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LadyGriz Lady Griz Coaching Hot Board

GrizCC1979 said:
Whatever it takes to never create situation where player has 4 coaches in 4 years as happened to Bartsch. I favor asking the players what it would take in a coach to retain them. That’s what the portal coaches will be asking them. Start with the players.
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THIS! Given what I've heard about the first half of the season, I think administrators should interview every player on what they endured and what changes/improvements were made by the staff that turned the program around.
 
Hire Nate Harris today. So he and his staff can get on the recruiting trail tomorrow. He, his staff and this group of Ladys did what nobody's come close to doing in 10 years. we miss beating one of the best Big Sky Women's teams in a while in the Bobcats by 1 Point twice under his coaching. Missed a Big Sky Championship by one point in the last second. Let's get this thing back to where it belongs, on top of the Big Sky Conference Hire Mr Harris today or somebody else is going to.
 
As I have said before I am pretty sure that UM has to post the position and do a search One can assume that Kent has been doing the search on this own since mid-January and likely has several candidates in mind including Nate. If Nate is chosen there is no guarantee that the assistants will remain--that is up to Nate and some of them may not want to stay and Nate may want his own staff
 
RGRIZ57 said:
Being from Montana or not being from Montana?
typically people from Montana have better values, being from the big city's you tend to think more about yourself. not my opinion, I see it and live it everyday.
Robin Selvig, Montana born and raised, ask your self, what made him a coach that his players would give every thing that they had in them for? that is what makes a team successful on the court and off
I say it was Montana values, he cared more about his players success than his own, he cared if the players were successful in school, in their life, in their game. the proof of this, his record of course but more importanly, is how his players come back and tell their story's of how much they loved their time as a Montana Lady Griz.
He gave them an experience that they can be very proud of and will never forget.
Nate Harris has shown the basketball world that he has those same values, he inherited a team Mid-season a very difficult task, a team in turmoil with all the BS that was going on, after a very tough per-season, a few injuries, he stepped in, brought the team together, showing them that he truly cared about them, and their success more than his.
He gave them an experience that they can be very proud of and will never forget.
Also
What this current coaching staff has done is an unbelievable, keeping this team together! it’s easy for the players to just give up, there is a lot of very hard work that goes into being a player at this level, the coaching debacle, the bad loss to some really good teams, that can demoralize a team, a player and a coaching staff,
the uncertainty of who going to be the coach next season? as a player are you going to have a position next year? or should you just play out the year and look for a new team? but the coaching staff kept them together.
Harris is the coach that provided the play at SAC last year using Espinmiller as a decoy so that MJ could get the ball and the free throws to win that game, and the play that should have beat the Kittens in MSLA this year (if the Refs were doing their job)
The job that was done by the coaching staff and the Lady Griz in the Tournament was unbelievable, The job that was done by the players and the coachs 3 games in 3 days a one point loss again to the kittens in the CHAMPIONSHIP.
Do your national search for a coach, but I vote 110% for Nate Harris his coaching staff as the Lady Griz next Head coach.
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Look I love my home state, but what a crock of subjective superior horseshit that Montanans somehow “have better values” than other people, from cities or anywhere else for that matter. People are people and you can find good (or terrible) ones anywhere.

If Montana is a place of such great moral values, then why does it have the highest suicide rate & 6th highest sexual assault rate in the nation? Are these the wholesome values you are referring to?

And while I applaud Harris’ accomplishment this season under very trying circumstances, it is far from unheard of. It is very common to see interim coaches ride a bump of success that does not translate to full time status. There is a temporary “we’re all in this together” mentality that is very difficult to sustain.

For example, look at the Las Vegas Raiders last season. They hired Antonio Pearce after he turned around a 2023 season in which Josh McDaniels lost the locker room and was generally an unmitigated disaster. They even beat the Chiefs in Arrowhead in December, which Andy Reid said inspired their Super Bowl winning turnaround. Despite Pearce’s inexperience and the availability of John Harbaugh, Pearce was hired without any real competition due to threats from players like Maxx Crosby to leave the team if he were not retained.

Subsequently, Pearce shit the bed and looked completely lost in a 4-13 2024 season, while Harbaugh simultaneously revitalized the Chargers. There are many examples just like this of other successful interim coaches that did not translate to full time status.

And of course Harris’ players are going to rally around him versus some unknown entity. But there is a reason, as illustrated by the above example, that you don’t let the inmates run the asylum. Players are understandably not capable of being totally objective in this kind of situation. Their opinion should be given considerable weight along with MANY other factors.
 
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grizzlyjournal said:
gotgame75: I don't recognize a downside of conducting a national search. I've observed basketball coaching, and interviewed hundreds of coaches since my first interview in 1980 and concluded there are no specific, reliable personality "attributes" of an ideal, winning coach, though I thought Don Read came close (a lot of Griz football fans were perplexed when Read was hired!).

