BUNA NEW COACH

[Cougar Crazy 1962]

I got to meet our new Coach tonight at the baseball game.  He is a nice young man but after we talked I had to do some research on where he is coming from. This past season in Chilton he was 0-19 and 0-12 in district.  How do we hire a young coach that could not do well in 2A and expect him to do well here in Buna.  The sad part is one of Buna's own Connell who did a great job on the boys side was passed over for this guy.  Again, he is a nice guy, but it is hard for me to believe that he would do better than Connell.  I'm cautiously optimistic but still left wondering how an 0-19 guy even gets an interview.

[Johnny Carson]

I was told he was a GA with Price at Lamar.  Also his stepdad is the Sup where he is coming from and knows current Sup here. I thought we would go with more experience.  If we went with the young candidate we should have went with our own Connell or at least make them play each other for it 😆😂.
 

Also hearing Connell will be leaving to be an assistant somewhere else.  Hopefully not true but I would say I can’t blame him.

[buccaneers4lyfe]

It sure seems like Buna is having a really hard time keeping good coaches around, Whitmire/Girrola/& now Connell. Hopefully they figure it out soon enough.

[TxHoops]

I think you guys will be very pleased with Coach Johnson.  He will be great for the program and the community.  

[gogo173489]

12 hours ago, TxHoops said:

I think you guys will be very pleased with Coach Johnson.  He will be great for the program and the community.  

I get what you're saying. Maybe he will be great. I personally hope he is, but I have serious doubts. I believe his career coaching record is 6-51. How does an AD choose that over someone who has been with the program for a year already? Also, what kind of message does that send Connell that the AD was willing to hire someone with a 6-51 record instead of him? Now another good coach will leave Buna for a guy who has basically proven that he is a great person, but a below average basketball coach. 

[gogo173489]

On 4/15/2023 at 11:20 AM, Johnny Carson said:

I was told he was a GA with Price at Lamar.  Also his stepdad is the Sup where he is coming from and knows current Sup here. I thought we would go with more experience.  If we went with the young candidate we should have went with our own Connell or at least make them play each other for it 😆😂.
 

Also hearing Connell will be leaving to be an assistant somewhere else.  Hopefully not true but I would say I can’t blame him.

This make me angry. Sounds like the Sup got involved in a hire that should be in the AD's court.

[KF89]

1 hour ago, gogo173489 said:

I get what you're saying. Maybe he will be great. I personally hope he is, but I have serious doubts. I believe his career coaching record is 6-51. How does an AD choose that over someone who has been with the program for a year already? Also, what kind of message does that send Connell that the AD was willing to hire someone with a 6-51 record instead of him? Now another good coach will leave Buna for a guy who has basically proven that he is a great person, but a below average basketball coach. 

6-51 is horrendous, he must be a really great guy, because this hire had nothing to do with a successful\winning basketball coach. Still hard to believe they passed on Connell?🙃

[Mr. Buddy Garrity]

Is the new HC a born and raised Buna Cougar?? 👀

[Johnny Carson]

@Mr. Buddy Garrity I believe he is from the area where he came from which is around Waco.  He did GA for Tic Price at Lamar and we know how that went as well.  Everyone is saying he is a really good guy but his coaching record says he is not a good coach.  Small town politics got involved here and ousted another hometown guy.  I'm hoping for the best and nothing against Coach Johnson just mad that we did not give our own the opportunity. 

I see the whole Connell family from the dad to the youngest working with kids around here with basketball all the time.  The dad coached a girls team in Little Dribbles this past season when no one would step up to do it.  Sad that our own students cant go off get an education and come back to coach unless they're from the right families.  Only winner here is the school that Coach Johnson came from.  

[gogo173489]

11 minutes ago, Johnny Carson said:

@Mr. Buddy Garrity I believe he is from the area where he came from which is around Waco.  He did GA for Tic Price at Lamar and we know how that went as well.  Everyone is saying he is a really good guy but his coaching record says he is not a good coach.  Small town politics got involved here and ousted another hometown guy.  I'm hoping for the best and nothing against Coach Johnson just mad that we did not give our own the opportunity. 

I see the whole Connell family from the dad to the youngest working with kids around here with basketball all the time.  The dad coached a girls team in Little Dribbles this past season when no one would step up to do it.  Sad that our own students cant go off get an education and come back to coach unless they're from the right families.  Only winner here is the school that Coach Johnson came from.  

I agree except for maybe the small town politics part. I think if you took a poll the vast majority of people would say they wanted Connell as the coach. Unless you mean that 2 people got together and decided "this is the guy" and didn't consider anything else? Which I think is probably what happened here. 

[gogo173489]

1 hour ago, Mr. Buddy Garrity said:

Is the new HC a born and raised Buna Cougar?? 👀

No he isn't Came from somewhere around the Waco area from what I have heard.

[Johnny Carson]

@gogo173489 last time I checked there are 7 people on a school board that can get involved.  I guess they didn't have a girl on the team or didn't do their research on this candidate.  If I were a coach and applied for a job with this type of record I wouldn't get a call back.  This had to be a complete hookup.

