I know I'm jumping the gun, but I thought it would be fun to put together a thread of possible HC replacements. Some reasonable and some not so much. Feel free to add anyone within reason for consideration that I may be overlooking.


Current Head Coaches

Josh Merkel - HC at D3 Randolph-Macon

Dave Macedo - HC at D3 Virginia Wesleyan

Robert Jones - HC at Norfolk St

Mike Jones - HC at UNCG

Griff Aldrich - HC at Longwood 


The Retreads

David Cox - Maryland Assistant (former Rhody HC) 

Rob Ehsan - Stanford Assistant (former UAB HC) 

Jason Shay - Wake Forest Assistant (former ETSU HC) 

Chris Lowery - Northwestern Assistant (Former Southern Illinois HC) 

Jamion Christian - Pallacanestro Trieste (Former GW HC) 


First Timers

Kotie Kimble - Miami Assistant

Ryan Miller - Creighton Assistant 

Ivan Thomas - Georgetown Assistant

Jonathan Holmes - Miami-OH Assistant

Not really related to this thread, but I'd be curious to learn how Christian wound up as the head coach of an Italian basketball team. Outside of one year at Siena, his entire coaching/playing career was in the mid atlantic.

Of my listed candidates, my preference :

David Cox
Griff Aldrich
Kotie Kimble
Jason Shay
Robert Jones
Josh Merkel
Dave Macedo

Approx cost of doing business: Not addressing assistants
2.27
Standing Salary Rank Salary:
1 1 Charleston $1.1
2 2 UNCW $500
2 4 Drexel $457
2 *5? Hofstra $45k before extension (Speedy NBA net worth already)
5 7 Towson $445
6 3 Delaware $494
6 6 Monmouth $446
6 8 Stony Brook $365 +$150 bonus
9 2 NE $604 + $58
9 10 Campbell $363
11 9 Elon $379
11 ?13 NCA&T ($194 base per year for 2 years payout prior coach)
13 12 W&M $225 + $ bonus media app ($paying prior coach still)
14 14? Hampton $?

Let’s be bolder:

Norfolk native former CS assoc coach BJ McKie
Philly native NC alum Rasheed Wallace

I guess the question like many have aluded to is how much W&M is able or willing to pay?
We have to be in the north of $400k neighborhood. That would attract decent candidates and put us down in the middle of CAA coaching salaries. If we are trying to pay less than $300k, we may want to keep our attention directed at the D2/D3 coaches

I think we should be looking for folks in the $500-700k range plus higher assistant salaries. We either need to take it seriously or not. We need to look at this as an investment in a long term program success path. If we are looking at it as an expense, then keep Dane another year and go find the money. Just 1000 more fans at 15 home games at $20 per fan gets you $300k. Look at what the women have done with attendance in a year and a half.

(02-27-2024 04:57 PM)Tribe32 Wrote:  I think we should be looking for folks in the $500-700k range plus higher assistant salaries. We either need to take it seriously or not. We need to look at this as an investment in a long term program success path. If we are looking at it as an expense, then keep Dane another year and go find the money. Just 1000 more fans at 15 home games at $20 per fan gets you $300k. Look at what the women have done with attendance in a year and a half.

If Dane is retained, I won't be back for my 50th year as a ticket holder!!

(02-27-2024 05:14 PM)Biggjohn43 Wrote:  

(02-27-2024 04:57 PM)Tribe32 Wrote:  I think we should be looking for folks in the $500-700k range plus higher assistant salaries. We either need to take it seriously or not. We need to look at this as an investment in a long term program success path. If we are looking at it as an expense, then keep Dane another year and go find the money. Just 1000 more fans at 15 home games at $20 per fan gets you $300k. Look at what the women have done with attendance in a year and a half.

If Dane is retained, I won't be back for my 50th year as a ticket holder!!

Next year is my 50th also.

Channel that anger into emails to Mann. Keep them coming. I'd like to think that's its obvious something needs to be done, but I guess you can never be too certain. I'm pretty sure he doesn't, or won't admit, to reading this board. Gotta keep hitting him over the head. Don't overthink it. Just do it.

99.9% of anyone ever associated with Tribe Athletics have no idea this board exists.

Actually, I do know one who sent me a message a few years ago to request I remove a sensitive post. He was high up the TA chain, at least at one point.

I’d bet my life no current coach or admin reads our rants.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

(02-27-2024 03:08 PM)Sic Semper Tyrranis Wrote:  Let’s be bolder:

Norfolk native former CS assoc coach BJ McKie
Philly native NC alum Rasheed Wallace

Is Wallace still coaching?

McKie is an assistant at Wake Forest under Forbes. He wouldn't be a bad option.
I really like his coworker Jason Shay. He's won most every spot he's been in. Players love him.

