Ohio State Next Coach?

[PuckDoctor]

Re: Ohio State Next Coach?

I have been reading these blogs for years and felt compelled to offer my view. If you don't think that the guy whose Jersey is hanging in the rafters would't work harder to turn the OSU program around than anyone, then you are mistaken. His reputation as a player is stellar, he's been successful in helping to turn around the Notre Dame program and he was successful at Providence for what he had to work with there with the likes of going up against BC and BU...look what Army has done to the program. Even Blase can't beat them. I find it interesting that some like assistants under Blase but not Jackson. Markell lacked discipline...Pooley is a stand up guy. Casey Jones is a likable guy, but a Markell protege. Some of these other guys mentioned again and again have horrible records or no experience. Just sayin'. Also, going after a big name NHL guy isn't necessarily the answer...pro is a lot different than juggling the college game with academics, alumni, etc. IMO Ron Rolston is too inexperienced. Some of the other guys mentioned throughout the blog are good candidates...Leaman for instance...but Pooley is one of our own.

 

[Twisted Wrister]

Re: Ohio State Next Coach?

..but Pooley is one of our own.

Smith is one of our own also, and a successful one. When you really think about it, 90% of those mention would do a top job.

 

[HckyDoc]

Re: Ohio State Next Coach?

I like Smith too. I heard there are 4-5 guys still in the mix and the decision should be coming down by the end of next week. I am hoping those 4-5 are Nate Leaman, Wayne Wilson, Dave Smith, Mark Osiecki and Jon "don't call me John" Cooper.

 

[busboy]

Re: Ohio State Next Coach?

When did Pooley start coaching? 1988? Besides helping to load up Jackson's team with good players that couldn't get into any other school, what has he done? Just because he was a good player who happened to play at OSU doesn't make him the right choice. Would he bring back the good old days of Buckeye hockey - Jerry Welsh hockey? No thanks. Markell was an awesome player too...

I would love to see a coach with a proven winning system come in, even if it is from D3. He would need to hire a proven D1 recruiter to have success if that was the case. Good coaches are good coaches, the only differences in stepping up to the D1 level are the recruiting game, the scrutiny, and dealing with a bigger athletic department (pain in the a_s process and politics).

I love the Tressel/Matta template and hope the committee has enough hockey understanding to not have the wool pulled over their eyes by a smooth talker without a track record.

 

[Kenny]

Re: Ohio State Next Coach?

Pretty sure I saw on the news that the first round of interviews had taken place this past week and a coach would be announced by April 24th. They have planned to take this long so who knows what they are really doing.

FYI: Wall to Wall Sports on channel 10 is supposed to have a piece on potential coaches for CBJ and OSU tomorrow night (Sat.) Should be interesting to see who they list as candiates and how accurate they actually are.

It could be dragging on because they were waiting for one of the frozen four coaches. Rumor here back east is that they are flying Mike Cavanaugh the associate head coach from Boston College to Columbus this coming week. As a BC fan I'd hate to see Cav go, but for OSU he is as good of a recruiter as there is in the business, and he can coach. Knows x's and o's, has a competitive fire to win, can motivate, and relates to players and parents very well. Cav has been instrumental in BC's consistent success and has the ability to take Ohio State to the same level as BC.

 

[PuckDoctor]

Re: Ohio State Next Coach?

Not sure what you mean by recruiting players that couldn't get into any other school...Notre Dame has pretty high academic standards and haven't done too bad in the playoff department...Notre Dame is now on the map...not just in football, but also in Hockey. I think I heard they are now building a new arena dedicated to hockey...something our buckeyes haven't seen accomplished...they aren't even allowed to play their tournaments in the Schott...but don't get me started. When Pooley was at Providence he was Hockey East Coach of the Year, New England Coach of the Year, a Spencer Penrose Award Finalist more than once...all one has to do with any of these guys is google their name and you get all the info you need. He knows hockey as a player and as a coach...what other player was as decorated at OSU? Is Tim Army successful AT ALL at Providence...I'm not sure but I think Pooley somehow made lemons out of lemonade while he was there... He and Jackson have seen much success at Lake State and at Notre Dame. He has had to have learned a ton from Jackson. I read that Pooley runs the Power Play and Penalty Kill at Notre Dame...both of which have seen awards. The grass isn't always greener on the other side...we have a winner in our own backyard...we need a winner. We need Paul Pooley.

