Search and Screen Committee - 2016 MBB Head Coach Search

[Jimmy Lemke]

Names clickable for their staff pages.

Parker Executive Search Firm (https://www.parkersearch.com/)

Chair - David Pate (http://uwm.edu/socialwelfare/people/pate-jr-phd-david-j/), Associate Professor of Social Work, Equity & Personnel Committee

Phyllis King (http://uwm.edu/healthsciences/directory/king-phyllis/), Faculty Athletics Representative, Athletic Board Member
Jim Hill (http://uwm.edu/studentaffairs/people/hill-james/), Associate Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs (at large)
Joe Rodriguez (https://uwm.edu/history/people/rodriguez-joseph/), Professor of History, Athletic Board Member, Equity & Personnel Committee
Kyle Rechlicz (http://mkepanthers.com/mobile/staff.aspx?staff=35), Head Coach, Women’s Basketball
Kris Kelderman (http://mkepanthers.com/coaches.aspx?rc=170&path=msoc), Head Coach, Men’s Soccer
Bill Behrns (http://mkepanthers.com/staff.aspx?staff=9), Senior Associate Athletic Director for External Relations
Amanda Braun (http://mkepanthers.com/staff.aspx?staff=6), Athletic Director
Bill Keith (https://uwm.edu/english/our-people/keith-william/), Professor of Communication, Athletic Board Member, Equity & Personnel Committee
Paul McGinley, Alumni and Athletic Board Member, Equity and Personnel Committee (Track and Field alumni)
Richard Cox, Community Member (UWM Hall of Fame, Basketball)

Yup, that's Rick Cox, he of the impressive 'fro and swallower of rebounds, All-1970's Milwaukee Panther and Bud Haidet Hall of Fame Class of 1988.

I don't know about you, but I'm comforted knowing the Search and Screen Committee includes this guy:

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Ce4fXCAUMAAn6kb.jpg:large

[Skrapheap]

No one from the Student Association?

[TheDarkHawkReturns]

I am encouraged by some of the names on this list. My message to them is simple.

Focus on results and the goal of becoming a champion. Leave ANY and ALL other things behind. This is sports, and sports only cares about performance, not personal demographics. Give everyone a fair shake, and pick the best, NO MATTER WHO THEY ARE!

[Jimmy Lemke]

No one from the Student Association?

Not from what I hear. There's no Jimmy Lemke - or John Parker, Chad Knodl, Jose Matamoros, Al Hall, Travis Wacker, AJ Riehle, Eric Henrichs, Kyle Rawling, Chris Sturm, Steve Franz, Kurt Smet, Korry Bertram, Matt Wiese, Matt Traub or any of other fans during my time or those who came before me - in school and involved enough to be of help here. Alec Weise, Aaron Gruett, Vic Henderson, Sam Kieckhafer, those guys might develop into that, but there's no one right now who can pick up the student involvement and help the coaching search.

I'm not worried. I'm comforted knowing there are plenty of people on the S&SC that I trust, so I don't have to be worrying that the decision is in Braun's hands alone. Kyle and Kris are head coaches who know what to look for in leadership, etc. Joe Rodriguez and Bill Keith are both season-ticket holder faculty fans that are emotionally and financially invested in the program. Paul McGinley was a record-holding track athlete, and Rick Cox was on our All-1970's team. I trust both of those guys to help. Jim Hill is one of my favorite people in the whole university and I hope that he is named as Laliberte's successor for Vice Chancellor of Student Affairs.

[Jimmy Lemke]

What's most telling to me is this: in past coaching hires, Bud Haidet's "Search and Screen Committee" wasn't formal in any way - he had Kevin O'Connor, LeVar Ridgeway and Chuck Lang doing some background checks, but he made the hire.

Look at the size of this, and see how Braun isn't the Chair. I think it's very telling of where the trust lies in Chapman Hall with the athletic department.

[Skrapheap]

i would have thought that a hiring of this sort requires representation on the Search and Screen committee from all levels of campus governance, which is why i was surprised not to see anyone identified on the committee as a student representative. Apparently, that requirement does not apply in this case.

[BBF]

There were only two people on that list that I felt shouldn't be on the committee at all.

Very happy to see my contemporary the great Richard Cox on the committee. For those who don't know, his basketball career at UWM enabled him to have a distinguished career in public service:

RICHARD C. COX

Richard Cox (NHM)
Richard C. Cox
Richard C. Cox earned a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice in 1974 from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, where he also earned a certificate of public administration. He served as chairman of the Milwaukee Fire and Police Commission and was superintendent of the Milwaukee County House of Corrections for eight years.

As executive director of The Neighborhood House of Milwaukee, he oversaw programs designed to strengthen families, prevent community violence, and create prosperity-building opportunities for at-risk youth.

