A look around the Internet to see what’s being written about Michigan’s coaching search:
A 'Michigan Man' should coach Michigan.
If you follow Wolverine basketball, you know that philosophy has worked in the past. And now that the University of Michigan is looking for a new basketball coach, it might be a good idea to use those words as a guideline once again.
It was announced Monday that one of Michigan’s most successful basketball coaches ever, John Beilein, was leaving Ann Arbor to take the head coaching job of the Cleveland Cavaliers of the NBA …
I think a good fit would be a Michigan man – LaVall Jordan.
Jordan isn’t a Michigan man in the way many would think of it, as he did not play at Michigan. But he is from Michigan, down the road from here in Albion, and he was an assistant coach under Beilein before becoming a head coach in recent years at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and currently at Butler.
If having Michigan ties -- being a "Michigan Man" -- counts for something, then Jordan should be considered as the next head coach.
Or, he should be considered just because he could possibly be the best fit.
A young rising head coach in college basketball, who has had success at Butler in his two years there, Jordan would be on the list of most major programs looking for a new head coach this season. He took Butler to the NCAA tourney his first year and had them in the NIT this past season.
As a former assistant at Michigan when Beilein was building the program, he has experience and inside knowledge of how things have worked well in recent years. He was one of the top recruiters for the program when he was on the bench for the Wolverines and was with the team when they went to the Elite Eight twice and the national title game in 2013.
And he knows the high school scene in Michigan, having played for Albion High School, helping the Wildcats to back-to-back Final Fours as a prep star.
Manuel, Michigan's athletic director, is currently in the process of finding a new head coach to replace John Beilein, who left for the Cleveland Cavaliers on Monday.
Finding a replacement for Beilein, the winningest coach in program history, is already difficult enough. But the timing of the search is also far from ideal, as most transitions take place between March and April.
“I’m not so sure when you try to replace somebody as good as John was or as good as Thad was that I had if there’s any good time," Smith said at the Big Ten headquarters on Tuesday. "But it’s a little bit more challenging because of where certain coaches are locked into their roster and may not want to leave it. So it’s a little unique timeframe."
"Little bit more challenging getting coaches because it’s this window of time, you’re either recruiting or traveling, so trying to get to them is a little more challenging logistically."
Ultimately, though, Smith believes the appeal of the job will outweigh any difficulties based on the timing of the search.
"The nice thing about U-M's search and our search is we have great institutions," Smith said. "John did a marvelous job there and a good coach will want to come there because of what’s there. ... At the end of the day when you have an iconic place like U-M and an outstanding athletic director and great fan support, you’ll get somebody good.”
Brendan Quinn, The Athletic: The story of John Beilein’s final hours as Michigan head coach
Neither the coaching staff nor the support staff nor the players had a forewarning of the bombshell. According to multiple individuals inside the program, who all spoke while requesting anonymity, everyone learned the news through social media, phone notifications and text messages.
Soon after the story broke, Beilein sent a group text message to confirm the news. He contacted some people individually. Other than Zavier Simpson and Isaiah Livers, all of Michigan’s returning players were on campus, set to begin six weeks of classes and offseason workouts. Simpson was in Miami on Monday, awaiting a return flight after spending time there with friends. Livers was also out of town.
It’s not clear if the news of Beilein’s departure broke before he had a chance to inform those inside the program or if the surprise was a product of him not wanting the information to leak …
Monday morning flew by with everyone trying to get a bearing on the situation. As the afternoon arrived, everyone gathered at the Michigan basketball office for meetings and conversations.
Beilein, 66, spoke to a gathering of his players and staff, everyone there realizing this was the end. “It was kind of a sad moment, really,” says one person who was in the room. Beilein kept his address upbeat and positive. He smiled and spoke of the good times and offered encouragement. He was candid, not overly emotional, explaining this was an opportunity he felt he had to go after.
“He just wanted to explain himself,” one staffer told The Athletic. “In truth, our guys get it. What else can you do when the NBA calls? I mean, that’s their dream too.”
The names of possible candidates have swirled since former coach John Beilein left Michigan for the Cleveland Cavaliers.
There’s the NBA wish-listers like Oklahoma City’s Billy Donovan and Boston’s Brad Stevens, and unlikely big splashes like Virginia’s Tony Bennett and Villanova’s Jay Wright.
No matter which direction Michigan athletic director Warde Manuel decides to go in his search, he’s not going to find another John Beilein out on the market.
But if there is one replacement who has taken a similar career path like Beilein and fits the mold, it’s Texas Tech’s Chris Beard.
“I think he's great. I'm a big Chris Beard fan,” ESPN college basketball analyst Seth Greenberg told The Detroit News on Wednesday. “He's got an unbelievable work ethic, great energy, has the ability to connect with people. He's much more of a motion (offense) coach. He can coach anywhere and be successful.
“The timing probably isn't perfect but any big-time job that opens up, his name is going to be mentioned because what he has done is unparalleled.”
Manuel has made it known he’d prefer to hire a proven head coach, and Beard, like Beilein, has a track record of winning at every single stop on his way up the coaching food chain.
After paying his dues as an assistant coach at Abilene Christian and North Texas, Beard, 46, got his first job as a head coach at Fort Scott (Kansas) Community College, where he led the team to its first winning season in eight years. He moved on to Seminole State College (Oklahoma) and racked up 25 wins in his one year there.
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