Dave Glenn addresses Billy Donovan rumor(10 am updated)

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Dave Glenn’s twitter feed:

From DG – “Sources at Florida and N.C. State not only deny the Billy Donovan-NCSU rumor, they mock the ridiculous, illogical, completely baseless and fundamentally insane nature of the whole thing.”

————————————————————————————
It was a wild day on the Internet this afternoon as apparently erroneous rumors broke that Billy Donovan was in Raleigh visiting/interviewing for the NC State basketball position. The rumors picked up steam shortly before 5:00 pm and then reached fever pitch with this report on twitter:

979ESPNRadio 97.9 ESPN Radio

Reliable source within ESPN tells us Billy Donovan is in Raleigh interviewing for N.C. State Job. Wow.

Additionally, Mike Lederer reported:

Breaking News: Florida Gators head coach Billy Donovan is currently in Raleigh, North Carolina interviewing for the vacant N.C. State head coaching position sources say.

Two sources have confirmed that Donovan is in fact in Raleigh and has likely already spoken with Athletic Director Debbie Yow.

Here is a link to Mike’s background. We have no clue if he is credible or not.

This was quickly shot down by Dave Telep of ESPN with this series of tweets(read from the bottom up):

DaveTelep Dave Telep
Billy Donovan was in Crescent Beach, Fla., most of the day today. If you pass him driving home on HWY 301, shoot him a wave!
3 hours ago Favorite Retweet Reply

DaveTelep Dave Telep
Regarding Donovan: two titles in Fla, helped build a church, he’s rich, well paid. Come on people, use your brains a little here.
3 hours ago

DaveTelep Dave Telep
I’m not home in Raleighwood but I know this much: Billy Donovan isn’t in Raleighwood either. He’s most definitely not a candidate at NCSU

So where does the search stand? J.P. Giglio gave us some updates tonight as well(read from the bottom up):

jpgiglio Joe Giglio
Those aren’t the only two options, just where the search is at …. both coaches still have games left
22 minutes ago Favorite Undo Retweet Reply

jpgiglio Joe Giglio
Wichita State’s Gregg Marshall, as he has been all along, and VCU’s Shaka Smart, are the main targets
27 minutes ago

jpgiglio Joe Giglio
Debbie Yow is scheduled to go to the Final Four
29 minutes ago

jpgiglio Joe Giglio
N.C. State search unlikely to end this week

At this point, it appears all big name candidates are off the board and the focus has turned to up and comers and other mid-majors. Gregg Marshall is a name that is familiar to a lot of NC State fans from his success at Winthrop and his flirtation with our job 5 years ago. So it isn’t a surprise that he would be on Yow’s list after doing a very respectable rebuilding job at Wichita St. If you weren’t watching, then Wichita St. pounded Washington St. by 30+ points tonight in the NIT semi-finals.

When Marshall’s name comes up, immediately it will draw comments about personality issues. Regardless, he has built two programs from the ground up, been to the NCAA tournament 7 times, and is making a great run in this year’s NIT. Essentially, he has done nothing but win at a high level his entire career.

There has been a trend in recent years with successful mid-majors turning down major conference opportunities. Brad Stevens stayed at Butler after the run to the finals last year. Chris Mack turned down a $2 million per year, 8 year deal from Tennessee to stay at Xavier(NCAA issues at UT might have been a concern) this weekend. Richmond’s Chris Mooney turned down Georgia Tech although it has been speculated that it may not have even been an increase in pay.

So would Marshall take our job? Opinions vary:

TheBigLead Jason Mcintyre
As of today, i heard Marshall isnt an option at NCSU. okl or stays RT @GottliebShow: My guess is NC State gets Shaka, Marshall the back-up

Fortunately for NC State, another mid-major has emerged with VCU’s amazing run to the Final Four led by Shaka Smart. Smart is charismatic, intelligent, has a chip on his shoulder, has pedigree having worked for Oliver Purnell and Billy Donovan, recruiting experience throughout NC State’s geographic region, national recruiting experience at Florida, and a style of play that will attract players and sell lots of tickets.

