Sources: Tim Floyd to Arizona & more dominoes could fall

08-09 Basketball General146

The landscape of the Pac-10 continues to transform as 2009’s coaching carousel continues with this somewhat surprising move – Tim Floyd to Arizona

After unsuccessfully trying to woo Rick Pitino and reportedly going after Mark Few and Jeff Capel, Arizona is set to name Tim Floyd as its new head coach according to reports.

Fox Sports reports that Floyd is still weighing the offer.

Floyd, 55, has spent the last four seasons at USC and is 85-50 in his tenure in Southern California. He led the Trojans to three NCAA tournament appearances — including a Sweet 16 appearance in 2007.

According to a source close to the situation, Floyd — as of Wednesday night — is still deliberating on whether to accept Arizona’s offer.

Floyd’s Trojans won the 2009 Pac-10 Conference Tournament Championship and qualified for the NCAA Tournament by overcoming a 15 point deficit to Arizona State. The Sun Devils and All-American guard James Harden only scored six points in the last eight minutes and ten seconds of the game en route to mustering only 63 points for the day. They scored only four points in the last 7:37, which included only one field goal in the last 7:37. The Trojans took the lead with about 30 seconds to go in the game and continued to ride their momentum into the NCAA Tournament.

I thought USC was able to pull a surprisingly good move in their initial hire of Floyd four years ago, so it will be interesting to see where the Trojans choose to turn. Jobs at Georgia and Memphis also remain open.

As Andy Katz discusses in the above video, Floyd’s move could open the door for the dominoes to fall in a manner that sends Pitt’s Jamie Dixon to USC, opening the Pitt job for Sean Miller. First, such a move would suck for NC State as Sean Miller is clearly emerging as a top candidate for our job in the next couple of years if Coach Lowe were to unfortunately not show some improvement.

Excuse me while I continue to be baffled by these reporters. Katz, like Seth Davis and Greg Doyel and so many others, is usually fast to tout the attributes of former NC State coach, Herb Sendek. In this report he immediately mentions Miller and totally ignores Sendek as a candidate for Pitt. Hell…Miller coached for Sendek, who is also originally from Pittsburgh!

Sendek was (supposedly) the subject of speculation around the Pitt job when Ben Howland left for UCLA. Although the speculation was later proven to be a manufactured and appear to be an opportunistic PR stunt by Camp Fowler/Sendek to make Herb appear desired by other programs, it still baffles me that Herb could be such an amazing coach yet these media-guys who love him so much never even think of him as a potential candidate for any of these jobs where is obviously a natural fit. I wonder why that is?

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08-09 Basketball General

146 Responses to Sources: Tim Floyd to Arizona & more dominoes could fall

  1. whitefang 04/02/2009 at 10:12 AM #

    Is the Pittsburg job better? Villanova? UVa? Georgia? Alabama? Sure we ain’t UNC, Duke, or KY, but we sure ain’t UNC Charlotte either.

  2. Noah 04/02/2009 at 10:21 AM #

    Has the climate at NCSU changed enough that we would part with that kind of money? And please don’t invoke Fowler in this conversation. He’s just the bag man.

    Someone else probably wants to chime in here as well. I’m basing my “$1.5 – $2 million” offer on the Rick Barnes/John Calipari package that was on the table three years ago.

    They wouldn’t offer Gregg Marshall (just to throw a name out there) that much. But they have a HISTORY of offering that much to the right guy.

    And trout, thank you…you made me laugh. 🙂

    Trout was known as “Tim Floyd’s Agent” back in the wolfchat days.

  3. Noah 04/02/2009 at 10:22 AM #

    (crap..can you believe that was 12 years ago?)

  4. chuck 04/02/2009 at 10:27 AM #

    I totally agree that SFN should point out the irrational Herb-love when it pops up in the media. I doubt, however, that Herb gets all the praise because everybody in the media thinks he’s an elite coach. It seems more likely to me that Herb has done a good job of cultivating some relationships with the media. These guys are only too happy to praise their buddy in a generic way, even though they never seem to recommend him for a high-profile vacancy (as SFN has been correct to note). Pointing this out ad infinitum is probably a losing battle, unless you’re hoping to shame Seth Davis into becoming Edward R. Murrow.

