Mickey Dean to Retire at Season's End

[RedDirtFan 53]

On 4/12/2024 at 9:06 AM, Jad0003 said:

Phillip Marshal said they aren’t naming a replacement until after the WCWS. 

Nothing against Phillip, but he reports. If the Leadership was serious about this program, they would accelerate the timeline, name the successor that is truly an Auburn Woman/Man and put the clown in the hat out to pasture as special assistant to the regional manager.

[Jad0003 424]

1 hour ago, RedDirtFan said:

Nothing against Phillip, but he reports. If the Leadership was serious about this program, they would accelerate the timeline, name the successor that is truly an Auburn Woman/Man and put the clown in the hat out to pasture as special assistant to the regional manager.

I’m not sure there are many examples in any sport where a head coach was named prior to the season’s end, much less a month out. 

Coach Dean will be with the team through the end of this season, and no head or assistant coach is willing to sacrifice their current team’s season to be named head coach at Auburn for next season. I’m sure Cohen has a list of candidates and will act quickly. 

[AU1947 157]

D'armoir was with Earlywine at Mizzou when thempost season restrictions were levied against their softball program for the tutor scandal...

[WarTiger 3,928]

On 4/15/2024 at 1:25 PM, RedDirtFan said:

Nothing against Phillip, but he reports. If the Leadership was serious about this program, they would accelerate the timeline, name the successor that is truly an Auburn Woman/Man and put the clown in the hat out to pasture as special assistant to the regional manager.

That's never happened in the history of hiring a coach, why would you expect it to happen now?   Just because the leadership doesn't hire a replacement on YOUR timing doesn't mean they aren't serious about the program.   Also, no coach worth having is going to abandon the place they are currently coaching and just wait for the current season to end, nor is any program (at any level) going to tell a coach that wasn't fired to just leave during the season.  That's just not how things work at any level.

Even interim coaches that take over after a coach is fired during the season don't get named permanent head coach (if they are chosen) until after the season is over.

No doubt Cohen has a list of names he will reach out too, or maybe already has through agents but nothing will happen likely until the WCWS is over.

[Jad0003 424]

1 hour ago, WarTiger said:

That's never happened in the history of hiring a coach, why would you expect it to happen now?   Just because the leadership doesn't hire a replacement on YOUR timing doesn't mean they aren't serious about the program.   Also, no coach worth having is going to abandon the place they are currently coaching and just wait for the current season to end, nor is any program (at any level) going to tell a coach that wasn't fired to just leave during the season.  That's just not how things work at any level.

Even interim coaches that take over after a coach is fired during the season don't get named permanent head coach (if they are chosen) until after the season is over.

No doubt Cohen has a list of names he will reach out too, or maybe already has through agents but nothing will happen likely until the WCWS is over.

Thank you!

[Big Fat Barner 157]

I think if there is anything this season has taught us it’s that NOBODY on this current coaching staff is capable of running this program successfully. Love Love Love Carasone but if Cohen promotes her to HC, it’ll be a super lazy hire and reaffirm my belief that he truly doesn’t care about softball. 
 

i mean seriously has anyone seen him at any of the softball games? I see him on tv damn near every baseball game in the HOF club, i’ve been to about half the SB games this year and I’ve not seen this man once. Including today vs UK when there was nothing else going on!!!

I genuinely want to know if any of you have seen him there.

 

[EagleEye67 1,945]

Well,  I never have,  but as they say,  absence of evidence is not necessarily evidence of absence.  I used to see Jacobs there periodically in the past. 

[Jad0003 424]

three names that have come up as possibilities, (likely  not complete)

1. Melyssa Lombardi (Oregon Head Coach)

2. Chris Malveaux (Tennessee Hitting Coach)

3. Clarisa Crowell (Penn State Head Coach)

In my opinion, the first candidates you reach out to are Kenny Gajewski at Ok St. or Marissa Young at Duke. They are the top two coaches who many seem to think there is a chance they’ll leave their current schools at some point.

If they say no, I look at D’Amour, Glasco, and Lombardi. D’Amour has some questions to answer about his time at Missouri, but he’s run clean programs at Kennesaw and Va Tech. His teams hit really well, and he’s been to two super regionals. Glasco is a little older, but he’s been to a super regional. His teams also hit well. In contrast to the other two, Lombardi is known for her ability to coach pitching. She hasn’t seen the success she saw previously at Oklahoma, but she’s also been to a super regional. The big question mark for all three is can they hire someone who can provide strengths to their weaknesses. For D’Amour and Glasco, it’s a pitching coaching, and for Lombardi, it’s a hitting coach. 

