A coaching search at this level has become another season for college sports fans. Much like recruiting and trying to close the deal with big-time prospects, coaching searches give fans another opportunity to pour their emotions into their schools and teams.
I must admit that following the search on social media is a lot more entertaining than the actual search. Some of the stuff that I read tickles my soul. I understand that fans want the juicy news. I get it. I really do. Here's a secret: If you know all of the details, your AD isn't doing a good job of navigating through the process. Just like recruiting, you want to keep the process professional and clean as possible because of the number of individuals -- and families -- that could be impacted by a search.
And, remember, the coach is in the locker room on a daily basis preaching trust, loyalty, togetherness and never quitting. If a story is reported and a particular coach is linked to that job, his position in the locker room is completely compromised. Once that happens, players tune you out. I'm completely speculating but I wouldn't be surprised at all if that happened at Houston with Herman. He could've very well gotten spooked, causing him to "publicly" denounce his disinterest in the job. A very important component of a coaching search is to never spook the candidate.
BASKETBALL COACHING SEARCH
About four years ago, I was very lucky and fortunate to be a very small part of the process when it came to the men's basketball coaching search. First of all, what an honor it was. Especially, because I was on radio every single day. Rumors, innuendos and speculation ran rampant on a daily basis. The decision to ask for my opinion and also discuss certain things in my presence really made me feel special. This was top secret information, even from the standpoint of how I was ushered into the AD's office to have our initial conversation. There was no way I was going to violate the trust shown in me. If they thought enough of me to have me in there, I was going to reciprocate that gesture by not saying a word to anyone.
The one thing everyone must understand is that there's a concerted effort to get the absolute best candidate. They discuss everything from what went wrong with the last coach to what they're looking for in the next coach. One of the things that impressed me was the transparency everyone operated with. Even to the point of admitting mistakes.
From there, you identify a pool of candidates that fit the criteria that you're looking for in your next coach. Then a pool of candidates is formed and you have a process of ranking your candidates. Ideally, you don't want to get beyond your first candidate. The one thing you don't want is a lot of guys turning down the opportunity to coach at your institution. Fair or unfair, there's a negative connotation that comes with it and it's viewed as diminishing the value of your program.
Once the pool of candidates is formed, you have third-party conversation to assess interest of potential candidates. Again, you don't want to make it messy by involving too many people. After your candidates are ranked, you arrange for communication via telephone or in person. This is the part that intrigued me more than anything. I must admit, I thought I know all of the intricacies of big-time college athletics because of my time as serving as captain of the men's basketball team. As captain, I was allowed to have input on just about everything from team punishment, travel, uniforms, recruits, game planning, restaurants, etc. Come to find out, I had no clue. So if I had no clue with all of that experience, I'd nicely say, imagine how much outsiders really know about the process.
The AD and his group know that the school plane will be tracked so they make plans to counter that. Not to say that it won't happen but very seldom are you going to be able to detect the plane early in the process. Later? Maybe but not early in the process. So, there's always a plan in place to serve as a diversion to occupy the media.
From that point, let the speculation begin. The toughest part for me was listening to other folks in the media falsely report so many things with their sources. Maybe it's me but I think anyone with a media platform has a responsibility when it comes to delivering news to the public. I can understand opinions but to constantly reference "my source" is a little irresponsible.
I'd listen to so many people make these matter-of-fact statements that were so far from the truth. It was a two-sided coin for me. One side of me wanted to bust the bubble of all of the guys who were just completely making up stuff. The other side, honestly, made me feel just a little special because I had an idea of what was going on. I knew who the number one candidate was, the second candidate and the third candidate, also known as the fall-back candidate.
The one thing that was always said was the number one candidate doesn't need to hear that he's not the number one candidate and make sure the number one candidate isn't spooked. That was priority. Again, it's all speculation but this is why I'd be shocked to find out that Herman wasn't spooked once the story broke in Columbia that there was a potential deal in place. I always fall prey to experience. I'm just saying without knowing anything.
The other neat thing about the process is that my radio partner at the time, Eric Guimares, had no idea I knew anything. Matter of fact, when he found out, he was amazed at the fact that I never gave in to some of the crazy speculation that took place on a daily basis. Nobody outside of the small group of people that were part of the initial meeting knew I had any involvement. It wasn't until the introductory press conference when the AD said he consulted with a former player during the process. I was one of the former players at the press conference but for some strange reason, everyone in the room knew that former player was me.
It was an unbelievable experience. It was really an honor to have that type of trust bestowed upon me. By staying true to our creed and not compromising trust, it gave me unbelievable credibility with some people that were hesitant and reluctant about trusting me. Since then, it let other high-ranking officials know that I could be trusted. This is one of the highlights of my sports life and will always be held in the highest regard.
In closing, trust Ray Tanner and his group to get the most qualified candidate. I know this may be hard for some to believe but there's nobody that wants to put a winning team on the field more than Tanner. With that being said, the process, much like recruiting, is an inexact science. You find your coach, let it play out and hope like heck it works out.
