UMD - Coach Announced - CLEMSEN

[Frank Castle 11]

WELCOME ALEX CLEMSEN!!!!!!!!

[steamboat_charlie v2 1,174]

Hey now... that's a hire I hadn't considered that makes a lot of sense.  

[Housebuye 2,449]

Great hire

[CoachWrestling 436]

Horrible, they get a guy from Missouri instead of someone who can recruit out of PA/NJ/OH. Terrible hire. 

[Roadkill 75]

3 minutes ago, CoachWrestling said:

Horrible, they get a guy from Missouri instead of someone who can recruit out of PA/NJ/OH. Terrible hire. 

He recruited PA and OH very well when he was at UVA.

[BLT 86]

4 minutes ago, CoachWrestling said:

Horrible, they get a guy from Missouri instead of someone who can recruit out of PA/NJ/OH. Terrible hire. 

Well he went to school at Edinboro and has coached at Virginia so he should have some credibility in the east.

[CoachWrestling 436]

11 minutes ago, BLT said:

Well he went to school at Edinboro and has coached at Virginia so he should have some credibility in the east.

Some credibility won’t be enough

[HokieHWT 593]

Not overwhelmed with the hire but I'll go check them out this year for sure.

[LemonPie 1,368]

Good luck.  That roster is among the worst I’ve ever seen.  Would be a monumental effort to get a few qualifiers by 2021

[Old Corps 174]

Several years ago, I was waiting for the same flight home from the NCAA’s as Clemson and the UVA wrestlers.

I watched and listened to him interact with his athletes for a couple of hours total and I must say that I was impressed. 

One of his wrestlers had been injured and another was sick, and he was providing superb leadership to them and the rest of the team. 

I remember being impressed by this, because he was only a few years out of college and was carrying himself very professionally. 

Now, this may not mean anything to some here, but I saw enough to know that this guy is a leader. He’s going into a situation in which leadership is critical.

I say let’s give him a chance to take the mess he’s being handed and improve it. 

Clearly, much of Clemson’s success will depend on how serious the administration is about restoring the program to what it once was.

Good Luck, Alex Clemson!

 

 

[JBluegill133 289]

My first reaction is that I am not sure how much excitement this name will bring to a program who is in desparate need of it.  I follow D1 wrestling pretty closely (not an expert by any means) and I really am not familiar with him.  I can't imagine many high schoolers will be in awe if he comes calling to recruit......I hope I'm just ignorant.  Thoughts?

[SetonHallPirate 993]

16 minutes ago, JBluegill133 said:

My first reaction is that I am not sure how much excitement this name will bring to a program who is in desparate need of it.  I follow D1 wrestling pretty closely (not an expert by any means) and I really am not familiar with him.  I can't imagine many high schoolers will be in awe if he comes calling to recruit......I hope I'm just ignorant.  Thoughts?

If Alex wasn't (until today) the best assistant coach in the country, he was certainly up there. Remember, coaching isn't just about recruiting wrestlers, but also about development of those wrestlers, and other administrative matters. Alex is darned good at that, and he certainly learned from the best of them (and Alex was more accomplished as a wrestler than his boss was...Brian's best result was losing in the blood round as a senior, Alex finished fourth in his senior year).

[JBluegill133 289]

1 minute ago, SetonHallPirate said:

If Alex wasn't (until today) the best assistant coach in the country, he was certainly up there. Remember, coaching isn't just about recruiting wrestlers, but also about development of those wrestlers, and other administrative matters. Alex is darned good at that, and he certainly learned from the best of them (and Alex was more accomplished as a wrestler than his boss was...Brian's best result was losing in the blood round as a senior, Alex finished fourth in his senior year).

Well I will defer to you guys for sure when it comes to knowledge about this stuff...I guess I just never heard about him as much as say a Morningstar, Metcalf or Cunningham.