[gogo173489]

7 minutes ago, KF89 said:

Facts

 

9 minutes ago, Johnny Carson said:

@gogo173489 last time I checked there are 7 people on a school board that can get involved.  I guess they didn't have a girl on the team or didn't do their research on this candidate.  If I were a coach and applied for a job with this type of record I wouldn't get a call back.  This had to be a complete hookup.

Once the minutes are posted I am going to check to see how that vote went down.

[Johnny Carson]

@gogo173489 please share when you get that info.

[Waterboys]

I heard the vote was 5-2 and the one board member that will have a girl on the team next year voted yes. 

[TxHoops]

10 hours ago, Johnny Carson said:

@Mr. Buddy Garrity I believe he is from the area where he came from which is around Waco.  He did GA for Tic Price at Lamar and we know how that went as well.  Everyone is saying he is a really good guy but his coaching record says he is not a good coach.  Small town politics got involved here and ousted another hometown guy.  I'm hoping for the best and nothing against Coach Johnson just mad that we did not give our own the opportunity. 

I see the whole Connell family from the dad to the youngest working with kids around here with basketball all the time.  The dad coached a girls team in Little Dribbles this past season when no one would step up to do it.  Sad that our own students cant go off get an education and come back to coach unless they're from the right families.  Only winner here is the school that Coach Johnson came from.  

A)  He was never a GA at Lamar (student manager) and let us know how that went?  Making it to the conference tournament semi finals his last year?  Or how he was exceptional at his job?  I guess since you guys are experts, you have done more than look at MaxPreps to see what kind of teams he had?  
 

B ) The RC Hyden days aren’t likely coming again.  I like the Connell family too but it appears that you all are advocating for hiring someone who also has limited experience coaching high school basketball, and not on the girl’s side.  THAT would smack of local politics.  
 

C) In the end, if he doesn’t work out, you can move on.  It’s girl’s Hs basketball.  Not like you had to lock him in to a 10 year deal.  Let’s wish him well and see what he can do.  He’s a bright, energetic young man who knows the game.  Give him a chance. If you do, I think you will be pleased. 

[TxHoops]

10 hours ago, Johnny Carson said:

@Mr. Buddy Garrity I believe he is from the area where he came from which is around Waco.  He did GA for Tic Price at Lamar and we know how that went as well. 

Wondering if anyone realizes (they didn’t when they were complaining about Tic on this site) that Price was the third most successful D1 basketball coach in Lamar’s history behind Tubbs and Foster.  But don’t let facts get in the way of narratives. 

[gogo173489]

11 hours ago, TxHoops said:

A)  He was never a GA at Lamar (student manager) and let us know how that went?  Making it to the conference tournament semi finals his last year?  Or how he was exceptional at his job?  I guess since you guys are experts, you have done more than look at MaxPreps to see what kind of teams he had?  
 

B ) The RC Hyden days aren’t likely coming again.  I like the Connell family too but it appears that you all are advocating for hiring someone who also has limited experience coaching high school basketball, and not on the girl’s side.  THAT would smack of local politics.  
 

C) In the end, if he doesn’t work out, you can move on.  It’s girl’s Hs basketball.  Not like you had to lock him in to a 10 year deal.  Let’s wish him well and see what he can do.  He’s a bright, energetic young man who knows the game.  Give him a chance. If you do, I think you will be pleased. 

None of that is the point here.. If a coach had a 6-51 career record and applied for the boys job, does he even get an interview? I'm certain in saying no, he wouldn't. If you're going to talk about a coach with limited experience, KJ has 2 years coaching the girls at Chilton, where his stepfather is the Sup. That's limited experience as well with none of that experience being successful. Connell has 1 year under his belt coaching these girls already. He's been around and helping them out while also being on the bench for the boys games. Yes, if things don't work out Buna can simply move on, but Connell will have almost certainly moved on by then. Why would he come back to a place that didn't hire him, but instead hired a coach who Buna knows nothing about with the exception of him being unsuccessful at his last coaching job? 

[Johnny Carson]

@TxHoops you act Lamar is Duke, UNC or some great program.  Taking a coach from Lamar is not always a step up.  So to be fair when speaking about Tic Price being third, it is not that he was that good at 112-113 it is everyone else was really bad.  Again a nice guy is great when talking about someone courting my daughter, or just being a friend.  Our point is with his record without a hookup he would not even get his foot in the door.  Connell got the raw end of the deal here.  We're still going to support our Lady Cougars no matter who is on the sideline but it was a lot easier if they made the right hire.

[TxHoops]

P

5 hours ago, Johnny Carson said:

@TxHoops you act Lamar is Duke, UNC or some great program.  Taking a coach from Lamar is not always a step up.  So to be fair when speaking about Tic Price being third, it is not that he was that good at 112-113 it is everyone else was really bad.  Again a nice guy is great when talking about someone courting my daughter, or just being a friend.  Our point is with his record without a hookup he would not even get his foot in the door.  Connell got the raw end of the deal here.  We're still going to support our Lady Cougars no matter who is on the sideline but it was a lot easier if they made the right hire.

