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Molinari named assistant coach

Huskerpapa

By Huskerpapa
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fargobison
fargobison

Molinari is an elite defensive mind. His teams have been a thorn in NDSU's side in the Summit League, he has done a lot with very little at WIU. I think he could have the Huskers playing an elite bran

Timmy
Timmy

We have Harriman and Hunter as the "recruiters" on the staff.  Craig Smith was Miles' go to guy on the bench and the two were on the same wave length in terms of game planning.  We need a balanced sta

fargobison
fargobison

First post but I have had a lot of fun following your team since Tim was hired. He is still loved in Fargo, Nebraska got a nice ovation at our Selection Sunday event when their name was announced on C

GATA

GATA

Posted
Posted

Seems like he'd be a good guy to have on the bench....but not as good of a recruiter as Smith.  

 

I'm still waiting for Kenya Hunter to deliver on the recruiting front.  We're paying him $230,000.  He needs to start brining in some players.  

 

Agreed 100 percent. I know I'm not being the most patient fan here, but he's been here a year and we haven't heard much from him in the way of recruiting.

TheKamdyMan

TheKamdyMan

Posted
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Seems like he'd be a good guy to have on the bench....but not as good of a recruiter as Smith.

I'm still waiting for Kenya Hunter to deliver on the recruiting front. We're paying him $230,000. He needs to start brining in some players.

Well to be fair college bball recruiting is usually 2 years out with relationships due to fall signing. Also outside of Chins aau day for the spring game the two highest rated players to show interest in Nebraska were Hunters. Robinson had NU in his final 3 and Crawford planned an unofficial but Miles wasn't here. Give him time.

HuskerFever

HuskerFever

Posted
Posted

We wanted the "bang" hire when we were looking for a head coach. We wanted the "bang" hire when it came to coaching staff. We wanted the "bang" hire when it came to finding a replacement assistant coach. It's always good to step back a bit... we haven't arrived yet. We're starting to get flair, but a lot of people are looking for some sort of stability or upward mobility... hopefully we can get there in the next 5 years!

tcp

tcp

Posted
Posted

I'd take Molinari and say "thanks" to the hoops gods. Jacks up the coaching experience on the staff immensely. Knows the B1G territory really well and is well known by other coaches. If this pans out, it's a good grab by Miles.

Best rumor of the week by far.

ajb5856

ajb5856

Posted
Posted

I'll try here. Molinari would be without any doubt, a "bang" hire. Maybe not in sense in which everybody is thinking, but definitely a great hire if all this is true. Why? Experience. That's it. Everybody wants a "bang" hire. Who are these guys? They are the up and comers, the popular names, the hot names to throw around, they are the supposed bigtime recruiters sitting on the benches of prolific programs, and they supposedly have big connections. But while having a talked about name, what have they done to earn this? Maybe had a part in getting some high profile recruits to a name program? But wasn't that name program going to end up with some good recruits even without that hot name assistant on the bench? Most likely.

So if this turns out to be true, we get a well-respected, well connected coach with 30+ years of experience in the business. 30+ years of networking with everybody surrounding the college game. He's made multiple stops in the 30+ years. He's been to the final 4. He's seen everything. He knows what he's doing. But he's not a hot name that has landed on the bench of a known program within the last couple years.

This is eerily similar to when we didn't get Groce and his hot name and had to settle for some guy named Miles.

hhcmatt

hhcmatt

Posted
Posted

As far as why he'd leave, I'd guess being an assistant at NU is worth 50% to 75% more in salary versus being a head coach at WIU. And he may want to join a program that is going to make a deep NCAA run sometime soon.  :) Or he loves the Husker Power chant. Either way is good.

 

Mo is making about 115k at W. Illinois so this would definitely be a bump in pay as well as everything else.

I absolutely love this hire if we make it...gives Miles that Smith replacement  in terms of basketball IQ and if someone needs add more effort into recruiting it can be National Coach of the year Tim Miles.

 

If you want to hear something funny, this is almost like Fred Hoiberg hiring Doc Sadler.

HuskerBB

HuskerBB

Posted
Posted

 

I think Molinari would definitely be a "bang" hire as an assistant.

 

Not being snarky, but why do you say that?

 

 

Pretty much was ajb said.   Smith's primary value was as the #2 man on the bench during games - and as a coach in practice.  That is what we needed to replace and Molinari fits that to an extent I would not have thought possible.  Smith might have been more valuable because he has been with Miles for so long - but Molinari would bring a wealth of experience that our staff was lacking.

 

People tend to think the only job of assistant coaches is to recruit.  That is not true.  That is what Danny Nee tried at the end and it got him fired.  In the earlier years he had some high quality coaching assistants.  When they left he went out and got nothing but pure recruiters and it backfired with a vengeance.   No question we got some valuable transfers in Pettaway and Pitchford - but Miles has turned this program around primarily by coaching not by recruiting.

hhcmatt

hhcmatt

Posted
Posted

He (Molinari) was an NBA scout for the raptors and miami heat a decade ago.

 

Also, was Ryan Miller our first choice for the assistant coaching job?

 

Was Miller in the running with us at all or was he simply the biggest name out there at the moment?

hhcmatt

hhcmatt

Posted
Posted

I would expect that the new assistant will be someone most of us have never heard of before.

If Miles names someone who has been brought up on this board before 3/31/2014 I will be completely shocked.

