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Best Candidate for Building a Winning Program?

D

duke51

Member
I'm assuming that we can all agree that the head coach taking over at Sac St. will be required to do a substantial amount of program building. This is NOT a rebuilding effort, it's creating a winning program from the ground up. I think that these two facts from Schumacher's Sac Bee article on March 27th prove that:

• Sac State has not had a winning season since joining Division I in 1991; the Hornets' 15-15 finish in the 2005-06 season is the high-water mark.

• The Hornets rank 335th in Ratings Percentage Index, a gauge of team strength, among the nation's 341 Division I teams.
Click to expand...

So, here's the question I am posing for discussion... Of the three finalists, who is the most qualified candidate for building a winning basketball program at Sac State?
 
To give my own opinion on the question I posed above... I believe Tony Marcopulos is clearly the most qualified in this area.

Marcopulos has a TON of experience starting with nothing programs and turning them into winners. He was an integral part of Bob Thomason's staff from the beginning of Pacific's surge from Big West doormat to perennial contender (1988-99). His 11 seasons culminated with Pacific appearances in the NCAA ('97) and NIT ('98) tournaments.

Then, as head coach at Cabrillo College, Marcopulos took one of the worst JC programs in the state. Although Cabrillo had never before won a league championship in the history of the school, Marcopulos led them to back-to-back championships in these past two seasons. His teams have made the playoffs in 6 of 8 seasons.

Dollar only has ONE season of head coaching experience and he has NEVER been a part of any rebuilding. With the exception of his lone season as a head coach, he has been a part of already established and very successful programs. I don't think he'll have any idea how to get things turned around in Sacramento.

Katz has had a lot of success at Delta... but I don't think he's ever faced the adversity that Marcopulos has in building the Cabrillo program. Delta is a premiere JC job... great facilities, great local talent and a winning tradition (the program already had at least one state title BEFORE Katz got there). So while I think he's a decent coach and has maintained Delta's winning ways, I don't think he'd be the right guy to build the Hornet program either. Plus, with limited (and long ago) D1 experience, he'd be way behind the curve in understanding the NCAA rulebook.
 
I've got a question for duke51. If your man Tony doesn't get the job, will you have any interest in Sac State Basketball? You seem to come across like an agent for Tony. Don't get me wrong, I would be happy with either Katz or Tony. I would be dissapointed if Dollar were the choice. He reminds me of Don Newman coming from a Pac-10 school as a top recruiter.
 
duke51 said:
To give my own opinion on the question I posed above... I believe Tony Marcopulos is clearly the most qualified in this area.

Marcopulos has a TON of experience starting with nothing programs and turning them into winners. He was an integral part of Bob Thomason's staff from the beginning of Pacific's surge from Big West doormat to perennial contender (1988-99). His 11 seasons culminated with Pacific appearances in the NCAA ('97) and NIT ('98) tournaments.

Then, as head coach at Cabrillo College, Marcopulos took one of the worst JC programs in the state. Although Cabrillo had never before won a league championship in the history of the school, Marcopulos led them to back-to-back championships in these past two seasons. His teams have made the playoffs in 6 of 8 seasons.

Dollar only has ONE season of head coaching experience and he has NEVER been a part of any rebuilding. With the exception of his lone season as a head coach, he has been a part of already established and very successful programs. I don't think he'll have any idea how to get things turned around in Sacramento.

