Will Brown

[Clickclack]

I still love the $iena filter...

Edited March 25, 2015 by Clickclack

[DanesRGood]

Also, after Will hung up listen to Rodger. He says after hearing that he would be SHOCKED if Will left. We will see how it goes.

[UA'08]

I've come to terms there's no point in speculating anymore. Whatever happens, happens. No sense of worrying if he leaves or stays until there's a final decision.

[UAalum72]

Nah, keep worrying. If he stays it's because he thinks he'll have another good team next year, so keep in worrying practice until next March, when, we hope, he'll have even a better resume for the available jobs.

[UA_MA_2000]

I keep having this thought...as awesome as the last three years have been especially last year...we need to keep our feet on the ground. Not every year will end with an NCAA birth. Mid-major hoops is cyclical, hopefully we are up more then we are down but I don't think it's realistic to think that every single year we'll be 24 win team. If he does stay, gets the raise etc I hope he's in position to compete every year for the top of the AE realizing that he won't keep winning at this ridiculous pace especially if the AE as many think is going to be better.

I think a goal for our program is to be consistently top 2 or 3 in the conference like UVM. UVM gets a good number of 3 - star recruits from year to year (i.e., reloads instead of rebuilds) and, if I heard correctly, has finished the regular season in the top 2 spots 10 of the past 12 years. In addition to being a threat in every intra - conference game like UVM is, keeping up with everyone else in terms of facilities for basketball should also be a goal of ours. This is not Burlington (which is a great city). This is Albany, and we will slowly build a solid fan base within the million or so people in this area. We should be the giant in our league in all respects, and we are moving forward in all kinds of exciting ways.

Edited March 25, 2015 by UA_MA_2000

[Clickclack]

Continuity in keeping a coach who has shown he can win is really critical at our level and quite frankly pretty rare.

[Big D]

I think anyone who likes Will and wants him to stay should be encouraged by interview on Wyland's show today. Will said he had a "great meeting" with Benson. His tone was very upbeat about the UA program and the team next year. Wyland probably knows more than he lets on...and he was optimistic about Will returning next year.

[justdrastik1]

On the flip side though, what do you expect him to say? He's saying fairly PC things. "We had a great meeting", and "I need to always check options out to do what's best for my family". I'm sure the meeting was positive/solid, but if it weren't he wouldn't say that. He's shown himself to be a class act time and time again.

[UA'08]

I wouldn't look too much into the interview. He would be upbeat and say all nice positive things no matter what. It would not be a good PR move too do anything but that.

[Clickclack]

I wouldn't look too much into the interview. He would be upbeat and say all nice positive things no matter what. It would not be a good PR move too do anything but that.

I disagree, he seemed to me to be more upbeat about the direction of the program then I think I may have ever heard him. Just my impression...

[UA'08]

True he definitely did no doubt. Just not sure how much we can look into that.

[dmurph43]

It seems like he likes living in Albany and values the community and the fact that he built the program from the ground up. If I were in his shoes I'd think of Albany as a well paying job that barring a catostrophic program collapse that he has a lifetime job for as long as he wants it. I would not roll the dice on a bottom level team in a conference like the Atlantic 10. Sure you have a few years of a few hundred grand per year. But is taking Fordham or George Mason to a perennial powerhouse in the Atlantic 10 realistic? If so its just another stepping stone. Can anyone name dominant household name coach from the A-10? I can think of the St Joes guy off the top of my head and don't even know his name. I think Will Brown stays at Albany until a big conference team offers him a job. The Siena coach to Iowa comes to mind. How can you turn down a Big 10 job paying in the millions coaching top NCAA level talent? So I believe that Albany has home court advantage because of the stability and his family being comfortable here. I think if any bottom level teams from a conference a notch up (A-10) just isn't worth it risk vs reward. My worry will be when he starts getting mentioned at a higher level conference. Now I know AE to Big 10 may sound insane but D1 in 1999 to where Albany is today and now multiple tournies w big time exposure (UCONN SB/OK) I think alot of search firms now have Will Brown on the top of their list. I read mixed things on what Albany can pay him. So if that is an issue I take back my entire post. Will Brown should not go to work with his resume for anything in the 300s. So putting myself in his shoes again Albany 2015-16 for the same 300s or ANY school at 750. I'm taking the 750. Albany has to show me a solid raise. Doesnt have to be to 750 but better rip up the old contract and get the checkbook out. Dont know how I feel On one hand have got so used to him being such a great part of the program Id be angry if he was gone on the other hand guy did so much good fo our program and school if hes rewarded with a big raise and a higher profile school good for him.But obvi I'd love to see him here forever.Lastly the posts that the program is bigger than the coach are comical. There was NO program without the Coach. He recruited these guys. Most importantly he is an unbelievable Xs and Os coach. He has dominated superior AE teams in March for years now and hung tight with FAR inferior talent and depth against the likes of Calhoun Donovan and Coach K. So i appreciate the excitement of us having a basketball program, but make no mistake about it we have a basketball program becasue of Will Brown!

