Tad Boyle moving on up

[shockball]

I assume Tad has done his homework on Abatemarco. The former Drake head coach's players literally mutinied in the middle of the season and quit attending practices. Abatemarco was fired.

Drake fans do not have many good things to say about this guy, even 20 years later.

[Ricardo del Rio]

I assume Tad has done his homework on Abatemarco. The former Drake head coach's players literally mutinied in the middle of the season and quit attending practices. Abatemarco was fired.

Drake fans do not have many good things to say about this guy, even 20 years later.

Some folks are not cut out for the HC job.

Some folks are not ready for the HC job at a certain point in their career and later become ready.

Most successes in business life came after a business failure. I imagine coaching is not much different.

[Smooth007]

http://www.cbssports.com/collegebasketball/story/13379784/new-colorado-coach-boyle-hires-two-assistants?tag=headlines;collegebasketball

Boyle adds assistants Jean Prioleau and Mike Rohn.

[shockball]

Andy Katz article on Tad.

http://espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/blog/_/name/katz_andy/id/5301539/can-boyle-make-cu-basketball-relevant

[Snapshot9]

I think Colorado has forged itself a new road with the hiring of Boyle and going to the Pac12.

[im4wsu]

Some good pub for Tad

http://colorado.rivals.com/showmsg.asp?fid=422&tid=176290863&mid=176290863&sid=894&style=2

Tad Boyle, Colorado. The Buffaloes' prospects begin with the best-kept secret in college basketball: Andre Roberson, a 6-7 jumping jack who was the nation's third-leading rebounder last season (11.1) while leading the Pac 12 in blocks (1.9). So the first two things I asked Boyle were: How did this kid end up at Colorado, and did Boyle have any idea how good he would end up being?

The second answer is easy. "We had no idea he'd turn into the player he is," Boyle said with a laugh. The first answer comes down to luck (as it often does). Boyle was the coach at Northern Colorado when Roberson's AAU team happened to be playing on Boyle's campus. Roberson, who hails from San Antonio, wasn't a big-time recruit, but he was good enough that Boyle figured he probably couldn't convince him to come to Northern Colorado. When Boyle got the CU job, Roberson was the first recruit he called. "We beat Penn State for him," he said.

Roberson's improvement enabled the Buffaloes to win the Pac 12 tournament and reach the NCAA tournament for the first time in nine years. While Colorado lost three starters, it is bringing back its three most talented players in Roberson, 6-5 sophomore guard Spencer Dinwiddie, and 6-1 sophomore guard Askia Booker. "We'll be more talented, but not as experienced," Boyle told me. Six freshmen have also entered the program, most notably Josh Scott, a 6-10 forward from Colorado Springs who Boyle said "can really score it"; and Xavier Johnson, a 6-7 forward who played at Mater Dei High School in southern California.

The Buffaloes will be taking a trip to Paris in a couple of weeks, so Boyle has conducted six practices in preparation for that trip. (NCAA rules allow a team to practice 10 times in advance of a foreign trip.) Looking ahead, one of the main questions that needs to be answered is whether Roberson can provide leadership that is commensurate with his talent. "You always want your best player to do that," Boyle said. "In the past he has led by example, but he's not the most vocal person in the world. We've been talking to him this summer about doing that." If Roberson can find his voice, then the Buffaloes will be ready to make some noise in the much-improved Pac 12.

[Kung Wu]

Wow you resurrected a 2 year dead thread with a nice read. Good job!

[wu_shizzle]

Weren't we a finalist for Roberson?

[SubGod22]

Weren't we a finalist for Roberson?

He visited us, but it appears that at the time of his commitment, we were full.

[jocoshock]

He visited us, but it appears that at the time of his commitment, we were full.

So in essence, what you are saying is that HCGM could have signed this kid at WSU, IF we had had a scholly for him, but Boyle does not think he could have signed him at Northern Colorado, but did at CU. Sounds like Tad suffered (suffers) from the same "at this level" affliction as his former boss. More evidence that HCGM was a dream hire come true for WSU...

[SubGod22]

So in essence, what you are saying is that HCGM could have signed this kid at WSU, IF we had had a scholly for him, but Boyle does not think he could have signed him at Northern Colorado, but did at CU. Sounds like Tad suffered (suffers) from the same "at this level" affliction as his former boss. More evidence that HCGM was a dream hire come true for WSU...

I say we had a shot. And there's also a big difference between UNC and WSU. You're talking about an established, quality program with support and money (WSU) versus what was a transitional DI school with a small gym and maybe a couple thousand fans. Most money at UNC is focused on football and basketball was playing catch up. Tad landed some guys at UNC that most would probably think he shouldn't have. He did wonders when there and I'm not sure I'd question his judgement on this one.

[im4wsu]

Wow you resurrected a 2 year dead thread with a nice read. Good job!

Thanks. I didn't want to upset the thread nazi types on this board.

[jocoshock]

I say we had a shot. And there's also a big difference between UNC and WSU. You're talking about an established, quality program with support and money (WSU) versus what was a transitional DI school with a small gym and maybe a couple thousand fans. Most money at UNC is focused on football and basketball was playing catch up. Tad landed some guys at UNC that most would probably think he shouldn't have. He did wonders when there and I'm not sure I'd question his judgement on this one.

I hear you, but apparently UNC was a good enough job to get Tad to Colorado, and if players play for coaches and not schools, then I would like to think Tad could have at least made a serious play for him. Colorado is not exactly a basketball mecca. Not seeing that big of a leap for a player that chose between Penn State and CU. After all, what is at CU except for TAD... I would hazard a guess that UNCs chances of making the big dance with Tad as coach were as good or better than CU making with Todd as coach... more competition in the B12.

[SubGod22]

I hear you, but apparently UNC was a good enough job to get Tad to Colorado, and if players play for coaches and not schools, then I would like to think Tad could have at least made a serious play for him. Colorado is not exactly a basketball mecca. Not seeing that big of a leap for a player that chose between Penn State and CU. After all, what is at CU except for TAD...

CU has P12 backing and a beautiful campus. That's what they have. And don't fool yourself, it's not ALL about the coaches. Conference/school will play into it big time. Bill Self wouldn't be landing Burger Boys at Northern Colorado. Sure, he'd land some damn good players and have them at the top of the Big Sky most every year, but he's not going to get the same kids without the backing of a BcS school and especially one with the history and prestige of KU.

And there's a big difference, at least in my eyes, of a kid choosing an MVC school instead of a low level BcS and a kid choosing a Southland school over it. That's kind of what we're looking at here.