Casual Hoya - Georgetown Coaching Search: Meet the CandidatesA Georgetown Hoyas Blog - The GLOBAL PHENOMENON Where Cynical Meets Delusionalhttps://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/48389/hoya-fave.png2017-03-28T13:07:10-04:00http://www.casualhoya.com/rss/stream/148191632017-03-28T13:07:10-04:002017-03-28T13:07:10-04:00Georgetown Head Coach Candidate: Randy Bennett
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<figcaption>Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p id="byoBkD">A name that has surfaced on a random message board today that might be on the radar for the Georgetown coaching search is current St. Mary’s College of California coach Randy Bennett.</p>
<p id="ZYLfVn">Bennett has been the coach of the Gaels for the last 15 years and has a 364-157 record, just under a 70% winning percentage. In the WCC along with longtime rival Gonzaga, the Gaels have made the NCAA Tournament under Bennett’s guidance six times, with its best finish being in the Sweet Sixteen in 2009-10. The Gaels were a 7 seed in this year’s Tournament and defeated VCU in the 1st round before falling to 2 seed Arizona.</p>
<p id="Pyv7H3">Whether Georgetown would opt for a West Coast hire remains to be seen, but this cryptic tweet from the Los Angeles Hoyas Club has added fuel to a fire burning inside a fanbase grasping at straws for any inkling of information.</p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">A big announcement coming this afternoon. Stay tuned...</p>— LA Georgetown Alumni (@LAHoyasClub) <a href="https://twitter.com/LAHoyasClub/status/846757558924668928">March 28, 2017</a>
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<p id="XHMJyf">Bennett <a href="http://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/id/6878409/saint-mary-announces-new-10-year-deal-coach-randy-bennett">signed a 10-year contract with St. Mary’s in 2011</a>. In 2013, the St. Mary’s program was <a href="https://go.redirectingat.com?id=66960X1516590&xs=1&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.usatoday.com%2Fstory%2Fsports%2Fncaab%2Fwestcoast%2F2013%2F03%2F01%2Fsaint-marys-ncaa-sanctions-randy-bennett-suspension%2F1956809%2F&referrer=sbnation.com&sref=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.casualhoya.com%2F2017%2F3%2F28%2F15090700%2Fgeorgetown-head-coach-candidate-randy-bennett" rel="sponsored nofollow noopener" target="_blank">hit with recruiting violations by the NCAA</a> and Bennett was suspended 5 games, but it hasn’t prevented Bennett’s name from being in consideration for a number of West Coast jobs, from Stanford to Cal to UCLA if Alford would have left.</p>
<p id="K5nk6R">Desirability Rating: 5 out of 10.</p>
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https://www.casualhoya.com/2017/3/28/15090700/georgetown-head-coach-candidate-randy-bennettCasualHoya2017-03-27T23:26:19-04:002017-03-27T23:26:19-04:00Georgetown Head Coach Candidate: Jamion Christian
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<figcaption>Mark Konezny-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p id="sscwpQ">Next up in our award-winning series of profiles on head coaching candidates isn’t a big name, but rather an upside play: Mount St. Mary’s head coach Jamion Christian.</p>
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<p id="CzQH20">Before an explanation as to why this semi-unknown coach is one to watch, let’s start with some quick 411 to get you familiar with the 34-year-old Virginia native. After four years as an assistant – including the 2011-12 campaign at VCU under Shaka Smart – Christian took over head coaching duties at his Alma Mater in 2012 at the age of 29. During his five seasons, The Mount reached the NCAA Tournament twice (2014, 2017). This past campaign, Christian directed his squad to the NEC regular season and conference championship despite a 1-11 start to the regular season.</p>
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<p id="lylnRc">Here are the things you likely took from the previous paragraph: This dude is young. There’s a Shaka Smart connection. NCAA Tournament appearances. The youth factors into the aforementioned upside. The Smart angle adds to the intrigue, but Christian came up his relentless “Mayhem” style before joining VCU’s “Havoc.” Reaching the ultimate March Madness event from a one-bid league is never easy so props there.</p>
