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According to Twitter, Aaron Rodgers got another coach fired.

Dean Murdoch wrote:UW Green Bay fired their head coach yesterday. Seemed to be completely out of the blue given the timing of it and that Linc Darner was under contract until 2026.

Pilots AC Ben Johnson (UWGB alum and former assistant for the Phoenix) is among the first names linc-ed to the new opening.

@Bballscoop1 wrote: Names involved at Green Bay:

1. Gary Grzesk - HC - St Norbert College

2. Ben Johnson - AC - Portland

3. Brad Soderberg - AC - Virginia

All 3 guys are Dick Bennett guys!

The frontrunner, Gary Grzesk, has decided he does not want the job at this time...

Does that move Ben to the top of the list?

He certainly deserves the opportunity of being a head coach, but will his wife and children, accustomed to life on the beautiful coast city of Cairns, Australia, want to spend their next phase of life in Green Bay?

https://www.greenbaypressgazette.com/story/sports/2020/06/02/three-more-emerge-candidates-uwgb-opening-including-two-power-5-assistants/3126056001/

Looks like Coach Johnson will be among a group of approximately 10 that will interview for the position.

@GoodmanHoops wrote:Four names involved at Green Bay, per source, include Virginia assistant Brad Soderberg, Bradley assistant Jimmie Foster, Wheeling head coach Will Ryan (Bo Ryan’s son) and Notre Dame assistant Rod Balanis.

Update on the UWGB coach search from Jeff Goodman today. No mention of Coach Johnson.

Thirty years ago today, #30, Terry Porter, went 15 for 15 from the line on the road in the Blazers' 106-105 OT victory over the Detroit Pistons in game 2 of the 1990 NBA finals.



Unfortunately for Blazer fans, Detroit won the next three games and the championship, four games to one.

Some may have watched the wildly successful 10-part Michael Jordan-era Chicago Bulls documentary ‘The Last Dance’ that concluded in mid-May...

...Now you can watch ‘Rip City Revival,’ the hour-long special that premiered last Sunday, but you can still watch/record on NBATV this coming week...

The next airings are Monday 6/8 @ 11am; Tuesday 6/9 @ 6pm; Friday 6/12 @ 9am; and Friday 6/12 @ 2pm...all on NBATV.

'Rip City Revival' details the 1989-1992 Portland Trailblazers that reached two NBA Finals and one Western Conference Finals in three seasons.

‘Rip City Revival’ Vividly Recalls Great Blazers Teams Forgotten In Michael Jordan Era:
https://www.forbes.com/sites/shlomosprung/2020/05/31/rip-city-revival-portland-blazers-drexler-porter-kersey-michael-jordan-last-dance/#12540f6174ca

Dean Murdoch wrote:

@GoodmanHoops wrote:Four names involved at Green Bay, per source, include Virginia assistant Brad Soderberg, Bradley assistant Jimmie Foster, Wheeling head coach Will Ryan (Bo Ryan’s son) and Notre Dame assistant Rod Balanis.

Update on the UWGB coach search from Jeff Goodman today. No mention of Coach Johnson.

Will Ryan, 41, from D2 Wheeling got the job.

A year ago, Ryan walked into his first college head coaching job at Wheeling University in West Virginia in a similar situation as he now has a Green Bay.  Not only was he a late hire, but Ryan had to build a roster nearly from scratch.

Word is the surprising firing of Coach Darner, who went 92-80 overall and 51-39 in Horizon League play with one NCAA Tournament appearance, was fired because he failed to generate much buzz with the Green Bay fan base.

A quick check revealed the Phoenix drew an average of 1,840 fans this past season.  

Good thing the Pilots have BYU and GU visit once a year...

Oh, and I'm told Ben Johnson was not interested in the Green Bay job.

I'm sure all who were Pilot Club members over the last few years have become well acquainted with Nick Wood, who always did such a wonderful job looking after us, and becoming our friend.

Nick has left UP, and is now the Assistant Athletic Director for Development at Rice University in Houston.

Great school and a nice promotion for Nick!

Go Owls!!

With several conferences, schools, and even the whole of NJCAA cancelling fall sports at the moment, it begs the question from me: if we do not have a basketball season, does TP’s contract just run out?

FloridaPilot wrote:With several conferences, schools, and even the whole of NJCAA cancelling fall sports at the moment, it begs the question from me: if we do not have a basketball season, does TP’s contract just run out?

What? After his best season?

FloridaPilot wrote:With several conferences, schools, and even the whole of NJCAA cancelling fall sports at the moment, it begs the question from me: if we do not have a basketball season, does TP’s contract just run out?

That's what I've been told, if there is no season his contract will expire in April 2021...

However, TP and the Athletic Department could renegotiate the contract for 2020 to save jobs in the financially strapped department, and he could then come back for the 2021-22 season.

And nearly as important from a financial standpoint, Coach Cantu's contract will expire in June 2021.

If TP were to be gracious enough to renegotiate his contract, one would think he would have already done so as coaches at UO, OSU and WSU apparently have. Before we credit him with the possibility, let us require action.
I do acknowledge that either way TP is in a tough spot, a moral delimma.

