(03-16-2017 04:40 PM)ExcitedOwl18 Wrote:  Names most often mentioned:

Riser from SeLA
Skip Johnson (long time UT pitching coach now at OU)
Dan Heefner from Dallas Baptist

Lance Berkman has told many that he wants the job, but I think hiring him could go very wrong.

(03-16-2017 04:40 PM)ExcitedOwl18 Wrote:  Names most often mentioned:

Riser from SeLA
Skip Johnson (long time UT pitching coach now at OU)
Dan Heefner from Dallas Baptist

Lance Berkman has told many that he wants the job, but I think hiring him could go very wrong.

(03-16-2017 04:44 PM)techdawg88 Wrote:  

(03-16-2017 04:40 PM)ExcitedOwl18 Wrote:  Names most often mentioned:

Riser from SeLA
Skip Johnson (long time UT pitching coach now at OU)
Dan Heefner from Dallas Baptist

Lance Berkman has told many that he wants the job, but I think hiring him could go very wrong.

Riser would be a great hire

(03-16-2017 04:40 PM)ExcitedOwl18 Wrote:  Names most often mentioned:

Lance Berkman has told many that he wants the job, but I think hiring him could go very wrong.

(03-16-2017 04:46 PM)tanqtonic Wrote:  

(03-16-2017 04:40 PM)ExcitedOwl18 Wrote:  Names most often mentioned:

Riser from SeLA
Skip Johnson (long time UT pitching coach now at OU)
Dan Heefner from Dallas Baptist

Lance Berkman has told many that he wants the job, but I think hiring him could go very wrong.

This assumes that Graham realizes he needs to go (not likely), or that the AD pulls the plug on him (even less likely, imo, given the course that athletics at Rice seems to be going).

I don't think this conversation will be germane until the earlier of: a) WG's contract running out in 2018; or b) Wayne having a health issue.

Note, this is not what I think *should* happen, but what I think *will* happen.

(03-16-2017 06:17 PM)eaglenjxn Wrote:  From an outside perspective: Couldnt see Rice pulling the plug until Graham is ready.

(03-16-2017 06:19 PM)BeagleUSM Wrote:  Hiring Lance Berkman would be akin to USM hiring Favre to coach football.

I've said before that Riser would be a really solid choice.

(03-16-2017 06:17 PM)eaglenjxn Wrote:  From an outside perspective: Couldnt see Rice pulling the plug until Graham is ready. And unless they end up missing the tourney a few years in a row, it makes no sense to do so.

College baseball is not the same sport as it was even 10 years ago. AD's are pumping money into baseball programs, so programs like Rice are no longer a big fish in a small pond. I'm not saying that Rice can't be an elite program again but that job is only going to become more difficult.

(Based on limited knowledge of the Rice program) You're already limited in your recruiting pool based on academic requirements and cost (leftover tuition/board). The prestige gap between Rice and other programs has rapidly closed and will continue to do so, as more programs throughout the country pump more money into baseball (facilities and better coaches) and have more recent success. There's just more competition now. Combine those two factors and I think it will take an elite coach (basically another Wayne Graham) just to keep Rice where it has been the last ten years (nevermind returning to the early 00s through 08). And there aren't many of those out there.

(03-16-2017 08:03 PM)tanqtonic Wrote:  

(03-16-2017 06:17 PM)eaglenjxn Wrote:  From an outside perspective: Couldnt see Rice pulling the plug until Graham is ready. And unless they end up missing the tourney a few years in a row, it makes no sense to do so.

College baseball is not the same sport as it was even 10 years ago. AD's are pumping money into baseball programs, so programs like Rice are no longer a big fish in a small pond. I'm not saying that Rice can't be an elite program again but that job is only going to become more difficult.