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<p id="RTJNFU">Yet this past season’s dismal start is the story. It’s the reason why Georgetown should kick these tires rather than some of the names with worn tread reportedly in consideration. Actually, the Hoyas' own story factors into this tale as well.</p>
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<p id="MpDB40">Low-major schools often face brutal early schedules as the big boys look for perceived easy home wins. The slate Christian put together was extreme. Ten of Mount’s first 12 games were on the road. Six of those teams would eventually make the NCAA Tournament including five power conference schools. Only a win at George Mason prevented an 0-fer after 12 games.</p>
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<p id="GRmQKF">Why did Christian go this route? Well, the obvious answer is to toughen up his squad for conference play. The Mount had enough pieces in place for a title run, Christian thought. Still, put any team into a losing situation and the risk is they don’t come out of it. There were home losses to UMBC and Lehigh in that stretch followed by the Bucknell setback on Dec. 19.</p>
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<p id="572ee9">Then came three consecutive wins. By Feb. 2, the Mountaineers were 12-12. When the regular season ended, The Mount stood atop the NEC at 14-4 with a 16-15 overall record. Three more wins followed in the conference tournament, which put the Mount back in the NCAA’s. They got past New Orleans in the play-in game and for one half gave top-seeded Villanova fits.</p>
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<p id="xdjwWi">On the surface, this scenario isn’t unique among coaches from upstart programs. Spend time around the engaging Christian and you might think otherwise. He didn’t just bet on tough early foes and venues toughen up his team.</p>
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<p id="eoHzAv">“Sometimes you have to bet on yourself,” Christian said on Selection Sunday.</p>
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<p id="PHVHe1">When the team fell to 1-11, Christian sent his assistants to buy jockey goggles for the players. These “blinders,” he told the team were to help them “stay focused and locked in because distractions are going to be coming soon. At 1-11, they’re looking at me like I’m crazy. …Then we won eight in a row and the distractions started coming."</p>
<p id="1hXhL6">He continued. “Sometimes you have to give an example of how much you believe in someone, how much you believe in something, how much you’re willing to fight for it.”</p>
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<p id="x2lL5w">Maybe Georgetown finishes with back-to-back losing seasons regardless of any one loss or rough stretch. Yet in each of the last two campaigns, the Hoyas never truly recovered from tough early losses. Why is a discussion for another time. This is about how Christian, who believes in his ability to rally people, got his squad to remain hopeful when so much suggested otherwise.</p>
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<p id="RvW1uT">“From Day 1 I just believed in these guys. I wasn’t going to not let them believe in themselves,” Christian said with his usual poised demeanor that steers clear of arrogance but binges on confidence. It’s what allows him to stay focused on the plan rather than swerve after every in-game or results setback.</p>
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<p id="DxD7xk">“Everyone talks about being process-driven, but not everyone can withstand a loss to be process-driven,” Christian said. “I’m not like that.”</p>
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<p id="7go8Rl">Not every opponent can withstand “Mayhem,” a system the coach believes allows his players to thrive.</p>
<p id="1EtP8R">“It’s about allowing everyone to be able to play with freedom and play together with a lot of pizzazz,” he said. “We’re going to turn you over because we’re going to press for 40 minutes. We’re going to shoot a ton of 3’s and we’re going to share the basketball. We’re going to have a lot of smiles and we’re going to be really aggressive.”</p>
<p id="gfAFfj">That aggressive approach is something associated with Georgetown basketball under John Thompson Jr., particularly in the early 1980’s with Patrick Ewing and fueled a decade later by Allen Iverson. We’ll see what the search committee desires as it seeks a replacement following the dismissal of Hoyas head coach John Thompson III.</p>