So here's my rationale for hiring Harris, Woolley, List, Anderson and Rebich:
1. -- They were asked to stabilize a program mid-season in the midst of extreme crisis... even to the point where some (maybe all) players were traumatized;
2. -- First, they had to gain the trust of players, which was probably a "counselor's" challenge & which also required getting Mack Konig to rejoin the team (I don't know if she quit, but do know she sat-out a game);
3. -- Next, they had to decide how to keep the existing system functional while gradually implementing changes they felt necessary. I saw the changes, initially on defense, and it's my opinion an emphasis on team defense is the main reason this team started to become competitive again;
4. -- Necessary changes in what had become a very stagnant offense under the previous head coach came slowly, but game-by-game we saw the players start to drive lanes with increasing confidence... tough to learn mid-season, but several players started to get the idea. Suddenly, these kids started realizing they had the right to attack the bucket on O.
5. -- Result? Two wins on Montana's road trip to PSU and an improving SAC squad. They started looking like a team. Wow. But there were still setbacks;
6. -- The team still lacked confidence and this is Reason #1 I believe Nate Harris should be head coach. Read every post-game interview on GoGriz and specifically read how POSITIVE Nate was about rebuilding hope, optimism and, finally confidence among the players. It's all there in black and white. Please take the time to read how Harris's extreme support about this team was based on trust and encouragement.
7. THEN: Reason #2... The GrizWBB game started to do a 180. This team became competitive first by a major turnabout in team defense. Defensive strides were paramount. They are clearly why Montana became competitive again. The best example is Montana's tourney dispatching of Idaho, a team that beat them twice in conf. play. Montana defense shut out Idaho's two guards, which neutralized Idaho's guarad-oriented drive & kick offense. BUT more importantly... something the previous coach was very poor at: in-game adjustments.
8. This, in my mind, reason #3 is the significant most important coaching factor in this team's dramatic improvement... IN-GAME-ADJUSTMENTS. Suddenly, Montana coaches were making adjustments in timeouts, at quarter breaks, and in other late-game strategies. Don't believe me? Last night's loss to the Bobcats shows at least 4 distinct strategic adjustments that turned what could have been a MSU blowout to a tense, fantastic game where the Griz played like they could win. MJ Bruno was most instrumental in the belief that the Griz could compete: she hounded Cat star Esmeralda Morales, who scored 25 of MSU's 58 points. Did MJ thus fail? No. When coaches made the specific challenge to MJ to hound Morales was exactly when Montana mounted its final comeback. The Cats were frazzled. Montana 's Dani Bartsch made the final trey to put the Griz ahead. Morales, during the final 5 minutes, did not touch the ball very often. The Cats were forced to go to other players. The final miss & make, unfortunately, was an errant miss that fell right into the hands of the Cat player who had an easy return for the winner.
9. These reasons are not ALL the reasons why I believe these coaches should be re-hired. There are more. However, these coaches were given the opportunity to turn things around, and to PROVE to Montana administrators and fans that they are qualified to remain as head coaches.
THESE, gotgame75, are the reasons why I believe the current staff of the Griz have proven, without a doubt, that they deserve the right to continue as this team's coaches.
------ Please be assured: I am not trash talking. Any decision to hire a new coach is, in some way, a toss of the dice. More than anything or anyone re: this situation, I believe MJ Bruno when she spoke so emotionally regarding Harris and staff. Her willingness to speak out is huge and... in the long run, is testament (and perhaps the most important reason) why this staff should be re-hired: They have already proven their worth as coaches. Drop the national search. Give these coaches a contract to sign.
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But I didn’t ask why Harris has potentially earned the job. I understand all these factors and agree for the most part.

My question is what is the downside of doing a thorough search?

People on here act like Harris should be handed the job because the team got on a hell of a roll for 3 tourney games, while simultaneously ignoring the fact that they lost 4 straight before the tourney and were blown out in 2 of those games.

Don’t get me wrong, I think Nate is an excellent candidate worthy of the position, but without knowing who the other candidates are, we simply cannot automatically assume he is the best option.
 
gotgame75 said:
But I didn’t ask why Harris has potentially earned the job. I understand all these factors and agree for the most part.

My question is what is the downside of doing a thorough search?

People on here act like Harris should be handed the job because the team got on a hell of a roll for 3 tourney games, while simultaneously ignoring the fact that they lost 4 straight before the tourney and were blown out in 2 of those games.

Don’t get me wrong, I think Nate is an excellent candidate worthy of the position, but without knowing who the other candidates are, we simply cannot automatically assume he is the best option.
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Speaking for myself as pro Harris - just because I want him to get the job doesn’t mean I think he should be handed it. I’d just like him a fair shot at getting it. If another candidate is better, so be it.

From everything that Haslam had said, it sounds like there will be a search and Harris will be a candidate - which is all you can ask for…..but I hope he gets it.
 
gotgame75 said:
But I didn’t ask why Harris has potentially earned the job. I understand all these factors and agree for the most part.

My question is what is the downside of doing a thorough search?

People on here act like Harris should be handed the job because the team got on a hell of a roll for 3 tourney games, while simultaneously ignoring the fact that they lost 4 straight before the tourney and were blown out in 2 of those games.

