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Post by flamesfan20 on Mar 22, 2024 8:47:47 GMT -6
There needs to be a serious look into our administration. Rob Ehsan was at UAB the same time associate AD Frank Cuervo was there. Why is Cuervo who is leaving UIC to take the Little Rock AD job hiring his buddy?!? This hire just doesn’t smell right. I hope it works out but I have little faith
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Post by Big D on Mar 22, 2024 8:47:48 GMT -6
but if he can bring to us what he brought to UAB and just make us pretty good and competitive-it’s a huge step forward. I sure hope he doesn’t bring the 15 turnovers he averaged per game in his last year at UAB. Lipitz has not done a particularly good job at hiring coaches. This needs to turn out differently. Perhaps we’ve been so bad for so long that these are the best we can get…but I think I’d rather take the gamble with a Jones. At least he’s won for a long time. And his teams play hard. If Ehsan didn’t get more than 4 years after two 20-win seasons, UAB definitely saw something they didn’t like. I’m very unexcited right now. That could change. Let’s see who he brings in in year 1 and what kind of system he runs. His last year at UAB, the top 3 scorers were guards. I hope Lipitz understands we’re going to have to play with a big or two that can actually produce in the paint.
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Post by Big D on Mar 22, 2024 8:49:45 GMT -6
There needs to be a serious look into our administration. Rob Ehsan was at UAB the same time associate AD Frank Cuervo was there. Why is Cuervo who is leaving UIC to take the Little Rock AD job hiring his buddy?!? This hire just doesn’t smell right. I hope it works out but I have little faith
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Post by goveybaseball on Mar 22, 2024 8:54:52 GMT -6
Let's not judge a coach all on record either. He may have a lot of great qualities outside of that too. Seems like a younger guy too.
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Post by waadle on Mar 22, 2024 8:57:34 GMT -6
The first order for this guy: Call Carlos to make sure he is good then call Rivera, we need him back if we want to compete
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Post by goveybaseball on Mar 22, 2024 9:02:48 GMT -6
Agree Carlos Harris is a must!
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Post by goveybaseball on Mar 22, 2024 9:20:11 GMT -6
We all loved Yak in the beginning and he had no head coach experience. This guy has a fair amount at a reputable school,
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Post by goveybaseball on Mar 22, 2024 9:24:10 GMT -6
He assisted under Gary Williams too and recruited
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Post by Big D on Mar 22, 2024 10:03:30 GMT -6
He assisted under Gary Williams too and recruited Hmm…so not only did Cuervo have a connection at UAB, but our AD was at Maryland at the same time as Ehsan while he was an assistant there. Sure smells like nepotism. Reaction on Twitter and the MVC board is interesting…most people think it’s a strange hire at best, or a bad hire at worst. We’ll find out. Nowadays you get 2 years to start showing improvement. We’ll know by then whether they made yet another mistake.
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Post by goveybaseball on Mar 22, 2024 10:12:00 GMT -6
Cmon so they knew each other back then and are maybe friends? Why is that a big deal? It's called networking happens in the coaching and business world all the time.
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Post by uiclaflame on Mar 22, 2024 10:14:27 GMT -6
Govey - outside of a cosign from your NBA executive friend - is there anything else that makes you love the potential Ehsan hire? I've seen you mention that being able to recruit locally/CPS is important - and it doesnt appear Ehsan has a Chicago recruiting background or ties (let alone Midwest). At least Yak had a narrative there (i.e., Joliet west coach, recruited as assistant at ISU, from Illinois, etc.). Yak also had a reputation of being a defensive genius - and also assisted under great coaches too (i.e., Shaka Smart, Beilein)
Also have seen you mention we need a winner - would you classify Ehsan's background as a winner? Just trying to understand your POV because I want to love the hire too!
At the end of the day, our program is likely a tough sell to candidates who have real options - so I'll take any one with a solid background and that is genuinely excited about taking on the unique challenges of coaching at UIC.
If Ehsan is our guy, I'll ride with it and will support - but I struggle to see what makes him "special" initially when I think a special person is needed to turn UIC hoops around. And agree with others that this smells a little strange - would be nice to know what our admin's vision/approach was for the search.
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Post by Big D on Mar 22, 2024 10:21:33 GMT -6
UIC needs to hire a winner. We have failed on three straight head coaches. At least make it look like we value winning. What does Ehsan bring to the table? History of winning as a head coach? I’d say being .500 in conference every year is no such history. Ties to Chicago? Has he ever even been to Chicago? Who has he recruited? Stanford has been in the dumpster since he’s been there. Does he bring an attractive style of play or just more high-tempo, turnover basketball that has not worked at UIC for 10 years!?
I just want to get this right and it smells fishy. Everyone has to understand patience around here is very thin given failure after failure over 20 years…ever since Jimmy Collins drove this program into the ground.
Govey, why does your NBA friend like this guy? Does he know him personally? If not, what does he see that we don’t?
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Post by goveybaseball on Mar 22, 2024 10:33:52 GMT -6
A good recruiter can build a pipeline anywhere.
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dd109
New Recruit
Posts: 5
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Post by dd109 on Mar 22, 2024 10:34:11 GMT -6
I will take this guy over a complete nobody from Eastern Kentucky any day.
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dd109
New Recruit
Posts: 5
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Post by dd109 on Mar 22, 2024 10:35:28 GMT -6
It doesn’t seem like a “knock out” hire, but, on the positive side he won 20 games twice and was over 500 every year he was the head coach (as well as 500 or better in conference play). Maybe he’s not the coach that will guide us to the ultimate goal of consistent tournament teams, but if he can bring to us what he brought to UAB and just make us pretty good and competitive-it’s a huge step forward. What did he bring UAB exactly? From what I see on sports-reference, UAB was a 20-win team (along with multiple NCCA tourney bids) for majority of 20 seasons before he took the head coach role. I don't have context on UAB, but on records alone, it looks like he more inherited/maintained a solid mid-major program based off record data and NCAA. And then it seemed like UAB made it back to tourney after he was fired. www.sports-reference.com/cbb/schools/alabama-birmingham/men/2020.html
Again, hope I'm wrong here. But hire seems odd and kinda like a discount/value play - or a "slightly more comforting" Yak version of hire (as he at least has some Head Coach experience)
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