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<p id="CxZ94M">“I know when I was a kid and Georgetown was on (TV), we watched as a family,” Christian said recently. “The brand of Georgetown is as strong as Duke or North Carolina. But you’ve got to be different with the person leading it. And it’s important that the person appreciates and not just understands the history.”</p>
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<p id="viLxFi">It’s important to realize the leap from the Northeast Conference to the Big East is huge. It's unclear if Christian can recruit at that level. For anyone looking at Christian’s credentials, it's important to go beyond his age, Shaka Smart and even in the NCAA appearances. “Mayhem” is his brand, but calm and confident leadership are his trademarks. The next coach at Georgetown will face many challenges. Having someone capable of keeping on the blinders and getting his players to do the same amid those pending distractions would be nice. Yes, so is the winning.</p>
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<p id="uumYR6">Desirability Rating: 8 out of 10</p>
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https://www.casualhoya.com/2017/3/27/15083888/georgetown-hoyas-head-coach-candidate-jamion-christianBen Standig2017-03-27T22:48:36-04:002017-03-27T22:48:36-04:00Georgetown Hoyas Coach Candidate: Tom Crean
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<figcaption>Amber Searls-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p id="TYy50L">Our Man Booker Award-winning coaching profile series rolls on with Tom Crean.</p>
<p id="9aLVl6">Until about two weeks ago, Crean was the coach of Indiana, where he ran the storied Hoosier basketball program after previously serving as the head coach at Marquette. In Milwaukee, Crean took over a team that had slipped into mediocrity and guided the Golden Eagles (or whatever they were at the time) to five NCAA tournaments in nine seasons. Most famously, Crean coached Marquette, led by future Heatle Dwyane Wade, to the 2003 Final Four. Also notably, Crean’s teams didn’t suffer any slip after moving from Conference USA to the Big East, where the Golden Eagles averaged 23 wins per season, and a .620 conference winning percentage, over their first three seasons in the Big East.</p>
<p id="3dz56f">In 2008, Crean was hired to coach at Indiana, where he took over a truly awful situation. The Hoosiers had recently seen the resignation of coach Kelvin Sampson, who oversaw various recruiting violations that led to Sampson receiving a five-year show-cause penalty. (Fun note: <a href="https://twitter.com/dandakich/status/426075280524857344">Typical Media Guy</a> Dan Dakich was the interim coach between Sampson and Crean.) Things got so bad in Crean’s early years that Jeremiah Rivers saw starter’s minutes. </p>
<p id="Z71keM">After three years of making not much progress, Crean broke through in 2011-12 on the backs of future lottery picks Cody Zeller and Victor Oladipo. Over the next two seasons, the Hoosiers won 56 games, made two Sweet Sixteens, and featured top-five offenses. After a down year once those stars departed for the pros, Indiana returned to the Tournament and then, in the following season, to the Sweet Sixteen. This year brought even bigger expectations, with a talented back-court and a pair of NBA prospects, Thomas Bryant and OG Anunoby, up front. But the Hoosiers crashed and burned late in the season, losing 10 of their last 14 after Anunoby was sidelined by a knee injury. After the season, Indiana let Crean go.</p>
<p id="kmL7PI">Crean certainly comes with pluses and minuses. On the negative side, he’s struggled to compile elite defenses, never managing a top-20 unit on that end of the floor at Indiana. As a result, his teams sometimes have an up-and-down feel depending on whether they’re making shots or not. From a strictly aesthetic perspective, he has a somewhat grating sideline vibe, between his gulping of diet soda and his appearance, which can roughly be described as tax-accountant-meets-serial-killer. His odd intensity translates to media and fan interactions, which can be uncomfortable.</p>
