Jim Foster to Ohio State!

[Press]

I'm surprised at this. I felt sure DeMoss was getting the job. I guess he wanted to get into an easier conference. I can't imagine leaving a player like Anderson, even though she's a senior.
----------------

(From The AP)

Foster leaves Vandy for Ohio State

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Jim Foster left Vanderbilt to coach Ohio State's
women's basketball team Saturday, ending an 11-year run with the
Commodores that included 10 NCAA tournament appearances.

Foster was 256-99 at Vanderbilt and led the Commodores to the 1993
Final Four, where they lost to Texas Tech in the semifinals.

Foster replaces Beth Burns, who was fired March 4 after going 81-65 in
five years at Ohio State. Burns led the Buckeyes to the 2001 WNIT title and
an NCAA tournament berth in 1999.

Ohio State athletic department spokesman Dan Wallenberg confirmed
Foster's hiring to The Associated Press on Saturday. Foster was
scheduled to be introduced at a news conference Sunday.

Attempts to reach Foster for comment Saturday night were unsuccessful.

"He was a great man and we really hate to lose him," said Tammy Boclair,
a Vanderbilt spokeswoman.

Vanderbilt lost to rival Tennessee in round of eight of this year's NCAA
tournament, finishing the season at 30-7.

Foster, who also coached at Saint Joseph's from 1978-91, has a career
record of 504-225. He has had just two losing seasons.

Ohio State is coming off a 14-15 season in which many of its top players
were hampered by injuries. The Buckeyes haven't been nationally ranked
since January 1999 and haven't won an NCAA tournament game since
1996, two years before Burns arrived.

[RaiderPower1]

Was just about to post this. http://hoopscoop.net/ubb/wink.gif

I felt sure DeMoss was getting the job."

I guess that if Jim Foster was willing to go to OSU they would rather hire a great coach with proven ability instead of an assistant coach. Well, let's see if he can win this challenge! http://hoopscoop.net/ubb/smile.gif

[KSUron]

Whooda thunk it? Now that job is going to attract some attention. There are several former Foster assistants out there in the coaching ranks including Deb Patterson.

[BenEClone]

It will be interesting to see what else OSU does to support their evident interest in upgrading their program. The Vandy job will attract some attention, but, like Foster - any coach has the prospect of playing Tenn 2-3 times a year, without Anderson. Unless there is some emotional tie, I don't see it as tempting to a coach who already has a team in the top twenty.

[swok34]

His replacements.........

Potential candidates to replace Foster include Muffett McGraw, who led Notre Dame to the 2001 national championship and served under Foster at St. Joseph's; Deb Patterson, who led Kansas State to the recent NCAA Sweet 16 and was a Foster assistant at Vanderbilt; Mark French, whose Cal-Santa Barbara team knocked off perennial title contender Louisiana Tech in the opening round of the 2002 NCAA tournament, and Sherri Coale, who took an Oklahoma program that had been on the verge of shutting down and got it within a victory of the national championship this year.
http://www.tennessean.com/sports/vandy/archives/02/04/15853432.shtml?Element_ID=15853432

[This message has been edited by swok34 (edited 04-08-2002).]

[swok34]

Depends on the money.......and support.

Oklahoma State should be announcing soon, spring signing day opens on the 10th....

[kate dawg]

I'll say this now. There is no way in HELL Sherri Coale is leaving OU. No matter what Vandy thinks they can offer.

[Press]

I agree, I don't see that happening, especially to Vandy. I mean they've had a good program, play in a tough conference, but...

[swok34]

no kidding, katedawg....think they just drummed up a list of names....

I can't envision a program Coale WOULD leave for myself; especially not at this juncture with what she has done at OU.

[ChipperF1]

I don't know what they smoke at the Tennessean. My guess would be its Panamanian by the delusional nature of their speculation.

