Over the last 5-10 seasons I have had the opportunity to leave my Rhode Island Rams in Phelan and take better baseline jobs ( Duke, MSU, Syracuse, Kansas, Auburn, etc...) but I have chosen to stay with "The Island" and my A10 brethren. I have chosen to do so for a few different reasons.

Firstly, I like the group of guys that coach in the A10 currently. They are all cool guys and very involved in their team and heavily invested in the A10 as a conference. We look at our conference as a team versus the rest of the Phelan world. We root for each other unless we are playing each other. It makes for healthy and fun competition. So leaving that to join a new group of guys that I do not know would be as invested as we are in the conference as a whole would be like leaving family. And I am hesitant to do so.

Secondly, I like the challenge of trying to win a National Championship at a school that's never done it in Phelan. I came to "The Island" and the highest prestige they had ever attained was a B+. I have managed to get this team to an A+ prestige even though it doesn't show in my history because at the end of every season we automatically drop to an A until NBA prospects leave. So the highest prestige listed is an A. I have been to 2 Final Fours, one of which I made it to the championship game and lost. So I know I can get there; I just have to win one! And I will have taken a mid major to the promised land!

Now I know that the likelihood of "The Island" or any A10 team to win a National Championship is slim, but being the one to do it is very cool to me.

My questions to the field are:

1. What are your opinions on me and the other A10 coaches staying put even though we could take higher baseline prestige jobs?

2. Are there other coaches out there that do the same?

3. Should we choose loyalty over guaranteed success?

4. What would make you guys consider staying at a more challenging job over the prospects of an easier job and the increased likelihood of a National Championship?

I appreciate any and all responses because it is a decision the entire A10 coaching tree has been battling with for the last 5-10 seasons at least.

Thanks,
BrokeNee aka #TYPR

Do what’s fun for you.

I like rebuilds, so I’ve not hesitated to move on when I lose my taste for a situation. I don’t have a ton of disposable income, but enough to where maintaining credit flow is not a primary concern for me. “Loyalty” isn’t really part of the equation for me, either. Basically, it’s just when I reach a point of “I wonder what it would be like to *x,y,z* I think about moving on. I have not yet seriously considered moving down (in terms of division, or baseline prestige), but theoretically I suppose I might.

#TYPR
i'm at grambling state-phelan for my conference coaches as well..i haven't had the success that you have, but as long as the wcc has 50% or so coach rate i'll probably stay..if not, the a10 is next in phelan for me

I've definitely considered applying for the UMass job in Phelan cuz it seems like such a cool group of guys. But i'm also at a midmajor (been like 18 years), and do like the idea of sticking with them and hopefully finding success. I can't imagine reaching the Final Four, but hey a guy can dream.

On another note, i live 7 miles from the Rhode Island campus. Great area. Farms, beaches. Big game this week vs #4 Dayton. URI is affectionately referred to as "Rhody", but i think calling it "The Island" is pretty hilarious.

Incidentally, URI is actually not on an island, nor is 80% of the state. Kinda weird. Newport is in an island, and is home of D3 Salve Regina.

Hey, continued good luck to you at "Rhody".

Posted by franklynne on 3/3/2020 3:16:00 PM (view original):
#TYPR
i'm at grambling state-phelan for my conference coaches as well..i haven't had the success that you have, but as long as the wcc has 50% or so coach rate i'll probably stay..if not, the a10 is next in phelan for me

Hey franklynne, fellow WCC'er!
What does #TYPR mean?

The Young Pat Riley

Posted by dillon_b12 on 3/3/2020 3:35:00 PM (view original):
The Young Pat Riley

Lol, awesome

I can totally relate to this. I took over New Mexico State awhile back as my first D1 team. I have a good buddy who is an alum but other than that, no connection.

I wanted to try to be the first person to win a title in 3.0 with a D baseline. I was one of the first to get a final four but couldn't get over the hump. Almost took the open job in UCLA Allen but stuck it out a couple more seasons and jumped to MSU. And holy balls is it easier with an A+ baseline.

The thing missing for me is what you have in the A10 - a bunch of really good and fun coaches. That really makes such a huge difference. Cool to see you guys build up A10, keep it going!

I also find The Island a hilarious nickname.

NPB! Rhody is cool for u guys in real life. But in Phelan we have chosen to go by “The Island” for the exact reason u guys don’t call them that! It’s not that Rhode Island is an actual island. It’s a mentality I preach to my players. Essentially it’s the equivalent of “us against the world” aka The Island! We sell merchandise with “The Island” printed on it! It’s legit! And if the real Rhode Island and their coach was smart, they’d take my idea and run with it. It’d help in recruiting, merch sales, and bring with it that mentality! You’d think that idea would have popped up sometime or another. If u start selling merch with that on it, I expect some royalties! Lol

My #1 reason for leaving St. Bonaventure will be so I don't have to look at "Bonnie Brown" anymore when I check my team out.

