Any hope Arizona had of reeling Mike Moser back in is gone.
Moser announced today he signed a letter-of-intent to play for UCLA. The Top 75 forward from Portland, Ore., decommitted in the wake of Lute Olson’s sudden retirement, but initially said he might wait until the spring signing period so that he could see which coach the Wildcats hire.
Guess he didn’t want to wait. Or maybe he knew Ben Howland’s offer would not be on the table after this fall — after all, that’s the way Olson used to work: If guys didn’t sign for him in the fall, he dropped them for good.
Moser joins Abdul Gaddy (Washington) as former UA commits headed elsewhere, though the third original 2009 commit, forward Solomon Hill, is waiting to spring to sign. The Wildcats might still have a shot at him.
No doubt the new coach will have plenty of playing time to offer Hill.
Tom Izzo.
— guert 11/19/2008 11:59 PM #
Livengood will botch this one, just watch. Our athletic program has gone down to the tubes thanks to Jim Livengood. He should resign or be fired…
— Steal Your Face 11/20/2008 12:30 AM #
Put my vote in for “so what?” It doesn’t disappoint me in the least to see another of those “one and done” prima donas move elsewhere to do their year of servitude before jumping to the NBA.
Ya gotta love the passion and effort of Fogg, Judkins, Lavender, and Horne, and I will enjoy watching them grow and learn… mistakes and all.
There is so much talent out there… developed and undeveloped. The key is finding the kids with desire and passion and molding them into a team.
— Rightbase 11/20/2008 07:39 AM #
I guess when Moser saw the recruiting class that Howland put together both this year and 09 he figured it would be better to play with them than against them.
Seriously, you hit it on the head. Ben would have probably pulled the offer. That tactic works if the recruit is wavering, only if it is an elite program. Lute was successful for that reason as is Howland.
There isn’t a one-and-done among the players Pascoe is talking about. Gaddy has at least two years. Moser will be around at least three and possibly four as will Hill.
UCLA will most likely have only Holiday as a one and done just as they only had Love last year. Actually I wouldn’t be at all surprised if Holiday didn’t stick around for his sophomore year. I believe that the PAC 10 as a conference only had Love, Mayo and Bayless leave last year as freshmen. Had Lute coached the team with Bayless they probably would have gotten to the elite eight. I enjoy seeing those guys with a lot of talent play rather than the kids who are struggling. I can go to the local high school if I want to see them.
— adman 11/20/2008 09:10 AM #
I moved to Arizona 30 years ago from Cleveland and have had many discussions with Michiganders about who had the worst weather; Always cold, and wet and windy. Only saved by summer when it was hot and HUMID. Life close to a Great Lake was best left there for me and them. Many years there for Tom Izzo and his family could well have an impact. East Lansing cant be much better than Detroit.
— Larry 11/20/2008 11:00 AM #
Dear AD Livingood,
Please hire Tom Izzo, this decision will save our program and your job.
Thanks,
UOFA FAN
— chris from the oc 11/20/2008 11:54 AM #
Does anyone seriously think we have the money to go after Izzo? Do a little investigating on the web and you’ll discover that Izzo is making almost $2 Million. Plus he has a $4 Million dollar bonus coming if he stays through 2010. We’d have to throw some outrageous number at him (at least $3 Million) for him to consider it. And please don’t anybody tell me that people don’t care about the money and that Izzo would move just for a challenge. This generation of coaches is all about the money. People like Lute who were willing to stay in one place and work for less are a thing of the past.
— azcat05 11/20/2008 02:08 PM #
azcat, why can’t we spend 3 mil for Izzo, our bb program generates top 5 revenue (of all programs in the country). your logic doesnt make sense. we got lucky with lutes contract. we have the money now is the time to use it.
maybe you should do a little more research.
— chris from the oc 11/20/2008 05:32 PM #
I think this year our RPI matters less than past years. We need 20+ wins and two games versus lesser teams will be a bigger help. Its a lousy way to look at it but its true.
I think Izzo is out of the picture for multiple reasons:
1. There is no indication he wants to leave MSU.
2. He’s expensive and Livengood is making the decision.
3. There are cheaper coaches out there.
4. There are better coaches out there that are more available.
Voice,
I agree. 22 rebounds is amazing against any opponent. If Hill wants to go pro next year, hes gone.
