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Post by Admin on Mar 30, 2024 17:09:12 GMT -5
Western Carolina alum Adam Bullard has joined the Catamount men’s basketball coaching staff under first-year head coach Tim Craft, it was announced this week. Bullard spent seven seasons progressing on the staff with Craft at Gardner-Webb after graduating from WCU in 2017. Bullard is the second assistant coach to follow Craft from Gardner-Webb to Cullowhee as he joins Andrew Brown on the Catamount staff. Bullard began his coaching career as a graduate assistant under Craft at Gardner-Webb, spending two seasons in the role before being tabbed as the programs Director of Basketball Operations following the Runnin’ Bulldogs first-ever NCAA tournament appearance in 2018-19. He held the operations role for two additional seasons before again earning a promotion on Craft’s staff as the Director of Scouting and Player Development.  |
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Post by FLCATAMOUNT on Mar 31, 2024 7:19:53 GMT -5
I am thinking we are ending up with a much better staff than we had before. J Gray was lucky and he knew it and he got out of town in the Nick of time. We will look back on this and be glad that Tim Craft is our coach.
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Post by wcugrad95 on Apr 1, 2024 11:08:39 GMT -5
Until he leaves and takes his assistants and players with him  I am not sure I understand the bashing of Gray - he came in, made us better, and did what we all expect to happen with good coaches and he moved up (at least in his mind and no doubt in his pocketbook). Now enter Craft, who is bringing coaches and players from GWU which is the same thing we are complaining about with Gray and with Prosser before him. Just like in football, we complain about Kade Bell doing to us the exact same thing he did to Tusculum to make us better. This is just the world we live in now. Not saying I like it, but none of it surprises me and I don't hold a grudge against anybody other than probably the NCAA. |
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Post by Speedwell Cat on Apr 1, 2024 12:47:54 GMT -5
Until he leaves and takes his assistants and players with him I am not sure I understand the bashing of Gray - he came in, made us better, and did what we all expect to happen with good coaches and he moved up (at least in his mind and no doubt in his pocketbook). Now enter Craft, who is bringing coaches and players from GWU which is the same thing we are complaining about with Gray and with Prosser before him. Just like in football, we complain about Kade Bell doing to us the exact same thing he did to Tusculum to make us better. This is just the world we live in now. Not saying I like it, but none of it surprises me and I don't hold a grudge against anybody other than probably the NCAA. Exactly, well put. I wasn't thrilled with a couple of aspects of his departure, but he was definitely a net gain for Western. And as someone else said, he was facing a rebuilding year either way, can't blame him for doing it for twice the money |
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Post by FLCATAMOUNT on Apr 1, 2024 15:24:06 GMT -5
How much money do the Beach Chickens pay for a head coach? The Sun Belt is about 4 to 6 clicks behind the SoCon in basketball depending on which conference ranking you look at so the Sun Belt from top to bottom is weaker than the SoCon. I think J Gray is a good coach but I am not sure. He does not have a big body of work to judge him on. I hope he wins a national championship, but we will see what he does with the Sea Chickens. At leach Coach Craft has much more experience. Honestly, it sounds to me like the main reason he left was to make his wife happy.
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Post by Speedwell Cat on Apr 1, 2024 15:31:54 GMT -5
It's my understanding they doubled his salary.
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Post by The Cats on Apr 1, 2024 15:55:32 GMT -5
Until he leaves and takes his assistants and players with him I am not sure I understand the bashing of Gray - he came in, made us better, and did what we all expect to happen with good coaches and he moved up (at least in his mind and no doubt in his pocketbook). N ow enter Craft, who is bringing coaches and players from GWU which is the same thing we are complaining about with Gray and with Prosser before him. Just like in football, we complain about Kade Bell doing to us the exact same thing he did to Tusculum to make us better. This is just the world we live in now. Not saying I like it, but none of it surprises me and I don't hold a grudge against anybody other than probably the NCAA. So, which players is Craft is bringing from GWU? Yes, he's brought a couple of his coaches, but didn't Gray take all of his staff with him? |
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Post by catamountalum04 on Apr 1, 2024 16:01:16 GMT -5
Gray took all his staff so Craft has to bring all new coaches and as far as I know Craft has not brought any players from GWU with him
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Post by wcugrad95 on Apr 4, 2024 13:23:45 GMT -5
May not happen, but I am assuming some if not all of the 4 guys that were added to the "new coach" thread could be looking at heading to Cullowhee. I'd also expect players Craft (and now Bullard) were recruiting will now be prospective WCU recruits. The main point of my post was that this is just the reality now. Coaches, players, and recruits are now much more attached to one another than they are to schools. We have had a number of posts saying how much better off we are without Gray, or how what Gray has done is way worse than what Prosser did, and in my opinion all coaches at all schools are an offer away from doing this across the country.
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