  5. SaccoV 04/02/2009 at 10:36 AM #

    You’re absolutely right, WhiteFang. Our job has deteriorated into a mid-level D1 program, not where it was in the past. NC State certainly has advantages, like its fanbase, like playing in a top conference (although this year fell way short of previous years). For the record, I would love to have Sean Miller at NC State as head coach, even though I’m not entirely ready to throw Sid under the bus. My point is that we can no longer look at this position as THE coaching position of our childhood dreams. This is a solid, middle-of-the-road coaching position, and for Noah to claim that someone who wouldn’t be interested in this middle-of-the-road position to be an “idiot” is misguided and borderline delusional. The majority of our fans (myself included) believe this position to be a “premier” one, when in reality, it’s just like many other jobs in the region and across the country. I wouldn’t think that someone with a resume like Jeff Capel currently has would leave his current position because in essence, it is a lateral move. This, I believe, is how we couldn’t get Rick Barnes. Leaving Texas to go to NC State would have been the same position, so why not stay where you already have talent and recruiting channels in place? SFN, Lee Fowler has already proven himself incompetent at every pass, and is the chief reason for the job’s continued demise. However, why do you think this job garnered interest from those five coaches you mentioned only to fall through? Most of us, and rightly, believe Fowler was the cause of that. More importantly, to think that this job has some sort of magnetic presence is to ignore the fact that our AD is a hindrance to a good hire, and our position is NOT as prestigious as it once was.

  6. Wulfpack 04/02/2009 at 10:47 AM #

    How many national championships has UVA won? How many ACC titles?

    Did UVA just hire a good coach? How long did it take them?

    It’s all about the folks at the top. You could put bugs bunny at the helm at ncsu and get better results out of our athletic programs.

    This is a GREAT job and Sid is making DAMNED good cash. This is the ACC. If we wanted a great coach, we could have found him IF the people in charge did even a halfway decent job.

  7. old13 04/02/2009 at 11:02 AM #

    SaccoV, I’d have to agree that ours has deteriorated into a mid-level D1 PROGRAM. But I think what makes the HC job so attractive is the POTENTIAL for the PROGRAM to be a high-level D1 program. It’s got the same relative (nationally) location and conference as Duke and UNC, a VERY supportive fan base, enough money available (and attainable) to pay competitively, and the (pardon the expression) facilities comparable to any in D1. The one area (aside from having a real AD) that would require improvement to support a high-level program in my view is the PR department.

  8. WV Wolf 04/02/2009 at 11:03 AM #

    Here’s the thing that annoys me with the media and Herb.

    I really want Herb to do well where ever he goes, he had his faults but all-in-all he’s a good guy and a good (not great) coach. Don’t get me wrong, it was time for him to move on and I’m glad he did.

    But when every time he wins a game the media brings up how State fan was a complete moron for running him out of town, I find myself wanting Herb to fail and fail miserably. And that’s a shame.

  9. old13 04/02/2009 at 11:05 AM #

    ^ Agreed!

  10. Wulfpack 04/02/2009 at 11:11 AM #

    How many times do I have to say this re: Herb and the media? Had nc state hired a capable coach with a proven track record, this would be a total non issue and the media wouldn’t have any ammo to say jack shit because if we had hired a capable replacement he would have eclipsed Herb in year 2. But we didn’t, and in fact hired a joke as a coach, and the media is just loving shoving that in our collective faces. They see it as us running Herb out in favor of Sid. When it should have been that we ran Herb off for Barnes or Cal or Sean Miller or anyone else who has proven themselves at this level.

    Just think about it for a minute. We’re the idiots in this debate because we have no one looking out for the welfare of our athletic programs.

