An excellent hire who can recruit, coach, and schedule strong non-conference games. Bravo!
This makes two for two in basketball coaches for Whit Babcock.
This makes two for two in basketball coaches for Whit Babcock.
Virginia Tech hires Wofford's Mike Young
- Thread starter Stork3
- Start date
He's been great in the last couple years but his body of work is less impressive. That said, I know they transitioned to D1 and he probably didn't have a ton of resources earlier. I'm surprised by the hire. Figured they would find a more high-profile guy. I honestly didn't think we would consider Young that seriously for our job. But if the past few years are indicative of who he really is, it's a great hire.
Techies are disappointed because they just lost Buzz Williams. Spider fans like Young because he's light years better than Mooney, whether from afar or standing right beside you.
I think the Young hire is more for the long term. IMO I think VA Tech was upset Buzz left so quickly (but should have seen that coming with only a $500,000 buyout - flip side to that is Jamie Dixon has an $8 million buyout from TCU that even UCLA was not willing to pay).
But to me - I think Tech wants a guy who will be there long term. I think Young wil do well at Tech and the key will be expectations. I know some Tech fans and really - if he just makes the tourney on a semi-consistent basis (similar to Wofford I would say where he made it 2 years in a row, then out 2 years , then back for 2 years, etc) - Tech fans will be happy. And in the ACC, he doesn't even need to beat Duke or UNC - he just needs to finish 4th-7th in the league and your in the tourney.
Again - I don't see Tech winning a national title or making a final four under Young, but I think he can get them back to the NCAA's and keep fans happy for a long time.
But to me - I think Tech wants a guy who will be there long term. I think Young wil do well at Tech and the key will be expectations. I know some Tech fans and really - if he just makes the tourney on a semi-consistent basis (similar to Wofford I would say where he made it 2 years in a row, then out 2 years , then back for 2 years, etc) - Tech fans will be happy. And in the ACC, he doesn't even need to beat Duke or UNC - he just needs to finish 4th-7th in the league and your in the tourney.
Again - I don't see Tech winning a national title or making a final four under Young, but I think he can get them back to the NCAA's and keep fans happy for a long time.
Trap, does not need to beat duke or carolina but he better beat uva some. to put this hire in perspective, we would need to know who they interviewed and maybe who they extended offers to or who turned them down. maybe he was the only guy who was serious about their job.
I would agree - beating UVA would be nice, but if he makes the NCAA similar to what he has done at Wofford (essentially 2 out of every 4 years), then I don't think people at VA Tech will worry about beating UVA too much.
Similar to us here at UR. I would love to beat VCU each year, but if you asked me you can either beat VCU or make the NCAA tourney, I will select NCAA tourney 100% of the time. But in reality - similar to VA Tech, I think it is safe to assume, if your making the NCAA on a regular basis, you are probably beating VCU or UVA at some point as well.
I think Tech likely had problems interviewing people because UCLA job was open. Cronin was probably waiting on that - so he took that job today. Woj at Marquette was mentioned, but he might be looking at a shot to succeed Coach K at some point (big maybe, but he has a shot). Willard at Seton Hall turned them down, but I don't think he was better than Young.
I guess biggest surprise is why didn't they offer Pat Beilein the job?
Similar to us here at UR. I would love to beat VCU each year, but if you asked me you can either beat VCU or make the NCAA tourney, I will select NCAA tourney 100% of the time. But in reality - similar to VA Tech, I think it is safe to assume, if your making the NCAA on a regular basis, you are probably beating VCU or UVA at some point as well.
I think Tech likely had problems interviewing people because UCLA job was open. Cronin was probably waiting on that - so he took that job today. Woj at Marquette was mentioned, but he might be looking at a shot to succeed Coach K at some point (big maybe, but he has a shot). Willard at Seton Hall turned them down, but I don't think he was better than Young.
I guess biggest surprise is why didn't they offer Pat Beilein the job?
I know a Tech fan who isn't thinking about making the tournament every other year. they were a 4 seed this year. they lost to Duke by 2. when you're a 4 seed, you're thinking the national championship is possible. you're not thinking "it's ok if we don't make it next year".
losing their coach and hiring Young is a buzzkill, pun intended. maybe he'll work out but a coach from the SoCon isn't what they were looking for.
losing their coach and hiring Young is a buzzkill, pun intended. maybe he'll work out but a coach from the SoCon isn't what they were looking for.
https://pilotonline.com/sports/coll...cle_24162474-5a4c-11e9-a1f0-23f303f205cf.html
Informative article about the hire - glad he remembers the 72-73 Bristow led NIT champion Hokies. I remember that team as well because we beat them in double OT in the Robins Center 94-93. Agree definitely not what one would call a "high profile" hire..................
Informative article about the hire - glad he remembers the 72-73 Bristow led NIT champion Hokies. I remember that team as well because we beat them in double OT in the Robins Center 94-93. Agree definitely not what one would call a "high profile" hire..................
Hokies will need to be patient. If he can find an assistant that can recruit he should be able to build it back to where Buzz had it. Problem is there’s such a mass exodus in Blacksburg it’ll hard to be competitive quickly.
Not sure they could have though. With who they have coming back, combined with the fact that football is number one there, I'm not sure the job is that attractive right now.
Maybe. It’s still ACC basketball and coming off back to back ncaa appearances. It’s not like taking over GT or BC or some bottom half Big12 program.
It kind of is though. They didn't play a lot of guys, and lose 4 guys that played a lot of minutes, while others might transfer. GT and BC will probably finish ahead of them next year. The timing with Buzz ready to leave Marquette worked out for them to get Buzz, but they had no chance to get a top guy now. I don't see them being relevant again for quite awhile.