1. Muffet McGraw is in the middle of a new deal and has a serious recruiting class to work with
2. Sherri Coale? NO WAY! Oklahoma's gonna lock her up for quite sometime. Coale will do a Playboy spread before she leave Oklahoma.
3. Deb Patterson? another NO WAY! Firstly, she's had one good year. Vandy wouldn't be smart in taking her without a track record right now. Secondly, KSU's going to lock her up. Say what you want about the Wildcats, they are figuring out what it takes to have the a great sports program.
4. Mark French? Too many freshman at UCSB for him to leave. He has a team that could be a surprise Final Four candidate in a couple of years. Plus, he just signed a new deal and he a very California Guy. It would take a mint for him to leave one of the nicest spots on Earth and the support he gets from UCSB to go to a school that hasn't 100% decided that it wants high level athletics.

MORE LIKELY PROSPECTS

1. Tom Collen (Head Coach, Colorado State) Upside: The guy can coach, and you could get hime. CSU to Vandy would be a big move up Downside: He likes CSU and has a relatively young CSU team

2. Jody Runge (Former Head Coach, Oregon) Upside: She's built a program from scratch. Know how to win. If you are looking for a big name, she's the biggest name without a job out there. Downside: Her past.

3. Amy Tucker (Assistant Head Coach, Stanford) Upside: Solid recruiter and good Xs and Os person. Has been a part of a winner and is one of the best First Officers in the country Downside: She is too well compesated by Stanford. Too well supported by Stanford to make a move based entirely on ego to a school who's committment is suspect.

4. Cindy Russo (Head Coach, Florida International) Upside: One of the biggest winners among the mid-majors, 15 seasons of 20-wins or more in the last 17 seasons. She's won at every level she's coached at and this season probably the best she could have with the resources she has at FIU. Downside: Is Vandy willing to take a flyer on a coach who has never had to really deal with SEC-Size expectations?

5. Cheryl Burnett (Head Coach, Southwest Missouri State) Upside: Two Final Fours at a mid-major program. Has a national profile, and is relatively well-known in womens basketball circles. Burnett is the best person to call, especially in a year when so many likely prospects are still too green to really make a move like this. Downside: She's been a big fish in a small pond in the Ozark. Can she deal with being second banana to the Greatest Show In Orange?

My take on the Oklahoma State Process: It seems apparent that OSU is thinking so much about football this point, that they've are just making the beautiful mistake of making change for the sake of change, and not for a real legitimate reason.
As a fan of womens basketball, I find this very regrettable.
As a biased fan of Nebraska womens basketball, I'm overjoyed. This just means next year the Huskers will have a least one jabroni they can beat.

[35TangoTango]

1. I look for Coale to test the depth of OU's committment to her in the time-honored Bob Stoops tradition. She has certainly come through, now it is OU's turn!

2. As for OSU, doesn't everyone think that their treatment of Dick Halterman was totally classless? Change for the sake of image, firing a coach of 19 years without ever seeing if he could produce with the kind of support other schools have? Who wants the job with this kind of support at the bottom feeding school in the toughest conference in the country? Recruit against Coale in Oklahoma? Hopefully, even Bo is having second thoughts.

[OhMandy]

You're giving too much credit to Mark French. His team's win a lot of games because they play in a terrible conference. He may win some non conference games vs the middle of the pack teams in stronger conferences but if SB was in the WCC, they wouldn't finish higher than 4th. Plus his teams choke in the NCAA's. He's never been past the second round during his career. Even a couple years ago when they had home court and lost to Rice a #13 seed. Final Four? Please they got to get to the Sweet 16 for the first time first.

I compare French and SB to Larry at ODU. Both play in terrible conferences but Larry gets her team to play well in the NCAA. A Final Four and this year I think Elite Eight but at least a Sweet 16.

[swok34]

I believe all OU coaches have a clause in contract of a bonus if they win the NC.....I thought I had heard that Sampson got a bonus of some sort for being in the Final Four....can't imagine that Coale didn't have the same clause.

