Florida's Bold Moves: The University of Florida took a major step in moving the world of women's college hoops into the territory of the men's game: they fired a head coach after only a five-year stint. To boot, the coach had a national title on her resume. Carolyn Peck seemed to be the perfect candidate to lead Florida to national prominence after former coach, and current Ole Miss coach, Carol Ross, had let the program slip. After being an assistant under coaching legend Pat Summitt, leading Purdue to the elite eight and then the national title in just two years and coaching in the WNBA, one would assume it would just be a matter of a few short years before the magic happened. It didn't. And Peck, like so many in the men's game, was told she was non-renewed. The move was bold by an A.D. who has built the Gainesville campus into a national title haven with both the men's basketball and football programs winning national championships this past year. Now he claims he wants a big name to build a big time program in a big time conference with big time empires lurking at every turn of the conference season. Go right and you have Georgia and Andy Landers, turn left and there's Pokey Chapman's LSU juggernaut, and up the mountain overseeing the empire, Pat Summitt and Tennessee. Who can battle this night in and night out? My suggestion: Kim Mulkey-Robertson! The Baylor coach led the Bears out of gal hoop hell and into the promised land of a national championship in 2005, just a few season's into her tenure. The former LaTech superstar player and assistant coach has the moxie, the recruiting prowess and the competitive flair that would build Florida into a national title contender year after year. So why would Mulkey-Robertson even think about leaving Baylor? How about these reasons: more money, lots more money, football and men's basketball programs as recruiting draws, better facilities, better conference and a better chance to win more national championships over and over. I am sure she can get it done at Baylor, but as she found out just months after her title at Baylor when players transferred out and she lost a recruiting battle with LSU's Chapman, not even a national title at a small school in little Waco, Texas can guarantee the same level of success year after year. If Florida's A.D. is indeed serious about building the women's hoops program into a powerhouse, there is no one else out there right now who could get it done better than Kim Mulkey-Robertson.
Second-Tier Choices: Of course, it will be tough to lure her away, so here is a list of others who can compete with Tennessee and LSU. How about Bill Lambier, who is currently coaching in the WNBA...Make a move to Kristy Curry at Texas Tech. She is a proven recruiter and tough coach. If she were still at Purdue this season, they would be a top-six team...Why not lure Van Chancellor out of retirement or Lynn Dunn away from the WNBA's Indiana Fever?...Some hot young coaches include Arizona State's Charly Turner-Thorne, Cal's Joanne Boyle, and Michigan State's Joanne P. McAuley...Some others to think about include Texas Tech's former legend Marsha Sharp, Louisville's Tom Cullen, assistant coaches Chris Daly from UConn and Gail Valley from Duke.
1 comment:
I heartily agree with you: Kim Mulkey (she's divorced from Randy Robertson, by the way) should definitely get the Florida job. And she should take Karen Aston with her, too.
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