Brownell chooses Wright State
So...Wright State it is. Trading one "Dub" for another one. Brad Brownell, tonight, announced that he was resigning from UNCW to take the head coaching job at Wright State University, located in Dayton, OH.Many questions poor into one's head whenever a coach leaves a position like this. The first, and probably most obvious question is "why?" Why is Brad Brownell leaving a job that probably got even more prestigious now that George Mason is in the Final Four? Why would Brad Brownell give up the amount of money that was reportedly offered to him, in order to take a lesser paying job in a weaker conference? Why, Brad, why?
Simple answer. Because he had to. He had to for him. He had to for his family.
As I've pointed out on the show a number of times, it will be easier for Brownell to get a job in his dream conference, the Big 10, if he's up in the Big 10 footprint. Plus, whether you'd like to admit it or not, the Horizon League, which isn't nearly as good as the CAA, seems to be a better spring board conference for coaches looking to move up.
Look at Bruce Pearl. He went from Wisconsin-Milwaukee, a Horizon League school, to Tennessee, an SEC school. That's a big jump, but the type of one that Brownell could easily make, should he put Wright State on the map.
I'm sure a lot of you are going to direct your anger and frustration to the UNCW administration for allowing Brownell to get away. Don't. Not yet anyway. Wait until you have all the facts in front of you before jumping to conclusions. I admit, it's easy to assume that it was a problem with the administration that ultimately lead to Brownell leaving. But we simply do not know all the facts, and it's irresponsible to make assumptions as though we do have them.
The bottom line is this. The next few weeks will be extremely important for the future of UNCW Basketball. A replacement must be carefully selected, and I say carefully because the returning talent the Seahawks have in place are at the right spot to potentially earn them another NCAA Tournament spot next season. That's why whoever they put in place must first, and foremost, have an open mind. The kids in there now are used to playing a certain way. You come in and start changing things too much, you just may blow a chance to make it to another Big Dance next year.
These next few weeks will be interesting. Your thoughts? Feel free to leave comments.
posted by T.J. Cutini @ 12:08 AM
7 comments
7 Comments:
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Its still pisses me off bad. I know he left for family reasons, and I uderstand. It still pisses off, because we were on the verge and we had alot of things going our way ,and a bright future head of us, and he jumps ship. sorry but F*** that. I like to see Billy Dolon take over and sign him to a ten year contract so we can keep a dam coach. I know this is shrewed and he is a good guy, but this still gets my blood boiling.
The thing to keep in mind, Jaybird, is that UNCW is and always will be a stepping stone school. That's just what the situation is.
The best chance we had of being able to keep a coach for that amount of time was with Jerry Wainwright, but because of circumstances that we'll probably never fully understand, he was "forced" to go to Richmond.
This is going to hurt our recriuting aswell. I wish him the best, but he put the program in a crunch time. Maybe the GMU thing will help bring a good coach in.
I am not surprised by his decision to leave. After the win of the CAA Championship, Coach B was not forthcoming with his opinions of next season. That leads me to believe that this has been cooking for awhile. Not necessarily the WSU job, but a change in venue. If the PAC 10 is his goal, then WSU is on that route. I hope that he does well with his new job. NOW, on to who will be the new coach. I agree with TJ. I think that whoever it is needs to allow the talent already in place to take it's natural course. I'm courious to see how the next few weeks unfold for UNCW.
Oops, I meant the Big 10 not the PAC 10. That is what I get for listening to Sports Center while typing this.
I like billy dolon as a head coach, He knows the system and coached and played under Jerry, and that other that is leaving.
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