<p id="h2cZe1">Crean also has real positives, however, which can be overshadowed by the aforementioned superficial shortcomings. He can recruit, landing five McDonald’s All-Americans and assembling top-30 recruiting classes in each of his last five seasons at Indiana. He’s particularly scouted and landed talent from the DMV area, including Oladipo, Troy Williams, Robert Johnson, and Curtis Jones. His offenses consistently score: the Hoosiers ranked in the top 10 nationally in offensive efficiency in four of his last six years at Indiana. After rebuilding the Hoosier program, he made four NCAA Tournaments in six seasons, advancing to the Sweet Sixteen three times. That might be good enough at some schools, but not at Indiana.</p>
<p id="B4EZx7">Ultimately, Crean doesn’t excite many people, but he has a lot of positives. He has perhaps the best track record out of any of the candidates, possibly except for Shaka Smart. He has succeeded at two high-level stops before Georgetown, which can’t be said of any of the other candidates. He might not be the dream candidate, but he’d be solid.</p>
<p id="79mqQC">Desirability rating: 4 out of 10</p>
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https://www.casualhoya.com/2017/3/27/15082402/georgetown-hoyas-coaching-candidate-tom-creanoverthehilltop2017-03-27T15:39:38-04:002017-03-27T15:39:38-04:00Georgetown Hoyas Coach Candidate: Ed Cooley
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<p class="p--has-dropcap" id="M0aiJR">Next up in our award-winning series of profiles on head coaching candidates is a familiar face: current <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/college-basketball/teams/providence-friars">Providence Friars</a> head coach Ed Cooley. It would be an interesting move to acquire a coach from within the Big East, as he would be more familiar than most other candidates with the Hoyas recent scheme and struggles. Cooley’s teams are unfailingly competitive and, as was the case this year, meet or outperform preseason expectations.</p>
<p id="Yox4PO">After a four-year playing career at Stonehill College in Massachusetts, Cooley began his New England coaching journey with one-year assistant stops at UMass-Dartmouth, Stonehill and the University of Rhode Island before settling in for a 9 year stint at Boston College. He accepted his first head coaching position at Fairfield in 2006, improving their consistency while accumulating a 58-32 record in conference play and finishing at or near the top of his league in the final two years of his tenure. The Stags won the MAAC regular season title in 2011, their first since the mid-1980s.</p>
<p id="TR6fUN">After five years in that head coaching role, he returned to his hometown and took over the Providence College program from Keno Davis. The team had endured consecutive sub-.500 seasons and had only earned one <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/march-madness">NCAA Tournament</a> berth in the previous decade. Attracting six top 100 recruits in his first three years along with a solid group of transfers, Cooley proved he could bring in skilled individuals at the high-major level. </p>
<p id="IEjNyM">Could he capitalize on these young men's raw talent and develop his players over the course of several campaigns? The first year he was running the show, the Friars were 15th in Big East play. Two seasons later they came in 3rd and have finished 3rd or 4th every year since, picking up a <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/big-east-basketball-tournament">Big East Tournament</a> championship in 2014. Cooley teaches his teams to play persistent defense, doing so while fouling at a much lower rate than the Hoyas. Overall, he has amassed a record of 123-80 (.606) at Providence, including those two rebuilding years. This proves not only that he can coach in this conference, but he also offers a pre-existing, comprehensive understanding of teams that will be Georgetown’s regular opponents.</p>
<p id="iPcJPt">There have been no significant rumblings of displeasure from the Providence fan base or administration to indicate that they would be looking to make any kind of coaching move at this juncture. Recent reports indicate that he is <a href="http://sports.usatoday.com/ncaa/salaries/mens-basketball/coach/">currently drawing a salary of $1.65M</a> per year at Providence. Despite a series of injuries and a couple of unexpected departures, Cooley has shown a productive balance between passion and skill, fielding consistently competitive teams and taking the Friars to the NCAA tournament in four consecutive seasons. The only knock against his record is that he did not make it out of the second round with a lineup featuring <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/nba-draft">NBA draft</a> picks <span>Kris Dunn</span> and <span>Ben Bentil</span>. </p>
