USHR is reporting that the Green Bay Gamblers have made their choice. That man is St. Louis Bandits (NAHL) head coach,
Jon Cooper. I will post a couple short pieces from the USHR article, and thank you to the anonymous poster who brought it to my attention. Cooper has had a ton of success these past two seasons in St. Louis. Over the last two seasons, Jon has posted a 90-25-7 record, while capturing the NAHL's Robertson Cup. His team is also a main competitor for the Cup again this season, as they just beat Mahoning Valley, which is one of the best teams in the league. Great addition for the Gamblers.
The new head coach of the Green Bay Gamblers will be St. Louis Bandits (NAHL) head coach Jon Cooper. However, don't look for an announcement right away: the Bandits are in the playoffs, so the hiring is being kept on the QT.
Everybody we spoke to on Friday had a positive reaction to this hire. The Div. I assistants gave him a thumbs-up, which is significant because a big part of a USHL coach's job involves interacting with them.
Cooper was almost certainly the #1 choice of the Gamblers from the get-go. The other two finalists were Luke Strand and Kevin Patrick, both former Gamblers' assistants.
58 comments:
Very irresponsible reporting. Ask USHR if they spoke to anyone in the Gamblers organization? No one has been offered this job yet, they are still talking to references.
Cooper is a good pick-up for Green Bay.
Thanks Anon at 4:15 PM.
Why would the USHR release this yet?
Wow, what happened to the other prospects?
Agree, the release was a bust. Too bad for the players. Maybe they can pull it off. Good luck to them. I wonder how Jon feels?
Its hard to hold news like this. Its a fact of life when two people talk it spreads. Kinda not up to par with USHL standards though.
NO CLASS ON THE RELEASE. BAD TIMING.
you guys are soooo in denial. its pretty obvious that the longer green bay waits, the longer everybody knows its going to be Jon Cooper. everyother team had their coach lined up within days. wake up! Its common sense.
Tell that to the commish. Fool.
Great Choice, Hes been in a league working with young kids and knows how to work with them. I take his experience over Strand and Patrick anyday.
Jamie
Go Gamblers
Great Choice, Hes been in a league working with young kids and knows how to work with them. I take his experience over Strand and Patrick anyday.
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He may be a great choice - and I'm not saying he isn't - but on-ice is only part of it. If he's a solid person - trustworthy, with integrity, makes the kids be responsible for their own actions, etc. - then he's a great choice.
We know that KP and Strand are great coaches and are outstanding individuals. And, there's nothing wrong with their experience - knowing what it takes at higher levels can be crucial in the development of 16-20-year-old players. And, both have experience in this league.
Again, I am not ripping on Cooper. He may be just what GB needs. But if the team's choice is Patrick, Strand or Corbett, I don't think anyone should be disappointed in any way.
-gbpuckfan
Who cares anymore we are still at the bottom.
Nothing has been told to Strand or Patrick as of Friday. In fact GB was talking to Patrick about the job just recently.
I agree with you gbpuckfan, Strand, Corbett and Patrick would be good coachs to, but i feel Cooper would have a edge just because he would be ready for the draft right way. Hes coaching at that level now where some of this kids come from.
OK - SO WHATS THE DEAL? IS COOPER SELECTED OR NOT?
He will be. If Green Bay wanted another guy, they would've already worked out a deal and announced it. Coopers season is still going on, so within the next month, he will be announced as the next coach.
Houston's season only ended last night - so if you think that a team still playing is a factor (which I'm not convinced of) - he might still be the choice. There hasn't been a business day since the Aeros season ended.
-gbpuckfan
Yeah, like it will be a big surprise. Very unprofessional.
but i feel Cooper would have a edge just because he would be ready for the draft right way. Hes coaching at that level now where some of this kids come from.
===
Well, three thoughts:
1) that's what the team has a fulltime scout for.
2) There's a month to the draft
3) That might - might - be a factor for one season. This is a long-term decision
-gbpuckfan
"Yeah, like it will be a big surprise. Very unprofessional."
It was, when i read it i was susprised!!!!
You actually think it would be a susprise. Never, it always leaks out to the media ahead of time. Look at when we hired Mazz, it leaked out a couple day before the Gamblers announced it too.
This was handled the way the Gamblers like to have things done:
The wrong way.
