Lots of things of interest in here: Dan to UConn as the best hire, also touches on our promotion of David Cox, the Pitt situation, Bob Wash's firing at Maine, Joe Dooley's situation, plus a Jim Harrick mention. No mention of La Salle's hiring Ashley Howard, which might just be because of the timing (likely written prior to the announcement), but I think that is a really good hire, too.
Here is the blurb on URI/Cox:
Next man up
Two athletic directors opted to promote assistants after interviewing outside candidates: Xavier athletic director Greg Christopher went with Travis Steele, who has been Mack's right-hand man over the past nine years. Rhode Island athletic director Thorr Bjorn decided to elevate David Cox, who has been on Hurley's staff and also recruited the majority of the current players and incoming recruits. Three more lower-profile programs who also hired from within were San Diego with Sam Scholl, Florida Gulf Coast with Michael Fly and Nicholls with Austin Claunch. If it's not broke, why change it?
"If you build it, they will come." --Us, circa 2011
DC_Rams wrote:One more try....anyone know Ashley Howard’s contract details? Just trying to compare....
La Salle is a private university, so they probably don't have to release anything about his compensation. URI didn't really have to the day of the hire either, but they probably didn't see a reason to hold it back, since it probably would have been the subject of a freedom of information act request if they did try that.
I love Shaheen Holloway getting the St. Peter’s job to start his head coaching career. It seems like he’s been due to get something, and this seems like a good fit.
Siena would have ZERO credibility if it were to hire Pitino. It just parted ways with Patsos over his supposed bad behavior. How could it then morally justify hiring a coach that had a national championship vacated, supplied hookers to potential players and their dads, had sex with the wife of a staff member that became public knowledge, and is now accused of orchestrating payments to recruits? At at supposed Catholic school? Get real.
I believe that Pitino and his supporters are behind a lot of these stories linking him to jobs at places like URI and Siena. There may be some informal talks with rogue boosters but I don't think the schools have any serious interest. This is just a campaign by the Pitino camp to gauge interest/public support and keep his name relevant in the coach hiring world.
I think Siena is exactly the type of place that should take a shot with Pitino. They are irrelevant now and will be irrelevant again when he leaves them in shambles after his time there, so might as well go for it.
adam914 wrote:I think Siena is exactly the type of place that should take a shot with Pitino. They are irrelevant now and will be irrelevant again when he leaves them in shambles after his time there, so might as well go for it.
Rick Pitino leading a team called the SAINTS? I can just envision it now - the promotional photo campaign could have Pitino seated at a restaurant table (restaurant tables have played a big part in his life) in a scene patterned after DaVinci's Last Supper. Rick will be surrounded by several saints along with a group of hookers and Karen Sypher. Everyone will be wearing ADIDAS gear and there will be loads of cash out on the table.
I wonder if Xavier's Luke Murray ever came up in the discussion for any of these head coaching openings? Have to think he will get a shot at some point.
Not Mike Powell wrote:I wonder if Xavier's Luke Murray ever came up in the discussion for any of these head coaching openings? Have to think he will get a shot at some point.
Louisville’s Luke Murray
"If you build it, they will come." --Us, circa 2011
I liked the interview, but I'm curious as to Dan's argument that the AAC is a "high major" conference now? Because they had a 2 seed in the NCAA tournament?
Is the WCC a high major conference because of Gonzaga?
I get that it's his dream job, but acting like the AAC is that much better of a conference than the A10 is wild. The very top of the AAC is better than the very top of the A10. The A10's bottom is way worse, but the upper tier/middle goes either way depending on the year.
I would love if the AAC/A10 did an ACC/B1G challenge every year.
If you say you’re a Rhody fan, I know you are my brother. For you have suffered as I have suffered.
One thing that is clear re: DH and his feelings about UConn. It was informed from personal experience, most of which is very dated - his time as a player (25 years ago) and his time as a high school coach (10 years ago). He often recalls the brand of Uconn in the context of his playing days in the 90s and as a high school coach seeing what the Uconn brand meant to prospects. I do not doubt he will succeed there, and maybe even return them to past glory, but he has romanticized their place in basketball lore based largely on a time of the past where external factors were different. Uconn was in the best conference in basketball, and had 1 of the best 5 coaches of all time leading them. He is banking on those external factors not being the driving force behind their success, data thus far suggests otherwise.
