Re: The Coaching Legacy of Danny Carmichael (CH 2K8)
Danny Carmichael Introductory Press Conference
AD Mark Roth: This is a great day for Gonzaga Basketball. We believe we have found a coach that can take us to the next level among the basketball elites. Here are some accomplishments that Danny Carmichael has achieved at Radford University. A 98-33 record in 4 years, which averages out to a 24.5-8 record per year. He coached Radford to their first 30 win season in school history, first 2nd round appearance, first Sweet 16 appearance, and first Elite 8 appearance in school history. He also got Radford their first top 100 recruiting class in program history and their first top 25 recruiting class in program history. With that being said, please help me in welcoming our new men's basketball coach, Danny Carmichael.
Danny Carmichael: First off I'd like to thank AD Mark Roth and everyone who helped make this happen. I'd also like to thank everyone at Radford and my former players. The last 4 years have been some of the best years of my life and I'm so thankful for the opportunity to have been your head coach.
When asked, "what would it take to get you to leave Radford?" I responded by saying, "a truly special job". Well, this is a special job... An elite job. When you think of Mid-Major basketball programs, Gonzaga is the first team that comes to mind.
I feel that if you coach at "Small Conference" programs, you hit a peak and sadly, I feel like I may have hit that peak this past season at Radford. At Gonzaga, there is no peak. I think we can... Actually, I know that we will compete for Championships. Not only in the West Coast Conference, but on a National scale as well. In my first press conference at Radford I promised the fans that I would do everything in my power to win and compete for championships... Well, I'm going to make that same promise to you right now. We will win Conference Championships here and we will compete on a National level... The NIT isn't an option anymore. The NCAA Tournament is where I expect us to be every year.
Recruiting wise, I don't mean to sound prideful, but I do believe my track record speaks for itself. At Radford my lowest rated recruiting class was ranked #52 in the country and we even got a Top 25 class which is un heard of for Small Conference schools. I intend to do the same here. I'm going to be the hardest working recruiter in the country because if you want to win, you have to recruit.
We will play an exciting brand of basketball. We will play "Mayhem" defense. By "Mayhem" I mean we will be relentless on the defensive side of the ball. We will press and trap the opposing team all 94 feet, hoping to create turnovers which turn into fast break points. On offense, we will run a motion offense with lots of ball screens trying to get any open shot we can get.
Lastly, I would just like to say once more how honored and privileged I am to have this amazing opportunity to be your Men's Basketball Coach. Thank you.
Danny Carmichael Introductory Press Conference
AD Mark Roth: This is a great day for Gonzaga Basketball. We believe we have found a coach that can take us to the next level among the basketball elites. Here are some accomplishments that Danny Carmichael has achieved at Radford University. A 98-33 record in 4 years, which averages out to a 24.5-8 record per year. He coached Radford to their first 30 win season in school history, first 2nd round appearance, first Sweet 16 appearance, and first Elite 8 appearance in school history. He also got Radford their first top 100 recruiting class in program history and their first top 25 recruiting class in program history. With that being said, please help me in welcoming our new men's basketball coach, Danny Carmichael.
Danny Carmichael: First off I'd like to thank AD Mark Roth and everyone who helped make this happen. I'd also like to thank everyone at Radford and my former players. The last 4 years have been some of the best years of my life and I'm so thankful for the opportunity to have been your head coach.
When asked, "what would it take to get you to leave Radford?" I responded by saying, "a truly special job". Well, this is a special job... An elite job. When you think of Mid-Major basketball programs, Gonzaga is the first team that comes to mind.
I feel that if you coach at "Small Conference" programs, you hit a peak and sadly, I feel like I may have hit that peak this past season at Radford. At Gonzaga, there is no peak. I think we can... Actually, I know that we will compete for Championships. Not only in the West Coast Conference, but on a National scale as well. In my first press conference at Radford I promised the fans that I would do everything in my power to win and compete for championships... Well, I'm going to make that same promise to you right now. We will win Conference Championships here and we will compete on a National level... The NIT isn't an option anymore. The NCAA Tournament is where I expect us to be every year.
Recruiting wise, I don't mean to sound prideful, but I do believe my track record speaks for itself. At Radford my lowest rated recruiting class was ranked #52 in the country and we even got a Top 25 class which is un heard of for Small Conference schools. I intend to do the same here. I'm going to be the hardest working recruiter in the country because if you want to win, you have to recruit.
We will play an exciting brand of basketball. We will play "Mayhem" defense. By "Mayhem" I mean we will be relentless on the defensive side of the ball. We will press and trap the opposing team all 94 feet, hoping to create turnovers which turn into fast break points. On offense, we will run a motion offense with lots of ball screens trying to get any open shot we can get.
Lastly, I would just like to say once more how honored and privileged I am to have this amazing opportunity to be your Men's Basketball Coach. Thank you.
... But, I said this as nicely as possible in the "introductory press conference". I hit a peak at Radford which I wasn't going to top. Radford is in a very small conference which is why I was never able to get that #1 Mid-Major Poll rating and honestly, Big South conference play was straight up boring. I believe this past year I was rated about 10 overall points higher than any other team in that conference. Then, I took a look at the Freshmen that my Conference opponents were bringing in... The majority of the Freshmen's overall were in the 40's and 50's... And compared to what I was getting at Radford, if I stayed their too much longer there would be absolutely no competition.
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