[simple 301]

Not a great hire for a B1G school. Must not have had much interest from big names

[scramble 156]

I respectfully disagree with needing a big name for that program.  There are a few reasons why. 

1) there are only 4 legit title contenders. PSU, OSU, IOWA, tOSU. That is not going to change.  All the other teams are looking to be consistent top 10, occasionally top 4, and a hope and a prayer to pull a hat trick and win 1 title.  Those 4 teams and Minni, are the only teams to win a title since ASU (one time) Nobody new is winning a title anytime soon.

1) there are 4 guys out there who might be able to pull a handful of top recruits in the same year away from those 4 teams.  DT, JB, Dake, and Snyder.  If any new team is gonna win a title they will have to hire one if them.  that is the only recruiting prowess out there that will make a difference.  Anyone else is gonna get a top guy or two every year or so.  

3). What you want is a guy who can run a program, bring in a couple top 100 recruits and then develop a few others.  You want 4-5 AA a year.  If you do that you are a top ten and knocking on the door for a trophy. 

4) Clemson can run a program.  He can manage the budget, organize the system, keep kids eligible, and maintain a consistent culture.  He needs a couple good assistants, and a few top 100 recruits.  Which I think he will get. I think MD will be a consistent top 20 before to long, and possibly top 15.  Then I think you will see them popping in and out of the top 10.  Occasionally getting close to a trophy.  Just like many other strong teams. Look at Lock Haven, VTech, and Rutgers.  They didn't bring in big names. A few kids on the podium is all you need. 

Edited April 24, 2019 by scramble

[scramble 156]

20 minutes ago, JBluegill133 said:

Well I will defer to you guys for sure when it comes to knowledge about this stuff...I guess I just never heard about him as much as say a Morningstar, Metcalf or Cunningham.

Problem is Cunningham is leaving right now. Metcalf would have been good.  

 

They may have also wanted someone who 1) had a reason to establish roots (i.e. a family), 2) young, hungry, and eager to build something from the ground up 3) felt wouldn't leave for something better that came about.  So maybe stability was a big factor. 

[drag it 498]

1 hour ago, JBluegill133 said:

Well I will defer to you guys for sure when it comes to knowledge about this stuff...I guess I just never heard about him as much as say a Morningstar, Metcalf or Cunningham.

Me neither but that mirrors the amount we hear about Missouri and its head coach as well, and they've put together exactly the kind of program that Maryland would love to have, so the fact that he's not well known doesn't seem to me to be by itself particularly problematic. 

[Coach_J 2,188]

Like the hire.  Dude has paid his dues and learned the craft from the bottom up from some great mentors.  You can get caught up in "star quality" (many seem to forget that McCoy was a star hire) or support a guy who is a workhorse with great ambition and integrity.  Wishing him nothing but luck in raising this program from the scrap heap.

[dtry222 36]

He's a coach who has surely paid his dues and has shown the ability to develop talent. He's deserving of an opportunity. Maryland is a really tough job right now. There's certainly the resources there to succeed, but it's certainly an uphill battle with what's going on within the athletic department and the public perception of the program 

[steamboat_charlie v2 1,174]

Winning will generate more excitement than anything else.  Expecting Maryland to start picking off top 20 recruits every year is completely unrealistic.  That program is in shambles and virtually every guy on their roster has regressed over the past 4 years.  

So what program in the country does a better job than just about anyone else at turning mid- to low-tier recruits into quality starters and AA's?  My pick would be Mizzou.  

[JBluegill133 289]

Like the hire.  Dude has paid his dues and learned the craft from the bottom up from some great mentors.  You can get caught up in "star quality" (many seem to forget that McCoy was a star hire) or support a guy who is a workhorse with great ambition and integrity.  Wishing him nothing but luck in raising this program from the scrap heap.