If we go the assistant route, Malveaux is probably top of my list. He's one of the top hitting coaches in the country, and his wife coaches catchers and base running. In the same comparison as D’Amour and Glasco, he’s got to find someone to coach the pitchers. 

Kumar has done well at Miami, OH. She was an assistant under D’Amour at Va Tech, and she teaches the same philosophies. Her teams hit well against a weaker schedule, but they did put up 7 runs against Oklahoma this year. She has the same question marks around pitching as D’Amour and Glasco.

Crowell will likely help Penn State make the tournament this year, but she isn’t high on my list. They are riding a freshman arm in the circle, and they do not hit well against a very weak non-conference and a very bad Big 10. 

Overall, I lean to D’Amour, but I would be happy with any of the above outside Crowell.

[Big Fat Barner 157]

8 hours ago, Jad0003 said:

three names that have come up as possibilities, (likely  not complete)

1. Melyssa Lombardi (Oregon Head Coach)

2. Chris Malveaux (Tennessee Hitting Coach)

3. Clarisa Crowell (Penn State Head Coach)

In my opinion, the first candidates you reach out to are Kenny Gajewski at Ok St. or Marissa Young at Duke. They are the top two coaches who many seem to think there is a chance they’ll leave their current schools at some point.

If they say no, I look at D’Amour, Glasco, and Lombardi. D’Amour has some questions to answer about his time at Missouri, but he’s run clean programs at Kennesaw and Va Tech. His teams hit really well, and he’s been to two super regionals. Glasco is a little older, but he’s been to a super regional. His teams also hit well. In contrast to the other two, Lombardi is known for her ability to coach pitching. She hasn’t seen the success she saw previously at Oklahoma, but she’s also been to a super regional. The big question mark for all three is can they hire someone who can provide strengths to their weaknesses. For D’Amour and Glasco, it’s a pitching coaching, and for Lombardi, it’s a hitting coach. 

If we go the assistant route, Malveaux is probably top of my list. He's one of the top hitting coaches in the country, and his wife coaches catchers and base running. In the same comparison as D’Amour and Glasco, he’s got to find someone to coach the pitchers. 

Kumar has done well at Miami, OH. She was an assistant under D’Amour at Va Tech, and she teaches the same philosophies. Her teams hit well against a weaker schedule, but they did put up 7 runs against Oklahoma this year. She has the same question marks around pitching as D’Amour and Glasco.

Crowell will likely help Penn State make the tournament this year, but she isn’t high on my list. They are riding a freshman arm in the circle, and they do not hit well against a very weak non-conference and a very bad Big 10. 

Overall, I lean to D’Amour, but I would be happy with any of the above outside Crowell.

I agree with this. No reason why Cohen shouldn’t reach out to D’Amour, Young and Gajewski first. 
 

Why on earth would Auburn have Clarissa Crowell on this list?? She has a losing record at Penn State and the Miami softball program is in better shape now than it ever was under Crowell. 

It’s also worth mentioning that Malveaux was the head coach at McNeese State and was fired for having a losing record through 4 seasons. Not sure if I’m ready ti take a chance on an assistant with Texas and OU coming in next year. 

[WarTiger 3,928]

If we have to go the assistant route to get a new coach, I want JT GASSO.   I'm not sure he would be available or even listen, but I would at least make the call.   I have a feeling he's in line to take over at Oklahoma in a few years and that would/could keep him from coming.

[Jad0003 424]

In same vein as Gajewski and Young, I think you reach out to JT Gasso, but it is widely assumed he’ll take over for Patty in the next 2-3 years. 

@Big Fat Barner - I did not realize she was at Miami (OH) before Kumar. I really hope she is not hired because I think we will be in a worse situation than we are in now. In terms of Malveaux, the McNeese stint was very early in his career. He learned hitting from Lotief at Louisiana after he left McNeese, and he has now been successful at both Missouri and Tennessee. If we go the assistant route then I think he’d be a good choice. 

[warladytigers 185]

On 4/21/2024 at 2:19 AM, Big Fat Barner said:

I think if there is anything this season has taught us it’s that NOBODY on this current coaching staff is capable of running this program successfully. Love Love Love Carasone but if Cohen promotes her to HC, it’ll be a super lazy hire and reaffirm my belief that he truly doesn’t care about softball. 
 

i mean seriously has anyone seen him at any of the softball games? I see him on tv damn near every baseball game in the HOF club, i’ve been to about half the SB games this year and I’ve not seen this man once. Including today vs UK when there was nothing else going on!!!

I genuinely want to know if any of you have seen him there.

