Old Titan Posted February 7, 2023 Share Posted February 7, 2023 As mentioned in the "Coach Mills" thread today, it appears it's time to start the ol' rumor mill again in light of the following coaching developments that could affect ORU, other local schools, and the Summit League: Paul Mills' name is bound to be mentioned in openings around the region, due to ORU's success and the success of fellow Scott Drew underlings Paul Tang (Kansas State) and Grant McCasland (North Texas). Porter Moser at Oklahoma is on thin ice in just his second year; could he bolt for Notre Dame if offered and draw Coach Mills into the Sooners picture? Is Kelvin Sampson too old to consider the open Texas job, or the San Antonio Spurs job should Greg Popovich retire at season's end? Who would Houston look at to replace him if he left? Is ORU's Russell Springmann a candidate to become an assistant at Texas for whoever gets that job, or a regional mid-major (or Summit League) head coaching position? To be continued... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oruvoice Posted February 7, 2023 Share Posted February 7, 2023 If Mills were EVER thinking about leaving ORU for a P5 job, this would be the year. His "stock" will never be higher. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theeagleman5 Posted February 7, 2023 Share Posted February 7, 2023 Mills ain't leaving for OU....Baylor maybe but for now Paul will be staying put and ORU should sweeten the pot on his deal to keep him at 7777. So. Lewis...it's just good business sense......if the guy wins close to 30 games and gets another NCAA Bid then he deserves a raise.....$$$$$ 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Titan Posted February 11, 2023 Author Share Posted February 11, 2023 Patrick Mwamba's cellphone is probably blowing up from former UTA teammates seeking greener pastures... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Titan Posted February 21, 2023 Author Share Posted February 21, 2023 With the news out of Tuscaloosa today, wouldn't be surprised if Alabama isn't looking for a squeaky-clean coach soon...shades of Scott Drew taking over the Baylor job from Dave Bliss two decades ago. Gee, know anybody who might fit the bill? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
darrenj Posted February 22, 2023 Share Posted February 22, 2023 Oats is doing a lot of backtracking today on that statement! He is a really high-strung type of guy. I think Ole Miss will fire their coach after season and hire Chris Beard. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Titan Posted February 22, 2023 Author Share Posted February 22, 2023 Former NDSU head coach; chasing a D1 gig since 2019 following dismissal from Ohio University. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Titan Posted February 24, 2023 Author Share Posted February 24, 2023 On 2/22/2023 at 9:17 AM, darrenj said: Oats is doing a lot of backtracking today on that statement! He is a really high-strung type of guy. I think Ole Miss will fire their coach after season and hire Chris Beard. Good call; not waiting till season's end... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
darrenj Posted February 24, 2023 Share Posted February 24, 2023 36 minutes ago, Old Titan said: Good call; not waiting till season's end... Yep... He knew it was coming and Ole Miss wanted to get ahead of everyone and try to get Beard done. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Titan Posted February 24, 2023 Author Share Posted February 24, 2023 4 hours ago, darrenj said: Yep... He knew it was coming and Ole Miss wanted to get ahead of everyone and try to get Beard done. So…hearing anything about Mills and his representation? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
darrenj Posted February 24, 2023 Share Posted February 24, 2023 20 minutes ago, Old Titan said: So…hearing anything about Mills and his representation? No sir. I would think they are waiting for the end of the year.( Especially if ORU makes the tourney.) The OU coach is begging ND for their job. He wants out and i don't think OU will put up a fight. Now if that comes open?? That would be interesting. I think Mills likes it at ORU but he gets offered $3 to $5 million a year he is taking that in a heartbeat. What is the max ORU will pay someone $1 million a year? Would they pay that much? His agent will be asking for a raise if they make the tourney again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Titan Posted February 24, 2023 Author Share Posted February 24, 2023 2 hours ago, darrenj said: No sir. I would think they are waiting for the end of the year.( Especially if ORU makes the tourney.) The OU coach is begging ND for their job. He wants out and i don't think OU will put up a fight. Now if that comes open?? That would be interesting. I think Mills likes it at ORU but he gets offered $3 to $5 million a year he is taking that in a heartbeat. What is the max ORU will pay someone $1 million a year? Would they pay that much? His agent will be asking for a raise if they make the tourney again. I frankly can't even imagine $1 million annually at a place like ORU, but maybe it's possible? Big problem is the finite universe of donors and sponsors from which to tap that kind of money, and no TV contract dollars either. Can't even compete financially in the employment arena with mid-major schools from multi-bid leagues like Wichita State or SMU, much less the P5 football schools. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theeagleman5 Posted February 24, 2023 Share Posted February 24, 2023 TheEagleman loves Paul Mills and he's great at a school like ORU....but can you seriously see him in a pressure cooker like OU or any other Power 5 school and is he worth $3 mill per year??....no way....the guy is a nice fit at 7777 So. Lewis but he's not Eddie Sutton, Bill Self or even Scott Drew......nice recruiter at ORU but is he a game day savant on the sidelines???.....uh...no.....like I previously have said....A man has to know his limitations..... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oruvoice Posted February 24, 2023 Share Posted February 24, 2023 10 minutes ago, theeagleman5 said: TheEagleman loves Paul Mills and he's great at a school like ORU....but can you seriously see him in a pressure cooker like OU or any other Power 5 school and is he worth $3 mill per year??....no way....the guy is a nice fit at 7777 So. Lewis but he's not Eddie Sutton, Bill Self or even Scott Drew......nice recruiter at ORU but is he a game day savant on the sidelines???.....uh...no.....like I previously have said....A man has to know his limitations..... Excellent post. 100% right on the money. Not to mention, if we have a couple of years rebuilding with 18-12 records and 3rd place in the conference, he won't be getting roasted by a rabid fan base or media. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GoldenEagleFan Posted February 24, 2023 Share Posted February 24, 2023 15 minutes ago, theeagleman5 said: the guy is a nice fit at 7777 So. Lewis but he's not Eddie Sutton, Bill Self or even Scott Drew......nice recruiter at ORU but is he a game day savant on the sidelines???.....uh...no.....like I previously have said....A man has to know his limitations..... The head chef at Applebees doesn’t turn down an opportunity to be the head chef at a 5 star restaurant because he’s “a good fit” at Applebees. He dreams about how much better of a chef he would be with a bigger kitchen, nicer cookware, more expensive knives and better ingredients. You guys have been around college athletics enough to realize ADs see what Coach Mills has done at a school like ORU and immediately thinks “if he can do that with those limitations at ORU, imagine what he could do with a bigger budget, nicer facilities and better athletes”. I don’t think any AD is looking at Coach Mills and ORU at 26-4 and 17-0 in league play and thinks he has many limitations on the sidelines. That would be a tough argument to make at this point in the season! And hopefully that continues well into this next month 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oruvoice Posted February 24, 2023 Share Posted February 24, 2023 19 minutes ago, GoldenEagleFan said: The head chef at Applebees doesn’t turn down an opportunity to be the head chef at a 5 star restaurant because he’s “a good fit” at Applebees. He dreams about how much better of a chef he would be with a bigger kitchen, nicer cookware, more expensive knives and better ingredients. You guys have been around college athletics enough to realize ADs see what Coach Mills has done at a school like ORU and immediately thinks “if he can do that with those limitations at ORU, imagine what he could do with a bigger budget, nicer facilities and better athletes”. I don’t think any AD is looking at Coach Mills and ORU at 26-4 and 17-0 in league play and thinks he has many limitations on the sidelines. That would be a tough argument to make at this point in the season! And hopefully that continues well into this next month A wise AD would look at the entire picture. So would a wise chef. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theeagleman5 Posted February 24, 2023 Share Posted February 24, 2023 Oh yeah....that Applebees Chef wouldn't last a week at a 5 star restaurant.....TheEagleman loves that Oriental Chicken Salad but it won't work at Morton's Steak House....lol 2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Titan Posted February 24, 2023 Author Share Posted February 24, 2023 47 minutes ago, GoldenEagleFan said: The head chef at Applebees doesn’t turn down an opportunity to be the head chef at a 5 star restaurant because he’s “a good fit” at Applebees. He dreams about how much better of a chef he would be with a bigger kitchen, nicer cookware, more expensive knives and better ingredients. You guys have been around college athletics enough to realize ADs see what Coach Mills has done at a school like ORU and immediately thinks “if he can do that with those limitations at ORU, imagine what he could do with a bigger budget, nicer facilities and better athletes”. I don’t think any AD is looking at Coach Mills and ORU at 26-4 and 17-0 in league play and thinks he has many limitations on the sidelines. That would be a tough argument to make at this point in the season! And hopefully that continues well into this next month I think what might be appealing to a big-time AD when he looks at Paul Mills' resume is that he has documented success as BOTH an overnight sensation as an underdog in NCAA play (2020-21) AND as a pre-season favorite with a target on his back over the long grind of an entire season (2022-23). That's a VERY rare combination to find in a low-to-mid-major coach who would be VERY affordable. Usually it's just the former before they are snatched up by the big boys. That being said, I'm still having trouble visualizing Coach Mills making the rounds (or even agreeing to) the cocktail circuit of big-time fundraising and glad-handing at most larger schools. ORU has had challenges having him make appearances for friendly radio interviews and low-key booster dinners - would a multi-million dollar contract at a big state school suddenly turn him into Eric Stratton, Rush Chairman?? 2 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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