Reality Check

[panther1]

OK...time for a reality check. Ben was turned down by A&M, not the other way around. He got a chance to save face and that's fine. His assistants will get a raise...a good thing. He is still coach at UNI, a very good thing. That being said, do not for one second believe that he turned down an offer from A&M. There's nothing wrong with being the 'second choice' by a respectable school; no shame there and shows that we have a hot commodity. Seriously though, he did not turn down this job because he wants to stay at UNI; he wanted the A&M gig and just missed. Something tells me that he will be here a few more years with a solid and diversified incoming recruiting class (think '09 class, minus redshirts) and this near miss at moving up.

Future prediction: Ben is now 'all-in' with the incoming class and will be around until at least their senior season. Add a 7 footer or dominant post and we may be looking at a Sweet 16 or beyond contender in 3-4 years. Then the payday will be there waiting... If things go bust, well he's got a nice long-term contract with UNI.

Edit: And yes, I have read what Ben has to say about this; he is a well spoken and thoughtful coach.

[Anne Frank]

Re: Reality Check

OK...time for a reality check. Ben was turned down by A&M, not the other way around. He got a chance to save face and that's fine. His assistants will get a raise...a good thing. He is still coach at UNI, a very good thing. That being said, do not for one second believe that he turned down an offer from A&M. There's nothing wrong with being the 'second choice' by a respectable school; no shame there and shows that we have a hot commodity. Seriously though, he did not turn down this job because he wants to stay at UNI; he wanted the A&M gig and just missed. Something tells me that he will be here a few more years with a solid and diversified incoming recruiting class (think '09 class, minus redshirts) and this near miss at moving up.

Future prediction: Ben is now 'all-in' with the incoming class and will be around until at least their senior season. Add a 7 footer or dominant post and we may be looking at a Sweet 16 or beyond contender in 3-4 years. Then the payday will be there waiting... If things go bust, well he's got a nice long-term contract with UNI.

Edit: And yes, I have read what Ben has to say about this; he is a well spoken and thoughtful coach.

And how do you think you know all this, that he really wanted the job but said what he did just to save face? I believed he took himself out of the running before it was offered. Prove to me otherwise.

[panther1]

Re: Reality Check

And how do you think you know all this, that he really wanted the job but said what he did just to save face? I believed he took himself out of the running before it was offered. Prove to me otherwise.

That is common practice in this type of business... Officially, he 'withdrew' before a decision was made; unofficially he was given that opportunity by A&M. When the plane took off from Fargo and he did not have an offer in hand, that was that.

[CyCarp]

Re: Reality Check

I really don't understand why people refuse to believe that Jake took his name out of the running.

Also, PN needs a :rollingeyes: smiley.

[strike00]

Re: Reality Check

That is common practice in this type of business... Officially, he 'withdrew' before a decision was made; unofficially he was given that opportunity by A&M. When the plane took off from Fargo and he did not have an offer in hand, that was that.

So you're saying you have no proof?

[UNI83]

Re: Reality Check

That is common practice in this type of business... Officially, he 'withdrew' before a decision was made; unofficially he was given that opportunity by A&M. When the plane took off from Fargo and he did not have an offer in hand, that was that.

Billy Kennedy didn't get the offer until Jake withdrew his name...

If they were set on Billy they wouldn't have flown from Murray State to College Station then to Fargo and back in the same day. They wanted Jake, make no mistake about it...yet he told them no and so they offered the job to Billy

[panther1]

Re: Reality Check

Billy Kennedy didn't get the offer until Jake withdrew his name...

If they were set on Billy they wouldn't have flown from Murray State to College Station then to Fargo and back in the same day. They wanted Jake, make no mistake about it...yet he told them no and so they offered the job to Billy

Don't get me wrong, Ben was a legitimately considered candidate for the job; maybe even a leader at some point. He was not going to be offered the A&M job though. By the way, it is common that the first interview gets a job; but the boss likes to make sure they are sold on that pick.

[DownGoesKansas]

Re: Reality Check

Jake may or may not have been offered a job if he had not withdrawn his name. Only Texas A&M knows the answer to that and they will never tell any one the answer to that question so it is foolish to argue about it.

[9YRPLAN]

Re: Reality Check

if he was not going to be offered, it was only because his price tag is too high

i call that taking yourself out of the running

[panther1]

Re: Reality Check

So you're saying you have no proof?

To believe that Ben was offered and turned A&M down would be naive. It would also be naive to believe that Ben felt he had a shot at the job prior to 'withdrawing'. This is the same way that so many City Manager candidates 'withdraw' just prior to an official announcement of a hire. It is the best way to put a positive spin on things with the current or a future perspective employer. It is also beneficial to the employer, because it reduces the selected candidate being second-guessed as much. Again, there's no shame in not being selected for this job...I just think that some folks need to read between the lines a little harder.

[panther1]

Re: Reality Check

if he was not going to be offered, it was only because his price tag is too high

i call that taking yourself out of the running

That also could be a plausible explanation, especially if A&M was looking to 'cut corners' on this hire.

[06panther10]

Re: Reality Check

panther1, so you are just flat out calling Ben Jacobson a liar? You think he just came out today and lied about what really happened just to "make it look good"?

lol

[DownGoesKansas]

Re: Reality Check

I just think that some folks need to read between the lines a little harder.

I think you are reading between the lines too hard.

Jake talked to them (interviewed) and then decided it was not the right fit for him at the right time. Unlike Dana Altman who made this decision after he made a fool of himself.

Things like this happen, deal with it.

[strike00]

Re: Reality Check

To believe that Ben was offered and turned A&M down would be naive. It would also be naive to believe that Ben felt he had a shot at the job prior to 'withdrawing'. This is the same way that so many City Manager candidates 'withdraw' just prior to an official announcement of a hire. It is the best way to put a positive spin on things with the current or a future perspective employer. It is also beneficial to the employer, because it reduces the selected candidate being second-guessed as much. Again, there's no shame in not being selected for this job...I just think that some folks need to read between the lines a little harder.

but you are just guessing, like everyone else. Maybe he listened to A&M and for some reason didn't like what he heard (not enough money maybe?) maybe he used the interview to twist Dannen's arm about things he wanted for the program now and in the future? There are a lot of plausible explanations, but really the only thing out in the paper is that he withdrew. We probably will never know what really happened.

[JayJ79]

Re: Reality Check

I could see it as having gone a number of different ways (I guess I'm just not as definitively clairvoyent as some of you, though I'm sure I've sat in on just as many Div. I head basketball coaching interviews as pretty much all of you)

- Could be that the TAMU folk made an offer to Ben, but it wasn't enough (money-wise, or other situation) to lure him away from UNI

- Could be that the TAMU folk interviewed Ben, and decided afterward that Kennedy was a better fit, and they gave Ben the opportunity to "withdraw from consideration"

- Could be that Ben wasn't really interested in the job at all, he just wanted the free lunch, ego boost, and bargaining leverage with UNI of having a "big name school" come calling.


Personally, I don't consider any of the scenarios to be "bad", just facts of life in this situation. And like I've said before, there aren't many coaches in Div. I college basketball that are really guaranteed to be around for the next 5-6 years of a recruits tenures. Especially not in "mid major" leagues.