UConn was built on the back of one guy. Always beware of those jobs. It's still in a cow field in Connecticut. It still has enough of a brand and a coach to be a tournament regular but I see it more as a Wichita State type gig now. Nothing wrong with that just far from a blue blood.
Blue Man wrote:I liked the interview, but I'm curious as to Dan's argument that the AAC is a "high major" conference now? Because they had a 2 seed in the NCAA tournament?
Is the WCC a high major conference because of Gonzaga?
I get that it's his dream job, but acting like the AAC is that much better of a conference than the A10 is wild. The very top of the AAC is better than the very top of the A10. The A10's bottom is way worse, but the upper tier/middle goes either way depending on the year.
I would love if the AAC/A10 did an ACC/B1G challenge every year.
someone should let Dan know that since the AAC was created, its the A10 that has more tournament appearances and credits.
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He was a snake oil salesman...just like the rest of em
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Blue Man wrote:I liked the interview, but I'm curious as to Dan's argument that the AAC is a "high major" conference now? Because they had a 2 seed in the NCAA tournament?
Is the WCC a high major conference because of Gonzaga?
I get that it's his dream job, but acting like the AAC is that much better of a conference than the A10 is wild. The very top of the AAC is better than the very top of the A10. The A10's bottom is way worse, but the upper tier/middle goes either way depending on the year.
I would love if the AAC/A10 did an ACC/B1G challenge every year.
someone should let Dan know that since the AAC was created, its the A10 that has more tournament appearances and credits.
I think people need to just forget all the coach speak that he dropped on us. He left his prep job when a college opened. He left Wagner when a better spot came along. And he left URI for a ton of dough at a better basketball school. He'll leave UConn if a better gig comes along. This is what coaches do.
rambone 78 wrote:They have a large fan base with a big arena.....in the Albany area which would be fine.
They are a private Jesuit school which fits the BE profile though.
Siena is not Jesuit. It is run by the Franciscans, the same order that administers St Bonaventure.
There are only four Jesuit Order institutons in the Big East - Creighton, Georgetown, Marquette, and Xavier. Seton Hall is run by the Diocese of Newark and has no affiliation to an order. As for the other Catholic schools, St John's and Depaul are Vincentian, Providence is Dominican, and Villanova is Augustinian.
Last edited by RF16 years ago, edited 1 time in total.
The new coach in Storrs should be made aware of the facts since he appears ignorant of them. The A-10 has sent more teams to the NCAA Tournament and earned more units than the AAC since it was formed five years ago.
By bids per year and earned NCAA units:
NCAA BIDS AND UNITS BY LEAGUE SINCE 2014
2014 AAC: 4 (11 units*) / A-10: 6 (10 units)
2015 AAC: 2 (3 units) / A-10: 3 (5 units)
2016 AAC: 4 (5 units) / A-10: 3 (5 units)
2017 AAC: 2 (3 units) / A-10: 3 (4 units)
2018 AAC: 3 (5 units) / A-10: 3 (5 units)
TOTAL AAC: 15 (27 units) / A-10: 18 (29 units)
Why kind of moron lawyer did Ollie hire? The 14th amendment? Lol. UConn either violated his contract or did not. If you remember the old BC coach Jim O"Brien won a big settlement from Ohio State because they fired him outside the way it was supposed to be handled in his contract. I would be stunned if UConn didn't have 400 lawyers look over the language and bless exactly how it went down.
TV outlets in CT. are all reporting his complaint is a lack of due process. His contract required it......It seems true to form, CT. solves its problems by spending money. They are paying their new coach $52,000/week, and Ollie $42,000/week while suspended.
.....If I had to guess, with no inside info, that Hurley's hiring did not follow the story line given to the public.
.....It also seems plausible that the URI administration was not surprised by the turn of events. [re: Hurley]
.....Hurley's contract was renegotiated at least twice after his initial one. The URI AD must have felt pressure regularly, at each season's end. The coach produced good results, but the AD was regularly pressured to produce program enhancements, comparable to "the big boys". Although UConn's is not a SEC, or ACC school, their athletic budgeting is many times URI.
.....My take - He was wooed, saw the bright lights, and fell in love.
