Besides Comley, McLain, Dunbar, and Coates, men's basketball coach Steve Hettinga, former Laker Jason Trzcinski, LSSU foundation Board of Directors member Larry Westby, LSSU professorBrian Snyder, and Blue Liners representative Pete Scornaiencki.
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LSSU Lakers 2014 off season thread
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Besides Comley, McLain, Dunbar, and Coates, men's basketball coach Steve Hettinga, former Laker Jason Trzcinski, LSSU foundation Board of Directors member Larry Westby, LSSU professorBrian Snyder, and Blue Liners representative Pete Scornaiencki.
I don't think it's all that nuts. Given the financial situation in Michigan and the fact that LSSU is on the bottom of the totem pole in state university funding, we know that it's difficult to offer as much money for the head coaching position as we would like to see.
I think most of us expected to see at least a couple of college assistant coaches from outside who are looking for their first head coaching gig. We have that in Whitten and Barr. Whitten seems to be thought of in a positive light outside the Soo hockey circles. Although they haven't completely turned the corner yet, Tech has been bringing in some very good recruits the past couple of years and Whitten has been part of that process. Barr sounds a like a (relatively) young and energetic assistant coach, good recruiter, and has been part of successful programs in recent years.
Tim Christian has paid his dues as Lakers assistant for many years and deserved to make the finalist list.
Fogarty made the list and many expected or hoped to see one of the better Div 3 coaches to apply and make the cut.
Rich Metro doesn't t have as deep of a coaching resume as the other finalists and is a bit of a surprise, but he is a home town guy and evidently made enough of an impression to make the list.
We don't know who the pro guy is yet, so there's not much we can say about him at this point.
The biggest surprise, and I assume what led you to say this is nuts, is that Joe Shawhan didn't make the finalist list. He has a very good hockey resume, is from the Soo, and the favorite of many Laker hockey fans. To me, the biggest unanswered (as of yet) questions are, did Joe really want to come back to the Soo for the Lakers job? Yes he applied, but how enthused was he about it? Was he really not all that interested in moving back to the Soo as has been rumored? Maybe he just applied because everyone around the Soo expected him too. If the search committee didn't get a sense that he really wanted badly to come back to the Soo for the Lakers job, maybe it was proper for them to pass him by. I don't have the answers; I'm just speculating.
The search committee wanting the new coach to keep Tim Christian on staff (assuming Tim doesn't get the job) sounds a bit unusual to me. I can understand their preference to see that happen, but I'm not sure how common something like that is. Maybe more than I think. You didn't say in your earlier post whether Joe was willing to do that. Just that the search committee wasn't sure about it. I wonder if they asked him.
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Thank you Section P. Do you know how the first couple of meetings between candidates and LSSU faculty/staff went? Anyone have any impressions?
Please don't make the next head coach keep Tim Christiian.
Get Joey S in for an interview. He needs to be heard.
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I posted them yesterday, but forgot to include Trzcinski, Snyder and Westby.
Re: LSSU Lakers 2014 off season thread
It's pretty surprising that Shawhan didn't make it farther in the process, but the Lakers may have dodged a bullet. Shawhan had a lot of success in the junior ranks and has plenty of experience as a D-1 assistant, but I was told by a player of his that he doesn't command much respect, and "no one really takes him seriously". Now that could be due to the fact that he doesn't have the title of head coach and is "just" an assistant, but I feel like it is worth noting nonetheless.
It's pretty surprising that Shawhan didn't make it farther in the process, but the Lakers may have dodged a bullet. Shawhan had a lot of success in the junior ranks and has plenty of experience as a D-1 assistant, but I was told by a player of his that he doesn't command much respect, and "no one really takes him seriously". Now that could be due to the fact that he doesn't have the title of head coach and is "just" an assistant, but I feel like it is worth noting nonetheless.
What is Walt Kyles opinion of him?
Re: LSSU Lakers 2014 off season thread
Bill, I don't know if Shawhan talked to any committee members prior to the process. From your comments, you have the same knowledge that I do so you probably know more than I do about this by the comments you have made. I have heard and you commented to the committee not feeling Shawhan really wanted to return. That doesn't matter now for a couple reasons. One is that the process is passed that point and the other is that it would be hard to believe that Joey would even take a phone call from LSSU at this point. I think this is going to ultimately end poorly. My gut feeling is that you have a good idea how this will turn out as I do. Fogarty is going to be named the coach with Christian staying on as an assistant. What you seem to be covering is that three individuals were given courtesy interviews due to connections to committee members and three are actual candidates. Members of the committee representing the campus community and faculty did not want Joey to be a candidate and it would rock the boat with the tight knit LSSU representatives to give him a courtesy interview. This was stupid on both parts. For public relations and eliminating an elite candidate. This is not an attempt to change things, just to say that with each passing day LSSU is losing more fan base and I don't think in the long run this is going to end well. If LSSU struggles next year we may very well be heading to Division III status. Maybe that is the goal.