  11. Trout 04/02/2009 at 11:26 AM #

    Noah: 13 years actually…

    TIM FLOYD IS DA MAN! 🙂

  12. jonn 04/02/2009 at 11:29 AM #

    Why is it such a big deal what the media says? Get over it. I can enjoy rooting for the Pack regardless of what the media thinks. I can enjoy it a lot more if we have a quality head coach, and i enjoy it much less with a deficient head coach. What the media thinks doesn’t matter to me.

  13. wufpup76 04/02/2009 at 11:34 AM #

    “SFN: Trout was joking. Back when we hired Sendek Trout was known as the Champion of promotion of Tim Floyd for our job. He loved Floyd and his focus on Floyd became a big joke to everyone.”

    Trout and SFN: Sorry! My bad … my memory is (I thought, anyway) pretty good – I must not have been around as much during the last search.

    Ok, I’m in on the joke now. Ha ha ha! 😉

  14. old13 04/02/2009 at 11:34 AM #

    “What the media thinks doesn’t matter to me.” Who does care what the media THINKS! But what they SAY paints a picture of NCSU nationally – and that I do care about. It impacts many aspects of NCSU – not just athletics. And, unfortunately, NCSU does not have the PR wherewithall to counter the many inaccuracies portrayed by the media.

  15. Wolfpack_1995 04/02/2009 at 11:39 AM #

    Per another Pack site, Herb recommended Tony Bennett for the UVa job.

    I’m not sure how sold Miller is on Pitt. I think we are still his ideal job. His contract goes through 2017-2018 season at Xavier.

    He will have plenty of opportunities to entertain offers.

    Miller knows what he would get with State in having coached here before.

    I just wonder how long do we give Sid. Hopefully Miller will be around in 2 years if things do not work out. He’d be my #1 candidate.

  16. GAWolf 04/02/2009 at 11:46 AM #

    Herb probably has such a great relationship with the media because of his straight-forward, to-the-point, no-nonsense responses to their questions.

  17. whitefang 04/02/2009 at 11:51 AM #

    My point was I believe as far as a basketball coaching position, NC State is a “better” destination that those I listed. And I didn’t get down to Xavier.
    If you tell me finishing in the bottom 3rd of the ACC should be our expectation and an occasional reach into the middle should make us happy, then you believe we are a middle tier basketball destination. I believe based on our fans, history, conference, scheduling opportunities, location, etc we are in the top 25% or better of D1 destinations. Not top 3 of course, but NC State is not the end of the road for journeyman coaches or young wet behind the ears kids. Or for that matter coaches without evidence of success on their resume.
    Sure there are places with more of the above, but it doesn’t take long to write out that list.

  18. wufpup76 04/02/2009 at 11:51 AM #

    “It seems more likely to me that Herb has done a good job of cultivating some relationships with the media. These guys are only too happy to praise their buddy in a generic way, even though they never seem to recommend him for a high-profile vacancy (as SFN has been correct to note).”

    ^Yes. There are huge conflicts of interests in that world. Being rational and objective with solid analysis and logic takes a back seat to “being there for your buddy.” It’s the new ESPN style of jouranlism … you don’t just report, you are a part of the story. Your position allows you to display your personality and opinions and become a talking point, rather than just being the behind-the-scenes journalist who attempts to be fair and objective. And hanging out and be-friending the athletes and coaches are job perks (and they can blackball you if you get on their bad side).

    “Who does care what the media THINKS! But what they SAY paints a picture of NCSU nationally – and that I do care about. It impacts many aspects of NCSU – not just athletics. And, unfortunately, NCSU does not have the PR wherewithall to counter the many inaccuracies portrayed by the media.”

    ^Exactly.

    “Had nc state hired a capable coach with a proven track record, this would be a total non issue and the media wouldn’t have any ammo to say jack shit because if we had hired a capable replacement he would have eclipsed Herb in year 2.”

