I’ve listened to several TS press conferences and what he has to say about the MAC. While I do not know much about the conference CoC is in, I highly doubt it has the same makeup of the MAC. Therefore, the road to the tournament could be easier, not to mention the support and resources he will have there.
- CoC is far superior academically to Akron.
- Charleston’s locale is far superior to Akron as a locale.
- Groce is paid 650 plus incentives etc at Akron bringing to around 850. Mack made 1.1 million at CoC.
- CoC has a very well funded roster money pool.
- There is not a significant difference between MAC and CAA.
Assuming Steele is staying I wouldn’t fret over no announcement or that this is affecting recruiting. He can easily tell recruits he is returning . And thanks to the wonders of technology he can do that with a little device called a cell phone. So even if he is out of town and not locked in Millett like a hermit he can still recruit. Would I like a public announcement? Yes. But if he is staying it isn’t the end of the world that he is only communicating that to those that need to know. On the downside maybe he hasn’t decided and is waiting on dominos to fall on certain job openings that may lead to other openings.
=>A public announcement is by an far preferable.
Steele telling players he a back is just coach speech. The longer this goes the more antsy ppl going to get and potentially scaring away recruits.
Common sense.
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Common sense is I am sure Steele and Sayler are coordinating what is going on. And given his relationship with his players I doubt they are being kept totally in the dark. Common sense is not worrying about appeasing a fan message board. I will trust the process that got us to where we are worrying about losing our coach because the program has been successful. And to be clear I said immediately above “would I prefer an announcement? Yes”.
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=>There is no reason, no reason at all, to not make announcement ASAP. No strategic advantage.
In the next week, there are going to be 1,000 D1 players in the portal. Many may not inquire if there is any uncertainty.
Fans can trust the process. Potential players do not.
Given that Steele is following certain recent portal entrants on Twitter I am going to say the recruits in the portal that Mr. Steele is interested in know of that interest. Doubtful he is following them for some job elsewhere he doesn’t have. If the choice is pick a fan on a message board or an accomplished coach with a lifetime college coaching record well above .500 I will pick the college coach.
Stan Hyatt Hall and the surrounding neighborhood is gorgeous, but Akron is pretty bleak.
Stings if Akron loses two straight coaches to other mid majors. It’s absolutely a better job, but MAC basketball needs all the good coaches it can get.
=>Portal recruiting is a two way street. Coaches recruit players, but players also recruit coaches/schools.
Why scare off a pool of 1,000 fish with uncertainty?
College coaches have accepted jobs and left mid-meal at recruits houses before, so I don’t think twitter follows really matter
Steele is the coach at Miami with a contract through 2032. Not sure we need an announcement he is staying.
No news means he’s still got six years at Miami. At this point, I assume he’s waiting for UD to announce if they are going to be having a search where he may be a candidate before signing his new Miami extension. It will all be done before portal opens which is what matters.
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That was not my point. And good morning. My point is he is Steele is actively doing recruiting even absent an announcement.
A very good, common sense, cogent point HH! And good morning.
One note on Dayton. They just got a commitment from Aiden Derkack. 66th ranked player in the country. He de-committed from Providence following the change there. His brother already plays at UD. I say all that, to say that I can’t imagine the kid would pick Dayton if he thought a coaching change was coming.
That being said, I do agree that it’s likely Steele is waiting to see what other jobs might open up. You are also correct that an announcement isn’t absolutely necessary, but I have to believe if Steele decides he’s staying for next year we’ll get an announcement he’s signed the extension.
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I would love to see Groce go to Charleston. Any chance to be relevant in college athletics going forward for Miami means leaving the MAC. That likely won’t happen until 2031. Best case scenario is we continue to improve facilities, NIL funding, and overall support of the athletic department, while completely dominating the MAC in football and basketball. If the rest of the league gets worse while we improve, great.
I disagree, we very publicly offered Steele an extension/raise (and almost certainly guarantees for NIL and staff support), there’s no reason to not take the offer if he’s staying. And with the momentum the program has, there’s no reason to not shout the news from the rooftops if he does.
Therefore, we’re awaiting some kind of news indicating his decision, then news from returning players on their decisions (because “resigning” college athletes is a thing now). I’m certainly not in panic territory, but some announcement should be coming if he’s staying.
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My current “guess” is that there will not likely be an announcement while the NCAA Tourney is occupying so much media oxygen…if so, nothing until after the Finals…or
They just might do it this coming week, say on Wednesday…or
Pick another time.
In any case, it’d be cool to announce Steele, Assistants, Players staying and show the world the new arena schematics.
The biggest weekend of the year for the coaching profession is the Final Four. I really wouldn’t expect Steele, or anyone on the staff, to announce anything until after the convention. Sure, he could announce he signed the extension like Schertz did, but then would look terrible if he turned around and left. I respect the way this is being handled.
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Yes, and my point is that it’s normal for coaches to continue recruiting up until their next job is locked in.
I agree with L&H that there’s no need for panic. It seems more likely than not that he returns as of now. But he’s currently on a prove-it contract with lower salary and a small buy out, plus we’ve publicly offered him a new contact. I really don’t see a world where he stays without an announcement that he’s staying/signed an extension.
=>Crazy @MooreHawk speaking facts and logic.