University of Oregon new coach

NN2000 wrote:

I heard a rumor that apparently Ben Thomas from VT is going Oregon

I didn't know he was from Vermont?

Virginia Tech not Vermont

bump

Confirmed, he is leaving after XC is done.

Not surprising considering the amount of consistent success they've had as of recently.

I hope that VT maintains their success, especially in mid distance, that they've found under Thomas.

The long-time assistant coach is taking over but they might find a new guy.

Not a VT Runner wrote:

Confirmed, he is leaving after XC is done.

Not surprising considering the amount of consistent success they've had as of recently.

I hope that VT maintains their success, especially in mid distance, that they've found under Thomas.

The long-time assistant coach is taking over but they might find a new guy.

He’s hired, but he’s not going until after XC season? In what world does that make sense?

Robert Johnson was/is the head cross country coach at Oregon, this may have something to do with it.

mcvred wrote:

Robert Johnson was/is the head cross country coach at Oregon, this may have something to do with it.

Yea, he is the Head Coach, but in title only. He does not and can not coach distance runners. Funny how many head sprint coaches think they know it all (they don't).

sprint to the back wrote:

mcvred wrote:

Robert Johnson was/is the head cross country coach at Oregon, this may have something to do with it.

Yea, he is the Head Coach, but in title only. He does not and can not coach distance runners. Funny how many head sprint coaches think they know it all (they don't).

Johnson’s perception of what he does and does not know has 0 impact on the logistics of this coaching hire.

Funny how many posters think they know it all (they don’t).

Check where Robert Johnson was an athlete and had his first post-graduate coaching job. Look to see who was the Distance Coach at the same time. That connection certainly was a basis plus all the success with the mid-D and Distance the past several years

NN2000 wrote:

I heard a rumor that apparently Ben Thomas from VT is going Oregon

yawn yawn yawn.

I don't believe that's true. He's going to UO immediately and coaching this X-C, from what I heard.

The Oregon haters can now shut up. This guy can coach! He gets so much out of his runners and is equally effective with guys and girls.

Gwalkerruns wrote:

The Oregon haters can now shut up. This guy can coach! He gets so much out of his runners and is equally effective with guys and girls.

If he can coach up "2nd-tier" blue chip runners like Tanner Anderson, Jackson Mestler and the Travis Nueman types then the Powells leaving may turn out to be a good thing.

Gwalkerruns wrote:

The Oregon haters can now shut up. This guy can coach! He gets so much out of his runners and is equally effective with guys and girls.

I was talking today to a fairly well known coach. I said, "Hey any interest you'd go to V tech? He or she said, "Are you crazy. Only an idiot would follow up Ben Thomas. He's the best mid-d coach in the country. Noone may have talked about it but the results he got there were unreal."

He can coach the mid D 8/15. No doubt about that, however no better or worse than Powell. In fact, Powell has more success. The problem, and Oregon is going to find out very quickly, is Thomas is not a strong distance coach (5/10/Steeple, XC), and that matters in Eugene. What’s Thomas’ best finish in XC?

Meh, not fired up wrote:

He can coach the mid D 8/15. No doubt about that, however no better or worse than Powell. In fact, Powell has more success. The problem, and Oregon is going to find out very quickly, is Thomas is not a strong distance coach (5/10/Steeple, XC), and that matters in Eugene. What’s Thomas’ best finish in XC?

UO recruits are a tier or two above Virginia Tech, and greater in numbers. I predict this will establish him as a strong distance coach overnight.

call me maybe wrote:

Meh, not fired up wrote:

He can coach the mid D 8/15. No doubt about that, however no better or worse than Powell. In fact, Powell has more success. The problem, and Oregon is going to find out very quickly, is Thomas is not a strong distance coach (5/10/Steeple, XC), and that matters in Eugene. What’s Thomas’ best finish in XC?

UO recruits are a tier or two above Virginia Tech, and greater in numbers. I predict this will establish him as a strong distance coach overnight.

Thomas also did have Tommy Curtin so while he isnt someone who can make a bunch of nobodies into xc superstars he has shown he can take talent and make it better. Might just be a lack of distance talent coming into VT

Ben Thomas has two all-time great Duck distance coaches living in Eugene with Dellinger and Lananna. I hope he seeks advice from them. Dellinger was especially good at developing NCAA scorers out of guys with less talent.