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We Cannot Have Nice Things: Michigan Tech 2010-2011 Season Thread: Part Tre

Re: We Cannot Have Nice Things: Michigan Tech 2010-2011 Season Thread: Part Tre

MTUHOCKEY said:
I understand $$ will be a factor but im not saying you need to hire a big name coach at millions a year but I just think you can hire a coach that wont break the bank and they wouldnt be any worse and Tech wont be telling everyone around the program that they are "OK" with losing.
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That's correct too, the program could be a money maker and you could make that money back with a new coach. You can look at Western Michigan, Yale, Princeton, Merrimack, and RPI and see what new coaches have done for them. What's the current coaching budget?
 
Re: We Cannot Have Nice Things: Michigan Tech 2010-2011 Season Thread: Part Tre

thebrain said:
That's correct too, the program could be a money maker and you could make that money back with a new coach. You can look at Western Michigan, Yale, Princeton, Merrimack, and RPI and see what new coaches have done for them. What's the current coaching budget?
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Russell, James G
Head Coach Hockey
$121,178.00

I dont know what the budget could be.
 
Re: We Cannot Have Nice Things: Michigan Tech 2010-2011 Season Thread: Part Tre

Russell's current salary is about what the budget is, without some kind of significant endowment (not even sure if that would be legal at the D1 level).

Bottom line - they're not going to lure away a successful, "big name" coach for what Tech is able to pay.
 
Re: We Cannot Have Nice Things: Michigan Tech 2010-2011 Season Thread: Part Tre

FadeToBlack&Gold said:
Russell's current salary is about what the budget is, without some kind of significant endowment (not even sure if that would be legal at the D1 level).

Bottom line - they're not going to lure away a successful, "big name" coach for what Tech is able to pay.
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I dont think they need a "big name" coach, they need CHANGE. They need to prove to fans, alumni, recruits and everyone that they are not ok with being at the bottom of the WCHA. Even if its a coach that fits the same budget and it is their first head coaching job, they shouldnt be ok with what is current.
 
Re: We Cannot Have Nice Things: Michigan Tech 2010-2011 Season Thread: Part Tre

Shirtless Guy said:
Uhm, there haven't been 8 bad years, the last 3 have been brutal, the first 4 you could see things building...the 5th year was a disappointment but still acceptable. Year's 6, 7 and 8 have seen obscene amounts of injuries with a strange variety. I honestly don't what to think. I can't seem them firing him because of the money and on one hand, all the things I see and experience (outside of the W/L record) makes me say give him his last year UNLESS they actually go hard after someone that we know should be better ala Cary Eades.
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2009-10 Michigan Tech 5 30 1
2008-09 Michigan Tech 6 25 7
2007-08 Michigan Tech 14 20 5
2006-07 Michigan Tech 18 17 5
2005-06 Michigan Tech 7 25 6
2004-05 Michigan Tech 8 25 4
2003-04 Michigan Tech 8 25 5

Being really nice I will give them 2 seasons, but I dont think success is being 500 or a few games under, why shouldnt the goal be to be playing in the NCAA tournament or even hosting a WCHA playoff game for that matter.
 
Re: We Cannot Have Nice Things: Michigan Tech 2010-2011 Season Thread: Part Tre

MTUHOCKEY said:
Russell, James G
Head Coach Hockey
$121,178.00

I dont know what the budget could be.
Click to expand...

That's a pretty decent salary. I remember reading when Brown was looking for a new coach the salary was $85,000. Do you know what the assistants make?

It'd be interesting to know what the budget is for travel and recruiting.

It probably is time for a change, but buying out and paying off a coach to sit at home in tough economics times, may be hard for the administration. Best of luck in everything...I'd still like to make it out there sometime.
 
Re: We Cannot Have Nice Things: Michigan Tech 2010-2011 Season Thread: Part Tre

thebrain said:
It probably is time for a change, but buying out and paying off a coach to sit at home in tough economics times, may be hard for the administration. Best of luck in everything...I'd still like to make it out there sometime.
Click to expand...

I agree its just hard to imagine having to watch this for another season.
 
Re: We Cannot Have Nice Things: Michigan Tech 2010-2011 Season Thread: Part Tre

MTUHOCKEY said:
2009-10 Michigan Tech 5 30 1
2008-09 Michigan Tech 6 25 7
2007-08 Michigan Tech 14 20 5
2006-07 Michigan Tech 18 17 5
2005-06 Michigan Tech 7 25 6
2004-05 Michigan Tech 8 25 4
2003-04 Michigan Tech 8 25 5

Being really nice I will give them 2 seasons, but I dont think success is being 500 or a few games under, why shouldnt the goal be to be playing in the NCAA tournament or even hosting a WCHA playoff game for that matter.
Click to expand...
In 2006-2007, Michigan Tech finished 17th in the PWR which determine the NCAA Tournament Field...that year the top 14 made it. I'd say that season was quite acceptable. First winning season in 1992-1993, how can you complain about that? It's the slide back to the bottom that is the problem. 2007-2008 was disappointing. If you can't consider 2006-2007 a success you really don't comprehend the situation this program post-MacInnes.
 