— Chi_cat 11/20/2008 06:21 PM #
Now is the time for the UofA to become a REAL school. Our rate of graduation for athletes is pathetic and our real claim to fame is not having the best ‘name your sport here’ team, but the Optical Lab, a World Famous Law School, a world known School of Business, a world class Medical Program, etc. I say: Make sports secondary, education primary. If an athlete joins the program, s/he is here for four, not two or maybe three. Lute has been trying to retire for about three or four years (after the National title.) Now he has after looking at what would happen when he left for ‘personal’ reasons last year and saw that NOTHING could save ‘his’ program. Let him go and maybe we will get back to the purpose of the UofA, education, mostly at the expense of us, the taxpayers.
— James M 11/21/2008 07:47 AM #
UCLA looked real SOLID last night, HA…………..
— Trev In Kc 11/21/2008 08:12 AM #
Tom Izzo is from the UP area of Michigan, which has a lot of good points. Besides, what’s so great about Tucson’s weather? It’s hot 9 months out of the year and don’t give me that dry heat crap. The months that are nice are short days, so if you work a regular 8-5p job, the weekends are the only time to really enjoy the weather. It was a nice place to go to school for 4 years, but I wouldn’t want to settle down there.
— Jackie 11/21/2008 08:47 AM #
NP Jackie, wherever you are; we’ll try to get along without you. Won“t give you any crap either.
— Larry 11/21/2008 09:44 AM #
Lets be honest, a certain amount of luck is going to be required to get a “Name” coach. The only reason that Ced Dempsey got Lute away from Iowa is that Bobbi was having problems with a stalker. They needed a new town and less publicity. (Hard to believe but Lute was even bigger in Iowa than he was here in Tucson)
Arizona is not an elite program right now. We have great history, but this is a program that is going to require rebuilding. It is going to take a special coach to do it. He’ll have to be a real basketball coach, not just a name.
My opinion.
— Ralph 11/21/2008 10:29 AM #
Do you all really think Izzo is just a name. Look at the players he has coming in this year and next. He makes the tourny and he has gone to the final four.
Here is a bio on him:
Under Coach Izzo, the Michigan State program has been one of the most successful in the country winning the national championship in 2000 and had ten players selected in the NBA draft, third most in the NCAA since 2000. ESPN’s Andy Katz acknowledged that the Michigan State program under Tom Izzo has arguably been college basketball’s top program over the past 10 years1. The Spartans have reached the Final Four in four of the past nine seasons, more than any other team during that time. Izzo has won four national coach of the year awards. His 233 wins in his first ten years as head coach rank seventh in the history of college basketball. His streak of three straight Final Four appearances from 1999–2001 is the third-longest of all time.
— chris from the oc 11/21/2008 11:33 AM #
Perhaps Bruce can lend some insight into the dollar figures for the next coach. Correct me if I’m wrong but doesn’t the revenue from the sports essentially get lumped together? In other words, basketball doesn’t get to keep all the revenue it generates right? We have to fund the small sports somehow! In light of this, how much can we really afford to pay the next coach? Won’t there have to be significant ticket increases and booster donations if we’re going to pay $2.5 – $3 million per year?
— azcat05 11/21/2008 02:25 PM #
#18 – San Diego is a great place to vacation, but I wouldn’t want to live there. Why? People in California are NUTS. Also, cost of living there is higher. A lot of people from California are heading to AZ because its cheaper and a better place to raise kids.
— Bilbo 11/21/2008 08:00 PM #
hey bruce? now that pj carlisimo is available, do you think he’d be a good fit here at the ua?
— oldwarrior 11/22/2008 12:09 PM #
Izzo?
What is this some sort of fantasy yahoo coaching league for the pimple crowd?
If we are going to pick our noses here… how about we bring in Mike Krzyzewski or Roy Williams?
Tucsonans, you need to put that cheap frozen pizza down and face facts: You may have had an ancestor who was a T.rex, but basically you are just a bunch of horny toads and cheap fence lizards hoping to land call-center jobs.
In other words: We will be damn lucky to get Mark Few…
Sheeesh…
— Senior A 11/22/2008 01:08 PM #
senior…really. you are a child!
uofa has a top 10 program, meaning we should be able to get a top 10 coach. PERIOD. roy williams left KANSAS for NC. there are rumors that IZZO is interested. Your a joke!
