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Post by Retired Coach on Mar 29, 2010 4:10:02 GMT -5
March 29, 2010 Source: Jones to coach Central FloridaMarshall coach Donnie Jones will return to the state of Florida where he helped Billy Donovan rebuild the Florida Gators by taking over Conference USA rival Central Florida, a source with knowledge of the situation confirmed to ESPN.com on Sunday night. Citing a source, Foxsports.com first reported the hiring earlier Sunday night. Jones leaves a Marshall team that he coached to a 24-10 record, 11-5 in C-USA, and a second-round appearance in the CollegeInsider.com Tournament. Jones was 16-14 in his first season (8-8) and 15-17 (7-9) in his second season prior to this past improvement at Marshall. He replaces Kirk Speraw, who coached the Golden Knights since 1993, making the NCAA tournament four times. Central Florida, deemed a sleeping giant by a number of coaches for its resources and rising student body numbers in Orlando, finished a disappointing 15-17, 6-10 in C-USA. Jones found a hidden gem in freshman center Hassan Whiteside, who is expected to declare for the NBA draft after one season of averaging 13.1 points and 8.9 rebounds a game for the Herd. The Central Florida job attracted a number of candidates like Murray State's Billy Kennedy, Morgan State's Todd Bozeman, Timberwolves assistant Reggie Theus, former Kentucky coach Billy Gillispie -- in play heavily at Houston -- and former USC coach Tim Floyd, who could land at UTEP. sports.espn.go.com/ncb/news/story?id=5036813
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Post by Jazzfan on Mar 29, 2010 12:44:39 GMT -5
March 29, 2010 University of Toledo narrows field for men's hoops coachBy ZACH SILKA The field has been narrowed, and only a select few candidates remain for the job as University of Toledo men's basketball coach. Western Carolina head coach Larry Hunter was scheduled to interview for the position yesterday, while Wisconsin-Green Bay head coach Tod Kowalczyk will have his interview either today or tomorrow, according to a person with knowledge of the situation. Hunter, 60, previously was the head coach at Ohio from 1989-2001 and led the Bobcats to the NCAA tournament in 1994. Kowalczyk, 43, has coached the last eight seasons in Green Bay and has put together a 136-112 record at the school. Under Kowalczyk, the Phoenix have placed in the top four of the Horizon League for seven consecutive seasons. Memphis assistant Willis Wilson had the first interview with UT officials Saturday, according to several people with knowledge of the coaching search. The (Memphis) Commercial Appeal also reported Friday that Wilson, 50, would interview for the UT job over the weekend, citing "sources close to the program." Memphis coach Josh Pastner told the Commercial Appeal he could not comment specifically about the UT opening but said he is supportive of his staff members seeking head coaching opportunities. "I don't want to lose anybody, because we have the best staff in the country," Pastner told the newspaper. "But if anybody has an opportunity for job advancement, I don't want to take them away from that. It's a double-edged sword; if we have success, guys are going to have opportunities." Prior to being hired at Memphis, Wilson was the head coach at Rice from 1992-2008, amassing a 219-246 record in his 16-season tenure - the longest of any coach in the Houston university's annals. Wilson guided Rice to 60 wins from 2002-05, marking the second-most victories in a three-year span in school history. But he was not retained after the 2007-08 season, which saw the Owls fail to win a Conference USA game, endure a 20-game losing streak and compile a 3-27 record that matched their worst single-season win total. Hunter is among the active leaders in wins among Division I men's basketball coaches with 581. He's been at the helm for the Catamounts from the Southern Conference since 2005, posting a 72-85 record in five seasons, and was the associate head coach at North Carolina State before that. Hunter has also been a head coach at Division III Wittenberg, in Springfield, Ohio, where he won a national title in 1977 and was named D-III coach of the year. Kowalczyk told the Green Bay Press-Gazette Thursday that he had not been contacted by UT but also did not deny