Monday, March 31, 2008
Ex Friar guard Larranaga talking with PC about coaching job.
"Jim Larranaga, a star guard at Providence College in the early 1970s, is in contact with Friar officials about the school’s vacant head-coaching position."
Sunday, March 30, 2008
Driscoll's other hires may provide clues
"If Bob Driscoll’s hiring record as Providence College’s director of athletics offers any clue as to how he operates, then his next basketball coach might be a member of the Friars’ Family, or he might be short on head-coaching experience."
Saturday, March 29, 2008
Tyler Hansbrough leads top-seeded North Carolina past Louisville 83-73 into Final Four
With the Cards falling to UNC tonight, the Big East is no longer represented in the NCAA tournament.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP)—This time, North Carolina got to celebrate instead of heading to the locker room to wait for next year. Tyler Hansbrough and his top-seeded Tar Heels just wouldn’t be denied a trip to the Final Four again.
Hansbrough had 28 points and 13 rebounds Saturday night to help the Tar Heels hold off Louisville 83-73 in the East Regional final, sending them to the national semifinals for the first time since winning the championship in 2005.The Tar Heels (36-2) advanced to play the Kansas-Davidson winner next Saturday in the national semifinals at San Antonio.
Saturday morning Louisville links
Saturday morning Villanova links
Friday, March 28, 2008
Memories of the '06 Gators
Big East Hoops sees similarities between the 2006 Florida Gators, and the 2008 Louisville Cardinals.
The reason this year’s Louisville squad reminds me of them, is because the are big, fast, tremendously athletic and talented, and probably under-seeded because of some hiccups during the season. UF crushed their opponents in the ‘06 tournament. In fact, of their 6 consecutive victories, only the Georgetown game was even close. Louisville has done similar work this season, crushing all three of their NCAA opponents. Now, they have UNC, who has looked mighty good as well. As most know, I’ve been riding the Cards all year, and not unexpected, I’ve got them in my Final Four with 3 other number one seeds. Now we get to see if they can beat the nation’s “best” team.
Friday morning NCAA tournament links
Search for PC coach seems like a slow motion process
Kevin McNamara wonders when Bob Driscoll will fill Providence's empty head coaching position.
Driscoll’s search for Tim Welsh’s replacement will be two weeks old tomorrow. His time frame to fill the position is as gray as the storm clouds hovering over Rhode Island. Next week? Sometime during the Final Four? By the time David Ortiz takes his first swing at Fenway Park (April 8)? Who knows?
Thursday, March 27, 2008
Raymond's late 3-pointers lift Xavier over West Virginia
Xavier defeated West Virginia in overtime tonight, propelling them into the Elite 8.
PHOENIX (AP)—B.J. Raymond made two 3-pointers in the last 1:18 of overtime and Xavier advanced to the West Regional final with a 79-75 victory Thursday over West Virginia and coach Bob Huggins. The third-seeded Musketeers (30-6) will seek their first Final Four appearance when they play the winner of the UCLA-Western Kentucky on Saturday.
Saint Joseph's Martelli squelches Providence rumor
The Hawks' head coach responds to the PC rumors that surround him:
"I have not indicated an interest in Providence," Martelli told the Daily News. "Providence has not indicated an interest in me. I've not talked to anybody at Providence and Providence has not talked to anybody here at Saint Joseph's, or to me or to my family."
Or to Martelli's representative, Dennis Coleman.
Thursday morning NCAA tournament links
Robinson is the man PC is looking for
Bill Reynolds explains why Providence needs to hire Brown University's Craig Robinson: he is the next John Thompson III.
Would Providence College have hired John Thompson III four years ago if it had a coaching vacancy?
And the answer is no.
An Ivy League coach. No cachet. Not someone who was going to excite the fan base back then, right?But would they hire him now if they could?
Of course, since Thompson has quickly taken Georgetown out of its slumber and turned them into one of the top programs in the country, and emerged as one of the most successful coaches in the country.
Well, guess what?
The next John Thompson III is right here in Providence.
It’s Brown’s Craig Robinson, and you don’t have to know an X from an O to see the parallels.
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
PC coach can't be shy of spotlight
Athletic Director Bob Driscoll says the new coach has to "fit."
