The Tulsa rumors

[monte]

When rumors started circulating about Maryland's interest in Rick Pitino, he immediately issued a statement saying that he had no interest in being the Maryland coach, and reaffirming his commitment to Iona. Pitino understood the importance of a swift and emphatic denial, even if I don't ever believe him 100%. The cat is now out of the bag regarding Tulsa's interest in CMA, so at some point, hopefully sooner rather than later, CMA must come out with his own emphatic denial of any interest in the Tulsa job. If, in fact, he has no interest. Cragg and Shanley must insist on this. Anything less then a complete denial will just add fuel to the rumors, and will leave our program in a state of flux. 

 

[prjohnnies]

Pitino and other coaches have done that. Some have not.  Kevin Willard has been linked to the MD job since it opened and frankly even before that. Numerous articles out there. And it gets mentioned during the telecast of every Hall game. Brando brought it up repeatedly. Pitino went public in an article recently basically pushing him for it and likewise mentioning Halloway for the Hall job. Yet there has been no adamant denial or statement on that one. 

 

[SLYFOXX1968]

Excellent post, Monte .  Although I would value CMA ‘s denial more than Rick’s .  Just their difference in character .  But , you are right about denying interest by CMA .    Rumors like him leaving for Tulsa don’t just get started without some impetus from somewhere . Otherwise , it’s just idle speculation .   I think by tonight , when the NCAA and NIT fields are filled , more news might be forthcoming .    Do we make the NIT or not ?  Who stays with our Program , who leaves ?   Will all our guys play in the NIT ? These are all unknowns . 

 

[Amaseinyourface]

I think it would be different if a big school were potentially going after CMA. Acknowledging Tulsa in that manner seems a bit weak IMO. Not that I couldn’t see a scenario where he would leave for Tulsa, but if he isn’t considering them then I don’t think it’s worth mentioning. And if he is considering it, then he wouldn’t mention it either. But I get your point Monte. 

 

[paultzman]

Hopefully our new President is as focused on winning as advertised and has already spoken to Cragg to address the rumor. Should not let this fester for many reasons including roster stability and recruiting. We’ll see soon enough.

One aside, if Mike does opt to leave, let’s not assume it was because of social media and blog negativity about his tenure to date. Some posters have referenced coaches like Cooley and Willard having tough first three or four seasons and assume they got plenty of flak, but stayed the course. I would hope Mike is built the same way.

 

[monte]

I think it would be different if a big school were potentially going after CMA. Acknowledging Tulsa in that manner seems a bit weak IMO. Not that I couldn’t see a scenario where he would leave for Tulsa, but if he isn’t considering them then I don’t think it’s worth mentioning. And if he is considering it, then he wouldn’t mention it either. But I get your point Monte. 

I thought about that. While it may not be a high major job, it is his alma mater and his home town. So my feeling is that addressing the rumors does far more good then ignoring them. Remember, other coaches will use something like this against CMA on the recruiting trail. In any event, a sportswriter is going to push CMA at some point soon, so we'll see what he says or doesn't say. His silence, if that's the route he chooses, will be telling. 

 

[prjohnnies]

Hopely our new President is as focused on winning as advertised and has already spoken to Cragg to address the rumor. Should not let this fester for many reasons including roster stability and recruiting. We’ll see soon enough.

One aside, if Mike does opt to leave, let’s not assume it was because of social media and blog negativity about his tenure to date. Some posters have referenced coaches like Cooley and Willard having tough first three or four seasons and assume they got plenty of flak, but stayed the course. I would hope Mike is built the same way.

Cooley got them pretty good quickly, at least my recall.  I'll never forget sitting courtside at the infamous BE tourney game early in Cooley's tenure when we had the crazy comeback and the missed Sampson layup.  And saw firsthand Obekpa refuse to go back into the game and Tony Chiles throw his hands up in disgust.

Willard was going to get fired after year 5 before he got in bed with Tiny to save his job.  And lots of rumors he almost left for Holy Cross towards the end of that 5-year run because he knew his job status was shaky despite being buddies with the then-AD.
 

 

[ctstorm]

I think it would be different if a big school were potentially going after CMA. Acknowledging Tulsa in that manner seems a bit weak IMO. Not that I couldn’t see a scenario where he would leave for Tulsa, but if he isn’t considering them then I don’t think it’s worth mentioning. And if he is considering it, then he wouldn’t mention it either. But I get your point Monte. 

I thought about that. While it may not be a high major job, it is his alma mater and his home town. So my feeling is that addressing the rumors does far more good then ignoring them. Remember, other coaches will use something like this against CMA on the recruiting trail. In any event, a sportswriter is going to push CMA at some point soon, so we'll see what he says or doesn't say. His silence, if that's the route he chooses, will be telling. 

All he has to do is say something about having a job to finish at SJ and he is looking forward to next year.

