Where There's a Wil, There's a Way

COACHING STAFF SET

Postby 3manweave » Wed Feb 03, 2016 11:21 pm

[April 6th, 2020 - Men's basketball offices, Beeghly Center, Youngstown campus]

I have had the opportunity to speak with each member of the previous coaching staff in recent days; and much to their relief, I've determined they're the best options (not that I didn't try elsewhere first). I don't yet have a great number of contacts in the business yet, but I instantly developed a pretty good rapport with these guys. I was able to contact Jeff Neubauer back at Washington prior to all this, and the people he talked to said "Thanks, but no thanks" when asked about joining on here. Fine, no skin off my back....I'll make due with what I have.

My top assistant is going to be Brian DePaoli. He's young (42), and he has a great energy about him. I think he's somewhat annoyed that he wasn't even offered an interview for the job since he was Jerry's right-hand man the last few years, but we cleared the air, and I think we'll have a pretty good working relationship. He's going to spearhead my recruiting efforts, and coach the guards. Part of that recruiting effort Will include trying to retain the services of signee Jimmy Wilson, a pretty high-level recruit for the mid-major level that signed early in November of last year. He's also going to help out with Jared Jackson, although efforts to bring him back into the fold have been terribly unsuccessful.

Secondly, Michael Wernicki is going to be my second assistant. His personality isn't quite as outgoing as Brian's, but he'll be asked to handle some recruiting as well. His strength is in player development on the strength and conditioning side, but he's the only one on staff with any sort of real advance scouting experience. I'll be happy to help him out with that early on, but the goal is to have him 100% handling that by conference play. Jerry gave me a call a few days ago prior to interviewing Michael, and said that he was hard on the players, but they had a great deal of respect and admiration. Honestly, I was on the fence about keeping him until that call. I'm glad he did.

Steve Hall, the third assistant, Will coach the forwards/bigs. He's a bit older than the others (49), but he's probably the most ambitious out of the three. He flat out told me that he's gone if he gets a head coaching opportunity, which I completely understand. My fear is that he'll try to do too much and step on some toes along the way. He's also not the most vigilant when it comes to the players and their academics; but in talking to him, he has a bright basketball mind and really knows his stuff. I think I'm going to trust him with helping me out in game coaching situations and strategy. Not so much with anything else.
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CONTRACT SPECS

Postby 3manweave » Fri Feb 05, 2016 7:01 pm

[April 7th, 2020 - Men's basketball offices, Beeghly Center, Youngstown campus]

The school released my contract today, including assistant salaries and total budget.

CONTRACT PERIPHERALS
Salary: $70,000
Contract Length: 3 years
Assistant Salaries (total): $119,000
Recruiting Budget: $47,250
Total 2020-2021 Basketball Budget: $236,250
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WHEW, TIME FOR A BREAK

Postby 3manweave » Sat Feb 06, 2016 5:49 pm

[April 30th, 2020 - Men's basketball offices, Beeghly Center, Youngstown campus]

It's been a long several weeks since I took the job; but today the recruiting class was finalized, and we can take the summer off to unwind before the season starts. Despite our best efforts, we weren't able to retain Jared Jackson, as he decided to transfer and ended up at TCU. Michael Hampton also transferred as well, and I was able to get in touch with the coach at my alma mater, Northwest Missouri State. They had room for him, and he's expected to play a pretty big role for them in his final two seasons. I couldn't be happier for him, as he couldn't get on the floor here, but is going to get a chance to play.

Speaking of recruiting, it was pretty much in the tank when I took over. Jimmy Wilson was the only signed recruit, and he was on shaky ground because of Slocum's departure. Brian DePaoli and I made it a priority to keep this kid in the fold because his film from both high school and the AAU circuit was outstanding, and we felt he could push for starter's minutes from day one. It took some effort on our part, but we were able to convince him that he should stick it out.

The parents were also skeptical, but they really liked that I retained the old staff for some continuity. However, they were concerned that I would take a new job if I had two or three years of success. I couldn't make any promises to the parents, but told them that even if I took another job at that point, I would highly recommend Brian for the job. That way, the chances that Jimmy would have a member of the current staff for all four of his years there. That seemed to solidify both parents and Jimmy.

We also closed on Ryan Hall, a 6-foot-4 combo guard from Dayton. He wanted to play for the hometown Flyers, but he was largely ignored as he barely received any correspondence from them. He can shoot the heck out of the basketball, and gives us a much-needed ballhandler with Jackson's departure. Regrettably, it was hard to find a local big that wanted to play for us. We have three seniors in the post this year, and playing time should be an easy sell for any big that wants to play, and play a lot.