Rebels!
Sam
The one thing that im really confused about is the fact that this is a great hire. Jon Cooper has been successful at every level. At Texarkana and St. Louis in the NAHL, he has won an unbelieveable amount of games and he also sent certainly the most players onto the next level in the NAHL besides the NTDP, and quite a few have been very successful. Yes the "other" candidates have great resumes like Jon Cooper and yes the "others" are from levels higher than the USHL, but, how did Mark Mazz. just do in GB? He came in from Harvard as their head coach and never formed a connection with the players and in return, the players never trusted him. Much like others who "came down" to the USHL from higher levels, they dont find the same success in the USHL becuase in the USHL, its a total different connection needed to reach players than in the D-1 and Pro ranks. I feel thats the BIGGEST misconception about the USHL hirings because most people believe "higher level means better coach" or "higher level means more wins" and that is hardly ever the case and i feel most teams, based on recent hirings have realized that.
Hmm, let's examine Green Bay's other two head coaches, before Mazz.
Don Granato - spent part of 1 season with Madison Capitols. That was his ONLY coaching experience. Led the team to 2 Anderson, 1 Clark and 2 Gold Cup titles.
Mark Osiecki - was an assistant at NoDak. No juniors experience. Led the team to 5 division titles and 1 Clark Cup.
Doesn't seem to have been a problem. It's as much about personality as experience.
-gbpuckfan
I dont agree. Lets see how he will perform with the team at hand coming up from the lower levels.
like to see coaches moving up, but not leaping. jon would be a good assist coach.
"like to see coaches moving up, but not leaping. jon would be a good assist coach."
You must be kiding?? Jon's Bandits team arguably would be in the upper half of the USHL right now. Certainly middle of the pack and would have finished with a much better record than GB.
Wow, you guys are really tough in your assesment of qualifications for a coaching slot. How does being Coach of the Year twice in the NAHL, Coach of a winning (U17)National Team, Assisting Coach of the Top In-line team, league winner 3 years out of 5 for the NAHL, being a business graduate, laywer, Canadian and part owner (according to Wikapedia) of a team not qualify you to coach the Gamblers?
Jon's team in not in the USHL folks. And the Gam's could have done better.
gbpuckfan-- what exactly is your problem with this hire? this guy obviously has the credentials and meets all the criteria to be a head coach in this league.
Who cares! Is the deal done or not? Who's the assistant, is it gonna be another coach that has experience in the USHL to help out?
I am not going to believe anything here until I see/hear an announcement from PMI ( owners of Gamblers ). From what I am hearing, they have not made a final decision as of yet. Unless someone can prove the hiring, it is mere speculation at this point. They better hurry though, the draft is only 2 weeks away.
The draft is 2 weeks away and Jon and his staff have been scouting for their team all year long. They will be prepared. When did Mazz resign? they've had this long to look for a coach, and they found it in Jon Cooper. It would've already been announced had Jon not been a head coach for another Jr. A program. The other candidates would've been announced once being hired and taken over as soon as their season was complete.
I have no problem with this guy - nothing whatsover.
What I have done is respond to specific points:
1) Others: It MUST be him because they haven't announced it and his season is still going on. Me: No, the same could be said for Strand through this weekend.
2) Others: Hiring someone from the college ranks would be a disaster. No, it worked just fine for us with Osiecki, thank you. And Granato had limited coaching experience, period.
3) Others: His experience is better than Strand or Patrick. Me: I think there's something to be said for coaching at the level the USHL players want to get to, whether that's college or pro. A difference of opinion, that's all.
4) Others: Cooper's familiarity with this age group now means he should get the job. Me: That's shortsighted, neglects the fact we have a fulltime scout and I'm sure the other candidates would be just fine.
None of my comments should be interpreted as being against Cooper. He clearly has a great record and knows what he's doing. If he comes here, he certainly would appear to have the tools to succeed and I hope he does.
My points are:
- some of the arguments being used on why this anonymous report points to him don't exclude other candidates
- if GB hires some one else, those experiences may be just as valid as what Cooper has done.
- until it's announced, ONE anonymous report isn't enough to convince me. It may be true - and I wouldn't be eating any crow - it's just I disgaree with some of the assessments to some extent.
-gbpuckfan
They could have done a lot better. It is a normal move for GB.
