[Who Dey]

So who is going to replace Mike Davis as head coach at Indiana.
Steve Alford has always wanted the job, the people of Indiana all want Steve Alford to have the job.
Just doesn't make a lot of sense.
If they were going to hire Alford, why didn't they just go ahead and announce it the day after IU lost to Gonzaga?

[wvuauthor]

That is a good point, but I am sure that they are also looking at other candidates. I just do not know who else they would be considering? Alford is an IU guy, always has been always will be. If I were in charge I would go after him...then again they could see if Bobby Knight is interested

[38SadlerFan]

Rumors around here (it's like all we do in Iowa is gossip!) are that IU doesn't want Alford after his less than stellar NCAA performance this year. Alford had a press conference here yesterday saying he has not interviewed for any other positions and doesn't plan on it and looks forward to staying in Iowa for even more "record breaking" seasons.

My guess? Since ISU hired Greg McDermott out from under UI's nose, they are throwing more perks to keep Alford here.

[rmjvol]

What's the local concensus on Alford, Heather? People in Iowa pretty happy with him?

[Lefty Noob]

I'm utterly amazed that Alford appears to be staying put and not heading to Indiana. Doesn't this put a ton of pressure on the Hoosiers, assuming that Alford was indeed their No. 1 guy? Reminds me of a few years ago when the Nebraska football program canned Frank Solich without a solid back-up plan. They had to scramble to try and land a big name. I think for the Davis firing to seem justified, they need to pull in a well-known, well-liked coach. You guys agree?

[DrCool]

Here are some names I have heard thrown around:

Tom Creen from Marquette - I think this would be a good option. Creen has shown he can win and IU could be a step up from Marquette in terms of tradition and clout although Marquette isn't a slouch by any means.

Thad Motta from Ohio State - Recently went from Xaiver to Ohio State. I don't see this as a good move for Motta seeing how he just got to Ohio State. This would be more of a lateral move than an upward move for Motta.

Mark Few from Gonzaga - Few says he loves GU and Spokane and has no desire to go anywhere but we have all heard that before and then seen a guy change his mind when he gets a truckload of cash backed up to his door. For IU this would be a great move and they would get a great coach. For Few I think this would be a bad move. He would come with high expectations that nobody could live up to and he would just be setting himself up for failure even if he has what most people would be considered a successful season.

Billy Gillispie from Texas A&M - I think this would be the ideal pick. He is a coach at a big time school that doesn't have much of a big time basketball program. Moving to IU would give him an opportunity to prove himself at one of the top 10 basketball programs (at least over the past 30 years or so) in the country.

Whoever goes there will have a tough time. Mike Davis had some good years and put together quite a few winning seasons but that wasn't enough for IU. He should be coaching somewhere next year and will probably be successful.

[Lefty Noob]

Motta could be a possibility if any additional sanctions are levied against the Buckeyes, but that isn't likely.

Few would be a good pickup. A guy like that who has had such success with a smallish program is always a good choice. Not sure I'd say its a bad move for him totally either. Sure, he wouldn't have the job security he has now, but the money would be much better and if he did eventually get the axe, he's a good enough coach that he'd land on his feet elsewhere.

[DrCool]

The thing with Few is he is really tied into the community here in Spokane. He does a lot of charity work here also. I believe his Coaches vs. Cancer fundraisers are some of the tops in the country and his wife and family really like Spokane. He loves the program at Gonzaga and the kids there as well.

To me it seems like the money won't be a huge factor in his decision but it is hard to say no to a huge contract. He has turned down some great offers over the past few years and it will be interesting to see what unfolds here.

[ThePundit]

I'll throw a crazy one out there: P.J. Carlisemo - He was an outstanding college coach and his style is more suited tot he college game anwyay. He's presently an assistant with the Spurs.

[38SadlerFan]

Most of the Iowa fans I know (and I work in Iowa City, so that's a lot of people) have wanted to get rid of Alford and hire McDermott for some time now. Attendance at games has dropped significantly in the last 4 years and it's hurting the financial aspects of the program (although the school keeps throwing more money at him for a salary).

I saw a local news report last night that said Alford was told that after losing in the NCAA tournament, he wasn't even one of the top two choices of Indiana, so that's why he decided not to interview and instead stay at Iowa.

[DrCool]

ESPN is reporting that Kelvin Sampson is gonna be hired as the new coach. I think that is a good hire for Indiana. He has a proven track record and should do a good job for the Hoosiers.

[Lefty Noob]

Not bad. Sampson went 279-109 in 12 seasons at Oklahoma, and clearly the Indiana brass want to rebuild the program from the ground up, meaning no Bobby Knight guys. They're expected to make it official on Wednesday.

[ThePundit]

I haven't seen Oklahoma enough to make an informed opinion. So I'll take Dr. Cool's word for it that it's a good choice. It doesn't seem that there's a lot out good candidates out there anyway.