RebKell's Junkie Boards

[LitePal]

How long can Trakh at USC and Wynn at UW last? They seem poised to be at the bottom of the conference for the next few seasons at least and they're midway through their contracts. Trakh has done some good recruiting. Last year's class was #5 and they're getting their chance with all the transfers USC had. Wynn, not so much.

USC is having serious problems with all sports and also an image problem with Admission-gate. UW seems more serious about sports and their AD has done a good job with most hires.

I think they both complete their contracts and then are both replaced.

[myrtle]

Before the Plum era, I don't remember Washington being much, so in a way it's just reverting to 'normal'. They don't have a huge local base from which to recruit and what they do have seem to be siphoned off into the Oregon schools and Stanford which now have the reputations as winning programs. It's hard to revive a 'bad' program...which is why it's so much fun to see what Adia has done at Arizona.

As for USC, I dunno. Keep thinking they will be better than they are. Not really sure what holds them back. They've played musical chairs with coaches but nothing seems to revive them. They wouldn't be such a terrible team if they weren't in the P12.

_________________
For there is always light,
if only we’re brave enough to see it.
If only we’re brave enough to be it.
- Amanda Gorman

[Stormeo]

Myrtle is right, UW WBB has never had a sustained eliteness about it. I think when our AD Jen Cohen (who has overall done a great job imo) hired Wynn, she understood this and saw that Wynn had demonstrated an ability to build a program completely from the ground up that this program would need. Most coaches going to a new school have some sort of foundational players at the new school to work with; some coaches just can't build up from nothing, which is pretty much what we had when Neighbors left. It took Wynn five seasons before LBSU saw its first winning one under her leadership, so Cohen I'm sure knew that the rebuild would be long in hiring her - and it was probably always gonna be long no matter what. Do I ultimately think Wynn was the right choice? As of now, no; though if Wynn can get this group to overachieve and finish around .500, I'll gladly start rethinking her. But I'm gonna guess the mediocrity will continue and Wynn will last into her sixth year before our AD pulls the trigger and starts over.

What was interesting that no one I think noticed was this: Wynn graduated and was an assistant coach at USC, and both the UW and USC WBB jobs were open at the same time. UW filled ours with Wynn before USC after several weeks went back to Trakh (they got "back on Trakh"? ). Did USC just not consider Wynn for their job? Or did she interview with USC and one of the two sides (namely hers) didn't consider it a good fit? LitePal, like you said, USC has their image problem given their more-than-fair share of scandals. Their athletic department & bigger-name programs will likely continue to be messy so long as the school's reputation doesn't improve. With regards to WBB, a bunch of players transferred after last season, and I don't see any reason why it won't happen again this year. The team is made up of mostly freshmen; some players inevitably will see an uphill battle for minutes or an awkward fit within the team/culture. Trakh though may be there longer than Wynn at least, especially if he can continue to bring in the recruits (even if it doesn't pan out). I'm kind of surprised high-level recruits still go there, cuz USC WBB hasn't been good let alone elite in a very long time.

Utah's Lynne Roberts is another one to speculate about. This year, whether they knew it or not, sure has become a rebuilding year, so maybe the 2020-2021 season makes-or-breaks her? Colorado to me won't ever get out of mediocrity with their coach JR Payne, but this year looks like their best chance to prove me wrong. (If y’all couldn’t tell, I’m very much a pessimist, but also a bit of a realist)

[summertime blues]

I still believe the adage that it takes 3 years to build a team and 7 to build a program. Most fans are too impatient to get that when a program has been in the doldrums for a long time it may take even longer than that. Players may not want to come to a program that has been "trash" for years, which makes recruiting difficult. A new coach has to convince them to buy into his style. Players most likely come from less than top-tier high school programs, or if they come from good programs, they may have difficulty meshing with others who don't. It's tricky. Wisconsin, as an example, is just now coming out of the morass former AD Pat Richter threw it into years ago, and there are some already calling for Jonathan Tsipis' scalp, apparently. (Not many, I gather, because Badgers' WBB support dwindled badly in the lean years) The B1G is as loaded as the PAC-12, so the climb will be just as hard for them if it occurs at all.

_________________
Don't take life so serious. It ain't nohows permanent.
It takes 3 years to build a team and 7 to build a program.--Conventional Wisdom

[LitePal]

Wynn has shown she can coach, like when she played OSU down to the wire with her badly outmanned LBSU team in the tournament. However, her recruiting has been woefully bad and you just can't compete in the Pac without the talent. Considering who she loses and what she gains, it's hard to see UW breaking out of the bottom for at least three years unless they can get some really great transfers. USC has recruited well and although the team got mopped up by UCLA, they showed some promise and a few, like Pili, could be a real force in the conference. Recruiting in itself could get Trakh an extension of the contract. The transfers were said to be a part of very poor chemistry last season, but if it happens again, all fingers point to Trakh. However, USC remains a popular destination for transfers so that in itself puts him ahead of UW and Wynn. And just for the record, I believe all but one transfer from last year was a grad transfer. Nonetheless, it's not a good look.

Wynn might have had the USC job if they didn't have such a worthless AD like Swann. However, the front runner was Smesko but that came after a long, humiliating public search where contenders were mentioned and then shot down. Not enough money or not enough support but Smesko didn't sign, but he really wanted the job. He even came to USC for an on campus interview at the very end. Some say he will be next in line when Trakh is fired/retired. The fact that Swann was golfing, at a convention, or whatever, when this search was going on does say what his priorities were.

What might help Wynn is to get a real recruiting ace like April Phillips but I don't think much can save her. Cohen has indeed done a good job, has gotten a bit lucky in places but this is a real disaster, especially since she was scouting Wynn before Neighbors left and it was well known he would depart.

[PUmatty]

[ClayK]

[patsweetpat]

[Stormeo]

[calbearman76]

[osubeavers]

[Stormeo]

[elsie]

I think that Campbell had a hold on Ionescu when he was still at Oregon state....which is why he was hired away from Oregon state by Graves, because why else would Graves hire someone he never worked with before..... he was hired immediately after Graves left Gonzaga....its worked out well......but Campbell will probably now that Ionescu's reign is nearly done, seek the HC job somewhere...all of this is just my opinion, based on no facts that I know of, just making a good guess...

[ClayK]

[elsie]

I meant he had a good connection on recruiting her, but you knew that.....

I wonder how much of a contract she'll get from Nike after her college days .....it'll probably be massive..

[Howee]

Ahh, yes....U-Dubb. I remember when Cameo Hicks was a star.