Re: We Cannot Have Nice Things: Michigan Tech 2010-2011 Season Thread: Part Tre

FadeToBlack&Gold said:
In comparison to the WCHA field, it's bottom 3. Right around what Serratore and Shyiak make.
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Serratore probably takes a "Hometown discount" and $115,000 a year in Bemidji is about $175,000-$200,000 in a major city. It'd be interesting see how it compares to NMU, LSSU, and WMU. I remember reading in the WMU threads that Culhane at WMU was around $110,000. Would a coach rather coach in the WCHA or CCHA and make roughly the same amount of money?
 
Re: We Cannot Have Nice Things: Michigan Tech 2010-2011 Season Thread: Part Tre

26 ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha
 
Re: We Cannot Have Nice Things: Michigan Tech 2010-2011 Season Thread: Part Tre

thebrain said:
Serratore probably takes a "Hometown discount" and $115,000 a year in Bemidji is about $175,000-$200,000 in a major city. It'd be interesting see how it compares to NMU, LSSU, and WMU. I remember reading in the WMU threads that Culhane at WMU was around $110,000. Would a coach rather coach in the WCHA or CCHA and make roughly the same amount of money?
Click to expand...

Blashill's deal is $150k a year. Can't find anything on BG's new coach. Culhane was $110k. Someone finally pointed out to our AD that if you wanted to finish in the single digits in the conference, you might want to take the sport somewhat seriously.

If Russell has only one year left, your AD should be beating the bushes among the alumni for some cash, since as Moe (one of the few other WMU regulars around here) would say, you never let a coach get into the last year of a contract. Absolutely destroys their recruiting. You either fire or extend.
 
Re: We Cannot Have Nice Things: Michigan Tech 2010-2011 Season Thread: Part Tre

Well you can count me a Russell supporter.
I think he was a good coach when we hired him and he is still a good coach.
Certainly there are plenty of things he could do better.
I talk to a few older alumni who follow the program but don't say anything. It's their opinion, not mine, that unless and until Tech comes up with the money to pay a big time coach, we will be in the same boat we are in now.
Personally the cost of D 1 hockey is going to skyrocket what with the changes going on with the BTHC, and I think all the money we can raise will just barely be enough to compete.
I think the WCHA is going to have to be a lot more aggressive than they are right now or the money they get will drop like a rock.
I know that st cloud was considering cutting hockey and the students taxed themselves in order to keep it. Also there are a couple of D1 schools here in Michigan who are considering dropping hockey all together depending on how things turn out. Money is a big issue all over.
I think whoever is the coach down the road, no matter who he is, deserves a significant raise as does the assistants.
 
Re: We Cannot Have Nice Things: Michigan Tech 2010-2011 Season Thread: Part Tre

bronconick said:
If Russell has only one year left, your AD should be beating the bushes among the alumni for some cash...
Click to expand...

Based on her response to one of the posters here, I think she has been weighing alumni/donor opinions since the GLI. Unlike his email though, I think it's a safe bet that most of the opinions have been negative.

Of course, there will probably be no formal announcement about Russell's future until late March.
 
Re: We Cannot Have Nice Things: Michigan Tech 2010-2011 Season Thread: Part Tre

I agree with what shirtless said regarding coach Russell. There is no point in canning him unless we can get someone better. Would you rather have an alum, that is obviously committed to the program and truly cares about the success of the program or an outsider who wants to use Tech as a stepping block, if they will end up getting the same results? Stick with Russell unless the program is willing to go out and get someone who will be an improvement.
 
Re: We Cannot Have Nice Things: Michigan Tech 2010-2011 Season Thread: Part Tre

Let's all keep in mind, Suzanne really has only two options:

1. Extend Russell's current contract by 1-2 years

2. Scrape together the money to buy out his last year and start forming a search committee
 
Re: We Cannot Have Nice Things: Michigan Tech 2010-2011 Season Thread: Part Tre

I think more value could be found in keeping Russell and one of the assistants at their current salary and bring in someone would be considered an associate head coach, where a salary may be in the area of $80k compared tot he $45k to $60k we've paid assistants in the past. Much of our problem has been with developing the talent of players once they reach campus, a task that is generally attributed to the assistants. We have certainly not seen the player development improve as we would have liked. Many other schools have an associate head coach position that offers a title with a larger base salary that may be attractive to higher end coaching talent.
 
Re: We Cannot Have Nice Things: Michigan Tech 2010-2011 Season Thread: Part Tre

Put yourself in Coach Russell's shoes for a minute.

Coaches generally:

1) Get fired
2) Retire or leave coaching for a different career (includes 'promotion' to AD, Development, etc.)
3) Quit for a better coaching opportunity

Granted, I don't know the fellow so it's hard to say what is running through his mind but viewing the future through the lens of his won/lost record alone, is he all that marketable to other D1 or pro hockey programs especially if the tailspin continues unabated? Unfortunately he inherited a program infected with a Perpetual Losing Culture but after eight seasons he hasn't, for whatever reasons including bad luck, been able to maintain his early progress. Perhaps he is the eternal optimist, but how long does someone jeopardize their career by sticking with a failure, especially when the situation isn't all of your own making?
 
Re: We Cannot Have Nice Things: Michigan Tech 2010-2011 Season Thread: Part Tre

I thought the general consensus was that his contract was over after this year? Is that not so?
 
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