Some say Barnes (my personal pick from the Hot Board) is too old and therefore lacks drive, etc. That argument doesn't hold up. I think it's the $2.4 million salary that ultimately prevents the hire. But, nonetheless, here's how some older, fired/retired coaches did at new jobs.
Bobby Knight - 61 years old - Took Texas Tech to first NCAA tourney in over six years and did it all 4 of his first years. Coached 7 seasons. Cliff Ellis - 62 years old - Turned around dumpster fire Coastal Carolina, winning back-to-back conference titles in 3rd and 4th year for first time in 19 years. Been to back-to-back NCAA tourneys this year and last. Still at it after 8 seasons and 69 years old.Bobby Cremmins - 59 years old - Came back to Charleston 6 years after retirement, winning 20 games in all 5 of his full seasons there (beat Bruce in TBA in 2010) after Charleston slid in previous seasons.Larry Brown - 72 years old - SMU had a winning record once in the previous six years, but Brown has them at 27 wins in his 2nd and 3rd years there...at 73 and 74 years old.In football, there's Bill Snyder (69 years old), Steve Spurrier (60), Lou Holtz (62), Frank Solich (61), and Tommy Tuberville (59) to name a few who took new jobs at the ages listed and had success.
In all of those basketball hires listed, the average tenure was 7 years. That would be our longest tenured coach since Don Devoe 1978-1989.
That's stability. Get Barnes for 7-10 years, have a proven coach not looking to leave, and potentially have the most stability - and dare I say maybe even sustained success - in literally a generation. Sign me up.
Bobby Knight - 61 years old - Took Texas Tech to first NCAA tourney in over six years and did it all 4 of his first years. Coached 7 seasons. Cliff Ellis - 62 years old - Turned around dumpster fire Coastal Carolina, winning back-to-back conference titles in 3rd and 4th year for first time in 19 years. Been to back-to-back NCAA tourneys this year and last. Still at it after 8 seasons and 69 years old.Bobby Cremmins - 59 years old - Came back to Charleston 6 years after retirement, winning 20 games in all 5 of his full seasons there (beat Bruce in TBA in 2010) after Charleston slid in previous seasons.Larry Brown - 72 years old - SMU had a winning record once in the previous six years, but Brown has them at 27 wins in his 2nd and 3rd years there...at 73 and 74 years old.In football, there's Bill Snyder (69 years old), Steve Spurrier (60), Lou Holtz (62), Frank Solich (61), and Tommy Tuberville (59) to name a few who took new jobs at the ages listed and had success.
In all of those basketball hires listed, the average tenure was 7 years. That would be our longest tenured coach since Don Devoe 1978-1989.
That's stability. Get Barnes for 7-10 years, have a proven coach not looking to leave, and potentially have the most stability - and dare I say maybe even sustained success - in literally a generation. Sign me up.