This is a great post. I, like I’m assuming many others definitely was caught up in the “Star hire” mentality and forgot it didn’t really pan out for them last time they went this route with McCoy. I think it shows good foresight by the hiring team to try a different angle...may show that they are serious about getting MD wrestling back on track. Thanks for pointing this out.

Now the real question is, what does that one guy who screams during MD wrestling matches have to say about the hire....fisker I think is his name? Haha


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[gromit 502]

11 hours ago, JBluegill133 said:

My first reaction is that I am not sure how much excitement this name will bring to a program who is in desparate need of it.  I follow D1 wrestling pretty closely (not an expert by any means) and I really am not familiar with him.  I can't imagine many high schoolers will be in awe if he comes calling to recruit......I hope I'm just ignorant.  Thoughts?

For those of you unfamiliar with Alex, take a listen to his recent MatChat podcast interview (by David Mirikitani).  I was quite impressed with his vision/insight & attitude....seems like a real straight shooter with the type of magnetic personality that will lead to success at UMD.  Looking forward to BIG things to come in College Park. Go Terps!

Edited April 24, 2019 by gromit

[scramble 156]

Who does he try to bring in as his assistants?  I think swing for the fence on this one.  Bring in one guy currently competing.  This will help with the "name" thing a little. 

Way out there: Go for MyMar.  Ohio guy who is very well known.  He would be great in a lower level role that still allows him to compete.  The other guy I would swing for would be Nashon Garrett.  Again, there may be no chance at either of them.  I wouldn't put them as a head assistant, but maybe in a smaller role like a second assistant, director of operations, or volunteer assistant.  Nahson may fit that better as I don't think he will compete as long as Martin will.  

More realistic maybe: James Green... Again he is coming to the end I think.  At most, this will probably be his last cycle.  He can't make the weight below him, he isn't gonna beat JB, and he isn't gonna be Dake when he drops for 2020.  I think he would be a good grab and the timing for it would be good.  

Another big name I would look at would be Joe Colon:  He is a hot name right now.  Again, maybe not the head assistant, but as the second assistant where he can still compete. 

I could see him bringing Alan Waters with him.  Dom Bradley may be a good one to bring in for upper weights.

I don't know what he is doing now, but Nick Marable might be a good grab for the assistant position. 

I think it will be hard to get an established assistant for a couple of reasons.  1) They would have applied for the job and didn't get it, or 2) didn't want to apply because the felt where they were was better than applying for the position.  So The roles will probably have to be filled by either a current assistant who had no shot for the MD head job, or is young, hungry and wants to be a part of building something.  

Ryan Mango: Yes he is competing Greco, but he was a successful collegiate wrestler.  

Others:

B.J. Futrell

Darrian Cruz

I know it is kind of a crazy list, but I think getting a young guy, or recent competitor would be a good addition with the current situation. 

[KTG119 820]

Does Daniel Lewis have any coaching aspirations? 

[Mr. Peepers 25]

Good hire.  What the Terps need is a steady and patient hand to start repairing the damage, both inside and outside the room.  A great first step would be to issue regular communications about injuries, eligibility, etc.- something that was utter lacking under McCoy, when scholarship wrestlers routinely and inexplicably disappeared from the rotation and/or the roster.

UMD will never emphasize wrestling and will never pay the type of salary a "star" coach would command.  Furthermore, as a state, Maryland will never grow enough talent to stock a competitive D1 roster (I think the state averages about 5 NCAA qualifications per year).  However, if Clemson can effectively sell the program in state, can develop the 2nd-tier guys, and maintain a healthy program that is friendly to fans and alumni, I think he will do well.  And considering that Missouri is exactly the type of program I just described, I think he has the tools to do it.

Kerry McCoy was a star hire.  Kevin Jackson was a star hire.  Jim Zalesky was a star hire (granted, Oregon State is nowhere near as dysfunctional as MD is, but I think it's fair to say that the school expected better results).  Clemson represents a mature, if unglamorous, solution to the chaos, and this Terps fan is quite happy with the decision.