[OutsiderFan]

I doubt Wilner comes up with the headlines for his own stories, but "mixed reaction" when he interviews two people, is well, lazy reporting, isn't it?  Moreover, I didn't see any mixed reaction reported the article.  I read of two former Stanford stars saying they wished someone with Stanford ties was hired.  Neither one expressed any dismay or outright concern, and neither one was giddy about it either.  Jacobsen said the talent level must be increased and thought it would take a while to do that.  Knight suggested he'll be supportive. 

And the Ca.l - Stanford connection is thrown in there awkwardly, almost gratuitously, trying to somehow draw a parallel between Monty coaching at Ca.l  Not even a mention of the offense or defense Haase likes to employ, or anything that shows any effort at all to bring any meaningful insight to the reader.

At any rate, Muir sure is making some pretty bold statements about his expectations with Haase, so he certainly feels confident in the hire, and more importantly is making clear the men's hoops program has high standards of performance to meet.

[OutsiderFan]

I doubt Wilner comes up with the headlines for his own stories, but "mixed reaction" when he interviews two people, is well, lazy reporting, isn't it?  Moreover, I didn't see any mixed reaction reported the article.  I read of two former Stanford stars saying they wished someone with Stanford ties was hired.  Neither one expressed any dismay or outright concern, and neither one was giddy about it either.  Jacobsen said the talent level must be increased and thought it would take a while to do that.  Knight suggested he'll be supportive. 

And the Ca.l - Stanford connection is thrown in there awkwardly, almost gratuitously, trying to somehow draw a parallel between Monty coaching at Ca.l  Not even a mention of the offense or defense Haase likes to employ, or anything that shows any effort at all to bring any meaningful insight to the reader.

At any rate, Muir sure is making some pretty bold statements about his expectations with Haase, so he certainly feels confident in the hire, and more importantly is making clear the men's hoops program has high standards of performance to meet.

[washingtonismoney]

Wilner himself puts "mixed reactions" into the article. It's a bit strange; Jacobsen says he thought that the administration would consider someone with Stanford ties, not that he felt it was a prerequisite to getting the job.

Knight expresses disappointment, but if reports that he (or someone on his behalf) pushed for him to get the job are accurate, is that really the most reliable assessment you can get?

Fact is it's hard (I think) to come up with a strong opinion one way or the other on the Haase hire. His background looks plausible. Very few people, I imagine, have really seen his teams play. We can only really watch. And that's a tough situation for a reporter to write about.

[washingtonismoney]

Wilner himself puts "mixed reactions" into the article. It's a bit strange; Jacobsen says he thought that the administration would consider someone with Stanford ties, not that he felt it was a prerequisite to getting the job.

Knight expresses disappointment, but if reports that he (or someone on his behalf) pushed for him to get the job are accurate, is that really the most reliable assessment you can get?

Fact is it's hard (I think) to come up with a strong opinion one way or the other on the Haase hire. His background looks plausible. Very few people, I imagine, have really seen his teams play. We can only really watch. And that's a tough situation for a reporter to write about.

[North Woods]

It would have been nice to see sources from UAB or C-USA to see what kind of coach we are getting. Could apply the Lavin test: are other teams happy or sad to see him go? Granted the Pac-12 is a big step up in competition but he made UAB much stronger in a relatively short time.

Brevin is an all time favorite player of mine but apart from maybe Russell Turner I don't see other choices that would have been better from within the family. Not without more coaching experience somewhere else first.

[North Woods]

It would have been nice to see sources from UAB or C-USA to see what kind of coach we are getting. Could apply the Lavin test: are other teams happy or sad to see him go? Granted the Pac-12 is a big step up in competition but he made UAB much stronger in a relatively short time.

Brevin is an all time favorite player of mine but apart from maybe Russell Turner I don't see other choices that would have been better from within the family. Not without more coaching experience somewhere else first.