interest in the position. The Phoenix are 44-24 under Kowalczyk in the last two seasons, including second and third-place finishes in the Horizon League. "When you've had the kind of success our program has had the last two years, it's normal for your name to come up like this," Kowalczyk told the newspaper. "But I love my team, and I love my job." The UT coaching job has been vacant since Gene Cross resigned March 11 after posting an 11-53 record in two seasons. A UT official told The Blade two weeks ago that athletic director Mike O'Brien would likely follow the same timeline he used for naming a new head coach after firing Stan Joplin following the 2007-08 season. Cross was hired 26 days after Joplin's dismissal, so based on that timetable, it is believed that UT could have a new coach in place by the end of this week or early next week. www.toledoblade.com/article/20100329/SPORTS11/3290361/-1/SPORTS
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Post by Tipp City Raider on Mar 29, 2010 13:10:20 GMT -5
OREGON FOCUSES ON TUBBY FOR OPENING Monday, March 29, 2010 After being spurned by a few big-name coaches, Oregon has, according to sources, turned its attention to Tubby Smith. The Ducks, which recently fired athletic director Mike Bellotti, are trying to lure an elite coach to Oregon largely due to its connection to Oregon-based Nike. However, most top-tier coaches understand that the job isn’t nearly as attractive as the Ducks believe it to be. Sure, there’s the Nike connection – but the recruiting base is often bare and even with a state-of-the-art new building set to open, it’s an average Pac-10 job. Oregon attempted to get guys like Gonzaga’s Mark Few, Florida’s Billy Donovan and Pittsburgh’s Jamie Dixon, but were spurned by all three. Michigan State’s Tom Izzo has been mentioned, but sources told FOXSports.com that there is “no shot” the Spartans coach has any interest in moving to Eugene. Now Smith, 58, who has spent the last three seasons at Minnesota, has risen to the top of the Ducks wish list. Smith led the Gophers to its second consecutive NCAA tournament this past season. One source close to Smith said he doubts that Smith would take the Oregon job and if that’s the case, it’ll be interesting to see where Pat Kilkenny, the former athletic director who appears to be leading the search, focuses his attention. Sources have told FOXSports.com that the next target could be Butler’s Brad Stevens, the 33-year-old who has led the Bulldogs to the Final Four. Former Oregon assistant and current Texas A&M coach Mark Turgeon is another candidate, but sources indicate he is close to signing a new deal that will keep him in College Station. That could wind up bumping names such as BYU’s Dave Rose and Saint Mary’s Randy Bennett up the list, although it’s clear that Kilkenny and any other decision-makers in the process would like to bring in a guy who can instantly boost ticket sales. community.foxsports.com/goodmanonfox/blog/?pref_tab=blog
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Post by OG Raiderfan on Mar 29, 2010 16:16:02 GMT -5
March 29, 2010 Marlin agrees to five-year contractLAFAYETTE, La. -- Louisiana-Lafayette has hired former Sam Houston State coach Bob Marlin as the new head coach of the Ragin Cajuns. Louisiana-Lafayette officials say Marlin has agreed to a five-year contract. Marlin has been head coach at Sam Houston State since 1998 and this past season led the Bearkats to a Southland Conference tournament championship and a berth in the NCAA tournament. Sam Houston State lost in the first round to Baylor. Marlin was 225-131 in 12 seasons with the Bearkats. At Louisiana-Lafayette, Marlin replaces Robert Lee, whose contract was not renewed after the Ragin Cajuns went 13-16 this season, losing to Louisiana-Monroe in the first round of the Sun Belt Conference tournament. sports.espn.go.com/ncb/news/story?id=5038576
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Post by Raider Country on Mar 30, 2010 9:48:24 GMT -5
