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Topic: Akron Coach Question
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71 BOBCAT
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Posted: 2/3/2016 9:04 AM
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Here is the question I would like the answer to.

Why is K.D. still at Akron? He has clearly performed well enough, W-L, over his tenure to garner P5 interest, no?
Thoughts?





GO BOBCATS
Casper71
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Posted: 2/3/2016 9:34 AM
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Loyalt? LeBron? Who knows? Bottom line, right now, is it is the best program in the MAC.
OU_Country
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Posted: 2/3/2016 9:38 AM
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I'm not sure he's garnered P5 interest. We were talking at halftime about the serious interest from Duquesne awhile back. I don't remember any other interest, though I'm sure there was some.
Brian Smith (No, not that one)
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Posted: 2/3/2016 10:01 AM
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I know it's been a long time, but there'd be some flak for his Central Michigan snafu, especially in light of an era of renewed campus activism in many places.

"Do you mind if I use the N word?” is never going to go away. (For those who don't know the background: http://caselaw.findlaw.com/us-6th-circuit/1316590.html )

I think he knows Akron is a place where he can win a lot, coach the game he loves and not deal with digging up old storylines. They gave him a chance, resurrected his college coaching career. There's a debt there.
Last Edited: 2/3/2016 10:05:37 AM by Brian Smith (No, not that one)
GoCats105
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Posted: 2/3/2016 10:57 AM
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Has anyone ever thought that maybe it's just because he hasn't gotten over the hump? He hasn't won an NCAA tournament game. In 2009, they lost by 13 to Gonzaga. In 2011, they lost by 13 to Notre Dame. And then the ultimate debacle getting housed by VCU in 2013 by 46 is a cherry on top. Fair or not, mid-major coaches are judged by how well they do on the big stage.

EDIT: I should have just said "I'll give you 46 reasons why not" referencing the VCU game.
Last Edited: 2/3/2016 10:57:57 AM by GoCats105
perimeterpost
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Posted: 2/3/2016 11:01 AM
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Dambrot is an Akron alum and been candid about his desire to stay where he's at. With that being said, in spite of a solid regular season record his post season record at Akron is-

0-3 NCAA
2-3 NIT
0-1 CIT
0-1 CBI

2 post season wins in 10 seasons, and none since 2008, are reason enough to not draw attention from bigger programs.
BobcatSports
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Posted: 2/3/2016 11:07 AM
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Maybe he's just comfortable in his own skin or just a throw-back type that is satisfied with his lot in life. As the MAC has always been a starting type place for coaches to build a resume and then move on from, there have been multitudes of posts on these boards clamoring for the "good 'ole days" of Jim Snyder and Bill Hess and their loyalty to the cause.

Dambrot may be like Larry Kehres at Mount Union. No desire to "move-up" the grass is pretty green right where I'm at. Just a thought.
Alan Swank
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Posted: 2/3/2016 11:21 AM
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I don't know the answer to this question but name one former MAC head coach who has moved up and is considered a success at the school to which he has moved? All the ones that I can think of moved up and subsequently got canned.
BillyTheCat
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Posted: 2/3/2016 11:33 AM
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Alan Swank wrote:expand_more
I don't know the answer to this question but name one former MAC head coach who has moved up and is considered a success at the school to which he has moved? All the ones that I can think of moved up and subsequently got canned.
If you judge success by not getting canned in the coaching ranks, then there are very very few people who have been successful by those metrics in coaching, from High School to the pros.
Ohio69
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Posted: 2/3/2016 11:39 AM
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Alan Swank wrote:expand_more
I don't know the answer to this question but name one former MAC head coach who has moved up and is considered a success at the school to which he has moved? All the ones that I can think of moved up and subsequently got canned.
This is an interesting point. Herb Sendek did the best. Groce to Illinois is probably the second behind Sendek in terms of going to a high profile program. And, it doesn't look like its gonna end well at all for Groce.

