Who actually hired Johnny Jones? Alleva or the BBQ Gang?

In Alleva's defense he was bullied into hiring JJ. It's time to clean house.

Alleva

In Trent Johnson's final year it was clear to everyone (except evidently Alleva) that the program was stagnant and not really going anywhere. In stead of making a coaching change at the end of the season, Alleva did nothing. I was actually Johnson who saw the writing on the wall and left for TCU. Because Alleva drug his feet, LSU was late getting in to the coaching search that year. Ultimately Alleva did a 10 day search and hired a guy no other power conf. school wanted, and someone who he could have had after a 10 second search (sound familiar?)

If it wasn't before, it should have been CLEARLY evident at the end of last season that Jones will NEVER be able to make LSU a championship level program. Last season was the time to make a change, but he didn't (again, sound familiar?). Despite losing Simmons and some other key players, LSU was returning enough talent this year that a competent coach would have at least been able to compete within the SEC. (so far LSU has looked like they don't belong on the same court with the 3 best teams they've played --- and they aren't even THAT good!) Instead, we're stuck with arguably the worst coach in the SEC who will be allowed to drag the program into even greater depths of apathy this season.

Presumably Alleva will have to make a change (though that's no guarantee). However, judging by his great tenure at LSU thus far, does ANYONE have any confidence that he will be able to make a good hire? I have no doubt the coaching search will go as follows:

Contact some of the top coaches in America to gage their interest. Conduct an abbreviated search only to somehow become irrationally upset that those top coaches hold significant leverage and want high-dollar to come to LSU. Hire (and overpay) a guy who has no market as an HC at another power conf. program.

Do not kid yourself, Dale Brown had as much to do with JJ being hired as did Temple, especially with Temple & Brown being joined at the hip when it comes to LSU basketball. And Dale is still in tight with a lot of the old time basketball donors. Now, J.A. did cave into the pressure, so it's on his shoulders now. JJ is just lucky the SEC has been down, with the obvious exception of UK, or he would have been at the bottom of the league for the most part.

quote:

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he was bullied into hiring JJ.

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Emotional hire at the time just like Coach O.

JJ was Dale and Collis Jr's guy. They told Joe he would never see another AAU kid at LSU if JJ wasn't the coach. Remember that Glen Davis, Collis Temple III, Tyrus Thomas and Tasmin Mitchell were all played for Temple Jr as AAU players.

It's easy to second guess the hire in retrospect but it made perfect sense at the time.
JJ's passion and dream was always to coach at LSU!
And, he sounds just like us!

Jones record at North Texas in conference play was just barely over 500 (.506 per wikipedia). That fact and if anyone had actually looked at his teams play should have been disqualifiers. My fear is that he will pull out enough wins in SEC play/SEC tournament to keep his position. Unfortunately, my fear of Alleva picking a new coach is almost as great. What a terrible situation.