SLU fired HC Jim Crews today, literally 20 minutes after their conference tourney loss. SLU has a history of making some splashy hires, but I would not be surprised to see Porter's name floated for this job.

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They hired Spoonhour away from Missouri State in 1992. They hired Brad Soderberg coming off his spurning at Wisconsin in 2001. Then they famously hired Majerus out of semi retirement in 2007. Since schools are usually looking for someone to correct the faults of the previous coach, I think they'll be looking for a dynamic recruiter. I think they've got enough money to put together a tempting offer.

Obviously money is one aspect, but do we think that Porter would take the offer from SLU? I have one foot firmly in each camp.

PRO: Better league, "New" contract", More money
CON: His guys are here now, He has roots in the Chicago area, He's done the rebuild thing before

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Cigarboy sucks!

PORTER !! Does he deserve the job ??? If so. make no mistake--I wager he would "Follow the money" This entire thing begs the question--Why do NOT we have the money ?? Especially if Billikens do.

I really do NOT feel he will be offered, even though he does have the Rick M connection. Personally I am NOT interested in what happens to PM--other than wishing a man success--I care about LUC rising not the coach--

Watson was brought in to improve LUC--I trust he will be allowed to do it and that HE actually will do it.

That's a solid pro/con list. I think better league is subjective, especially when Archie Miller leaves. MVC to A-10 is basically a horizontal move IMO. 5 more seasons of job security is obviously than the 2 remaining seasons. Although he by all means seemed to have a fondness for the St. Louis community, leaving Chicago will be a huge con to him, especially moving his family again.

Money will be an interesting factor. I'm pretty sure SLU would be able to outbid us for Porter, but there has to be a ceiling where they walk away. Even if his name brings back some of the excitement from when they were a top 25 team under Majerus and he was the heir apparent, his track record at Loyola hasn't screamed "splashy" or "must-hire", which I'm sure will hurt his bargaining position.

Agree, superfan.

Another pro: Great fan support

The conference is a question mark. A lot of SLU people aren't happy in the A10. It's a bad fit and a ton of travel. In fact, I'd imagine SLU would be a Valley target if Wichita were to leave.

And to be clear, I completely made this up. Just something to keep an eye on. Porter has a lot of fans in St Louis, including in the media.

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I know we always look at this as "Should we keep Porter" but in the back of my head I think Porter may be saying "Should I stay" I still wonder if he is getting the support he needs in all the areas he considers important. In the Tribune article on Chicago basketball there is no doubt that he said it was hard to recruit when our gym is empty. I know it is a chicken and egg thing but I do not think it his job to fill the gym. I feel like the product he has put on the court the last two years has been worth watching....plus he brought good student athletes in. I also have been told that the new marketing guys job is to raise revenue and sponsorships etc. above filling the gym although I am sure there is some overlap.

On a side note Depaul averaged 2300 this year at the Rosemont. In two years they will have to average 10,500 so the City wont take a loss...

Another side note, Lorenzo Edwards of Lake Forest High School, who we are recruiting is the son of Kevin Edwards who starred at Depaul and played 11 years in the NBA. I think Dad is also working at Depaul. But it does not look like Depaul has offered.

And behind the scenes Porter uses the SLU job as fake leverage to get Kelly to give up an extension.

Why wouldn't he? First, I doubt they're really interested in him, and I doubt Loyola thinks otherwise. I doubt he'd be interested in the job at St. Louis, other than the additional money and a four year safety net. There is some good opportunity there, as they're the top program within 120 miles-- which encompasses great recruiting territory like St. Louis, East St. Louis, and some downstate Illinois territory. The expectations in St. Louis are extremely high. They're under some pressure as their travel requirements in the A-10 are crazy-- after Xavier and Butler left, the nearest conference team is 359 miles away, and the second closest is 602. They're as likely to end up in the MVC as they are in the Big East, IMO, and then he'd be back to a situation similar to Loyola only with more pressure and more eyes on his mistakes.