Paul Mills Slightly Toasty Seat

[SubGod22]

The only way you're potentially getting cheap to start is with an assistant coach, and not a top end assistant, or someone who REALLY wants to be here and is willing to take that chance.

[Stickboy46]

The only way you're potentially getting cheap to start is with an assistant coach, and not a top end assistant, or someone who REALLY wants to be here and is willing to take that chance.

The other name that jumps out that might fit some of the critieria (might be willing to start cheap, wants to be here, and is a potential high reward) is Adrian Griffin. Extremely high risk with never coached/recruited in college though. Feels like his NBA background would play well with recruits and he had the Bucks rolling before politics got in play in Milwaukee.

[molly jabali]

a point of reference of how far, how QUICKLY things have fallen....on my Facebook Timehop a picture showed up where my seat for a game was top row, BEHIND A POLE! Times have changed....

[SubGod22]

The other name that jumps out that might fit some of the critieria (might be willing to start cheap, wants to be here, and is a potential high reward) is Adrian Griffin. Extremely high risk with never coached/recruited in college though. Feels like his NBA background would play well with recruits and he had the Bucks rolling before politics got in play in Milwaukee.

He was the only one I could think of that might fit that. I'd say if you could get him for a cheaper base salary and give him a lot of incentives to make more, win totals, championships and such. Maybe even an attendance threshold as that would be an indication of him bringing the fan base back and would mean the financials would be improving. Hell, I'd be willing to give a bonus for scheduling up and having a non-con NET average in a certain range. Or your win bonus total doesn't count unless your non-con NET average is at a certain level, so you can't just schedule a bunch of cupcakes to drive wins.

I do think that a guy like Griffin, being a Wichita legend, could do wonders for the fan base and if he has the least bit of charisma could help work the donors as well.

I was willing to take a chance on him two years ago and I'd still be very much open to it. No guarantees of course, but that's the kind of move I could get behind.

[asiseeit]

The only way you're potentially getting cheap to start is with an assistant coach, and not a top end assistant, or someone who REALLY wants to be here and is willing to take that chance.

I second this which is why I wanted to give Acy more control. We need a tough guy that will not tolerate low energy or continuous mental lapses

[Stickboy46]

I second this which is why I wanted to give Acy more control. We need a tough guy that will not tolerate low energy or continuous mental lapses

At this point... no one on the current staff should be remotely considered going forward.

[WuDrWu]

Why would you make a change now?

There's NO continuity in basketball right now.

It's not like you're going to bring in a proven, young, firebrand looking for a better gig and pay him the 2.5+ he would command. Then watch him recruit undervalued talent, develop them AND keep them once they get good and build a winning program. It's NOT happening, not at least under the current state of affairs in college athletics.

Nobody knows what next season is going to hold anyway, so why bother? Hiring someone new is grasping at the proverbial straw.

ADKS and HCPM stopped the financial bleeding (for now) and have been a big part of record revenue. Those are the facts. We can argue if those numbers are sustainable, I get it. But we are financially in a better place, both figuratively and emotionally than we were 2 seasons ago.

We're just going to have ride this out, for good or bad (probably bad) and hope future adjustments will afford schools like WSU a chance to build a program and a team. Chances that, frankly, aren't really here right now.

[asiseeit]

At this point... no one on the current staff should be remotely considered going forward.

I'm talking right now. I want to see if Acy could light a fire under these guys and make some positive changes. Would like to see PM take a paid leave of absence. Could Acy do any worse? I contend we would see improvement AND a boost in attendance/interest ! Our worst shooter takes the most shots when his job is to run/control the offense.

[WuDrWu]

I kind of think, at least as things are today, HCBG has the right formula. The hell with wasting time recruiting HS kids. Unless you have a TJ or XB that's local and is dying to play here, recruit only Jucos that at least you have a chance to get a developed athlete with some college experience, a 19-22 year old athlete and someone you MIGHT have a chance to keep for a couple of seasons if you can do things right. And maybe you end up with a couple of 25 year old men leading your team. That might at least give you a fighting chance against more talented but younger power programs. Mix in the right transfer or 2 (older but TEAM players that make others better, not guys that are frustrated the ball doesn't go through their hands every time down the court) and perhaps you can build something competitive.