In terms of fit for our job, the only thing he lacks is a long track record. However, his potential and room for growth appears almost unlimited. I have said for years that the easiest way for NC State to hire an elite coach is to hire them before they establish themselves at an Arizona(Miller) or a Texas(Barnes) when hiring them away is near impossible. He is a much more attractive candidate than Sean Miller was five years ago. Miller had only been at Xavier for 2 years and his results were average relative to Thad Matta, Skip Prosser and Pete Gillen previously. Should we have hired Sean Miller?

From Smart’s perspective, the NC State job appears to be right in his sweet spot. He and his wife reside in Richmond, so Raleigh is similar enough where the move makes sense(despite three moves recently to Clemson, to Gainesville and then to Richmond). At Clemson, he recruited NC, SC, and GA. At Florida, he recruited Florida and nationally. At VCU, he surely has built connections in Richmond, Tidewater, and the DC metro area. With the buzz from the Final Four run, he should be able to keep the roster and recruiting class together to give himself a chance to win immediately.

Essentially, it is a match made in heaven from both sides and the timing is perfect. He is the hottest young coach in the country, we have a job that suits him, and we have the money to pay what he is going to command. In my opinion, he would recruit at a higher level than either Herb Sendek or Sidney Lowe who combined to bring a top 15 recruiting haul since 1998. His predecessor at VCU, Anthony Grant, got $1.8 million per year from Alabama to give you a ballpark idea of what it will take to land Smart. In my opinion, it could end up taking more than $2 million to get Shaka to Raleigh. His team is built around 4 seniors so there is a reason to cash in now. But if he wins a national title this weekend, then can he really leave?

For those holding out hope that Yow is sending smoke screens to Giglio and his pals, then one NC State website(PackInsider) has stuck to its guns that something is going on regarding Billy Donovan:

Our sources come from people involved in coaching circles. From people who are not being swayed by the Parker Search Firm and by media hype. Could we be wrong? Absolutely, we could have been wrong on every breaking story we’ve ever released, but we haven’t been. Why think that those same people are giving us bad information now? We don’t and we trust what we’ve been told

Check the link and read the whole post from Pack Insider Staff.

As far as the Donovan rumors, various authors have heard Donovan rumors for a month+ from lots of different places. However, it just never made sense to us. I did do some research into Yow’s and Donovan’s background looking for a connection or something that would give us reason to believe the rumors. I stumbled across this old article detailing how Donovan built Florida and his confrontations with South Carolina coach Eddie Fogler and then Kansas coach Roy Williams:

Similarly, Miller’s decision to forgo Lexington and, especially, Lawrence, for sunny Gainesville sent such a shock wave through college basketball that an enraged Kansas coach Roy Williams sicced the NCAA on Florida—and didn’t care who knew it. “I don’t care who Skinny signs with,” said Williams, after his final visit to Miller’s hometown last fall, “I’m turning Florida in.

Never mind that a 10-month NCAA investigation, completed in August, cleared Donovan’s staff of the five allegations made by Kansas. In the murky, rumor-fueled world of recruiting, the mere fact that Williams, a squeaky-clean figure whose public acts and words are usually about as dry as grain dust, openly went after the Gators was tantamount to releasing the Starr report.

I was vague in that entry, but it should be obvious now why that entry was posted. Might the issues with Roy/UNC be a motivating factor to take the NC State job in addition to taking on a new opportunity at a basketball school with a fan base starving for success?

In the end, it doesn’t appear likely. But things can always change.

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105 Responses to Dave Glenn addresses Billy Donovan rumor(10 am updated)

  1. albunde6 03/30/2011 at 9:32 AM #

    In a previous post, we have had idea that DY has managed our fans better, has been accessible, has set a high expectation for coaches. I give her an A for this performance.

    However the primary job of manager is to hire, manage and motivate staff. This is equivilent to making the hire to run FoodLion in NC, Hendrix Motors, etc.

    You are going to put a million dollar operation the hands of someonewith less than ten years of expierence?

    Not that DY is at this point, however a Smart hire would feel like an all in bet at Vegas. Too much risk for me.

    I will support who we hire, just trying to inject some logic into discussion.