Looking at how crazy the coaching world is, getting paid well at Akron and dominating the MAC every year seems like a nice gig to me.
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Posted: 2/3/2016 11:51 AM
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Braun had the Cal program going well for a while. Larranaga took Mason to a final four. Nee wasn't a worldbeater, but he certainly improved the outlook at Nebraska.

Even though Rutgers didn't flourish under him (very tough gig), Gary Waters has made a nice career at Cleveland State.

That said, I can see that the conference is not exactly the cradle of coaches that it is in football.
Last Edited: 2/3/2016 11:53:58 AM by Deciduous Forest Cat
GoCats105
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Posted: 2/3/2016 11:53 AM
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Alan Swank wrote:expand_more
I don't know the answer to this question but name one former MAC head coach who has moved up and is considered a success at the school to which he has moved? All the ones that I can think of moved up and subsequently got canned.
Bob Huggins was Akron's coach in the mid to late 80s.

Herb Sendek was Miami's coach. Although he wasn't super successful I wouldn't call him a failure.

Jim Larranaga was the coach at BG before he went to George Mason. Lateral move at the time.
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Posted: 2/3/2016 12:00 PM
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GoCats105 wrote:expand_more
I don't know the answer to this question but name one former MAC head coach who has moved up and is considered a success at the school to which he has moved? All the ones that I can think of moved up and subsequently got canned.
Bob Huggins was Akron's coach in the mid to late 80s.

Herb Sendek was Miami's coach. Although he wasn't super successful I wouldn't call him a failure.

Jim Larranaga was the coach at BG before he went to George Mason. Lateral move at the time.
Excellent examples all, and I point out if the metric is being fired, everyone of those guys are failures. So I move that we move the metric.
Alan Swank
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Posted: 2/3/2016 12:27 PM
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BillyTheCat wrote:expand_more
I don't know the answer to this question but name one former MAC head coach who has moved up and is considered a success at the school to which he has moved? All the ones that I can think of moved up and subsequently got canned.
If you judge success by not getting canned in the coaching ranks, then there are very very few people who have been successful by those metrics in coaching, from High School to the pros.
I guess I should have been a bit more clear when I said fired and added "and slid down in the ranks of conferences in which they coached." Huggins, Sendek and Larranaga are/were exceptions to that. Watters slid as did Danny. Doesn't make them bad coaches by any means.
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Posted: 2/3/2016 12:36 PM
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Ohio69 wrote:expand_more
I don't know the answer to this question but name one former MAC head coach who has moved up and is considered a success at the school to which he has moved? All the ones that I can think of moved up and subsequently got canned.
This is an interesting point. Herb Sendek did the best. Groce to Illinois is probably the second behind Sendek in terms of going to a high profile program. And, it doesn't look like its gonna end well at all for Groce.

Looking at how crazy the coaching world is, getting paid well at Akron and dominating the MAC every year seems like a nice gig to me.
Ben Braun went from EMU to Cal and did well for a few seasons before leaving.

