Press Conference?

[columbia vol]

Fulmer tried to go after the top coaches male and female and most of them declined to even interview.

And you know this how?

 

[plumbervol]

What I like about her personality is that she put a dagger in UCONN's heart and enjoyed doing it. She is a pure and simple basketball warrior. No quarter asked no quarter given type of person. I loved her comment caught on HBO when she said in the Cinderella season "we are going to go get us another National Championship". She recovered from a major Knee injury and came back in a very short time, she spent 36 hours in the training room with psycho trainer Jenny Mo and played her heart out and led that team to victory. She loves to be told that she cant do something it motivates that type of personality to show you they can. She lives and breathes Basketball and is the daughter of a HS BB coach. She would fight a bear and refuses to lose. She builds family and team work and she played with elite talent. She was elite talent and understands what makes that level of athlete tick and how to motivate that type of athlete.

 

[JohnnyD1024]

And you know this how?

A reliable insider (Deerpark12) posted about it in the Hyams latest tweet thread.

 

[glv98]

Fulmer tried to go after the top coaches male and female and most of them declined to even interview.

And you know this how?

We know this, as much as we "know" anything on a chat board, because one of the most reliable "insider" posters ever on this site told us. Here is the narrative of the search from someone who always knows whereof they speak:

They “spoke” to about 12 people, but the reality is that most of them make enough money at their current spot that there wasn’t really a number that was feasible that would get them to move. Staley, Mitchell, and Schaeffer all declined contact through their agents.

I think there was significant interest on Tennessee’s part in the two coaches from the state of Oregon, but neither indicated a willingness to move from the West Coast. Amanda Butler pursued the job heavily, but there was concern on Tennessee’s part about her never getting over the hump at Florida. Hiring Caldwell away from LSU would have had to have made her the highest paid coach in the SEC and I don’t think anyone saw that as a wise way to spend money.

I think Lawson and others in the process were in on Harper from the start and it kept coming back to her.

Walz was very interested, but when one of the people on your hiring committee once typed up a report UT submitted on him to the NCAA, that was going to be a non-starter. Additionally, someone they consulted with on the search was a target of said violation. It wasn’t ever happening. There was also the matter of him angering boosters two years ago by contacting a prominent one to indicate he would come if they fired Holly at that point. He did not know said booster was in her corner.

The money was there. You’re going to see the numbers come in on her salary and reception will probably be out that they did it on the cheap, but I believe they had nearly twice what they are paying her available. They just didn’t get bites from interested parties.

I never intended it to be an excuse to not fire Holly if needed, but I’ve been saying for two or three years that you would not get the interest in this job and the expectations that come with it from nearly as high a caliber of candidates as people thought. Same way that didn’t happen in the football search last year. It’s just not easy to pluck people from their current jobs anymore when everybody has money. You allow the school pursuing your coach to just set the price, then you cut a check. Coaches typically only want to move if somethings wrong.

Ironically, no one will ever believe KJH wasn't a done deal to please the blue hairs from jump street, and that a female former LV wasn't always going to be the answer. In reality it happened more by default than by design. Hard as it is for us to swallow, the job turned out to be a pretty big "meh" for the elite WBB coaching world. I know PF said in the pressor today there was alot of interest, but unfortunately most of it was on our part, not the prospective hires.

I was pleasantly surprised at the amount of money PF had to work with. I was really glad he was able to reach out to men as well as women, and he seemed to at least inquire with everyone we asked him to - the star coaches, the up and comers like the Oregon guys and Matthew Mitchell, the splash hires like Lawson. In another post, DP said Wes Moore and Gail G were reached out to but both declined. PF went to the final four for some reason, and many think it was to talk to Niele Ivey. Came up empty. Interest was most definitely not what they expected. Once down to KJH, Fargis, and Amanda Butler, KJH, who happened to be on a Cinderella tourney run at the time, was a no brainer. I truly believe PF did the best he could.

And isn't it just our luck, the one star or semi star that was clearly interested, Walz, was a no go due to money and to being in perpetual LV jail for decades old insults.

Before ya'll get mad at me, I love KJH and wish her all the best. I'm thrilled for her and her family, her Sparta kin must be over the moon. She very well might work out and I pray she will. But she's definitely a gamble, much more so than any of the higher level prospects. Her lackluster record worries me, but I realize she's never had the advantages she has her hands on right now. Godspeed KJH!

 

[Darth_Vol]

I know PF said in the pressor today there was alot of interest, but unfortunately most of it was on our part, not prospective hires.

Yes, I would definitely take the word of a (not so) anonymous message board poster over hearing it from Fulmer himself...

