Bama lands Avery Johnson after missing on Gregg Marshall

[jbcarol]

 Matt Norlander @MattNorlander  ·  13m 13 minutes ago

Gregg Marshall on @jimrome: "I haven't spoke to Bama. If Alabama is interested in some crazy offer, we will listen. But it will take a lot."

That's a paraphrase of Marshall on @jimrome. In short: He said he'll be forced to listen after the season is over if the offer is heavy.

[jbcarol]

AL.com sports @aldotcomSports  ·  24h 24 hours ago

Gregg Marshall reportedly top target for deep-pocketed Alabama. http://ow.ly/KH68A

Wichita State's Gregg Marshall is reportedly the coach Alabama will offer once his season ends, CBSSports.com reported Monday afternoon. The school would be prepared to offer $3 million a year to one of the hottest coaches in the sport.

Anthony Grant made $1.9 million a year before Alabama fired him March 15 after six seasons.

Marshall has a 398-158 record in 17 years as a head coach with the last eight at Wichita State. He's led the Shockers to their second Sweet 16 appearance in three years with Sunday's 78-65 win over No. 2 seeded Kansas. Last season, Wichita State went undefeated in the regular season after reaching the Final Four in 2013.

The Shockers (30-4) play Notre Dame on Thursday in Cleveland.

Marshall has been a popular target for big-name schools seeking new coaches, but he's been loyal to Wichita State. His 2013 contract extension plays him $1.75 million a year...

[jbcarol]

 Gary Parrish @GaryParrishCBS  ·  Mar 23

I'm told money is no object at Alabama. Will start above $3 million. Would go as high as they need to go. Gonna make Gregg Marshall say no.

[jbcarol]

 AL.com sports @aldotcomSports  ·  6m 6 minutes ago

Alabama target Gregg Marshall explains why he's 'not a jumper' without ruling out a move. http://ow.ly/KMVo1

On ESPN's Mike and Mike radio show, Marshall on Wednesday estimated he had job offers seven of the nine years he was at Winthrop. He only left when Wichita State called in 2007. Since then he's built one of the strongest programs in the nation, making the 2013 Final Four and navigating the 2013-14 regular season unbeaten.

Heavyweights have pursued his services, but nobody's been able to lure him away from Wichita just yet.

"I'm not just a guy that's always looking to bounce," he said on Mike and Mike. My agent, my attorney said 'You're just not a jumper.' We like to go and get our program and culture established and get the right type of people to be coached and enjoy our daily existence. Enjoy going to the gym. Enjoy going to film study. Enjoy going to the office. Enjoy getting on a plane and a bus with these guys and that's what we do.

"So it would be hard to walk away from happy, but that doesn't mean you don't ever move."

[RT1941]

AL.com sports @aldotcomSports  ·  6m 6 minutes ago

Alabama target Gregg Marshall explains why he's 'not a jumper' without ruling out a move. http://ow.ly/KMVo1

Maybe big money, virtually unlimited recruiting budget, top notch facilities, and limitless financial resources at your disposal to operate your program - - - not to mention the exposure the SECNetwork and the SEC conference gets you just doesn't appeal to Marshall?  Some men aren't driven by material things and they aren't so egocentric that they strive for those things.....They just happy being happy and doing what they do.

[opineonswine]

Done deal.  I suspected they would go big.

[WichitaStateRazorback]

I highly doubt he leaves.

[-Blu]

Didn't he turn down like offers to UCLA and other bigger schools?  Alabama doesn't really have much of a basketball tradition, plus they'll always be second to the football program.  While, I'm sure he'll listen if they throw ridiculous amount of money at him, if I was him I would use that to get a raise at Witchita State, wait, then get a ridiculous amount of money at an actual legit B-Ball program, I don't care who you are, it's going to be a real chore to turn Alabama basketball into a powerhouse.

And there's so many opportunies coming up.

-Jim Boehim is retiring from Syracuse in 3 years
-Coach K should be winding down his career at Duke
-Calaprai at Kentucky is rumored to be on his way to the NBA
-Donovan has also been also rumored at Florida to be interested in the NBA
-Rick Barnes is on the hot seat at Texas

If he just waits a couple more years at least a of couple of these major program jobs will open up, and being at Witchita in the MVC he'll still be one of the top coach prospects, just like how he's been the last 3 or 4 years.

