Quote:Speedy Smith says it would be a mistake not to hire Dusty May

No, it's not a distress signal coming from north Louisiana — it's part of a hashtag (#MayDayInRuston) being used by current and former Louisiana Tech players who are pushing for associate head coach Dusty May to replace Michael White as the Bulldogs' next coach.

What started as a few innocent tweets from Tech players early Friday morning later turned into a full-on campaign that ended with the support from the most prominent Bulldog in recent memory, former point guard Speedy Smith.

"I don't want to harp on my University, but I think we'll make a mistake if we go a different direction than coach May," Smith told The News-Star on Friday night.

Smith started tweeting out in favor of May, who helped recruit Smith four years ago, to make it clear he wanted the long-time assistant to get a crack at the head job.

The tweets even made it all the way to Vanderbilt where former Tech assistant coach Derrick Jones, who is now on staff with the Commodores, tweeted that he'd love to see May get the job to "keep it rolling!!"

Smith said he's had previous conversations with May about one day becoming a head coach at Tech.

May has his chance now after the job officially came open Friday.

"No assistant wants to be an assistant forever," Smith said. "Some day, he wants his own show just like everyone wants their own show. Coach May just has the ability to raise the program to where it's at. I believe in him so much."

May has spent the last six years at Tech — four years under White and two previous years under Kerry Rupp. He first came on board in 2009 after stints at Indiana and UAB, which is why players think he should be rewarded with his loyalty.

"He's a great coach. In my opinion, I don't think there's a better hire than coach May at the moment right now," former Tech forward Michale Kyser said. "He's a hot assistant coach right now and he can take it to the next level."

The Indiana alumnus worked his way up White's staff, eventually earning the associated head coach title in 2014 after Isaac Brown left for Wichita State.

http://www.thenewsstar.com/story/sports/.../27063345/

May will certainly be considered, but the list of interested candidates is supposedly a long and impressive one. Whatever decision we make, I hope it is made this week. Though this coaching carousel that has developed at Tech is painful, it is also part of being successful at our level. There's not much we can do about it if the likes of Florida come calling.

He was very well thought of in Birmingham.

We are a victim of our success. We win and we lose good coaches. We lose and we can't afford to get rid of bad coaches. I am hopeful for a great addition that will keep us on the same trajectory as Coach White.

It'll be interesting to see how the players respond to the new hire if it's not Coach May. They seem to really like him.

(05-11-2015 11:06 AM)CajunFanatico Wrote:  It'll be interesting to see how the players respond to the new hire if it's not Coach May. They seem to really like him.

Hopefully my comment doesn't turn this into a smack thread by a certain few but IN MY OPINION that is what USM went through when Fedora left and Eloss was hired. IN MY OPINION, I feel like the players thought Blake Anderson was getting the job the whole time. Then when the team was in Hawaii for the bowl game, news broke that Eloss had been hired. The mood the next couple of days was part disbelief and part "who is this Eloss guy". Once again, IN MY OPINION it can have a big impact on those returning guys.

(05-11-2015 11:18 AM)usm99 Wrote:  

(05-11-2015 11:06 AM)CajunFanatico Wrote:  It'll be interesting to see how the players respond to the new hire if it's not Coach May. They seem to really like him.

Hopefully my comment doesn't turn this into a smack thread by a certain few but IN MY OPINION that is what USM went through when Fedora left and Eloss was hired. IN MY OPINION, I feel like the players thought Blake Anderson was getting the job the whole time. Then when the team was in Hawaii for the bowl game, news broke that Eloss had been hired. The mood the next couple of days was part disbelief and part "who is this Eloss guy". Once again, IN MY OPINION it can have a big impact on those returning guys.

The Eloss hire was really bad when he took forever to meet with the players and then told them that they had been playing football the wrong way the past 4 years.

Any new coach has the opportunity to win over the returning players. Most coaches have the character and drive to do this with the majority of the players. Some players may need to transfer out due to a difference in philosophy and their role not fitting with the new style/system. Sometimes, this is even the case when a university hires from within.

This whole hiring process is a very uneasy for all the players.

(05-11-2015 11:06 AM)CajunFanatico Wrote:  It'll be interesting to see how the players respond to the new hire if it's not Coach May. They seem to really like him.

Speedy is a former player. Three current players have publicly shown support but it has mostly been speedy. I think we'll hire the best coach for the job. Coach May is a candidate though.

I'll let the administration do what they will. They've earned my trust with the last several hires. We can't let a bunch of kids and fans dictate our next coach- they aren't the ones ultimately responsible for his firing if he isn't any good.

(05-11-2015 11:38 AM)Sixwings86 Wrote:  I'll let the administration do what they will. They've earned my trust with the last several hires. We can't let a bunch of kids and fans dictate our next coach- they aren't the ones ultimately responsible for his firing if he isn't any good.

This is my way of thinking also.

Dusty is going to be a great coach one day. I think he would do very well here, however given our recent success and the lack there of come tourney time. I want an experienced head coach. I am hopeful that our Adm tests the waters before deciding to keep it in house.

(05-11-2015 11:18 AM)usm99 Wrote:  

(05-11-2015 11:06 AM)CajunFanatico Wrote:  It'll be interesting to see how the players respond to the new hire if it's not Coach May. They seem to really like him.

Hopefully my comment doesn't turn this into a smack thread by a certain few but IN MY OPINION that is what USM went through when Fedora left and Eloss was hired. IN MY OPINION, I feel like the players thought Blake Anderson was getting the job the whole time. Then when the team was in Hawaii for the bowl game, news broke that Eloss had been hired. The mood the next couple of days was part disbelief and part "who is this Eloss guy". Once again, IN MY OPINION it can have a big impact on those returning guys.

Every hire these days is a huge hire. Make the right hire and your program can soar for 4 or 5 years or more. Make the wrong hire and you're suddenly behind the 8 ball.

I found the linked story on the LaTech bulletin board. Interesting thread about not only this particular hire, but others in the past. One quote from the article that stuck in many a craw of the Tech fans was this one:

Quote:"Coach May is the guy for the job because if he doesn't get the job, those players are going to leave," Smith said.

Seems there have been some hires in the past that looked like they were made to appease players and they didn't work out so well.

Both this subject, pressure from inside and out to make a certain hire, and the issue of players taking to social media to express their views of the inner-workings of a program or where they think the program should head, are intertwined today with our system of instant access to news from around the world. Don't know how athletic directors and coaches can control such things, or if it's even possible to control, but it's an issue most universiy administrations will face at one point or another.

Gotta take the best candidate possible. If we make a hire with a proven track record and known name, the players should buy in. If we hire some old retread on the cheap, we will have problems. The administration has to show they are committed to winning with this hire.

(05-11-2015 01:19 PM)RonBurgundy Wrote:  Gotta take the best candidate possible. If we make a hire with a proven track record and known name, the players should buy in. If we hire some old retread on the cheap, we will have problems. The administration has to show they are committed to winning with this hire.

Gotta believe it'll be someone with a proven track record and known name or Dusty May. Can't see the logic of hiring some old retread.

And while it's a risk to promote any assistant to the head coaching position, obviously Dusty is a known quantity to the fans and administration, obviously liked by the players, and obviously has the trust of Mike White. That's all solid in my book.