Wesley Brooks Named Head WBB Coach

shoresy · Post by **shoresy** » April 1st, 2024, 6:07 pm

I posted in the other thread on Stew's Spectrum, but I'm extremely excited about this hire.

Brooks is most recently an assistant coach at Ohio State. Before that, he was at Michigan, Utah, North Texas, Texas Southern and Robert Morris. Has worked under some really incredible head coaches, and the dude hasn't done a ton of losing in his coaching career. Excited to hear from him at the intro presser tomorrow.

It's nice to feel hope for our women's basketball program again. Who knows if he will pan out, but it certainly didn't feel this way when either of the past two coaches were hired.

Post by **AGinNEIowa** » April 1st, 2024, 6:09 pm

Great! shall we lock that other thread now and let it go away?

shoresy · Post by **shoresy** » April 1st, 2024, 6:15 pm

AGinNEIowa wrote:Great! shall we lock that other thread now and let it go away?

Yes please. My hope by starting this thread is that that one would disappear.

trevordude · Post by **trevordude** » April 1st, 2024, 6:16 pm

AGinNEIowa wrote: ↑
April 1st, 2024, 6:09 pm
Great! shall we lock that other thread now and let it go away?

Amen, kill that other thread.

Post by **AGinNEIowa** » April 1st, 2024, 6:19 pm

2 in agreement means 3 votes in the affirmative, so that's a quorum in the city council I served on.
It's locked.
now we need to start 25 new topics so it goes off the front page....

Bullnamed_gus · Post by **Bullnamed_gus** » April 1st, 2024, 6:31 pm

As long as he doesn’t sleep with the golf coach and wins some games it’s an improvement. Luckily for
Him the bar is extremely low

QuackAttackAggie · Post by **QuackAttackAggie** » April 1st, 2024, 6:46 pm

Bullnamed_gus wrote:As long as he doesn’t sleep with the golf coach and wins some games it’s an improvement. Luckily for
Him the bar is extremely low

He's a good looking guy. Golf coach better behave himself.

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blueblood · Post by **blueblood** » April 1st, 2024, 6:54 pm

Seems like a great hire with a much higher profile than Ard.

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FromLItoLogan · Post by **FromLItoLogan** » April 1st, 2024, 6:55 pm

My question is, why is he just now becoming a HC? It sounds like he should've gotten a shot a lot earlier.

shoresy · Post by **shoresy** » April 1st, 2024, 6:58 pm

blueblood wrote: ↑
April 1st, 2024, 6:54 pm
Seems like a great hire with a much higher profile than Ard.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Much, much higher profile. If it wasn't apparent that hiring Ard was malpractice at the time, it should be now.

I know for a fact we had at least two other finalists with resumes as good if not better than Brooks' as well.

shoresy · Post by **shoresy** » April 1st, 2024, 6:59 pm

FromLItoLogan wrote: ↑
April 1st, 2024, 6:55 pm
My question is, why is he just now becoming a HC? It sounds like he should've gotten a shot a lot earlier.

Fair question, but he's been an assistant at an extremely high level for a while now. Maybe he hasn't been interested or found the right fit until now.

Yossarian · Post by **Yossarian** » April 1st, 2024, 8:51 pm

shoresy wrote: ↑
April 1st, 2024, 6:59 pm

FromLItoLogan wrote: ↑
April 1st, 2024, 6:55 pm
My question is, why is he just now becoming a HC? It sounds like he should've gotten a shot a lot earlier.
Fair question, but he's been an assistant at an extremely high level for a while now. Maybe he hasn't been interested or found the right fit until now.

Or maybe the money for a HC at a smaller program wasn't as good as that of an assistant at a large one?

shoresy · Post by **shoresy** » April 1st, 2024, 9:11 pm

Yossarian wrote: ↑
April 1st, 2024, 8:51 pm

shoresy wrote: ↑
April 1st, 2024, 6:59 pm

FromLItoLogan wrote: ↑
April 1st, 2024, 6:55 pm
My question is, why is he just now becoming a HC? It sounds like he should've gotten a shot a lot earlier.
Fair question, but he's been an assistant at an extremely high level for a while now. Maybe he hasn't been interested or found the right fit until now.
Or maybe the money for a HC at a smaller program wasn't as good as that of an assistant at a large one?

