I'm not reaalllllllyyyyy sure if this is news, but I figure we might as well have an official talk about it: Neil Hayes of the Chicago Sun-Times reports that Jim Phillips will review Bill Carmody's job status after the season.
It's not totally clear from Hayes' writing if he's saying a) "Bill Carmody's job status will be reviewed after the season" or b) "Jim Phillips won't say anything about Bill Carmody's job status until an annual review which takes place the end of the season". I'd imagine a little bit of both are true. It would be pretty disappointing if Phillips didn't even consider firing Carmody at the end of the year, whether you think its the right decision or not.
Regardless: its sort of the exact thing we heard last year.
Read more: On Bill Carmody, alternate histories, and dumb luck | Is Jim Phillips averse to firing coaches?
I was hoping we could take a community poll here and see where the group stands on the issue of whether Carmody should be back. I haven't really expressed my opinion, because I'm very torn. I think there are some good arguments that Bill Carmody provides the best possible coach for Northwestern to make the tournament next year, if doing so is possible. I also think there are some good arguments that literally anybody else would be a better possible coach.
I'd probably lean a little bit closer to firing him, although the arguments that its unfair to fire him after a year where everybody was injured and the argument that Carmody's team will be relatively strong next year, so he should get one more year both hold a lot of water. But the second scares me, because its an argument I've heard each of the last few N seasons at Northwestern, and inaction seems contagious.
Regardless, please be respectful in the comments, and like I said the other day:
"Bill Carmody has failed over and over and over again. That isn’t mutually exclusive with him being the best guy for the job. And just because he’s a good coach doesn’t mean he shouldn’t be fired."
It's complicated - and at the end of the day, we just have to sit here and wait for somebody to make a decision. But for now, make your opinion felt in the poll or the comments section.