 

[HckyDoc]

Re: Ohio State Next Coach?

It could be dragging on because they were waiting for one of the frozen four coaches. Rumor here back east is that they are flying Mike Cavanaugh the associate head coach from Boston College to Columbus this coming week. As a BC fan I'd hate to see Cav go, but for OSU he is as good of a recruiter as there is in the business, and he can coach. Knows x's and o's, has a competitive fire to win, can motivate, and relates to players and parents very well. Cav has been instrumental in BC's consistent success and has the ability to take Ohio State to the same level as BC.

I had heard Cavanough and another asst. from the championship game mentioned, just wasn't sure about the info source. Interesting...I would love to see what the rest of the BC people have say about Cavanaugh.

 

[BuckeyeChuck]

Re: Ohio State Next Coach?

Interesting that someone from BC is a fan of Mike Cav. I have heard that players didn't like him and that he is a good recruiter, but does not know the x's and o's. I would be disappointed if OSU took him just because he was an asst. coach for BC and not do their research, hopefully they will dig deep on all of the candidates and choose the best one. I am game for whoever it is as long as they can establish a winning tradition for the Bucks. Think the candidates are going to be turned off when they see the rink they have to play their playoff games in and practice in? Maybe they won't show them the women's rink on their tour!

 

[Lebron23]

Re: Ohio State Next Coach?

Jon cooper won't be the new head coach. OSU needs and wants someone with college and/or pro experience and Cooper has neither. He is a good coach in the USHL but the natural progression would suggest he would become a college assistant. Mark Osiecki had way more success over a longer period of time at Green Bay than Cooper has had and Osiecki went on to become an assistant at Wisconsin and should be considered by Ohio State. In my opinion, the only USHL coach ready for a college head coaching job, besides Blashill, would be Mark Carlson from Cedar Rapids.

 

[moe24]

Re: Ohio State Next Coach?

Jon cooper won't be the new head coach. OSU needs and wants someone with college and/or pro experience and Cooper has neither. He is a good coach in the USHL but the natural progression would suggest he would become a college assistant. Mark Osiecki had way more success over a longer period of time at Green Bay than Cooper has had and Osiecki went on to become an assistant at Wisconsin and should be considered by Ohio State. In my opinion, the only USHL coach ready for a college head coaching job, besides Blashill, would be Mark Carlson from Cedar Rapids.

While you are right that Cooper isn't ready for a D1 gig yet, I highly recommend keeping your eye on him. He has won (convincingly) everywhere he has coached, and every time he has taken a new job it has been to move up to the next level. His next move is likely a few years off, but you can count on whatever team hires him to be winning.

 

[BuckeyeChuck]

Re: Ohio State Next Coach?

What do others think of Mark Osieki, is he a good guy? I don't know alot about him, but seems like he would be a viable candidate if he applied. I wonder if it's going to be hush hush who comes in for interviews this week. I did just see an ad for 10tv that they are going to discus CBJ and OSU coaching possibilities on wall to wall tonight.

 

[J.D.]

Re: Ohio State Next Coach?

Interesting that someone from BC is a fan of Mike Cav. I have heard that players didn't like him and that he is a good recruiter, but does not know the x's and o's.

I'm certainly not in the know, but I've never heard this before. Unless he's just being bad cop to Jerry York's good cop? I don't really know, but he's had the chance to learn from the best and is ready for a head coaching opportunity.

You'll often see him directing the team during timeouts, etc. so I'm not sure about the X and O aspect either. Curious if OSU would be comfortable hiring a guy from the Northeast. Thought they might look to someone familiar with the Midwest recruiting scene.

 

[Twisted Wrister]

Re: Ohio State Next Coach?

I watched Wall to Wall sports tis morning, they named five candidates. It seemed like they viewed this thread and took the five most common names mentioned. No news what so ever.

 

[Kenny]

Re: Ohio State Next Coach?

Interesting that someone from BC is a fan of Mike Cav. I have heard that players didn't like him and that he is a good recruiter, but does not know the x's and o's. I would be disappointed if OSU took him just because he was an asst. coach for BC and not do their research, hopefully they will dig deep on all of the candidates and choose the best one.

This can't be further from the truth. The players stay in touch with Cav when they leave BC and obviously play hard for him when they are there. He has a great relationship with players, but doesn't take **** either. Maybe this rumor spread from a former punk player who he was hard on, but there are few BC people who dislike Cav. If you, or OSU, ask anyone close to the program, you will get nothing but glowing remarks. This is not simply because he is from BC, he is one of the top coaching talents in the industry without his own program.