Could be. By my math, he's around ~42 years old, which isn't abnormal for a first time head coach.

ghsaggie · Post by **ghsaggie** » April 2nd, 2024, 11:31 am

I have no clue whether or not Ard's press conference was good or bad, but wow I like this guy. I think he's going to be a fantastic coach for the women's team. Hopefully he can start turning things around!

StanfordAggie · Post by **StanfordAggie** » April 7th, 2024, 9:40 pm

FromLItoLogan wrote: ↑
April 1st, 2024, 6:55 pm
My question is, why is he just now becoming a HC? It sounds like he should've gotten a shot a lot earlier.

I'll also note that unfortunately even in 2024, it can be difficult to find a head coaching job if you are black. Honestly, that is another reason I am thrilled about this hire. Opposing coaches are going to have a much harder time using the "Logan is not a friendly place for minorities" line to dissuade recruits from signing with us after we just hired a black head coach in a high profile sport.

NVAggie · Post by **NVAggie** » April 8th, 2024, 8:24 am

Of course, If Coach Brooks has a bad experience, it could eventually work against us down the road.

NavyBlue · Post by **NavyBlue** » April 11th, 2024, 2:52 pm

Is Lindsay Wooley still on the staff? I hope they give him a chance to stay.

I did see on the website that they still have Kayla Ard as the head coach....

shoresy · Post by **shoresy** » April 11th, 2024, 3:21 pm

NavyBlue wrote: ↑
April 11th, 2024, 2:52 pm
Is Lindsay Wooley still on the staff? I hope they give him a chance to stay.

I did see on the website that they still have Kayla Ard as the head coach....

Lindsay won't be on Coach Brooks staff. Not sure if he was told no or if he's pursuing other opportunities though.

And yes, as with the men's team, the roster is for the 2023-24 teams. It's not unusual to wait until later in the summer to update rosters. From what I hear there aren't many players sticking around from last year's team, so it would probably look weird to have a roster with only a head coach and four or five players on it.

Post by **ProvoAggie** » April 11th, 2024, 3:35 pm

NavyBlue wrote: ↑
April 11th, 2024, 2:52 pm
I did see on the website that they still have Kayla Ard as the head coach....

She's listed as the coach on the 2023-24 Roster. Wes is listed as the current head coach:
https://utahstateaggies.com/staff-directory

Aggie_Watch · Post by **Aggie_Watch** » April 11th, 2024, 4:31 pm

shoresy wrote: ↑
April 11th, 2024, 3:21 pm

NavyBlue wrote: ↑
April 11th, 2024, 2:52 pm
Is Lindsay Wooley still on the staff? I hope they give him a chance to stay.

I did see on the website that they still have Kayla Ard as the head coach....
Lindsay won't be on Coach Brooks staff. Not sure if he was told no or if he's pursuing other opportunities though.

And yes, as with the men's team, the roster is for the 2023-24 teams. It's not unusual to wait until later in the summer to update rosters. From what I hear there aren't many players sticking around from last year's team, so it would probably look weird to have a roster with only a head coach and four or five players on it.

Is he keeping any of the coaches from last year?

shoresy · Post by **shoresy** » April 11th, 2024, 4:34 pm

Aggie_Watch wrote: ↑
April 11th, 2024, 4:31 pm

shoresy wrote: ↑
April 11th, 2024, 3:21 pm

NavyBlue wrote: ↑
April 11th, 2024, 2:52 pm
Is Lindsay Wooley still on the staff? I hope they give him a chance to stay.

I did see on the website that they still have Kayla Ard as the head coach....
Lindsay won't be on Coach Brooks staff. Not sure if he was told no or if he's pursuing other opportunities though.