I agree that few coaches do so well that they can stay on till retiring.
Andrew Ruck
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Posted: 2/3/2016 12:39 PM
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That's a good point by Swank...our conference has not been the hotbed of coaching talent in basketball like it has been in football. Here's to hoping the bigger programs note that and stop hiring our coaches away.
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Posted: 2/3/2016 1:06 PM
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Alan Swank wrote:expand_more
I don't know the answer to this question but name one former MAC head coach who has moved up and is considered a success at the school to which he has moved? All the ones that I can think of moved up and subsequently got canned.
Jim Christi...never mind.
GoCats105
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Posted: 2/3/2016 1:24 PM
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Andrew Ruck wrote:expand_more
That's a good point by Swank...our conference has not been the hotbed of coaching talent in basketball like it has been in football. Here's to hoping the bigger programs note that and stop hiring our coaches away.
I was going through a lot of the coaches at power programs and a lot started at big schools for their first jobs. They were high profile assistants that got their first gigs elsewhere.
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Posted: 2/3/2016 2:32 PM
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Family is the big reason. Wife loves Akron and having family close by. His kids went to STVM, were active in athletics and other activities. Not having to put them thru the sting of changing schools and being able to attend their events and practices has been an important factor. He was often at late evening, soccer practices when our sons played for the same organization. The Duquesne opportunity came either when his son was a HS senior or his freshman year when he made the UA soccer team and was a big reason he stayed. I know a lot of people here don't like him, but he has always been sincere, friendly and approachable in my interactions with him.
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Posted: 2/3/2016 3:09 PM
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Andrew Ruck wrote:expand_more
That's a good point by Swank...our conference has not been the hotbed of coaching talent in basketball like it has been in football. Here's to hoping the bigger programs note that and stop hiring our coaches away.
+1 ;-)
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Posted: 2/3/2016 6:48 PM
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MedinaCat wrote:expand_more
Family is the big reason. Wife loves Akron and having family close by. His kids went to STVM, were active in athletics and other activities. Not having to put them thru the sting of changing schools and being able to attend their events and practices has been an important factor. He was often at late evening, soccer practices when our sons played for the same organization. The Duquesne opportunity came either when his son was a HS senior or his freshman year when he made the UA soccer team and was a big reason he stayed. I know a lot of people here don't like him, but he has always been sincere, friendly and approachable in my interactions with him.
I've never met him but I know people in Akron who say the same things -- including the nice ones -- about him. He's a regular at my father-in-law's favorite restaurant, and the owner of that place loves the guy. I don't care for his antics on the bench, but I think we all dislike him because of his success as much as anything else. And because he looks like a troll.
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Posted: 2/3/2016 10:13 PM
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I've found him to be pleasant and engaging in the hand full of times I've been around him.
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Posted: 2/5/2016 9:37 AM
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perimeterpost wrote:expand_more
Dambrot is an Akron alum and been candid about his desire to stay where he's at. With that being said, in spite of a solid regular season record his post season record at Akron is-

0-3 NCAA
2-3 NIT
0-1 CIT
0-1 CBI

2 post season wins in 10 seasons, and none since 2008, are reason enough to not draw attention from bigger programs.
This ^

And the aforementioned baggage. Plus he's had his fair share of questionable characters on the court. That being said he is a good coach and will keep Akron at or near the top of the MAC as long as he's there. And that is very good for the conference. We need more Dambrots not fewer.
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Posted: 2/5/2016 10:06 AM
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OUVan wrote:expand_more
Dambrot is an Akron alum and been candid about his desire to stay where he's at. With that being said, in spite of a solid regular season record his post season record at Akron is-

0-3 NCAA
2-3 NIT
0-1 CIT
0-1 CBI

2 post season wins in 10 seasons, and none since 2008, are reason enough to not draw attention from bigger programs.
This ^

And the aforementioned baggage. Plus he's had his fair share of questionable characters on the court. That being said he is a good coach and will keep Akron at or near the top of the MAC as long as he's there. And that is very good for the conference. We need more Dambrots not fewer.
And yet Jim Christian got the BC job somehow. I'd be willing to bet Dambrot has turned down a job or two in his Akron career.
Alan Swank
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Posted: 2/5/2016 1:47 PM
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OUVan wrote:expand_more
Dambrot is an Akron alum and been candid about his desire to stay where he's at. With that being said, in spite of a solid regular season record his post season record at Akron is-

0-3 NCAA
2-3 NIT
0-1 CIT
0-1 CBI

2 post season wins in 10 seasons, and none since 2008, are reason enough to not draw attention from bigger programs.
This ^

And the aforementioned baggage. Plus he's had his fair share of questionable characters on the court. That being said he is a good coach and will keep Akron at or near the top of the MAC as long as he's there. And that is very good for the conference. We need more Dambrots not fewer.
Lot's of schools have had some questionable characters on the court including us so that's not unusual. He wins and he appears to be loyal to his school so you have to admire the guy for that.
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