[FrankO]

probably the most knowledgeable poster on all Stanford hoops boards

cogent assessment from a guy who can run rings around scrivener-idiots like Wilner when it comes to hoops...

he is very, very,  bullish on Haase... has it all... topnotch evaluator of talent, great and focused recruiter, good schemes on O and D... good X-O game day coach, assembled a great staff at UAB

[FrankO]

probably the most knowledgeable poster on all Stanford hoops boards

cogent assessment from a guy who can run rings around scrivener-idiots like Wilner when it comes to hoops...

he is very, very,  bullish on Haase... has it all... topnotch evaluator of talent, great and focused recruiter, good schemes on O and D... good X-O game day coach, assembled a great staff at UAB

[socalstanfan1]

Yeah, that Wilner article doesn't say much, does it.  Basically, when he says "former Stanford" players he spoke to Jacobsen and Knight, and that's pretty much it.  Piece together the public comments by Muir and Haase, and hit the Submit button.  Pretty lazy. The least he could have done is contacted the beat reporter in Alabama who covered UAB to get that response and get in contact with people in the area.  Jacobsen's comment in the article that he "thought the administration would at least strongly consider" a guy with Stanford ties may be a bit of an assumption: perhaps someone like Russel Turner was considered, but red-flags popped up and the choice was Haase.  If getting someone with previous head coaching experience was a priority, then that shrinks the list of potential Stanford-connected hires to, well, Turner.

It remains to see how this works out, of course, but on the surface this hire seems like a solid move.  A hire with previous head-coaching experience and  a record of success with turning around a mid-major program. (Given the current state of the basketball program, seemed a pipe dream to consider bringing in anyone with a reasonably successful record from a power program.) The fact that Haase is still pretty young, as well, means he might be a long-term answer if he can get MBB back on the right track.  Given the deep level of cynicism on the Cardboard about Muir's ability to make a decent hire, this seems to me a move that, pending results, seems to make a lot of sense.

[socalstanfan1]

Yeah, that Wilner article doesn't say much, does it.  Basically, when he says "former Stanford" players he spoke to Jacobsen and Knight, and that's pretty much it.  Piece together the public comments by Muir and Haase, and hit the Submit button.  Pretty lazy. The least he could have done is contacted the beat reporter in Alabama who covered UAB to get that response and get in contact with people in the area.  Jacobsen's comment in the article that he "thought the administration would at least strongly consider" a guy with Stanford ties may be a bit of an assumption: perhaps someone like Russel Turner was considered, but red-flags popped up and the choice was Haase.  If getting someone with previous head coaching experience was a priority, then that shrinks the list of potential Stanford-connected hires to, well, Turner.

It remains to see how this works out, of course, but on the surface this hire seems like a solid move.  A hire with previous head-coaching experience and  a record of success with turning around a mid-major program. (Given the current state of the basketball program, seemed a pipe dream to consider bringing in anyone with a reasonably successful record from a power program.) The fact that Haase is still pretty young, as well, means he might be a long-term answer if he can get MBB back on the right track.  Given the deep level of cynicism on the Cardboard about Muir's ability to make a decent hire, this seems to me a move that, pending results, seems to make a lot of sense.

[Bruce Wang]

This is the best available coach to us. It could have been much worse.  We could have ended up with Baby Dawkins.

Ideally we could have gotten somebody that is already a member of the community.  None are as well qualified as Haase.  According to his wikipedia page, he camped at Stanford as a high schooler and we recruited him.  He must be familiar with the Stanford recruiting paradox and must have been willing to embrace it.

Count me as an optimist, I think we could be Top 5 in men's basketball, football and USNWR in the same year.

[Bruce Wang]

This is the best available coach to us. It could have been much worse.  We could have ended up with Baby Dawkins.

Ideally we could have gotten somebody that is already a member of the community.  None are as well qualified as Haase.  According to his wikipedia page, he camped at Stanford as a high schooler and we recruited him.  He must be familiar with the Stanford recruiting paradox and must have been willing to embrace it.

Count me as an optimist, I think we could be Top 5 in men's basketball, football and USNWR in the same year.

