Vote for Aces Coach

[E-Villan]

Ok, let's take our first official poll who should get the UE job?

[UE-BBALL#1]

I'm on board for Brownell assuming we can entice him to leave Wright St. Might not be easy, but I'd like to see UE come up with the money to commit to improving the program instead of settling.

[E-Villan]

I think the money can be there for Brownell. He is fully aware of what this program can be about. He grew up when 11K-12K was a normal night.

Stay in the Horizon or return to your hometown and coach in one of the hottest conferences in the country?

No offense to Wright State, but our biggest obstacle in getting him is getting outbid by a BCS program should they do well in the tourney.

[E-Ville]

I voted Herdes, but I think we are a winner either way with him or Brownell.

[Fraydog]

The only question with Simmons is this: would he leave Edwardsville that he's helped push to D-1 for a UE program that doesn't have the best institutional support and is on shaky footing? I'd love to see him coach in the Valley, make no mistake, but I just don't see it.

[ACES..ACES]

Have you all lost your mind and forgotten how hard Marty played and his zest for the game? I would think that he would take that same competitive refusing to lose attitude and use that as the coach of the Aces.

He is also well known in the TriState area to attract recuits

Marty Simmons knows about the Aces Basketball Tradition and will be the one to get the fan base back in the seats!!

:aces:

[UE-BBALL#1]

Have you all lost your mind and forgotten how hard Marty played and his zest for the game? I would think that he would take that same competitive refusing to lose attitude and use that as the coach of the Aces.

He is also well known in the TriState area to attract recuits

Marty Simmons knows about the Aces Basketball Tradition and will be the one to get the fan base back in the seats!!

:aces:

Great players are not great coaches. Simmons had a good year at SIUE, then this year failed to live up to expectations. Other than that he used to play for UE, why do you think he is a good coach? Do you know anything about the style of game he plays? Or are you just spouting off since you used to watch him play, condemning anyone who wants someone proven?

[E-Villan]

Aces Aces,

Marty played and learned to coach from the person responsible for emptying the seats at Roberts in the first place. No thanks!!!

[estreetah]

Pay Brownell the money, he is worth it, will be worth it and will bring this program back to the top in 3-5 years. Got to give him some time because its a mess right now. Then he will likely leave for greener pastures but will have left the program in great shape for the next coach. Seriously, end the discussion here. There is no choice near as promising as him, no where and he's a true class act.

[RiseUp]

Pay Brownell the money, he is worth it, will be worth it and will bring this program back to the top in 3-5 years. Got to give him some time because its a mess right now. Then he will likely leave for greener pastures but will have left the program in great shape for the next coach. Seriously, end the discussion here. There is no choice near as promising as him, no where and he's a true class act.

Agreed on ALL counts. Get Brownell.

[AceGargantua]

Please, no Herdes. We can do better than that prima donna.

[bcrawf]

Whoever it is HAS to bring back the t-shirts and short shorts....

In fact that should be the first interview question...

[MU88]

Gillen is a retread. I would pass. I said the same thing when Dr. Tom took over at Drake. Brownell won't take the job. He just took the job at Wright St after they had some turmoil. I doubt he would bail on the job after one year, unless it was a huge step up. UE is not a huge step up. He doesn't seem like that kind of guy. The most interesting guy on the list is Herdes. He has a great record. He was an assistant at Southern Illinois, so he knows the Valley. Personally, I would look at 2 guys, Marshall at Winthrop and Dunlap, the former Metro State coach that is an assistant with the Nuggets now. Would Marshall take the job? I don't know. He has a real good thing going and UE may not be a step up. Dunlap is rumored to be the favorite for the Colorado job. However, he built an absolute D-2 powerhouse at Metro. He plays an exciting brand of basketball too.

[RiseUp]

Gillen is a retread. I would pass. I said the same thing when Dr. Tom took over at Drake. Brownell won't take the job. He just took the job at Wright St after they had some turmoil. I doubt he would bail on the job after one year, unless it was a huge step up. UE is not a huge step up. He doesn't seem like that kind of guy. The most interesting guy on the list is Herdes. He has a great record. He was an assistant at Southern Illinois, so he knows the Valley. Personally, I would look at 2 guys, Marshall at Winthrop and Dunlap, the former Metro State coach that is an assistant with the Nuggets now. Would Marshall take the job? I don't know. He has a real good thing going and UE may not be a step up. Dunlap is rumored to be the favorite for the Colorado job. However, he built an absolute D-2 powerhouse at Metro. He plays an exciting brand of basketball too.

NO WAY is Marshall going to take the job. He was introduced as the new College of Charleston coach last spring and then changed his mind overnight. NO WAY would he put himself, his team, and his school through that again.

Brownell was born in Evansville and was on Jim Crews staff in the early nineties. Although he would only be at Wright State one year, if Evansville wanted him badly enough, he would go, imho.

[Dawg_tired]

Kurt Kanaskie is available.

[AcePurple]

Kurt Kanaskie is available.

Keep telling that joke, it gets funnier every time.

[AcePurple]

If Pete Gillen were really a serious candidate, which I've not heard he is beyond pure speculation, I would love to bring him in. He's proven what he can do at this level. He's not a retread in the same sense that Dr. Tom was.

But, I'd be happy w/ Simmons or Brownell as well. Not so sure about Herdes, haven't heard a lot of good things about him, other than the obvious "he wins" comments. Merfeld was a big winner at Hampton, remember...

