So, while Tiger fans are in recovery mode, there apparently isn't that much time to dwell on the Final Four losses. While the Final Four is certainly a blessing, it can also be a curse. It's a time of potential upheaval for a program, because the success leads to other programs wishing they had what you have and people looking for greener pastures. Case in point, while we debate whether Big Baby and Tyrus leave (and certainly their performances lend credence to the argument that they should stay), John Brady's and Butch Pierre's futures at LSU also hang in the balance. Today the Advocate reports that Brady wants to stay, but obviously, he wants to be treated "fairly". I wonder how much all of the undeserved bashing sits now with Brady and our school's administration. It certainly doesn't help. http://www.2theadvocate.com/sports/2566011.html This should be really an eye opener, b/c there are some "high profile" schools looking, like Oklahoma and NC State, where salaries easily could eclispe Brady's paltry $715K per. In addition, Brady is currently paid less than Tubby, Donovan, Pearl and Gottfried (can you say, never been to a final four?)(and probably Lebo, too?), in the SEC alone. I wonder do all of the Brady bashers want a change now? Also, if you were Skip, what do you offer Brady? Let's hope Skip does the right thing. Not only pay Brady what he's worth, but also up the ante for John Treloar, Pierre and staff. Then, upgrade our facilities (remember, LSU spends half of what Florida spends on men's basketball...) didn't realize we didn't upgrade our locker rooms and practice facilities... that's a key recruiting expense, Skip. As for Pierre, he's also in the hunt for a head coaching position (not anything new). With a Final Four to his credit, perhaps a mid-major will be calling. He's interested in UAB and Murray State, right now. There might be others. What's interesting in all of this is, what if we up the salary for Brady, but Butch leaves? Do we lose Butch's recruiting? Does Nikita then get the chance to step up? This is going to be an interesting few weeks LSU hoops fans. April 29th... Draft deadline. Brady and Butch, in the coaching carousel? And, we go right into the heat of summer high school hoops recruiting... where we could be one PG and another top recruit away from perennial college bball dominance. :geauxtige :bball: :champs: LSU IS A BASKETBALL SCHOOL. RESTORE THE FAITH.
What happened to NCSU with Herb Sendek over the weekend is an intriguing situation with some parallels to Brady and LSU. It appears that Brady has turned the corner not only in program building and success, but also in fan recognition and support. Attendance still lagged this season, but I have to think that even if Thomas leaves there will be a lot of excitement and better attendance for next season. As you very insightfully point out though, there are many aspects to a successful program and hopefully LSU will cover all the bases -- assistant coaches and facilities are key. Marketing the program is also key so hopefully we will see an increased national TV presence next year too. I've heard a couple of comments on sports radio about Jim Treloar and the fact that schools where he's coached keep turning up in Final Fours, but he keeps flying under the radar for head coaching positions. It's probably no accident that Brady has seemed like a better coach with Treloar around. (That's not meant as a sideways jab at Brady, one of a HC's primary responsibilities is to surround himself with a good staff.) Hopefully Skip will keep investing in basketball facilities. I haven't seen the PMAC since it was renovated but I've heard it was a much needed improvement. Given our recent results the return on investment has to look pretty good.
Interesting point. A coach hiring is certainly a speculative game... but bottomline is, unless you're Coach K (and perhaps they'll be Duke fans that even question his eminence after what, going 2 for 7 in his last sweet 16s?) or Roy Williams, people always think they can do better. Much the same for Tiger fans in the past few years. Sendek leaves NC State despite a 62% career winning percentage and 5 consecutive NCAA appearances. Look at the good and bad... Bad (from the "fans"): http://forums.go.com/abclocal/WTVD/thread?threadID=109675 Good (from Arizona St. players and hoops fans): http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/sports/articles/0403asusendek0403.html How much is Arizona State (a mid-tier Pac 10 team) going to pay Mr. Sendek? Between $1M to $1.3M. How are you liking the job that Brady did now, "Fans"? :hihi: :thumb: We can only see if the starved NCState fans searching for a "promised land" coach find someone as good as Sendek. Rick Barnes (who was a friend of Sendek's and from NC) has already said he's not interested... Other interesting coaching notes... Steve Alford backtracks to show his "love" for Iowa. He also is in the market for a contract extension. From the Seattle Times... After nearly two months of speculation that Steve Alford might leave as the Iowa men's basketball coach, he talked publicly for the first time on Saturday about his name being mentioned as a possible candidate for jobs at Indiana and Missouri. "The bottom line is, I never interviewed anywhere," said Alford hihi: ), who is in Indianapolis for the Final Four, "and it should be a pretty good indicator of how happy I am and what I think we can [accomplish]." The next step is meeting with Iowa athletic director Bob Bowlsby about a possible contract extension. Alford's current deal runs through June 2009 and pays him $800,000 annually. Let's see if he gets an extension after a first round upset loss to the Demons... :redface: :geauxtige :bball: :champs: LSU IS A BASKETBALL SCHOOL. RESTORE THE FAITH. P.S. Totally agree on Treloar. I think he made a huge difference these past couple of years. He's definitely a strong Xs and Os guy that was missing when Kermit Davis left the staff. Skip and Brady better show him some love...
