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Now that Cyclone fans are starting to feel like we know a little bit about Fred Hoiberg, Head Coach, I thought it might be a good time to revisit the hires that have been made in the ‘big two’ sports on Pollard’s watch.
POLLARD’S PICKS | Eye of the Storm
Agree or disagree???
It appears Pollard has made the most of his mulligans after a couple of gifts from Auburn and Creighton.
Agreed. But what about the McDermott and Chizik hires in the first place? Clearly both proved to be bad 'fits' at ISU, but were they bad hires at the time?Quote:
Originally Posted by Clone9
Really? Going to a bowl game his first season, coming within 2 points of going bowling in the second season, winning at Nebraska for the first time since the mid 70s and beating Texas fort the first time ever isn't proving much?Quote:
After just two seasons, it’s hard to say that Paul Rhoads has definitively proven anything.
I understand where you're coming from, but I guess that depends what it is that you want him to prove. I would expect most fans want to see him prove is that he is the coach who's going to take Iowa State to the 'next level' and reasonably sustain that success.Quote:
Originally Posted by jsmith86
I don't think you can say that he has proven that just yet. He's well on his way, but not quite there.
I thought both hires were great at the time, so it's hard to go back on that.Quote:
Originally Posted by psychlone99
I'm still not sure what the heck happened with McDermott. Chizik was just not likable, but while his teams were bad and he seemed to make horrible game decisions, some of the players that he brought in were good ones, and their early experience helped us out the last couple years. Still a ****** bag.
I think we will never know with Chizik. He was only here for 2 years and demoted his coordinators to get new ones. He may have never been able to achieve what we wanted, he may have been the coach we all hoped for. Having said that, I' more than thrilled with Rhoads. I disagree with the assessment that the program was going no where. There was still time for Chizik to make up for his first two years, but that would had depended on the success of his new coordinators.
McDermott on the other hand, he was most likely gone after this season anyway. I think the writing was on the wall and the only thing holding us back was money.
Not that I pay much attention to wrestling but I know a few people that do and they are quite concerned with the direction of the program under Kevin Jackson. Pollard has made some big splashes with some of his hires but some of them have turned out to be big stinkers too and hopefully Jackson doesn't get added to this list as well.
Look, let's just say Hoiberg and Rhoads end up being successful hires. Both Chizik and McDermott had more impressive resumes than their replacement. I suppose Mac woudl be debatable because of the pro experience of Fred and what that brings to the table but in terms of coaching Mac was more qualified so if we are looking at the hire itself, they were better. Were the results better? No, they weren't but at the time they were made, those two guys were thought to be up and coming. Hell Chizik was hired by Auburn based on what he did before he got here. His mistake was in coordinator choices which I feel was simply due to inexperience in that position.Quote:
Originally Posted by CYdTracked
I don't know a bunch about wrestling but what I do know if KJ has an impressive wrestling resume in terms of coaching. It would be nice if someone with extensive wrestling knowledge would chime in and explain what other obstacles he has had or will have in relation to the coaching change. I seem to remember a lot of attrition when Cael left but perhaps I am wrong.
The one thing that gets me about the wrestling hires is Pollard basically forced a legend in Bobby Douglas out in order to keep Cael here who eventually left us anyways. We may never know the whole story while Cael left but I wouldn't be shocked if it had something to do with his working relationship with Pollard. Let's just hope this season is a bump in the road for Jackson and not a sign of things to come.
I myself have put Pollard up on a pedestal at times, I still like the guy and think he finally got the right guys here with Rhoads and Hoiberg but he's lucky president Geoffrey has had the patience to go through some mistakes because like the OP says in his writeup, not many AD's get to stay around long enough to make 2 hires in both major sports without losing their jobs. I said the day Fred was hired that would be Pollard's last major sport hire because if Fred failed I don't see how Jamie would be able to keep his job considering he basically said himself that our MBB program is our marquee sport at ISU. I do think the Hoiberg hire is going to work. I was skeptical when I first heard the news but after what he has done in such a short time I'm 100% sold he is the right guy.
Nicely written. I think you hit the nail on the head.
In terms of resume, I think you're right. GMac was clearly an easier choice on paper, since he had actually coached before.Quote:
Originally Posted by yaman3
Really, the only things that convinced me the day that the CFH rumor broke from John Walters was that Fred was definitely a Cyclone, was a favorite Cyclone, and as I posted a million times in those days, Fred never fails.
Nothing empirical really suggested that Fred would be the coach he's turned out to be. The only thing that would suggest it is just who Fred is, and that's hard to fit onto a resume.
While that is a valid point, doesn't "fit" have something to do with being a good hire?Quote:
Originally Posted by psychlone99
Mr. Pollard is awesome and his coaching picks have been PERFECT...
Bobby Douglas was a legend. A legend that in 14 (?) years delivered exactly ZERO team titles to Ames. Zero conference titles. Zero National championships. Ohio State was going to back up the Brinks truck for Cael if we didn't lock him up and we were looking at Gable version 2.0. Imagine the wailing and grinding of teeth if that happened. Bobby was/is a good man and a great ambassador for the sport, but it was time. The fact that Cael moved on is a separate conversation.Quote:
Originally Posted by CYdTracked
As for those that have concerns about KJ, I think we should reserve judgement until he is working with a full room of wrestlers. Cael left and basically an entire recruiting class left for various reasons as a result. Add to that the fact that the #1 hwt recruit in the country from 3 years ago flunked out of school and a returning NCAA runner up from last year was basically an alcoholic that couldn't stay out of the bars and chose to flee to PSU rather than man up here in Ames, and it's pretty easy to see why we are where we are. Anyone that watched our team wrestle under KJ last year as compared to under Cael could see that we were more aggressive and better in every position. Most of our guys are wrestling hard this year, but some are simply overmatched and that goes back to the lost wrestlers mentioned above. If we have even half of the guys here that left, we're a top 5 team right now. You can assign some of the blame for the attrition to KJ, but nwih can you lay it all at his feet.
The concern is recruiting. Cael doesn't recruit, he selects. Nobody else can do that. The key will be for KJ to at least hold his own on the recruiting front and build them up once he gets them here. I think he's the right guy for the job, but I hope he can overcome the crappy hand he was dealt before the naysayers run him out of town.
I think Pollard whiffed terribly on Chizik and McValley but he did what he had to do with Cael.