(Based on limited knowledge of the Rice program) You're already limited in your recruiting pool based on academic requirements and cost (leftover tuition/board). The prestige gap between Rice and other programs has rapidly closed and will continue to do so, as more programs throughout the country pump more money into baseball (facilities and better coaches) and have more recent success. There's just more competition now. Combine those two factors and I think it will take an elite coach (basically another Wayne Graham) just to keep Rice where it has been the last ten years (nevermind returning to the early 00s through 08). And there aren't many of those out there.

Combined with Rice not wanting to pump any money into college sports other than they absolutely have to. I think how Rice deals with baseball here is a clear signal where Rice will go as it relates to Division 1 sports.

(03-16-2017 08:09 PM)ExcitedOwl18 Wrote:  

(03-16-2017 08:03 PM)tanqtonic Wrote:  

(03-16-2017 06:17 PM)eaglenjxn Wrote:  From an outside perspective: Couldnt see Rice pulling the plug until Graham is ready. And unless they end up missing the tourney a few years in a row, it makes no sense to do so.

College baseball is not the same sport as it was even 10 years ago. AD's are pumping money into baseball programs, so programs like Rice are no longer a big fish in a small pond. I'm not saying that Rice can't be an elite program again but that job is only going to become more difficult.

(Based on limited knowledge of the Rice program) You're already limited in your recruiting pool based on academic requirements and cost (leftover tuition/board). The prestige gap between Rice and other programs has rapidly closed and will continue to do so, as more programs throughout the country pump more money into baseball (facilities and better coaches) and have more recent success. There's just more competition now. Combine those two factors and I think it will take an elite coach (basically another Wayne Graham) just to keep Rice where it has been the last ten years (nevermind returning to the early 00s through 08). And there aren't many of those out there.

Combined with Rice not wanting to pump any money into college sports other than they absolutely have to. I think how Rice deals with baseball here is a clear signal where Rice will go as it relates to Division 1 sports.

I think this argument is somewhat lost on our conference mates when we have above average coaching salaries for our league, competitive facilities, and a big market.

Attendance (and lately performance, but really not astoundingly bad) is really the only area we lag..

(03-16-2017 10:11 PM)eaglenjxn Wrote:  

(03-16-2017 08:09 PM)ExcitedOwl18 Wrote:  

(03-16-2017 08:03 PM)tanqtonic Wrote:  

(03-16-2017 06:17 PM)eaglenjxn Wrote:  From an outside perspective: Couldnt see Rice pulling the plug until Graham is ready. And unless they end up missing the tourney a few years in a row, it makes no sense to do so.

College baseball is not the same sport as it was even 10 years ago. AD's are pumping money into baseball programs, so programs like Rice are no longer a big fish in a small pond. I'm not saying that Rice can't be an elite program again but that job is only going to become more difficult.

(Based on limited knowledge of the Rice program) You're already limited in your recruiting pool based on academic requirements and cost (leftover tuition/board). The prestige gap between Rice and other programs has rapidly closed and will continue to do so, as more programs throughout the country pump more money into baseball (facilities and better coaches) and have more recent success. There's just more competition now. Combine those two factors and I think it will take an elite coach (basically another Wayne Graham) just to keep Rice where it has been the last ten years (nevermind returning to the early 00s through 08). And there aren't many of those out there.

Combined with Rice not wanting to pump any money into college sports other than they absolutely have to. I think how Rice deals with baseball here is a clear signal where Rice will go as it relates to Division 1 sports.

I think this argument is somewhat lost on our conference mates when we have above average coaching salaries for our league, competitive facilities, and a big market.

Attendance (and lately performance, but really not astoundingly bad) is really the only area we lag..

Yeah but in baseball, Rice isn't looking to compete with its conference mates. They are looking to compete nationally.

(03-16-2017 10:16 PM)ExcitedOwl18 Wrote:  

(03-16-2017 10:11 PM)eaglenjxn Wrote:  

(03-16-2017 08:09 PM)ExcitedOwl18 Wrote:  

(03-16-2017 08:03 PM)tanqtonic Wrote:  

(03-16-2017 06:17 PM)eaglenjxn Wrote:  From an outside perspective: Couldnt see Rice pulling the plug until Graham is ready. And unless they end up missing the tourney a few years in a row, it makes no sense to do so.

