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Online petition in support of Mike Balado

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Re: Online petition in support of Mike Balado

bytor i agree i think he is the right guy but i hope this isnt a rush hiring deal…..

i want a few to be interviewed at least that way we can say that mikey B not only deserves the spot but earned it just like anyone else!
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Re: Online petition in support of Mike Balado

Disclosure: I don't know much about college basketball. (I'm primarily a football and hockey fan.) That said, reading this board reminds me of the very old joke that goes like this: "Question: What's a 7-8-9-10? Answer: The girl sitting next to you at the bar at 11-12-1-2." Mr. Balado might well be the best answer for the frequently occupied seat of head basketball coach. But Mr. Angelos cannot know that until he conducts a reasonable search. I'm with Bytor. This is not simply an opportunity and necessity to coach well for several years, but to bring the basketball program to approach the stature of the football program (as well as baseball and softball programs, from what I can tell from afar). FAU needs someone who shares the vision of succeeding in the Sun Belt, then being a partner with other FAU sports in moving to a stronger conference. There's nothing wrong with ambition in a coach; I just hope FAU finds one whose ambition to move to a better conference includes taking the Owls with him.
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Re: Online petition in support of Mike Balado

AD seems to have been distracted for the past 3 years in re:Basketball.  Buyout clause should have been the first thing they looked at after Doherty went to SMU.  Since he is a lawyer, you would think he could construct a "mutual agreement" argument that would allow the school to scare off competitors for coaching staff, but allow coaches to leave if it would benefit the school.

The longer I look at this, it appears that there possibly was a "gentlemans agreement between FAU and Doherty.  Remember he initially came to campus to back RW's candidacy for the job.  So a year later, he is gone and FAU signs ("takes a chance") on RW after seemingly rebuffing him a year earlier.  That was the time to reset the buyout.  Oh well.

Now, if CA is looking for the safe hire with a high buyout, he has to "take another chance" on unproven candidates, since most (maybe not all) experienced coaches will blanch at the thought of high buyouts.  The answe may be that coaches have to insist on the Lew Holtz clause (all contracts agreed that if Notre Dame offered him a job, he could leave without penalty).  It is  a sticky wicket no matter how you look at it.

The good news is that the team seems to be holding together and hopefully the recruits will too.  If that is the case, we should come out of the next 3 years with a respectable record almost independent of the coaching situation.

One last question…..when another institution notifies you that they are interested in your coach, what are your options?  Can you NOT give permission for discussions, or what???
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Re: Online petition in support of Mike Balado

So you guys have pretty much answered my "what makes you so sure about him" question.  Answer: we're not.

First, I'll disclose like grayowl – not a huge basketball fan, more of a March Madness kind of guy.  But I figure in some respects coaches are pretty much the same in any sport.  You have your good coaches, your good recruiters, your program builders, your leaders, etc.  Hopefully, you can find a guy who fits them all, but that's pretty rare.  Bottom line is it seems some of you are putting an awful lot of faith into Balado to be that guy in the name of stability.  And I hope you're right, and for all I know, he might be the next Bobby Knight or Dean Smith or whatever.  But that's an awfully big gamble to take, talking about big-money buyouts and whatnot for a guy who doesn't have an extensive track record.

As far as the buyout goes, make it $500k, $750k, a million, but if a big name school comes calling, that's not a lot of money.  Then again, what are the odds a top 10 or tradition-rich program will come after our next coach in the next 2-3 years?  Probably not much.  Regardless, that works both ways.  Yeah, it would cost him to get out of the contact, but it's also going to cost FAU to get rid of him if it doesn't work out.

If stability is the big thing right now, yeah, he might be the right guy.  Three coaches in four years is ridiculous, and at least probably not a lot would change right away under Balado.  Still, I think a national search is in order, and that's probably exactly what they're going to do.
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