The Next Head Coach of Wichita State WBB - Welcome Coach Nooner

[1972Shocker]

Does one of the assistants need to be a woman? Not trying to be PC about it, but one would think there could be situations where having a female on the staff would be beneficial to the program.

I did notice that Erica Yancey is still listed on the updated 2023-24 roster as the DOBO. Erica is a former player under Keitha Adams at UTEP but she is from Kansas City and started her college playing career at Metro CC - Penn Valley in Kansas City.

I previously commented that I heard 3rd assistant Kelli Bagley, who also played for Keitha at UTEP, was also not going with Keitha back to UTEP. Her husband teaches and is the head football coach at Southeast High School and I heard that he will be back for the next academic year.

However, with the report that Nick Bradford is joining the staff I'm thinking Kelli will not be on Terry Nooner's staff. In any case, Kelli has a young son and perhaps she may want to see where her degree in kinesiology might lead her that would not require all the travel that being a college basketball coach does.

[WstateU]

Terry lost his father last week…

“Terry Nooner Sr. passed away last week, and the family leaned on the oldest son as they reminisced. While they mourned, the new job opportunity gave the family joy.”

“Out of a really sad moment, this really amazing and beautiful thing happened for him and his family," Nooner Ford said. "I'm so proud of him."

https://goshockers.com/news/2023/4/2...youngster.aspx

[1972Shocker]

Not asked at the press conference:

[WstateU]

Terry lost his father last week…

“Terry Nooner Sr. passed away last week, and the family leaned on the oldest son as they reminisced. While they mourned, the new job opportunity gave the family joy.”

“Out of a really sad moment, this really amazing and beautiful thing happened for him and his family," Nooner Ford said. "I'm so proud of him."

https://goshockers.com/news/2023/4/2...youngster.aspx

More…

[SubGod22]

More…

Damn you for making me read this. I was trying to sit at my desk, enjoy my muffin and coffee. I didn't plan on having to fight back tears.

[1972Shocker]

I kind of wondered why Terry thanked his stepfather in his introductory presser but thought that perhaps his biological father was maybe not that big a piece of his life. I'm thinking now it may have been because he didn't think he could hold it together if he did that.

So when he told the KU team that he was departing there reportedly wasn't a dry eye in the room and then when he introduces himself to HIS new team at WSU there isn't a dry eye in the room. But then it's a good bittersweet mix of tears of happiness and sadness for Terry. Can't help but pull for Terry to be successful but the challenge he faces with WBB at WSU is a pretty formidable one.

[SubGod22]

I think that article may have done more to endear him to the fan base than anything else could have. Not just the article, but after the PC to put this out just kind of seals it. There's no way to not want him to be successful despite being a Jayhawk. One could hope that he builds something here and the fans support it. I know women's basketball isn't the most popular, but if he can play the uptempo game he seems to want to play and they get after it, we could see attendance records down the road, or at least rivaling what Jody had going during that stretch.

He does seem quite likable and sincere. If he can make this team a winner, at least in conference, in relatively short order, he'll be well supported by at least historic standards for WBB here. If he has success and we can keep him around, he will have a chance to really build a decent fan base. I think finding some consistent success will bring in more people. Being able to keep some of the talented in state girls here would only help. Fans love winners. Fans also love Kansas kids. They love metro kids even more. Building a larger fan base takes time, but if I'm looking into the future and they play the style he speaks of and they win doing it, I could see 5-10 years down the line having four to five thousand averages. Would he stay that long if successful? I don't know. Would he only leave for the KU job? Maybe. He's fairly local and seems very family oriented and he really might want to stay near KC, and there aren't a ton of options, let alone good options. Right now I wouldn't call WSU a good option, but he's getting the chance to make it one.

And I too thought his father must have been out of the picture based on the step-father comments yesterday. I believe he even said something along the lines of being more of a father than a step-father. But it sounds like maybe he was blessed to have two really good men in his life. At least two men that meant a lot to him and helped make him who he is today. Talking like this about a KU guy kind of hurts. But there are always exceptions to the rule.

**** Roy Williams though.

Also, I came here to link the following article.

Go Shockers - RH: Nooner Learned How to Connect to People as a Youngster

Whether in the basement of their Raytown, Mo., home or at Allen Fieldhouse, the sisters knew. They grew up watching Terry Nooner lead, inspire and connect people through basketball.

Their older brother would be a coach.

