Shocker (Not): T.J. is revered by his peers.

[Cyinthenorth]

After watching his career as a HC transpire thus far, it certainly begs the question of if he is so good, why didn't it work out at UNLV?

Was it a bad fit there, or is Iowa State just that extremely good of a fit for him/his personality?
Was his lack of success due to extenuating circumstances? Coached there during the height of covid, inherited lousy team etc. although the latter would've applied to Iowa State as well of course.
Other?

 

[NWICY]

After watching his career as a HC transpire thus far, it certainly begs the question of if he is so good, why didn't it work out at UNLV?

Was it a bad fit there, or is Iowa State just that extremely good of a fit for him/his personality?
Was his lack of success due to extenuating circumstances? Coached there during the height of covid, inherited lousy team etc. although the latter would've applied to Iowa State as well of course.
Other?

No insider knowledge at all but I think it is a fit thing.
Every yr McDermott's teams looked like they would be ok, every yr they failed, he worked at UNI and has done fine at Creighton but it never clicked at ISU. Same with Prohm he took a program in really good shape and Thelma and Louise'd it right over the cliff. Back in Kentucky and he seems to be doing ok.(?)

I'm sure TJ puts a ton of effort into succeeding at ISU and so far it all has worked great for all involved.

 

[Yellow Snow]

Just imagine what TJ could have done with those teams that were handed to Prohm. This will forever be my biggest complaint about ADJP. The thought of this haunts me.

JP wanted TJ but was overruled by Leath. That isn't on JP.

 

[Stormin]

JP wanted TJ but was overruled by Leath. That isn't on JP.

TJ haters were a major part. TJ was Pollard’s choice. And returned for Prohm’s first year as an assistant. Not following the proper hiring process the TJ haters said. The same TJ haters did not want to pay the buyout to UNLV either. TJ haters don’t know a great coach when they see one.

 

[CychiatricWard]

After watching his career as a HC transpire thus far, it certainly begs the question of if he is so good, why didn't it work out at UNLV?

Was it a bad fit there, or is Iowa State just that extremely good of a fit for him/his personality?
Was his lack of success due to extenuating circumstances? Coached there during the height of covid, inherited lousy team etc. although the latter would've applied to Iowa State as well of course.
Other?

I think multiple factors played into it at UNLV. He is a Midwest guy and absolutely crushes it recruiting the Midwest. UNLV had had its storied past but just doesn’t resonate with kids anymore. Being in the big 12 adds to that recruiting prowess.

 

[TXCyclones]

JP wanted TJ but was overruled by Leath. That isn't on JP.

You are correct. I'd forgotten that. Sorry for besmirching JP.

 

[ScottyP]

No insider knowledge at all but I think it is a fit thing.
Every yr McDermott's teams looked like they would be ok, every yr they failed, he worked at UNI and has done fine at Creighton but it never clicked at ISU. Same with Prohm he took a program in really good shape and Thelma and Louise'd it right over the cliff. Back in Kentucky and he seems to be doing ok.(?)

I'm sure TJ puts a ton of effort into succeeding at ISU and so far it all has worked great for all involved.

TJ bringing in Kyle Green helped a lot.

 

[Statefan10]

TJ bringing in Kyle Green helped a lot.

And JR as well. Those two have been killing it.

 

[NWICY]

TJ bringing in Kyle Green helped a lot.

Agree, but he identified those guys and sold them on what he wanted to build at ISU. I'm more than happy with the way things turned out and hope it keeps going for a long time.

 

[NetflixAndClone]

To me, this is something that TJ does really well that Prohm struggled with. Prohm got some talent, but seemed to have trouble putting the pieces together and getting everyone to buy into roles.

Like CMC says, it is about recruiting, developing, and retaining. It seems like Prohm could recruit, struggled to develop outside of guards, but struggle to retain.

 

[Frak]

Like CMC says, it is about recruiting, developing, and retaining. It seems like Prohm could recruit, struggled to develop outside of guards, but struggle to retain.

He leaves out an important piece though…evaluation. Every coach thinks they’re great at it, but it’s not that easy. Knowing who to recruit. Not only how they project, but how they’ll fit into the current depth and program culture. And also, going after guys that you actually have a chance of getting. It’s a fine line. Campbell has done well at it for the most part other than maybe WR and OL.

 

[CyHans]

I don't disagree there...that's part of coaching. But, you don't do what he did at Murray by being a horrible coach. I would just say he's a good mid major coach and not cut out for this level. I don't want to defend Prohm, because he made some obvious mistakes, but his last season he had no real chance at success. No nonconference easy games to build up wins and confidence, no fans in Hilton, Haliburton got hurt. Couple that with some bad recruiting choices and a really strong B12 and that's what you get. I'm just glad that we didn't have to be there to watch it and he made it an easy choice to move on.

Sometimes things just don't fit. McDermott was good at UNI and now Creighton but couldn't get it going at ISU for whatever reason.

 

[somecyguy]

Just imagine what TJ could have done with those teams that were handed to Prohm. (EDIT... This next sentence is incorrect on my part. I forgot it was Leath rather than Jamie) This will forever be my biggest complaint about ADJP. The thought of this haunts me.

