The unofficial online home for fans of the Kent State University Golden Flashes. Part of Collegiate Sports Nation (CSN).

Zips fan here. Can't believe I'm posting this, but objectively you guys should give this guy a look for your head job.

Did you ever see what he did at Sacred Heart, his only head coaching stint? When he was hired at Akron as a d-coordinator, after reading his bio at the time, I thought he should have gotten the HC job.

He took over a 2-9 program and went 10-1 and 11-0:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jim_Fleming..._football)

That football team was crap before and crap within three years after he left:

http://sacredheart.prestosports.com/spor...or_web.pdf

Being a HC is just different than a position coach, obviously, and Fleming obviously is more of a HC. I think he just made a mistake leaving Sacred Heart for UNC. Fleming might be the best HC you could get and he's sitting there on your staff right now. I wish to God we had elevated him after firing Brookhart. Just sayin.

We have some great assistants. I’ve heard good things about Coach Fleming. Interesting that JN went out of his way to say he would talk about the assistants after Friday; get the sense he’d like to hang onto some of them.

Along the lines of the post, looks like Pete Restkis may have his hat in the ring. Can’t argue with his results on defense; would have liked to have seen what his D could do if they weren’t on the field so much. He also knows NE Ohio and the MAC well. Those work in his favor. My biggest concern about Coach Restkis is the record of undisciplined play on D resulting in personal fouls coming at the worst possible moments ( i.e. Toledo). Have to dig into how much is coaching and how much is players as knuckleheads.

I cannot imagine anyone with any fingerprint on the current KSU program having a legit shot at this job. You promote someone from within and it wreaks of mediocrity. I am not saying he hasn't done an admirable job, but if you want a culture change you have to create one. Hiring from within totally defeats the purpose.

(11-24-2010 10:25 AM)dannyb73 Wrote:  I cannot imagine anyone with any fingerprint on the current KSU program having a legit shot at this job. You promote someone from within and it wreaks of mediocrity. I am not saying he hasn't done an admirable job, but if you want a culture change you have to create one. Hiring from within totally defeats the purpose.

You reflect a common sentiment, dannyb. It’s going to work against Coach Restkis or other guys on the staff.

Still, if I were in Restkis' shoes, I’d want a fair shot. IMO, he’s earned a look if he wants it. Maybe he’s not the guy when stacked against the other finalists, but he shouldn’t be written off just because he’s already here.

Ditto for Fleming or other assistants. At least take a look.

This is a great thread and kudos to the post above. All are thoughtful and stimulates conversation. I to believe that most of the time, in a situation like ours, any new HC will want complete control and a new slate. And, to get anyone that is good, we may have to give in to that. I do not see elevating anyone on this staff to HC. I agree with the dannyb73 POV. There may be one or more assistants on this staff worth trying to retain. My guess is, that Rekstis may be one of those. I also hear good things about Flemming. This is where JN comes in with administrative skills that would show a high level of accomplishment. Can he hire a HC with good discipline, vision, and organizational skills, and convince him to go with several chosen assistants. With the budget constraints, this could be a winning formula. This also assumes that the assistants on staff wanting consideration for the HC position, would be able to swallow enough pride to stay on as an assistant. I could see this, if they are given a raise, and an elevated title. The job market at this time, particularly if your resume shows experience from a losing program, is not particularly fertile.

This is premature, but here is the way that I would handicap the most likely scenario.

HC - the guy at Wake Forest due to ties to Ohio and connection with our AD
DC - Associate Head Coach - Rekstis, with a raise.
Assistant Coach - Flemming with increased duties and raise

For a multitude of reasons, I believe Jerry McManus should stay.

You all make good points. The MAC needs to be strong and hire excellent coaches. Trust me, I know

However, my point wasn't about retaining Fleming as an assistant, it was that the guy has proven himself in kind of an amazing way as a head coach, on his own standing.

