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Doug Gottlieb Might Be Hired By OSU, But He’s Not The Only Answer

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Replacing Brad Underwood is going to be next to impossible. A coach with decades of experience, a disciple of the Iba coaching tree, and a cultural fit that believed in selling the program as much as he did putting players on treadmills for lack of defensive effort doesn’t become available every year.

Brad Underwoods don’t grow on trees; even fewer of them are interested in coaching in Stillwater.

There is a vocal portion of the Oklahoma State fanbase who would love to see Doug Gottlieb succeed the now-Illinois head ball coach. Gottlieb is a basketball savant, an Xs and Os guru, and an amicable human being that cut his teeth under his wiz of a father and under the great Eddie Sutton in college.

Between those two alone, he likely has as much basketball knowledge as some college coaches. He’s what some have claimed to be the perfect, logical fit for a basketball program that is in limbo with what they believed to be the next great OSU coach now likely grabbing a Starbucks in Champaign, Ill.

That same vocal group believed Gottlieb should have been awarded the gig last season.

But let’s be real here: Do we really think Gottlieb would have been a better hire than Brad Underwood a year ago? I, for one, do not. Underwood was a slam-freaking-dunk hire by Mike Holder. Holder said so himself. And had it not been for a strained relationship or whatever caused him to leave a day after the NCAA Tournament loss to Michigan, he might still be the head coach.

“He was kind of a dream come true from that aspect [of engagement],” Holder told the Tulsa World. “In my mind that was a lot more valuable than what happened on the basketball court, although I did see a vast improvement in a lot of our players. He checked all of the boxes on what you’re looking for in a basketball coach. I wanted to make sure that we kept him around here – hopefully, to retire in Stillwater.”

But because of the circumstances surrounding Underwood’s abrupt departure, because he one-and-doned OSU, Gottlieb is more than just a sexy fan favorite. He’s now a legit candidate with a solid campaign platform on which to stand.

Gottlieb can tug at heart strings more this time around than he ever could a year ago. He can sell loyalty, because he is a loyal person and an Oklahoma State man through-and-through. He can sell himself on a cheap deal, because whatever Holder decides to pay him would probably be a raise from his current gig. And he can sell his knowledge of the game, because, like I said, the dude knows basketball.

He can sell it all because he’s a salesman. Gottlieb has been in media on radio airwaves and television for years. You might’ve seen him recently campaigning for the job in the local media, even on this very site. He’s a smooth talker and can sell himself (or anything, for that matter) to anyone. It’s why the pro-Gottlieb base thinks he’d be a good recruiter.

What he’s not, however, is a basketball coach.

At least, he’s never been one.

Say what you will about his knowledge, about his connections, about the assistants he would bring in; Doug Gottlieb is not, and has never been, a college basketball coach. This is a fact.

Sure, he could be a successful coach. Fred Hoiberg did it with no previous experience and, before he took over a tanking Bulls team, was the Mayor of freaking Ames.

Steve Kerr did it and now he’s going to probably win as many NBA titles as Kevin Durant’s knees can stand. But those are the exceptions. And pointing out those exceptions and making them the rule is the sole reason why Gottlieb doesn’t make sense for the job. Or at least it makes him painfully unqualified.

Give him a chance, and he could absolutely prove that wrong. He could be a solid basketball coach. But he’s a risk at best, and a dumb hire at worst for an athletic director whose job just might be riding on this next hire. Do you think he’s going to be able to sell an analyst with no coaching experience to Burns Hargis?

Could you imagine what Burns might say when he comes back from spring break and sees Doug Gottlieb sitting in the OSU throne instead of Brad Underwood? Even for Gottlieb, that’s a tough sell.

Gottlieb can be a college coach. Heck, I’m personally intrigued by the idea of him taking over a program. But I’m also wary of the circumstances. OSU fans, myself included, are emotional humans.

We want to see an OSU guy be successful. We want to see former players like Mike Gundy thrive nationally and grow mullets and be on SportsCenter with other mullet-headed humans. But I also don’t want to be talked into buying into a guy with no coaching experience because I’m angry OSU lost a coach to a Big Ten basketball program.

Gottlieb’s talking directly into your heart, and I sincerely do not believe he is just saying things you want to hear just to say them. But that doesn’t change the fact that he’s saying them, and you’re buying into what he’s selling.

The thing is, if you buy in, I don’t fault you. I am a huge Doug Gottlieb fan. I have an autographed picture of him at my parent’s house from when he was a player. But I would also caution you to not jump into the decision of buying into him only to be angry at Holder if he doesn’t pull the trigger.

Yes, on the surface, you can make the case that Underwood’s departure warrants a hire like Gottlieb. Cheap deal, loyal guy, it makes sense. But let’s not be naive enough to rule out other qualified candidates—because there are some who will be, and are, interested in coaching at Oklahoma State.

I think that Gottlieb is worthy of consideration, and he’s far and away the most intriguing candidate. But the bottom line is this: there are a number of candidates in the pool I think would be equally as good, if not better, and much more qualified to take over the position.

They will command more money, and they likely won’t be an alumni. In my eyes, those things don’t qualify you as a perfect candidate. It’s just a bonus. There are some not-so-hidden gems that Holder likely has already identified. So let’s keep an open mind if the answer isn’t Gottlieb, and I’ll do the same if it is.

Deal?

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