2011 In College BASKETBALL...HIRINGS and FIRINGS in Masses...What's the SECRET to Success?....... Is it Commitment and Resources for all involved?

Look....by now if you follow College Basketball at the MAJOR LEVEL or if you are a Coach seeking to get to the MAJOR Level......WHAT DOES IT TAKE TO GET THERE?......AND WHAT IT TAKES TO BE SUCCESSFUL WHEN YOU DO GET THERE?

The BLUEDUDE is picking on NO UNIVERSITIES, COACHES, TRUSTEES, ALUM, and so forth........It's just been an Odd year to see so much movement in the College Basketball Ranks......more than usual I might add.

First and foremost for one to build a program I think the Foundation has to be SOLID. And what the BLUEDUDE means by that is that the ADMINISTRATION all the way down to the FACULTY and it's STUDENTS have to be on BOARD....And to the FOREFRONT the TRUSTEES and Athletic Department has to be ONE......cannot be divided to be successful. It's that old adage.......YOU ARE AS STRONG AS YOUR WEAKEST LINK....or from a COMPANY or Organization Standpoint.......YOU ARE ONLY STRONG AT THE BOTTOM AS YOU ARE AT THE TOP.......PERIOD.

And I know these MAJOR PROGRAMS go outside for their Hiring Process through agencies and to try to get that PERFECT FIT and/or RIGHT FIT......and that RIGHT FIT might not come on the 1st CHOICE....But more and more UNIVERSITIES are doing more and more HOMEWORK to get that FIT.....and deservedly so........COLLEGE ATHLETICS is BIG BUSINESS...especially at the MAJOR LEVEL.

At least for any Program.......you are only as good as your PRODUCT...which means PLAYERS.....which means RECRUITING PLAYERS. There is a DIRECT Correlation between WINS and LOSSES........and its Because of Recruiting.....which is as essential to the GROWTH of your PROGRAM as anything. If you don't have the Best Student-Athletes for your Program.......there will be no WINS...I promise you that.

Let's take a look at some of the MAJOR Program FIRINGS and HIRINGS from LATE February 2011 to NOW:

OKLAHOMA SOONERS: Fired Jeff CAPEL after losing BLAKE GRIFFIN and Willie WARREN...never could get it going again
HIRED: Lon KRUEGER of UNLV......has built up some programs......most recently UNLV.....ILLINOIS, K-STATE, Atlanta HAWKS

MISSOURI TIGERS: Mike ANDERSON resigned to take ARKANSAS Job........ANDERSON was Nolan RICHARDSON lead Assistant on the HOGS 1994 NCAA CHAMPIONSHIP RUN and 1995 Final Four Appearance......Excellent Job at UAB and re-built MISSOURI after the Quin SNYDER Debacle
HIRED: Frank HAITH Did an excellent JOB at MIAMI FLA......a football school in the Powerful BASKETBALL Rich ACC

NC STATE WOLFPACK: Fired Sidney LOWE.....had a top 10 National recruiting class last year headed by CJ LESLIE and Ryan HARROW but way under EXPECTATIONS .......A LATE JIMMY VALVANO player that played on the 1983 National Championship Team with Derrick WITTENBURG, Thurl Baily, and Lorenzo CHARLES that shocked PHI SLAMMA JAMMA and CLYDE and The DREAM
HIRED: Mark GOTTFRIED coached 11 years at Alabama Tuscaloosa in the SEC......good recruiter....at BAMA I think it was a case that GOTTFRIED Regime had ran it's course and sometimes CHANGE is good

TENNESSEE VOLUNTEERS: Fired Bruce PEARLE.......the BEST Men's Coach at TENNESSEE in Decades...very good recruiter and coach.....too much going on AWAY from the COURT caught up to him
HIRED: COUNZO MARTIN ex-PURDUE PLAYER and Asst COACH........had a good run in the MVC with MISSOURI STATE.....has tough task in front of him at ROCKY TOP

UNLV: Lon KRUEGER RESIGNED.....to take OKLAHOMA JOB......HIRED DAVE RICE who played on the 1990 National TEAm and was an assistant Coach at BYU in recent YEARS...he beat out the Other candidate that TARK the SHARK was pulling for.....current NBA T-WOLVES Assistant Reggie THEUS

GEORGIA TECH: Fired Paul HEWITT....always had players...TOP PLAYERS ...and ATL'S TOP PLAYERS....Early Defections Hurt this Program like most........and couldn't get back to the TOP of the ACC....had players like BOSH, Jarrett JACK, Will BYNUM, Thaddeus YOUNG, Gani LAWAL, and Derrick FAVORS.
HIRED: Brian GREGORY.... coming from Mid-Major DAYTON (OHIO) Tom IZZO'S lead Assistant for a few years at MICHIGAN STATE...excellent-hard-nosed X and O Coach.....must keep Recruiting base in A T L and I think he will do well....an IZZO Protege'

These are just some of the Firings and Hirings of the COLLEGE BASKETBALL WORLD on the MAJOR to MID LEVEL Programs...not to mention the LOW to MID Levels......what a Carousel......It's tough Sleddin to GET, MAINTAIN, and KEEP a TOP Program afloat at the TOP.....but it can be done with the right resources and commitment from all parties involved........One of the BIGGEST Jobs left out there........IS Jim CALHOUN of UCONN going to RETIRE?.........STAY TUNED........BLUEDUDE SPORTSTALK