Valpo

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BirdGrad2011

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That’d be…interesting. Heard lots of guys didn’t want the job.
 
C

cubird

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IMO...until now Roger has thought he would be getting bigger offers than Valley teams calling.
 
DougSutton

DougSutton

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cubird said:
IMO...until now Roger has thought he would be getting bigger offers than Valley teams calling.
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I believe Mark Few feels that way about Roger but I believe Roger hasn't felt ready to be a head coach until recently. He was offered the Valpo job as soon as Bryce Drew took the Vandy job but he didn't feel ready at the time so he followed Bryce to Vandy before getting hired on Few's staff. Few's previous top assistant went straight from Gonzaga to Arizona and has had immediate success. If Roger wanted to stay around and wait, I believe over time he could get a much "better" job than Valpo. Although I do know being close to family is important and both his parents and in laws are in the Chicago area and he now has a young family and the opportunity to be close to family during this time of life I'm sure is a big draw.

I do know he wanted the ISU job. @BirdGrad2011 I'm not sure if it was that he interviewed "poorly" or if it was just that Kyle didn't feel a connection with Roger the way he felt he connected with coach Pedon. I've seen this happen many times when interviewing people for leadership positions and when presented with 2 great candidates, always choosing the one that you felt that you "clicked" with more. That doesn't take away from the candidate that wasn't hired at all. I'm on the record that I was disappointed and upset that he didn't get the ISU job because I believe Roger would have been a great choice at Illinois State.

That being said, I had no awareness of coach Pedon prior to him being hired and was upset at first. I soon heard great things about coach Pedon including directly from EJ Liddell's parents who have been friends of mine since college and I quickly embraced coach Pedon.

Regarding the point about interviewing poorly, from my perspective, it was crystal clear that coach Pedon had been fully prepared to claim the ISU job throughout his interview process, speaking assertively and confidently about his vision for the program, he had his talking points nailed in an amazing way, he spoke congruently and was on point throughout the process. It was as if he had rehearsed and practiced these talking points multiple times and had had the hunger and desire to be a coach for awhile. I could tell this wasn't his first time going after a head coaching job and he trained and prepared for this and it showed. I'm sure this is something Roger hadn't done before, certainly on this level and can see how this would be a big influencing factor in a decision making process.

If I'm hiring for a leadership position, the attributes of clarify of vision, confidence, certainty and an ability to articulate this in a way that the words coming out are completely congruent with the energy and emotions are major determining factors. I could see these qualities in coach Pedon right away. This is a skillset that takes time and commitment to fully embody.

While I still believe Roger will be a great coach someday, I am also happy we have coach Pedon. If Roger gets the Valpo job, they will become my 2nd favorite team in the Valley and I'll be pulling for him to succeed. I feel Valpo overall is a very difficult place to win, especially comparing it to the quality of university and facilities that Illinois State has going for it.
 
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Buffett1

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274
DougSutton said:
I believe Mark Few feels that way about Roger but I believe Roger hasn't felt ready to be a head coach until recently. He was offered the Valpo job as soon as Bryce Drew took the Vandy job but he didn't feel ready at the time so he followed Bryce to Vandy before getting hired on Few's staff. Few's previous top assistant went straight from Gonzaga to Arizona and has had immediate success. If Roger wanted to stay around and wait, I believe over time he could get a much "better" job than Valpo. Although I do know being close to family is important and both his parents and in laws are in the Chicago area and he now has a young family and the opportunity to be close to family during this time of life I'm sure is a big draw.

I do know he wanted the ISU job. @BirdGrad2011 I'm not sure if it was that he interviewed "poorly" or if it was just that Kyle didn't feel a connection with Roger the way he felt he connected with coach Pedon. I've seen this happen many times when interviewing people for leadership positions and when presented with 2 great candidates, always choosing the one that you felt that you "clicked" with more. That doesn't take away from the candidate that wasn't hired at all. I'm on the record that I was disappointed and upset that he didn't get the ISU job because I believe Roger would have been a great choice at Illinois State.

That being said, I had no awareness of coach Pedon prior to him being hired and was upset at first. I soon heard great things about coach Pedon including directly from EJ Liddell's parents who have been friends of mine since college and I quickly embraced coach Pedon.

Regarding the point about interviewing poorly, from my perspective, it was crystal clear that coach Pedon had been fully prepared to claim the ISU job throughout his interview process, speaking assertively and confidently about his vision for the program, he had his talking points nailed in an amazing way, he spoke congruently and was on point throughout the process. It was as if he had rehearsed and practiced these talking points multiple times and had had the hunger and desire to be a coach for awhile. I could tell this wasn't his first time going after a head coaching job and he trained and prepared for this and it showed. I'm sure this is something Roger hadn't done before, certainly on this level and can see how this would be a big influencing factor in a decision making process.

If I'm hiring for a leadership position, the attributes of clarify of vision, confidence, certainty and an ability to articulate this in a way that the words coming out are completely congruent with the energy and emotions and I could see this in coach Pedon right away. This is a skillset that takes time and commitment to fully embody.

While I still believe Roger will be a great coach someday, I am also happy we have coach Pedon. If Roger gets the Valpo job, they will become my 2nd favorite team in the Valley and I'll be pulling for him to succeed. I feel Valpo overall is a very difficult place to win, especially comparing it to the quality of university and facilities that Illinois State has going for it.
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  1. Matt Lottich out​

    My sources have said that Kyle B stated that he spoke to RP jr. for over two hours and never felt like he “connected” with him.
 
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