[Clickclack]

It seems like he likes living in Albany and values the community and the fact that he built the program from the ground up. If I were in his shoes I'd think of Albany as a well paying job that barring a catostrophic program collapse that he has a lifetime job for as long as he wants it. I would not roll the dice on a bottom level team in a conference like the Atlantic 10. Sure you have a few years of a few hundred grand per year. But is taking Fordham or George Mason to a perennial powerhouse in the Atlantic 10 realistic? If so its just another stepping stone. Can anyone name dominant household name coach from the A-10? I can think of the St Joes guy off the top of my head and don't even know his name. I think Will Brown stays at Albany until a big conference team offers him a job. The Siena coach to Iowa comes to mind. How can you turn down a Big 10 job paying in the millions coaching top NCAA level talent? So I believe that Albany has home court advantage because of the stability and his family being comfortable here. I think if any bottom level teams from a conference a notch up (A-10) just isn't worth it risk vs reward. My worry will be when he starts getting mentioned at a higher level conference. Now I know AE to Big 10 may sound insane but D1 in 1999 to where Albany is today and now multiple tournies w big time exposure (UCONN SB/OK) I think alot of search firms now have Will Brown on the top of their list. I read mixed things on what Albany can pay him. So if that is an issue I take back my entire post. Will Brown should not go to work with his resume for anything in the 300s. So putting myself in his shoes again Albany 2015-16 for the same 300s or ANY school at 750. I'm taking the 750. Albany has to show me a solid raise. Doesnt have to be to 750 but better rip up the old contract and get the checkbook out. Dont know how I feel On one hand have got so used to him being such a great part of the program Id be angry if he was gone on the other hand guy did so much good fo our program and school if hes rewarded with a big raise and a higher profile school good for him.But obvi I'd love to see him here forever.Lastly the posts that the program is bigger than the coach are comical. There was NO program without the Coach. He recruited these guys. Most importantly he is an unbelievable Xs and Os coach. He has dominated superior AE teams in March for years now and hung tight with FAR inferior talent and depth against the likes of Calhoun Donovan and Coach K. So i appreciate the excitement of us having a basketball program, but make no mistake about it we have a basketball program becasue of Will Brown!

Will?

[UAalum72]

Will?

No, that doesn't look like Will's writing style. Not enough exclamation points.

 

Will Brown interviewed for other jobs - Wilkin rehashes most of what we know. Says Will earned $334,258 in 2014.

 

Brown said Wednesday that he thinks the UAlbany program is in a "good place" right now.

 

"I look at (the program) as my baby," Brown said. "We still have to continue to grow because we haven't scratched the surface yet. I just want the program to keep on getting better."

[Phoenix]

Wilkin is just pulling from state payroll records..not any contract info. Earned $334k in 2014..but his actual base was $302k. The other difficult part about those numbers is that they are calendar year..where I believe coaches' contracts are season based..running through spring/summer. So a bit tough to get completely accurate numbers there. For comparison purposes..Pikiell's 2014 calendar year base was $373k.

 

Also interesting to note..in 2011 Brown and Pikiell's base pay was almost identical. Brown at $246k and Pikiell at $244k. Fast forward just 3 years..and that figure has grown by more than 50% for Pikiell..but by less than 25% for Brown. Pretty notable difference..especially when you compare resumes between the two over the past 3-4 years.