Al Skinner out as Boston College basketball coach By JIMMY GOLEN March 30, 2010 BOSTON — Al Skinner, who led Boston College to seven NCAA tournament berths in nine years and more wins than anyone else in school history, is out as basketball coach in what the school said Tuesday was a mutual agreement. "Coach Al Skinner and I met last Wednesday and agreed it would be mutually beneficial for us to part ways," athletic director Gene DeFilippo said in a statement. "In our meeting, we discussed our philosophical differences and our concern for the future of our basketball program." DeFilippo's statement said that the announcement was kept secret for almost a week at Skinner's request so he could interview for other jobs, including the vacancy at St. John's. Skinner was not fired for seeking other employment, according to two BC officials who spoke to The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity because the discussions were private. DeFilippo fired football coach Jeff Jagodzinski last year for seeking an NFL job without permission. Skinner had permission to interview for the St. John's vacancy — or anywhere else, for that matter — that opened when Norm Roberts was fired. "Coach Skinner then asked if we could delay the announcement so that he could pursue other opportunities. Out of respect for Coach Skinner, Boston College agreed," DeFilippo said. "Other institutions were made aware we would be parting ways from the beginning of the process." Skinner's departure was first reported by The Boston Globe. In 13 seasons leading the Eagles, Skinner compiled a 247-165 record with seven NCAA berths since 2001. But BC has finished below .500 in two of the last three seasons, with a 15-16 in 2009-10 that included a 6-10 mark in the Atlantic Coast Conference and a first-round loss in the league tournament. One of the BC officials cited a poor recruiting class, along with the team's losing records and attendance that has declined for four consecutive years, as reasons for the decision. Skinner has never been known as a top-notch recruiter, though he did excel at taking lightly recruited players like Troy Bell, Craig Smith and Jared Dudley and turning them into NBA prospects. Before coming to BC, Skinner spent nine years at Rhode Island. In all, he has a 385-291 record that includes 10 seasons of 20 wins or more. A standout player at Massachusetts and a teammate of Julius Erving's on the 1976 ABA champion New York Nets, Skinner came to Boston College after a gambling scandal that cost the school its football coach and athletic director. His predecessor, Jim O'Brien, went to Ohio State after a power struggle with the BC admissions department and left just seven scholarship players behind. The Eagles won 32 games in his first three years and finished last in the Big East in 2000. But the next season they became the first school in conference history to go from worst-to-first and Skinner was a contender for national coach of the year. BC reached the NCAA tournament seven times in the next nine years despite an uncomfortable move to the ACC that was made with football in mind. www.daytondailynews.com/dayton-sports/al-skinner-out-as-boston-college-basketball-coach-627599.html
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Post by Raider Country on Mar 30, 2010 9:55:15 GMT -5
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Post by Glory Days on Mar 30, 2010 12:04:37 GMT -5
Sources: Lavin expected to take St. John's job Mar 30, 2010 St. John’s and Steve Lavin will meet again Tuesday afternoon with the hope of finalizing a deal. According to multiple sources, Lavin is expected — barring a last-minute change of heart — to accept the job to replace Norm Roberts. The former UCLA head coach, who has been an analyst for ESPN since he was fired in 2003, met with Red Storm athletic director Chris Monasch on Monday, and sources told FOXSports.com that talks will continue on Tuesday. Lavin was 145-78 in his tenure at UCLA and went to the NCAA tournament in six of his seven seasons. He is regarded as a strong recruiter, but does not have any significant ties to the New York area. Lavin was fired after a 10-19 record in 2003. St. John’s, after whiffing on a few candidates, including Georgia Tech’s Paul Hewitt, is hoping to make a splash with a big-name coach. St. John’s fired Roberts after a six-year run in which the Red Storm failed to make the NCAA tournament. The team will have nine seniors on its roster next season and has a chance to get to the Big Dance. msn.foxsports.com/cbk/story/sources-lavin-expected-to-take-st-johns-job
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Post by Rush the Court on Mar 30, 2010 13:56:12 GMT -5