 

[monte]

I think it would be different if a big school were potentially going after CMA. Acknowledging Tulsa in that manner seems a bit weak IMO. Not that I couldn’t see a scenario where he would leave for Tulsa, but if he isn’t considering them then I don’t think it’s worth mentioning. And if he is considering it, then he wouldn’t mention it either. But I get your point Monte. 

I thought about that. While it may not be a high major job, it is his alma mater and his home town. So my feeling is that addressing the rumors does far more good then ignoring them. Remember, other coaches will use something like this against CMA on the recruiting trail. In any event, a sportswriter is going to push CMA at some point soon, so we'll see what he says or doesn't say. His silence, if that's the route he chooses, will be telling. 

All he has to do is say something about having a job to finish at SJ and he is looking forward to next year.

Exactly

 

[ADORAZ]

Hopely our new President is as focused on winning as advertised and has already spoken to Cragg to address the rumor. Should not let this fester for many reasons including roster stability and recruiting. We’ll see soon enough.

One aside, if Mike does opt to leave, let’s not assume it was because of social media and blog negativity about his tenure to date. Some posters have referenced coaches like Cooley and Willard having tough first three or four seasons and assume they got plenty of flak, but stayed the course. I would hope Mike is built the same way.

Yeah that narrative is ridiculous. Anybody with an online following in 2022 knows that they will be criticized by people, sometimes fairly and sometimes unfairly. He's getting paid several million dollars a year as well and one reason for that is the pressure that all head coaches face. Any coach who can't handle some Twitter accounts shouldn't be coaching. That would not be the reason he'd leave.

Also fwiw, I don't criticize him on Twitter or even Tweet about St. John's, I just find it laughable that some people claim he'd leave due to Twitter.

 

[JohnnyFan]

I don't think CMA pays much mind to Twitter, but I will say that the SJUBB hashtag on Twitter is an embarrassment that could sway a recruit.  Every team has unreasonable Twitter trolls, but #SJUBB is particularly loaded with bufoons and burner accounts. 

 

[monte]

Hopely our new President is as focused on winning as advertised and has already spoken to Cragg to address the rumor. Should not let this fester for many reasons including roster stability and recruiting. We’ll see soon enough.

One aside, if Mike does opt to leave, let’s not assume it was because of social media and blog negativity about his tenure to date. Some posters have referenced coaches like Cooley and Willard having tough first three or four seasons and assume they got plenty of flak, but stayed the course. I would hope Mike is built the same way.

Yeah that narrative is ridiculous. Anybody with an online following in 2022 knows that they will be criticized by people, sometimes fairly and sometimes unfairly. He's getting paid several million dollars a year as well and one reason for that is the pressure that all head coaches face. Any coach who can't handle some Twitter accounts shouldn't be coaching. That would not be the reason he'd leave.

Also fwiw, I don't criticize him on Twitter or even Tweet about St. John's, I just find it laughable that some people claim he'd leave due to Twitter.

I don't do Twitter or Instagram, and barely do anything on FB. This is the only social media site that I consistently post on. And while I do think there has been some unfair criticism of CMA, and also feel that calls for his firing have been way premature, I do feel that the large majority of comments have been respectful and balanced. Again, not sure what goes on elsewhere, but I have a very difficult time believing that what's being said on this site has any effect at all on CMA's thinking. Frankly, I hope and suspect he couldn't possibly care less what a bunch of fans, hiding behind aliases, on a message board post about him. 

 

[bamafan]

I recall over 20 years ago speaking to a local sports scribe about rumors of possibly losing a recruit we were favored to get a commitment from (if memory serves it was Ron Artest). He told me to worry more about losing your coach which was Fran Frachilla and so I did. Haven't worried about losing one of our coaches since. Wouldn't mind giving CMA at least one more year to see what kind of a team or teams he can build in the next year or two as at this level it is really a year to year basis with portal transfers and recruiting. If coach would be happier going back to Tulsa or going anywhere else for that matter I would wish him luck as he has been a good representative of our school.

 

[redmannorth]

Hopely our new President is as focused on winning as advertised and has already spoken to Cragg to address the rumor. Should not let this fester for many reasons including roster stability and recruiting. We’ll see soon enough.

One aside, if Mike does opt to leave, let’s not assume it was because of social media and blog negativity about his tenure to date. Some posters have referenced coaches like Cooley and Willard having tough first three or four seasons and assume they got plenty of flak, but stayed the course. I would hope Mike is built the same way.

Yeah that narrative is ridiculous. Anybody with an online following in 2022 knows that they will be criticized by people, sometimes fairly and sometimes unfairly. He's getting paid several million dollars a year as well and one reason for that is the pressure that all head coaches face. Any coach who can't handle some Twitter accounts shouldn't be coaching. That would not be the reason he'd leave.

Also fwiw, I don't criticize him on Twitter or even Tweet about St. John's, I just find it laughable that some people claim he'd leave due to Twitter.