[kaki]

I suspect that one thing has nothing to do with the other and the athletic revenues at Bama probably more than support any wild spending spree, but it just leaves kind of a bad taste in my mouth how the University Board which seemingly governs both Bama and UAB can go crazy trying to be relevant in basketball at the flagship and kill football at UAB.  They sabotaged UAB going after Jimbo years ago, I guess thinking they might need him there, and now this.
  The folks in our NE corner who think The University of Arkansas is holding them down, may never feel different, but the Tide really know how to do it. 

[HSVhogfan2]

And the Jumpball Forum weeps.

[WichitaStateRazorback]

Marshall has stated in the past that money is not the most important factor in where he chooses to coach but the ability to win.     GM will leave Wichita eventually but it won't be for Alabama.

[NaturalStateReb]

Didn't he turn down like offers to UCLA and other bigger schools?  Alabama doesn't really have much of a basketball tradition, plus they'll always be second to the football program.  While, I'm sure he'll listen if they throw ridiculous amount of money at him, if I was him I would use that to get a raise at Witchita State, wait, then get a ridiculous amount of money at an actual legit B-Ball program, I don't care who you are, it's going to be a real chore to turn Alabama basketball into a powerhouse.

And there's so many opportunies coming up.

-Jim Boehim is retiring from Syracuse in 3 years
-Coach K should be winding down his career at Duke
-Calaprai at Kentucky is rumored to be on his way to the NBA
-Donovan has also been also rumored at Florida to be interested in the NBA
-Rick Barnes is on the hot seat at Texas

If he just waits a couple more years at least a of couple of these major program jobs will open up, and being at Witchita in the MVC he'll still be one of the top coach prospects, just like how he's been the last 3 or 4 years.

Think about how long Anthony Grant got, though.  Those other gigs are win now or else.  If he's occasionally successful at Bama, it could be a high-paying, many year gig.

[Inhogswetrust]

Didn't he turn down like offers to UCLA and other bigger schools?  Alabama doesn't really have much of a basketball tradition, plus they'll always be second to the football program.  While, I'm sure he'll listen if they throw ridiculous amount of money at him, if I was him I would use that to get a raise at Witchita State, wait, then get a ridiculous amount of money at an actual legit B-Ball program, I don't care who you are, it's going to be a real chore to turn Alabama basketball into a powerhouse.

And there's so many opportunies coming up.

-Jim Boehim is retiring from Syracuse in 3 years
-Coach K should be winding down his career at Duke
-Calaprai at Kentucky is rumored to be on his way to the NBA
-Donovan has also been also rumored at Florida to be interested in the NBA
-Rick Barnes is on the hot seat at Texas

If he just waits a couple more years at least a of couple of these major program jobs will open up, and being at Witchita in the MVC he'll still be one of the top coach prospects, just like how he's been the last 3 or 4 years.

Only tejas of those would not be considered following a legend.............any coach knows that isn't a good thing to do. So maybe good options are not what you think.

[Biggus Piggus]

Gregg Marshall worked his way up in the coaching business through the back channels. His only Division I coaching experience has been at the College of Charleston, Marshall, Winthrop and Wichita State. The guy has absolutely zero experience with high-major recruiting, or dealing with a high-power, big-dollar booster organization and athletic department.

I'm not sure Marshall is the kind who will hold out for one of the top jobs, because one of those jobs might not fit him. Alabama would be a pretty good promotion for him. It is in a good, not great conference. Alabama has big money and boosters, but their main priority is football. Marshall would not have to win the SEC to keep his job.

[jackflash]

I think this would be a great hire for Alabama

[jbcarol]

Matt Zenitz @mzenitz  ·  12h 12 hours ago
Wichita State loss in NCAA tournament shifts focus to Alabama AD Bill Battle, Gregg Marshall http://www.al.com/sports/index.ssf/2015/03/wichita_state_losing_shifts_th.html ...

[rlreev01]

Not so fast. Now you have Texas and Tnn in the picture.

[jbcarol]

 Cecil Hurt @CecilHurt  ·  6h 6 hours ago

Alabama AD Bill Battle to meet with Gregg Marshall in Wichita today...

[jbcarol]

 AL.com sports @aldotcomSports  ·  1h 1 hour ago

From late last night: Monday was a good day in Alabama's serious pursuit of Gregg Marshall. http://ow.ly/L1zvT

Monday was a good day in the Alabama search. It was progress toward landing the biggest available fish in the sea, and it was a sign to the rest of the college basketball world that the school intends to do everything possible to lift its men's basketball program to the same championship level as other programs on campus.