March 30, 2010 Floyd returning to UTEP as coachUTEP has hired former USC coach Tim Floyd and will introduce him at a news conference in El Paso at 6 p.m. ET on Tuesday. Floyd was the popular choice of UTEP boosters to replace Tony Barbee, who left to take over at Auburn after leading the Miners to a Conference USA regular-season title and a NCAA tournament appearance. Sources said UTEP officials were on the way to pick up Floyd early Tuesday afternoon for Tuesday's news conference. Floyd is a currently a New Orleans Hornets assistant coach. Floyd was at UTEP as an assistant under the late Don Haskins from 1978-86. He has had a lengthy coaching career as a head coach at Idaho, New Orleans, Iowa State, the post-Michael Jordan Chicago Bulls and the Hornets before going back to college in 2005 with USC. Floyd was 85-50 at USC, going 39-33 in the Pac-10 and winning the conference tournament in 2009. Floyd resigned in 2009 after four seasons at USC, amid allegations that he committed a violation in the recruitment of O.J. Mayo. It has been alleged that Floyd gave Mayo's handler Rodney Guillory a $1,000 cash payment. Floyd has denied the allegations. Floyd and USC, which conducted its own probe and imposed its own sanctions on the program, met with the NCAA's Committee on Infractions in February. A decision is due from the committee sometime in the next month. Multiple sources told ESPN.com that UTEP was assured before hiring Floyd that he would not be individually penalized in connection with the USC allegations. UTEP would not be prohibited from hiring Floyd, even if he were to receive a show-cause penalty from the NCAA -- in which any school hiring him would have to make its case for hiring him to the NCAA. But UTEP would only have to appear before the Committee on Infractions to see if any other sanctions will be placed upon him. The Miners (26-7, 15-1 C-USA this season) lost to Butler in the first round of the NCAA tournament. They are expecting to lose center Derrick Caracter to the NBA draft. sports.espn.go.com/ncb/news/story?id=5040891
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Post by Rush the Court on Mar 30, 2010 13:59:27 GMT -5
JEROME ALLEN GIVEN PERMANENT GIG AT PENN March 30, 2010 Penn’s Jerome Allen has gotten the permanent gig. The former Quakers star took over as the interim coach this past season after Glenn Miller was fired following a 0-7 start. "Jerome's talents and accomplishments in life are noteworthy and familiar to the Penn community," Penn athletic director Steve Bilsky said in a statement. "What isn't as well known, until you spend time with him, is the humility that coincides with his pride. It is the combination of these qualities, plus his vision to return Penn to glory, that makes me so pleased to name him the John R. Rockwell Head Coach of Men's Basketball." Allen was 6-15 since he took over and Penn was 5-9 in Ivy league play. community.foxsports.com/goodmanonfox/blog/?pref_tab=blog
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Post by Rush the Court on Mar 30, 2010 17:17:11 GMT -5
HOLY CROSS FIRES KEARNEY AFTER ONE SEASON March 30, 2010 Holy Cross fired Sean Kearney Tuesday after one season as the Crusaders' coach, according to multiple sources close to the situation. Kearney came to the Crusaders after a long stint as an assistant under Mike Brey at Notre Dame and Delaware. Holy Cross finished 9-22 overall and 5-9 in the Patriot League after losing to Lafayette in its conference tournament semifinals. community.foxsports.com/goodmanonfox/blog/?pref_tab=blog
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Post by Raider Grad on Mar 31, 2010 3:44:58 GMT -5
March 31, 2010 Source: Extension announcement nearLouisville is expected to announce a four-year extension for Rick Pitino on Wednesday, a source close to the situation told ESPN.com's Pat Forde. Pitino earned $2.25 million this season and has three years remaining on his contract. Pitino led the Cardinals to a 20-13 record, good for a fifth-place tie in the Big East. They were eliminated in the first round of the NCAA tournament. His tenure with Louisville (nine years) is the longest of his career. The Louisville Courier-Journal reports Pitino is due a $3.6 million "loyalty bonus" on July 1 and would receive the same amount in 2013 if he were still with the Cardinals. In February, Pitino denied being interested in the New Jersey Nets' head coaching position. "When someone speaks an untruth it's a bit of a distraction," he said after Louisville's loss to St. John's on Feb. 11. "I want to just concentrate on coaching and playing. When people speak an untruth, it bothers you. There is no truth to it. ... I've been at Louisville for nine years and I want to coach till I'm 65 and I hope it's at Louisville and I hope they'll have me. It's a distraction, a nuisance." sports.espn.go.com/ncb/news/story?id=5042255