Katz has had a lot of success at Delta... but I don't think he's ever faced the adversity that Marcopulos has in building the Cabrillo program. Delta is a premiere JC job... great facilities, great local talent and a winning tradition (the program already had at least one state title BEFORE Katz got there). So while I think he's a decent coach and has maintained Delta's winning ways, I don't think he'd be the right guy to build the Hornet program either. Plus, with limited (and long ago) D1 experience, he'd be way behind the curve in understanding the NCAA rulebook.
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Duke,
Just thinking....since you created this post, maybe you should just re-title it to "Tony Marcopulos Is the Best Candidate for Building a Winning Program" Just because Katz did not "REBUILD" Delta, doesn't say anything about the program he has BUILT UP at Delta, the building of Lassen and Center, his spotless reputation, and his MORE than "decent" coaching abilities.
Tell Marcopulos I said hi.
 
jmb - no, I'm definitely not his agent... but I'm a Pacific alum and a long-time fan and observer of the teams he has coached. To answer your question, I'm a die-hard Pacific Tiger fan... so no, I'm not here as a Sac State fan. I'm on this board to contribute to the banter by providing facts and insight that I figured many people wouldn't know about Marcopulos... and I would cheer the Hornets if he becomes coach.

bball06 - This is a message board... so I thought I'd spur some discussion... so I put a question mark at the end of my post's title in order to incite some responses. It sounds like you may have knowledge that myself and others on the board do not have in regard to Katz's early career. So, by all means, spend less time worried about how I title my posts and making wise-cracks, and give us a post that presents some information and makes a logical argument.

Bottom line is this... I could have come in here and faked like I was a long-time Hornet fan... but I didn't. I've simply been a straight-shooter, providing facts and, I believe, some good points about why Marcopulos would make a good coach for the Sac. State program.
 
duke51 said:
jmb - no, I'm definitely not his agent... but I'm a Pacific alum and a long-time fan and observer of the teams he has coached. To answer your question, I'm a die-hard Pacific Tiger fan... so no, I'm not here as a Sac State fan. I'm on this board to contribute to the banter by providing facts and insight that I figured many people wouldn't know about Marcopulos... and I would cheer the Hornets if he becomes coach.

bball06 - This is a message board... so I thought I'd spur some discussion... so I put a question mark at the end of my post's title in order to incite some responses. It sounds like you may have knowledge that myself and others on the board do not have in regard to Katz's early career. So, by all means, spend less time worried about how I title my posts and making wise-cracks, and give us a post that presents some information and makes a logical argument.

Bottom line is this... I could have come in here and faked like I was a long-time Hornet fan... but I didn't. I've simply been a straight-shooter, providing facts and, I believe, some good points about why Marcopulos would make a good coach for the Sac. State program.
Click to expand...

And that's why we want people from all walks of life to come here and discuss Hornet Athletics rationally. Good post Duke.

For me, since I don't know any of the candidates, I will have to trust the admin on who to pick. My guy says though to go with an alum because they truly know the situation on campus.
 
Sorry, it took the Cabrillo guy about 5 years to have a winning season. We don't have that long to wait. The league he is in is mediocre at best. After 8 years does he have a winning record? Go with a proven, consistant winner - Katz. You won't get as much self-promotion as the other guy, but you will get more wins!!
 
sacguy said:
Sorry, it took the Cabrillo guy about 5 years to have a winning season. We don't have that long to wait. The league he is in is mediocre at best. After 8 years does he have a winning record? Go with a proven, consistant winner - Katz. You won't get as much self-promotion as the other guy, but you will get more wins!!
Click to expand...

This is a late response to the above quote, but hey, we're all still waiting for the hiring announcement... so we've gotta have something to post about.

First of all, just to clarify the facts. Cabrillo had a winning record in Marcopulos' 4th season after going 15-18 in his 3rd season.

Still don't have that long to wait? Regardless of who gets the job, I don't think ANYONE will have a winning record at Sac St. any faster than that... there is a long road ahead. That's why, in my opinion, the type of coach that is needed at CSUS is someone with a proven track record of taking programs from the bottom of the standings to the top. Marcopulos has that experience and ability.
 
Oh, really? More than just rumors huh?

If the decision has been made, I'm wondering why the delay on the announcement...

Well, I'd obviously be disappointed if Marcopulos doesn't get the job, but it's been fun to be part of the banter on this board while we all wait for word.
 
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