March 6 Poll-As of now what are odds IB will be our coach next season?

[Shockm]

What the list of Major jobs open that we would be competing against for candidates?

Right now I think its:
Texas
Texas Tech
Notre Dame
Ole Miss

Any others?

Another year, and these will be the openings we are competing against. Maybe we already are.

Army
	Austin Peay
	Bowling Green
	Bucknell
	Green Bay
	High Point
	Idaho
	Manhattan
	N.J. Tech
	McNeese St.
	N. Mex. St.
	NC A&T
	Wofford
	UT Arlington

[Kel Varnsen]

McCasland and Mills already in the mix for the Texas Tech job. Gee, wish we would have had a chance at them a couple of years ago.

[SubGod22]

Really hope McCasland stays at North Texas. Probably asking too much with the money that someone like Tech would be willing to spend.

[TrackSuitAndTie]

Would be hilarious if Texas Tech hired Rodney Terry. He had a losing record as HC at UTEP.

[Shocker82/85]

If Brown is fired, WSU will owe him $4 million and Marshall $4.5 million over the next 3+ years until Marshall is paid off in November, 2026. In addition, a new coach will most likely have to be paid at least as much as Brown is making. If Brown is fired after next year, the buyout is $1.375 million. I wouldn’t worry about the timing of the firing. WSU would notify him that his contract will be terminated on May 1, 2024.

The contract was obviously designed to give him 3 years to prove himself. We know that Boatwright was asleep on the job by ignoring NIL which contributed to the mass exodus last year. Saal indicated in a radio interview that the collective was about 1/2 way to where he wants it and indicated that he expected something significant in the next couple weeks. Does Brown deserve a year where he has what the AD considers to be competitive NIL to retain current players and recruit new ones to his team? I would expect that Saal is in communication with Armchair so that they are prepared to show the players, especially the key transfer eligible players, what they will be able to offer them.

I may be more risk averse than many here, but taking on an additional $4 million expense over the next 3 years that will be reduced by $2.625 million next year and if the team is successful won’t even be necessary isn’t something I would do unless I have a donor who is willing to foot the bill to fire Brown and to pay to buy the next coach out of his current contract. From what I have read, most seem to want a head coach that currently has a job with the exception that some would be happy with Turgeon. There is no guarantee of success for a new coach. If I was Saal, I would have to be pretty certain about who the next coach is going to be before I made the move. For every K-State, Missouri and Mississippi State who has had first year success, there is a Tulsa, Georgia and Louisville. There has also been a Cohen, Thompson and Smithson that never had success.

I wouldn’t be saying this if the play on the floor hadn’t improved as much as it did in the last 15 games. It went from very unpleasant to watch to pretty good. If you compare the first 15 to the last 15 games, here are some of the results. FG% from 41.6% to 48.3%. 2 point FG from 49.7% to 57.5%. 3 point FG from 29.1% to 32% which resulted in 1 fewer make on 30 fewer attempts. FT shooting from 68.2% to 73.9% with 5 more made per game on 5.5 more attempts. Assists were up 5.8 per game from 9.9 to 15.7 as were turnovers by 2.7, but the team went from about 1.5 less assists than turnovers to positive 1.5. Rebounding went from even to +4 per game. Scoring went up 12 points per game. This style of play should help in recruiting replacements for Porter and Rojas compared to what we were doing the last 3 years. In Marshall’s last year and Brown’s first 2 years, WSU’s FG% was less than 41% each year which I think is in the bottom 10%. To me, it appears that Brown has learned enough from his on the job training to warrant 1 more year to find out if he can build on the changes he has made.

I think the financial downside to keeping Brown one more year is less than the cost of firing him now. Fortunately, I think most of the downside has already happened. Brown has to have a good start to the season next year. No more Alcorn State’s. The largest crowd of this season was 8515 for Alcorn State. People will come even for unknown schools, but you can’t lay an egg early in the season because you won’t get them back. The biggest crowd at Koch after that was a little over 7500 for the last game at South Florida.

What are expectations? If you think any coach is going to match what Marshall did, I think you are going to be disappointed. Do I think Brown is the answer? No, probably not, but considering the cost of taking action now, I would do my best to help him succeed next year and be prepared to make a change if it doesn’t work out.