    ^I agree with you to a certain extent, Wulf. *If* we were doing well *or* we had hit a home run in the coaching search, then the Herb stuff in the media would probably happen less and more than likely fade away over time. Even still, I do believe that the media guys would still go to bat for their buddy in some fashion.

  19. GAWolf 04/02/2009 at 11:55 AM #

    I bet the Duke Lacrosse players didn’t care what the media thought of them… before they got publicly drawn and quartered before all the facts surfaced in that matter.

    Unchecked media bias is a very dangerous and frighteningly powerful thing.

  20. wufpup76 04/02/2009 at 11:55 AM #

    “Herb probably has such a great relationship with the media because of his straight-forward, to-the-point, no-nonsense responses to their questions.”

    ^Daytight compartments. 🙂 …

    Edit: What’s better? – “We didn’t run our STUFF. We need to run our STUFF.” OR “We all exist in daytight compartments. We have to honor the process. If you don’t honor the process you’re not existing properly in your daytight compartments.”

    ^Debate!

  21. GAWolf 04/02/2009 at 11:57 AM #

    Sweet. Thanks, wufpup. I was beginining to worry that little gem was going to go unnoticed. I chuckled as I typed it. And since I’m on a roll here:

    Per another Pack website: Herb fed the state of Arizona with two loaves of bread and a mackerel.

  22. MP 04/02/2009 at 11:59 AM #

    Obviously the blog-authors can write whatever they want. I for one don’t really care what the national or for that matter local media say about NCSU’s fans and expectations, or what they say about Herb. They can pump him up all they want and it won’t change my opinion about him.

    What I find amusing is the effort of some bloggers or commenters to say how they don’t hate Herb, it’s about the media. I will again speak for myself – I don’t know if you can call it “hate”, but the night in 2006 that Herb Sendek’s solidly talented team dropped a turd on the RBC floor against UNC, I “disliked” him enough to say he needed to get the hell out of Raleigh. Over the weeks following that debacle he did nothing to change my mind.

    With that said, I personally do not want to see him have any substantial success at any school. In spite of his glorious run of NCAA appearances(!) at NC State, nights like that game against UNC (Vandy, Wisconsin, Wake Forest, Texas, etc.) were too painful for me to just smile and wish him the best.

  23. choppack1 04/02/2009 at 12:02 PM #

    I wouldn’t say that Miller is the “floor”. I would consider him a middle-tier candidate at worst.

    I have my own opinions about Xavier coaches, but I think his NCAA tourney success and his success in the A10 puts him in a different category. The A10 isn’t a major, but it’s about as close as you can get and is probably as good or better than CUSA top to bottom.

    I feel our “floor” coaches would be those who are having solid success in their respective conference and have maybe made a tourney or two.

    At the risk of sounding like Trout and Tim Floyd – I’m continuing to keep my eye on Keno Davis.

  24. Noah 04/02/2009 at 12:04 PM #

    I really want Herb to do well where ever he goes, he had his faults but all-in-all he’s a good guy and a good (not great) coach. Don’t get me wrong, it was time for him to move on and I’m glad he did.

    Well said. That’s exactly how I feel.

    I don’t read the Sendek articles, so I don’t feeel the same hatred when his name gets brought up.

  25. wufpup76 04/02/2009 at 12:10 PM #

    “What I find amusing is the effort of some bloggers or commenters to say how they don’t hate Herb, it’s about the media. I will again speak for myself – I don’t know if you can call it “hate”, but the night in 2006 that Herb Sendek’s solidly talented team dropped a turd on the RBC floor against UNC, I “disliked” him enough to say he needed to get the hell out of Raleigh. Over the weeks following that debacle he did nothing to change my mind.”

    ^Easily the worst game experience I have ever had in my life. Playing, watching, coaching – anything. I was there … I stayed through every miserable second. And it was topped off in the postgame by being portrayed as “just another game. Just 1/16th of the league schedule.” That took away any remaining doubt about being possibly time to go. It didn’t make me hate, but it was clear there was a disconnect.

    Just an awful experience.

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