No disrespect to Mike Smith, but Strand, Wolfe, and Liam Murphy need to be training alongside Hocker with Ben Thomas. They are a better fit with Ben Thomas because of the type of runners they are.
Strand and Murphy are 1500m guys with massive kicks like Hocker and who can run great 3ks and long term the 5k. Wolfe with his 7:30 in the 3k is also more of a Hocker type of runner than a Nico Young.
I don't know if Ben Thomas has expressed interest in having a big pro group, but it's time Nike makes him a massive offer that he can't refuse.
No disrespect to Mike Smith, but Strand, Wolfe, and Liam Murphy need to be training alongside Hocker with Ben Thomas. They are a better fit with Ben Thomas because of the type of runners they are.
Strand and Murphy are 1500m guys with massive kicks like Hocker and who can run great 3ks and long term the 5k. Wolfe with his 7:30 in the 3k is also more of a Hocker type of runner than a Nico Young.
I don't know if Ben Thomas has expressed interest in having a big pro group, but it's time Nike makes him a massive offer that he can't refuse.
They bailed on him at Oregon, I feel like he’s maybe not too keen to be at their mercy again. And I’d assume they’d want him based out of somewhere at altitude/a big city.
No disrespect to Mike Smith, but Strand, Wolfe, and Liam Murphy need to be training alongside Hocker with Ben Thomas. They are a better fit with Ben Thomas because of the type of runners they are.
Strand and Murphy are 1500m guys with massive kicks like Hocker and who can run great 3ks and long term the 5k. Wolfe with his 7:30 in the 3k is also more of a Hocker type of runner than a Nico Young.
I don't know if Ben Thomas has expressed interest in having a big pro group, but it's time Nike makes him a massive offer that he can't refuse.
I am the biggest NAU and Mike Smith fan but I agree 100%. Smith's god-given gift is coaching a cross country team. How he'd get athletes to buy in and be selfless is so unique. Running team races to win championships, often times putting individual goals aside. Nobody else could create a culture like his.
But coaching professionals is different - it's all about the individual.
Don't get me wrong, Smith will have success with professionals but Smith as a cross country coach was something that the NCAA will NEVER see again.
No disrespect to Mike Smith, but Strand, Wolfe, and Liam Murphy need to be training alongside Hocker with Ben Thomas. They are a better fit with Ben Thomas because of the type of runners they are.
Strand and Murphy are 1500m guys with massive kicks like Hocker and who can run great 3ks and long term the 5k. Wolfe with his 7:30 in the 3k is also more of a Hocker type of runner than a Nico Young.
I don't know if Ben Thomas has expressed interest in having a big pro group, but it's time Nike makes him a massive offer that he can't refuse.
I am the biggest NAU and Mike Smith fan but I agree 100%. Smith's god-given gift is coaching a cross country team. How he'd get athletes to buy in and be selfless is so unique. Running team races to win championships, often times putting individual goals aside. Nobody else could create a culture like his.
But coaching professionals is different - it's all about the individual.
Don't get me wrong, Smith will have success with professionals but Smith as a cross country coach was something that the NCAA will NEVER see again.
Some of you just make stuff up. Smith coached Young 1:47/3:50 and Colin Sahlman to 1:44.8. Just XC? Do you believe he is an idiot that’s incapable of doing some research on middle distance running or talking to other coaches? Because of who he is; any coach will take his calls.
No disrespect to Mike Smith, but Strand, Wolfe, and Liam Murphy need to be training alongside Hocker with Ben Thomas. They are a better fit with Ben Thomas because of the type of runners they are.
Strand and Murphy are 1500m guys with massive kicks like Hocker and who can run great 3ks and long term the 5k. Wolfe with his 7:30 in the 3k is also more of a Hocker type of runner than a Nico Young.
I don't know if Ben Thomas has expressed interest in having a big pro group, but it's time Nike makes him a massive offer that he can't refuse.
Chill.
Ben has done a great job with Hocker throughout his career. Doesn't mean he wants, deserves or needs a complete pro program. You could also ask what the heck is wrong with Teare. For the time being, anyway, Thomas has his work cut out for him at VTech, as they were relatively lousy the past year or two by their standards.