[SubGod22]

I'm talking right now. I want to see if Acy could light a fire under these guys and make some positive changes. Would like to see PM take a paid leave of absence. Could Acy do any worse? I contend we would see improvement AND a boost in attendance/interest ! Our worst shooter takes the most shots when his job is to run/control the offense.

What's keeping Acy from lighting a fire under these guys as an assistant?

Mills hasn't done anything to help the financials outside of not being Brown in year one. I look for attendance to start looking like it was under the leadership of IB, which is gonna put similar financial stressors on the department and will require KS to continue to milk donors for everything he can. Obviously nothing happens from firing Mills now. Odds are we still can't afford to fire him after the season. But there's absolutely no reason to believe year 3 will be any better than years 1 and 2. He's shown nothing in his history outside of landing a HR recruit that he could ride the coattails of. I'm not putting money on him finding that guy in the off-season.

[Dan]

I'm certain the donors still have a bad taste from having their money spent on buying out 3G and then Brown. There's no way you're getting someone to step up to buy out a 3rd coach and also pay a new coach on a wing and a prayer. We made our bed, now we have to sleep in it for a while. It sucks but we gotta ride the Mills train for a couple more years. I can't imagine he's having a whole lot of fun with this gig either.

[rjl]

What's keeping Acy from lighting a fire under these guys as an assistant?

Mills hasn't done anything to help the financials outside of not being Brown in year one. I look for attendance to start looking like it was under the leadership of IB, which is gonna put similar financial stressors on the department and will require KS to continue to milk donors for everything he can. Obviously nothing happens from firing Mills now. Odds are we still can't afford to fire him after the season. But there's absolutely no reason to believe year 3 will be any better than years 1 and 2. He's shown nothing in his history outside of landing a HR recruit that he could ride the coattails of. I'm not putting money on him finding that guy in the off-season.

Mills lucked out and got one home run recruit at ORU. But ORU is a team playing at a level where one home run recruit can make all the difference.

WSU needs at least two home run recruits, and then at least 2 other guys who fall into a "better than expected" category.

And, in year two, Mills has landed zero home runs and maybe 1 "better than expected" guy (thinking Washington).

Can you imagine Mills walking into your living room and asking you to play for WSU? The dude looks like he'd only ask for just one glass of warm milk because he's got to drive afterwards.

[SubGod22]

I'm certain the donors still have a bad taste from having their money spent on buying out 3G and then Brown. There's no way you're getting someone to step up to buy out a 3rd coach and also pay a new coach on a wing and a prayer. We made our bed, now we have to sleep in it for a while. It sucks but we gotta ride the Mills train for a couple more years. I can't imagine he's having a whole lot of fun with this gig either.

I'm sure he's having fun cashing those paychecks he's not earning.

[rjl]

I posted this a few weeks ago and I'll just post it here again.

Payments to Brown end in April 2026.

Payments to Marshall end in December 2026.

Mills' contract is here: https://www.wichita.edu/about/public...b-contract.pdf

His contract is 5 years, starting in March 2023. Every contract year ends on June 30.

Mills' buyout is in Section 21.2, page 10. If he is fired without cause any time before June 30, 2026, WSU owes Mills 100% of the remainder of his contract. If he is fired without cause after that date, he is owed 75% of the remainder of his contract (yes, 75%; this is worse for WSU than Brown's contract was).

Adding that all up, it's possible we let Mills go after June 30, 2026. Brown's payments will be done, and we'll only owe Mills 75% of the remainder of his contract. But looking for a head coach in June is way too late. So it's probably more likely that Mills is here for at least 2 more seasons. By then, all payments to Marshall and Brown will be done, and we'll owe Mills 75% of the remaining 14 months or so of his contract.

[asiseeit]

Sub - it's the head coaches responsibly. He is the only one with the power/control. We are in rapid decline. How low do we have to go for some sort of change?