  2. Lumpy 03/30/2011 at 9:43 AM #

    I don’t think this search is bad at all. Unlike ’06 when Herb made his farewell announcement during the Final Four (leaving the least equipped AD for the task to scramble together a coaching search), DY has been on this for at least a couple of months. Lowe was surely going to get the boot by February allowing Yow to scout, inquire, and get pieces in place to hit the ground running as soon as Lowe stepped down.
    I’m sure some kind of reach has been made to Barnes, Miller, Donavan, you name it. But that’s it. A phone call at most for a sure thing coach who is probably happy where they are. I see no problem with that. You take a swing, no dice? You move on. Unlike the last guy who couldn’t shut his trap about who he was going to visit. So much so that other coaches who were never in the mix (See: Les Miles) used it to bolster their own reputation.
    Having said that, the NC State athletic department isn’t the NSA. People talk and guys like Giglio and Glenn who cover the ACC closely surely get some nuggets of exactly who they are contacting, as do some of the guys here at SFN. And unlike the national guys, they seperate the wheat from the chaff when it comes to real leads.(The national guys have no clue. NONE.)
    But I’m not so sure you can shut the door on a big name proven coach just yet. Coaches worth their salt don’t just jump ship at the first offer of more money. They weigh their options. They talk to their assistants, they get their assistants to gauge unsigned recruits’ interests, they talk to their families, and they figure out if the move makes sense. All of this takes time. Roy Williams move to UNC didn’t happen until 9 days after the Syracuse-Kansas final. And that was a coach going back to somewhere he had coached before as well as a move everyone had seen coming as soon as Doherty was fired. So if we were really in the mix for a name like Donavan I wouldn’t expect to hear anything this soon. Personally, I don’t believe it. But stranger things have happened. Scratch that. If Billy Donavan became head coach at NC State, that would be the strangest thing to happen in my lifetime. More surprising than the ’83 title, Magic’s HIV press conference, George Mason, VCU, and the Red Sox comeback from 3-0 on the Yankees all rolled into one.
    I have faith that Yow has run a pretty good search to this point. You have to think she’s talked with people close to Marshall and Smart. She’s probably talked to a few other guys that aren’t on anyone’s radar. She’s a smart lady and with more time, and better strategy, than Fowler had, she’ll make the right hire.

    Of course being NC State, I guess I wouldn’t be at all surprised to hear were hiring Isaiah Thomas either.

  3. tcthdi-tgsf-twhwtnc 03/30/2011 at 9:44 AM #

    Will we not hear first of an emergency meeting of the BOT before any contract is done? Is it possible that the BOT has already approved Yow to extend a contract for up to $X for X years?

    Seems like we usually hear of an emergency BOT meeting before a press conference announcement.

  4. JasonP 03/30/2011 at 9:45 AM #

    Minor point of clarification:

    Marshall didn’t “rebuild” Witchita St any more than what is a usual rebuilding job after upperclassmen leave and a coach works with his new players.

    Turgeon essentially built that program into what it is now (they had nothing after Fogler), and actually took them to the NCAAs, including a Sweet 16 run.

  5. Daily Update 03/30/2011 at 9:51 AM #

    -Turgeon had a losing conference record his last year.

    -Turgeon handed him a rebuild much like Sendek did to Sidney Lowe.

    -Marshall has gone from 4-14 in his 1st year to 14-4 in his 4th year. Turgeon only went 14-4 once in seven years at WSU and he only made the NCAAs 1 time and that was in his 6th year at WSU.

    -Marshall’s trajectory is actually higher than Turgeon’s with the same program.

  6. Daily Update 03/30/2011 at 9:53 AM #

    -Can’t fix that, but wanted to add Turgeon didn’t go 14-4 until his 6th season at WSU. Marshall hit that markt in his 4th year

    -Both coaches went 4-14 in the conference their first years at WSU, so they started at similar levels.

  7. tann84 03/30/2011 at 9:54 AM #

    Another Lowe look-alike.

    Lowe had no college coaching experience.
    They don’t even actually ‘look-alike’ they look very different, unless all black people look the same to you. Thats the only way that comment make sense. SMH

    I could think of worst coaches than Smart. The only thing he is missing is experience and recruiting track record. But wasn’t that what Sean Miller was missing 5 years ago? Sometimes you have to take a chance.

    Of course you’d prefer a Billy Donovan but I’m not sure if that is realistic. I hope it is, it would be an instant boost in our program’s perception.