Cox was the first African American to serve as president of the UWM Alumni Association board. He has served on university committees, such as the UWM Athletic Board of Directors; search and screen committees, including those for chancellor; the UWM Chancellor’s Commission on Public Engagement; and the UWM Strategic Planning Core Team. He received the UWM Distinguished Alumni Award and the UWM Academic Staff Outstanding Volunteer Service Award.

[BBF]

I am encouraged by some of the names on this list. My message to them is simple.

Focus on results and the goal of becoming a champion. Leave ANY and ALL other things behind. This is sports, and sports only cares about performance, not personal demographics. Give everyone a fair shake, and pick the best, NO MATTER WHO THEY ARE!

On the contrary, I believe it is essential that this search committee find a coach who is equally as committed to running a CLEAN program, equally as good a role model and leader, and equally as committed to academics as Rob was. Anything less and my interest level falls to zero. Of course I want those qualities AND good coaching, but wins and losses are secondary and always will be as far as I'm concerned. I was spoiled, as we all should have been, to have had a coach who both won AND upheld the dignity and true purpose of the program. Going backward in EITHER respect is not an acceptable result.

I also believe it is critical that the committee take into account that this is an urban university. Let's be blunt: that doesn't mean Milwaukee has to hire a black coach. But it would be a BIG plus as far as I'm concerned, especially given the needless damage our AD has done to our standing in the community with her purge of African American personnel.

[TheDarkHawkReturns]

I don't want any PC litmus tests...I want proven winner. And I didn't mention being clean because, well, that should be a given I guess.

[BBF]

You and I can respectfully disagree about what's "PC." We are an urban university, this is a sport dominated by African American men. Litmus test? Of course not. But I believe it is an absolutely appropriate consideration.

[Jimmy Lemke]

As far as rules etc. are concerned, Bruce Pearl definitely didn't keep things kosher. However, he was a great, positive influence on his players. Every time I talk to Ed McCants (btw Ed you can join this conversation at any time) he always mentions how much of a positive influence Bruce was on his life.

Some NCAA rules make sense. A lot don't. The only time I'm really concerned with the rules is if it has a real negative influence on the athletes, or if it will get the program in trouble. We luckily avoided any real trouble when Pearl was here, partly because he was only here briefly. If another coach of Pearl's ilk comes in and takes on a 3-4 year ride before moving up, I'm fine with it if the players still mature into young men we will be proud of.

This might be part of the problem of bringing in an assistant that hasn't run a program. It took Jeter's staff a few years to figure it out for most kids, but once they did this program started churning out the kind of 22 and 23-year old men that I'd let marry my daughter one day.

If the S&SC believes the hire will be a positive influence on these young men, I'm good. I'm certain that David Pate can be trusted to find a group of finalists that are good men.

[TheDarkHawkReturns]

On this we totally agree. I do not want Milwaukee to become UNLV circa 1990 or Miami (football) circa 1981....although until the hammer dropped it HAD to be fun to be fans of those programs....sigh.

I have confidence in the people listed, and hope they are overcoming some of the obstacles that may exist.

[BBF]

It's very hard to avoid "quick hits" at the mid-major level. We were blessed to have a long run. I understand many people thought it was stale. I didn't think it was long enough. I'm old school and strongly believe in the model of having a guy who can be a Bob McKilllop or Ray Meyer especially at a mid-major. AB is not old school -- she clearly fired to hire, and I'm sure the corollary is that she is also hiring to fire. Our new guy will have to deliver in four years or be gone, if she's being honest about the standards she applied to Rob. And if he does "deliver" in four years, he will almost certainly be be gone regardless, unless he is a crazy person unable to learn from history.

[TheDarkHawkReturns]

Questions for some of you more deeply educated on these things.

Is it odd that AB is NOT the chair of this committee? Is there anything to be gleaned from this?

I can see two possible reasons. 1) She is not at all in a good place with the University, and while still nominally in charge, she really isn't, and her time may be shorter than anyone thinks, or 2) They are insulating her from further criticism and setting up a situation where it can accurately be said that the next coach was not her hire, and therefore poor results cannot be laid at her feet alone.

#1 means that there may be even more change coming and the administration wants to make a hire before any other change occurs. Perhaps to prevent the position from being even harder to fill than it is now, or just for PR purposes.

#2 means that the next coach could be hired even over her objections (again, not sure how such committees work from first hand experience) and then she has some of the same animus to the new coach that she had to the old one.

Am I on the right track, or am I just way overthinking all of this?

[uwm97]

I am encouraged by some of the names on this list. My message to them is simple.

Focus on results and the goal of becoming a champion. Leave ANY and ALL other things behind. This is sports, and sports only cares about performance, not personal demographics. Give everyone a fair shake, and pick the best, NO MATTER WHO THEY ARE!

Perfectly stated.

[BBF]

Or totally wrong. One or the other. I think you know where I stand. ;)

[uwm97]

Or totally wrong. One or the other. I think you know where I stand. ;)

Fair enough 😄