It shouldn't haunt you because I think it's quite likely that TJ would have failed (or not done well) without the experience he gained prior to coming back.

We saw in football multiple times, where a first time head coach struggled to get his bearings and I think it would have been similar for TJ. Starting off at a lower profile place, learning how things work, developing his process, all those little things that make a coach successful, would have been much harder to develop under the microscope at ISU. We got the matured and experienced coach who made his learning mistakes at SD and UNLV rather than at Iowa State.

 

[Stormin]

It shouldn't haunt you because I think it's quite likely that TJ would have failed (or not done well) without the experience he gained prior to coming back.

We saw in football multiple times, where a first time head coach struggled to get his bearings and I think it would have been similar for TJ. Starting off at a lower profile place, learning how things work, developing his process, all those little things that make a coach successful, would have been much harder to develop under the microscope at ISU. We got the matured and experienced coach who made his learning mistakes at SD and UNLV rather than at Iowa State.

TJ probably learned a lot in his first two jobs. He is still learning. But IMO we probably would have had greater success under TJ than we did under Prohm. We’ll never know. I still think we underachieved under Prohm despite some success. And we all know how horribly it ended.

 

[Frak]

TJ probably learned a lot in his first two jobs. He is still learning. But IMO we probably would have had greater success under TJ than we did under Prohm. We’ll never know. I still think we underachieved under Prohm despite some success. And we all know how horribly it ended.

That year when we had Shayock, THT, Haliburton and Wigginton was a disaster. That was a Sweet 16 team minimum.

 

[Billups06]

After watching his career as a HC transpire thus far, it certainly begs the question of if he is so good, why didn't it work out at UNLV?

Was it a bad fit there, or is Iowa State just that extremely good of a fit for him/his personality?
Was his lack of success due to extenuating circumstances? Coached there during the height of covid, inherited lousy team etc. although the latter would've applied to Iowa State as well of course.
Other?

IIRC, UNLV had some injury issues his 2nd season, very up and down year. His 12 conference wins his first season is the highest at UNLV since the 2007-08 season. I imagine it would have gotten better with the talent he was brining in. Arthur Kaluma has certainly lived up to his high school rankings.

 

[c.y.c.l.o.n.e.s]

I think multiple factors played into it at UNLV. He is a Midwest guy and absolutely crushes it recruiting the Midwest. UNLV had had its storied past but just doesn’t resonate with kids anymore. Being in the big 12 adds to that recruiting prowess.

UNLV almost always had boatloads of talent (with a lot of "help" from car dealership mogul Cliff Findlay and Findlay prep). In the years just before TJ arrived they had talent but had been under achieving due to too much of a "me first" style of play. TJ was brought in to fix that but it was a big task.

Speaking of Findlay, I had to Google him because I couldn't come up with his name. Now that he can do things legally he is giving all 13 scholarship players a $500/month car allowance.

 

[nfrine]

It's gotta' be the shirts TJ wears....

 

[OtownClone]

After watching his career as a HC transpire thus far, it certainly begs the question of if he is so good, why didn't it work out at UNLV?

Was it a bad fit there, or is Iowa State just that extremely good of a fit for him/his personality?
Was his lack of success due to extenuating circumstances? Coached there during the height of covid, inherited lousy team etc. although the latter would've applied to Iowa State as well of course.
Other?

IIRC, UNLV had some injury issues his 2nd season, very up and down year. His 12 conference wins his first season is the highest at UNLV since the 2007-08 season. I imagine it would have gotten better with the talent he was brining in. Arthur Kaluma has certainly lived up to his high school rankings.

That is my understanding as well. TJ had a better than expected first year. I believe he may have gotten rid of some players that did not fit his program vision and then had some injuries the 2nd year. If I recall, Caleb Grill ended up playing a bunch of point that year. I think we can all agree that he is not a point guard and certainly was not as good overall as a sophomore. Our fanbase/environment in Hilton make a difference and there is something to be said about experience as a head coach. Along with some impressive improvement from transfers, those factors allowed for more success at ISU. Oh, and better assistants, too

 

[Frak]

That is my understanding as well. TJ had a better than expected first year. I believe he may have gotten rid of some players that did not fit his program vision and then had some injuries the 2nd year. If I recall, Caleb Grill ended up playing a bunch of point that year. I think we can all agree that he is not a point guard and certainly was not as good overall as a sophomore. Our fanbase/environment in Hilton make a difference and there is something to be said about experience as a head coach. Along with some impressive improvement from transfers, those factors allowed for more success at ISU. Oh, and better assistants, too

The other thing is knowing where to recruit. You're not going to win recruiting the south at ISU. The good players there will choose SEC schools every time. ISU has name recognition in the midwest. And you can win with those players. All you have to do is beat out mostly stodgy Big10 programs to get them. You don't have to beat MSU, KU or tOSU for guys, you just have to beat iowa, MN, WI, NE, IL, KSU, Creighton, Mizzou. Win most of your battles against that group and fill appropriately with the portal and you have a top 25 team every season.