you don't buy one of the biggest if not biggest house in the bend and then sink the money they did into the house if they were looking to bolt to Chapel Hill.
Personally, I don't think Coach Cunningham wanted to be the head coach at ND not based on conversations. She was also very happy there and wanted to see her kids grow up there with her parents and siblings all a close drive away. Same goes for her husband whose family was in Ohio. This is a couple who LOVES the University
Mr. Cunningham owns his own business. He has less then 5 employees tops. Working from home and getting to an airport wasn't too difficult for him.
To me, finding her a job within Notre Dame would have been the best way for Ivey to bring in her staff with out causing some drama. Knowing Coach Cunningham, she will handle this with class and what may have transpired won't be very public.
UNC will be a good spot for her because having an ND connection with Bubba is important but this feels more like an alternative plan versus a plan.

Last thought, the MM moving on was in play for a while prior to Covid, if she knew she wouldn't be retained wouldn't she have interviewed face to face when she could have?

...based on your last paragraph, which is this one:

"Last thought, the MM moving on was in play for a while prior to Covid, if she knew she wouldn't be retained wouldn't she have interviewed face to face when she could have?"

After you mention "Covid," there's a lot of "she's" in play and I'm not quite sure where that is all going.

- Do all the "she's" refer to Beth?
- If that's the case, and Beth knew she would not be retained, do you mean as an assistant coach?
- And whom would Beth have interviewed face to face with? Niele -- for a chance to stay? Jack S. -- for another position within the university? Courtney Banghart/Bubba Cunningham for the UNC positions?

In the case of the latter, didn't that assistant coaching position open up because Tim Taylor got the HC job at Navy? And I think that happened just around the time COVID locked everything down.

Thanks for clarifying, IrishRudy (or anyone else).

Sorry If I didn't make my thoughts clear. I can get lost while doing multiple things.

I firmly believe the entire hoops staff knew MM was thinking or at least planning to leave prior to covid. Did Beth think she would get the job. I doubt it because every interview heard since is that this plan was in place a few years ago. MM being a great leader and mentor, I am sure shared with a CO and BC that it would be Niele's job. If Beth felt once the season was over that Niele may not keep her I believe she would have started looking for other jobs if she wanted out of SB- out of that amazing forever house for her kids, away from family she is close too, from a University she loves where she left a program that was very stable (she built).
In my opinion, Notre Dame should have found a way to keep her within the university. That's just my opinion. Reggie Brooks job opened up in the last month.

..appreciated.

When many of us were in "pondering out loud" mode on who would be leaving, I theorized that Jack S. could find a way to keep the "un-chosen" at ND (although my specific line of thinking was for Michaela).

One would think the Brooks position might be, at least, a position for discussion...if Beth is interested.

Agree that this is a business and Niele gets to choose her staff, but this ia a more than capable coach (both HC and AHC) who did a bunch for this program and university. If nothing internal, I'm hopeful that outreach is well in play for external possibilities.

Good luck all the way around.

I realize it's a business, but her banner is hanging on the Ring of Honor for gosh sakes

and she decided she rather stay in coaching instead. MM leaving forced hear out of her comfort zone - stay and take a job that doesn't suit you OR stay in your profession but have to move. I would think MM and/or ND had a backup plan for both Asst HCs. I think we'll see her as a head coach very soon. It's all speculation, but the way MM took the bullet willingly last season makes me think she made sure her longtime assts. Would be ok.
.

Maybe the change was a catalyst for Coach Cunningham and her husband to consider their options including where they want to live for the forseeable future, where she believes her career will be enhanced the most, where he might have better career options, and South Bend weather vs Chapel Hill weather.

It isn't necessarily true that Cunningham felt snubbed or was pissed, and it isn't necessarily true that she wasn't offered the opportunity to stay.

Change ofter begets more change.

Experienced HC than a rookie HC. If she aspires to be a HC at some point, she may be similar to NI and want to learn from a different tree and someone perceived to know more than she does v being the mentor to a rookie head coach.

Then layer weather, etc on top of that for lifestyle differences.

back to ND?

Not everyone wants to be a babysitter. An experienced HV likely has no desire to train someone else how to be a HC above them. They want to learn or at least not have to bother dealing with growing pains.

What the heck, I'll put names to schools and personalities.

...if she joins Courtney Banghart at UNC, she'll also be working for Domer Bubba Cunningham (Thanks ND8486)

...down the road from Chapel Hill is Duke, where HC Joanne McCallie is kind of still downshifted and/or stuck in third gear (some might find this generous). Her contract, I believe, is coming up around '21 or '22.
The AD there is (still) Kevin White, who still has those ND connections (it's a small world, like it or not).

Interesting. I know I'm just playing with connections, but I was worried that White might pull the plug on McCallie a few years back and Niele might head there. That (obviously) didn't happen and now I'm thinking another ND assc. head coach might have the opportunity of heading there.

Plus, some of her VCU connections still might be in play, which could come in handy in any capacity.

Very few of my friends that headed down that way for job transfers rarely came back. (says the guy who has lived in Long Island, NYC or Jersey most of his adult life...)