As far as anyone on the staff being at a disadvantage and Kent (I didn't say Can't hah!) needing the momentum or philosophy shift, well, remember when Mike Thomas elevated Keith Dambrot after firing Dan Hipsher the day before? We were at the bottom of the MAC in basketball, and look what Dambrot's done for us there. If you looked at Dambrot's past head coaching experience at smaller schools, he was a turnaround artist just like Fleming. And he was elevated from Hipsher's outgoing staff.

Guys on the staff who've sat in the Head Coach chair before, especially when they've been wildly successful like Fleming, should get a look. I mean, just check out Sacred Heart's record for the years leading up to and the years after Fleming's tenure.

And some guys are better as head coaches than they are as assistants, imho. Obviously I think you're sitting on a gold mine and trust me, I kind of am kicking myself for promoting the guy. But hey, we're wallowing over here anyway, so might as well speak the truth.

"and look what Dambrot's done for us there."

I'd prefer not to. Akron's schedule is just awful. Awful. Awful.

I also hear good things about Jim Fleming. Not sure it how will all shake out.

Dambrot was only technically "elevated from Hipsher's outgoing staff". Dambrot had had success in the past as a head coach in the MAC, and should never have been fired. He was a sacrifice to the PC Gods. It is, and was, common knowledge that he was made an assisstant to Hapsher for the sole purpose of replacing him at the first opportune time.

(11-24-2010 06:24 PM)Kent 76 Wrote:  Dambrot was only technically "elevated from Hipsher's outgoing staff". Dambrot had had success in the past as a head coach in the MAC, and should never have been fired. He was a sacrifice to the PC Gods. It is, and was, common knowledge that he was made an assisstant to Hapsher for the sole purpose of replacing him at the first opportune time.

Disagree. The guy is a boderline racist and at the very least has difficulty controlling his temper. He called a bunch of his African-American players unacceptable names. Without LeBron, Dambrot probably never gets a second chance.

I don't think I ever heard the term "borderline racist" before. I thought one either was or wasn't one. Coaching D I basketball is certainly an odd job choice for someone who has racist views. But then, less than half of the current roster is made up of people of color....

(11-24-2010 06:38 PM)dannyb73 Wrote:  

(11-24-2010 06:24 PM)Kent 76 Wrote:  Dambrot was only technically "elevated from Hipsher's outgoing staff". Dambrot had had success in the past as a head coach in the MAC, and should never have been fired. He was a sacrifice to the PC Gods. It is, and was, common knowledge that he was made an assisstant to Hapsher for the sole purpose of replacing him at the first opportune time.

Disagree. The guy is a boderline racist and at the very least has difficulty controlling his temper. He called a bunch of his African-American players unacceptable names. Without LeBron, Dambrot probably never gets a second chance.

It wasn't LeBron as much as Joyce and Travis. They formed a foundation at Akron when they came from St V-M and Dambrot came with them. I don't buy the racist thing. He made an unfortunate and regretable choice of words in trying to motivate his players and has suffered the consequences. He paid for the crime and deserves to move on from that.

I agree though. Even if some of the Kent assistants have potential to be a head coach, this isn't the right time to elevate them to the job.

(11-24-2010 10:06 PM)bopol Wrote:  

(11-24-2010 06:38 PM)dannyb73 Wrote:  

(11-24-2010 06:24 PM)Kent 76 Wrote:  Dambrot was only technically "elevated from Hipsher's outgoing staff". Dambrot had had success in the past as a head coach in the MAC, and should never have been fired. He was a sacrifice to the PC Gods. It is, and was, common knowledge that he was made an assisstant to Hapsher for the sole purpose of replacing him at the first opportune time.

Disagree. The guy is a boderline racist and at the very least has difficulty controlling his temper. He called a bunch of his African-American players unacceptable names. Without LeBron, Dambrot probably never gets a second chance.

It wasn't LeBron as much as Joyce and Travis. They formed a foundation at Akron when they came from St V-M and Dambrot came with them. I don't buy the racist thing. He made an unfortunate and regretable choice of words in trying to motivate his players and has suffered the consequences. He paid for the crime and deserves to move on from that.

I agree though. Even if some of the Kent assistants have potential to be a head coach, this isn't the right time to elevate them to the job.

