(03-17-2019 05:53 PM)SoCalBobcat78 Wrote:  

(03-17-2019 03:13 PM)MCanaday9 Wrote:  Hi! Non-bickering UMKC fan over here... So, I knew this was inevitable because they got a new AD. I'm not surprised. However, based on paying attention and being a casual fan of UMKC for 20-25 years, I'm not sure that they can do any better. Despite their record, I do feel that UMKC got better this year than last. Also, UMKC is only losing 1 senior and returning a lot of the team. I feel they can make that improvement for next year. Perhaps it's just wishful thinking, but I would get rid of Kareem next year and do a complete reset as opposed to resetting this year with brand new players.


Their new AD was a solid hire, so hopefully he will reciprocate and get a solid coach. However, Kareem was one of the best assistants in the nation and had just helped Louisville to a National Championship (at the time). So, it will be interesting to see where he goes from here.


Whom do you see as a potential candidate? Salary wise, UMKC seems to be on par ($240-$280k) with some of the other WAC schools. I'd love to hear your responses.

I have no idea, but Northwest Missouri State head coach Ben McCollum might be a nice place to start. His team is 32-0 and #1 ranked in the country at the D2 level. Dr. Brandon Martin has set a goal of being a top 100 basketball team. UVU, which has the same basketball budget of $1.8 million that UMKC has, has achieved a top 100 ranking the past two seasons. They were #89 in RPI in 2018 and they are #90 in Net ranking this season and #59 in RPI. So it can be achieved on your current basketball budget.

UVU is paying Mark Pope a base salary of $200,000. Then there are a number of incentives to increase his salary:

https://www.ksl.com/article/46345932/500...w-contract

Some are easy to attain, some a little more difficult. So you can find a good coach in your current salary range. Dr. Martin played his college ball and at USC and played a little pro ball, so he probably has a good understanding of what is needed at UMKC.

The next coach not only has to recruit the Midwest well, they need to be able to recruit in places like Texas and the West. Outside of Chicago, UMKC is not playing conference road games in the Midwest and should be at least attempting to see what under-the-radar recruits they might be able to steal out of these areas.

On Kareem Richardson, he walked into a bad situation and he could not make it better. The previous AD was in over her head and the budget cuts just made things more difficult. Richardson can obviously coach. He needs to find the right situation for himself. Dr. Martin was always going to hire his guy as the head basketball coach. He wasn't going to sink or swim with Richardson.

I think the roos can find guards and wings in midwest throughout the programs history. They need someone like Marvin who can find the hidden big man that others have overlooked.