PROVIDENCE — It’s all about fit right now for Providence College and its athletic director, Bob Driscoll.
Driscoll is 10 days into his search for a new head men’s basketball coach, and the one theme he keeps returning to is fit. What type of coach will fit in at PC, the smallest school among the six, dominant basketball conferences? Is the coach capable of dealing with the small-world politics that run a Catholic school? Can that coach garner support from students, alums and even the disgruntled season-ticket holders who long for the good old days?
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
It must be said
If you hate Duke, and the ACC, then Hoya Hoops has an artcile for you.
RPI, Strength of Schedule, Last 12 Games, blah, blah, blah. I heard a term this season for the first time when analyzing NCAA teams: the Eye Test. Basically that means, “Watch games.” Who was truly surprised by the West Virginia win? Not anybody who watched West Virginia and Duke play during the last five months. Duke played in a bad conference this season. North Carolina is very good, deserving of a #1 ranking. But Memphis is very good, deserving of a #1 ranking, too. The greatness of Memphis does not increase the value of Conference USA, and it should be the same for North Carolina in the ACC. Why does the press always assume that the teams from the ACC are superior? Why was Duke ranked in the Top 15 all season long? How many years in a row will Duke be eliminated in the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament before the media starts realizing the truth?
The Top 25 rankings are a joke, they really are. Most of the time the voters just amend their selections from the previous week, meaning that if a team is in the first preseason poll, it could take them a couple of months to become unranked, even if they lose half of their games. It’s time for the knowledgeable basketball people in the country to take a stand. It’s time to say out loud, on television the following, “Duke did not deserve a #2 seed in this tournament. They’ve been an above average team in a below average conference, and they should have probably been a #5 or #6 seed.”
Syracuse seeks revenge against UMass
The lone Big East team in the NIT face our friends from the north tonight at the Carrier Dome with the winner heading to the semi finals.
Villanova's Wright a master of the game
The Philadelphia Enquirer's Phil Sheridan shows everyone the greatness of Villanova head coach Jay Wright, who, I believe, Providence could've had roaming the Civic Center.
2008 All-Bergen basketball
This is a couple of days late, but if you didn't know: PC's lone 2008-09 recruit Bilal Dixon is first team All-Bergen basketball.
Bilal Dixon, Queen of Peace, senior, center
The 6-9 Dixon averaged 18.4 points, 13.8 rebounds and 6.2 blocks and led QP to the Bergen semis for the first time in more than 25 years.
Making some noise
University of Louisville's Earl Clark becomes more vocal, and his play grows by volumes.
About a month ago, Earl Clark started talking during University of Louisville basketball practice. Shouting encouragement, directing teammates and even, as Williams put it, "cussing people out."
Mazzulla living his dream in NCAAs
A recent article in the Providence Journal explores Johnston's, and West Virginia University's, Joe Mazzulla and his dream of becoming a big time college star in the Big East; even though PC didn't want him.
Monday, March 24, 2008
PC coaching search, part three: Goodfellas
In the final installment of their Providence College head coaching search, Them's Good Eaton provides a list of candidates in which one of them will probably start a new Friars legacy.
Anthony Grant
Head Coach, Virginia Commonwealth
Profile
Simply put, the ideal candidate. Young, black, and damned good-looking, he learned his trade under Donovan at Florida. His pesky VCU squad came within a whisker of the Sweet 16 last year, and while he did it with Jeff Capel’s players, his experience under Donovan makes it pretty clear he can recruit. His greatest strength is his ability to coach defense: VCU plays an aggressive, trapping style that wreaked havoc on both Duke and Pitt in last year’s Tourney. The only problem is that he is probably in line for a bigger job than PC.Some may ask: why is Grant a “Goodfella” while Martelli is an “Untouchable”? The reason is that while we’re not brimming with confidence that Grant would want to come to PC, the simple fact is that he’s looking to move up from VCU, while Martelli is unlikely to leave St. Joe’s. We’ll have plenty more on Grant in the coming days, so be sure to check back.