I suppose this is a sign of things "have been" and things to come....every year, we see Stoops and Sampson's name "out there"...and I guess Coale's name is just a sign of the time.
hmmmmmmmmmm, maybe a Jaguar is in the dreams, Sherri?

I agree with Chipper.......Deb would be a fool to leave Kansas State, suspect she's either negotiated or will negotiate a new contract for what she did this year......how would you leave such a great class of young women who are certain to make even more noise next year? Now, Kami Etheridge might be a really, really good candidate for the Vandy job...

I still can't figure why Jim left Vandy....I've heard Ohio State layed out the bucks and something about incredible facilities????
Vanderbilt still has their benches at the END of the court.

[YCN]

Chipper, a clarification RE Sherri Coale...

2. She will not do a Playboy gig.
1. She will not leave OU.

Just thought I'd "chip in" with that.

[Jennifer]

Sherri Coale is an OKlahoman through and through. I think that combined with the excellent support from Hynes and Castiglione, means she'll be at OU for a long time to come.

As for OSU---the more I think about it the more I'd like them to hire Rhonda Fields. Not a proven college coach, but having known her and played for her, I know she's great with the X's and O's. I can see her being a good recruiter as well. Of course, I wouldn't wish working for that administration on anyone.

[This message has been edited by Jennifer (edited 04-08-2002).]

[vickie1ok]

Jen, I agree about Sherri. She has been handsomely compensated by OU for several years now; kudos to Castiglione and Boren to keep money a non-issue. I think the only thing that would tempt her is a program that would fill an arena night-in, night-out. (I also think that is Kelvin's temptation, not money) And, I don't think Vandy fits that category. Bottom line is, she is an Oklahoma kind of girl. She has her dream job, and hasn't anywhere near satisfied her goals.

Someone mentioned facilities; how many schools have better women's facilities than Oklahoma? With the new practice gym, locker rooms, film rooms, etc, that are all for women, I haven't seen the same at other schools, which is not to say they may not exist. But facilities has to be another plus at OU.

I wonder what the heck is going on at OSU. They are taking their sweet time, aren't they? I think they have a good opportunity to up the ante in the big 12 but I'm not sure they are smart enough to take advantage of it.

[This message has been edited by vickie1ok (edited 04-09-2002).]

[swok34]

Someone mentioned facilities; how many schools have better women's facilities than Oklahoma?

Someone mentioned on a tour that ESPN had said that OU now has the best facilities they have been in as far as practice court, locker rooms,etc.

As far as Halterman is concerned, I've heard from two or three different people that he wouldn't even leave Stillwater to do his own recruiting; Jack Easley did all the travelling.
I think OSU made a wise choice in NOT renewing his contract; it was known last year that he would have last season and this season secure, but there was some question last year whether it would go beyond that.

Now, they have the opportunity to get a new sense of energy in their women's basketball program, will they capitalize on it??????


[This message has been edited by swok34 (edited 04-09-2002).]

[This message has been edited by swok34 (edited 04-09-2002).]

[carolann]

The Cincinati Enquirer reports today that Michelle Munoz is transferring from Tennessee "to play closer to home". She would be a great addition to Xavier, Cincinati, or Ohio State. I could see her fitting very well in the Xavier program or playing for Jim Foster at Ohio State.

[swok34]

Actually, 2 Tennessee players are transferring.......
http://utladyvols.fansonly.com/sports/w-baskbl/spec-rel/041002aaa.html

What's going on in Summitland? This is the first year I can recall Mickie DeMoss putting her name out there for a head coaching job and she has been under Pat for around 20 years.
Every position that has opened up has her name tagged on to it.

Almost have to wonder if Summitt is not posturing to take on a head WNBA position, given that she's agreed to a "consultant" position with the Washington Mystics.....

[carolann]

Yes, the McDivitt transfer is really a surprise. I wouldn't expect a girl to transfer before her senior year unless she is really unhappy or has a very good reason.