Can someone tell me why Michael Curry deserves this job?

Not trying to be negative or factious.

Just honestly curious, because his resume doesnt really mirror any successful coach.

Didnt grow up a basketball fan of any kind until I started covering/following this team so I am still pretty green when it comes to hiring.

Most of good teams in CUSA and SunBelt's HC come from being assistants at larger schools.

So what was the incentive to make Curry the guy?

Jake said

Can someone tell me why Michael Curry deserves this job?

Not trying to be negative or factious.

Just honestly curious, because his resume doesnt really mirror any successful coach.

Didnt grow up a basketball fan of any kind until I started covering/following this team so I am still pretty green when it comes to hiring.

Most of good teams in CUSA and SunBelt's HC come from being assistants at larger schools.

So what was the incentive to make Curry the guy?

Posted On: Dec 21st 2015, 11:23 PM #353324

Because he was probably the best in the applicant pool. Honestly, no one is banging down our door to coach basketball here. We had some decent years under Jarvis and had some good assistants (Matt McCall who is now coaching at Charlotte, I think)..but other than that, there's just not a lot of interest here. We'd have to get really lucky with a young coach (Rex) or hope an older coach wants to retire here (Jarvis).

I feel basketball a hungry sport though.

Coaches move small degrees at a time to get that little extra edge, and keeping a coach for life will never be realistic for this department.

There are 351 teams and a solid 50 or so who cycle through the top programs.

McCall coaches UTC and is 5-2.

You are telling me Chattanooga is a better job? No way.

I think Chun dropped the ball.

I understand Boca is expensive, but like I said earlier the small edges make jobs better despite some downfalls.

The location, the conference, and the ceiling should be enough to find a guy to coach decent for 5 years and then take the Miami job after Larranaga leaves for something better.

I'd agree that it's a hungry sport and definitely a sport where we can succeed. But I just think the odds are not in our favor. There are just so MANY division one programs around and then how many Div. 2 teams? We'd have to sell our location and potential REALLY hard, and need to increase the salary. There are too many schools where basketball is the lone money maker so everything from facilities, to salaries to notoriety on campus, is dedicated to basketball. That's why Rex left, and I'm fine he did because I didn't think he was a very good coach. I'm bummed we have been irrelevant in basketball lately because some of my best memories in college were at basketball games, NOT football.

 Maybe we could poach Florida Southern's coach. He just won a national championship there.

Why not let Curry recruit a few more transfer kids and see what McCall looks like next year.

The problem with the basketball team is that they are becoming irrelevant. Barely even worthy of talking about. There are to many non-college basketball fans in the area like myself that won't pay attention unless they are doing good. I always try to go to at least one basketball game every year, but I don't see it being worth it this year. 

 McCall should have been the guy a young hungry coach. I'm not educated enough in the sport to call for anyone's job at this point, but this isn't a good look. 

Clown,,Jerk. Dusky , were you the "Guest" that was calling everyone names ? Grow up.

I really don't know the sport, I just know that I enjoy watching it and I like it when we win.  We haven't done much of that on the floor lately and it has been pretty much of a downer.  I know that there have been real reasons to feel optimistic and there are times when you see that "it could happen!".  It just hasn't translated into wins on the floor yet.  
BUT – the other wins are out there for all to see.  The focus on academics is really paying off with FAU's STUDENT ATHLETES setting new standards each semester.  1st time ever for the whole department to be over a 3.0.  That is fantastic.  One of the first things I heard Chun say when he arrived is that you can't have winning teams with players that aren't smart.  He has brought people on board that believe that and that try to perpetuate that philosophy.
The other big win out there is what you do not see.  You do not see our stories about our players, in any sport, being arrested every other weekend.  This is not the norm for sports in the state of Florida.  To have a coach who would take a stand with a very promising player that will hurt short term, but strengthen us long term, is a big win to me.
I STRONGLY believe and SUPPORT both Curry and Partridge.  I think they have their priorities right, I think they have the ability to create winning teams, and I think that we need to give them the investment of time to get these programs on the right track with the personnel that they select.  It is going to be a bright and wondrous future for sports at FAU if we do that.

Let the flaming begin.

Jake said

You are telling me Chattanooga is a better job? No way.

Posted On: Dec 21st 2015, 11:59 PM #353326

Why not?

What makes Florida Atlantic a better college basketball job than Chattanooga?

Is it the lack of tradition? (UTC has more).

Is it the lack of fan interest? (UTC has more).

Is it the lack of yearly investment in the sport? (UTC has roughly the same).

Is it the lack of facilities? (UTC has better).


Everyone wants to change the coach every time the wind blows. That is the most simplistic idea. If we have none of the building blocks that it takes to build a program, you can change coaches all day long. Doesn't matter. Been saying it for years. I think I just like to hear myself say it.

The other simplistic thought is: winning changes everything.  Without the building blocks of a true basketball program, winning is just an anomaly for a season or two.

Go Owls!

Not sure if people understand how budgeting and spending works so here is a simple example.

Lets say we receive $100 to spend on athletics from fees, donations, etc. and we spend $80 on football $10 on basketball and $10 on all the other sports

and the University of Western Wyoming receives $30 to spend on athletics from fees, donations, etc but doesn't have a football team meaning they have $30 to spend on teams where we only have $20.  It doesn't matter that you think we are a bigger name, have more students, in a better location, etc.  They have more money to spend on their basketball team than we do.