"I told him 'I can't wait to see you (coach) on TV,'" said Kendra Rodgers, the youngest of four siblings. "I meant it wholeheartedly. I believed in him."

On Thursday, Wichita State introduced Terry Nooner as women's basketball coach. Nooner spent the past three seasons as associate head coach for the University of Kansas women's team. He played for the KU men's team from 1997-2000, joining the team as a walk-on and rising to team captain.

Tanesha Nooner Ford remembers the games at Allen Fieldhouse when the fans would chant his name. She realized her brother wasn't an ordinary walk-on.

"It spoke to his ability to inspire people," she said.

That story of overcoming odds, of building relationships, of coaching in places as varied as Maryland, AAU teams in Kansas City and the NBA's Cleveland Cavaliers convinced Wichita State director of athletics Kevin Saal. Nooner played for former Kansas coach Roy Williams and worked for Brenda Frese at Maryland, Tyronn Lue (a high school teammate) with the Cavaliers and current Kansas coach Brandon Schneider, among others.

Nooner taught special education, a profession where communication, empathy and patience is required, and volunteered to coach youth basketball. He wasn't sure he wanted to coach as a career, until coaching grade-school girls changed his mind.

"That's a true underdog story," Saal said. "He's got a great work ethic. Roy Williams thinks the world of him. His teammates think the world of him. That's a solid foundation from which to build a coaching career."

That foundation starts in Kansas City with family. The Nooner family poured hopes and dreams into the oldest son. Nooner repaid their time and loyalty with leadership, love, and humor.

It's really a nice piece by Sully.

[SubGod22]

AOL - Details emerge in contract for new Wichita State women's basketball coach Terry Nooner

Nooner and WSU agreed to a five-year contract that is slated to pay the coach a little more than $1.7 million — without performance bonuses — over the life of the contract, which runs through the 2027-28 season. Nooner’s annual salary averages to $341,000.

The contract is structured similarly by Saal to the one he extended to men’s basketball coach Paul Mills last month.

Nooner’s base salary begins at $270,000 in his first season and increases by $10,000 each year thereafter, rising to $310,000 guaranteed compensation for the 2027-28 season. This adds up to $1.45 million over five years in base pay, but that’s not all that is coming Nooner’s way.

Just like in Mills’ MOU, there is an “other” compensation section with a variety of annual stipends — $5,000 apiece for radio, TV and official appearances, then another $5,000 for “other” appearances. Add in a $10,000 stipend for club membership and Nooner is earning an extra $30,000 for each year of his contract, which totals $150,000 over five years.

Beginning after his second season, Nooner will begin to earn a retention bonus every July 1 he remains the head coach at WSU. He will earn an additional $20,000 in 2025, an extra $35,000 in 2026 and a bonus $50,000 in 2027.

Add up the base salary, other compensation and retention bonuses and Nooner will earn at least $300,000 his first year, $310,000 his second year, $340,000 his third year, $365,000 his fourth year and $390,000 his fifth year.

Structured very much like Mills' contract. SOS bonus, one year extension should he win 25 games, win at least a share of the conference or get an at-large bid. Bonuses for win totals and such.

[ShockerFever]

Geez seems a bit high. How does that salary rank in the conference and nationally?

[WstateU]

[SubGod22]

I like adding Scales. I'm still very iffy on Bradford and Costley seems decent. I wouldn't say it's the strongest looking staff, but we'll see what they can do.

[1972Shocker]

Compared to the previous staff this new staff has much less coaching experience. How relevant that is is hard to say. As I have previously pointed out the only 2 WBB coaches at WSU to have winning records were relatively inexperienced and the two most experienced WBB coaches WSU has had were not very successful.

I do think the next couple of years are going to be challenging. I think fans are going to have to look below the surface to find things to encouraged about. But we will see.

[RoyalShock]

Apparently Costley was just hired at UNT 3 weeks ago. Reminds me of the assistant Turgeon hired who, if I recall correctly, shortly left for Eastern Washington.

[SubGod22]

Apparently Costley was just hired at UNT 3 weeks ago. Reminds me of the assistant Turgeon hired who, if I recall correctly, shortly left for Eastern Washington.

Didn't he leave for the HC spot though? That seems much more understandable than taking an AC job and then immediately leaving for an AC job.

[RoyalShock]

Didn't he leave for the HC spot though? That seems much more understandable than taking an AC job and then immediately leaving for an AC job.

Yes, I think he did.