My first orders of business as the new GM of the Milburn Honkers includes:
1. Find and hire a coaching staff. Last year’s staff was let go along with Mike, so I need to start from scratch and find the right folks to lead this team on a day-to-day basis.
2. Take a look at finances and determine if we need to adjust ticket prices at all.
3. Take a look at the roster and identify who is under contract, who has a contract that is expiring and determine what to do with them, and identify our biggest needs from a personnel standpoint.
As I take a look at Head Coach possibilities, I see a few guys with experience as a head coach in the PBL. Those candidates are:
- Wesley Charles (57 years old) - Charles has been the GM for the New York Monarchs the past 7 seasons, but before that he was the Head Coach for the Detroit Falcons for two seasons. The Falcons went 26-34 and 30-30 in his two seasons. His strengths include Coaching Inside, Coaching Handling, Coaching Perimeter Defense, and Scouting Current/Potential Ability.
- Weldon Thomas (45 years old) - Thomas was our head coach the last three seasons. In those three seasons the team went 25-51, 18-58, and 25-51. Not stellar marks by any level. His strengths include Coaching Shooting, Coaching Perimeter Defense, and Scouting Current Ability.
- Daniel Davis (48 years old) - Davis has been the head coach of the Phoenix Rattlers for the last 5 seasons, but did not have his contract renewed after this past season. In his five seasons, the Rattlers went a combined 149-231 and never made the playoffs. Davis’s strengths include Coaching Inside, Coaching Shooting, Coaching Post Defense.
- Carlito Alas (40 years old) - Alas became a head coach at the age of 31, courtesy of the Seattle Sockeyes. He was coach of the Sockeyes from 1970-1975, and during his regime the team went 186-206, making the playoffs his last season. His contract was then not renewed, and he has spent the last three seasons as an assistant with the Chicago Stags. Strengths include Coaching Handling and Coaching Perimeter Defense.
- Pete McGee (59 years old) - McGee has been the head coach of the Milwaukee Muskies for the past 12 seasons. You might say he has had a bit of success as Muskies coach as well. Let’s say he has had success to the tune of 3 PBL Championships. For some reason though, Milwaukee chose to let him walk when his contract expired after this last season. But not only has he been a head coach for 12 seasons, but prior to getting the Muskies job, he was an assistant with our very own Honkers for 10 seasons. His career record is 489 wins and 311 losses. His strengths include Coaching Perimeter Defense and Scouting Current Ability.
Additionally, there are some intriguing candidates who have not been a head coach in the PBL yet. Amongst the strongest candidates in that category are:
- Royal Horne (57 years old) - strengths are Coaching Inside, Scouting Current/Potential Ability
- Arthur Williams (45 years old) - Williams has been the GM of the Cleveland Hornets the last 4 seasons. His strengths include Coaching Shooting and Handling, and Scouting Current Ability.
- Matthew Hibbard (46 years old) - strengths include Coaching Inside, Coaching Perimeter Defense, and Scouting Current/Potential Ability.
While there is some intrigue to starting with my own guy, with no previous ties to the Honkers, when I reached to Horne and Williams, both of them are asking for a salary I am not yet comfortable going with. McGee just wants to get coaching again and is willing to go with a smaller number in order to get back in the game quickly. The idea of hiring the former coach of a division rival, and one who has had great success to boot, does sound extremely inviting.
McGee is my target.