Coaching Rumors and Changes that Affect VCU

duncanlamb said:
I'm watching the Patriot league championship right now.

I'm impressed with how fundamentally sound American is on both ends of the floor. I would not be against Ed kicking the tires on American HC Duane Simpkins.
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You are biased because of his time at Mason…lol.
 
Why don't we ring up Lonergan while we're tossing out other A10 coaches. He got jobbed at GW and he had that school, with their facilities and resources, to be competitive in what I think was the heyday of the A10.
 
duncanlamb said:
I'm watching the Patriot league championship right now.

I'm impressed with how fundamentally sound American is on both ends of the floor. I would not be against Ed kicking the tires on American HC Duane Simpkins.
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I am sure Ed all ready has his list and is in contact with their reps. Don’t think he is scouting current conference tournaments for our next coach.
 
PhantomRam said:
I am sure Ed all ready has his list and is in contact with their reps. Don’t think he is scouting current conference tournaments for our next coach.
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I'm know. This is just an off the cuff comment watching the game...I like the way this American team shares the basketball and takes care of the basketball.
 
VCU77 said:
And Grok says:
Look, it’s tough to say with certainty what Ryan Odom will do after this season at VCU. Coaches’ decisions often hinge on a mix of factors—job offers, personal goals, program success, and even family considerations—that aren’t fully public. Odom’s had a solid run at VCU, with a 25-5 record this year and an Atlantic 10 regular-season title, which naturally makes him a hot name for bigger programs. There’s been chatter linking him to openings like NC State and Virginia, especially given his ties to the region and his track record (that UMBC upset over Virginia in 2018 still resonates). On the other hand, VCU’s a strong mid-major gig with a history of success, and he’s only in his second year—might want to build more before jumping.

If I had to guess, I’d lean toward him staying unless a power conference job he can’t refuse comes knocking. Coaches don’t always chase every shiny offer, but the right fit could pull him. What do you think he’s weighing most here?
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I’d be absolutely shocked if Odom stayed but it would be a good surprise.
 
PhantomRam said:
hahahaha, ok. I guess we will see, but I wouldn't bet a nickel on him staying.

Let's see said VCU coach comes home one night -- "guess what dear, P5 university will double my salary, I will have a bigger staff and unlimited NIL money. Also, I won't have those nut cases (just re-read this, not calling VCU 77 a nut case, just a generalization on all of us...) on RN second guessing me.... hahahaha jokes on them"..........
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No offense taken. This is the answer Grok (AI on X) gave me when I asked if Odom would leave after this year.
 
HBK said:
So many of you worry about Odom leaving. I’ve said it many times before and I’ll say it again: VCU Basketball is bigger than any one coach.

We could look for a lifer coach like UR and St. Bonaventure. I actually think both Mooney and Schmidt can coach. Are they the best? No, but they can coach; they aren’t horrible. Nevertheless, Mooney has been at UR for 21 seasons and been to 3 NCAA Tournaments. Schmidt has been at Bonaventure for 18 seasons, including this season, and has 3 NCAA Tournaments, pending this A10 tournament.

On the other hand, VCU has had 6 different coaches in the last 21 seasons, not including this season. We’ve been to 13 NCAA Tournaments.

Which would you rather have? I know my answer. Yes, I’d love to find a lifer coach who takes us to NCAA Tournaments every year, but that doesn’t seem possible. Accept the fact that we will keep coaches between 2-6 seasons and enjoy them while they are here.
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Given our track record, and assuming it’s a step up for the new coach, what an opportunity! He would have to feel like he just won the lottery! There would be no shortage of candidates chomping at the bit to come here.
We will be fine.
 
TampaKAP said:
You are biased because of his time at Mason…lol.
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I really never followed American but I've been following Greg Jones Jr since his last year at Hayfield.

As a by product, I was reintroduced to Simpkins as a coach. He was helluva player at Dematha and good player at Maryland.

His coaching style and team reminds me more of the Wooten's Dematha teams and Gary William's Marylands teams than Paulsen. Tough and unrelenting.

He's a really good coach. American plays with great spacing and ball movement. The players move alot without the ball. Everyone talks on Defense and switch well. Their bigs are skilled inside and out.

As a Basketball purist, they appeal to me on esthetic level.

 
PhantomRam said:
hahahaha, ok. I guess we will see, but I wouldn't bet a nickel on him staying.

Let's see said VCU coach comes home one night -- "guess what dear, P5 university will double my salary, I will have a bigger staff and unlimited NIL money. Also, I won't have those nut cases (just re-read this, not calling VCU 77 a nut case, just a generalization on all of us...) on RN second guessing me.... hahahaha jokes on them"..........
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Not to be contrarian BUT will the two schools linked to him really *double* his salary and have *unlimited* NIL salary? Most of the money UVA & NC State are tapping into is going to go to FBS football (for some reason). I think it will be more or less equal with VCU with pure basketball money. Matt had a breakdown of UGA's revenue share on Twitter, and it shook out that the Bulldogs were actually paying their players less than VCU.

UVA actually paid their football coach more than they were paying Bennett, which is absolutely insane when you think about it. Keatts was making $2.8 mil before his final four run. I believe that VCU can and should match that number. We want to be in the big leagues and we need to start paying big boy money.

Point being both UVA and NC State have warts. UVA doesn't seem interested in keeping up with the big dogs in football and basketball, which I believe is partially why Bennett left. They seem to be fine taking the UofR route and being more of an academic school with good Olympics and lax. NC State really isn't a great ACC basketball school before 2024 they hadn't been to a final four in 38 years and haven't won a national title in 43 years.

Based on Odom's history of leaving programs quickly, I think he is probably gone as well. I just don't think UVA and/or NC State are the slam dunks their fan bases think they are.

For what it's worth, I think Frank "The Snake" Wade will be a much better fit at NC State and has what they need to get to become nationally relevant. You need an edge to compete in North Carolina against UNC & Duke and I think Willy has it.
 
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