 

Looks like I was completely wrong!

Also Miles mentioned him by name in that Feb USA Today interview - http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/ncaab/2014/02/20/coachs-corner-nebraskas-tim-miles/5642657/

TheKamdyMan

TheKamdyMan

Posted
Posted

I would expect that the new assistant will be someone most of us have never heard of before.

If Miles names someone who has been brought up on this board before 3/31/2014 I will be completely shocked.

Looks like I was completely wrong!

I wouldn't completely say you were wrong. I would bet no one of here would've guessed a fellow D1 head coach would step in to be an assistant.

hhcmatt

hhcmatt

Posted
Posted

Did he get let go? Why would he go from a head coach to assistant like that? Is being an assistant at a power conf. school better for his career than being a head coach at a mid-major?

 

He definitely didn't get let go.  Also, his son just graduated from Western Illinois.

Marv

Marv

Posted
Posted

Do Miles & Molinari have a history together?

He's referred to Molinari as a "long time friend" on several occasions.

He mentioned him by name in this USA Today article in February

Hmmmm..... Maybe Larry Shyatt and Mike Dunlap will be assistants here some day.

Funny you say that, the first thing I did when the Smith to USD news hit was Google to see what Dunlap was up to. The guy is a basketball genius. He was obviously never coming to Nebraska this go around but if things don't work out for him he's always a good name to have on your shortlist for Asst. Coaches.

Timmy

Timmy

Posted
Posted

Not sure or sold on this guy. Hope it works out.

 

Not sure why you wouldn't.

 

We are most likely getting an assistant coach who:

-Has been a Division 1 head basketball coach for 19 years

-Has won a conference title at all three of his stops - Northern Illinois, Bradley, and Western Illinois

-Has NCAA tourney experience as both a HC (two appearances) and as an assistant  (six appearances and one F4 with Depaul)

-Has served as a NBA Scout for the Toronto Raptors and Miami Heat

-Is good friends with our Head basketball coach and is said to be on the same wave length in terms of philosophies

-Is widely respected in the game, do some research and you will see positive quotes from some of the best coaches in the game regarding Molinari

-Has deep recruiting ties to the B1G conference, specifically in talent rich Chicago area

-Regarded as one of the best defensive minds in the college game.  

 

Anybody who doesn't think this would be an amazing hire needs to get their head examined.  There are very few programs in the country that have a guy with this pedigree on their bench not as the head coach, but as an assistant.  

Blackshirt83

Blackshirt83

Posted
Posted

Not sure or sold on this guy. Hope it works out.

Not sure why you wouldn't.

We are most likely getting an assistant coach who:

-Has been a Division 1 head basketball coach for 19 years

-Has won a conference title at all three of his stops - Northern Illinois, Bradley, and Western Illinois

-Has NCAA tourney experience as both a HC (two appearances) and as an assistant (six appearances and one F4 with Depaul)

-Has served as a NBA Scout for the Toronto Raptors and Miami Heat

-Is good friends with our Head basketball coach and is said to be on the same wave length in terms of philosophies

-Is widely respected in the game, do some research and you will see positive quotes from some of the best coaches in the game regarding Molinari

-Has deep recruiting ties to the B1G conference, specifically in talent rich Chicago area

-Regarded as one of the best defensive minds in the college game.

Anybody who doesn't think this would be an amazing hire needs to get their head examined. There are very few programs in the country that have a guy with this pedigree on their bench not as the head coach, but as an assistant.

Add to this that the last time he was an assistant in the B1G he was ranked by some publications as the best assistant in the conference.

Lincoln Gopher

Lincoln Gopher

Posted
Posted

Not sure or sold on this guy. Hope it works out.

Not sure why you wouldn't.

We are most likely getting an assistant coach who:

-Has been a Division 1 head basketball coach for 19 years

-Has won a conference title at all three of his stops - Northern Illinois, Bradley, and Western Illinois

-Has NCAA tourney experience as both a HC (two appearances) and as an assistant (six appearances and one F4 with Depaul)

-Has served as a NBA Scout for the Toronto Raptors and Miami Heat

-Is good friends with our Head basketball coach and is said to be on the same wave length in terms of philosophies

-Is widely respected in the game, do some research and you will see positive quotes from some of the best coaches in the game regarding Molinari

-Has deep recruiting ties to the B1G conference, specifically in talent rich Chicago area

-Regarded as one of the best defensive minds in the college game.

Anybody who doesn't think this would be an amazing hire needs to get their head examined. There are very few programs in the country that have a guy with this pedigree on their bench not as the head coach, but as an assistant.

Add to this that the last time he was an assistant in the B1G he was ranked by some publications as the best assistant in the conference.

Coach Mo would be a great get for the Huskers. Still very well thought of around the Gopher program from when he was an assistant and fill in head coach. Great defensive coach, A ton of experience and a great guy.

1HuskerDad

1HuskerDad

Posted
Posted

I like this hire.   This is similar to what happened with Kevin McKenna when he was coach @ Indiana State.  He left a head coaching job there to go back to being an assistant to Dana Altman at Oregon because of the chemistry between the two and the pay differential.  The nice thing is that Miles is not taking a chance on a young inexperienced assistant just because he has had a personal friendship with someone or because he came from Nebraska.  He is taking a coach with a wealth of experience and success - who, oh by the way, has a lot of the same basketball philosophies as Miles it appears.

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