Some may remember Josh Jamieson from his two years on The Bluff as an assistant to Michael Holton when Pooh Jeter and Donald Wilson starred...

Josh is a wonderful guy, who by all accounts has been doing a little coaching at UO despite being (just) the DOBO for the last 15 years.

https://spectrumnews1.com/ky/northern-ky/sports/2022/04/27/kenny-payne-adds-josh-jamieson-to-coaching-staff-as-an-assistant-coach

DoubleDipper wrote:Spending quality time at home with his wife and new-born daughter, Kramer tells me he will NOT be returning to coach at UP....and if does return to coaching, it's unlikely it will be at the college level due to the time it takes him away from his family.

While playing professionally in England Kramer met and married the love of his life, and his priorities are in order.

An excellent player and coach, and a helluva great guy in every way, Kramer will certainly be missed by the players and all who know him around the UP campus.

DoubleDipper wrote:During our conversation this week I learned that, except for recreation league ball, Kramer Knutson has stepped away from basketball and is now a realtor with Keller Williams in Tempe, Arizona.

If you or someone you know is looking for a home in the Phoenix area, text Kramer at 480-205-6507 or email him at kramerknutson.kwrealty.com

I'm told Kramer is now going to have the best of both worlds and will return to England to coach the professional team he once played for while keeping his thriving real estate business going online.

Another plus for his English-born wife is she and Kramer will now be living just a few miles from her mother...

https://londonunited.eu/2022/08/11/ncaa-division-one-assistant-coach-takes-over-at-london-united/

Some interesting takes. Reference to the Hoop Scoop class. And Luke Sikma is a "Euroleague superstar".

up7587 wrote:And Luke Sikma is a "Euroleague superstar".

I guess he is. He starts at PF for the 3-time defending Bundesliga champ, Alba Berlin. They've also won 2 of the last 3 German Cup competitions. And he was league MVP in 2017-18.

https://www.upbeacon.com/article/2023/02/the-voices-of-pilot-athletics

A shoutout to the wonderful broadcast team we never take for granted, but sometimes overlook when watching the games from the comfort of our home.

I often have the opportunity to sit next to Bryan, Ann, and Jen-Mo during their broadcasts, and believe me, they put a lot of energy and effort into their craft.

Pre and post games especially appreciated for those of us attending home games

Wisconsin Green Bay went 3-29 this season and the school fired their 3rd-year head coach in January.

I am told that former UP assistant and all-around great guy, Ben Johnson, is among the final candidates to take over the program.

Ben interviewed for the UWGB opening in 2020 before the school hired Will Ryan.

Ben is a member of UWGB’s Hall of Fame and played for the school from 1988 to 1992. He was a team captain for the Phoenix when it made its first NCAA Tournament in 1991.

Johnson spent 10 years as an assistant at Washington State from 2003 to 2013 while coaching under Ken Bone and former UWGB legends Dick Bennett and Tony Bennett. He also spent five seasons at the University of Portland before arriving at San Jose State.

Slam Dunk!!

DoubleDipper wrote:Wisconsin Green Bay went 3-29 this season and the school fired their 3rd-year head coach in January.

I am told that former UP assistant and all-around great guy, Ben Johnson, is among the final candidates to take over the program.

Ben interviewed for the UWGB opening in 2020 before the school hired Will Ryan.

Ben is a member of UWGB’s Hall of Fame and played for the school from 1988 to 1992. He was a team captain for the Phoenix when it made its first NCAA Tournament in 1991.

Johnson spent 10 years as an assistant at Washington State from 2003 to 2013 while coaching under Ken Bone and former UWGB legends Dick Bennett and Tony Bennett. He also spent five seasons at the University of Portland before arriving at San Jose State.

Slam Dunk!!

They went with Wyoming assistant Sundance Wicks instead.

https://greenbayphoenix.com/news/2023/3/14/sundance-wicks-named-ninth-head-coach-in-green-bay-mens-basketball-history.aspx

Sound Voltex wrote:They went with Wyoming assistant Sundance Wicks instead.

https://greenbayphoenix.com/news/2023/3/14/sundance-wicks-named-ninth-head-coach-in-green-bay-mens-basketball-history.aspx

Interesting that his first endorsements are from my least favorite coach, Rex Walters and from the close runner-up, Wyoming head coach, Jeff Linder.

All the best to Wicks...his name alone ought to bring a smile and a few good recruits to Green Bay.

DoubleDipper wrote:

Sound Voltex wrote:They went with Wyoming assistant Sundance Wicks instead.

All the best to Wicks...his name alone ought to bring a smile and a few good recruits to Green Bay.

I don't know. Seems Sundance is the perfect name for Wyoming. Green Bay seems more suited for an Ole.

DoubleDipper wrote:Wisconsin Green Bay went 3-29 this season and the school fired their 3rd-year head coach in January.

I am told that former UP assistant and all-around great guy, Ben Johnson, is among the final candidates to take over the program.

I have been told Ben was "let go" at San Jose St.

I do not know the circumstances or the next step for Ben, but it has to be very difficult on his family to uprooted again after leaving the good life in Australia to be a part of the previous UP coaching staff.

How is Coach Legans doing on hiring? Doesn't he still have to replace Jeremy Pope, and fill one or two new positions?