No one acted like that. You act like Buna women are the equivalent of UConn.  To you and @gogo173489, sorry they didn’t hire someone with a whole one year of boys’ assistant coaching experience, none as a head coach and none with girls (other than “helping” from the bench at boys games).  Since we are only discussing these two, tells me a lot about who was interested in this job.  They didn’t hire someone that is from Buna.  That’s why you guys are upset.  I get it. As stated, I wish Remi all the best.  My guess is if he was willing to switch to girls to stay in Buna, he will still be available in the future.  Maybe he will get the boys job when the next coach gets run off. 

[gogo173489]

1 hour ago, TxHoops said:

P

No one acted like that. You act like Buna women are the equivalent of UConn.  To you and @gogo173489, sorry they didn’t hire someone with a whole one year of boys’ assistant coaching experience, none as a head coach and none with girls (other than “helping” from the bench at boys games).  Since we are only discussing these two, tells me a lot about who was interested in this job.  They didn’t hire someone that is from Buna.  That’s why you guys are upset.  I get it. As stated, I wish Remi all the best.  My guess is if he was willing to switch to girls to stay in Buna, he will still be available in the future.  Maybe he will get the boys job when the next coach gets run off. 

I never said you acted any way at all. My point was that KJ has very little experience himself, and none of that coaching experience is positive. So with neither candidate having much experience, I don't care where the coach was hired from. What I do care about is what that particular group of girls has been through coaching wise in the last couple of years. Losing Girola, then the AD at the time was not even interested in finding a girls basketball coach for the next season. The kids didn't know who their coach would be until after school started. They had to virtually beg Coach Dobbins to come out of retirement for the season. There were 3 "finalists" for the job this time around. One removed his name because he said during his interview the team interviewing him seemed "uninterested" in listening to what he had to say. This particular candidate has quite a bit of experience, and somewhere around 100 wins as a head coach. Sounds like to me this decision was made prior to there being any interviews, and that's an issue. 

[TxHoops]

23 minutes ago, gogo173489 said:

I never said you acted any way at all. My point was that KJ has very little experience himself, and none of that coaching experience is positive. So with neither candidate having much experience, I don't care where the coach was hired from. What I do care about is what that particular group of girls has been through coaching wise in the last couple of years. Losing Girola, then the AD at the time was not even interested in finding a girls basketball coach for the next season. The kids didn't know who their coach would be until after school started. They had to virtually beg Coach Dobbins to come out of retirement for the season. There were 3 "finalists" for the job this time around. One removed his name because he said during his interview the team interviewing him seemed "uninterested" in listening to what he had to say. This particular candidate has quite a bit of experience, and somewhere around 100 wins as a head coach. Sounds like to me this decision was made prior to there being any interviews, and that's an issue. 

It wasn’t you, it was Johnny in the post quoted.  But it sounds like what I suspected, there wasn’t a ton of interest in the job and it came down to two people. The job was given to the only one who had head coaching experience AND the only one with GIRLS coaching experience.  Hardly an out of left field hire if that’s the case. 
 

But your points are well taken and fair enough. We both want the same thing. The girls to have success and be guided by someone with character who will positively impact their lives.  I believe that is KJ, you have your reservations and I’m not saying you are unreasonable to have them.  But I truly believe you and others will be pleasantly surprised.  
 

I will say that I’ve posted more on the girls basketball board in this thread than I have the whole board since I’ve been a member!  Go Lady Cougars!

[Hawks18]

On 4/19/2023 at 7:26 AM, gogo173489 said:

None of that is the point here.. If a coach had a 6-51 career record and applied for the boys job, does he even get an interview? I'm certain in saying no, he wouldn't. If you're going to talk about a coach with limited experience, KJ has 2 years coaching the girls at Chilton, where his stepfather is the Sup. That's limited experience as well with none of that experience being successful. Connell has 1 year under his belt coaching these girls already. He's been around and helping them out while also being on the bench for the boys games. Yes, if things don't work out Buna can simply move on, but Connell will have almost certainly moved on by then. Why would he come back to a place that didn't hire him, but instead hired a coach who Buna knows nothing about with the exception of him being unsuccessful at his last coaching job? 

Connell was a boy’s assistant he does not have a year with the girls 🤦🏽‍♂️

[Hawks18]

Typical small town politics you, would rather hire the coach with one year of being an assistant coach than someone who has multiple years, Weather it was a grad assistant or not.

Now all of a sudden people are blaming the school for Girola leaving, but when he was at buna all people did was talk crap about him because he wasn’t living to to y’all’s expectations.

 

And I know for a fact that the SUP doesn’t know his dad but I guess because she’s black they have to know each other.

 

It’s sad that all just because buna has a black SUP she HAD to have something to do with hiring one of the few if not the only black coach that’s not from buna but go ahead continue to show y’all’s true colors if Donny lee was still there would his decision have been questioned? 

[gogo173489]

9 hours ago, Hawks18 said:

Connell was a boy’s assistant he does not have a year with the girls 🤦🏽‍♂️

I did not mean to imply he was on the girls bench. He worked with the girls at practices during their athletics all season long.