I would agree on Mike Smith, however. On the track for the big stuff (NCAA and World Champs), he's so far proven to be second-rate. But he seems like a capable guy, and he's certainly been given a massive stable of talent. Pretty hard to eff it up. He can coach the hell out of XC, though. Let's see if he can fix his shortcomings and become a world class track coach now, because at the pro level nobody cares about XC.
Ben is an exceptional coach. Lots of success everywhere he has gone. Hell he had an ncaa champion (Mary Jane Harrelson) at his very first stop @ APP State in the 1990s. He is quiet and unassuming and unlike a lot of the "it" name coaches he doesn't give a sh _ _ if anyone knows who he coaches. Blacksburg, VA is a great college town and beautiful for running. I'm so glad to see him in Director role as well after being pushed out at Oregon for Jerry & Shalane.
No disrespect to Mike Smith, but Strand, Wolfe, and Liam Murphy need to be training alongside Hocker with Ben Thomas. They are a better fit with Ben Thomas because of the type of runners they are.
Strand and Murphy are 1500m guys with massive kicks like Hocker and who can run great 3ks and long term the 5k. Wolfe with his 7:30 in the 3k is also more of a Hocker type of runner than a Nico Young.
I don't know if Ben Thomas has expressed interest in having a big pro group, but it's time Nike makes him a massive offer that he can't refuse.
Chill.
Ben has done a great job with Hocker throughout his career. Doesn't mean he wants, deserves or needs a complete pro program. You could also ask what the heck is wrong with Teare. For the time being, anyway, Thomas has his work cut out for him at VTech, as they were relatively lousy the past year or two by their standards.
I would agree on Mike Smith, however. On the track for the big stuff (NCAA and World Champs), he's so far proven to be second-rate. But he seems like a capable guy, and he's certainly been given a massive stable of talent. Pretty hard to eff it up. He can coach the hell out of XC, though. Let's see if he can fix his shortcomings and become a world class track coach now, because at the pro level nobody cares about XC.
Teare isn't doing bad, it's just hard to make Team USA in the 5k against generational talents like Fisher, Young, Blanks, and Hocker. The path is harder in the 1500 against Hocker, Nuguse, Kessler, Koech, Strand, etc.
If Teare were from Canada he'd be making every world team and Olympic team easily.
I more disappointed about Grijalva's struggles with Smith recently than about Cooper Teare.
I am the biggest NAU and Mike Smith fan but I agree 100%. Smith's god-given gift is coaching a cross country team. How he'd get athletes to buy in and be selfless is so unique. Running team races to win championships, often times putting individual goals aside. Nobody else could create a culture like his.
But coaching professionals is different - it's all about the individual.
Don't get me wrong, Smith will have success with professionals but Smith as a cross country coach was something that the NCAA will NEVER see again.
Some of you just make stuff up. Smith coached Young 1:47/3:50 and Colin Sahlman to 1:44.8. Just XC? Do you believe he is an idiot that’s incapable of doing some research on middle distance running or talking to other coaches? Because of who he is; any coach will take his calls.
Nobody is saying he can't coach some MD athletes. What we are saying is that NOBODY can coach college XC like him. And he should stick with that because he's the best in the world with that still.
Ben Thomas had a collegian at 1:44.8 and another at 1:45 last year too, by the way. And Ben Thomas's 1:44 guy only ran 1:52 in high school.
No disrespect to Mike Smith, but Strand, Wolfe, and Liam Murphy need to be training alongside Hocker with Ben Thomas. They are a better fit with Ben Thomas because of the type of runners they are.
Strand and Murphy are 1500m guys with massive kicks like Hocker and who can run great 3ks and long term the 5k. Wolfe with his 7:30 in the 3k is also more of a Hocker type of runner than a Nico Young.
I don't know if Ben Thomas has expressed interest in having a big pro group, but it's time Nike makes him a massive offer that he can't refuse.
Chill.
Ben has done a great job with Hocker throughout his career. Doesn't mean he wants, deserves or needs a complete pro program. You could also ask what the heck is wrong with Teare. For the time being, anyway, Thomas has his work cut out for him at VTech, as they were relatively lousy the past year or two by their standards.
I would agree on Mike Smith, however. On the track for the big stuff (NCAA and World Champs), he's so far proven to be second-rate. But he seems like a capable guy, and he's certainly been given a massive stable of talent. Pretty hard to eff it up. He can coach the hell out of XC, though. Let's see if he can fix his shortcomings and become a world class track coach now, because at the pro level nobody cares about XC.