Don’t get me wrong, I think Nate is an excellent candidate worthy of the position, but without knowing who the other candidates are, we simply cannot automatically assume he is the best option.
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gotgame75: Not trying to be snarky here... I thought I answered your question, but I'll re-phrase. I do NOT think there is a downside to any kind of extensive national search and interview process. From what I can gather, that's exactly what's happening and most likely a significant number of qualified prospects are interested. So be it. I hope the results are better than the hires of the last two Montana coaches were.

However, it is my opinion that Harris, Woolley, List, Anderson and Rebich have -- under extreme circumstances -- demonstrated their qualifications by taking a team in absolute trauma and chaos mid-season, and coached/counseled/encouraged/supported them into the 2025 Big Sky Conference Championship game... the FIRST time it's been done since 2015, 3 coaches ago. If, when the coaches are interviewed, and they are asked to illustrate their qualifications to be Montana's next coach, I would assume they could detail Montana's game-by-game route to the championship game under their direction. But why? It's ALL THERE in video game footage, written press accounts and interviews. It's literally all there! the game streams, the Montana Sports 406, Skyline Sports and GoGriz accounts of this coaching staff's and this team's accomplishments. Are we all idiots for NOT recognizing this?

Skip the unnecessary and drawn out search and interview process. Hire this staff of coaches who coached Montana to the 2025 Big Sky Championship game, a split-second away from the title. Montana fans could not ask for anything more out of this group of coaches.
 
grizzlyjournal said:
gotgame75: Not trying to be snarky here... I thought I answered your question, but I'll re-phrase. I do NOT think there is a downside to any kind of extensive national search and interview process. From what I can gather, that's exactly what's happening and most likely a significant number of qualified prospects are interested. So be it. I hope the results are better than the hires of the last two Montana coaches were.

However, it is my opinion that Harris, Woolley, List, Anderson and Rebich have -- under extreme circumstances -- demonstrated their qualifications by taking a team in absolute trauma and chaos mid-season, and coached/counseled/encouraged/supported them into the 2025 Big Sky Conference Championship game... the FIRST time it's been done since 2015, 3 coaches ago. If, when the coaches are interviewed, and they are asked to illustrate their qualifications to be Montana's next coach, I would assume they could detail Montana's game-by-game route to the championship game under their direction. But why? It's ALL THERE in video game footage, written press accounts and interviews. It's literally all there! the game streams, the Montana Sports 406, Skyline Sports and GoGriz accounts of this coaching staff's and this team's accomplishments. Are we all idiots for NOT recognizing this?

Skip the unnecessary and drawn out search and interview process. Hire this staff of coaches who coached Montana to the 2025 Big Sky Championship game, a split-second away from the title. Montana fans could not ask for anything more out of this group of coaches.
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Agree. Hire Nate. If we don't, we risk another school grabbing him. If so, he will likely take players and recruits with him. Can you picture Waddington in PSU green?
 
My opinion as a Lady Griz hoop club member is that if Kent doesn't hire Nate, most of the public, the players, and the Hoop Club members that I know would be pissed. There will be hell to pay from nearly every angle if Nate isn't hired. Kent should stop screwing around. If he isn't going to hire Nate, just say so and let Nate and the players move on with their lives. As much as Kent knows about Nate, if he continues with a national search it will send the message that he is uncertain about the guy he has watched for years. If that is the case, announce that Nate isn't going to get the job. Nate and the players deserve as much.
 
717s7e said:
My opinion as a Lady Griz hoop club member is that if Kent doesn't hire Nate, most of the public, the players, and the Hoop Club members that I know would be pissed. There will be hell to pay from nearly every angle if Nate isn't hired. Kent should stop screwing around. If he isn't going to hire Nate, just say so and let Nate and the players move on with their lives. As much as Kent knows about Nate, if he continues with a national search it will send the message that he is uncertain about the guy he has watched for years. If that is the case, announce that Nate isn't going to get the job. Nate and the players deserve as much.
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Your post and position as a Lady Griz Hoop Club member is valuable, given your knowledge of the program. It's my hope that supporters like you could collectively send a message to Mr Haslam expressing that support of these coaches. He's always responded to any direct (usually written) correspondence I've sent to him. Yesterday I sent a brief letter of support for these interim coaches.
 
Griz til I die said:
So we should hire a coach for the sole purpose of keeping one player? What if the rest of the team is mediocre?
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Maybe that is the point. The LGriz lose a ton of talent thru graduation. The one returning player with great ability is Waddington. Next season's team will be built around her, and Mack Konig. If she were to leave, it will be a total re-build. Nate has a couple of very talented commitments already. Will they still come without Nate? Or would they (and Waddington) follow him if he goes elsewhere. Nate is a great guy. And
a great recruiter. He held this team together thru a very difficult time, and they played their best basketball of the season. The Big Sky Tourney was his job interview, how did he do? Watch the post-game presser to learn what M J Bruno thinks of him (have a hanky at the ready).

Add me with 717 as a Hoop Club Member advocating for Nate Harris as Head Coach of the Lady Griz.
 
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