— chris from the oc 11/22/2008 02:03 PM #
I know several professional handicappers here. One friend has his own rating system for coaches. He didn’t rate Olson with the elites (nor Few btw) but Izzo is right up there with the best in the business.
— vegasallen 11/22/2008 03:12 PM #
Todays paper tells us Livengood knows the importance of his choice; too bad if he is still here to make it. Bruce;I guess there will be no TV of the consolation games?
— Larry 11/23/2008 11:10 AM #
I did some digging into college coaches’ salaries:
Coach – Annual Pay (Including Guaranteed & Non-Guaranteed $) – One-Time Bonus
1. Tubby Smith – $2,193,150 – $4,000,000
2. Thad Matta – $1,825,000 – $100,000
3. Rick Barns – $1,809,000 – $0
4. Tom Izzo – $1,795,964 – $9,801,935
5. Tom Crean – $1,688,487 – n/a
6. Bill Self – $1,635,700 – $1,125,000
7. Jim Calhoun – $1,500,000 – n/a
8. Roy Williams – $1,424,274 – n/a
9. Lute Olson – $1,420,567 – $0
10. Billy Donovan – $1,389,173 – $2,500,000
11. John Calipari – $1,326,500 – $2,500,000
12. Ben Howland – $1,311,792 – $0
13. Steve Alford – $1,269,564 – $1,200,000
14. Mike Krzyzewski – $1,262,753 – n/a
15. Billy Gillispie $1,249,501 – $0
16. Bruce Pearl – $1,123,800 – $0
Jamie Dixon’s salary information is not released, but it is believed to be less than $1mil/year. But he could definitely be within our grasp.
I don’t know what Izzo needs to do to get all of that $9.8mil bonus, but I would think that would put him out of UofA’s price range.
Not many coaches have the opportunity to make over the $2mil mark. This pretty much means almost anyone (all but maybe 10 coaches) is avaibable. The UofA’s basketball head coach budget is right up there near the top.
— chi_cat 11/23/2008 12:37 PM #
Livengood is in a tough position. Outside of the football hires, he has a done a good job. I know people are critical of his handling of the Olson situation, but he was dealing with a Coach who was much bigger than the program. It seems clear he understands Zona needs a serious coach with recent success. If Drew hits 20 wins, I’d be happy with him. He’s young and has revived Baylor from death. Another guy to watch for is Jay Wright. I’m not as convinced about St. Mary’s RB. He has done a good job there, but Ernie Kent also did a great job there before heading to the Ducks. I prefer a seasoned, successful coach of a program in a major conference. My choices:
1. J. Dixon (assuming adman is wrong. adman, i will conceed my dream will remain a dream when it comes to Calipari. But I’m still dreaming. :-) )
2. Izzo (assuming adman and other’s reports on this rumor is true. although, i’m inclined to agree with Bruce on this one.)
3. J. Wright.
4. S. Drew.
5. M. Few
6. Mckillop (sp?)
7. Mike Davis (Some may feel his stint at Indiana was below par. But I find he was a great recruiter and did a good job. The fans and administration did not have enough faith in him and overly pressured him to be more than he was at the time. He has matured and has done great work with UAB.)
I can’t help but feel there is someone else I’d rank at the top, but don’t remember.
— confused, maybe not 11/23/2008 12:43 PM #
For those who are sarcastically concerned, don’t be. I’ve been to all the exhibition games, and the two Pre-Season NIT games, and other than the unexplainable mental mistakes from Fogg and Horne, I like what our Cats bring to the table. As I had said many times, Chase has the talent to be 1st Team All-American…I think he will be consistant enough to achieve that. UAB was hitting every 3, but mainly because they were wide open…our Defense lost that game, even though we did still have a chance to win at the end. I sat 5th row behind the basket near the UofA bench, and it’s almost understandable how Fogg made his mistake…Pennell told him to do one thing..foul.
So, I don’t post much because I have been traveling and don’t have access to this particular PC….my Work PC and Lap Top are still banned from posting on here, and Pascoe and AZ Star Net what me to rectify the situation by giving them my IP Address…to me they should be competent enough to fix the issue without me giving up my anominity. But its the AZ Star, they are 2nd rate.
My Preferred Coaches.