Posted by dillon_b12 on 3/3/2020 4:12:00 PM (view original):
My #1 reason for leaving St. Bonaventure will be so I don't have to look at "Bonnie Brown" anymore when I check my team out.

Team colors closely trail "Do I like the school in real life?" and location for biggest factors I take into consideration when looking at a new team.

Posted by Brokenee on 3/3/2020 12:44:00 PM (view original):
Over the last 5-10 seasons I have had the opportunity to leave my Rhode Island Rams in Phelan and take better baseline jobs ( Duke, MSU, Syracuse, Kansas, Auburn, etc...) but I have chosen to stay with "The Island" and my A10 brethren. I have chosen to do so for a few different reasons.

Firstly, I like the group of guys that coach in the A10 currently. They are all cool guys and very involved in their team and heavily invested in the A10 as a conference. We look at our conference as a team versus the rest of the Phelan world. We root for each other unless we are playing each other. It makes for healthy and fun competition. So leaving that to join a new group of guys that I do not know would be as invested as we are in the conference as a whole would be like leaving family. And I am hesitant to do so.

Secondly, I like the challenge of trying to win a National Championship at a school that's never done it in Phelan. I came to "The Island" and the highest prestige they had ever attained was a B+. I have managed to get this team to an A+ prestige even though it doesn't show in my history because at the end of every season we automatically drop to an A until NBA prospects leave. So the highest prestige listed is an A. I have been to 2 Final Fours, one of which I made it to the championship game and lost. So I know I can get there; I just have to win one! And I will have taken a mid major to the promised land!

Now I know that the likelihood of "The Island" or any A10 team to win a National Championship is slim, but being the one to do it is very cool to me.

My questions to the field are:

1. What are your opinions on me and the other A10 coaches staying put even though we could take higher baseline prestige jobs?

2. Are there other coaches out there that do the same?

3. Should we choose loyalty over guaranteed success?

4. What would make you guys consider staying at a more challenging job over the prospects of an easier job and the increased likelihood of a National Championship?

I appreciate any and all responses because it is a decision the entire A10 coaching tree has been battling with for the last 5-10 seasons at least.

Thanks,
BrokeNee aka #TYPR

1. If you love the A10, stay. If you're over it, leave. If you love it but are bored, do something like a "conference season outlook", "conference vs. conference tournament", switch up your recruiting attack, etc. You can revamp your fun while staying in conference.

2. I think I'll be at Hampton for a long-time no matter if I have strong success. We just filled out the MEAC two seasons ago. One of our teams just won the NC in the MEAC and it was awesome as it felt we all were along for the ride. It makes me want to make a deep run like that. I didn't take over Hampton for future 'success', it's about the fun and challenge in bringing up the MEAC to an elite status.

3. At the end of the day, it's a game and the main goal isn't NCs or getting to the blueblood, it's having fun! Make sure you don't lose sight of that.

4. I honestly do believe an active Coaches Corner and good communication with conference mates changes the whole HD game. I'm having more fun at my new Hampton team than I almost ever have with my UVA team. I love my UVA team. I brought them from the pits to a winning team in Knight ACC (Highest conference RPI each season besides 1, maybe 2, in my 12 seasons and on-pace to do it again; 10-11 teams making the postseason several times). It was never easy to succeed here. I learned HD 3.0 with UVA and have had ups-and-downs during recruiting with them. However, the Coaches Corner is nearly non-existent and it gets old at times just playing to play.

At the end of the day, always refer to number 3.

Posted by upsetcity on 3/3/2020 4:49:00 PM (view original):

Posted by Brokenee on 3/3/2020 12:44:00 PM (view original):
Over the last 5-10 seasons I have had the opportunity to leave my Rhode Island Rams in Phelan and take better baseline jobs ( Duke, MSU, Syracuse, Kansas, Auburn, etc...) but I have chosen to stay with "The Island" and my A10 brethren. I have chosen to do so for a few different reasons.

Firstly, I like the group of guys that coach in the A10 currently. They are all cool guys and very involved in their team and heavily invested in the A10 as a conference. We look at our conference as a team versus the rest of the Phelan world. We root for each other unless we are playing each other. It makes for healthy and fun competition. So leaving that to join a new group of guys that I do not know would be as invested as we are in the conference as a whole would be like leaving family. And I am hesitant to do so.

Secondly, I like the challenge of trying to win a National Championship at a school that's never done it in Phelan. I came to "The Island" and the highest prestige they had ever attained was a B+. I have managed to get this team to an A+ prestige even though it doesn't show in my history because at the end of every season we automatically drop to an A until NBA prospects leave. So the highest prestige listed is an A. I have been to 2 Final Fours, one of which I made it to the championship game and lost. So I know I can get there; I just have to win one! And I will have taken a mid major to the promised land!