 

Actually, I've seen AD Cohen at numerous games.  He stands in the Auburn bull pen. You are looking in the wrong place I guess.

[warladytigers 185]

On 4/21/2024 at 8:52 AM, EagleEye67 said:

Well,  I never have,  but as they say,  absence of evidence is not necessarily evidence of absence.  I used to see Jacobs there periodically in the past. 

He has been at numerous games.  He's a baseball guy - I believe he understands the importance of softball and knows how to evaluate the needs of the program.

[AuScuba 12]

On 3/26/2024 at 10:42 PM, TD1 said:

I noticed that former players and their family members liked his comment. 

And they come have gone elsewhere. but maybe there were no opportunities.

[AuScuba 12]

On 4/1/2024 at 1:51 PM, AU9377 said:

He also inherited a talented team. Dean just doesn't have the type of personality that would have allowed him to navigate the angst within the roster.  Overall, the last thing the young women on that roster wanted to happen is for Myers to retire.  That is all water under the bridge at this point, but returning to that level of winning would be great for women's sports at Auburn.

He did not inherit a talented team, and there was little talent incoming.  He had talent pitchers.  But Myers did not leave him with the talent base that Myers inherited.

[AU9377 5,133]

22 minutes ago, AuScuba said:

He did not inherit a talented team, and there was little talent incoming.  He had talent pitchers.  But Myers did not leave him with the talent base that Myers inherited.

I think Auburn has been more than fair and extremely patient.

[Big Fat Barner 157]

7 hours ago, warladytigers said:

He has been at numerous games.  He's a baseball guy - I believe he understands the importance of softball and knows how to evaluate the needs of the program.

He’s a baseball guy. I know he likes to sit down by the home bullpen…still haven’t seen him but like once or twice (and I’ve been to a ton of SB games). I’ve been to a few baseball games and have seen him in the HOF club every game. We’ll see how much he cares about softball based on the head coaching hire. If it was baseball, I’m almost certain Cohen wouldn’t mind dropping a bag to get a good HC, so we’ll just see. 

[Big Fat Barner 157]

6 hours ago, AuScuba said:

He did not inherit a talented team, and there was little talent incoming.  He had talent pitchers.  But Myers did not leave him with the talent base that Myers inherited.

Casey McCrackin, Kendall Veach, Alyssa Rivera, Courtney Shea, Victoria Draper, Carmyn Greenwood, Taylon Snow, Tannon Snow. 
 

that’s a talented team in my opinion. Throw in Makayla Martin and Kaylee Carlson in the circle and you have a team that probably should’nt get eliminated by Jacksonville State in a regional. 

Edited May 2 by Big Fat Barner

[CameronCrazy 1,104]

We had multiple top 10 recruits coming in on that team. Talent was not an issue when Dean took over. He’s just been a disappointment. Time to pony up the cash and get a real coach. 

[warladytigers 185]

16 hours ago, Big Fat Barner said:

He’s a baseball guy. I know he likes to sit down by the home bullpen…still haven’t seen him but like once or twice (and I’ve been to a ton of SB games). I’ve been to a few baseball games and have seen him in the HOF club every game. We’ll see how much he cares about softball based on the head coaching hire. If it was baseball, I’m almost certain Cohen wouldn’t mind dropping a bag to get a good HC, so we’ll just see. 

Yes he's baseball - I know that.  All I was saying is that he isn't in the dark about softball.  I don't know where you sit but my seats are behind the visitng dugout and I have seen him at most of the games I've been able to attend.  I choose to give him the benefit of the doubt until he proves me wrong.

[AU9377 5,133]

5 hours ago, warladytigers said:

Yes he's baseball - I know that.  All I was saying is that he isn't in the dark about softball.  I don't know where you sit but my seats are behind the visitng dugout and I have seen him at most of the games I've been able to attend.  I choose to give him the benefit of the doubt until he proves me wrong.

I believe that we are in very good hands when it comes to hiring a softball coach.  In my opinion, Dean was a good hire on paper and by popular opinion in the softball world.  The fit just never seemed right.  That happens.  Having coached himself, I believe that Cohen will be able to filter through the intangibles that are so important, but that are difficult sometimes to see for most administrators.

[ArgoEagle 1,831]

Another reason I'll be glad when MD is gone.  Mattie def. got worn out & should have been taken out before this inning.

[Mikey 16,777]

55 minutes ago, ArgoEagle said:

Another reason I'll be glad when MD is gone.  Mattie def. got worn out & should have been taken out before this inning.

I don't think we have anybody else for the situation. Of course, that's on Dean as well..