Softball Coaching Candidates

[Beaker 2,457]

5 hours ago, auburnphan said:

I think this is the opinion of a large number of folks, myself included

I haven't been on the forum long and haven't followed details of JJ's reign.  Can you share some thoughts to support your position?  I am pretty much in the dark on such.  Thanks

[FoundationEagle 637]

23 hours ago, auburnphan said:

I think this is the opinion of a large number of folks, myself included

Which side is your opinion?  The side that it's worth the mess to get rid of JJ or the side that it's AU folks causing the most problems to satisfy their own desires?  I've made it extremely clear what I believe, and the latter is definitely happening.  

[FoundationEagle 637]

On 9/4/2017 at 5:31 PM, Beaker said:

I haven't been on the forum long and haven't followed details of JJ's reign.  Can you share some thoughts to support your position?  I am pretty much in the dark on such.  Thanks

People hate JJ because even though we've been to 2 NC games in football, Saban hasn't been outdone by us....basketball went through a bad patch (but is now poised to be better than we've ever had in our entire history which somehow doesn't count), baseball hasn't been very good (never was before JJ either). Outside of that, our sports programs have been top notch and many better than we've ever had, but they don't count. We've had no serious run ins with the NCAA but since people still accuse us of things that have never been proven, somehow JJ is to blame and needs to go.  We've profited $60 million under JJ but people only point a year in which we were in the red.  When we finish in the top 10 in football and basketball, JJ will have only gotten lucky and will have been forced to hire those coaches. It's a lose lose for JJ. There will never be a single thing he can ever do that can't be twisted into a negative. 

At least that is my opinion.  It's a sad state of affairs in which we find a large part of our society entrapped.  Truths don't matter.  Only winning at all cost is what is important 

 

 

[Beaker 2,457]

20 hours ago, FoundationEagle said:

People hate JJ because even though we've been to 2 NC games in football, Saban hasn't been outdone by us....basketball went through a bad patch (but is now poised to be better than we've ever had in our entire history which somehow doesn't count), baseball hasn't been very good (never was before JJ either). Outside of that, our sports programs have been top notch and many better than we've ever had, but they don't count. We've had no serious run ins with the NCAA but since people still accuse us of things that have never been proven, somehow JJ is to blame and needs to go.  We've profited $60 million under JJ but people only point a year in which we were in the red.  When we finish in the top 10 in football and basketball, JJ will have only gotten lucky and will have been forced to hire those coaches. It's a lose lose for JJ. There will never be a single thing he can ever do that can't be twisted into a negative. 

At least that is my opinion.  It's a sad state of affairs in which we find a large part of our society entrapped.  Truths don't matter.  Only winning at all cost is what is important 

 

 

well written and insightful.   Thanks and this makes a lot of sense.  Sad, but makes sense.

 

[PigskinPat 2,568]

The program that has significantly dropped off during JJ's tenure is the swimming and diving program. I'd put that one squarely on his shoulders.

[FoundationEagle 637]

21 minutes ago, PigskinPat said:

The program that has significantly dropped off during JJ's tenure is the swimming and diving program. I'd put that one squarely on his shoulders.

We had the best coach possibly in the history of college S&D. That coach chose to go to a job where college classes and recruiting weren't involved. He went to possibly on of the best jobs in his profession. He would have been a fool to turnt get job down. 

That said, how can you possibly not take a small back ate when you lose the best coach in the history of the sport?  You don't just replace that guy. 

Also, all who say he left because of JJ, Marsh is considering returning to coach AU as we speak and is hoping his youngest comes to AU and he may want to be the coach. 

[AU9377 4,913]

On 8/30/2017 at 3:32 PM, boomstick said:

My vote is for a Jimmy Kolaitis, but I'm admittedly biased. He's been a great offensive coach everywhere he's been, very good recruiter, now has ties to the west coast, and grew up and went to HS in Auburn. I'd take a flyer on him. 

The more I look around, the more I think Jimmy could be a real possibility and a good choice as well.

[auburnphan 6,050]

6 hours ago, FoundationEagle said:

Which side is your opinion?  The side that it's worth the mess to get rid of JJ or the side that it's AU folks causing the most problems to satisfy their own desires?  I've made it extremely clear what I believe, and the latter is definitely happening.  

I am on your side on this issue

[aubaseball 2,583]

Auburn's best years of baseball were pre JJ.   Coach Baird had the best run in AU history.   Just my opinion, but anyone with any sense could raise money at AU.   The next thing you look at is who he has hired in all sports.    People are tired of seeing the rollar coaster teams that AU puts out on the field.   He has hired some good coaches and he has hired some questionable ones too.   