Now I know that the likelihood of "The Island" or any A10 team to win a National Championship is slim, but being the one to do it is very cool to me.

My questions to the field are:

1. What are your opinions on me and the other A10 coaches staying put even though we could take higher baseline prestige jobs?

2. Are there other coaches out there that do the same?

3. Should we choose loyalty over guaranteed success?

4. What would make you guys consider staying at a more challenging job over the prospects of an easier job and the increased likelihood of a National Championship?

I appreciate any and all responses because it is a decision the entire A10 coaching tree has been battling with for the last 5-10 seasons at least.

Thanks,
BrokeNee aka #TYPR

1. If you love the A10, stay. If you're over it, leave. If you love it but are bored, do something like a "conference season outlook", "conference vs. conference tournament", switch up your recruiting attack, etc. You can revamp your fun while staying in conference.

2. I think I'll be at Hampton for a long-time no matter if I have strong success. We just filled out the MEAC two seasons ago. One of our teams just won the NC in the MEAC and it was awesome as it felt we all were along for the ride. It makes me want to make a deep run like that. I didn't take over Hampton for future 'success', it's about the fun and challenge in bringing up the MEAC to an elite status.

3. At the end of the day, it's a game and the main goal isn't NCs or getting to the blueblood, it's having fun! Make sure you don't lose sight of that.

4. I honestly do believe an active Coaches Corner and good communication with conference mates changes the whole HD game. I'm having more fun at my new Hampton team than I almost ever have with my UVA team. I love my UVA team. I brought them from the pits to a winning team in Knight ACC (Highest conference RPI each season besides 1, maybe 2, in my 12 seasons and on-pace to do it again; 10-11 teams making the postseason several times). It was never easy to succeed here. I learned HD 3.0 with UVA and have had ups-and-downs during recruiting with them. However, the Coaches Corner is nearly non-existent and it gets old at times just playing to play.

At the end of the day, always refer to number 3.

The MEAC has already turned into a fun conference

My ultimate goal is to get UNC, however I would like to get a power 6 team (certain schools like dook, nc state, georgia tech and a few others I would rather not have). Aside from that, I would like to be loyal to a team and grow it to be a strong team. Right now, I'm not in a conference full with top players, my only 2 D1 teams are the Patriot league inwith my Navy team and Southern Conference with Wofford. Both have a few humans that have done pretty well and hopefully we can develop a good conference and help each other build a better prestige. But ultimately I want a top conference team, but want to avoid the Virginia Techs, Rutgers and other lower baseline teams in top conferences.

can i just say, i don't see all the fuss about baseline prestige. both in the OPs #1 / #3 / #4 points, and some of the other posts.

i consider roughly b- the cutoff for baseline prestige where having more is nearly useless. it feels to me like it is more or less trivial to maintain an a+ on a b-, or at least an a. i know this isn't everyone's situation - but IMO, if you can't maintain an a/a+ on a b- baseline, then you have 5-10 bigger issues holding you back from winning titles, and these are going to come with you to your new job (except for regional recruiting situation, which can improve or get worse).

also, the notion that the better jobs come with guaranteed success (OP #3)... its frankly ridiculous. i'm sort of surprised there hasn't been more push back on that! no offense to the OP, i'm really not trying to bust your balls here - but its just so off. the reason the A+ baseline schools tend to do well is because good coaches tend to go there, not because they are so good. there are numerous b-/b baseline jobs i prefer over a+ jobs. once you have an a+ somewhere else, you have almost entirely neutralized the a+ baseline advantage - in fact, you may even have an advantage over them yourself.

the other thing is, in today's game, a+ vs a or even a- is not even that much of an advantage. it used to be pretty significant (never huge), but back then, a 1% advantage in effort lead to a 100% advantage in signing odds - this made recruiting a game of inches. in today's game, prestige just isn't that important, and conferences don't get bonus money anymore - so i frankly don't see why an a10 job is worse than any other. if the a10 is full, i can see it - because the BCS confs are usually all fairly full - so this means there is probably a more packed than usual north east. however, this equally drags down the BCS schools in the region, IMO.

last thing - in today's game, the main reason IMO to go to a BCS conference is for the higher competition - nothing like getting beat down to force you to get your **** together! its just *so* valuable having high end competition regularly, it makes the team stats, player performance, all that stuff, so much easier to assess. after all, what matters is how your players and team perform against good teams - not garbage sims.

anyway, the BCS conferences have a significant downside, too - its actually significantly harder, IMO, to rebuild a lower BCS team than a team in a weaker conference. those high probability losses really make it a lot harder to rebuild a destroyed BCS program, even if it has good baseline. getting a C prestige a10 team up to an a-, assuming the a10 is weaker than a top power conference, is going to be a lot easier than getting most C prestige BCS schools up to an a-.