And yes, as with the men's team, the roster is for the 2023-24 teams. It's not unusual to wait until later in the summer to update rosters. From what I hear there aren't many players sticking around from last year's team, so it would probably look weird to have a roster with only a head coach and four or five players on it.
Is he keeping any of the coaches from last year?

Not in coaching roles, though I believe there's a chance one member of last year's staff stays on in a support role.

shoresy · Post by **shoresy** » April 15th, 2024, 5:03 pm

The team announced two new assistants today -

Velaida Harris, the former head coach at Weber State. Had a terrible stint there, but has some decent experience before that including stops at Utah, Rhode Island and Oregon.

Alexis Hyder, a former player for Brooks at North Texas. Also played at LSU and professionally overseas for a while. Not a ton of coaching experience, just one year as an assistant at Lindenwood.

shoresy · Post by **shoresy** » April 15th, 2024, 5:05 pm

Looks like the team has updated their roster to 2024-25. Just six players listed, I assume those are the only returners which fits with everything I've heard.

It also looks like CJ Vaifanua-Pace is still listed as an assistant coach. I had heard she may be staying on in a support role (DOBO or something similar) but it looks like that must have changed.

LarryTheAggie · Post by **LarryTheAggie** » April 15th, 2024, 5:06 pm

shoresy wrote: ↑
April 15th, 2024, 5:03 pm
The team announced two new assistants today -

Velaida Harris, the former head coach at Weber State. Had a terrible stint there, but has some decent experience before that including stops at Utah, Rhode Island and Oregon.

Alexis Hyder, a former player for Brooks at North Texas. Also played at LSU and professionally overseas for a while. Not a ton of coaching experience, just one year as an assistant at Lindenwood.

Some people are not meant to be head coaches but make amazing assistants.

shoresy · Post by **shoresy** » April 15th, 2024, 5:10 pm

LarryTheAggie wrote: ↑
April 15th, 2024, 5:06 pm

shoresy wrote: ↑
April 15th, 2024, 5:03 pm
The team announced two new assistants today -

Velaida Harris, the former head coach at Weber State. Had a terrible stint there, but has some decent experience before that including stops at Utah, Rhode Island and Oregon.

Alexis Hyder, a former player for Brooks at North Texas. Also played at LSU and professionally overseas for a while. Not a ton of coaching experience, just one year as an assistant at Lindenwood.
Some people are not meant to be head coaches but make amazing assistants.

Completely agree. That wasn't meant as a criticism of the hire, it's just part of her background worth mentioning.

Aggie_Watch · Post by **Aggie_Watch** » April 15th, 2024, 5:35 pm

shoresy wrote: ↑
April 15th, 2024, 5:05 pm
Looks like the team has updated their roster to 2024-25. Just six players listed, I assume those are the only returners which fits with everything I've heard.

It also looks like CJ Vaifanua-Pace is still listed as an assistant coach. I had heard she may be staying on in a support role (DOBO or something similar) but it looks like that must have changed.

I noticed Lillian is not on the roster and she was not listed as a transfer. Any insights?

shoresy · Post by **shoresy** » April 15th, 2024, 6:57 pm

Aggie_Watch wrote: ↑
April 15th, 2024, 5:35 pm

shoresy wrote: ↑
April 15th, 2024, 5:05 pm
Looks like the team has updated their roster to 2024-25. Just six players listed, I assume those are the only returners which fits with everything I've heard.

It also looks like CJ Vaifanua-Pace is still listed as an assistant coach. I had heard she may be staying on in a support role (DOBO or something similar) but it looks like that must have changed.
I noticed Lillian is not on the roster and she was not listed as a transfer. Any insights?

Not listed as a transfer where? Transfer portal sites are not official, and often take a while to update.