I don't do Twitter or Instagram, and barely do anything on FB. This is the only social media site that I consistently post on. And while I do think there has been some unfair criticism of CMA, and also feel that calls for his firing have been way premature, I do feel that the large majority of comments have been respectful and balanced. Again, not sure what goes on elsewhere, but I have a very difficult time believing that what's being said on this site has any effect at all on CMA's thinking. Frankly, I hope and suspect he couldn't possibly care less what a bunch of fans, hiding behind aliases, on a message board post about him. 

If I may add to this thread it would be ridiculous for him to leave because of what is said about him on social media as Paultzman said early, totally ridiculous. Unfortunately social media for better or for worse is here to stay and we all have to learn to live with the good and bad it brings, and that includes most importantly people in high paid jobs which are in the limelight. 
secondly I agree with Monte that if he has no interest in the Tulsa job he should just come right out and say it, the longer he remains siLent the greater the danger to retaining our existing players, committed recruits and the worse we will fare in spring recruiting and the transfer portal. 
In addition, in the vast majority of posts in years 1 and 2 he was praised, the adulation stopped this season when the underachieving became the norm as opposed to the exception and the majority of posts were very reasonable and respectful imho. 
Lastly, I found that many of the harsher remarks about the staff were in response to the unmerited compliments or apologies directed at various different instances. So just a suggestion going forward if you don’t want a harsh response to your post don’t take an extreme position in your post. 

 

[redfazed]

From 2011, when Anderson left Missouri for Arkansas:

“After days of confusing stories and statements - including one from Anderson himself saying, "I plan on being at Missouri for a long time" - the school confirmed the move as current and former players were entering Mizzou Arena for an emergency team meeting.”


 

 

[lawmanfan]

What Tulsa rumors besides a bunch of yahoos on the SJU hashtag on Twitter who were repetitiously hollering "Fire Mike Anderson" like the idiots they are and who have now decided to tweet that Tulsa job opening is perfect for Anderson instead?

Thus far I haven't seen a single credible source besides those numbnuts saying it.  As far as I can tell it's just a Twitter echo chamber of Anderson haters who don't know anything at all about basketball.

If I missed one, please post.

 

[Amaseinyourface]

What Tulsa rumors besides a bunch of yahoos on the SJU hashtag on Twitter who were repetitiously hollering "Fire Mike Anderson" like the idiots they are and who have now decided to tweet that Tulsa job opening is perfect for Anderson instead?

Thus far I haven't seen a single credible source besides those numbnuts saying it.  As far as I can tell it's just a Twitter echo chamber of Anderson haters who don't know anything at all about basketball.

If I missed one, please post.

No it’s definitely been mentioned by the likes of Zags, Zach, Goodman, Norlander etc.

 

[Andrew]

What Tulsa rumors besides a bunch of yahoos on the SJU hashtag on Twitter who were repetitiously hollering "Fire Mike Anderson" like the idiots they are and who have now decided to tweet that Tulsa job opening is perfect for Anderson instead?

Thus far I haven't seen a single credible source besides those numbnuts saying it.  As far as I can tell it's just a Twitter echo chamber of Anderson haters who don't know anything at all about basketball.

If I missed one, please post.

No it’s definitely been mentioned by the likes of Zags, Zach, Goodman, Norlander etc.
[URL]https://www.espn.com/mens-coll...-haith-resigns-cherish-memories-made?platform[/URL]=amp

Mentioned at the bottom of this article but the sources are likely the ones above. I read an article in a Tulsa paper that the school is having financial problems so it's unlikely the school would pay more then $750,000 a year for a coach. If they really wanted Anderson maybe they would go up to 1.25 but can't see them coming close to St. John's salary. Anderson would have to want to ride off into the sunset there and then retire.

 

[lawmanfan]

What Tulsa rumors besides a bunch of yahoos on the SJU hashtag on Twitter who were repetitiously hollering "Fire Mike Anderson" like the idiots they are and who have now decided to tweet that Tulsa job opening is perfect for Anderson instead?

Thus far I haven't seen a single credible source besides those numbnuts saying it.  As far as I can tell it's just a Twitter echo chamber of Anderson haters who don't know anything at all about basketball.

If I missed one, please post.

No it’s definitely been mentioned by the likes of Zags, Zach, Goodman, Norlander etc.
 

I saw one guy (possible Norlander) mention it with no sourcing or substance beyond "oh gee Mike Anderson went to Tulsa 40 years ago." 

I don't dispute that it would make sense if Anderson hated it here or was about to get run out of town.  But I have no reason to believe either of those things is the case, and I haven't seen anyone who actually knows anyone or anything suggest otherwise.  But it is possible there's something I missed.

 

[nycfan]

Fwiw - from ESPN - 

"A potential target for Tulsa, sources told ESPN, could be St. John's coach Mike Anderson. Anderson played for two years at Tulsa and spent three years as an assistant coach to start his coaching career."


[URL]https://www.espn.com/mens-coll...ach-frank-haith-resigns-cherish-memories-made[/URL]