 

[BuckeyeChuck]

Re: Ohio State Next Coach?

That is good to hear about Cav. I do wonder how being from the east would translate into the CCHA as far as recruiting goes, that would be my main concern. It's been tried before and was not successful. I wonder if there are any surprise candidates that we have not heard about. OSU in the past has been known for that.

 

[UnionHockeyManiac]

Re: Ohio State Next Coach?

Please leave Leaman alone! He has been incredible for this Union program and I'd really hate to see him go.

 

[davyd83]

Re: Ohio State Next Coach?

That is good to hear about Cav. I do wonder how being from the east would translate into the CCHA as far as recruiting goes, that would be my main concern. It's been tried before and was not successful. I wonder if there are any surprise candidates that we have not heard about. OSU in the past has been known for that.

You can be certain that there are a couple names in the mix that haven't shown up here.

 

[PuckDoctor]

Re: Ohio State Next Coach?

You can be sure that Wall to Wall mentioned names that aren't even going to be interviewed...and from the group that is left over...there is quite a disparity in experience and success....hmmmm....

 

[busboy]

Re: Ohio State Next Coach?

Not sure what you mean by recruiting players that couldn't get into any other school...Notre Dame has pretty high academic standards and haven't done too bad in the playoff department...Notre Dame is now on the map...not just in football, but also in Hockey. I think I heard they are now building a new arena dedicated to hockey...something our buckeyes haven't seen accomplished...they aren't even allowed to play their tournaments in the Schott...but don't get me started. When Pooley was at Providence he was Hockey East Coach of the Year, New England Coach of the Year, a Spencer Penrose Award Finalist more than once...all one has to do with any of these guys is google their name and you get all the info you need. He knows hockey as a player and as a coach...what other player was as decorated at OSU? Is Tim Army successful AT ALL at Providence...I'm not sure but I think Pooley somehow made lemons out of lemonade while he was there... He and Jackson have seen much success at Lake State and at Notre Dame. He has had to have learned a ton from Jackson. I read that Pooley runs the Power Play and Penalty Kill at Notre Dame...both of which have seen awards. The grass isn't always greener on the other side...we have a winner in our own backyard...we need a winner. We need Paul Pooley.

I was talking about LSSU - back in the day they got "students" in that nobody else would touch. More power to him if he could do that. However, we are talking about a head coaching position, not an assistant job. He might be a good recruiter to JJ's teams but this won't be his job at OSU. If you want to evaluate him as a head coach you need to look at his time as a leader of a program and not riding along on Jackson's game.

Paul Pooley
11 seasons as head coach at Providence
185 wins - average of 16.8 per season
185 losses - average of 16.8 per season
40 ties - average of 3.6 per season
.500 win percentage
27% seasons were 20 win seasons
1 conference title, 2 NCAA tourneys

John Markell
15 seasons as head coach at OSU
263 wins - average of 18.5 per season
259 losses - average of 17.3 per season
56 ties - average of 3.7 per season
.520 win percentage
47% of seasons were 20 win seasons
1 conference title, 6 NCAA tourneys, 1 Frozen Four

3 of the awards you mentioned for Pooley came from the same season - 2001. Markell also won CCHA coach of the year and was a finalist as well in his career. My point is that us being happy with Pooley would be the same as another school being thrilled with hiring Markell.

Paul Pooley was a great OSU player 30 years ago - he's now 50 years old. If OSU wants to hire an assistant coach they should at least go for a young high-potential up and comer. There's a reason nobody else is banging down Pooley's door - we shouldn't either just because he played here.

 

[PuckDoctor]

Re: Ohio State Next Coach?

I predict OSU won't hire an assistant coach. I don't think you can compare Pooley and Markell...I also don't think you can compare Providence and it's resources to that of OSU and its resources...that would be like comparing Bowling Green to Michigan. I think it says a lot about a University when they don't at least consider their own. Pooley and Smith won't get an interview at OSU and Markell didn't get an interview at Bowling Green. I don't think either Markell or Pooley is all washed up because they are "50". What you need to post is what Tim Army has done with Providence since he took over...they are looking for their 100th loss in just a few short years and the most consecutive losses in the history of the program...that will shed some light on Pooley and his abilities and what he did for that program.