Time to hit the transfer market. But not before a much-needed break...
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Re: Where There's a Wil, There's a Way

Postby Wayne23 » Sat Feb 06, 2016 5:56 pm

Keep writing 3man. This is great!
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Re: Where There's a Wil, There's a Way

Postby PointGuard » Sat Feb 06, 2016 6:34 pm

Brian "B-Ball" Stark: "Hey, I was in Dayton this past January and saw a game in which that Hall kid shot the lights out...think he scored 32 points that night. Hell, the rest of his teammates only scored about 20. Not sure if that was the norm or just a hot night, but nothing the other team tried against him that night worked worth a damn."
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A SENSE OF NORMALCY

Postby 3manweave » Sun Feb 14, 2016 7:29 pm

[May 7th, 2020 - Beeghly Center, men's basketball offices]

I was sitting in my office going over second semester grades when my phone rang. "Mr. Kasten? This is John from ABC Moving Company. Your possessions are about twenty minutes away from your new address. If at all possible, please be present when they arrive," he said.

"Thanks, I'll be there," I said, hanging up. "Doreen, I'll be back in a few hours...I have to go meet the moving crew," I said to my secretary as I left the office.

I had received a pretty good rental deal on a condo in downtown Youngstown thanks to Brian Stark; who had a connection to a real estate agent in Cleveland who worked with pro athletes and coaches. In addition, Stark was one of the area AAU coaches who tipped me off to Ryan Hall last month.

However, Michael Wernicki warned me that he had tried for years to cozy up to various coaching staffs in the area for players in the hopes of eventually landing a collegiate assistant coaching job if he delivered them enough players. He tried with Jerry Slocum, and he had pretty much shut Stark out of the program the final few years of his tenure. All of this was unbeknownst to me, and would have been nice to know upfront.

"Look, Brian's not a bad guy," Michael told me several days ago when we were having a coaches' meeting in the office. "But, there's a feeling not only here, but elsewhere that he's getting desperate for a job somewhere. If I were you, I'd steer clear. He has a big ego, but unfortunately doesn't have the coaching chops to match."

I had dealt with sketchy AAU types the last several years; Brian didn't seem any different. But he was the first one that someone actually warned me about, and I actually have the power to run my program as I see fit. Were my assistants threatened by him? I was actually going to try to get to know Brian before making that decision, but he made it seem ominous.

Pulling up to the condo, I saw that the crew had already arrived. They were actually early; as it only took about fifteen minutes to get to the building. I had been staying at the Doubletree Inn for the past week, living off fast food mainly. It would be nice to finally have my things settled in and be able to cook a meal in my own kitchen...even if it was out of a box.
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BIG-TIME TRANSFER

Postby 3manweave » Mon Feb 15, 2016 3:36 pm

[June 19th, 2020 - Beeghly Center, men's basketball offices]

The past couple of weeks, I had been working the transfer market for a big man. Most trails ran cold, until Missouri released Will Beasley from his scholarship. However, after doing some background into Beasley a few days ago, I noticed he had started all but one game in his career for them...I became a little skeptical. I called Kim Anderson, the coach at Missouri. I had a lot of respect for Kim; as he got off to a rough start there, but was able to turn around after a horrible first few seasons. Someday, I would love to have that job.

After the conversation, I came away with the impression that Kim didn't want to lose him, but that they had differences in how he should be utilized in his offense. After receiving some film of him through Dropbox; I began to see why. Beasley tended to float around the perimeter too much, and didn't use his considerable size and length on the boards. For his career, he averages 8.4 PPG and 3.3 RPG.

However, the athleticism and work ethic was there. He got after it in man-to-man defense, and has some nifty moves on the inside. He's not the ideal guy I would want; but I'm losing a lot of size in the post after this year, and I could use him. After requesting permission to speak with him, I was able to talk to the young man and fortunately, he was interested in transferring.

He flew in along with his parents for a visit today; and along with Brian DePaoli, we just took him on a campus tour and laid out our plans and expectations for him in our program. There was concern on his parents' part about the distance from home, but they liked the fact I was a native Missourian as well, which seemed to ease them a little.

"We just want the best for Will," his dad, Shane, said. "Him and the coach at Missouri didn't get along, but I don't think it was extremely contentious or anything like that."

"Right," I said. "My policy is that if Will or anyone else on the team has an issue, my door is always open and they're also free to call me anytime. But, if there are going to be disagreements, there's a right and wrong way to do it. From what Coach Anderson told me, you're a good kid that works hard on the court and in the classroom...you're just passionate and want to win. I like that. Your grades are solid. So, I'm going to offer you a full scholarship for the maximum of three years of eligibility you have left."

