Coach search fun: Tubby enters fray, and allergies matter
After it seemed, late last night, that Maryland was moving to hire Arizona coach Sean Miller as quickly as possible, Saturday has dawned calm and relatively quiet.
Our beat writer, Jeff Barker, is reporting that, according to Maryland sources, Miller is a candidate but athletic director Kevin Anderson is also waiting to hear back from another person he contacted about the job.
Meanwhile, Don Markus reports that sources close to Miller and coaches in the area believe Miller has interest, and would be a strong recruiter in the area.
There's a recruiting guru type fella who seems pretty tied in to West Coast happenings reporting, via Twitter, that Miller and Maryland will meet in Vegas today. Miller's there to take part in a coaching clinic. Kevin Anderson is there because he really loves that fake little Eiffel Tower. And also to hire a coach.
Much of the conversation regarding why Miller would leave a good job where he has recruited well centers on two things: his East coast and ACC ties (born in Western Pennsylvania, was an assistant at N.C. State) and the fertile recruiting ground that literally surrounds College Park. It's always nice to be able to recruit DeMatha and Baltimore Nike Elite without having to get on a plane.
According to the Tucson Citizen, Miller's wife's allergies could play a role in the decision.
In Minneapolis, speculation surrounding Tubby Smith, who has seemed on the verge of bolting since leaving Kentucky (before they could run him out) for a middle-of-the-pack (at best) Big Ten job, continues to mount. The Star-Tribune reports that Smith hasn't done anything to quash the speculation, and that, as a Maryland native, he's long considered taking over the Terps to be a dream job.
Where have we heard that before?
For what's it worth, both crazy guy Dick Vitale and CBS angry columnist Gregg Doyel have taken to Twitter to endorse Smith's candidacy.
More to come, surely.
Comments
Tubby Smith would be an awful hire.
Posted by: Anonymous | May 7, 2011 11:41 AM
If Miller got to the final 4 at Az., he is not having a problem recruiting. There is a lot more recruiting competition in the ACC..
Posted by: Peter Vann | May 7, 2011 12:24 PM
Welcome to College Park Sean!!
There are no allergies for your lovely wife to worry about along the Bay. And PLEASE restore MD Basketball to its once greatness!!
Posted by: steveinboston | May 7, 2011 12:57 PM
Bring Coach Smith home just like you did Gary and he'll hang another couple of NCAA banners to join Gary's. I am sure Coach has forgiven us for rescinding his scholarship coming out of Great Mills High in 1973 :-)
Posted by: Old Timer | May 7, 2011 1:18 PM
Great, Tubby Smith, another Affirmative Action hire, like Bob Wade. Wonderful. Then Loh and Anderson will have the "diversity" they both so badly crave, at the expense of qualifications and ability.
Posted by: easywriter01 | May 7, 2011 1:27 PM
Of course Vitale wants Tubby Smith. Hiring Sean Miller would make things much tougher for his precious Dookies.
Posted by: Chris | May 7, 2011 1:44 PM
Tubby Smith has not won one ncaa game in Minnesota. Are you kidding? What a joke that would be.
Posted by: Jman | May 7, 2011 2:53 PM
How about we don't hire someone to rebuild our program who is 59 years old.
Posted by: Alex | May 7, 2011 3:09 PM
Brad stevens would be the right choice.
Posted by: Scott | May 7, 2011 3:15 PM
Miller would be a good choice, Brad Stevens would be a better choice.
Posted by: SR | May 7, 2011 3:30 PM
Not sure where your getting facts. Tubby is not being considered. Miller deal is all but done.. Jamie Dixon would have been the next guy on the list..
Posted by: Anonymous | May 7, 2011 4:32 PM
Either brad Stevens jay wright or Sean miller. No tubby we can't have another retiree after 5 yrs
Posted by: naser moiduddim | May 7, 2011 4:32 PM
Please don't bring in 61 year old smith who won a championship with someone elses players. Miller would be great, i think stevens would be out of place and would probably hold out for the indiana job. i think smart would be a trendy pick.