[Aces101]

Just watched the Aces weekly coaches show on TV and found a quote from Athletics Director Bill McGillis to be interesting. He mentioned that he would envision a solid candidate having past experience in an environment similar to UE......smaller private schools with solid academic requirements. He mentioned such schools as Butler, Valparaiso, St. Louis, and Xavier. Could my dream of landing Pete Gillen come true?

He also discussed the rumors about Marty Simmons and stated that he would be a solid candidate for the job. He stressed how much of a positive turnaround Marty has made at SIU-Edwardsville during his 5 year span.

[E-Ville]

McGillis did hint strongly towards Gillen, especially bringing up Xavier. Maybe. I'm sure UE is interested, who knows if Gillen is.

When he talked about Simmons it was kinda like, he was an option but not a priority.

[Aces101]

Here is an exerpt from an article about Pete Gillen:

'I still feel like I can coach for a lot of people," Gillen said. "You never say never. If the right thing came up I would consider it. But, if it doesn't, that's OK, too. I'm not going to pursue every coaching job that comes open. It has to be the right fit and the right people."

Meaning, it has to be Division I, which now includes something like 326 schools, but it doesn't have to be anything big ... his words, not mine.'

He also listened to Siena about their vacancy last year but decided to take a year off to spend time with the family and try out TV broadcasting. If he listened to Siena, why not UE?

[E-Ville]

Good Point. I'm starting to get my hopes up. He's a big name coach that I could see going over well with the new found publicity of the Valley.

[PurpleJays]

All pretty good coaches...but if I had it my way I would throw an offer Cliff Warren's way, the guy knows basketball, a truckload of NBA players he doesn't hesitate to call in for help, and Warren can flat out recruit...never in a million years but its fun to think what he could do with some of the talent at UE and his relationship with all those Flordia high school connections.

:lol:

[aceshigh]

Any speculation on how a new coach would effect current players or New Recruits? Two new recruits looked pretty good, at this point everything is up in the air

[SubGod22]

That's why UE needs to make a move as soon as possible. They have to put thought into it and make a good hire, but if it gets prolonged you're looking at possibly losing some recruits.

[AcePurpleFan]

Brad Brownell is exactly what UE needs. He is an Evansville native and has ties to the program (during the so-called glory years). He is also young and perhaps if he could turn the program around, he might just stay for awhile - i.e., like Crews did or Altman at CU. Never know. Maybe wishful thinking, but he should be at the top of the list! Herdes is too big-time for UE and remember, Simmons was the head assistant to Crews and also "left" when McGillis came to town; would McGillis really admit error by rehiring him?


:aces: :valley:

[ACES..ACES]

How about Rick Majerus?
Do you think he would like to coach again?

[EvillEmpire]

John Pelphrey

South Alabama

[AceGargantua]

Brad Brownell is exactly what UE needs. He is an Evansville native and has ties to the program (during the so-called glory years). He is also young and perhaps if he could turn the program around, he might just stay for awhile - i.e., like Crews did or Altman at CU. Never know. Maybe wishful thinking, but he should be at the top of the list! Herdes is too big-time for UE and remember, Simmons was the head assistant to Crews and also "left" when McGillis came to town; would McGillis really admit error by rehiring him?


:aces: :valley:

You weren't serious about Herdes being too big-time, were you? I sure hope not.

[AcePurpleFan]

Nope, I wasn't serious - just a little fun for any USI fans that might be on here. According to posts in our local newspaper, some have suggested Herdes would never leave a great job at USI to come to a horrible program like UE (even though the UE job pays about 4 times as much!)

[Alabama Ace]

Hello all, I'm new around here. I am a 1990 UE grad who was fortunate to be around when Aces basketball was exciting and fun. I have some personal experience with both Marty Simmons and Lennox Forrester, while in school so I may have some bias here.

I do think Simmons needs to be talked to and seriously considered. I can't personally attest to his professional abilities, but it seems he had good success in turning around a struggling program at SIUE. I think Forrester would be a long shot, but he has a long track record as an assistant in the Valley. I have no idea what kind of coach/recruiter he is. Would he be ready to lead a program? Perhaps some Bradley fans could offer some input there. But his background at UE should not be overlooked. Again a darkhorse, but I wouldn't rule him out based on how the search starts out.

I grew up playing basketball in the neighborhood against Brownell and have enjoyed watching him have success. As others have said, I am not sure he would jump after just one year at Wright St, but I think he would be an excellent candidate.

One other name I have not seen mentioned by anyone other than me (another site) is Craig Neal. For those not familair with him, he is from Washington, IN about 45 minutes from Evansville. He was an All-American at Georgia Tech and then played in the NBA. He was then an NBA scout and is currently Steve Alford's Associate Head Coach and primary recruiter at Iowa. If he has aspirations of becoming a college Head Coach, why not start at UE? He certainly has the basketball pedigree and is from the area. He may not be interested at all, but I think he is interesting nonetheless.

Lastly, I don't think Evansville needs to get caught up in hiring an experienced head coach. They need to find the right person who will bring the necessary amount of energy to the program. I really feel someone with ties to basketball in Indiana is important. UE is a unique school and Evansville is a tight-knit, family-oriented community. The new coach needs to understand that and tap into it, use it to his advantage. Win at UE and the program is the talk of the town, regardless of what success may be happening on the West Side. No other sports team comes close to getting the fan interest and media attention that UE basketball commands when winning.

Sorry for the long post.