I don't personally know him, so maybe it is a little unfair to judge him. However, I was a manager for 4 years during his tenure at CMU and I know people who do know him. Opinions of him are not very flattering. Just my two cents.

I don't know.. The pro's for hiring from within is that an assistant could be taking notes on how NOT to run a program... So to speak. I mean, assistants could be great coaches, but even great coaches need a job and a way to get their foot in the door.

However, I am concerned that we need someone that has experience enough to overturn a culture of losing. That would have to take a ton of experience from more than 1 good program.

I mean, think about what out team goes through; they hear about how bad Kent State Football is the day they sign on. The kids in their high school when they committ are reminding them. Their roommates in the dorm are reminding them. The Stater reminds them. All these bloody Ohio State fans remind them who is important on campus. We need a guy that can overturn all of that.

Heck, we need a psychiatrist with a lot of anti-depresants.

(11-25-2010 08:28 AM)AlphaFlash Wrote:  I don't know.. The pro's for hiring from within is that an assistant could be taking notes on how NOT to run a program... So to speak. I mean, assistants could be great coaches, but even great coaches need a job and a way to get their foot in the door.

However, I am concerned that we need someone that has experience enough to overturn a culture of losing. That would have to take a ton of experience from more than 1 good program.

I mean, think about what out team goes through; they hear about how bad Kent State Football is the day they sign on. The kids in their high school when they committ are reminding them. Their roommates in the dorm are reminding them. The Stater reminds them. All these bloody Ohio State fans remind them who is important on campus. We need a guy that can overturn all of that.

Heck, we need a psychiatrist with a lot of anti-depresants.

But your're right bear, we are sitting on a gold mine. And I do feel better about this time around than I have felt with the previous coaches I lived through.

(11-24-2010 11:37 PM)dannyb73 Wrote:  

(11-24-2010 10:06 PM)bopol Wrote:  

(11-24-2010 06:38 PM)dannyb73 Wrote:  

(11-24-2010 06:24 PM)Kent 76 Wrote:  Dambrot was only technically "elevated from Hipsher's outgoing staff". Dambrot had had success in the past as a head coach in the MAC, and should never have been fired. He was a sacrifice to the PC Gods. It is, and was, common knowledge that he was made an assisstant to Hapsher for the sole purpose of replacing him at the first opportune time.

Disagree. The guy is a boderline racist and at the very least has difficulty controlling his temper. He called a bunch of his African-American players unacceptable names. Without LeBron, Dambrot probably never gets a second chance.

It wasn't LeBron as much as Joyce and Travis. They formed a foundation at Akron when they came from St V-M and Dambrot came with them. I don't buy the racist thing. He made an unfortunate and regretable choice of words in trying to motivate his players and has suffered the consequences. He paid for the crime and deserves to move on from that.

I agree though. Even if some of the Kent assistants have potential to be a head coach, this isn't the right time to elevate them to the job.

I don't personally know him, so maybe it is a little unfair to judge him. However, I was a manager for 4 years during his tenure at CMU and I know people who do know him. Opinions of him are not very flattering. Just my two cents.

Thanks to the posters on here who are objective and know *exactly* what happened to Coach Dambrot at CMU. Talk about a PC lynching. You cannot judge him by the CMU thing. And one of his references for getting hired at Akron as an ASSISTANT for Hipsher(and I know he was extensively vetted by AkronU before hiring him at all) was the head of one of the largest NAACP chapters in the state of Michigan. Doubt he'd get those kind of references if he was truly a racist.

And dannyb, I think you're just incorrect on his likeability. Trust me, we like him just fine over here, and his players do, too. Kent's had some great coaches, but give credit where credit is due for Akron, too.

And I still think your AD should have a conversation with Fleming and find out how he turned a 2-9 program immediately into a 10-1 and 11-0 program. That's almost unheard of. You'd be better off hiring a proven guy (like Dambrot was for us) rather than an unproven assistant. Just my .02 - I obviously think highly of Fleming and hope he goes back to a head job somewhere if he doesn't get yours. And face it - I shouldn't be wanting you guys to do well, so maybe my whole premise is suspect. :))