 

[TN1111]

After watching the press conference I’m more optimistic than I was initially. Game one I believe we’ll be able to see whether she’s an upgrade or not. If I see a team that comes on the court and over dribbles in the half court, and then as we’re accustomed to, has a player go one-on-one sometimes flailing to get a foul call I will worry.

 

[glv98]

Yes, I would definitely take the word of a (not so) anonymous message board poster over hearing it from Fulmer himself...

LOL, yes, I've noticed how often you believe every word said by UTAD. Of course we're all free to believe whatever we want, but I've always found DP to be spot on, rare as that is on a chat board. And the narrative of how the search went seemed very plausible to me. Of course PF was putting the best face on at the pressor, could hardly roll her out and say, "Well its the best we could do."

Listen, I hope to hell this works out, I hope KJH has a Cinderella coaching run straight thru the elite ranks. She's our coach, she's way better than HW, and I support her fully. It just bothered me to see this overwhelming outcry that PF went cheap as possible and knuckled under to the blue hairs who demanded a Patling. I just don't think that's what happened.

 

[Darth_Vol]

And the narrative of how the search went seemed very plausible to me. Of course PF was putting the best face on at the pressor, could hardly roll her out and say, "Well its the best we could do."

The narrative that Fulmer set out to hire the best possible coach regardless of ties and was railroaded during the process, which is essentially what he said without directly saying it, makes a TON of sense to me. And not exactly the same story we were told here...

 

[glv98]

The narrative that Fulmer set out to hire the best possible coach regardless of ties and was railroaded during the process, which is essentially what he said without directly saying it, makes a TON of sense to me. And not exactly the same story we were told here...

I believe he got railroaded by lack of interest in the job among not just the stars, which we expected and who we didn't have the $ for anyway, but also by the up and comers and second tier elites we could have afforded, like Wes Moore, Gail G, and the Oregon guys. Once he was down to mid majors, assistants, etc., he found himself sort of liking the added bonus of a home girl. That's my story.

I'm betting your story is PF got railroaded by the bluehairs who always had his 'nads in hand.

We'll probably never know who's right, though Deer Park has never let us down before. However the hire came about, I just hope PF walks away from it smelling like a rose and KJH blossoms into a great coach.

 

[TenUhSee]

After watching the press conference I’m more optimistic than I was initially. Game one I believe we’ll be able to see whether she’s an upgrade or not. If I see a team that comes on the court and over dribbles in the half court, and then as we’re accustomed to, has a player go one-on-one sometimes flailing to get a foul call I will worry.

take a look at a KJH coached team on the court

 

[Darth_Vol]

I'm betting your story is PF got railroaded by the bluehairs who always had his 'nads in hand.

Well again, that's pretty much what Fulmer said. And I'm not sure why he would lie about that at a press conference since I think we all agree he came off looking "odd" after it was over...

 

[glv98]

Well again, that's pretty much what Fulmer said. And I'm not sure why he would lie about that at a press conference since I think we all agree he came off looking "odd" after it was over...

Agree he was odd, really throughout. Probably because of what I believe happened, I saw it more as he was trying to cover a bit and make it seem like it was fate or something that led to KJH, a former LV, all along. Which is one way to look at it; maybe all the lack of interest from the dozen or so others contacted was the basketball gods way of making this happen. Because clearly, they hate us, right?

 

[Nute Gunray]

We know this, as much as we "know" anything on a chat board, because one of the most reliable "insider" posters ever on this site told us. Here is the narrative of the search from someone who always knows whereof they speak:


Ironically, no one will ever believe KJH wasn't a done deal to please the blue hairs from jump street, and that a female former LV wasn't always going to be the answer. In reality it happened more by default than by design. Hard as it is for us to swallow, the job turned out to be a pretty big "meh" for the elite WBB coaching world. I know PF said in the pressor today there was alot of interest, but unfortunately most of it was on our part, not the prospective hires.

I was pleasantly surprised at the amount of money PF had to work with. I was really glad he was able to reach out to men as well as women, and he seemed to at least inquire with everyone we asked him to - the star coaches, the up and comers like the Oregon guys and Matthew Mitchell, the splash hires like Lawson. In another post, DP said Wes Moore and Gail G were reached out to but both declined. PF went to the final four for some reason, and many think it was to talk to Niele Ivey. Came up empty. Interest was most definitely not what they expected. Once down to KJH, Fargis, and Amanda Butler, KJH, who happened to be on a Cinderella tourney run at the time, was a no brainer. I truly believe PF did the best he could.

And isn't it just our luck, the one star or semi star that was clearly interested, Walz, was a no go due to money and to being in perpetual LV jail for decades old insults.