    I have changed my mind and we don’t ‘need’ an established coach. Duke didn’t need one in the 80s, Arizona didn’t need one two years ago. If you get a good coach then your program will be fine. Would it help, of course it would, but I don’t think we’d be doom with Shaka. Didn’t we just read an article where the two previous coaches had top-15 overall talent since 1998? NC State recruits itself. Lowe signed a top 10 recruiting class with no final four on his resume. Especially if Shaka could have some success with the group of players that are here now, the top talent will come, they just want to play for a winner.

  8. PittsburghPackFan 03/30/2011 at 10:01 AM #

    Tann84:

    The now-known fact that NC State recruits itself is a part of why I changed minds about Smart.

  9. JasonP 03/30/2011 at 10:06 AM #

    DU – Was not Marshall able to succeed quicker b/c of the base that Turgeon built? It’s an arguable point.

    Turgeon started at Witchita St with absolutely nothing. He did the dirty work for a program in the MVC – much tougher than Marshall’s buiding of the Winthrop program in the Big South.

    Confess I don’t have the details, but I suspect that Turgeon’s last season dip was due more to the inevitable talent drain that comes – esp to mid majors – when upperclassmen leave.

    Other posts mention that Turgeon is just coasting at TAMU on the program built by Gillispie. The same could be argued for Marshall at WSU, only Turgeon has taken A&M to the NCAAs every season he’s been there whereas Marshall has yet to take WSU beyond the NIT.

  10. highstick 03/30/2011 at 10:07 AM #

    Have any of you guys ever attended a game that Marshall coached? Or are you reading crap from the sportwriters? I’ve, at least, been to a few Winthrop games while he was here in Rock Hill and have watched him coach. He’s not at the top of my list, but I won’t be unhappy if he gets the job.

    Greg’s got some attitude, but that’s ok. I want a coach to have that! Some of the comments on here about him show the lack of grey matter by those yapping!

  11. Daily Update 03/30/2011 at 10:10 AM #

    Jason: I don’t think you can argue that. Marshall was 4-14 in his 1st year. If was cruising on the previous coaches work, then there would have been no dropoff. Marshall is winning with his players(1st recruiting class are seniors) and he has done that at two different places.

  12. LakistaMcCuller 03/30/2011 at 10:12 AM #

    Wow, everyone is ready to jump, eh?

    What I recommend is listening to DY’s press conference when they annouced Sidney leaving, and how should would handle the search. She said it’d take a while and we would not hear anything solid. just listen, it may relax you, and then you can leave the F5 key alone and get some work done.

  13. Wulfpack 03/30/2011 at 10:12 AM #

    We are starting to get pounded in the media and on message boards for thinking we would land one of the top guys. I’m still holding out hope but now realize it is not looking too good. I will stand by the Pack through thick and thin. We will get a good coach. But I was really hoping for a homerun this time around.

  14. MickQ 03/30/2011 at 10:13 AM #

    I listened to FNZ talk radio yesterday, and there was a short live chat with the AD at VCU, Norwood Teague. Teague talked about the VCU program, how it went from rags to riches, how the fans in Richmond are going bonkers, how VCU was suprised, like anyone else, that they made the NCAAT, etc. Then there was a question at the end as to whether he is worried if Smart will bolt after the NCAAT. He said he has no control over Smart’s destiny other than he will sit down and talk with him after the tournament (meaning he will throw money and intangibles at him). He mentioned that Smart is happy at VCU, and that Smart promised him that he would talk. So if it gets down to Smart (and I am hoping that it will not), we can’t assume that he will bolt for Raleigh if the price is right. Teague is highly respected (even though he has UNC roots), and we can be sure he will make an all out ground assault on Smart.

  15. eas 03/30/2011 at 10:21 AM #

    I just hope we don’t end up paying a 1 million dollar coach 2-3 million just because we struck out on several others. It looks like this search is not what we had hoped BUT we still should come out with a decent coach.

    I just wish for once we could hire a coach that immediately makes an impact. A big splash coach if you will…….

  16. Clarksa 03/30/2011 at 10:25 AM #

    austin__johnson tweet (Pack Pride)
    Despite the fact that Donovan is not a candidate for the job, I stand by my information from yesterday: He definitely inquired.

