ISU coaches (left to right): Kevin Dresser, Mike Zadick, Brent Metcalf, Derek St. John (Photo/Cyclones.com)Iowa State head wrestling coach Kevin Dresser introduced his coaching staff for the first time this week, and boy was it black and gold. Joining the Iowa native on the dais for a short press conference were three former Iowa Hawkeyes: Mike Zadick, Derek St. John and Brent Metcalf. Adding in Dresser who won a national title as a wrestler for Dan Gable and you have an all-Iowa coaching staff at Iowa State.
Unless this is something out of "The Americans" it's safe to assume that the Iowa-forever loyalties built under Gable have seemed to fade. However, that might be more a function of the appeal of the color green than it is crimson and gold.
The Iowa State hiring spree didn't come cheap. Brent Metcalf, who will serve as the volunteer assistant coach, is rumored to be earning $150,000. That's a fantastic amount of money, which I have no doubt Metcalf could warrant. I'm told he's a smart, engaging coach capable of motivation and technical assistance. Add in the proven compatibility of St. John and Zadick (along with their hefty salaries) and you get a lot of potential and a tractor-sized portion of expectation.
Iowa State's moves also spun the coaching carousel at Virginia Tech, with newly-minted head wrestling coach Tony Robie hiring Oklahoma alumnus and Olympian Jared Frayer, along with 2016 Olympian Frank Molinaro. Big names with big polo shirts to fill.
With Virginia Tech and Iowa State making decisive moves, it's the lack of movement on the Pitt job search creating the most gossip. Pitt hired Heather Lyke last month as their new AD, which means she's been short on preparation time. However, the anxiety about the job's massive potential spurred Lehigh and Edinboro to announce plans to compensate and retain Pat Santoro and Tim Flynn respectively.
Santoro and Flynn were the most logical choices and without them as options Lyke will need to either get creative or look at current Pitt interim coaches Matt Kocher and Drew Headlee, or former wrestler and NCAA champion Keith Gavin. The creative option would be Jody Strittmatter, who coaches Top Gun Wrestling Club in the area. It's also rumored that Pitt will try to lure SDSU coach Chris Bono.
Coaching is a tough and tiring game, but for many it's the perfect way to stay invested in the sport they love. Don't forget that while these leaders are tasked to win they are also tasked to create the next generation of coaches, administrators and key stake holders for our sport. The hiring of Dresser, and the retention of Robie, Santoro and Flynn mean that our sport will be awash is talent for another generation.
To your questions …
Q: Could you please explain how the 9.9 scholarships system works? Who determines the amount of a full scholarship? Let's say that it is determined that a full scholarship is worth $20,000 at Penn State. Does that mean PSU has $198,000 (9.9 x 20,000) to divide out? As an illustration, after all other financial aid is taken into account, suppose the final school bill for PSU's national champs is as follows: Retherford - $5,000, Nolf - $7,500, Joseph - $7,500, Hall - $10,000, and Nickal - $10,000. Does that mean Hall and Nickal would be able to share one full scholarship (10G + 10G) and the other 3 another full scholarship (5G + 7500 + 7500)? Or is there some other method of computation? All these questions arise as I see elite recruits headed to Happy Valley, when seemingly more scholarship money is available elsewhere.
-- Brian S.
Foley: There are a variety of scholarships structures in use by coaches around the country. Most programs no longer give out 100 percent scholarships to incoming freshmen, instead opting for what would look like a four-year contract with incentives. For example, let's say Vincenzo Joseph came in on 70 percent, he would have the ability to be bumped up based on performance at the NCAA tournament. So next year he might make the full 100 percent, or head to whatever cap the coaching staff has in place.
One reason coaches have moved to this structure is that they can often come up with the rest of the money through financial aid packages, but also because there is tremendous cost savings in spreading out the money among more top athletes. Everyone needs a workout partner and getting the athletes (literal) buy-in with forgoing scholarship dollars helps get more talent into the room.
As for what constitutes the scholarship, a school will have a cap amount they can spend on scholarships at whatever amount they have on tap, but the percentages are based on residency and amount paid. For example, Penn State's out-of-state tuition is roughly $50,000/year and in-state is $35,000. If Mark Hall gets $40,000 or his $50,000 paid for he is considered on .8 scholarship. Jason Nolf is paid $30,000 of $35,000 and he's taking up almost .9. The dollars aren't as important as the percentage, for which they only get 9.9.
Q: How terrible is the athletic department at Pitt? They sit in the best area in the country, have a major airport for a regional training center (RTC) and have a large budget with all the ACC money. They should be able to get a slam-dunk hire.
-- Steve M.
Foley: As I glossed over up above, the athletic department is in turnover, which means that the incoming administration is behind on recruitment. Imagine the myriad concerns Heather Lyke has to review and where her priorities likely lie. In addition to the life changes she must undergo, she needs to meet her assistant AD's, coaching staff and athletes. From there she has to meet with the school's president and board, listening carefully to their concerns and priorities before ever making an action.
Once she gets to wrestling I agree that she should be able to offer a new coach something enticing. However, I wouldn't assume she will hire a "slam-dunk" candidate. Who else is left and looking to move?
My vote is Jody Strittmatter.
Q: I saw you tweet something about big news coming about Rei Higuchi with hashtags #college #wrestling. Can you share anything?
-- Mike C.
Foley: Higuchi is staying at Nippon Sports Science University!
MULTIMEDIA HALFTIME
Rei Higuchi and Shinobu Ota
Q: What are your thought on eliminating the stalling warning and making the first stall call a point for the other wrestling? Second stall call is another point and third stall call is two points. Maybe a fourth stall call would be another two points and if person gets five, he forfeits the match. This might make the person winning the match late stay in the circle, especially if it's a one or two-point match. Thoughts?
-- Ed T.
Foley: I'm a little hesitant to give referees the ability to give points for stalling. The new Greco-Roman rules allowed for this and it led to a lot of random referee fingers being pointed in the air!
Stalling will always be an issue for wrestling officials to figure out. For the NCAA, stalling is most associated with the arcane out-of-bounds regulations and the riding time point. Correcting those should promote a more aggressive style of wrestling and prevent referees from becoming too involved in the moment-to-moment of the match.
Q: Which do you think is more likely now that Iowa State has completed their staff and can focus on the roster, a scholarship offer to PD3 (Pat Downey) or Nelson Brands?
-- Mark M.
Foley: At this point, you'd much rather have Nelson Brands on your team. Great pedigree, proven winner and the coaches have probably known him for a long time. The PD3 situation is a mess and made no better by Twitter!
Q: Daniel Cormier defends his light heavyweight title against Anthony "Rumble" Johnson Saturday night at UFC 210. Do you have a prediction on the outcome of the fight? Also, Chris Weidman is on the card, fighting Gegard Mousasi. Weidman last two of his last three fights, but to very good fighters. Now he's a betting underdog in this one. Who do you like in Weidman-Mousasi?
-- Mike C.
Foley: I'm sticking with DC. Assuming he can avoid the first 10 minutes of haymakers he has a much more technical ground game than Johnson, endurance and an impressive hands. But seriously, he has to make sure to stay the hell away from Johnson's homerun swings. Those things could decapitate a horse.
Man, I love Chris Weidman and I want to see him win. To be fair, I don't see a lot of fighters come back from a knockout loss like he suffered against Yoel Romero and succeed. Hell, I don't see people come back from the beating he got from Luke Rockhold and make a serious comeback. Mousasi gives Weidman a fair chance at redemption. If he's confident in his neck and in good shape he's as good as 50/50 to pull out a win. The underdog position is not a bad place to bet him.
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