"You're actually the first school to offer a spot," the younger Beasley said. "The other schools said they'd look into it, but never heard back. I had heard from Northern Iowa, Bradley, Southern Illinois, and a few others at Division II."

"Fortunately for us, we have several spots available...so, what do you say?" I asked. After looking at both of his parents, and with a smile he accepted the offer. I shook hands with the parents, and all of us officially signed Will's transfer papers.

"Congrats, and welcome to the Youngstown family," I said.
Last edited by 3manweave on Wed Feb 17, 2016 11:03 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Where There's a Wil, There's a Way

Postby 3manweave » Wed Feb 17, 2016 2:33 pm

June 20th, 2020

YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio (AP) - Youngstown head coach Wil Kasten has announced the transfer of Will Beasley into the Penguins program. The former Missouri standout from St. Louis' CBC high school, started fifty-six of the team's fifty-seven games the past two years, averaging 8.4 points and 3.3 rebounds per game.

The six-foot-nine, 235-pound Beasley will step into the team's frontcourt next season after taking the year off per NCAA transfer rules. He was on the All-SEC Freshman team two years ago, and was honorable mention All-SEC as a sophomore last year.

"We're real excited to have Will join our program," Kasten said in a prepared statement. "He's a high-energy player who will contribute heavily to the team next year and beyond, as we're losing some quality depth after this season to graduation."

The Penguins begin the 2020-2021 season in earnest at Nebraska on November 13th.
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CATCHING MY BREATH

Postby 3manweave » Thu Feb 18, 2016 8:01 pm

[June 25th, 2020 - Wil's condo]

It's been a whirlwind last six to seven weeks since being named head coach; as I've lost two players, gained three more, and still have six scholarships to hand out. We were only going to be attending one AAU tournament, the big one in Chicago that was slated for July 14th through the 16th. I wanted to go to the Indianapolis showcase as well, but the budget won't allow (yet). Before all of that, however; the guys were going to take some well-deserved time off. Myself and Brian DePaoli were going to have the next few weeks off prior to the Chicago Hoops Revue, and Michael Wernicki and Steve Hall were going to handle recruiting in the meantime. After the Revue, Michael and Steve would be off for a couple of weeks to recharge before we all hit the ground running for the beginning of practice in the fall.

Nathan Scott and I have also been hard at work finalizing the schedule for the upcoming season, but there were a few snags. He promised to have it done by the time I returned. So far, all I know is that we're going to play at Nebraska to kick off the season, and we'll likely be playing most of our non-con on the road. That's fine, I'd like to see what we're made of pretty early on. I'm excited for league play; the Horizon has some really great teams in it. I'm looking forward to playing Butler and Oakland especially as they've been the standard-bearers in this conference for a number of years.

Away from the court, I've settled into my new place nicely; it's not as up-to-date and modern as the one-bedroom condo I had in Seattle, but it's bigger and more functional since my salary goes farther here. Not going to lie; even on a basketball assistant coaches' salary at a large state school...it was tough some months to make ends meet out there. It's also been a relief to have somewhat of a routine again. I've already made a few public appearances around town per my contract, and the reception has been nothing but positive. The fan support here, while a little beaten down with the recent struggles, is still strong; not what I expected from a football-crazy state like Ohio. I expect that sentiment to change as my time here presses on; especially since it may take a year or two to get this going in the right direction, but I'm going to stay optimistic and enjoy it while I can.

The situation with Alaina also appears to be heading towards a somewhat positive resolution. Ever since the party in Seattle, we've been talking once or twice a week after she called me out of the blue a few days afterward. In fact, she was just in town last weekend after moving her schedule around to get the weekend off. She flew in from San Diego and we were able to spend some time together for the first time in over four years; giving her a tour of the facilities and taking her around town. While there are certainly still some unresolved feelings between us (wink wink), the fact that our lives are so crazy at this point...a long-distance relationship just isn't possible, despite the good times that were had. I'll provide some context here - she was just out of college at USD at the time we met (she was 23, I was 32 at the time), and she liked the fact that I was ambitious and career-driven.

However, as the time went by and demands on my time with coaching and recruiting began to intensify, we spent less and less time together. She had not yet established her career path at that point; and we still cared about each other, so we decided to end it before it went too far. The age difference bothered me more than I let on, also. After the split, we remained friends. I talked to her on Facebook every now and then, but that was it until recently. Ryan has sworn up and down he had nothing to do with her coming up to see me in Seattle at my celebration. I don't completely believe him, but I'll take his word for it.