<p id="PFgN3x">This <a href="http://www.espn.com/espnradio/play?id=19008595">interview with ESPN</a> from yesterday (h/t <a href="https://twitter.com/NationWideNolan">@NationWideNolan</a>) gives some insight into the way Cooley looks at building a program. He starts off by saying that he likes to build a squad around the best possible point guard- a strategy that should be music to the ears of Georgetown fans who have painful memories of <span>Vincent Council</span>, <span>Bryce Cotton</span> and <span>Kris Dunn</span>. The man has a plan for his roster and will pass on the best player to get the best fit. </p>
<p id="kLGLpS">Around the 8:00 mark, a four-minute discussion of the Hoyas situation begins. Cooley references his relationship with—and appreciation for—fellow Providence alumnus John Thompson, Jr, a man he describes as a mentor. Depending on your perspective, that connection could potentially be viewed as an obstacle to overhauling the system or a beneficial link to the most influential figure in Georgetown basketball history. Cooley does not project any frustration when asked about his current status, saying, “Providence has given me an opportunity. It’s a place that’s home, and all you want to do is your best while you’re there.” On the other hand, he also believes that you always answer the phone when someone you respect calls to talk about a job, noting that it does not hurt to have a conversation: “If they do [call], great. If they don’t [call], great.” </p>
<p id="fvivYb">It would be very unusual for a coach to take a new position within the same conference. However, Cooley is qualified, energetic and well-respected, so the risk of a little extra fan vitriol from spurned Friars faithful twice a year could be an acceptable tradeoff.</p>
<p id="rwW5FY">Desirability Rating: 8 out of 10</p>
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https://www.casualhoya.com/2017/3/27/15075096/georgetown-hoyas-coaching-search-candidate-profile-ed-cooleyHoya Saxual2017-03-27T10:09:45-04:002017-03-27T10:09:45-04:00Georgetown Hoyas Coach Candidate: Patrick Ewing
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<p id="ECwRWQ">Next up in our Pulitzer-prize winning series of profiles concerning the head coaching candidates for the Georgetown Hoyas is Patrick Aloysius Ewing, first of his name.</p>
<p id="Ju6Z6S">Ewing’s credentials for the position are well-known and numerous. He is the greatest player in Georgetown basketball history and the best player on a Hoya team that won the program’s only national championship and made three national finals. He is a two-time inductee into the Basketball Hall of Fame and an 11-time NBA All-Star. He has won multiple Oscars (in my mind anyway) for his roles in Space Jam in a Snickers commercial as Patrick Chewing. He has many more honors and accomplishments from his playing days that I could spend paragraphs listing, but suffice it to say that he’s got the goods in that department.</p>
<p id="pLcru0">Since his retirement, Ewing has spent 15 years as an assistant coach at the NBA level. Ewing began working for Jeff Van Gundy, one of his coaches from Ewing’s Knicks days. Ewing then moved onto JVG’s brother Stan, who at the time was coaching the Orlando Magic, which made a run to the 2009 NBA Finals under their guidance. Most recently, Ewing moved on to Van Gundy disciple Steve Clifford, coach of the Charlotte Hornets (ne Bobcats), for which big Pat is now the associate head coach. Ewing has been a finalist for many NBA head coaching jobs, a position that remains his ambition.</p>
<p id="QTbvAY">Given Ewing’s lack of head coaching experience and lack of coaching experience at the college level, an evaluation of his pluses and minuses is a bit speculative. Let’s start with the downside. As mentioned, Ewing has no experience at the college level, no experience grinding on the recruiting trail, no experience telling teenagers that they’re the greatest thing since Allen Iverson. We don’t know much about his offensive or defensive philosophy, and whether he would be interested in or capable of implementing a more modern system on either end of the floor than his predecessor. </p>
<p id="8vIYV0">Next, there’s the relationship issue. Ewing remains close with the Thompsons, perhaps the closest of any of the glory-era Hoyas to Pops himself. Having just extricated itself from an incredibly complicated relationship with its head coach, does Georgetown really want to hire someone who, if he didn’t work out, would prove similarly complicated? Will he staff his son, most recently on JT3’s staff, on his staff as well? Will there be other Hoya loyalists on such a staff, or would hires be meritocratic? </p>
