Fire Gene Stephenson

[MadaboutWu]

Do people who think there is a plan in place assume it is someone in WSU's coaching tree? It seems unlikely to me that you could start making serious overtures to other college coaches with GS still at the helm.

[RoyalShock]

Any discussion about a lack of recruiting or operations budget, where $20-$30k can have a significant impact, should start with coaching salaries. If Gene and staff truly want to get back to Omaha and needs $20k to recruit better, a simple restructuring of their contracts would accomplish that. It seems to me money is now more important than program achievement.

[ABC]

Any discussion about a lack of recruiting or operations budget, where $20-$30k can have a significant impact, should start with coaching salaries. If Gene and staff truly want to get back to Omaha and needs $20k to recruit better, a simple restructuring of their contracts would accomplish that. It seems to me money is now more important than program achievement.

I am sorry to beat the dead horse. I simply don't buy that Gene ask for and was refused for $20K or whatever amount for recruiting.

[Aargh]

Do people who think there is a plan in place assume it is someone in WSU's coaching tree? It seems unlikely to me that you could start making serious overtures to other college coaches with GS still at the helm.

A search committee has not been formed. That would only happen if a replacement had been found and no search committee was needed, or if the athletic department were going to wait until after Gene was out the door before looking for a replacement. The person who had that info had no questions or contrary thoughts when another person in the conversation mentioned that the replacement had been in place for 2 years and was waiting for the day Gene would leave under whatever circumstances.

That is from some VERY well-placed people. The long-term commitment of the replacement leads me to believe that there have been some ongoing situations involving Gene's future in the program, and Gene has not done the things he needed to do to remain employed by WSU. Someone has mentioned that Gene basically dared Sexton to fire him. I believe that is exactly what happened, which left Sexton no option in the matter. Those blaming Sexton for this may not have properly identified the victim and the perpetrator.

There is absolutely no leak (that I've run into) as to the identity of the known replacement. Even if there were, I wouldn't come out here and divulge it, but...

...Kevin Hooper has a pretty decent track record as a manager. Most managers on their way up the coaching ladder would not stick around Wichita 4 or 5 years managing an independent league team. That doesn't lead to promotions within the minor league structures of a major league program. Hooper is from Topeka and might just want to stick around fairly close to home and avoid some of the perils of attempting to become a major league manager.

Hooper seems a very likely candidate for the position.

[RoyalShock]

I am sorry to beat the dead horse. I simply don't buy that Gene ask for and was refused for $20K or whatever amount for recruiting.

I don't either, but that seems to be one of the claims the Sexton critics are making. My point was really just that if $20-$30k stands in the way to better recruiting, there is an easy way for Gene and Co. to find those funds.

[WSUwatcher]

Back to Doc's point -- it's simply inconceivable that Sexton didn't see this coming and plan for it. But unless Gene was willing to participate in some orderly transition, which it seems clear that he wasn't, there's no good reason for Sexton to have publicized it. That -- unlike what some of his bashers on here complain about -- is what would genuinely have been bad management.