Despite the fact that we're both a bit older and wiser, the timing for a relationship just isn't right at this point. I'm embarking on the biggest job of my career so far, and she's worked her way up the corporate ladder in just a matter of a few years. Not to mention we're a half-country apart.
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GETTING MYSELF OUT THERE

Postby 3manweave » Thu Feb 18, 2016 8:03 pm

[August 1st, 2020 - Wil's office, Beeghly Center]

Today is my first appearance on local radio since taking the job, as I'm interviewing with Cleveland radio in about a half-hour to discuss the new position. This appearance isn't part of my contract, but Britani Benson convinced me to do it. She's since been promoted by Nathan to head up the men's and women's basketball programs' media relations; so she's no longer over the academics, and is effectively my PR mouthpiece. With the camp circuit over, vacations taken, and practice not starting up until October 2nd, there would be more downtime besides recruiting, so I didn't see the harm in it at all.

Britani and I posted up in my office to do the interview by phone. "Now, I spoke with the producer, and there's no need to be nervous," she said. "I don't think it's going to be a terribly difficult interview." I was still a bit anxious. I don't know how I've been able to recruit over the phone these past few years. I tend to stammer on the phone, even with friends and family. But when I'm recruiting or talking basketball, everything flows naturally. But this was different. I'm running my own program, and I'm representing an entire institution. Maybe I chose the wrong line of work.

Just then, the phone rang. "Hello, Wil? This is Dave Bronson from 870 AM in Cleveland. Skip's going to ask some general questions about the program, nothing too hard-hitting," he said, referring to the show's host, Skip Tomylou. "Stay on the line, and we'll patch you through to him."

After a few minutes listening to the on-hold music, Skip's voice rang out over the speaker. "Hi, and welcome back Cleveland, you're listening to 870 AM KCLE. We have new Youngstown State head coach Wil Kasten on the line with us...how are you, Coach? I'm disappointed it took us this long to get you on the air!"

"That's no problem, Skip, glad to be here."

"So, let's start it out with a general question...the culture shock. What's it like coming from the West Coast to central Ohio? How's the pace of life here?" He asked.

"Well, I'm not sure about that. Seattle is a pretty laid-back city, so I don't think there's a lot of difference here. The people are friendly in both places, and the fanbase seems supportive and ready to see where this program goes. At least in my encounters with local-area fans," I said.

"You came from San Diego, correct?" He asked. I paused for a moment. "Correct. The unversity, to be clear," I said.

"San Diego. Great city," he said. "The Gaslamp district has some great restaurants, shops, beaches...." I looked at Britani. What is this guy rambling about, I thought. Her face showed the same bewilderment. "Yes, Skip, San Diego is a fantastic city to live in," I said nervously, as I wondered if he would move on to, you know, ACTUAL basketball talk. Skip continued on.

"So, what's your favorite restaurant to eat at out there? Man, it's been about twenty years since I've been there..." I was getting a little annoyed, but I decided to humor him. "Pescador is pretty good, they have great salmon. Pardon my bluntness, but I'd like to discuss basketball here," I said. "Because, I have a pretty busy day ahead of me..."

"No, no, I'm sorry," he said. "Sometimes at my age, I tend to ramble. So, Coach..."

:::::

Once the interview got going, Skip was actually engaging and asked good questions, ranging from recruiting strategy to facilities to daily life in Youngstown. At the conclusion, Dave Bronson stayed on the line with us and apologized for Skip.

"Honestly, he's been like this for a few months now," he said. "It's really odd. He has these moments of brilliance, and would then go on and on about the color of his socks. All on the air, and all in the span of twenty seconds. He has some really great stories though off-the-air...he's worked in a lot of cities in various points of time. Seen a lot of things."

"Has he been to a doctor?" Britani asked. Sounds like Alzheimer's.

"Yes, but if there's anything wrong, he hasn't said anything," Dave replied. "I don't think he'd tell us. Him and his wife have been divorced for years, and he's been a loner for all of the time I've known him. He's a private person."

Interesting. "Thanks, Dave," I said. "Have a good one." I hung the phone up, put palm to face, and let out a sigh.

"Well, that was....interesting, but you handled it pretty well I thought," Britani said.

"I don't think it's all his fault, but I couldn't imagine working with that guy," I said. "Want to go get some coffee; talk about what to do next? There's the coffee shop down the street. We'll take my car so you don't have to walk."

"Thanks," she said with a smirk. "There's no way I'm walking that far in heels."
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