I must admit that following the search on social media is a lot more entertaining than the actual search. Some of the stuff that I read tickles my soul. I understand that fans want the juicy news. I get it. I really do. Here's a secret: If you know all of the details, your AD isn't doing a good job of navigating through the process. Just like recruiting, you want to keep the process professional and clean as possible because of the number of individuals -- and families -- that could be impacted by a search.
And, remember, the coach is in the locker room on a daily basis preaching trust, loyalty, togetherness and never quitting. If a story is reported and a particular coach is linked to that job, his position in the locker room is completely compromised. Once that happens, players tune you out. I'm completely speculating but I wouldn't be surprised at all if that happened at Houston with Herman. He could've very well gotten spooked, causing him to "publicly" denounce his disinterest in the job. A very important component of a coaching search is to never spook the candidate.
BASKETBALL COACHING SEARCH
About four years ago, I was very lucky and fortunate to be a very small part of the process when it came to the men's basketball coaching search. First of all, what an honor it was. Especially, because I was on radio every single day. Rumors, innuendos and speculation ran rampant on a daily basis. The decision to ask for my opinion and also discuss certain things in my presence really made me feel special. This was top secret information, even from the standpoint of how I was ushered into the AD's office to have our initial conversation. There was no way I was going to violate the trust shown in me. If they thought enough of me to have me in there, I was going to reciprocate that gesture by not saying a word to anyone.
The one thing everyone must understand is that there's a concerted effort to get the absolute best candidate. They discuss everything from what went wrong with the last coach to what they're looking for in the next coach. One of the things that impressed me was the transparency everyone operated with. Even to the point of admitting mistakes.
From there, you identify a pool of candidates that fit the criteria that you're looking for in your next coach. Then a pool of candidates is formed and you have a process of ranking your candidates. Ideally, you don't want to get beyond your first candidate. The one thing you don't want is a lot of guys turning down the opportunity to coach at your institution. Fair or unfair, there's a negative connotation that comes with it and it's viewed as diminishing the value of your program.
Once the pool of candidates is formed, you have third-party conversation to assess interest of potential candidates. Again, you don't want to make it messy by involving too many people. After your candidates are ranked, you arrange for communication via telephone or in person. This is the part that intrigued me more than anything. I must admit, I thought I know all of the intricacies of big-time college athletics because of my time as serving as captain of the men's basketball team. As captain, I was allowed to have input on just about everything from team punishment, travel, uniforms, recruits, game planning, restaurants, etc. Come to find out, I had no clue. So if I had no clue with all of that experience, I'd nicely say, imagine how much outsiders really know about the process.
The AD and his group know that the school plane will be tracked so they make plans to counter that. Not to say that it won't happen but very seldom are you going to be able to detect the plane early in the process. Later? Maybe but not early in the process. So, there's always a plan in place to serve as a diversion to occupy the media.
From that point, let the speculation begin. The toughest part for me was listening to other folks in the media falsely report so many things with their sources. Maybe it's me but I think anyone with a media platform has a responsibility when it comes to delivering news to the public. I can understand opinions but to constantly reference "my source" is a little irresponsible.
I'd listen to so many people make these matter-of-fact statements that were so far from the truth. It was a two-sided coin for me. One side of me wanted to bust the bubble of all of the guys who were just completely making up stuff. The other side, honestly, made me feel just a little special because I had an idea of what was going on. I knew who the number one candidate was, the second candidate and the third candidate, also known as the fall-back candidate.
The one thing that was always said was the number one candidate doesn't need to hear that he's not the number one candidate and make sure the number one candidate isn't spooked. That was priority. Again, it's all speculation but this is why I'd be shocked to find out that Herman wasn't spooked once the story broke in Columbia that there was a potential deal in place. I always fall prey to experience. I'm just saying without knowing anything.
The other neat thing about the process is that my radio partner at the time, Eric Guimares, had no idea I knew anything. Matter of fact, when he found out, he was amazed at the fact that I never gave in to some of the crazy speculation that took place on a daily basis. Nobody outside of the small group of people that were part of the initial meeting knew I had any involvement. It wasn't until the introductory press conference when the AD said he consulted with a former player during the process. I was one of the former players at the press conference but for some strange reason, everyone in the room knew that former player was me.
It was an unbelievable experience. It was really an honor to have that type of trust bestowed upon me. By staying true to our creed and not compromising trust, it gave me unbelievable credibility with some people that were hesitant and reluctant about trusting me. Since then, it let other high-ranking officials know that I could be trusted. This is one of the highlights of my sports life and will always be held in the highest regard.
In closing, trust Ray Tanner and his group to get the most qualified candidate. I know this may be hard for some to believe but there's nobody that wants to put a winning team on the field more than Tanner. With that being said, the process, much like recruiting, is an inexact science. You find your coach, let it play out and hope like heck it works out.