1)Rick Pitino
2)Tom Izzo
3)John Calipari
4)J. Wright
5)Mark Few
— Marco 11/23/2008 01:44 PM #
FYI, I got my information from this article:
http://www.usatoday.com/sports/college/mensbasketball/2007-03-08-coaches-salary-cover_N.htm
Its a year old, but gives a decent guide for where the UofA stands in the salary mix.
Also, Rick Pitino may be out of reach:
“The new deal increases Pitino’s annual salary from $1.65 million to $2.25 million beginning next season, and will pay him $2.5 million a year if he stays until the end of the contract. The contract also boosted a loyalty bonus due Pitino on July 1 from $1 million to $1.75 million. He’ll receive loyalty bonuses of $3.6 million in 2010 and 2013 if he remains with the school.”
http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/news/story?id=2858909
But I agree Marco, he would be good.
— chi_cat 11/23/2008 05:18 PM #
Well confused, if Livengood could reel in Dixon I would be the first to give him a standing ovation; however, after the Bruins snagged Howland from them, if Arizona would do the same with Dixon my Christmas card list would be a tad bit smaller.
— adman 11/23/2008 06:58 PM #
If Pitino will leave his Kentucky horse hobby, great!!! With him I don’t think it’s just the money, I think he loves Kentucky.
— confused, maybe not 11/23/2008 07:51 PM #
And he’s rebuilt the Louisville program. I don’t see the up side to leaving Louisville for Zona. But I’d love to be wrong on this one.
— confused, maybe not 11/23/2008 07:54 PM #
Pitino would have gone to UNLV a few years ago but his wife didn’t like the way she was treated by some people at the school.
His history is that he gets antsy and will leave for the right deal. He’ll get you to the top real quick but there’s always someone knocking on his door.
26-chi_cat …The New Mexico AD must be a complete idiot to pay Alford that kind of money expecially since he got out of Iowa just before they fired him.
— vegasallen 11/23/2008 10:56 PM #
I question Livengood should even go after Pitino. If he would leave Louisville after what he has done with that program what makes anyone think he wouldn’t do the same to Arizona?
Look at the money deal he has, reported by ch_cat on post 29. No we can do better, like a Drew for one.
— adman 11/24/2008 08:20 AM #
OK, I’m like most of you in that I could get excited about any of the top coaches that keep getting mentioned here. But of those not being mentioned much, I have a couple of questions.
Mike Montgomery: Is it impossible to imagine that he would jump from Berkeley to UA after just one year? Is there something to make that economically prohibitive, or is it such a breach of propriety that someone of his integrity (IMO) would not entertain the notion? Or is he maybe older than what UA is looking for (i.e., somebody to take over for the next 20 years)?
Lon Kruger: He’s been effective everywhere he’s been (leaving out the NBA). Why wouldn’t he be a top candidate for UA?
Kelvin Sampson: Is he persona non grata after too many scandals? Too much of a risk? He seems to be top-notch as a recruiter, teacher, and bench coach.
Who else: Who are the top-rated, up-and-coming young(-ish) coaches, maybe now at a mid-major, who would be naturals to jump at the next big step?
— Portland Catfan 11/24/2008 01:24 PM #
Sampson is a huge risk IMO. Great coach, but scandals follow him around. Did you see that Indiana is spending 500K on the mess he left. There are too many great coaches out there to consider him as Lute’s replacement.
— chris from the oc 11/24/2008 01:57 PM #
I agree with Chris. Sampson would be bad for UA.
— Chi_cat 11/24/2008 02:56 PM #
on the one hand—sampson is available!!
— oldwarrior 11/24/2008 03:00 PM #
NO WAY ON sampson…..
— Trev In Kc 11/24/2008 03:16 PM #
I like Kruger.
— confused, maybe not 11/24/2008 03:19 PM #
Randy Bennett – St. Mary’s. He’s assisted under Lorenzo Romar and Tim Floyd, both solid coaches. He’s also built St. Mary’s into a top 20 team, one that will pass Gonzaga for the darling of the west coast mid-majors this year.
— Brett 11/24/2008 03:44 PM #
Anybody got any passion for any of these guys?
Tony Bennett (WSU)?
Trent Johnson (ex-Stanford, maybe LSU now — can’t remember)?
Dave Leito (UVa — not sure how to spell his name)?
Again, I do like all the strong candidates you folks have suggested. I’m just wondering who UA might catch on the way up and/or who would be really energized about coming to Tucson. The more established coaching stars might be reluctant to expend the few years necessary to fully rebuild the program.