[Stickboy46]

If Brown is fired, WSU will owe him $4 million and Marshall $4.5 million over the next 3+ years until Marshall is paid off in November, 2026. In addition, a new coach will most likely have to be paid at least as much as Brown is making. If Brown is fired after next year, the buyout is $1.375 million. I wouldn’t worry about the timing of the firing. WSU would notify him that his contract will be terminated on May 1, 2024.

Any lawyer worth their weight would have Brown paid the full buyout if you notify him of a future date termination or try to hire a new coach before May 1, 2024. We can't make a move until May 1, 2024 if we want the reduced buyout.

[Shocker82/85]

I disagree.

[Stickboy46]

I disagree.

Uh .. not really anything to disagree about .. the contract is the contract.

[pinstripers]

Couple more years of IB ball, and these are the schools we'll be competing with: Pratt, Barton County, Garden City, Cowley........

[Shocker82/85]

Saying WSU would terminate his contract was a poor choice of words. WSU could tell Brown that effective May 1, 2024, that they are choosing to exercise their contract option to buy out his contract for 1/2 the remaining salary due. WSU would pay his full salary until then. WSU would not do this until the season was completed. I guess it would be his option if he wanted to come to work through April 30th. The link I had to the actual contract didn’t work so I haven’t read the actual language, but I haven’t signed a contract/commercial lease that prohibited me from telling the other party that I was going to exercise an option in the contract when it became available. I think if WSU did it now it would show bad faith, but in a 4 to 6 week time frame before the option date, I don’t think it would be a problem.

[giskard]

Any lawyer worth their weight would have Brown paid the full buyout if you notify him of a future date termination or try to hire a new coach before May 1, 2024. We can't make a move until May 1, 2024 if we want the reduced buyout.

Too bad WSU couldn't have fired DB with cause because of gross negligence due to that contract provision.

[Stickboy46]

Saying WSU would terminate his contract was a poor choice of words. WSU could tell Brown that effective May 1, 2024, that they are choosing to exercise their contract option to buy out his contract for 1/2 the remaining salary due. WSU would pay his full salary until then. WSU would not do this until the season was completed. I guess it would be his option if he wanted to come to work through April 30th. The link I had to the actual contract didn’t work so I haven’t read the actual language, but I haven’t signed a contract/commercial lease that prohibited me from telling the other party that I was going to exercise an option in the contract when it became available. I think if WSU did it now it would show bad faith, but in a 4 to 6 week time frame before the option date, I don’t think it would be a problem.

The moment you hire a coach to replace HCIB, you have effectively relieved him of his duties and terminated the agreement with him. It would take any halfway competent lawyer all of 5 seconds in court to prove that WSU breached the agreement and as such HCIB is owed the full amount of the contract. So while we MIGHT be able to get away with telling him ahead of time that we will be terminating his agreement on May 1, 2024 we can not hire a new coach before then. At that point, it makes no sense to even risk telling him that we are doing that until May 1, 2024.

[1972Shocker]

If Brown is fired, WSU will owe him $4 million and Marshall $4.5 million over the next 3+ years until Marshall is paid off in November, 2026. In addition, a new coach will most likely have to be paid at least as much as Brown is making.

Not to mention the roughly $1 million over the next year to finish cover the severance pay for Boatright and Wedge.

[Aargh]

I think Saal could hire a "special assistant to the Athletic Director" the moment next year is over and tell Brown that they will exercise the option on May 1. Then continue to pay him and leave him designated as the head coach, while making it very publicly known that effective May 1, the "special assistant" would become the head coach.

[Stickboy46]

I think Saal could hire a "special assistant to the Athletic Director" the moment next year is over and tell Brown that they will exercise the option on May 1. Then continue to pay him and leave him designated as the head coach, while making it very publicly known that effective May 1, the "special assistant" would become the head coach.

Still wouldn't work. Contract is a contract and no judge is going to buy that you weren't effectively firing them before the day to avoid the buyout. The special assistant to the Athletic Director also would not be allowed to do any "head coaching" duties like contacting recruits or it would be an NCAA violation. So yet again .. what are we getting by putting ourselves at risk. If HCIB gets another year .. he gets it until May 1, 2024.