College baseball is not the same sport as it was even 10 years ago. AD's are pumping money into baseball programs, so programs like Rice are no longer a big fish in a small pond. I'm not saying that Rice can't be an elite program again but that job is only going to become more difficult.

(Based on limited knowledge of the Rice program) You're already limited in your recruiting pool based on academic requirements and cost (leftover tuition/board). The prestige gap between Rice and other programs has rapidly closed and will continue to do so, as more programs throughout the country pump more money into baseball (facilities and better coaches) and have more recent success. There's just more competition now. Combine those two factors and I think it will take an elite coach (basically another Wayne Graham) just to keep Rice where it has been the last ten years (nevermind returning to the early 00s through 08). And there aren't many of those out there.

Combined with Rice not wanting to pump any money into college sports other than they absolutely have to. I think how Rice deals with baseball here is a clear signal where Rice will go as it relates to Division 1 sports.

I think this argument is somewhat lost on our conference mates when we have above average coaching salaries for our league, competitive facilities, and a big market.

Attendance (and lately performance, but really not astoundingly bad) is really the only area we lag..

Yeah but in baseball, Rice isn't looking to compete with its conference mates. They are looking to compete nationally.

Yeah, I was referring to this decision being a referendum on D-1 athletics.

The nice thing about C-USA baseball is that if you are the #1 team in the league, you are probably in the top 20.. So competing (as in winning conference) and being nationally relevant aren't as incongruous as in some other sports.

But if you're talking about 02-08 Rice, we'll probably never see that again. I think most Rice fans get that. We just want Omaha once every four or five years.

(03-16-2017 10:16 PM)ExcitedOwl18 Wrote:  

(03-16-2017 10:11 PM)eaglenjxn Wrote:  

(03-16-2017 08:09 PM)ExcitedOwl18 Wrote:  

(03-16-2017 08:03 PM)tanqtonic Wrote:  

(03-16-2017 06:17 PM)eaglenjxn Wrote:  From an outside perspective: Couldnt see Rice pulling the plug until Graham is ready. And unless they end up missing the tourney a few years in a row, it makes no sense to do so.

College baseball is not the same sport as it was even 10 years ago. AD's are pumping money into baseball programs, so programs like Rice are no longer a big fish in a small pond. I'm not saying that Rice can't be an elite program again but that job is only going to become more difficult.

(Based on limited knowledge of the Rice program) You're already limited in your recruiting pool based on academic requirements and cost (leftover tuition/board). The prestige gap between Rice and other programs has rapidly closed and will continue to do so, as more programs throughout the country pump more money into baseball (facilities and better coaches) and have more recent success. There's just more competition now. Combine those two factors and I think it will take an elite coach (basically another Wayne Graham) just to keep Rice where it has been the last ten years (nevermind returning to the early 00s through 08). And there aren't many of those out there.

Combined with Rice not wanting to pump any money into college sports other than they absolutely have to. I think how Rice deals with baseball here is a clear signal where Rice will go as it relates to Division 1 sports.

I think this argument is somewhat lost on our conference mates when we have above average coaching salaries for our league, competitive facilities, and a big market.

Attendance (and lately performance, but really not astoundingly bad) is really the only area we lag..

Yeah but in baseball, Rice isn't looking to compete with its conference mates. They are looking to compete nationally.

Yeah, I was referring to this decision being a referendum on D-1 athletics.

The nice thing about C-USA baseball is that if you are the #1 team in the league, you are probably in the top 20.. So competing (as in winning conference) and being nationally relevant aren't as incongruous as in some other sports.

But if you're talking about 02-08 Rice, we'll probably never see that again. I think most Rice fans get that. We just want Omaha once every four or five years.

(03-16-2017 09:31 PM)nastybunch Wrote:  One of those Riser boys played with my grandson at PRCC in Poplarville, MS