The Annual HCGM's WSU Future

[CaptainJim]

Shame for Coach Grant, I hope he gets another chance somewhere and succeeds. He always seemed like a class act.

He is a great person and a class act just could not make the tournament but once in six years.

[HoopsFan23]

Curious, do we think that Alabama or Texas have a ceiling? How important is a quality basketball program to either of those schools? If you start investing heavily in the basketball program at either of those schools, how soon before the boosters and alums begin wondering why you aren't spending that money on football. Like it or not, football rules the roost in big time college athletics. All of the recent re-organizing along conference lines has been about football. Not a single one about basketball. (Ask KU how important their basketball tradition was when other conferences were poaching some of the BIG 12 schools. You know and I know, KU did not matter at all. Heck, K-State probably mattered more. Always time to get a dig in at the "flagship" program lol)

Point being, Are we sold on the fact that either school will really offer "crazy" money? I don't think it is in their best economic best interest.

There is so much money now in the SEC with the SEC Network producing profits 2 or 3 years before the initial estimates. No one expected it to turn a profit in year one. Their moneys will always continue to be spent on football but now they have more than enough floating around to pay what I believe to be ungodly sums to coaches, build all kinds of new facilities. Just look at all of the money the SEC schools spend on non-revenue sports. They can certainly spend more on basketball as well, especially Alabama. I think the rational mind says there is a ceiling, but having seen the fanaticism I really wouldn't be surprised if the only ceiling is that his pay can't approach Saban's.

So to answer your question, I would not be surprised one bit if Alabama offered "crazy" money. I don't know if that number will get to the $5 million mark, but I probably would be surprised if the numbers didn't exceed $4 million after bonuses. Whether or not more rational heads prevail and the "crazy" money isn't extended, only time will tell.

[1972Shocker]

As a student...

I am honestly surprised tickets are still free for us.

They aren't exactly free are they? Doesn't part of your activity fees include support of men's basketball? OTOH perhaps some actual user fees for those actually utilizing the tickets is in order. However, that may require some renegotiations to the existing deal.

[shoxlax]

What happens in five years when class action lawsuits over concussions paralyze athletic departments and the NCAA and the talent pool dries up when parents quit letting their kids play football?

The meek shall then inherit the earth or at least the college sports world.

[SB Shock]

Point being, Are we sold on the fact that either school will really offer "crazy" money?

It was rumored Alabama only offered Shaka 3.3 million and Texas only wants to hire a coach for under 3 million

[bleednblackngold]

Battle goes home alone- f bama

[wusphlash]

Another FYI the non-Will on 12 says Battle is on his way back to Alabama. He came on during the news so I wasn't quick enough to turn him off.

There was also a piece on Forbes being introduced at ETSU. He was extremely complimentary of Coach Marshall and said he would not have been there without Gregg.

[MoValley John]

Curious, do we think that Alabama or Texas have a ceiling? How important is a quality basketball program to either of those schools? If you start investing heavily in the basketball program at either of those schools, how soon before the boosters and alums begin wondering why you aren't spending that money on football. Like it or not, football rules the roost in big time college athletics. All of the recent re-organizing along conference lines has been about football. Not a single one about basketball. (Ask KU how important their basketball tradition was when other conferences were poaching some of the BIG 12 schools. You know and I know, KU did not matter at all. Heck, K-State probably mattered more. Always time to get a dig in at the "flagship" program lol)

Point being, Are we sold on the fact that either school will really offer "crazy" money? I don't think it is in their best economic best interest.

This is true. Moreover, every P-5 school is a football school.

Every. Single. One. Of. Them.

Kansas is a football school, Indiana is a football school, even Kentucky is a football school. For God's sake, Duke is a football school!

The only P-5 schools that claim to be "basketball" schools, do so because they simply suck at football. If Kentucky could win a national championship in football and remain relevant in the sport, they would give up all of their basketball glory to do so. They can't, so they stick with what they are good.

That doesn't mean that P-5 schools don't care about basketball, they do, it just is a truthful statement that all P-5 schools are football schools. When Mangino got Kansas to the Orange Bowl, basketball went on the back burner quite quickly. A few years later and big time football got Mangino fired and a year or so later, Kansas was once again, a "basketball" school.

[HoopsFan23]

It was rumored Alabama only offered Shaka 3.3 million and Texas only wants to hire a coach for under 3 million

Alabama almost no choice right now but to make a splash hire. It's hard to explain the rivalry between them and Auburn, but most in the SEC see the Auburn hiring of Bruce Pearl as a major coup for a program of the likes of Auburn. Alabama may be willing to pay whatever it needs to pay in order to make just as loud of a hire, if not louder. If that's the case, what names are there?

I also don't think that Shaka was ever their #1 choice. Alabama has been pretty vocal almost from the beginning that GM was their #1 choice. If it were me, and I just fired a former VCU coach, I'd probably be a little hesitant to go back to the same well again, even with as much as I like Shaka Smart as well for having passed many opportunities to stay where he is.

[ShoxRoxMySox]

Mark Jacksons name being thrown around on Twitter as being followed by some Texas players. What does this mean?

It means you have a life and haven't refreshed twitter for an hour...

Damn...

[Hurley]

Not our job to totally fund a coaches raise. Bad idea.

I hope you're kidding. Who the hells job is it? Youre one of those guys who wants the steak dinner but doesn't want to pay for it.

[jocoshock]

@BDavisAAS: Texas may hire Shaka or may not. But I'm told by two sources nothing final expected today. School hopes to have a coach end of the week.

[ShockerPrez]

It was rumored Alabama only offered Shaka 3.3 million and Texas only wants to hire a coach for under 3 million

Them are sum CRrrrrrrrazy offers!!!!

Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

[Rosewood]

I know I'll be in the minority here. But worst case scenario is 3G leaves and Ron follows, I would feel a little sour but honestly, I'd root for them to wreck the big 12 or sec, every single game... Says a lot about the respect I have for those two and what they've done here.

I feel the same way. I want them to stay but they don't owe me a damn thing. I'm a Marshall fan for life*

* unless he says something like how happy he is to never take a call from Ron ever again. Actually that would make me more of a fan.

[jocoshock]

@LostLettermen: Mike Wilbon floating the name Avery Johnson for the Texas job. /jumps out window