Don’t be shocked if Calipari comes after Roccaforte

[Guest abovetherim]

Memphis’ John Calipari getting the Kentucky job for about half the gold in Fort Knox could wind up being bad news for Lamar University’s basketball program. Cardinal coach Steve Roccaforte was Calipari’s top recruiter at Memphis before he came home six years ago to join Billy Tubbs’ staff and eventually become LU’s head coach. With the kind of money Kentucky is throwing around, Calipari could make Roc an offer that he’d be foolish to refuse. It may not happen but it has to be considered a distinct possibly because of how highly Calpari value’s Roc’s recruiting skills. What a lot of fans don’t know is that Roccaforte turned down considerably more than he’s making at Lamar to join Billy Gillispie’s staff at Kentucky two years ago and Marquette coach Buzz Williams’ staff last year . . . Depending on who replaces Calipari at Memphis, there is another offer that could be coming Roccaforte’s way. Early speculation by one of ESPN’s sharpest basketball guys — former Oklahoma State guard Doug Gottlieb — had Texas El Paso head coach Tony Barbe, another former Calipari assistant, replacing his old boss as Memphis’ head coach. Gottlieb said if that happened, Roccaforte would receive strong consideration to replace Barbe at UTEP. I don’t believe Roc would leave Lamar for UTEP, but it is significant than his name is being thrown out by a pretty knowledgable basketball insider.

http://www.panews.com/sportsbobwest/local_story_094210010.html

[Lazeek]

Dream job at LU was a quote from Roc several years ago.........to leave and go to a larger school is one thing, but to leave and go be an assistant again even at UK would really tell me that Roc was not committed to LU.  Anxious to see.

The thing that worries me the most is if Roc does leave then who will be coach???  Surely they will go outside of the program.  Nobody on the program worth being the head coach!!!!!

Also if UTEP comes open I believe that Marlin would be in the mix...........IMO they would hire Marlin before Roc.  Just my opinion!!!!!

[Guest baseball25]

Steve Lavin Babyyyyyyyyy......

[UNLV]

Lamar needs to stop playing around and put up big bucks if Roc leaves. And I wouldn't lose respect for Roc if he did.

Especially if he could help LU even as an assistant coach at Kentucky. He could push players not at Kentucky's level and

above SLC level to Lamar.

BTW, lets not forget Billy Gillispie is out of a job. Memphis or UTEP could pick him up before Marlin or even Roc.

Lamar needs to figure out a way to raise money to make an offer to Billy Gillispie if Roc leaves. Don't laugh, money talks.

Billy Gillispie name could bring in recruits several levels higher than the SLC making him SLC champs in the first or second year.

Then if he could win a few games in the dance, this would put him back on top for a big name job. 4 years at best at LU, Billy Gillispie benefit, LU

benefit, it works out for all.

[AggiesAreWe]

Lamar needs to stop playing around and put up big bucks if Roc leaves. And I wouldn't lose respect for Roc if he did.

Especially if he could help LU even as an assistant coach at Kentucky. He could push players not at Kentucky's level and

above SLC level to Lamar.

BTW, lets not forget Billy Gillispie is out of a job. Memphis or UTEP could pick him up before Marlin or even Roc.

Lamar needs to figure out a way to raise money to make an offer to Billy Gillispie if Roc leaves. Don't laugh, money talks.

Billy Gillispie name could bring in recruits several levels higher than the SLC making him SLC champs in the first or second year.

Then if he could win a few games in the dance, this would put him back on top for a big name job. 4 years at best at LU, Billy Gillispie benefit, LU

benefit, it works out for all.

Pipe dream! BCG will get a bigger job offer than Lamar, guarantee.

[Lazeek]

Two more years of mediocracy would you still suggest that LU do what it can to keep Roc???

He is tabbed as a great recruiter but who has he really gotten that should be in a large D1 school...........Alan Daniels is the only one in my opinion!!!!!!!

[UNLV]

Pipe dream! BCG will get a bigger job offer than Lamar, guarantee.

It's a pipedream that I'll ever be richer than Bill Gates, but that does not mean I need to go get

a Section 8 apt and be happy with that. Neither should Lamar. This area's(SETX) mentallity has been this way for

50 years, which would explain the 0 population growth for 50 years and Lamar's 0 population growth for 40 years.

Dr Simmons has broken the cycle with school growth and improvements. He must continue by not falling into the pipe dream

mentallity so embraced by SETX.

[Guest coachacola]

Calipari didn't seem to have any problems recruiting after Roc left 6 years ago so I doubt he's desperate to have Roc back.  And unless Roc is tired of being the head coach at LU I doubt he'll leave just for the money.

Why would UTEP want to hire Roc when he hasn't proven he can win big at LU?  I think that's a long shot at best and I would bet the UTEP alumni would want a bigger "name" that Roc.

Lamar doesn't have the money or the prestige to hire Gillipsie.  Lamar can't even find the money for a new scoreboard in the Montagne Center so where's the extra $100,000 or more a year going to come from to even get Gillipsie interested?

UNLV, the "SETX mentality" argument is getting a little old.  A lot of things can explain the lack for growth in the area:  (1) blue-collar area overly dependent on the oil industry, (2) high-humidity combined with smelly air and millions of mosquitoes, (3) cliquish and somewhat divided population.  And where did you come up with 0 growth for Lamar in 40 years?  Lamar's enrollment topped out in the mid-80s and then went down when the economy and population bottomed out in the area.

[UNLV]

Did those excuses stop Houston from growing?   NO.   Houston is only 3 years older than Beaumont.

The mindset is different. Any Entrepreneur goes to Houston or lets use a city in similar size, Amarillo, is

met with open arms and a tax base willing to partner up to create jobs and opportunity. Try that in SETX and you

are met with the "why are you trying to change our way of life NOWAY do it somewhere's else" mentality.

Lamar's main campus population plateaued at 10,000 in 1970. It hasn't grown much since then as it is currently 10,500.

Why? poor leadership at Lamar and in an area with an inferior mentality. That's the truth, take it or leave it.

The good news is Dr Simmons doesn't think that way and a few SETX cities elected officials are no longer thinking

that way. You can look around and see the difference at Lamar and in Beaumont from 10, 20, 30, and 40 years ago.

[Guest mffl]

Beaumont's population is going to have no effect on Roc leaving or not.

I don't expect Roc to leave at all. I believe K State pays assistant Dalonte Hill in the 400k range, and that makes him the country's most highest paid AC. (I could be wrong I'm just going on an article I read a while back). But I don't think UK will throw 400k at Roc, Calipari might do things in the "grey area", but Roc is going to bring a Micheal Beasley type talent his first year to UK and there is no reason to dish out that much more money than he makes now, even though I have no idea how much he makes.

[badndn]

Why would UTEP want Roc when Gillespie is looking for a job? Remember folks Gillespie was the head man at UTEP when he took the A&M job. Besides, Marlin, Kasper and Clark would be higher on the UTEP list than Roc.

I agree with coachacola, Memphis has recruited just fine without Roc, remember Rose, Evans and this current class they had (before Cal left) the number 1, 2, 3 and 13 players in the nation coming in. Not sure that Roc had anything to do with that  :.

Roc ain't going anywhere anytime soon. Somethimes I think West just throws things out there to keep his article in play!