Before ya'll get mad at me, I love KJH and wish her all the best. I'm thrilled for her and her family, her Sparta kin must be over the moon. She very well might work out and I pray she will. But she's definitely a gamble, much more so than any of the higher level prospects. Her lackluster record worries me, but I realize she's never had the advantages she has her hands on right now. Godspeed KJH!

Very astute post, glv98. Very good, intuitive and fair to KJH.

 

[madtownvol]

We know this, as much as we "know" anything on a chat board, because one of the most reliable "insider" posters ever on this site told us. Here is the narrative of the search from someone who always knows whereof they speak:


Ironically, no one will ever believe KJH wasn't a done deal to please the blue hairs from jump street, and that a female former LV wasn't always going to be the answer. In reality it happened more by default than by design. Hard as it is for us to swallow, the job turned out to be a pretty big "meh" for the elite WBB coaching world. I know PF said in the pressor today there was alot of interest, but unfortunately most of it was on our part, not the prospective hires.

I was pleasantly surprised at the amount of money PF had to work with. I was really glad he was able to reach out to men as well as women, and he seemed to at least inquire with everyone we asked him to - the star coaches, the up and comers like the Oregon guys and Matthew Mitchell, the splash hires like Lawson. In another post, DP said Wes Moore and Gail G were reached out to but both declined. PF went to the final four for some reason, and many think it was to talk to Niele Ivey. Came up empty. Interest was most definitely not what they expected. Once down to KJH, Fargis, and Amanda Butler, KJH, who happened to be on a Cinderella tourney run at the time, was a no brainer. I truly believe PF did the best he could.

And isn't it just our luck, the one star or semi star that was clearly interested, Walz, was a no go due to money and to being in perpetual LV jail for decades old insults.

Before ya'll get mad at me, I love KJH and wish her all the best. I'm thrilled for her and her family, her Sparta kin must be over the moon. She very well might work out and I pray she will. But she's definitely a gamble, much more so than any of the higher level prospects. Her lackluster record worries me, but I realize she's never had the advantages she has her hands on right now. Godspeed KJH!

I thought PF's choice of words was interesting. He said something like "we talked to people all over the country; we talked to top coaches" but that is quite different from saying that they had to choose between these people. Consistent with DeerPark's narrative that UT's queries generated a lot of "thanks but no thanks" reactions.

 

[glv98]

Very astute post, glv98. Very good, intuitive and fair to KJH.

All credit to DeerPark12.

 

[glv98]

I thought PF's choice of words was interested. it was something we talked to people all over the country, we talked to top coaches but that is quite different from saying that they had to choose between these people. Consistent with DeerPark's narrative that UT's queries generated a lot of "thanks but no thanks" options.

Right. One thing DeerPark said was "it kept coming back to KJH". Because they kept getting turned down by other options.

This all sounds way harsher than I want it to toward KJH. I don't mean to make her sound like the fall back position, but kinda that's what she was. PF was trying hard to not make her sound like that at the pressor. Doesn't mean she can't or won't be successful, maybe it was all meant to be. I sure hope so.

DP's narrative was important to me b/c I wanted to know that big hires were pursued, a decent amount of money was available, all genders were welcome, and PF gave it his best shot. I believe he did. Of course that's a lonely position around here and I will now move to top of my VolNation drinking game list "PF went cheap and sold out to the blue hairs." Cheers!

 

[madtownvol]

I believe he got railroaded by lack of interest in the job among not just the stars, which we expected and who we didn't have the $ for anyway, but also by the up and comers and second tier elites we could have afforded, like Wes Moore, Gail G, and the Oregon guys. Once he was down to mid majors, assistants, etc., he found himself sort of liking the added bonus of a home girl. That's my story.

I'm betting your story is PF got railroaded by the bluehairs who always had his 'nads in hand.

We'll probably never know who's right, though Deer Park has never let us down before. However the hire came about, I just hope PF walks away from it smelling like a rose and KJH blossoms into a great coach.

Ah, you know if Fulmer crossed the blue haired mafia, he would be swimming with the catfishes at the bottom of the Tennessee River. The blue hair mafia totally control Fulmer's every move and that is why he will never fire the blue hair's favorite Holly Warlick, errr uh; okay in that one instance, he went against the blue hairs but he immediately went back to being the emasculated AD by hiring the replacement the blue hair mafia wanted for the coach they did not want to be fired. It is an air tight narrative so long as you don't think about..