[winflop]

I don't agree with Jacobsen.  Dawkins brought in a lot of 3- and 4-star recruits but he couldn't develop them or get them to play as a unit.  Unlike football, 5-star recruits are not going to come here for a long time, and many of them are one and dones who have never had academics high on their priority list and therefore wouldn't be in the pool regardless.

I don't expect an instant fix, but I do expect that within the first 3 years there will be an NCAA bid and a top four finish in the Pac-12.  I also think with so many guys returning, plus Cartwright & Travis, next year could be surprisingly good.  I also expect a more energetic, exciting brand of basketball at Maples, fueled in part by fans like me who will start coming back.  I'm not ready to buy season tix again, but I expect to make a half-dozen games or so.

[winflop]

I don't agree with Jacobsen.  Dawkins brought in a lot of 3- and 4-star recruits but he couldn't develop them or get them to play as a unit.  Unlike football, 5-star recruits are not going to come here for a long time, and many of them are one and dones who have never had academics high on their priority list and therefore wouldn't be in the pool regardless.

I don't expect an instant fix, but I do expect that within the first 3 years there will be an NCAA bid and a top four finish in the Pac-12.  I also think with so many guys returning, plus Cartwright & Travis, next year could be surprisingly good.  I also expect a more energetic, exciting brand of basketball at Maples, fueled in part by fans like me who will start coming back.  I'm not ready to buy season tix again, but I expect to make a half-dozen games or so.

[oldalum]

Haase in my opinion is exactly the type of coach that realistically should be hired for Stanford M basketball, just like Harbaugh was for football (a hire I liked at the time too). Whether he works out well is impossible to know now, but his resume fits the bill exactly, including the head coaching experience  that Harbaugh had. One of Dawkins' drawbacks when he was hired, in addition to his lack of head coaching experience, was that he had spent all of his playing and coaching time with the very best basketball athletes in the country. So how he knew to play and coach basketball didn't work here. Haase has had 4 years at UAB to learn how to coach non-UNC top recruits to play well.  And even though Kansas obviously gets top players, the core of their teams is usually upper classmen who did not start as freshmen or sophomores, but who developed over time into elite players.

[oldalum]

Haase in my opinion is exactly the type of coach that realistically should be hired for Stanford M basketball, just like Harbaugh was for football (a hire I liked at the time too). Whether he works out well is impossible to know now, but his resume fits the bill exactly, including the head coaching experience  that Harbaugh had. One of Dawkins' drawbacks when he was hired, in addition to his lack of head coaching experience, was that he had spent all of his playing and coaching time with the very best basketball athletes in the country. So how he knew to play and coach basketball didn't work here. Haase has had 4 years at UAB to learn how to coach non-UNC top recruits to play well.  And even though Kansas obviously gets top players, the core of their teams is usually upper classmen who did not start as freshmen or sophomores, but who developed over time into elite players.

[socalstanfan1]

I don't agree with Jacobsen.  Dawkins brought in a lot of 3- and 4-star recruits but he couldn't develop them or get them to play as a unit.  Unlike football, 5-star recruits are not going to come here for a long time, and many of them are one and dones who have never had academics high on their priority list and therefore wouldn't be in the pool regardless

As soon as I saw that quote from Jacobsen I wondered if he was simply lowering expectations for the new coach. Maybe I'm thinking too much into it; Jacobsen doesn't occupy a position at Stanford in which he would be expected to try to,temper expectations about an incoming coach in order to relieve pressure.

[socalstanfan1]

I don't agree with Jacobsen.  Dawkins brought in a lot of 3- and 4-star recruits but he couldn't develop them or get them to play as a unit.  Unlike football, 5-star recruits are not going to come here for a long time, and many of them are one and dones who have never had academics high on their priority list and therefore wouldn't be in the pool regardless

As soon as I saw that quote from Jacobsen I wondered if he was simply lowering expectations for the new coach. Maybe I'm thinking too much into it; Jacobsen doesn't occupy a position at Stanford in which he would be expected to try to,temper expectations about an incoming coach in order to relieve pressure.