  17. anonimus 03/30/2011 at 10:26 AM #

    Who cares what the media says about NC State’s fans. History has shown if the media doesn’t have something factual to denigrate the Wolfpack, they’ll make it up. Donovan to Raleigh is a pipe dream but there’s nothing wrong with entertaining the idea. It shows how passionate we are about basketball and wanting a guaranteed winner. Just don’t get suicidal when the actual pick is within the historical normal curve of up and coming coaches from smaller schools. Having an executive (AD) holding those that report to them (coaches) accountable to goals has a way of getting results from even those that may flounder under management with no expectations.

  18. Clarksa 03/30/2011 at 10:30 AM #

    and the follow up:

    austin__johnson
    @PackPridecom @joeovies Right inquired about the job, not necessarily for himself.

  19. JasonP 03/30/2011 at 10:31 AM #

    DU: We’ll just have to disagree on that point. Without Turgeon building the whole program after over a decade of losing, I think Marshall’s turnaround would have taken longer at WSU.

    If it weren’t for the proximity of Winthrop no one here would even be mentioning Marshall. Not saying he’s a bad coach, but firing Sidney to bring in Marshall is no accomplishment.

  20. wayofthemaster 03/30/2011 at 10:38 AM #

    For Debbie’s sake, I hope she goes with Smart over Marshall.

    I think Marshall would be a very polarizing choice.

  21. brown pelican 03/30/2011 at 10:42 AM #

    as this search winds down to what should be a conclusion after this weekend—three questions must be answered ‘after the fact’—did we get a coach who can recruit?—much has been made about the ‘top 15’ classes at state over the past years—and—even though we have not experienced on the court success—the first step in competing at the level we aspire to is to find the talent to do just that—recruiting does not just mean finding and signing top 50 or even top 100 players—but—finding players who can cohesively work together making the sum of their parts greater than their individual talent—see butler and vcu this year—villanova 1985—and yes—our 1983 championship team—heck–even the vinny del negro led 1987 acc championship team figured it out after floundering for much of that campaign—secondly—can the new coach present and practice a philosophy that can support the development of the talent that he brings in—leading to the chemistry/cohesion conversation in point number one—and—most importantly—will he be committed to nc state—that is to say—will he find the opportunity to attach to the past traditions and successes experienced by wolfpack basketball to mold the present and the future into a linkage to that lineage with his own stamp on it for years to come—a destination job if you will—a comprehensive wish list—i understand—however—one that we should be using in this process—i trust that our ad is—and—look forward to the announcement that fulfills these criteria—whomever it is that we select—not settle—for this position—is the pack up?—hell yes!

  22. MattN 03/30/2011 at 10:57 AM #

    My guy says there’s on offer on the table for Donovan and he has until tomorrow. I personally think he declines.

  23. Baylisascaris 03/30/2011 at 10:59 AM #

    I really have developed an intense dislike for David Glenn.

  24. beer03 03/30/2011 at 11:01 AM #

    You know, its too bad all the inuendo of the past several weeks from “in guys” is not going to pan out. We needed a homerun, a dependable D1 coach to put us back on the map.” Now we are back to the mid-major gamble game. If we gamble and loose one more time we are done as a program…..we may be done now.

    And if DY was going to keep the search quiet and under wraps and SS turns out to be the guy, well then, it hasnt gone so quiet has it?

    I am also with those that say that we had better have more options come next Monday than just SS, or this could wind up being another debacle.

  25. VaWolf82 03/30/2011 at 11:09 AM #

    The confusion is when different admin’s post different thoughts on our program. This leads to chaos, sfn thinks this, sfn thinks that. We realize there are multiple authors but the perception – the brand – is SFN, not DU or any other admin. You all need to be somewhat careful as we feel like ping pong balls reading your various posts.

    On a message board, would you confuse my thoughts with DU? Look at the author to see who wrote the entry. If you see “Statefans”, then assume that you are hearing from Brock. Never assume that he has reviewed anything that I or any other author has written.

    Occasionally, several authors will collaborate on a piece and publish it under “Statefans”. Group efforts are generally presented as such so there is no excuse for confusion.

    “SFN” is not run by consensus or a hive mind. We have a group of outspoken, opinionated, die-hard State fans that serve as authors here. We have another group of outspoken, opinionated, die-hard State fans (and relatively few trolls) who comment on these pieces. The whole goal is intelligent conversation…not the dissemination of deep dark secrets from within the school or athletic dept.

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