Bill Battle flew to Wichita, which wouldn't have happened if Marshall or someone in his camp hadn't given the Alabama AD a thumbs-up to make the trip. Battle spent about seven hours with Marshall, a sign that this was much more than a courtesy call.

There's reason to believe that Crimson Tide officials felt good about the day's events even if Marshall didn't accompany Battle on the return trip to Alabama.

On another front, it appears that Texas may not be the serious competitor for Marshall that some people envisioned when UT fired long-time head coach Rick Barnes on Sunday. Two different reports, one from Jon Rothstein of CBSsports.com and the other from Chip Brown of HornsDigest.com, said the Texas search was focusing on VCU's Shaka Smart, not on Marshall.

Brown reported that, according to his sources, Texas AD Steve Patterson "didn't see Marshall as a good fit 'personality wise' for Texas" because "Marshall has a reputation for being blunt and speaking his mind, which can come off the wrong way at times."

That's funny. Those are qualities Alabama has embraced in its football coach, Nick Saban.

[jbcarol]

 boblutz @boblutz  ·  15h 15 hours ago

Bob Lutz: Thoughts on Gregg Marshall and his coaching future. http://www.kansas.com/sports/spt-columns-blogs/lutz-blog/article17029184.html ...

Marshall does love Wichita State and Wichita. So does his wife, Lynn, which may be even more important. If he decides to leave, he will do so grudgingly and with great consternation.

I've contended all along that Marshall would not leave WSU for Alabama, regardless of how much money is being offered. The eight-hour meeting, though, does give me some pause. But not enough to back off what I've thought all along – that Marshall will decided to stay (sic) at Wichita State. Where he's happy and where he's made everyone else happy.

[NoNC4Tubs]

AL.com sports @aldotcomSports  ·  1h 1 hour ago

From late last night: Monday was a good day in Alabama's serious pursuit of Gregg Marshall. http://ow.ly/L1zvT

There are far too many people trying to run the Athletic Department at Texas for it to be considered a great place to coach.........

[jbcarol]

John Talty @JTalty  ·  2h 2 hours ago

Paul Finebaum says no one is laughing about the possibility of Alabama landing Gregg Marshall now: http://ow.ly/L59tQ

[jbcarol]

boblutz @boblutz  ·  8h 8 hours ago

Bob Lutz: Wichita wins again with Gregg Marshall's decision. http://www.kansas.com/sports/spt-columns-blogs/bob-lutz/article17184005.html ...

Hank Aaron and Willie Mays are two of baseball's greatest home-run hitters and they both hail from Alabama.

But Alabama has struck out in its attempt to lure Gregg Marshall to Tuscaloosa to coach its basketball program. It's a whiff, Shocker fans. Stee-rike three! Alabama, you're out.

It sounds like Alabama threw everything it could at Marshall in an attempt to get him to go south. Money, apparently, was no object. From what I'm told, Alabama football coach Nick Saban was a driving force in trying to get Marshall to leave Wichita State, where he's accomplished more than anyone could have dreamed he would.

This is a proud moment for Wichita. He loves us. He really loves us.

It does not appear Texas made a serious run – if any run at all – at Marshall. The eyes of Texas, if you believe the reports, were fixated on VCU coach Shaka Smart from the time Rick Barnes was fired last week. Whether Smart goes to UT or whether he ultimately decides it's smarter to stay put, we don't know.

And at this point, Shocker fans don't care. Texas gave them a huge scare this week without apparently even lifting a phone to their ear to call Marshall.

I never considered Alabama a serious threat, even after Crimson Tide athletic director Bill Battle visited Wichita on Monday and spent eight hours full-court pressing Marshall.

Then, Wednesday night, the reports of silly money started to surface. Alabama, which originally was thought to be offering around $3 million, was suddenly ready to give Marshall $4 million a year. Maybe more. Maybe as much as $4.9 million, sources told The Eagle.

It was at that $4.9 million mark that Alabama got my attention.

One definite factor in his decision is the really good team he has returning next season. Maybe Marshall will be able to keep redshirt junior Ron Baker around for another year. Fred VanVleet is likely to return for his senior season. Shaq Morris is on the verge of something big to match the fact that he's already something big in stature. Zach Brown showed flashes late in the season; Rashard Kelly did the same early.

Marshall has always been high on his incoming recruiting class. Everybody who has seen Kansas transfer Conner Frankamp practice as he awaits eligibility in December raves about how well he's adapted to Marshall's system.

