Rambling0101 wrote:
Toledo,
While I hope Porter stays, there is very little comparison to Lickliter in my opinion. 1st, Butler had posted 5 straight 20+ win seasons before he got the job from Thad Matta. Matta held the job for one year, won a single game in the NCAA then went to Xavier...3 years later a long run at Ohio State.
As for Lickliter, in the last 25 years there have been 5 seasons with less than 20+ wins for Butler, he owns 2 of them (plus 1 of 3 losing seasons in that time frame). The money differential at the time was significant with Iowa and the reason the Butler job paid equivalent in 2012 is because Stevens took them to back to back final games!
Porter will likely make a guaranteed $18m for 6 years wherever he goes, that is pretty significant on the dollar front.
Beyond that, Porter has touched the highest echelon of the coaching ranks with the final 4 run and the dismantling of a #1 seed in round 2. In the process, with the help of a patient AD and administration, he turned around a bottom feeder Horizon league team to a national contender.
I hope he stays and we build a statue for him, but the Lickliter comparisons just don't hold water for me.
That’s cool. We can agree to disagree. BUT - I like talking anything Loyola basketball... so... I challenge you to find, in history, someone who had a more similar resume for 4 to 7 years in a similar program to Loyola, who made the jump to a big school that was more comparable to Porter than Lickliter. The only one I think is as close is Jim Larranega (currently at Miami). Take a look at what happened to him after he left George Mason. He didn’t exactly become known as an “elite coach” after the jump. That being said - he’s not a failure either. I think if Porter knew, for sure, if he left for greener pastures that he would have the same post-move career successes as Larranega or Shaka Smart, he would pass and roll the dice with Loyola to see what he could do. I bet no amount of money would be a factor in that decision.
Porter’s passion in all the interviews he’s given makes one thing clear - this guy loves winning and being on top. The past 4 years have been the biggest payoff ever for him, which is the result of 25 years of coaching, losing, and getting kicked around. You’re right about one thing - Lickliter didn’t feel the dark side of college coaching like Porter has when he made his decision.
Porter is a social guy who obviously talks to a lot of other coaches. I’m sure he talks to, or knows people who talk to, Archie Miller (Indiana from Dayton), Sean Miller (Arizona from Xavier), Shaka Smart (Texas from VCU), Jim Larrenega (Miami from George Mason), Lickliter (Iowa from Butler), and many other former mid major head coaches that decided to “make the jump.” I also bet he talks to Mark Few, Gregg Marshall and Ben Jakobson and asks them if they were happy with their decisions not to jump.
Hell, he might even talk to Dave Leitao! We’ve laughed about DL and DePaul on this board for years - but don’t forget this... Dave Leitao only coached 3 years in his first stint as DePaul’s coach. Do you know how many wins he got in his first three years? 58! Nobody thought he was a “bad” coach with those stats! Then he went to Virginia.... and you know what happened ... then he went back to DePaul... and you know what happened.
At 52, after everything He’s gone through to finally get where he is.... I just don’t know that he would be willing to walk away and abandon all of it....
Porter right now, as Loyola’s head coach:
1. Is legitimately competing for championships.
2. Is doing it in his hometown that he loves.
3. Is with family and kids that love the university and the schools they are at.
3. Owns the mansion of his favorite boyhood baseball teams owner in one of the nicest towns in America.
4. Has a direct line to all Chicago sports celebrities that he grew up watching (which has to be a thrill for him to know he could call up Ditka, and he’d actually take his call).
4. Holds job security for at least the next 10 years (which I’m sure he values).
5. Is not in a situation where he has to constantly worry about issues with NCAA compliance or player academics.
6. Is capable of recruiting Chicago kids to the program and has a built-in pipeline with local high school and AAU coaches.
7. Is the best coach with the most successful basketball program in the state.
8. Is a guy that can walk into any restaurant in downtown Chicago, the third largest city in the country, and be treated like royalty.
9. Is a guy that can walk anywhere on campus and be the MOST recognized and respected person by everyone.
10. Is in a situation where he can rest easy knowing he doesn’t have to justify normal losses or setbacks to keep his job.
11. Can maintain his lifestyle instead of uprooting everything and having to work twice as hard to get back on top (or relavent).
12. Doesn’t have to worry about his basketball program being second priority to a football program.
13. Doesn’t have the pressure of “rebuilding.”
14. Doesn’t have to worry about sustaining his program with 1-and-done athletes.
Talk about not running happiness!
If Duke, Michigan State, Michigan, or Kansas had head coaching jobs open, I would get Porter leaving - but that’s not the case this year. Indiana or Texas bring their own problems to the table.
I think Loyola is capable of paying him 2 million a year, and it would be the prudent thing for them to do. If it’s about money, I think Indiana would have to offer him 3+ million with 7 years guaranteed. Is Indiana going to do that after having to beg for 10 million dollars to get themselves out from their last coach?
I think he stays...
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