Would Mann go back to the well and bring in another coach from Wake Forest? The first one worked out really well.

(02-27-2024 08:33 PM)mrjoolius Wrote:  

(02-27-2024 03:08 PM)Sic Semper Tyrranis Wrote:  Let’s be bolder:

Norfolk native former CS assoc coach BJ McKie
Philly native NC alum Rasheed Wallace

Is Wallace still coaching?

McKie is an assistant at Wake Forest under Forbes. He wouldn't be a bad option.
I really like his coworker Jason Shay. He's won most every spot he's been in. Players love him.

Would Mann go back to the well and bring in another coach from Wake Forest? The first one worked out really well.

Actually Wallace could be a good choice. Assistant coach at Detroit , head coach at high school level and assistant coach at Memphis. Good deversification!! Also could really help the bigs. We have never had that.
Another possibility would be Bill Phillips, associate head coach at Delaware and former power forward for us!!!

David Cox should be a favorite as he comes with HC experience. Whether he is interested or not is another story.

I would add UVA assistant Orlando Vandross and VA Tech assistant Christian Webster. These two, along with Jamion, were mentioned last year as possibilities by The Coaching Portal if Fischer was bought out.

I had not thought of Phillips. I hear more and more about promoting promising assistants from your level because they are used to the amount of resources. A HM assistant is suddenly not going to have those HM resources when they become HC. From coaching against us Phillips would know what we do well and what we don’t.

I get a chuckle out of this thread. All this anticipation for a change, and it probably won't happen.

I suppose as Tribe fans we are all used to high hopes followed by disappointment, so nothing new here.

(02-28-2024 06:06 AM)WillaMary08 Wrote:  …From coaching against us Phillips would know what we do well and what we don’t.

Phillips would have first hand knowledge that any really good players that get recruited here are likely to leave after their first year….

I value and want someone who has sat in the big chair to be the next HC. I don't think many current D1 HCs would see the move to Williamsburg as beneficial. The D3/D2 coach to D1 could work, but the degree of risk is too high for my liking at this point.

That said, my top choice is Kotie Kimble. Never a HC, but he represents the best parts of the past that so many Tribe fans yearn for. He knows the school and the recruiting and funding challenges that are in place. He is a huge proponent of the "Shaver" offensive system, how to teach it, and how to recruit for it. He is a great communicator to both the players and the W&M community. I fear we are too late to the party though. Last offseason was the time to get him.
My next choice is David Cox. I thought he was out of our weight class & wouldn't have listed him if not for the MD blog saying he would have interest. He is a culture builder and known high level recruiter. He was known as a sharp Xs & Os play designer when assisting Dan Hurley at Rhody. Stud recruits can fix a lot of warts at the midmajor level pretty quickly.
Next is Jason Shay, Wake Forest assistant and long time right hand of Steve Forbes. He's been a winner much of his career. Used to building towards and competing at tourney time. Program builder and his kids love him

As mentioned before, we can't miss with this hire. We cannot afford it. I believe these top 3 bring the best odds of success.

If you are a podcast person, listen to these podcasts and tell me either of these guys wouldn't be fantastic coaches at W&M.

David Cox shortly after being hired by Maryland. Talks about himself and the offseason.
https://m.soundcloud.com/user-881740103/...ason-recap

Kotie Kimble just after getting the Miami job. Discusses his past and his coaching journey.
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/ep...0563777233

(02-28-2024 08:10 AM)mrjoolius Wrote:  I value and want someone who has sat in the big chair to be the next HC. I don't think many current D1 HCs would see the move to Williamsburg as beneficial. The D3/D2 coach to D1 could work, but the degree of risk is too high for my liking at this point.

That said, my top choice is Kotie Kimble. Never a HC, but he represents the best parts of the past that so many Tribe fans yearn for. He knows the school and the recruiting and funding challenges that are in place. He is a huge proponent of the "Shaver" offensive system, how to teach it, and how to recruit for it. He is a great communicator to both the players and the W&M community. I fear we are too late to the party though. Last offseason was the time to get him.
My next choice is David Cox. I thought he was out of our weight class & wouldn't have listed him if not for the MD blog saying he would have interest. He is a culture builder and known high level recruiter. He was known as a sharp Xs & Os play designer when assisting Dan Hurley at Rhody. Stud recruits can fix a lot of warts at the midmajor level pretty quickly.
Next is Jason Shay, Wake Forest assistant and long time right hand of Steve Forbes. He's been a winner much of his career. Used to building towards and competing at tourney time. Program builder and his kids love him

As mentioned before, we can't miss with this hire. We cannot afford it. I believe these top 3 bring the best odds of success.

Shay resigned from ETSU after 1 year. No way he comes to W&M if he opted out of a HC position. And no way W&M should offer him in our circumstances.
McKie is the one to want from Wake in all respects.