Now all of that can remain intact.

Next year, WSU fans may have to go through all of this again. Marshall's agreement to stay is for seven years, but we all know how this stuff works.

For now, Marshall stays. And hundreds of bottles of Tums all around town go back into the bathroom cabinet.

[jbcarol]

 AL.com sports @aldotcomSports  ·  7h 7 hours ago

Give Bill Battle credit even though Gregg Marshall finally told Alabama no. http://ow.ly/L6SBa

This may sound strange since he didn't get his man, but give Bill Battle credit. Plenty of it.

Getting Gregg Marshall out of Wichita was a half-court shot from the start at best, but the extreme degree of difficulty didn't deter the Alabama AD.

Talk to people close to the search, and it appears that Battle and Alabama came closer to convincing Marshall to take on a new challenge than just about any other school has.

I know. It's a bottom-line business, and close really doesn't count in coaching searches, but Battle aimed high, and he offered a pitch that was both powerful and personal.

He had to find a way to sever the deep roots Marshall and his family have established in Wichita - visiting Tuscaloosa was a prerequisite before Marshall would say yes - and Battle also had to overcome the negative national perception that Alabama doesn't care about basketball.

That perception isn't the truth. If it were, Battle wouldn't have pursued Marshall in the first place. Marshall wouldn't have thought long and hard about taking the job. Wichita wouldn't have been compelled to come up with a fat new deal for Marshall reported at $3.3 million a year for seven years.

Where does Battle go now? It's believed that Alabama's original short list also included Shaka Smart and Archie Miller. Smart's reportedly close to accepting the Texas job, which would eliminate him. Miller has signed a new deal at Dayton, which wouldn't necessarily take him off the list.

Other coaches that appear to be on Battle's radar include Murray State's Steve Prohm, Minnesota's Richard Pitino and Stephen F. Austin's Brad Underwood. Prohm has the Alabama connection as a UA graduate who was a student manager and student assistant under David Hobbs. Pitino has the C.M. Newton connection, with Newton the AD who hired Pitino's dad, Rick, at Kentucky. When Newton talks, people such as Battle listen.

[jbcarol]

 Matt Norlander @MattNorlander  ·  9h 9 hours ago

Clarifying Marshall's contract terms: first year will be for $3 million, deal is rollover. The 7-year terms will come to $3.3 million/year.


Jeff Goodman @GoodmanESPN  ·  9h 9 hours ago

Give Alabama athletic director Bill Battle credit. Not hiding behind a search firm.

Alabama should just go get Steve Prohm and call it a day.

[jbcarol]

 Andy Katz @ESPNAndyKatz  ·  9h 9 hours ago

Alabama AD Bill Battle issues statement saying he was told tonight by Gregg Marshall that he was staying. Wishes him the best.

Good to see a school respond publicly that the search has moved on from a candidate they were talking to about a job. Transparency.

Also, let's get rid of the lazy crutch of calling all schools below power five mid-major. Gonzaga, BYU, Wichita State are not mid-major. $$$


Kellen Marshall @KelMoney24  ·  10h 10 hours ago

Hey everyone! After a long wait, a "source" tells me that my dad is staying at Wichita State!!!

Hope my "source" helps put an end to this endless string of (sometimes false) rumors. My family & I are so happy to stay in #ShockerNation

[Biggus Piggus]

Now, does Alabama do the slide and wind up with Plan Z?

[rhog1]

Now, does Alabama do the slide and wind up with Plan Z?

John Pelphery is available. He would make a great head coach for Bama. 

[jbcarol]

 ESPN Stats & Info @ESPNStatsInfo  ·  15h 15 hours ago

Gregg Marshall is staying with Wichita State. He has led the Shockers to the best win pct in D-I the last 5 seasons




#SOS

[jbcarol]

AL.com sports @aldotcomSports  ·  20h 20 hours ago

Does Gregg Marshall = Rich Rodriguez 2.0 for Alabama? (h/t @CecilHurt) http://ow.ly/L8dgB

In any case, to continue the parallel, Marshall must turn out to be Rodriguez 2.0, and Alabama has to go find an NBA coach who'd get people to sit up and take notice if he took the podium in Tuscaloosa.

Avery Johnson, anyone?

