It's Tuesday and the dust has settled from the weekend.
First on my list is the bad practice by college coaches of not hiring people they feel are strong as assistants. And if a person is over 45 they really have little chance of gaining positions despite the experience they have. If you look at all the assistants at local BE, A10, MAAC, NEC, and Colonial Schools, the most qualified Assistant working today is Ron Brown at FDU!!! Ex Florida A&M Head Coach, ex West Virginia Assistant, Loved by everyone, yet cannot get a break with higher level D1 schools. No baggage, just a great guy. Think he could not help RU, SHU, or SJU?
But the worst example is Robert Holford. John Calipari once offered Bobby a job at UMass and he turned it down being loyal to his buddy Dennis Jackson who wanted the job. Dennis was never hired and went on to start a NIKE program that focused on Academics. Needless to say Dennis never returned the favor to Bobby by offering him a position with his new program. Bobby has coached at Providence, Hofstra, FDU, been head coach at NY Tech, and Hostos Community College in NYC where he won the National JC Championship. The first National Championship by a NY based college team since CCNY many years ago. Despite this, he cannot even get an interview.
I do not even want to get into the Ray Haskins situation. He was royally screwed by LIU years ago and has not recovered, GREAT COACH, GREAT PERSON, GREAT ASSET to any program.
All of the local programs could be better with any of the people mentioned. I would put the 3 people I mentioned up against any 3 assistants on the east coast. Heck, I would bet they would out perform most of the Head Coaches. All they need is an opportunity. But I guess it's more fashionable to hire that 25 or 26 year old you can scream at and totally control.
Local Colleges
Rutgers season is over despite winning at Seton Hall. Just goes to show that the games between Rutgers and Seton Hall have the potential to become a Great Rivalry. If the games continue to be exciting, it can only help both programs. It was odd hearing the announcers say this is also about recruiting. Ummmmmmmmmmm, where did I hear that?
The game itself was good from what I saw. Unfortunately here in NE Pa. we tend to experience power failures quite often. That was the case on Sunday. I was able to see the final 3 minutes and it was very good.
Just a few tidbits.
Its great that FHJ and Gonzo go at it. This makes the games even more interesting.
I did watch for and see the end of the game hand shakes, and from what I saw it seemed like FHJ barely wanted to shake BG's hand as he brushed by him. After walking by so quick he looked as if he realized TV cameras were rolling so he reached back to PAT, not hit, Pat BG on the back. It did not seem like a slap to me. It seemed like an afterthought to make up for the cold way he walked past Bobby.
I also saw Jim Carr say something to Bobby as he walked by. Not sure what or if it was good or bad. But something was said.
I found out what Bobby said to JR and I happen to agree with him 100%. He told JR that he has been through alot of stuff (used another word this season. Told him everyone knows he has skills and could play. Told him he wished he had a player like him on his team he could run stuff for. No he was not looking for JR to transfer. He was only saying what alot of people who coach for a living have said all year about JR's development and role on RU's team. I hope when JR and his family meet with FHJ in the very near future they can get a better understanding of why the communications between the 2 are so bad IF IT REALLY IS.
Loved the way JR ended with a game winner. He kept his form as he was falling down. I also loved the fact Griffin ended with some positives.
Eugene Harvey has not had a great season but I would take him if I was a high level D1 coach. Trust me, folks need to cool on putting him down. I know some of his Brooklyn folks and though they understand the game, they want Harvey appreciated if you know what I mean. I do think Bobby G appreciates him. I also think he will return to form next season. Heck, he might return to form for the BE tournament.
I honestly feel SHU has a great chance of getting high rated recruits in the future based on the New Arena. It is special and with 9000 fans in attendance, with more on the way in the next few years, it is a great place to play. Facilities are very important in recruiting as is fan base. Rutgers must re-do the RAC and build a practice facility. I am not saying make the RAC larger. I am saying make it more up to date with video, plushy seats, etc. Even if the attendance is brought down to 8000 seats only. It should be a showcase. I honestly do not feel there is a need for a 12,000 seat arena. But facilities and fan support matter. If RU had better facilities, Ebanks might have already committed there. But he still might based on Craig Carter and FHJ doing the recruitment the right and legal way. Unfortunately everyone does not do that. Which is why SHU and RU has such a hard (in addition to facilities) time attracting 5 star players.
Coaching Staff's
This is an interesting time of the year not only because of March madness, but because of Coaches Madness. This is the time when we see coaches change locations and assistants move around. What will happen locally?
Will SJU get a X and O guy in to assist Norm? Will RU get a seasoned guy to assist FHJ with running his program? Will SHU add someone to the staff who will make Bobby G more productive while mentoring him on court behavior?
I also would like to point out that Bobby G is totally different off the court than he is on the court. But I happen to like the fire he has and the way he gets after it all game long. He earns his money the hard way. Funny how no one hated on Lou Carnesecca for his court behavior. And PJ? He was something and he was very hard on his players to the point many wanted to actually go at him. Bobby only suffers from two things. One he says how he feels all the time. And some cannot deal with that because they are use to phony smile in your face and talk behind your back coaches. And the other thing is really something only I get upset with. He refuses to hire strong personalities.
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