Rate the Kellogg hire

[UMass87]

I agree with both pf you, jeff93 and umass21.

[JAR]

After hearing the press conference I would like to change my vote from "Very Good" to "Ecstatic". I think he is going to do a great job at UMass.

[nale]

I
We need to allow Derek time to build HIS program. He has a good foundation, but expecting an instant return to the 90s success is improbable and setting him up for failure.

Nice post Jeff93. I agree with most of it. One note not only is an 'instant return to the 90s success is improbable' a return to that level may never happen.
Five straight A10 regular and conference championships, a 35 win season, a 38 and 1 record at the Mullins center at one point, 27 straight win at the Mullins Center, an allover 26 game winning streak, five years in a row with three or more All-A10 teams players, once with five player making the All-10 teams, A college basketball player of the year, four straight NCCA appearances, #1 team in th country and on and on.
If anyone truly has expectations that Coach Kellogg has to reach that level to be sucessful they are setting him up for failure.
Certainly some of those thing are possible with Derek as the coach. But for me if he can consistantly be in the hunt for the A10 championships and make the NCCA's every couple of years maybe even make UMASS a constant top 30 team and always send a hard working exciting team onto the court he will be doing a great job.

[philosopher]

Withholding judgment at this time. A couple of factors at play here:

1. Returning to your alma mater may be a dream job that turns into a nightmare. Are we letting DK be DK or will we expect more from him at a "hometown reduced salary"? I've seen that enough in other sports and other venues outside of sports to fear that.

2. Let's see who his assistants are. Does he bring Wahlberg in? Does he bring in someone who is a mastermind at X's and O's?

3. Let's see about the big guys who are supposedly coming in. Does he keep them or not?

I am thinking "gray," not black nor white. Suspending judgment until there is a body of work to evaluate.

[Used to be VOR]

I hold no aspirations for a final four run (but I do dream). I just want to do the following things....

#1 - Win an A-10 tournament game

#2 - Have a coach who actually is happy to be in Amherst

#3 - Have a coach who is not so full of sh*t that it oozes out his ears

#4 - Make a NCAA bid an average of once every three to four years

#5 - Have limited off field problems

#6 - Outduel A-10 schools for recruits, and steal a BCS kid every once in a while.

[Jeff93]

I agree with you Phil, I wasn't suggesting DK stay in Amherst at a reduced salary out of the goodness of his heart, just that there are other factors at play beyond the money that we did not have with previous coaches. How often does someone as qualified as DK come out of WMass? Not too often I would venture to guess. I just used the money as an example that of all the candidadtes, I thin kDK is the one who would be least likely to bolt just for dollars and prestige. I think he sees this program partly as his own (and he's right) and that he can hopefully restore (or continue to restore, with all due respect to TF) some of the former recognition.

[umass1234]

I voted a 6. For a team in a conference that finished only behind BCS schools in RPI I would have liked to have a hire of a coach who has actually been a head coach before. I didn't vote lower than a 6 though because I think he has potential and is a supurb recruiter. I hope he finishes with a 10 approval rating at the end of the upcoming season.

[nale]

I hold no aspirations for a final four run (but I do dream). I just want to do the following things....

#1 - Win an A-10 tournament game

#2 - Have a coach who actually is happy to be in Amherst

#3 - Have a coach who is not so full of sh*t that it oozes out his ears

#4 - Make a NCAA bid an average of once every three to four years

#5 - Have limited off field problems

#6 - Outduel A-10 schools for recruits, and steal a BCS kid every once in a while.

I likeyour lower expectations but I would want a little more for #1 and #4. DK teams should at some point compete in and win an A10 tournment. #4 I would like the NCCA's every two or three years.
#2, #4 #5 and #6 are excellent, reasonable and achieveable.

[uz2b-len]

We've veered off into another thread, but the NCAA's every two or three years won't be good enough. It's gotta be NCAA two out of three years to keep people interested. If we're not getting into the dance two out of every three years then we're obviously not competing very effectively in the conference.

[UMassHoops]

Desire:

1- National Championship

2- NCAA's 2 out of 3 years. NIT the other.

3- DK as coach for the next 20 years

4- DK retires as the most celebrated coach in UMass history

5- A-10 champion every other year on average

Expect:

1- Sweet 16 appearance

2- NCAA every other year

3- A-10 champion every 3 or 4 years

I don't think we have to worry too much about setting our expectations too high though. I think DK will be the one setting the bar way up there. A guy that won 4 A10 championships in a row, and never had a losing season at Memphis isn't going to be happy making the NIT.

[MikeUMA]

We've veered off into another thread....

Yeah guys, we have a separate discussion out there about expectations.
<a href="http://umasshoops.com/board/viewtopic.p ... ?t=9356</a>

[Robertorell]

After hearing the press conference I would like to change my vote from "Very Good" to "Ecstatic". I think he is going to do a great job at UMass.

I feel much the opposite after hearing the press conference! Just goes to show you how different people get different impressions of what they hear.

I certainly hope I'm wrong, but what I heard was the tone of a coach who seemed slightly overwhelmed and maybe even slightly over his head. I certainly hope that I'm completely wrong on this! Time will tell....

Even if it is the case, he'll have plenty of time to grow into the role, of course.

Derek has strong local ties and was a huge part of building our success in the 90's - I think many of us are naturally attracted to having someone like this guide the program especially at this moment in time, after we've effectively been used as a career stepping-stone by the previous coach.

For some reason, I'm less optimistic than some here about the hire. Let's hope that his persuasive qualities and charisma were a big part in bringing heralded recruits to Memphis, rather than it simply being a case of the residue of Coach Cal's significant coattails. For now, I'm still in need of convincing. The press conference I listened to didn't bolster my confidence as it did for others.

Flame away, gentlemen!

[DEM]

Robertorell, right after the press conference, I actually felt somewhat like you do. DK looked a little awkward up there. However, I realized afterwards that it was more a public speaking issue than anything else (and that will get better with more experience). If you listen to what he said, rather than how he looked, it was actually right on the money with what you'd want a head coach to say.

This post press conference interview was posted yesterday I think from masslive.

http://blog.masslive.com/minuteblog/200 ... ogg_i.html

To me, he sounds more refined and confident in that interview, and most importantly, he sounds like a coach with a vision. But in any case, it's hard to tell just from things like interviews and press conferences. I'm going along with my hunch that we made a great choice.

[UMassHoops]

I thought DK looked a bit awkward up there also. But my confidence was bolstered not because of the polish, but because of the sincerity. My intuition told me this was a guy speaking from the heart, and this was his dream job. I thought not only will this guy want to succeed, but he will love the fact that he is succeeding with HIS team. Doesn't mean he won't ever leave, but I think he is a guy that is here for all the right reasons.

I also know from his resume that he is a highly qualified candidate, 8 years tutoring with the best in the business, and a great recruiter. It's not just about his being a hometown guy.

That said, somebody from the department PLEASE adjust the freaking microphone stand. When you have a tall guy on the podium you need microphones that allow that person to speak from a comfortable standing position. I think part of why some people might have thought he was awkward was simply that he was hunched over trying to reach the microphone. As a tall guy myself I have encountered that problem and it is quite awkward, you need to hunch to get your voice to project correctly. The best solution is either a wireless microfone attached to your lapel, holding the microphone in your hand, or just having an AV crew that knows how to adjust the height correctly. They blew that one and it made DK look a bit uncomfortable up there in my opinion.

[uz2b-len]

I like the fact that he's assisted three different head coaches, that gives him a little more perspective and breadth of experience.