<p id="5zVEWx">Ewing also isn’t exactly the ideal face of a program that should be trying to project youth, energy, speed. As Big Man U tries to actually start recruiting some playmaking guards, is a 7-footer really the best messenger? And he’ll be 55 by the time next season starts, not exactly young for a first-time college head coach trying to recruit and relate to a bunch of kids.</p>
<p id="kWqGNx">That said, Ewing has many strengths as a candidate, as well. First of all, he’s Patrick Fricking Ewing, one of college basketball’s icons and either first or second on any list of players most associated with Georgetown, even among youngsters. Beyond Georgetown are his various credentials, both from playing and coaching. Second, his coaching experience would translate to the college level in a couple of ways. The Van Gundys and Clifford are all talented defensive coaches who get effort and results out of their players. Ewing likely would, too. SVG in particular had this <a href="http://www.nba.com/magic/news/stan-van-gundy-thinks-patrick-ewing-would-be-great-fit-georgetown-coaching-job">to say</a> about Ewing:</p>
<p id="CVi2WF">``Look, he’s a guy who spent a lot of time really working at it,’’ said Van Gundy, who worked with Ewing when the Magic reached the 2009 NBA Finals and the 2010 Eastern Conference Finals. ``Didn’t want to just be a big-man guy or sort of the NBA guy who is just trying to get into the heads of guys. He wanted to do all the X-and-O stuff, all the game plan and game prep stuff and teach on the court. He can coach guards as well as bigs and he’s not limited. He’s a guy who has worked hard to become a good basketball coach, period, and he is that.”</p>
<p id="oADyJp">In addition to touting Ewing’s tactical credentials, Van Gundy also makes clear that Ewing is a grinder, someone who’s not going to be outworked. Sure, hitting the recruiting trail week after week can be tiring, but so is hitting four cities in five nights on an NBA road trip. Being an NBA assistant coach for 15 years takes hard work and grit that Ewing undoubtedly would bring to the Georgetown head coaching position.</p>
<p id="F7tHuB">My ultimate assessment is that if Ewing is interested in the job, he should be strongly considered. Those conducting the search, Lee Reed and Paul Tagliabue, should ask themselves questions about what they’re looking for in a head coach, and whether Ewing fits that bill. He shouldn’t be just given the job because of his ties to Pops or his legacy as a player. Ewing should get the job, or not, on his merits. But any other program conducting a coaching search would give a close look to one of its own who had Ewing’s credentials. Georgetown should do the same. </p>
<p id="79mqQC">Desirability rating: 7 out of 10</p>
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https://www.casualhoya.com/2017/3/27/15071630/georgetown-hoyas-coach-candidate-patrick-ewingoverthehilltop2017-03-25T21:21:37-04:002017-03-25T21:21:37-04:00Georgetown Head Coach Candidate: Danny Hurley
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<p id="5vsi8r">Next up in our award-winning series is current Rhode Island head coach Danny Hurley.</p>
<p id="gX8If4">The younger brother of Bobby and son of legendary High School coach Bob Sr., Hurley has shown the ability to not only coach winning teams,, but build programs. While Georgetown isn’t a teardown situation, there is potentially plenty of work for any coach entering. The Hoyas are coming off back-to-back losing seasons and, for now, only have eight players on scholarship for the 2017-18 season.</p>
<p id="QioT7D">Let’s start from the beginning. This Hurley knows the Big East vibe from his playing days at Seton Hall (1992-96). The point guard averaged 14.3 points and 5.2 assists during his senior campaign. Early in his coaching career he served as an assistant at Rutgers.</p>
<p id="OvFadX">Then he went down a level to take over as head coach for St. Benedict’s (New Jersey), turning the program into a national force. Over nine seasons, 223-21. It’s not often High School coaches make the jump straight to a D1 job. Hurley’s resume and presumably that family name helped make him an exception.</p>
