like AD, and as long as Smith is kept happy with things like his Analytics equipment in the Gym, etc.
And as long as Smith gets the occasional very small occasional raise.
Then Smith is probably not leaving or at least is probably not gona leave even remotely close to anytime semi soon.
Yeah sure some big time program could offer Smith 6 mil a year to cause Smith to leave within the next 1,2,3,4 years, but I doubt Smith is that Mercenary, and yeah a anvil could fall out of the sky and hit one of us on the head too.
I think Bennett is making $1M plus there. Smith coached there and USF so he probably has a lot of friends in the area so I’d bet he’d listen.
Excellent is 11th and 10th place?
Even the last 4 fired coaches finished higher than 2 spots from the cellar at least once in their first two years. Dick Bennett finished 6th and 7th place with Graham's crapfest and no portal to shop from.
The trend is good, but an embarrassing loss at home to the worst UW team since Naismith and a near loss to a one win Idaho team along with some not very well managed COVID protocols (shared issue with the football team and the women's team) were not excellent.
Hope he stays, but gee whiz let's see some results besides "he's not Ernie"
If you can’t see that the program has changed directions and taken a huge step forward I really don’t know what to tell you. WSU basketball is on the rise better talent and way more competitive games. Very similar to what we saw with Dick Bennett and we know how that worked out.
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Bone INHERITED A AWESOME TEAM, RECRUITS, YOUNG TEAM from BENNET.
Smith Inherited a bball version of what Wulf left for Leach.
Also your only going by conference record NOT wins and losses.
A team in the Pac 12 can win 16 games, have a winning record and can still finish last in Pac 12, as thats how tough the Pac 12 is.
Smith is TRULY RECRUITING AT THE HIGHEST LEVEL NEVER EVER SEEN BEFORE AT WSU.
Smith went 500, 16-16 his first year, and won a game or 2 in the PAC 12 tourny his first year.
And went 14, 15 wins and 10,11,12,13 losses, a WINNING SEASON his 2nd year in ARGUABLY ONE OF THE BEST TOUGHEST CONFERENCE years.
And thats after taking over a DUMPSTER FIRE BBALL PROGRAM.
ALL ALL ALL THE EXPERTS, SUCH AS ESPN, RIVALS, ETC, ARE, IS RIGHTLY SAYING, RECOGNIZING THAT SMITH IS DOING A AWESOME JOB RECRUITING, AWESOME JOB COACHING.
Also Smith's 2 year start is better then Kelvin Sampsons(ONLY 6,7,8 WINS), RAVELING(AGAIN ONLY ABOUT 7,8,9 WINS.
Almost every good WSU coach has done worse the Smith in their first 2 years.
The only ones who didnt do worse, and did better then Smith, is Tony: But thats only because of what his Dad handed him on a Golden Platter, and Bone(Because of what he got from Bennet), and the coach that INHERITED what Kelvin Sampson left behind.
Saying Smith isnt doing a awesome job, and ONLY going by CONFERENCE RECORD in a EXTREMELY TOUGH CONFERENCE YEAR, and not going by number of wins like is PRETTY STUPID.
Man even if WSU were to win 21 games, and finish 8th or 9th in conference, you would still be stupidly saying that thats not that good.
Oh and cant forget what Covid has done(Canceling games, practices, which is KILLER for a YOUNG WSU TYPE COLLEGE and less Killer for a DUKE OR UCLA type college.)
Oh and Cant forget the LOTS OF INJURIES, that is a KILLER for a WSU type with YOUNG PLAYERS.
A Lesser coach then Smith would have only won about 9,10,11,12 games, instead of 14,15 games like Smith did, given Covid, game cancelations, canceled practices, INJURIES, the wreck Kent left, etc.
Its ALL ABOUT CONTEXT, PERSPECTIVE, CIRCUMSTANCES, LEGIT REASONS, THAT YOU, OTHERS DO NOT GET.
He also finished .500 or better both seasons, and this year beat 5 NCAA tournament teams, which included 3 who made the elite 8 and 1 that made the final four.
Non-conference schedule would make Kelvin blush and yes, there are budget considerations there.
But lets see an upper division finish (6th place) or at least 9 conference victories - with the larger conference slate that isn't hard to demand.
COVID cancellations by two of the 3 staffs were more costly $ than Ernie's stupid rollovers.
Scott Servais - a numbskull making $800k was able to keep his team in good shape in that department for 60 games in 2020.
Fair enough. I am not ready to build him a statue and I am certainly not worried about losing him to another school at this point. But the program was scraping the toilet bowl bad with KenPom rankings in the 300s and this year we finished at 78. That is a nice improvement.
"He's not Ernie," is a very good start. But like others have said, there are some positive results already. The winning seasonal record, actually winning a conference tournament game, beating 3 teams that were in the Sweet Sixteen, a huge step up in recruiting, and most of all.....giving us all some hope for Cougar basketball, something I haven't had in a decade.
Glad Cougar
