Gilbert Search Firm: Replacing Matt Majkrzak

After looking at the open Division I jobs in Michigan in the first part of the month. The coaching carousel has spun and opened up a Division II job. As Northern Michigan’s Matt Majkrzak parlayed a strong seven year run into the top spot at Northern Illinois. If you have followed in past years or the past months. The methodology remains the same. Analyze the job and what it will take to win. Then a slew of candidates. Followed by a final recommendation.

Is Northern Michigan a Good Job?

With Majkrzak’s recent run of success. It hard to say it is not. He showed that the right type of coach with the right recruiting philosophy can win in Marquette. The program has rich history and tradition. It is the alma mater of Tom Izzo (pictured) and has turned into an Upper Peninsula cradle of coaches. Particularly on the gridiron. With Steve Mariucci, Robert Saleh, Lloyd Carr, and even the flamboyant former NFL head coach Jerry Glanville (look him up kids)

There is a surprisingly strong donor base, if you can tap into it. No one has seemingly been able to open the Starbucks tap, but owner/founder Howard Schultz is an alum. The campus contains Winter Olympic training facilities. Consequently, the facilities are good and still improving. So, what is the downside?

How should I put this delicately? Just turn on the Weather Channel right now. Marquette is currently shutdown and covered in ice and snow. This is not historic or rare. It’s happened more than once just this winter. The Upper Peninsula winters are not for the faint of heart. It can be hard place to recruit to. You do not have a major metropolitan area to pull players from. Majkrzak (and Michigan Tech) have largely done it with players from Wisconsin and Minnesota. Green Bay is still three hours away, and the Twin Cities are six.

The two head coaches who preceded Majkrzak struggled to get things going. You need a big personality who understands the peculiarities of the job. While also having a connection to the region and recruiting ground. If that is the route Northern goes, it limits the candidate pool more than you would think.

The Majkrzak Tree

If you want to keep it within the “family”, two names stand out. It appears the current staff will head to DeKalb. They are a rather green bunch without a lot of experience as well. That is due to Northern’s success over the last seven years. As previous assistants have moved on to other jobs. Would they want to come back? I think it is worth the call.

Charlie Wallrapp (Head Coach Malone- Ohio) A sitting Division II head coach would be nice way to bounce back from Majkrzak’s departure. Before his current three-year head coaching run in Ohio. He was assistant at Northern for three successful years as well. The Nebraska native has also played and coached in Kansas, so he is familiar with rural locations. He is still under 40 and has the experience you would want.

The only problem? He already has a good job located in a pretty fertile recruiting area. He is not off bad start and is not worried about job security after winning the GMAC conference tourney in only his second year. It is still worth the call though.

Keil Ganz (Assistant Coach Green Bay) Has not one, but two stints at Northern as an assistant. Has Division I experience at both Green Bay and Southern Indiana. Consequently, he is very familiar with the campus and recruiting area. Very connected in the burgeoning Wisconsin grassroots basketball scene.

Love him or hate him (personally I like the guy) Doug Gottlieb has turned things around in Green Bay. That could work for or against Northern in this situation. Ganz is a Green Bay alum. If he thinks Gottlieb is going to bounce to a bigger job. Does he want to follow him, or possibly even have a shot as his successor? The only thing missing from the resume is head coaching experience. Does Northern want to provide that, if possibly only for a short period of time?

The UP/wisconsin Crew

Jim Lake (Assistant Coach Central Michigan) A sitting Division I assistant coach. Has a Division II national championship on his resume as an assistant. Ample GLIAC experience from the aforementioned run at Ferris St. Parlayed that into a seven-year tenure as a Division III head coach in Northwest Wisconsin. Like Ganz, very connected in grassroots basketball. Having coached with Grand Rapids Storm. That sure checks a lot of boxes for what Northern could be looking for.

Like Wallrapp, I’m not sure he would leave though. He just uprooted everything to move to Mount Pleasant. Does he want to seemingly move right back? Division II and III guys work hard to get to the Division I level. Does he want to move down a division after only one year? He doesn’t need to scratch the head coaching itch.

Michael Cooper (Assistant Coach Milwaukee) I’ve talked a lot about Wisconsin in relation to this job. While Cooper certainly has those connections after four years in Milwaukee. The Minnesota native should also be able to tap into his home state. While also having coaching experience in the emerging Dakota basketball scene (Northern St-SD)

Has been a part of some very successful staffs in Queens (NC) before coming to Milwaukee. With his experience and resume, is a Division I assistant who will probably not turn up his nose to a Division II opportunity.

Josh Hentschel (Assistant Coach Alabama Huntsville) A rising young Division II assistant who has experience coaching successful teams in the Upper Peninsula. The Midland native spent two years at nearby conference foe Lake Superior St. Prior to that worked at Northwood and was a graduate assistant at Liberty. That is a pretty varied geographic resume.

Is that a plus for this job? Is also quite young and does not have head coaching experience. The experience in the conference/region might outweigh those demerits. Unlike others on this list. With his age and experience, would probably take the job if offered. That could matter here.

Michael Orris (Assistant Coach Augustana SD) The Chicago native was a big-time prep player who began his career at Kansas St. Bounced around a bit before ending his playing career leading South Dakota St to the NCAA tournament. Has coached primarily in Dakotas after playing professionally overseas and in the G-League.

Has spent one year as prep head coach in Chicago area. The resume is still a little thin. Four years at the University of Mary, also a DII in South Dakota. However really grinds on the recruiting trail. Filling in the regional gaps between Chicago and the Dakotas would not be hard. Played for TJ Otzelberger at South Dakota St. Not sure anyone is hotter in this particular region right now than the Iowa St head coach. If he can get that seal of approval, I would think that would help.

The Outside the Box Hire

Sam Larson (Head Coach Menominee High School) That is not a typo. I meant to type high school. Highly successful coach who taken the Maroons to a final, semifinal, and quarterfinal appearance in his nine years at the helm. All done with essentially different groups of players. So, he didn’t just catch lightning in a bottle with a talented bunch. If you have seen his teams play, they play like a college team. They run good sets, get out transition, and are always prepared. He is also the Athletic Director at Menominee. The administrative tasks a college head coach requires would not be foreign to him.

He has sent players to play for the program. Consequently, I would think he is known commodity within the school and community. I don’t know much of the bio beyond Menominee. They don’t exactly put bios online like college coaches. I do know he is Northern alum. He is also pretty young. If Northern doesn’t like their initial batch of applicants. He might be worth a call.

Recommendation

If it’s not broke don’t fix it. Stay within Majkrzak mold. See if Kiel Ganz wants to make the short trip back to Marquette.