Is Penny another Josh Pastner?

#1
J

jasonvols2.2

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#1
Pastner is a pretty pathetic coach. Penny can recruit(well, we know how he does it), but his coaching ability is still up in the air.

This is the 3rd bad hire in a row, IYAM.
 
#2
#2
I agree Pastner is horrible. Memphis was in a bad place and needed a big time hire to bring it some relevance. Things had fallen apart under Tubby. Penny will recruit lights out for a few years given his name and contacts with Memphis high school basketball. . I hope he surrounds himself with some good assistants because I think he will need it. I hope Penny succeeds long term but I would not put money on it. I want Memphis basketball to be relevant again. I like the rivalry. Could it hurt UT recruiting? Maybe but we haven't pulled a lot of talent out of the area anyway.
 
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#3
#3
jasonvols2.2 said:
Pastner is a pretty pathetic coach. Penny can recruit(well, we know how he does it), but his coaching ability is still up in the air.

This is the 3rd bad hire in a row, IYAM.
Click to expand...

I think Penny will do well there. Memphis does their best when they tip-toe (or cross) the gray areas in the rulebook and I think Penny has enough AAU connections where he will be able to tip-toe along those lines. Josh was very much like Butch Jones (couldn't develop talent) and Tubby Smith needed to be put out to pasture...
 
#7
#7
LeannaVol said:
I agree Pastner is horrible. Memphis was in a bad place and needed a big time hire to bring it some relevance. Things had fallen apart under Tubby. Penny will recruit lights out for a few years given his name and contacts with Memphis high school basketball. . I hope he surrounds himself with some good assistants because I think he will need it. I hope Penny succeeds long term but I would not put money on it. I want Memphis basketball to be relevant again. I like the rivalry. Could it hurt UT recruiting? Maybe but we haven't pulled a lot of talent out of the area anyway.
Click to expand...

My wife's name is Leanna. And she's a Georgia fan. What are the odds? lol I'm totally gonna use your screen name against her....
 
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#8
#8
Memphis hiring Penny was a desperate move, after Pastner and Tubby ran the program into the ground. It revitalized the fan base and brought new energy. Penny has done the right things by hiring experienced assistants, including a former NBA coach of the year. Penny lacks coaching experience at the college level, but his assistants will be there to guide him. In high school, he coached with superior talent against math, science, and PE teachers. Now, he’s scheming against the best. Penny was a superstar player, but coaching the game is a lot different than playing it. But Memphis fans believe that Penny being a great coach will be a sure thing. It’s not. Memphis took a bold risk with the hire, and it will take time to tell if it pays off. Penny can recruit at an elite level, but Pastner did too. Pastner just didn’t have a set offense, had zero respect from his team, and he couldn’t develop his players.

I hope Memphis fans give him time. Even with a top 5-10 class coming in next season, there will be growing pains. The one and done model has been inconsistent. Combine that with an inexperienced coach and expectations should be lowered down a little. An NIT bid with this current team is a reasonable expectation.
 
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#9
#9
jasonvols2.2 said:
Pastner is a pretty pathetic coach. Penny can recruit(well, we know how he does it), but his coaching ability is still up in the air.

This is the 3rd bad hire in a row, IYAM.
Click to expand...
Can he recruit on national basis. Local recruits go through droughts.
 
#11
#11
supersmo18 said:
My wife's name is Leanna. And she's a Georgia fan. What are the odds? lol I'm totally gonna use your screen name against her....
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I probably need to change my screen name. I am a guy. Leanna was the community I used to live in just outside of Murfreesboro. Unless you are from the area most folks have never heard of it.
 
#12
#12
gordonr24 said:
Memphis hiring Penny was a desperate move, after Pastner and Tubby ran the program into the ground. It revitalized the fan base and brought new energy. Penny has done the right things by hiring experienced assistants, including a former NBA coach of the year. Penny lacks coaching experience at the college level, but his assistants will be there to guide him. In high school, he coached with superior talent against math, science, and PE teachers. Now, he’s scheming against the best. Penny was a superstar player, but coaching the game is a lot different than playing it. But Memphis fans believe that Penny being a great coach will be a sure thing. It’s not. Memphis took a bold risk with the hire, and it will take time to tell if it pays off. Penny can recruit at an elite level, but Pastner did too. Pastner just didn’t have a set offense, had zero respect from his team, and he couldn’t develop his players.

I hope Memphis fans give him time. Even with a top 5-10 class coming in next season, there will be growing pains. The one and done model has been inconsistent. Combine that with an inexperienced coach and expectations should be lowered down a little. An NIT bid with this current team is a reasonable expectation.
Click to expand...
Remember former point guards make better coaches.
 
#14
#14
Way too early to tell. So far Memphis is doing about as good as reasonable people expected.
 
#15
#15
gordonr24 said:
Memphis hiring Penny was a desperate move, after Pastner and Tubby ran the program into the ground. It revitalized the fan base and brought new energy. Penny has done the right things by hiring experienced assistants, including a former NBA coach of the year. Penny lacks coaching experience at the college level, but his assistants will be there to guide him. In high school, he coached with superior talent against math, science, and PE teachers. Now, he’s scheming against the best. Penny was a superstar player, but coaching the game is a lot different than playing it. But Memphis fans believe that Penny being a great coach will be a sure thing. It’s not. Memphis took a bold risk with the hire, and it will take time to tell if it pays off. Penny can recruit at an elite level, but Pastner did too. Pastner just didn’t have a set offense, had zero respect from his team, and he couldn’t develop his players.

I hope Memphis fans give him time. Even with a top 5-10 class coming in next season, there will be growing pains. The one and done model has been inconsistent. Combine that with an inexperienced coach and expectations should be lowered down a little. An NIT bid with this current team is a reasonable expectation.
Click to expand...

