New Coach search?

PilotNut wrote:Does anyone have any scoop on the process/status?!  

Santa Clara names JR Payne as new women's basketball coach

By Elliott Almond

ealmond@mercurynews.com

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Santa Clara named former assistant JR Payne as its new women's basketball coach Sunday.

Payne returns to Santa Clara after leading Southern Utah for five seasons. The Thunderbirds won a record 23 games this season while advancing to the Women's National Invitation Tournament -- the first postseason berth in school history.

Payne, a former all-West Coast Conference guard for St. Mary's, replaces Jennifer Mountain, who went 56-127 in six years at Santa Clara.

Payne, 36, was a Broncos assistant in the 2008-09 season.

"We were drawn to JR during our national search for so many reasons," athletic director Dan Coonan said in a statement. "She has impressive Division I head coaching experience -- completely turning around the Southern Utah program in her time there. Prior to her time at Southern Utah, she made quite an impression on our staff in her brief stay here as an assistant coach."

The Canadian also was an assistant coach at Boise State and Gonzaga after graduating from St. Mary's in 1999.

"She has a wealth of West Coast Conference knowledge as well," Coonan added. "We know her to be a person of great character and integrity who will fit in here famously. What I love most is her perennially cheerful and optimistic disposition -- it is infectious."

Gonzaga coach Kelly Graves described Payne as one of the West Coast's most promising young coaches.

"She's a great teacher of the game and an exceptional recruiter," he said in a statement. "Her success at building programs can only be matched by her success at building young women."

DoubleDipper wrote:  I can only hope UP is aware of a another rising star who just happens to be a UP alum and has been an assistant with more than one good program since her graduation....we'll just have to wait an see.

Gonzaga has hired a coach for the women’s basketball team to replace Kelly Graves. According to a recruit, the new coach will be current GU assistant Lisa Mispley Fortier.

Athletic Director Mike Roth will formally announce the hiring at 5 p.m. today [4/14/14].

PilotNut wrote:It looks like Gonzaga has hired a new coach.

Gonzaga has hired a coach for the women’s basketball team to replace Kelly Graves. According to a recruit, the new coach will be current GU assistant Lisa Mispley Fortier.

Athletic Director Mike Roth will formally announce the hiring at 5 p.m. today [4/14/14].

wrv wrote:How likely is it that the Pilots have been turned down by some of the coaching prospects? I think likely.

wrv wrote: Gonzaga certainly has filled its position in a fraction of the time UP has taken.

wrv wrote:Congrats to Cheryl. I am a little surprised they hired from within given the significant lapse of time between when they knew Sollars was retiring and Cheryl's hiring.

Cheryl Sorenson, who played collegiately at the University of Washington and brought eight years of previous coaching experience to UP, was hired an assistant coach in June of 2011. A Portland native and a graduate of Clackamas High School, Sorenson spent the previous four years as an assistant coach at Eastern Washington University.

While at Eastern Washington (2007-2011), Sorenson assisted in every aspect of the program. Sorenson spent time coaching both the posts and the guards, she was EWU’s recruiting coordinator and she helped lead the Eagles to the 2010 Big Sky regular season title. Under her tutelage, forward Julie Piper became the first player in school history to be named the Big Sky Most Valuable Player, while guard Brianne Ryan landed on the all-conference first team.

Prior to landing with the Eagles, Sorenson served as the head coach of the women’s team at Bellevue Community College (Wash.) for three seasons (2005-07). After winning just four games her first year, Sorenson led the Bulldogs to 22 wins the next season and to an impressive 26-5 record in 2007. Sorenson was named the NWAACC North Division’s Coach of the Year after the remarkable turnaround.

Prior to arriving at BCC, Sorenson served as the head coach of the girls’ team at Eastside Catholic High School, also located in Bellevue.

Sorenson graduated from Washington in 2003 with degrees in both communications and psychology. She was a wing for the Huskies and she was a team captain during her junior and senior campaigns. Sorenson helped lead UW to two NCAA Tournaments, including the 2001 Regional Final, and a pair of WNIT berths. She garnered Pac-10 All-Academic honorable mention accolades during her final season at the school.

While at Clackamas High School, Sorenson earned multiple All-American honors, while landing on the all-state first team and all-state tournament team two years in a row. Sorenson finished her prep career with 1,968 career points and she led the state of Oregon (24.8 ppg) in scoring during her junior campaign.

PilotNut wrote:Well, the silence around here is deafening....  This hire sure has failed the "create excitement and interest" test.  

DoubleDipper wrote:

wrv wrote:How likely is it that the Pilots have been turned down by some of the coaching prospects? I think likely.

"I doubt it......it would seem more likely that it has been a matter of just waiting for the pieces to fall into places at other schools before being able to zero-in on the top candidate.  I think it might be fair to say top "remaining" candidate, but that should in no way diminish the quality of the eventual hire."  

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Below this line is not a quote from a prior post but it nonetheless has been set forth in the box because I cannot move it into regular text.





Just to confirm that we now know with some certainty that others were considered for the position of head coach and very likely declined offers. Per the Oregonian:


However, The Oregonian learned Wednesday evening that Oregon State athletic director Bob De Carolis offered Campbell a new contract with a base salary $150,000 for 2014-15 when Campbell became a candidate for the head coaching job at the University of Portland earlier this spring, according to a source with knowledge of the situation. Oregon State also provided The Oregonian with a draft of the unsigned contract.

Campbell turned De Carolis' offer down, the source said, and later left for Oregon shortly after new head coach Kelly Graves was hired for, essentially, the same amount of money he could have made at Oregon State this coming year.  

It at least partly explains the delay in the hire of coach Sorenson.