MJ recently mentioned the possibility that he might retire in the relatively near future to assist his wife with a project that has been an interest of hers for a while. Basically, he indicated he felt she deserved the opportunity to pursue a major personal interest of her own as their focal point after supporting his career for many years. An exact date was not stated, but kudos to him for acknowledging her contributions for his stint as head coach.
When MJ does retire, the question becomes who might be the choice for head coach to replace him. Koch or Crum have been with him for years and certainly have made substantial contributions to the program’s evolution and its underlying culture. Both certainly would warrant attention. My personal preference for the next coach is for a woman, and Crum would be acceptable if interested. However, I admit that I also am interested in several others.
One of my alternatives. which I raise with caution, would be Muzerall. I acknowledge she perhaps is more than a little controversial. But she is a very good coach who has been giving the Badgers fits in recent years. She gets a lot out of her players, and I think it would be interesting to see how her style of play would translate to the UW. All that said, I believe she is totally invested in continuing to build OSU into a program that eventually will match the histories of MN and WI. Ergo, she would have no interest in the move.
But, there also are two others closer to home - Meghan Duggan and Brianna Decker – both of whom have experienced tremendous success as players for the UW, the US Olympics teams, and in women’s professional hockey. Duggan also has become director of player development for the NJ Devils in the NHL, and Decker has assumed the position of associate head coach at SMS. Both would bring tons of experience and a deep understanding of the nature of the game and personal playing histories that would appeal to recruits, and they understand the culture of the UW well. Likewise, their careers suggest they would approach the job with lots of energy and focus.
I acknowledge that I may be missing other possibilities as well, and I expect there will be others interested in the position. Regardless, when the search for MJ’s replacement occurs, there should not be a dearth of qualified applicants. And the list of applicants will be another tribute to what he has built for the UW.
When MJ does retire, the question becomes who might be the choice for head coach to replace him. Koch or Crum have been with him for years and certainly have made substantial contributions to the program’s evolution and its underlying culture. Both certainly would warrant attention. My personal preference for the next coach is for a woman, and Crum would be acceptable if interested. However, I admit that I also am interested in several others.
One of my alternatives. which I raise with caution, would be Muzerall. I acknowledge she perhaps is more than a little controversial. But she is a very good coach who has been giving the Badgers fits in recent years. She gets a lot out of her players, and I think it would be interesting to see how her style of play would translate to the UW. All that said, I believe she is totally invested in continuing to build OSU into a program that eventually will match the histories of MN and WI. Ergo, she would have no interest in the move.
But, there also are two others closer to home - Meghan Duggan and Brianna Decker – both of whom have experienced tremendous success as players for the UW, the US Olympics teams, and in women’s professional hockey. Duggan also has become director of player development for the NJ Devils in the NHL, and Decker has assumed the position of associate head coach at SMS. Both would bring tons of experience and a deep understanding of the nature of the game and personal playing histories that would appeal to recruits, and they understand the culture of the UW well. Likewise, their careers suggest they would approach the job with lots of energy and focus.
I acknowledge that I may be missing other possibilities as well, and I expect there will be others interested in the position. Regardless, when the search for MJ’s replacement occurs, there should not be a dearth of qualified applicants. And the list of applicants will be another tribute to what he has built for the UW.