NIT will not happen this season, already behind. AAC is a two bid league.
 
#16
#16
gordonr24 said:
Memphis hiring Penny was a desperate move, after Pastner and Tubby ran the program into the ground. It revitalized the fan base and brought new energy. Penny has done the right things by hiring experienced assistants, including a former NBA coach of the year. Penny lacks coaching experience at the college level, but his assistants will be there to guide him. In high school, he coached with superior talent against math, science, and PE teachers. Now, he’s scheming against the best. Penny was a superstar player, but coaching the game is a lot different than playing it. But Memphis fans believe that Penny being a great coach will be a sure thing. It’s not. Memphis took a bold risk with the hire, and it will take time to tell if it pays off. Penny can recruit at an elite level, but Pastner did too. Pastner just didn’t have a set offense, had zero respect from his team, and he couldn’t develop his players.

I hope Memphis fans give him time. Even with a top 5-10 class coming in next season, there will be growing pains. The one and done model has been inconsistent. Combine that with an inexperienced coach and expectations should be lowered down a little. An NIT bid with this current team is a reasonable expectation.
Click to expand...

This is a very reasonable post IMHO. I agree with you in that bringing on former NBA COY Sam Mitchell and Ole Miss Interim HC Tony Madlock (who played for Memphis) was a very smart decision for Penny. Sam Mitchell knows his Xs and Os while Tony Madlock knows how to run a college basketball program. This is Penny's learning on the job season...when Wiseman and Jeffries show up next season...then the pressure will be on.

I feel like Penny and Sam Mitchell are FAR better at relating to their players and the local Memphis kids than Pastner ever was...
 
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#17
#17
I see little comparison between Penny and Pastner. Penny was an elite college and NBA player and commands instant respect from any college player. He can phone countless friends from Shaq on down to show up at a Memphis practice. Penny's assembled a solid staff in the areas he may need help. I'd be giddy with the hire if I were a Memphis fan.
 
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#18
#18
omghulkhands said:
Penny’s ascension has basically been AAU coach/HS Coach straight to HC of a top 40 college program.

That’s pretty uncommon and there will be plenty of growing pains.
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I agree. He will get all the time he needs to mature. Plus he has got a really good veteran assistant from ole miss that will help teach him the ropes.
 
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#19
#19
I think Penny will be good...unfortunately.

Pastner didn't know the difference between his butt and a hole in the ground.
 
#20
#20
Hardaway has a built in recruiting advantage right now but it may not last. Pastner was a great recruiter also. Everyone at Memphis should be. I don’t have a clue how good a game coach PH will be. No one does. Memphis has ups and downs producing enough talent to compete nationally yr in and yr out.
 
#21
#21
Thorp32 said:
I agree. He will get all the time he needs to mature. Plus he has got a really good veteran assistant from ole miss that will help teach him the ropes.
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and not only was he the Ole Miss Assoc HC/Interim HC....he played with Penny at Memphis. Penny is very proud of the fact every member of the staff is a hoops player...3 of em were pro's while Tony Madlock was a college player who knew he wanted to coach. Started at Ark State as DBO, went to UTEP with Tony Barbee where they made the NCAAs, then on to Ole Miss to be Andy Kennedy's Assoc HC.
 
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#23
#23
gordonr24 said:
Memphis hiring Penny was a desperate move, after Pastner and Tubby ran the program into the ground. It revitalized the fan base and brought new energy. Penny has done the right things by hiring experienced assistants, including a former NBA coach of the year. Penny lacks coaching experience at the college level, but his assistants will be there to guide him. In high school, he coached with superior talent against math, science, and PE teachers. Now, he’s scheming against the best. Penny was a superstar player, but coaching the game is a lot different than playing it. But Memphis fans believe that Penny being a great coach will be a sure thing. It’s not. Memphis took a bold risk with the hire, and it will take time to tell if it pays off. Penny can recruit at an elite level, but Pastner did too. Pastner just didn’t have a set offense, had zero respect from his team, and he couldn’t develop his players.

I hope Memphis fans give him time. Even with a top 5-10 class coming in next season, there will be growing pains. The one and done model has been inconsistent. Combine that with an inexperienced coach and expectations should be lowered down a little. An NIT bid with this current team is a reasonable expectation.
Click to expand...

Pretty good post but I would not call the hire desperate. I call it smart whereas the Tubby hire was the least intelligent one I have seen since we hired Larry Porter as a FB coach. Certainly some risk hiring Penny but I think the biggest risk has more to do with how the city views its favorite son if things don’t go well.

Penny’s name has sold tickets, sold hope immediately and sold Memphis as a place top players can come to learn from former NBA players. Penny understands what he doesn’t know has not let pride get in the way of asking for help in those areas. He is also obsessed with doing this the right way. He has to prove himself with wins on the floor over time with a much better schedule than what Tubby or Josh gave us.

I love this game and hope we don’t let Athletic Directors or arguements over a FB contract get in the way of this being an annual event. I love seeing both programs have success and can’t wait till the year we can both bury Kentucky.
 
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#25
#25
Rick Barnes was on Gary Parrish’s show last night and was asked about the series. He said TN has great basketball, and this game is great for the state. He is hoping the third year in Nashville will also include other games with instate teams.

It was a great interview, but he mostly spoke about things we have heard before- doesn’t care about stars, these guys work hard, Grant reminded him of PJ Tucker, and Admiral has worked his butt off. The one story I hadn’t heard was him talking about implementing his culture. After the final loss in year two, he felt like the team was too happy about losing. So, he got them home and challenged them around spring break. He said they implemented a physical regiment, and he wanted to see who would buy-in. He said he had never done that in the spring, and Grant and Admiral would tell you how difficult it was.
 
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