Rivals Roundtable: Indiana, Minnesota, coaching carousel
National recruiting analysts Rob Cassidy, Dan McDonald, Jamie Shaw and Russ Wood tackle several topics about college basketball’s coaching carousel.
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MORE: Hendricks brothers choose in-state UCF
2021 Rankings: Rivals150 | Team | Position
2022 Rankings: Rivals150 | Team | Position
2023 Rankings: Top 30
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1. Who would (realistically) be your first choice and backup plan if you were making the hire at Indiana?
Rob Cassidy: I don’t know if Indiana can get Scott Drew or Chris Beard but those are the two calls you have to make off the top. Drew is tailor-made for a situation like Indiana and has been wildly successful in turning around a much more daunting situation in Waco. If both pass why not give Bobby Hurley a call? He’s had some serious success as a head coach before falling on hard times recently and is no stranger to a rebuild. He could be looking for a change of scenery, so it’s worth picking up the phone.
Dan McDonald: If you pay $10 million to fire a coach, you better shoot for the stars to get an elite coach. The first call has to be Baylor head coach Scott Drew. He’s done a remarkable job his entire tenure in Waco, and has taken it to another level in the past few years. He’s from Indiana and can build a program where he recruits the right kind of players, develops them, and doesn’t lose a ton of transfers. In the event he doesn’t want the job, go across the state of Texas and make Chris Beard say no. He’s an elite recruiter attracting five-stars to Texas Tech and has also developed unranked prospects into first-round picks. He’s a great coach that can turn things around quickly in Bloomington.
Jamie Shaw: Chris Beard. The Hoosiers' donors wanted a changing of the guard, raising $10 million to get rid of their previous coach. Chris Beard is one of the best coaches in the college game. He worked under Bob Knight at Texas Tech (not sure if this will work for or against him at Indiana), but most importantly he has made it to the tournament in five of his six years as a Div. I head coach and won games. He develops pros, he knows how to win and he will bring that fiery mentality back to Assembly Hall.
Russ Wood: I’d try to get Chris Beard to leave Texas Tech. He has a clause in his contract that lowers his buyout for schools not in Texas or the Big 12. He is part of Bob Knight’s coaching tree and IU fans love them some Robert Montgomery Knight – and with good reason. My back up plan would be Thad Matta if he is healthy and wants to coach basketball again. Matta spent 13 seasons at Ohio State, so he definitely knows the Big Ten landscape, finishing first or second in the conference six times and taking the Buckeyes to a couple of Final Fours.
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2. Who would (realistically) be your first choice and backup plan if you were making the hire at Minnesota?
Cassidy: Dennis Gates at Cleveland State would be a logical option, as he’s rebuilt the Vikings program and could likely do the same for a high-major with a bigger budget. Porter Moser at Loyola-Chicago is an interesting name, too, because of his recruiting ties to the Midwest, including the city of Chicago. Gates seems like more of a high-risk, high-reward hire whereas Moser seems a bit more safe and steady.
McDonald: Minnesota needs a program builder and someone that can really recruit. The first call should be Cleveland State head coach Dennis Gates. He inherited a mess at Cleveland State and turned it around in a hurry. He’s a Chicago native that should be able to help the Golden Gophers get some players out of the city, but I also think he can keep top talent home. If he turns it down, I’d go after Porter Moser after Loyola-Chicago is done playing. He’s proven he can build a program now and he’s recruited well in the footprint that Minnesota needs to get players from. It’d be a pretty easy transition for him.
Shaw: Craig Smith. This was Smith's third season at Utah State and he has a 74-23 overall record and been to three NCAA tournaments. He developed second round draft pick Sam Merrill, the school's first draft pick since 1975. He has another possible future pro on this year's roster with Neemias Queta as well. Smith is also from Stephen, Minn.
Wood: Niko Medved would be my first choice for the Gophers. He is a turnaround guy. He turned around Furman, improved Drake by 10-wins in his one season there and Colorado State has moved up in the Mountain West standings each season he has been there. Minnesota is Medved's alma mater and he has a couple of assistant coaches on his current staff who have ties to the state that would likely join him if he got the Minnesota job. Brian Dutcher would be my backup plan. He has won more than 75 percent of his games as the San Diego State head coach. Plus, he wants to be there. His $7 million buyout has a Gophers clause that drops it to $1 million if he takes the Minnesota job.
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3. Which sitting head coach would you bet on having a new job when next season tips off?
Cassidy: I think Loyola-Chicago's Porter Moser is as good as gone because of the sheer number of jobs open in his neck of the woods and the success he’s had in March. The 52-year-old coach has been to the NCAA Tournament just twice in a decade but he’s been an absolute wrecking ball when he’s arrived at the event. He doesn’t seem like anyone’s first choice, but he’s somewhere near the top of everyone’s list of candidates. It feels like the question is not whether or not Moser will have a new job, but rather which job it’ll be.
McDonald: Given where the current job openings are, I’d be surprised if Loyola-Chicago is able to keep Porter Moser beyond this season. DePaul is open right there in town. Minnesota isn’t too far away and should both be interested. And depending on how Indiana’s search goes with top tier candidates, I could see them making a play for Moser too. It’d be stunning to me if he doesn’t get one of those four jobs.
Shaw: Craig Smith. I feel like Smith will be the head coach at a Power Five program next season. As documented above Smith has been a winner everywhere he has been and turned programs, with little history, around. The three years prior to Smith taking over, Utah State was 47-49. In Smith's three seasons at Utah State they have gone 74-23 with three NCAA tournament births and no season with more than eight losses. He has developed pros, and he has transformed programs. With Minnesota and Utah both open, I would not be surprised to see Smith make the jump this year.
Wood: I’m going with New Mexico State coach Chris Jans. He has done a great job in Las Cruces winning 79 percent of his games overall and 84 percent of his conference games. That incident that happened at a bar near the Bowling Green campus will make some programs shy away but Jans wins games.