Bill, I don't know if Shawhan talked to any committee members prior to the process. From your comments, you have the same knowledge that I do so you probably know more than I do about this by the comments you have made. I have heard and you commented to the committee not feeling Shawhan really wanted to return. That doesn't matter now for a couple reasons. One is that the process is passed that point and the other is that it would be hard to believe that Joey would even take a phone call from LSSU at this point. I think this is going to ultimately end poorly. My gut feeling is that you have a good idea how this will turn out as I do. Fogarty is going to be named the coach with Christian staying on as an assistant. What you seem to be covering is that three individuals were given courtesy interviews due to connections to committee members and three are actual candidates. Members of the committee representing the campus community and faculty did not want Joey to be a candidate and it would rock the boat with the tight knit LSSU representatives to give him a courtesy interview. This was stupid on both parts. For public relations and eliminating an elite candidate. This is not an attempt to change things, just to say that with each passing day LSSU is losing more fan base and I don't think in the long run this is going to end well. If LSSU struggles next year we may very well be heading to Division III status. Maybe that is the goal.
I don't live near the Soo and don't have much idea about what goes on in the general campus community and faculty. Why would they not want Joe Shawhan to be interviewed?
I see players that he works with every day of the season. Talked to several over the past few days. He has a lot of respect in that room. They can't believe he didn't even get a sniff from LSSU.
They can't play at the D-III level.
AnchorsAway
Registered User
Re: LSSU Lakers 2014 off season thread
Does anyone know why they chose to include the basketball coach on the search committee?? (Just to be clear, I don't mean for that question to have any negativity attached to it, that's just a name I didn't expect to see on the list).
Does anyone know why they chose to include the basketball coach on the search committee?? (Just to be clear, I don't mean for that question to have any negativity attached to it, that's just a name I didn't expect to see on the list).
Ask him.
Re: LSSU Lakers 2014 off season thread
That's a valid point. What I can say by actually stating names is that when we made it to Joe Louis Arena, I had Jeff Jakaitis, Derek Smith and Trent Campbell at my house for dinner and they said that Joey Shawhan was the coach the players listened to. I can say that Will Acton, Chad Nehring and Steve Oleksy told me that the last year Joey was here the difference in our success the second half of that season was that Joey was not gone every week recruiting. I can say that the Kaunisto's who played for him at NMU say players there think he is good enough to be the head coach. I would not be offended at all if you were to ask any of them. You heard "a player" say he was not taken seriously as an assistant and I believe you but are you saying Tim Christian and Rich Metro were taken more seriously? If they were, I would rather an assistant coach that was not taken seriously on a winning team over three assistant coaches that are taken seriously on losing teams. Don't you agree?
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gfmorris
New member
Re: LSSU Lakers 2014 off season thread
I think that's pretty much SOP. Our softball coach has been on hockey hiring committees in the past.
GFM
I think that's pretty much SOP. Our softball coach has been on hockey hiring committees in the past.
GFM
Re: LSSU Lakers 2014 off season thread
Not a single person that represents the community in any way. Only one person on the committee from Sault Ste. Marie. and I'm not quite sure Kris Dunbar is a great representative of our community. Hard to argue the complaint that LSSU is out of touch and disconnected from us. This committee has done a great service to LSSU and a great disservice to Sault Ste. Marie. I have to think the Roque's are sitting back laughing at this fiasco and thinking.....Welcome to my world. This coming from someone that thinks Roque had no connection.
Re: LSSU Lakers 2014 off season thread
What I can tell you is this. Several people came on here and said that they know this did not occur. I am not one of those people but I do know that his contract was extended multiple times. I also have stated I find it very hard to believe that you would get through the vetting process without meeting minimum requirements especially at the school you are seeking employment. Do you think anyone is being interviewed that did not provide transcripts or have their information verified? If you google articles from back then it seems LSSU came after Joey and not the other way around. He had other job offers at the time so I'm sure the job was written to fit him but I cannot say. I can also tell you that this was not told to me as being an issue that was discussed by the selection committee and I'm sure it would have been from and center. I mentioned what I was told was discussed by the committee. I'm not the only one on here that has talked to committee members. Bill and I are the only ones that have posted what they heard.
Re: LSSU Lakers 2014 off season thread
Oh no, I would absolutely agree, and I wouldn't ever begin to make the argument that Christian or Metro were taken more seriously.... and to be clear I have nothing against Shawhan whatsoever, i totally believe everything you say especially that Shawhan made the difference for a lot of LSSU's players because I know how a handful of the players felt, especially with regards to Roque during that era.
I was just offering up some information that I thought was worth noting....I'd like to offer more however I'm uncomfortable doing so as it may affect the source, so much so that I created a different screen name under which to post this information.
Oh no, I would absolutely agree, and I wouldn't ever begin to make the argument that Christian or Metro were taken more seriously.... and to be clear I have nothing against Shawhan whatsoever, i totally believe everything you say especially that Shawhan made the difference for a lot of LSSU's players because I know how a handful of the players felt, especially with regards to Roque during that era.
I was just offering up some information that I thought was worth noting....I'd like to offer more however I'm uncomfortable doing so as it may affect the source, so much so that I created a different screen name under which to post this information.
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