MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – Except you’re Heather, Addisyn or Reagan Baker, and also you may occur to have Wren Baker’s cell quantity, you will not be getting any calls into him straight away.
That is as a result of his cellphone is now in privateness mode and can stay that method till he completes his seek for West Virginia College’s new soccer coach, the 36th in class historical past. Baker spent almost an hour Tuesday afternoon fielding questions from the media following his choice Sunday to make a management change in this system.
He confidently coated a number of floor with out actually tipping his hand, which is strictly what he did 11 months in the past earlier than he pried basketball coach Darian DeVries away from Drake. Baker managed to maintain that course of discreet till almost all of the heavy lifting was accomplished.
Baker talked about the preliminary profile of potential suitors is large open. He additionally indicated the candidate pool won’t be restricted to only head coaches or coordinators.
“We have been performing some work on it proper now, and the web that we have solid is admittedly large,” he stated. “We are going to slender that down and begin to have some conversations. Initially, these might be Zoom-type conversations after which actually getting that right down to a handful that we’d need to see in particular person.
“I will not set up a timeline as a result of individuals will freak out if you find yourself not on that timeline and there are loads of issues that have an effect on the timeline. We have now potential candidates who might be teaching in championship video games and that type of stuff,” Baker stated.
Along with on-field teaching acumen, Baker stated he might be evaluating candidates primarily based on their capacity to assemble rosters and handle them, in addition to income and “wage cap” issues.
The brand new time period he used to explain this course of was capology.
“That is a giant a part of this job now and having a plan for a way you’ll employees these expertise evaluators and employees the financial people which are serving to you make choices on how a lot you’ll spend on a place group and the way a lot to spend on a participant in that place group as a result of all these numbers are related,” Baker defined. “That is not one thing I’m an knowledgeable in, however all of that may roll as much as me. That now exists at each college, in order that’s one thing to work by way of.”
With the early signing interval starting at this time, the switch portal window opening quickly and different energy convention jobs doubtlessly coming open, to not point out a bowl sport look for the Mountaineers later this month, Baker has loads on his plate.
“That was a giant concern of mine going into this,” he admitted. “We have now signing day (at this time), the portal opens on (Dec. 9) and we hope we will play in an earlier bowl sport as a result of I believe our children are fairly excited to remain collectively and play in a bowl sport.
“If it is a late sport, the portal turns into a much bigger issue for 20 days or so. These are all components, however you lastly get to a spot the place you understand, ‘Hey, I am unable to management any of these components,’ and what’s necessary is that I put us in one of the best window I can to make choice. The opposite jobs which have come open, when you would have requested me a month in the past which jobs might come open, all of them aside from perhaps UCF might come open. I’ve a job to do to verify all of the puzzle items are on the desk for whomever we rent and that we rent one of the best particular person to assemble these puzzle items.”
As for signing day, Baker has already lent a serving to hand by answering questions from involved prospects.
He appointed Chad Scott interim coach to supervise on-field actions main as much as the bowl sport, whereas longtime energy and conditioning coach Mike Joseph will deal with all of the “non-football stuff.”
His message to Brown’s present employees is that every one of them might be handled pretty in the course of the transition interval. He needs them to proceed doing the job they’re getting paid to do to get the crew ready for the bowl sport and to maintain him within the loop on any potential job alternatives.
“We’re not going to throw anybody out,” Baker stated. “My ask to them was do what’s proper for our children so long as you’re an worker right here, and I am going to do what’s proper by you.”
As for the following soccer coach, Baker is assured the West Virginia place is interesting due to the varsity’s passionate fan base and a wide-open Massive 12 Convention that not has Texas and Oklahoma.
WVU, being a geographic outlier within the newly expanded Massive 12, offers challenges and alternatives. He cited Arizona State’s spectacular turnaround this season as a motivating issue for subsequent season.
“That is a sexy job, one, due to the followers,” he defined. “Folks know the eagerness of our followers, and that was necessary after I got here right here. You need to be someplace the place it issues. Then, whenever you have a look at the Massive 12, all people is aware of it is large open. What I’ve heard from individuals is that they know this can be a history-rich program, they know the Massive 12 is large open and people are actually good promoting factors.
“Are there challenges to this job? Sure, however each job has its challenges. There are sufficient (benefits) right here to be extremely profitable.”
He indicated West Virginia’s aim is to be in school soccer’s high third of income, regardless of a few of the division’s continued useful resource disadvantages because of a scarcity of premium seating at Milan Puskar Stadium. He indicated that might be addressed publicly within the coming months.
Finally, Baker stated his mission is to search out one of the best general candidate to do the job.
“If one of the best candidate has WVU ties, nice,” he stated. “In the event that they’ve lived or labored or been in West Virginia, nice, but when they don’t seem to be one of the best candidate, that is nonetheless the incorrect choice. For me, you’re taking all that in, however what’s actually necessary right here is that you simply rent any individual that has a need and a coronary heart to actually embrace West Virginia. That’s actually necessary to individuals right here.
“It is necessary for the brand new coach to appreciate that is the state’s professional crew, this program and College means loads to the state, and you’ll have some of the distinguished positions within the state and you need to embrace that everybody on this state needs you to know a bit of bit about the place they reside and the way necessary it’s to them,” Baker added.
Some coaches should not suited or snug to residing their lives in a fishbowl, which is what the pinnacle soccer coach at West Virginia College can signify.
“If you’re the soccer coach at West Virginia College, you’re the most recognizable particular person on this state,” he famous. “You might be by no means going to cease and get gasoline or stroll right into a grocery retailer and purchase something the place individuals do not know who you’re. You possibly can really feel the eyes following you. For some individuals, they’ll deal with the strain on sport days, however they cannot deal with that you would be able to’t ever get away from it.
“I spend loads of time speaking about that to verify whoever we usher in understands that as a result of till you expertise it, you do not totally comprehend what it is all about,” he stated.
Baker indicated {that a} very aggressive compensation package deal might be supplied to the following coach, regardless of the buyout obligations to outgoing coach Neal Brown and his employees.
“It is relative to who your goal is, and you need to be aggressive,” he stated. “I believe we have achieved a extremely good job right here when hiring individuals of being honest.”
Baker stated he might be utilizing Parker Search to help with the method.