Skip has already stated that he was going to talk to Brady about his contract after the season. A Final Four appearance will buy you a five year, 5-million-dollar contract in the SEC, I imagine.
brady isnt going anywhere...nothing to worry about on that one...not even really worried about thomas or davis...they both should know another year would do nothing but benefit them greatly.
From SI.com.......... Brady says he wants to stay at LSU Posted: Monday April 3, 2006 2:30PM; Updated: Monday April 3, 2006 2:30PM BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) -- LSU basketball coach John Brady hopes to take another team to the Final Four next season. And he hopes it will be the Tigers. In the third year of a five-year contract worth $715,000 a year, which ranks among the lowest salaries among Southeastern Conference men's coaches, Brady said he would like to see some changes, however. "I'm not pursuing other jobs, but I'm in no hurry to decide anything right now," Brady said. "I'm confident that the people who make those decisions will take care of them. My only request is to be dealt with fairly in terms of salary and a strong commitment to the basketball program." Brady said he has a lot going for him at LSU, including family ties to the area, a good staff and momentum going into next year after making this year's Final Four. "I am very aware of what I have and I appreciate what people have done for me to this point." Brady said. "But I also look at what other coaches have done and how they've been compensated, and I want to move forward in a fair and responsible way," http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2006/basketball/ncaa/04/03/bc.bkc.lsu.brady.ap/index.html
Ok, I'll admit that I'm a bigger Brady fan than many on this board. That being said, the guy just got his team to the final four. And the Brady bashers are coming out in force offended that the dude asked for more money. The arguments seem to be the guy had one good year, the dude needs to "prove" himself some more :shock:. Well, let's just try to keep it real here. Brady was paid under a $715K per year contract. He's asked for a $500k raise to take him to $1.2M. Before everyone casts stones, let's see what the SEC coaches are being paid per year (note that this is the "package" everyone's base is lower and there are games that can be played with incentives): Tubby: $2.5M Billy D: $1.7M Pearl: $1.1M Gottfried: $1M Stallings: $981K Heath: $773K Lebo: $750K Brady: $715K So, before you cast judgment on Brady's requests, note that Brady is the eighth highest paid coach in the SEC. The man has been to the final four, he has two SEC championships, 3 SEC west division titles, 3 POYs, 3 FOYs, 2 COYs. He's asking to be paid $1.2M which would be the third highest coach in the SEC, and no other coach in the SEC other than those who would be paid more than him, have been to a final four. There are those that are saying that $715k is a lot of money, but that's not the right question. If you want to win in a market, you have to pay market, right? What's Brady's market? SEC coaches. This is not even taking into account that Big 10, Big 12, Big East and ACC coaches can get paid more. So, what do the real LSU "fans" think Skip should do? Play cheap, offend the guy that's brought LSU's men its first final four in 20 years, and then go pick up some unproven mid major coach off the streets for less? Or pay a guy who's weathered one of the worst college basketball probations in history and rebuilt the program despite the probation and moronic "fans" out there. I think that Skip should meet Brady's request, or if not for valid financial reasons, pay him slightly more than Pearl, and spread some cash around to Trelor, Pierre, etc. Let's be honest, basketball should be the second highest invested in sport at LSU (and, no offense to Smoke, but the baseball programs treading water), and it has the longest way to go to catch up with our SEC brethren. :geauxtige :bball: :champs: LSU IS A BASKETBALL SCHOOL. RESTORE THE FAITH.
