Linc Darner should be UCF's number 1 choice

From Pat Forde," At Central Florida, the top candidate is former Stanford coach Johnny Dawkins, sources said. However, the UCF job came open March 10 and Dawkins was fired at Stanford March 14, so there is some lag time that indicates it’s no slam dunk. Among those who could be on UCF’s radar if the search extends beyond Dawkins is Linc Darner, who took Green Bay to the NCAA tournament in his first season there. Darner knows the recruiting ground after having great success at Division II Florida Southern College, which is in nearby Lakeland."

I'll take one Linc Darner please. This is the type of home run, out of the box candidate that Danny White likes to go after. White as he have seen likes to use higher profiled coaches as a smokescreen. See Greg Schiano-Dino Babers rumors before UCF hired Scott Frost. No offense to Johnny Dawkins or Ingelsby(my previous favorite) , but if UCF really is thinking to interview Darner then he automatically moves into first place on who the fans should want for head coach. He is the direct opposite of Donnie Jones. He has passion, great gameday coach, rallies the students behind the team, and has won at every level he has coached. I should know, I saw him up close close at Florida Southern(went there for a year before UCF). I witnessed first hand his ability to adapt and change to college basketball. The reverence the players had for him. He turned that traditional baseball school into a basketball powerhouse. 

In his 14 year tenure as a head coach, Darner has amassed a 315-125 record. In that career he had 2 losing seasons. Both times they were in his first year at said program. His accomplishments are numerous: 1 national championship, 6 regular season championships(all schools), 7 conference tournament championships, 6 conference coach of the years, 1 D2 coach of the years. When you think about it his resume is perfect on paper. Oh and let's not forget that he played under the legendary Gene Keady at Purdue. You want to talk about coaches with Florida ties, not one of the mentioned candidates has any, well except for Darner. Hell some of his recruiting classes at Florida Southern were better than Donnie's "best classes". Oh did I mention that he's only 45? He is the Scott Frost of college basketball.

What makes Darner's candidacy so ideal is his RP40 strategy. Think a combination of Nolan Richardson's 40 minutes of Hell mixed with Paul Westhead's fun and gun. It is a relentless transition offense and defense. In his first year, Green Bay ranked 120th in KenPom's rankings. His offense was 102 in those ratings, where did Donnie Jones UCF-AAU Lite offense rank? 282. So to say that would be an upgrade would be the ultimate understatement. Darner is the mind that UCF needs. His offense alone will put fans in the seats. The basketball program that was dead, will be reborn in Darner's image. For the uninitiated(hello again most of The Dungeon) Darner's strategy has not always been RP40. In fact he used to run a pound it into the big talented man at Florida Southern. But Linc learned and adapted. He changed his strategy in order to produce results. He has the intelligence to adapt to the personnel around him.

And here is where people do not think. There is concern that Tacko Fall will transfer if he doesn't like the coaching hire. That UCF should hire Dawkins because Ingelsby and Darner's offenses don't fit Tacko and Dawkins' offense does. That you can't risk getting rid of a lottery pick......excuse me I just burst out laughing. Tacko Fall is not a lottery pick. He is more Kenny George than anything else. You could throw a rock and find a better center prospect. I am sorry, but right now hiring a coach based on if it will make Tacko Fall happy is the stupidest thing I have ever heard. Shame Shame Shame on whoever suggests that. Speaking of stupid....

Todd Stansbury had a chance to right the basketball program last year. He had one of the best coaches in the state of Florida in his own backyard. He could have brought Linc Darner to UCF.  Yet Todd did nothing, something that was a staple of his tenure. Now Danny White has a chance to correct that mistake. Danny if you are reading(I know you are), I implore you: fix the mistake and bring Linc Darner to UCF.