Why? What makes you think it is a top P6 program? Take a look at where they were before Buzz got there. I will tell you: They went 6-30 in the ACC under James Johnson before Buzz got there. Before that, Seth Greenberg went 68-76 in the ACC and went to 1 NCAA tourney in 9 years. Buzz did the unthinkable there and made a sweet 16, but he is gone. This is not a big time program we are talking about here. Far from it.
I watch Wofford games. He gets players 1000percent effort on defense and uses much bench, no fear to leave in player who is hot that is not starter
https://www.google.com/amp/s/watchs...-in-conference-unc-third-best-10-04-2018/amp/
ACC coaches voted VT the 12th best job out of the 15 teams.
ACC coaches voted VT the 12th best job out of the 15 teams.
VT4700, the self-professed Virginia Tech hater, explaining why Virginia Tech sucks... That's rich.
Tech is in the ACC, can admit almost anyone, has a rabid fanbase and recent history of high-level success, along with an obvious commitment to winning. Just because they had mediocre and bad coaches before Williams doesn't mean that's what they should have going forward. They also haven't been in the ACC all that long, and now that they've established an ability to win there, there's no reason to think they won't do everything they can to maintain it.
Tech is in the ACC, can admit almost anyone, has a rabid fanbase and recent history of high-level success, along with an obvious commitment to winning. Just because they had mediocre and bad coaches before Williams doesn't mean that's what they should have going forward. They also haven't been in the ACC all that long, and now that they've established an ability to win there, there's no reason to think they won't do everything they can to maintain it.
???? They have been in the ACC since 2004, are 118-154 in conference play since joining, they never finished 1st or 2nd ( even Buzz never got them higher than 5th), and they are a football school playing in an old building.
They lose most of the team, lost the best coach they have ever had because he left for a better job, and now have a new coach few of their fans are excited about. If the job were as good as you think, they would be paying more than 2 million a year, which is about what Wake's and GT's coaches get, and they would have gotten a successful P6 guy. It is obvious this is not an attractive job.
1. Any job in the ACC is an attractive job.
2. Tech obviously has upgraded its approach to basketball since its new AD arrived. Greenberg was a holdover, Jones was a bad hire. It happens. Williams was a home run and made the job much more attractive.
3. You don't need to finish first or second in the ACC to be a great team or to make the NCAAs. Funny these are the standards you use to define excellence, though – Mooney has never finished first or second in the A10 in 14 years either.
4. Williams recruited well, coached well and won at a consistently high level. That is the new standard there. Will Young live up to it? We'll see. My guess is that he won't get 14 years to prove himself, though. He'll get three or four and if he's not making NCAAs regularly, they'll find someone else who will.
2. Tech obviously has upgraded its approach to basketball since its new AD arrived. Greenberg was a holdover, Jones was a bad hire. It happens. Williams was a home run and made the job much more attractive.
3. You don't need to finish first or second in the ACC to be a great team or to make the NCAAs. Funny these are the standards you use to define excellence, though – Mooney has never finished first or second in the A10 in 14 years either.
4. Williams recruited well, coached well and won at a consistently high level. That is the new standard there. Will Young live up to it? We'll see. My guess is that he won't get 14 years to prove himself, though. He'll get three or four and if he's not making NCAAs regularly, they'll find someone else who will.
You like rooting for programs that you have very low expectations for. Weird way to be a fan, but too each his own.
That seems about right, actually. However, the two categories dragging VT down are History/Tradition and Selling Pros (they are dead last in both), which are the most backward-looking. Recency bias should improve those numbers in the next survey.
$2.4 million per year makes it a pretty attractive job.
I'm sure Young was making a small fraction of that last year. Tech didn't really need to go anywhere near that high to get him, but I guess they didn't want it to seem like they were going cheap.
I'm sure Young was making a small fraction of that last year. Tech didn't really need to go anywhere near that high to get him, but I guess they didn't want it to seem like they were going cheap.
Biggest difference is UVA was getting ride of a coach - Dave Leitao, now coach at DePaul. On the other hand the Hokies wanted to keep their coach. Bennett was previously coach at Washington State, Pac 10, while the Hokies new coach was at Wofford, Southern Conference. Only "knock" I heard on the hiring of Bennett was lack of familiarity with either him or the Pac10. Tougher to follow a coach people liked versus following a coach people are glad to see leave...................
No question that's a nice amount of money for someone coming from the Southern Conference. But, when you combine that type of money with an old building, a football school, lack of tradition, location, and other things, it is simply not attractive at all to an upper tier P6 guy. VT hoops is clearly a lower-tier or mid-tier at best P6 job. That is why they ended up with Young.
Yes, I remember this well among the alumnae in my family. No one knew him or his pedigree, since it was all west of the Mississippi. Even remember all the rumblings from fans and media after first few years when he was still rebuilding the dumpster fire he inherited and getting players for his style. Just like UVA did with Bennett, believe VT will give Young some leeway and he's certainly got more to work with as long as he can keep 'em in the fold.
Hey lets remember VT4700 also said Louisville wouldnt sniff the NCAAs this year. And he came in to tout Mooney the last 2 years. How did those turn out? Not really a great basketball mind.
You have a decidedly selective approach to reading comprehension. Nowhere did I say that Tech is a top P6 program. I’m intimately aware that they languished in mediocrity for a long time.
Moreover, You’re bolstering your argument by drawing upon ten years of history pre-Buzz but ignoringnwhat they’ve done recently. As of today, they aren’t comparable to the bottom-dwellers that you seem to think they’re like.
they also have a pretty good past history as i was growing up and into adulthood although not in a power conf at that time but guess the metro with memphis, louisville, etc. was pretty decent at one time. you younger guys really have no understanding of anything past 10 years and there is a ton there. programs have ups and downs, including duke, ucla, carolina, kentucky.
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