POLL: Bacari Alexander?

[ExcitedTitan]

Feel free to explain why or why not.

I am concerned about his reputation while he was an assistant here that he was not a good Xs and Os and scouting coach. Maybe he has improved. He has a good personality that parents should love. He was a tough player. I think he would bring a lot of energy.

I have mixed feelings but not sure he is worth the gamble.

[udballer]

I am one who fully believed a change was needed so I'll support whomever Vowels hours. That said, I certainly hope a coaching search has been planned and now in effect. Simply handing the team over to JJ or Bacari would be the lazy way to go, in my opinion. I don't even care who's on the list, just make an effort. If the person ends up Bacari so be it, but at least tell me George Karl and Jim Calhoun were not interested along the way.

[TitanVoiceofReason]

Both Bacari and JJ should be considered but I'll wait and see what candidates are mentioned before voting.

[MooseGuy1]

Don't really know but I said yes because it would fulfill a prediction that was once made, then regretted, redacted, deleted, scorned, and laughed at. Bad timing but hiring BA would be some vindication.

[titanmike]

Don't really know but I said yes because it would fulfill a prediction that was once made, then regretted, redacted, deleted, scorned, and laughed at. Bad timing but hiring BA would be some vindication.

Moose you the mooseman

[titanmac]

cool.

[upbasketballfan]

I would like to see JJ become the coach. I see where Gary Waters was mentioned. He recruits the heck out of the Detroit and Lansing areas.

[kirky313]

I've heard Waters wants to interview.

[titanmac]

I see absolutely nothing wrong with having a very successful uofd man hired as coach without a lot of searching or fan fare. i also see that jj was the only assistant still on the payroll. I like that too.

[Commissioner]

I wouldn't object. Wouldn't object to JJ either. Whether they are the best candidates we'll have, I don't know. Yet I also agree with Mac -- if you know who you want, nothing wrong with hiring him. You could certainly do a lot worse, and quite likely not do better. http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2218 ... in-2014-15

[udballer]

You could certainly do a lot worse, and quite likely not do better. http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2218 ... in-2014-15

Really? We really couldn't do better than a career assistant with a history of not developing UofM's big men? I wanna believe that's not true, but who knows? If he comes here, I truly hope Bacari's coaching matches his heart on the court, not his talent on the court. Again, I'll take him over Ray... but I'm not a big fan of settling.

[MooseGuy1]

Would I get blasted by you guys if I said that I thought Waters might be a very good choice? I've often thought he was a better coach than the talent he had to work with, and often outmaneuvered us in games. Of course, I'm not a coach but I think Alexander might be in over his head whereas Waters certainly has been around and knows the game. I'm not wedded to anybody (except Bacari, a little, for selfish reasons ) and am keeping an open mind.

[retspooh]

I believe the program has always excelled with superior guards. With that being said, what better direction than to have one of your all-time greats lead your program and then have his son run the show.

[upbasketballfan]

I've heard Waters wants to interview.

I checked and unless Waters has an opt out he is not touchable as he is under contract through 2019.

[MooseGuy1]

Thanks, UP. So much for that.

[udballer]

I believe the program has always excelled with superior guards. With that being said, what better direction than to have one of your all-time greats lead your program and then have his son run the show.

I'd feel better about your suggestion if the Titan great in question had any notable coaching experience. Additionally, I've just seen this movie play out with a coach with much more experience and a much more impactful son. That experiment ended today and didn't exactly sell me on the "package deal" in general. All it did was disguise coaching flaws for a few years.

[Tacitus651]

My vote is for JJ. Kids admire someone who played in the NBA. JJ doesn't have a ton of college coaching experience but he seems to be a great role model for young men. I think he loves the school and he'd be in it for more than the paycheck.

Bacari isn't a bad pick, but I'd rather have JJ.

[MooseGuy1]

Brad Galli of channel 7 said he'd bet it would be Alexander. This is the worst kept secret in a long time.

[uofdfan83]

First of all, if Waters were interested and available, you've gotta interview him. He is a helluva coach and a good recruiter who always scares me when I see him on the visitor's bench. Having said that, I cannot believe CSU would let him go to a league rival. But if he applies, go after him, even at the risk of pissing off another Horizon League institution.