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Post by Doliboabros on Mar 31, 2010 10:43:09 GMT -5
March 31, 2010 Welsh to take over from Pecora Former Providence coach and current ESPN analyst Tim Welsh will be named the new men's basketball coach at Hofstra at a Thursday news conference, Welsh confirmed to ESPN.com. Welsh replaces Tom Pecora, who resigned last week to become the coach at Fordham. Hofstra lost in the second round of the Colonial Athletic Association tournament. The Pride finished the season 19-15. Welsh was a former coach at nearby Iona prior to going to Providence, where he coached for 10 seasons, leading the Friars to the NCAA tournament in 2001 and 2004. Welsh was fired at Providence two seasons ago and replaced by Keno Davis. At Iona, Welsh was 70-22 with one NCAA and two NIT appearances. sports.espn.go.com/ncb/news/story?id=5042975
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Post by Doliboabros on Mar 31, 2010 10:51:28 GMT -5
MY TAKE ON THE BOSTON COLLEGE DEAL March 31, 2010 BOSTON – I’m taking a nice early flight to Indianapolis this morning with the hope that no coaching carousel news goes down before noon. Yesterday was absolutely nuts. Here’s my quick take on the Boston College situation: Boston College athletic director Gene DeFilippo and Al Skinner weren’t a good match. DeFilippo is a high-energy guy who likes to shake hands and get out in the community. Skinner was a guy who just wanted to coach and play lunch-time hoops. Nothing else. He’s a class guy and did a terrific job in his 13-year tenure at BC, but much of his success can be traced to former assistants Bill Coen and Ed Cooley – now at Northeastern and Fairfield, respectively. These guys were the ones who found guys like Craig Smith, Jared Dudley and Tyrese Rice – when virtually no one else wanted them. Skinner had the lowest blood pressure in college basketball. He was rarely seen on the recruiting trail and used to play lunchtime hoops on a near daily basis. He was the anti-Tom Izzo. When Coen and Cooley left, Skinner couldn’t absorb the hit. These two guys were top-notch recruiters/evaluators and knew how to handle Skinner. Pat Duquette and Bonzi Colson weren’t ready to move into their places – and third assistant Mo Cassara wasn’t given the leeway and freedom to do what he does best: recruit (Cassara had recruited a prep power at Worcester Academy). Skinner didn’t help raise money or bring fans into Conte Forum. His tight flex offense became painful to watch over the last few years when the Eagles weren't winning enough games. DeFilippo will now focus his search on someone that won’t just win games, but will also fit his profile: A guy who connects with the fan base, can coach and also will be out on the recruiting trail. Cornell’s Steve Donahue, according to sources, will meet with DeFilippo on Wednesday. Look for Chris Mooney, the Princeton alum who led Richmond to the NCAA tournament this season, to interview in the next couple of days. Cooley will likely get a look, but I just don’t see Cooley or Coen getting this job at the end of the day. You may see names like Dayton's Brian Gregory or Harvard's Tommy Amaker move into the mix, also. DeFillipo's first call should be to Butler's 33-year-old wunderkind Brad Stevens, but it's highly improbable the midwesterner would come to Boston since he has a terrific team coming back next season and would prefer to stay closer to his roots in Indiana. community.foxsports.com/goodmanonfox/blog/?pref_tab=blog
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Post by Willie on Mar 31, 2010 15:53:02 GMT -5
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Post by Willie on Mar 31, 2010 17:50:25 GMT -5
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