<p id="nAzNZS">He went to Wagner in 2010, inheriting a team coming off a 5-26 season. Two years later, the Seahawks went 25-6. Then Hurley went off to Rhode Island. </p>
<p id="oZ79To">The Atlantic 10 program had success at times over the years, but no NCAA Tournament appearances since 1999. The year before Hurley arrived, the Rams finished 7-24. After winning only 23 games during his first two seasons, Rhode Island turned into an A-10 contender with a 23-10 record in 2014-15. </p>
<p id="TbqPsD">Hype was legit at that point, but the Rams dipped to an underwhelming 17-15 the following season. The AP voters still believed and voted Rhode Island No. 23 in its preseason poll. Five months later, the Rams won the A-10 Tournament, reached the NCAA’s. After taking down Creighton 84-72, they lost to Oregon in the second round, finishing the season 25-10.</p>
<p id="EEeJIu">No disrespect to the fine folks of Rhode Island, but there’s no comparison with the DMV when it comes to a recruiting area. Imagine Danny, a successful coach on the HS level and the son of one of the all-time greats, unleashed in these parts. There’s no need imagining whether he can turn a program around. Been there, done that. </p>
<p id="79mqQC">Desirability rating: 8 out of 10</p>
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https://www.casualhoya.com/2017/3/25/15063044/georgetown-head-coach-candidate-danny-hurleyBen Standig2017-03-25T15:09:24-04:002017-03-25T15:09:24-04:00Georgetown Head Coach Candidate: Shaka Smart
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<figcaption>Erich Schlegel-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p id="uEubOU">Next up in our award-winning series is current Texas head coach Shaka Smart. </p>
<p id="Id8t2u">That collective sigh you hear is the sound of Hoya fans remembering the 2011 NCAA Tournament. Smart directed No. 11 seed VCU past Georgetown in the opening round en route to the Final Four. </p>
<p id="ThTEqu">The thing is, maybe you don’t hear those sighs over sounds of excited gasps. </p>
<p id="YUy0xk"><a href="http://www.casualhoya.com/2017/3/23/15040338/georgetown-hoyas-basketball-coaching-search-tommy-amaker-shaka-smart-patrick-ewing-danny-hurley">CasualHoya.com reported Smart’s potential candidacy for the now vacant head coaching job </a>Thursday shortly after <a href="http://www.casualhoya.com/2017/3/23/15038844/john-thompson-iii-fired-head-coach-georgetown-hoyas">breaking the news that school was moving on from John Thompson III after 13 seasons</a>. At least one source maintains the search committee’s strong interest in Smart to the point he is perhaps atop their wish list.</p>
<p id="0iwbnl">There is winning and there is popular. The personable Smart is among the D1 coaches whose Venn diagram, despite last season’s struggles at Texas, lands in the middle of both. Smart, who turns 40 next month, is the veteran of eight seasons as head coach of a D1 program. His teams won at least 20 games seven times while making six appearances in the NCAA Tournament. </p>
<p id="cEfnpD">Yet it’s not just about winning, but style. Smart’s teams at VCU were branded “Havoc” because of the relentless full-court pressure defense deployed. Comparisons to the swarming approach from John Thompson Jr.’s Georgetown teams in the 1980’s aren’t a stretch. This approach is aggressive and certainly the mental opposite of the read-and-react offensive system used by JT3.</p>
<p id="sBrm5M">[PODCAST: <a href="https://audioboom.com/posts/5742662-locked-on-wizards-3-24-17-georgetown-ousts-jt3?t=0">Georgetown Ousts JT3. What Happened, What’s Next?</a>]</p>
<p id="V8MtY0">Here’s the thing: Smart’s current contract has him with Texas until 2023. Contracts can and, in these coaching circles, often are broken. Money presumably wouldn’t be a holdup; Smart’s reported $3 million per year salary is comparable to the $3.6 million JT3 received in 2014, according to recent tax disclosures from the University.</p>
<p id="8ztFuX">Whether Smart wants out is an important angle. Two sources tell CasualHoya.com he’s not interested in leaving the Longhorns at this point. Maybe he wants to see things out with the Big 12 program. As attractive as Georgetown’s situation might be viewed by some, perhaps no athletic department in the country can touch Texas for resources.</p>
<p id="lYqA58">Then there’s unfinished business. The Longhorns went 20-13 in 2015-16 as Smart’s streak of consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances reached six. Seven seemed likely; Big 12 voters slotted Texas for a third-place conference finish and the Longhorns entered the season ranked in the AP Top 25 poll. </p>