[slot canyon 1,328]

Maybe the moderators could start a new heading specifically to compliment or complain about coaches and people within the athletic department.  When I come to this topic (Softball Coaching Candidates) I expect to see opinions about said topic.  Not criticism of any specific poster; I understand how this type of "topic drift" can happen as this post can be considered in the same category.  However to save face .....AU9377, anything in particular that causes you to think Kolaitis might be a good choice.  I have no way of knowing but suspect he would jump at the opportunity.  Like many I would love a head coach with good resume but the ones who stand out are very highly paid (not that we could not offer good money) and have built up the programs where they are.  There are a couple of other assistant coaches discussed here that I would put ahead of J. Kolaitis.  There is always the concern that a great assistant does not always carry over to being a great head coach.  Sure would be nice to hear some "whispers" about what might be going but usually these things are understandably kept quiet.  Obviously there may be some special issues that may delay this process.

[WarTiger 3,896]

Let's get back to the original topic.  If you want to continue the other discussion, do so in a different thread.  This is cluttering the thread with irrelevant discussion.

[AU9377 4,913]

2 hours ago, WarTiger said:

Let's get back to the original topic.  If you want to continue the other discussion, do so in a different thread.  This is cluttering the thread with irrelevant discussion.

Thank you for saying that.  Some people are willing to cause serious damage to this University simply to satisfy their desire to replace JJ.

[AU9377 4,913]

2 hours ago, slot canyon said:

Maybe the moderators could start a new heading specifically to compliment or complain about coaches and people within the athletic department.  When I come to this topic (Softball Coaching Candidates) I expect to see opinions about said topic.  Not criticism of any specific poster; I understand how this type of "topic drift" can happen as this post can be considered in the same category.  However to save face .....AU9377, anything in particular that causes you to think Kolaitis might be a good choice.  I have no way of knowing but suspect he would jump at the opportunity.  Like many I would love a head coach with good resume but the ones who stand out are very highly paid (not that we could not offer good money) and have built up the programs where they are.  There are a couple of other assistant coaches discussed here that I would put ahead of J. Kolaitis.  There is always the concern that a great assistant does not always carry over to being a great head coach.  Sure would be nice to hear some "whispers" about what might be going but usually these things are understandably kept quiet.  Obviously there may be some special issues that may delay this process.

I didnt know much about him prior to a few days ago.  I did some reading and educated myself a little bit.  Other than that, the topic came up a few days ago while I was in Auburn.  Nobody has anything but positive things to say about his coaching.

[AU64 10,122]

AU has invested a lot in this program.

Until every good nationally respected and successful HC turns us down, there us no reason to bring in an assistant from somewhere  as our HC ....someone who has to learn on the job.  

The roster is good enough to go to OK City....and we need a coach who knows how to do that....JMO

[AUBwins 10,064]

With the class we just brought in, I agree we need someone with a winning pedigree that can best hold that class together as well as the current veteran role players. 

[slot canyon 1,328]

On ‎9‎/‎6‎/‎2017 at 6:38 PM, AUBwins said:

With the class we just brought in, I agree we need someone with a winning pedigree that can best hold that class together as well as the current veteran role players. 

Not related to this class, but Haley Pittman, a soph. class 4A pitcher from ACA in Montgomery, has changed her commitment from AU to Florida because of "recent changes in the coaching staff.  She had committed to Auburn in September 2016.  (Montgomery Advertiser, Sept. 6, 2017)

[Mikey 16,545]

43 minutes ago, slot canyon said:

Not related to this class, but Haley Pittman, a soph. class 4A pitcher from ACA in Montgomery, has changed her commitment from AU to Florida because of "recent changes in the coaching staff.  She had committed to Auburn in September 2016.  (Montgomery Advertiser, Sept. 6, 2017)

IMHO it will be hard to make a proper coaching hire before this situation is resolved. It follows that we will lose commits and possibly lose a lot of players to transfers while the issue is churning. I don't know how to speed it up though. We were squeaky clean in the Cam Newton deal and it still took a year to put it to bed.

[AU9377 4,913]

2 hours ago, Mikey said:

IMHO it will be hard to make a proper coaching hire before this situation is resolved. It follows that we will lose commits and possibly lose a lot of players to transfers while the issue is churning. I don't know how to speed it up though. We were squeaky clean in the Cam Newton deal and it still took a year to put it to bed.

You are right about that.  However, I do believe that we can rescue the most recent top rated class with the right hire.  The right hire, in my opinion, doesn't have to be a current big name head coach.  A well known assistant with a top tier program will know most, if not all, of these young women as a result of the recruiting process.  The first thing we have to do is to get a meeting with a candidate and then lay it all out for them in order to reassure them that no smoking gun exists that could damage the program going forward.  It is a sales job, but we do still have an attractive product.  A talented roster, a budget that allows us to pay a top salary and the ability to pay assistants at the top of the market, in addition to top facilities and recent success.  Most top assistants are barely topping $100,000.  We can easily pay $250,000 for the right fit.  I realize that is more than Clint was making, but things have changed and we may need to give that extra assurance if the right candidate is available.