 

[glv98]

Ah, you know if Fulmer crossed the blue haired mafia, he would be swimming with the catfishes at the bottom of the Tennessee River. The blue hair mafia totally control Fulmer's every move and that is why he will never fire the blue hair's favorite Holly Warlick, errr uh; okay in that one instance, he went against the blue hairs but he immediately went back to being the emasculated AD by hiring the replacement the blue hair mafia wanted for the coach they did not want to be fired. It is an air tight narrative so long as you don't think about..

You forgot about the fact that Title IX would never allow him to fire Holly . . .

 

[madtownvol]

Right. One thing DeerPark said was "it kept coming back to KJH". Because they kept getting turned down by other options.

This all sounds way harsher than I want it to toward KJH. I don't mean to make her sound like the fall back position, but kinda that's what she was. PF was trying hard to not make her sound like that at the pressor. Doesn't mean she can't or won't be successful, maybe it was all meant to be. I sure hope so.

DP's narrative was important to me b/c I wanted to know that big hires were pursued, a decent amount of money was available, all genders were welcome, and PF gave it his best shot. I believe he did. Of course that's a lonely position around here and I will now move to top of my VolNation drinking game list "PF went cheap and sold out to the blue hairs." Cheers!

But perhaps he was being genuine when talking about how Kellie knocked her interview out the park. Her first day presser and other recorded interactions were damned impressive. Kara Lawson could not have handled the media any better.

Now, poise in front of the press does not make one a great coach per se but KJH exudes a born leader quality and when she say, like CPS, she tries to give her team poise and confidence in tight situations, I can totally see how she could do that.

This could be a situation where you just have a synergy between the history of the program and the right person to re-invoke the competitive spirit of the LV glory days.

I am becoming more excited about this hire as time goes on.

 

[glv98]

This could be a situation where you just have a synergy between the history of the program and the right person to reinvoke the competitive spirit of the glory days.

I have becoming more excited about this hire as time goes on

I've thought about that synergy thing and hey maybe it was all fate, meant to be. I find myself getting more excited as I see more of KJH and her infectious energy, good poise and presentation (God what a relief for a change!) even the cute kids. And she hung on to the team (so far) and recruits! She's done it all wonderfully so far, except actually coach. Then I remember that 15 yr record . . .

 

[madtownvol]

I've thought about that synergy thing and hey maybe it was all fate, meant to be. I find myself getting more excited as I see more of KJH and her infectious energy, good poise and presentation (God what a relief for a change!) even the cute kids. And she hung on to the team (so far) and recruits! She's done it all wonderfully so far, except actually coach. Then I remember that 15 yr record . . .

Well, when Bill Belichick was the head coach of the Cleveland Browns, he compiled a 36–44 record before being fired. No one would have predicted he would eventually be regarded as GOAT.
Sometimes, it comes down to the situational fit. We can hope that Kellie is closer to that scenario than the alternative.

 

[glv98]

Well, when Bill Belichick was the head coach of the Cleveland Browns, he compiled a 36–44 record before being fired. No one would have predicted he would eventually be regarded as GOAT.
Sometimes, it comes down to the situational fit. We can hope that Holly is closer to that scenario than the alternative.

LOL do you mean Kellie? B/C Holly is no longer allowed to be anywhere near the LV scenario. But thanks for talking me off the ledge. I'm going to need alot of that. Because that NC State thing . . .

 

[madtownvol]

LOL do you mean Kellie? B/C Holly is no longer allowed to be anywhere near the LV scenario. But thanks for talking me off the ledge. I'm going to need alot of that. Because that NC State thing . . .

AAAAARGGGHH! I was hacked!; it was the ambian talking! OMG!, I can't believe I made that mistake! I have corrected my original post but now I have to cover the digital trail. Okay, what do I have to pay you to delete the incriminating quote? I can sell my children if necessary, name your price....

 

[glv98]

AAAAARGGGHH! I was hacked!; it was the ambian talking! OMG!, I can't believe I made that mistake! I have corrected my original post but now I have to cover the digital trail. Okay, what do I have to pay you to delete the erroneous quote? I can sell my children if necessary, name your price....

It's ok, we all have a bit of Holly hangover, afraid she's lurking to mess things up, whistle tween her fingers, shrug and say "I don't know" just one more time. More children? Um NO. Got enough. But thanks.

 

[Darth_Vol]

but that is quite different from saying that they had to choose between these people. Consistent with DeerPark's narrative that UT's queries generated a lot of "thanks but no thanks" reactions.

Except that's exactly what Fulmer said, or at the very least clearly implied: "I'm telling you, it became very clear to me as the interview process started that we had our choice in the country of coaches to talk to."

I mean I know you all worship everything DP says here as the absolute gospel truth and I would hate to do anything to rattle his flock, but something isn't adding up here...