<p id="K4bnLk">Oops. The Longhorns went 11-22 overall and 4-14 in Big 12 play. Some blame the lack of a quality point guard (Where have we heard that before?). Heralded recruit Jarrett Allen didn’t quite meet expectations, though the 6-foot-11 remains a potential lottery selection. Allen is entering the NBA Draft.</p>
<p id="dDo7dY">Does Smart want a change two years after making a bold move? We’ll see. It’s obvious why Georgetown hopes he does. </p>
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https://www.casualhoya.com/2017/3/25/15060450/georgetown-hoyas-head-coach-candidate-shaka-smartBen StandigCasualHoya2017-03-24T16:34:03-04:002017-03-24T16:34:03-04:00Georgetown Head Coach Candidate: Archie Miller
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<figcaption>Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p id="76kDqS">Next up in Casual Hoya’s coaching candidate series: the University of Dayton’s Archie Miller.</p>
<p id="R66XER">Miller, 38, has built Dayton into a consistent NCAA Tournament participant since he assumed the helm in 2011, making four consecutive March Madness appearances. Miller became a household name and a prominent target for several high-major coaching jobs after guiding the Flyers to an Elite Eight appearance in 2014.</p>
<p id="jKgkjy">Miller may not be the candidate who has had the most rumors tie him to the Georgetown opening, but he has been floated as a potential candidate by several college basketball writers.</p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Be curious to see what names emerge for the Georgetown job. Names that wouldn't surprise me: Dan Hurley, Archie Miller & Tommy Amaker</p>— Evan Daniels (@EvanDaniels) <a href="https://twitter.com/EvanDaniels/status/844973068812464129">March 23, 2017</a>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">External Georgetown candidates would probably include Tommy Amaker, Shaka Smart, and Tom Crean. Gotta make the call to Archie Miller too.</p>— Troy Machir (@TroyMachir) <a href="https://twitter.com/TroyMachir/status/844979357135388672">March 23, 2017</a>
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<p id="ln8Ljg">Miller played at NC State and had several assistant coaching jobs, including stops at Ohio State and Arizona, the latter with his brother Sean Miller as the head coach, before starting at Dayton in 2011. Miller has posted 20 wins or more in five of six seasons, and despite not making it out of the first weekend of the tournament in the last three years, Miller has done a laudable job turning Dayton into a perennial at-large bid team. He has been tied peripherally to the vacancy at Indiana, but it’s unlikely Miller takes the job.</p>
<p id="lSfMGK">Miller has gained a reputation as someone who can generate a lot of results without top-level talent. Only one of Miller’s recruits was ranked in the ESPN 100 coming out of high school, and in several years, Dayton’s teams featured no player taller than 6’6”. Notably, Miller recently began recruiting the greater DC area, as two of his class of 2016 recruits came from Baltimore and Arlington, respectively. Taking the Georgetown job would provide Miller with plenty of potential talent to recruit and put him in a more advantageous situation.</p>
<p id="8Z0o63">On the other hand, unlike other candidates like Mike Brey and Tommy Amaker, Miller has few prior personal ties to the area or to Georgetown. While Miller may represent more of a clean break, he may lack some of the advantages that those candidates may offer. Under Miller, Dayton has seen several players kicked off the team or suspended due to personal issues, but Dayton’s program has avoided serious violations in his six years at the helm.</p>
<p id="OGcOrF">It remains to be seen whether or not Miller materializes as a candidate for the vacancy. Miller has proven his ability to build a successful program at Dayton and will likely secure a high-major job within the next few years. He may not be the next coach of the Hoyas, but if you’re running the coaching search, he should be one of the first calls you make.</p>
<p id="WajlzI">Full bio <a href="http://www.daytonflyers.com/coaches.aspx?rc=1&path=mbball">HERE</a></p>
<p id="rYVziK">Desirability rating: 9 out of 10</p>
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https://www.casualhoya.com/2017/3/24/15054264/georgetown-hoyas-head-coach-candidate-archie-millerRoey Hadar