As to JJ: I absolutely love JJ. After Thunder, my favorite Titan EVER. A winner and a leader from Day One -- how many guys can step in as a starting freshman PG and lead the way he did. But here's the thing: he's got ONE year of college coaching, 2 years of high school coaching, and some baggage from the way he left Mt Clemens. I don't care about the baggage, but some people will. He played professionally forever. Good for him. He earned it all. As a result, his coaching career started late. He has to learn all the nuances of what is allowed by the NCAA, etc. I don't know how you even give a lead assistant job to a guy with just one year of coaching. But I want him on the staff. Move him up in the ranks. Most of the current team will stay if he does. He is a motivator, a recruiter, a winner, and with some help from Bacari, led this team to greatness back in the late 90s. His son is just a bonus. I want him as an assistant, no matter who we hire.

Bacari. Is he a gamble. Yes. But I would take the gamble because we might hit the jackpot. He has all the charisma, the suits, the smile, the quick wit, the charm. I admit, I like that. I think we need it. It will bring fans, it will bring media attention. And it will bring players, and it will engage the student body to support the team. His fight and enthusiasm will engage us all to work together on this thing, and it will be FUN to be a part of the Program again.

The big criticism I have heard about BA going back to when he was an assistant here at U-D is that he isn't an X and O guy. They said his "scout" work on opponents was always the weakest of the assistants back when -- that Mondro was much better at it than Bacari. Two things: 1) I would hope that he's picked up a thing or two in these years with Beilien. Beilien is a true X and O genius. 2) With Bacari and JJ, you've got your recruiting covered. He can afford to go out and get an older coach who is striclty an X and O mastermind. Roll out a general philosophy and find someone who can implement the detailed Xs and Os of that program philosophy. JJ and Bacari would be on the same page from the get-go. Find someone else who would be able to help put that philosophy into action.

Some people think BA is just a con man, a good talker. Let me bring up another example. Most people around the country never knew Dickie V before he became an announcer. They think it must be an act he puts on for TV, that no one could really be like that. I know that's the real Dickie V because that's who I saw in the Memorial Building every day. He's not putting on an act -- he's just being himself.

Bacari was not the most talented player. But he used every once of talent he had for the team. He would claw, grab, and fight for every inch of court. He left nothing on the court. He gave his all. He played for the TEAM. He wanted to win with every ounce of his body. He was a leader on and off the court. In his 2 seasons, we went to the NCAA tourney twice and won 2 NCAA games, beating St Johns and UCLA. We stomped Butler in the League Championship Game his senior year with Walter Craft at center. If Bacari can impart his will and passion for winning onto the team, the Xs and Os won't even matter.

So what I am saying is: Vitale's "act" on TV is no act. Bacari's enthusiasm and passion and personality are no act either. He played that way. He is that way in real life. If selected, will he be the right choice? I don't know. But I would gamble, because mediocrity sucks. Go for the home run when you can. Bacari would breathe life into the Program.

[Commissioner]

You could certainly do a lot worse, and quite likely not do better. http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2218 ... in-2014-15

Really? We really couldn't do better than a career assistant with a history of not developing UofM's big men? I wanna believe that's not true, but who knows? If he comes here, I truly hope Bacari's coaching matches his heart on the court, not his talent on the court. Again, I'll take him over Ray... but I'm not a big fan of settling.

Really? You think it's likely that we'd do better than a 39 year old top assistant at a Big 10 school who generally gets good reviews, and whom at least some reasonably knowledgeable observers think is one of the 10 best assistants in D-I, who is an alum, who knows the state? Maybe we could--I don't say we can't, nor do I say that he's my first choice. But I think "quite likely not do better" may be an understatement. You're going to have a pretty tough time beating that package, at least on paper. The question beyond that is really one of fit and intangibles. What I don't want is a recycled head coach, though I'd be very happy with a young guy moving up after success at a low D-I school.

BTW, calling him a "career assistant" is just a cheap shot. Tom Izzo was 40 when he became a head coach for the first time, after 12 years as an assistant. John Beilein got his first D-I job at age 39 after 15 years in juco and small college ranks. Roy Williams got his first head coaching job at 38, after 10 years as an assistant. Lon Kruger was 40 when he got his first job at Texas-Pan Am. Jim Boeheim was a "career assistant" when he was promoted to the top job at Syracuse. Perry Watson was 43 when he got his first head coaching job. Steve Fisher was 44 and had been an assistant for a decade. Chris Beard of UALR, this year's hot mid-major coach (just hired at UNLV) was 42 when he got his first D-I head coaching job (40 when he got his first top job at a 4 year school). Steve Pikiell of Stony Brook, another hot mid-major coach (just hired up to Rutgers), was 38 when he got his first D-I job at Stony Brook, after over a decade as an assistant. Etc. etc. Anyone under age 40 is likely to be a "career assistant." They're often the best hires.