Ben Thomas just won an indoor ACC championship and has a very young team. His best athlete just placed higher at NCAA XC than NAU's best athlete....as a sophomore. He's building something really good there - but XC isn't his focus. Ben Thomas is a TRACK GUY.
Some of you just make stuff up. Smith coached Young 1:47/3:50 and Colin Sahlman to 1:44.8. Just XC? Do you believe he is an idiot that’s incapable of doing some research on middle distance running or talking to other coaches? Because of who he is; any coach will take his calls.
Nobody is saying he can't coach some MD athletes. What we are saying is that NOBODY can coach college XC like him. And he should stick with that because he's the best in the world with that still.
Ben Thomas had a collegian at 1:44.8 and another at 1:45 last year too, by the way. And Ben Thomas's 1:44 guy only ran 1:52 in high school.
XC and 5/10 training is very similar and Nico has become the best 5/10 American runner. You could make the argument that since Blanks buried Young in XC, but not on the track, that Smith is better for track. The Newbury Park bothers were good at both XC and track so are you making the argument that Brosnan is a better coach?
My experience in HS and college was that we ran the same workouts, but on the grass at nearby parks, instead of on the track.
No disrespect to Mike Smith, but Strand, Wolfe, and Liam Murphy need to be training alongside Hocker with Ben Thomas. They are a better fit with Ben Thomas because of the type of runners they are.
Strand and Murphy are 1500m guys with massive kicks like Hocker and who can run great 3ks and long term the 5k. Wolfe with his 7:30 in the 3k is also more of a Hocker type of runner than a Nico Young.
I don't know if Ben Thomas has expressed interest in having a big pro group, but it's time Nike makes him a massive offer that he can't refuse.
It doesn’t work for Cooper T and won’t work for anyone else but a dad bod doper
Va Tech ACC finishes in XC the last two years: 11th, 8th. Cooper Teare has been ok, but he hasn’t quite performed up to expectations lately either. Thomas obviously has a great synergy with Cole, but it’s not like he’s lighting the world on fire with all of the athletes he coaches. It might just be Hocker.
Nobody is saying he can't coach some MD athletes. What we are saying is that NOBODY can coach college XC like him. And he should stick with that because he's the best in the world with that still.
Ben Thomas had a collegian at 1:44.8 and another at 1:45 last year too, by the way. And Ben Thomas's 1:44 guy only ran 1:52 in high school.
XC and 5/10 training is very similar and Nico has become the best 5/10 American runner. You could make the argument that since Blanks buried Young in XC, but not on the track, that Smith is better for track. The Newbury Park bothers were good at both XC and track so are you making the argument that Brosnan is a better coach?
My experience in HS and college was that we ran the same workouts, but on the grass at nearby parks, instead of on the track.
Nothing you said even makes sense. Blanks just ran XC this past fall and only went pro AFTER the NCAA XC season. Blanks was literally still attending Harvard this spring and still ran 12:48 and 26:57. Nico went pro last year and was done with school.
Mike Smith isn't a training design genius like Ben Thomas or Gjert (Mike Smith would even admit this). Mike Smith's best attribute is building a cross country team. Any experienced XC coach would tell you that training plans are not the only winning component of XC. You've got to RECRUIT the best talent, create the best team culture, and get guys to buy in 100%.
Brosnan's name doesn't even deserve to be mentioned in this thread.
Va Tech ACC finishes in XC the last two years: 11th, 8th. Cooper Teare has been ok, but he hasn’t quite performed up to expectations lately either. Thomas obviously has a great synergy with Cole, but it’s not like he’s lighting the world on fire with all of the athletes he coaches. It might just be Hocker.
Ben Thomas is not a great recruiter, and he is more focused on track than on XC.
Those are reasons why he'd be a better pro coach.
Besides, he's only been at Virginia Tech for 2 years. He had a year off in between Oregon and VT. It takes time to rebuild without the resources of a school like Oregon.
Some of you just make stuff up. Smith coached Young 1:47/3:50 and Colin Sahlman to 1:44.8. Just XC? Do you believe he is an idiot that’s incapable of doing some research on middle distance running or talking to other coaches? Because of who he is; any coach will take his calls.
Nobody is saying he can't coach some MD athletes. What we are saying is that NOBODY can coach college XC like him. And he should stick with that because he's the best in the world with that still.