[jbcarol]

 AL.com sports @aldotcomSports  ·  2h 2 hours ago

How Koch brother, prominent Wichita State boosters reportedly helped keep Gregg Marshall from Alabama. http://ow.ly/L9BtP

How the Missouri Valley Conference school can afford a contract reported to pay $3 million shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone familiar with the political scene. Wichita is home to the billionaire Koch brothers who are generous with donations come election time.

Charles Koch, the CEO of Koch Industries, told the Wichita Business Journal he met with Marshall.

"When I had the opportunity to visit with Gregg, I encouraged him to stay at Wichita State," Koch told the paper.

Koch, for whom the Shockers' home arena is named after a $6 million gift, did not say if he was among a group of wealthy Wichita State boosters who met at a golf course to raise money to bump Marshall's pay.

The coach told a local radio show that "prominent people" helped make his sweetened contract happen, according to the Wichita Business Journal.

The new deal was enough to keep Marshall from leaving for Alabama, who reportedly offered as much as $4.9 million a year.

"I'm just amazed at what Wichita has done," Marshall said Thursday. "We are blessed by all the people who stepped up to make this possible. This is a wonderful city, university and program with great support from so many friends as well as our administration. Now we can return to our goal of being a shining example for a college basketball program."

[jbcarol]

John Talty @JTalty  ·  Apr 2

Legit option that should be considered RT @KilloughJustin: I hear there's a Nutt brother just sitting there guys.

[jbcarol]

Jeff Goodman @GoodmanESPN  ·  19h 19 hours ago
Two candidates in the mix for Alabama post-Gregg Marshall pursuit: Murray State's Steve Prohm and Louisiana Tech's Mike White.

[jbcarol]

AL.com sports ‏@aldotcomSports 13h13 hours ago

Could Gregg Marshall have guided the Tide beyond a giddy stay on the NCAA Tournament bubble resulting in a NIT trip? http://ow.ly/ZG8xA

What would the Alabama basketball team have done this season if Gregg Marshall had said yes? Avery Johnson exceeded every reasonable expectation in his first year in Tuscaloosa, and Alabama is lucky to have him, but it's natural to wonder.

Could Marshall have guided the Crimson Tide beyond a giddy stay on the NCAA Tournament bubble that ended with a one-and-done NIT trip?

Marshall, you'll remember, was at the top of Bill Battle's wish list a year ago to replace the fired Anthony Grant. That wasn't a secret, and neither was Battle's trip to Wichita to try to sell Marshall in person.

The Alabama athletics director shocked a few people when he got Marshall to listen, but he couldn't convince him to leave his comfortable surroundings. Battle did help get Marshall a nice, fat raise.

Who shut down Vanderbilt in the First Four on Tuesday and Arizona in the first round Thursday? Who's a smart pick to keep proving its No. 11 seed was ridiculously low?

Marshall's Wichita State team. No one who knows anything about college basketball is surprised.

This is the fourth straight year the Shockers have won at least one game in the NCAA Tournament, and the third time in the last four years they've won at least two. They reached the Final Four in 2013, the second round in 2014 [undefeated going into that game] and the Sweet 16 last year...

Wichita kept its most valuable resource, and once again the Shockers are busting brackets. Alabama looked outside the box and found Johnson, whose first team did things the Crimson Tide hadn't done in years and did it with a smile.

Oh, and back on Nov. 27, Alabama did something it hadn't done since 2009. It beat a ranked team on a neutral court. That team? Wichita State.

[jbcarol]

Hurt: Lessons learned in Avery Johnson's first year

Before he starts teaching again, Johnson is learning. He spoke with The Tuscaloosa News on Friday about three things he had learned over the course of Alabama's 18-15 season, his first year as a college basketball coach.

"I did learn a lot," Johnson said. "This was my first year back at the collegiate level as a head coach. It was my first year to work collectively with our staff. It was my first year to recruit. So I have been thinking about those things.

"One thing that stands out to me right now is that I learned a lot about how to prepare our team. You spend so much more time on that at the collegiate level. You have to push the right buttons. I learned how important that mental state is.

"Compared to the professional level, the kids are so much more immature, so much younger. You're talking about a 19-year old instead of a 29-year old man who might have played 500 or 600 games or more at the professional level. So the players (at the collegiate level) are a little more fragile."

That appeared to be one factor as Alabama struggled down the stretch, losing five of its last seven games.

"It wasn't an experience they had ever been through before," Johnson said. "They went from being able to play loose because there weren't any big expectations to suddenly having people talk about the NCAA Tournament..."