Posted by: Nathan M | May 7, 2011 4:35 PM
Miller would be the right choice, Brad Stevens is not leaving Butler until Indiana fires Crean.
Posted by: conorfromelonNC | May 7, 2011 4:37 PM
Easy Rider you racist scum are you serious calling Tubby an affermitive action hire. He is a Hall Of Fame Coach who won a national title and had at one point 15 straight twenty win seasons. Put your hood on and tsay on the klan board we dont want you as a Terp fan.
Posted by: ScottyZ | May 7, 2011 5:08 PM
Sean Miller would be an outstanding hire! Together with Randy Edsall, UM would have a tandem of very talented, energetic coaches with many great years ahead of them.
Anderson's reputation took a huge hit for his mismanagement of the PR aspect of the Friedgen situation. But he did what he had to do then, and now has an opportunity for a blockbuster hire. A year from now, we may all think the Kevin Anderson is the best AD Maryland has ever had!
Posted by: SmittyATL | May 7, 2011 5:14 PM
Allergies? Arizona is where people go to get away from their allergy problems. What is she allergic to? Sand?? Heat??? This scenario looks very familiar to me. Float an exciting coaching choice to the fans but then... not so fast, there is a mystery candidate. Next thing you know... goodbye exciting choice, hello Randy Edsall.
Posted by: DaSkipster | May 7, 2011 5:15 PM
NO! Please, not Tubby! He is a has been. There is a reason he is coaching in Minn. Sean Miller is the right man for the job. IMO
Posted by: UM Grad | May 7, 2011 6:09 PM
Shaka and Brad are not in the running. Tubby? I don't think he has the internet so he may not know Gary retired. Miller is the only guy left unless there's a dark horse no one heard of. Dixon etc: no way. Debbie Yow is eating crow and gagging on it. MD stole Miller from under her nose. That was the best story coming out of this whole thing.
Posted by: What | May 7, 2011 8:33 PM
Hire Tubby Smith?!?!?! Hell, I'd be insulted if they interviewed him, let alone hired him.
Posted by: jim | May 7, 2011 8:41 PM
Get Bob Knight. He could still wear a red sweater...
Posted by: Joe | May 8, 2011 12:40 AM
Why on earth would you replace a 66 year-old coach with one that is 59? I've read all the speculation, Tod Bozeman's past problems make him an unsuitable replacement for GW. Out west someone thinks that Jonny Dawkins would make a good fall back hire which is also ridiculous for several reasons. Mostly he reaks of Coach K and would roll over and lose by 25 every time he played his alma mater. The more I learn about Miller the better he looks. Brad Stevens does'nt even know where Maryland is on a map and it looks like Smart is locked up at VCU. At 1.4 mil per he's now making the same money as Miller at AZ. Any wonder why Jim Larranaga left Mason. Miller has 2 elite eight in 7 years at 2 different schools. It really does'nt get much better than that.
Posted by: terp81 | May 8, 2011 1:48 AM
what about the obvious choice: chuck driesell. young, alum, not a retread, good recruiter and liked by players. a great fit
Posted by: Anonymous | May 8, 2011 7:07 AM
I dunno where you got your info, sean miller is a top 8 highest paid coach in the country at well over 2 million,, word is that after the deal they struck last night, he is gonna be # 1 or # 2 in the country in pay, and yes that means as much as calipari,, Face it, we couldn't have gave more than Millers contract extention with zona,
Posted by: tony | May 8, 2011 9:36 AM
Then what the hell was Miller's problem @AZ. That's extraodinary for a coach that only had 5 years before he got there. When AZ hired him I read that he was their 5th or 6th choice. If he was in the top 8 I don't think that UMD would have gone after him in the first place ditto for NC State. That's the kind of money nat'l championship winners make. Since he has not won one he's not worth it, same goes for Calipari. These are public schools after all. No wonder the State of AZ is looking for donations to build a fence along its border.
Posted by: terp81 | May 8, 2011 11:16 PM