Jon Cooper has been so successful in the NAHL because he has had good relationships with coaches in the USHL. He has attended every Fall Class/Buc Bowl for the last several years and if you go back and track who the "first cuts" are from USHL teams during that time, they usually end up playing for Cooper. Smart guy. Good coach.
How did we end up with so many Jon Cooper fans all of a sudden? He was not even in the running and now he's the best choice? Talk about the other prospects being shut down, if the rumors are true.
Not convinced. No way and no how (yet). ps. Poor taste in the release although its still not the official release.
Gambling man.
Anonymous said...
"like to see coaches moving up, but not leaping. jon would be a good assist coach."
"You must be kiding?? Jon's Bandits team arguably would be in the upper half of the USHL right now. Certainly middle of the pack and would have finished with a much better record than GB.
4/28/08 12:25 PM"
Great coach - very little chance his team would be able to play with green bay.
The level between the two leagues is not that great. Get real!
Why don't we just all sit back and wait until May 7th for the real press release. And then we'll see if the rumor was right about Jon Cooper being named the next Green Bay GM/Head Coach.
Smokey the Bandit
Press release, what about it? It was done this weekend, gambler style.
Anonymous said...
Press release,
4/28/08 8:06 PM
Dicky Dunn wrote it, so it must be ture.
Team denies any contract has been offered:
http://www.greenbaypressgazette.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080429/GPG0209/804290615/1245
-gbpuckfan
Here's somethign for us to really worry about--we keep saying that the gambler scouting staff is out there working...well same guy has been working for 4 years and has not had one decent class of players come in.the guy is a social retard, an arrogant a$$&#le, and obviously a loser if he was fired from 4 pro-teams and all he could find was a hand-out from Mazz...
all im saying is dont put your eggs in the superscouts basket...he's proven to be a liability before and he will again.
by the way, what does cooper being a canuck have to do with credibility?
What a mess!
Ryan, you blew it. Also your blog is either filled with past news or bad information.
What are you talking about?
Think he means he reads news on the USHL Website first and then a day or two later you post it here.
If it appears on the USHL site, I generally don't post it on the blog.
Huh? Is Jon Cooper out?
Gamblers are just covering themselves.
Everyone should simply backoff until there is a formal announcement out of Green Bay. Though everyone is anxious as this has been going on for months, another week wait doesn't matter.
What a sad joke. Nothing like letting the cat out of the bag.
It will be fun to watch how they unvail the news at the press conference.
Just heard Bob Costas on ESPN talking about the "bitterness and genuine mean spirit nature" of sports fans with blogs. This is a perfect example. Green Bay released nothing, nothing whatsoever. Do you think they planned for someone hearing rumors and making their own press release? 25% chance the blogger is right. They would not have done it this way, the new regime is very professional. If they felt that they had to wait to respect someone's current situation, that is a good thing, not something to be criticized.
This boo boo was handled properly by the mgmt., what else could they have done? It will all come out in the wash.
Green Bay fans --
Why would Jon Cooper want to be a part of your organization. He is one of the best Junior coaches around and promotes his players better than anyone. Most of the USHL players are promoted just by being in the league and having so much exposure. Jon brings in what he feels is the best talent and he promotes them. He goes out and promotes them. In our league the colleges come to us.
So get over your big selves and look at the results. I would be frustrated too if we didn't have a coach, but again, if that's the way the organization is run then why would Cooper want to be a part of it?
Green Bay fans --
Why would Jon Cooper want to be a part of your organization. He is one of the best Junior coaches around and promotes his players better than anyone. Most of the USHL players are promoted just by being in the league and having so much exposure. Jon brings in what he feels is the best talent and he promotes them. He goes out and promotes them. In our league the colleges come to us.
So get over your big selves and look at the results. I would be frustrated too if we didn't have a coach, but again, if that's the way the organization is run then why would Cooper want to be a part of it?
====
Wow, I don't get this.
I don't think anyone is being critical of Cooper or his excellent track record.
This leak did not come from PMI. They are very unhappy with the USHR report.
In fact most of the thread is debating the merits of the report and qualifications of other candidates.
The organization is well run - and I know why he would want to move up. It's a higher-profile league with excellent facilities, a bigger fan base and generally a larger talent pool.
-gbpuckfan
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