I have no idea what Lillian's personal situation is, but I can't imagine a player who played exactly one minute for a 5-win team probably isn't going to have a ton of suitors. She could just be calling it quits.

tipitup · Post by **tipitup** » April 15th, 2024, 8:02 pm

former head coach sighting tonight on the tv. Reagan Pebley is a GM for Los Angeles sparks!! on TV during the draft

nelsentheaggie · Post by **nelsentheaggie** » April 16th, 2024, 6:51 am

it would be nice to see some transfers start to roll in…seems slow this year? I’ve seen Fresno pick up one, SJSU picked up a solid one, and CSU picked up likely the best transfer in the conference. We need to start adding players to this roster. Any shot he could bring any Ohio state players over? I think there are a couple in the portal who didn’t play much but still feels like that would be a score.

greggers1868 · Post by **greggers1868** » April 16th, 2024, 11:16 am

shoresy wrote: ↑
April 15th, 2024, 6:57 pm

Aggie_Watch wrote: ↑
April 15th, 2024, 5:35 pm

shoresy wrote: ↑
April 15th, 2024, 5:05 pm
Looks like the team has updated their roster to 2024-25. Just six players listed, I assume those are the only returners which fits with everything I've heard.

It also looks like CJ Vaifanua-Pace is still listed as an assistant coach. I had heard she may be staying on in a support role (DOBO or something similar) but it looks like that must have changed.
I noticed Lillian is not on the roster and she was not listed as a transfer. Any insights?
Not listed as a transfer where? Transfer portal sites are not official, and often take a while to update.

I have no idea what Lillian's personal situation is, but I can't imagine a player who played exactly one minute for a 5-win team probably isn't going to have a ton of suitors. She could just be calling it quits.

Lillian is listed in the transfer portal now.
https://wbbblog.com/womens-basketball-t ... 023-24/16/

shoresy · Post by **shoresy** » April 16th, 2024, 11:35 am

greggers1868 wrote: ↑
April 16th, 2024, 11:16 am

shoresy wrote: ↑
April 15th, 2024, 6:57 pm

Aggie_Watch wrote: ↑
April 15th, 2024, 5:35 pm

shoresy wrote: ↑
April 15th, 2024, 5:05 pm
Looks like the team has updated their roster to 2024-25. Just six players listed, I assume those are the only returners which fits with everything I've heard.

It also looks like CJ Vaifanua-Pace is still listed as an assistant coach. I had heard she may be staying on in a support role (DOBO or something similar) but it looks like that must have changed.
I noticed Lillian is not on the roster and she was not listed as a transfer. Any insights?
Not listed as a transfer where? Transfer portal sites are not official, and often take a while to update.

I have no idea what Lillian's personal situation is, but I can't imagine a player who played exactly one minute for a 5-win team probably isn't going to have a ton of suitors. She could just be calling it quits.
Lillian is listed in the transfer portal now.
https://wbbblog.com/womens-basketball-t ... 023-24/16/

Looks like Knapp is the only player not listed either place right now, though I imagine she'll surface in the portal shortly.

Stucki · Post by **Stucki** » April 16th, 2024, 11:38 am

Since this is Aggie basketball, shouldn't conversations about our women's team also be in the Stew Morrill Court forum?

Aggie formerly in Hawaii · Post by **Aggie formerly in Hawaii** » April 16th, 2024, 11:40 am

Stucki wrote: ↑
April 16th, 2024, 11:38 am
Since this is Aggie basketball, shouldn't conversations about our women's team also be in the Stew Morrill Court forum?

No, they should be in the Kayla Ard Court forum.

shoresy · Post by **shoresy** » April 16th, 2024, 11:55 am

Stucki wrote: ↑
April 16th, 2024, 11:38 am
Since this is Aggie basketball, shouldn't conversations about our women's team also be in the Stew Morrill Court forum?

Yeah, probably. We do tend to get fewer of the people who click on the thread just to say how little they care about women's basketball over here though.

ViAggie · Post by **ViAggie** » April 16th, 2024, 12:23 pm

Looks like we have some solid hires under Brooks, looking forward to next season.

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