— Portland Catfan 11/24/2008 05:58 PM #
Robert:
1)Rick Pitino
2)Tom Izzo
3)John Calipari
Forgedaboutit…
Even if Tucson was to wave wadis full of money at them, they aren’t going anywhere.
4) J. Wright
That’s a real possibility.
5) Mark Few
Bingo.
The zags are 10th in the nation. Can’t remember when they last fell out of the top 25. Can you imagine what Few could do with a Pac10 school behind him? Even better: He represents a complete break with the Olson years. Lute never had the guts to book Gonzaga. Why? He was scared of Few. Lots of people are. Mark’s teams are always hungry and hunting…
Why do I think a complete break with the Olson years is de rigueur? Because the only way to restart a program anew is by going with someone who was hostile to the program in the first place. Mark Few represents such hostility. He has no loyalty to Olson, his program, or his techniques. He will rebuild the program in his own image. The past be damned. That’s what we need. Out with the old. In with the new. A complete and total break with the past.
Bring him on…
— Senior A 11/24/2008 05:58 PM #
Arizona did what it was supposed to do today against an inferior opponent: put them away early and pound them.
Chase and Jordan were outstanding. Judkins was in double figures, Horne had 9, Jacobson played heavy minutes, and the rest of the bench played good minutes and kept the lead the starters gave them. Plus, the team shot 20-25 from the free throw line, showing some improvement.
Now, can they come out tomorrow with the same focus and intensity against a better, more physical team in Santa Clara is the real question. Still, a good effort today.
— SCDave 11/24/2008 06:33 PM #
good win. glad the bench was able to get some real min.
— chris from the oc 11/24/2008 07:59 PM #
AZCat05 — Yes, basketball revenue does support the other sports. Football and men’s basketball are the only sports that turn a profit at UA.
Men’s basketball made $16.7 million minus $3.5 million in expenses during 06-07 (the last year figures were available).
The athletic department does have to fund other sports with this money because it is required to be self-sufficient (i.e. not take any general UA money).
My guess is that they can afford at least what they paid Olson ($1 million) and maybe more, plus extra donations are likely to recoup the rest. They wouldn’t jeopardize the rest of the athletic department.
Old Warrior — I doubt Carlesimo fits the mold they are looking for. He’s 59 and has been out of college basketball for 14 years.
— Bruce Pascoe 11/24/2008 10:17 PM #
What about George Raveling????
— Ron Jeremy's Mentor 11/25/2008 01:40 PM #
Bruce,
Thanks for gently squashing the Carlesimo idea. When I saw the trailer on ESPN the other night that he’d been canned I had a nightmare that Livengood was phoning him already! I see lots of good, legitimate suggestions here but still do not feel comfortable with Livengood doing the hire. He needs to go to pay for past mistakes- football- as well as his terrible handling of the Olson situation. Unfortunatley I don’t think Shelton has the fortitude to pull the plug. So it will more than likely be Jimmy boy who does the hiring. Let’s hope he has a good day. By the way, anyone notice that Purdue, who had a succession plan in place to replace Gene K, is top ten and undefeated. If UA had only had the foresight to do the same!
— Ron W 11/25/2008 01:55 PM #
Ron — That’s just my personal opinion based on what I believe UA is looking for, though…
— Bruce Pascoe 11/25/2008 03:40 PM #
Bruce,
I definitely agree with you on Carlesimo. He should never have gone to the NBA, but now I think the college game has passed him by too. He really can not relate to players. Carlesimo actually did a great job at Seton Hall (20 years ago), and even would have an NCAA title except for a bogus foul call in the last seconds of overtime of the title game against Michigan. But he’s never been the same since Sprewell tried to unscrew his head and throw it away.
Do you know anything about Dave Leitao’s situation at Virginia? He was ACC coach of the year a couple of years ago, but now I’m thinking he might be in the doghouse. What’s up there?
— Portland Catfan 11/25/2008 06:19 PM #
Portland — I think Leitao is good at least through this year since he still hasn’t yet had all his own players in the program. No question, though, if they struggle this year he will be on the hot seat next season. The ACC can be pretty brutal for a coach’s reputation: Look at how NC State was so-so on Herb Sendek, and now he’s doing very well at ASU.
— Bruce Pascoe 11/25/2008 08:09 PM #