Jim Christian
Head Coach, Kent State
Profile
If you put a bunch of factors into a computer (young coach, good recruiter, emphasis on defense, success at mid-major, familiarity with the Northeast) and asked it to spit out the perfect choice, it would likely come up with: Anthony Grant. Oh, but Jim Christian would probably be second on that list, because he’s got all of the above factors. He’s in his mid-40’s; he’s led Kent State to six 20-win seasons in six years, including two NCAA Tournament appearances; his squad is the best in the MAC defensively; and he’s a Long Island boy who played at BU and URI.Some may be scared off by the performance (or lack thereof) of his Golden Flashes in the first half of their NCAA Tourney loss to UNLV. We’ll just point to the obvious fact that one game does not make a coach — if it did, then our very own Tim Welsh would be a coaching genius.
Brad Brownell
Head Coach, Wright State
Profile
We’re not sure if Brownell is even on Bob Driscoll’s radar, but he most certainly should be. Before Anthony Grant and Jim Larranaga were all the rage in the Colonial Athletic Association, Brownell was a two-time CAA Coach of the Year at UNC-Wilmington in just four seasons at the helm. In two years at Wright State, he’s led the Raiders to two 20-win seasons and one NCAA Tournament (last year) — and he’s done it with a serious emphasis on defense.Did we mention that he’s still only 39? He fits Driscoll’s description of someone who has had success as a head coach, but he’s young enough to give the program a shot in the arm. The only drawback is that he’s a Midwest guy, but that’s nothing a carefully-chosen assistant or two can’t overcome.
Brian Gregory
Head Coach, Dayton
Profile
Another Midwest guy, but he fits the mold that PC is looking for: a young mid-major coach who teaches good defense, and has had success early in his head coaching career. Dayton knocked off Pitt and Louisville — at Freedom Hall, no less — early in the year, but an injury to the Flyers’ second-leading scorer had them struggle in A-10 play and just miss out on the NCAA Tournament.The questions about Gregory are the same as those about Brownell: can a Midwest guy make the transition to the Northeast? It’s certainly a valid question, but we’d much rather hire Gregory than someone with Northeast roots who hasn’t proven anything (like Kevin Willard, for instance).
Jim Larranaga
Head Coach, George Mason
Profile
He’s a great guy and a great representative of PC, and he’s obviously done a fantastic job at George Mason. Larranaga would be perfect in a lot of ways: he’s a PC alum, he’s had serious success at the mid-major level, and he’s gotten there with good defensive squads. In other words, everything makes him the perfect candidate… except his age (he’s 58).We’d certainly be happy if Larranaga were to take the reins at PC, but because of the age factor, he’s not our first choice. There’s also the problem of whether he’d actually want to leave George Mason: at his age, with what he has accomplished there (4 NCAA Tournaments in 11 years), and with his family settled there, Larranaga could choose to forego the chance to coach his alma mater. With GMU out of the Tourney after a disappointing loss to Notre Dame, Larranaga’s fair game to pursue at this point, so stay tuned.
Bob McKillop
Head Coach, Davidson
Profile
Coming off this past weekend, McKillop’s name is as hot as it’s ever been, but he was a legitimate target for PC well before Stephen Curry poured in 70 points in upset over Gonzaga and Georgetown. And while Curry is a phenomenal player, chalking Davidson’s success solely up to him is a disservice to McKillop, a Long Island native (grew up in Queens before attending Chaminade and then Hofstra), who has taken a SoCon school (lower than a mid-major) and elevated them to be competitive with the big boys — no, we’re not talking about the NCAA Tournament success. Try scheduling (a difficult enough task at a school like Davidson) and hanging with UNC, UCLA and Duke (three losses by a combined 22 points) this season.People say PC plays second fiddle for recruits in the northeast corridor, well Davidson would love to sport that title in basketball-saturated North Carolina. With that distinct disadvantage, McKillop has still built a remarkably deep team for such a small conference. Yes, a player of Curry’s offensive talent makes an enormous difference, but McKillop also does a great job coaching defense. Watch the Wildcat guards this week — they aren’t physically up to snuff with their opponents, but they contest everything. Under McKillop, Davidson tips more lazy inbound and cross-court passes than any team we can remember, which leads to easy hoops.
McKillop will be 58 this summer, and after coaching at Davidson since 1989 there will be questions about how he can recruit at the Big East level in a different talent pool. But, the guy is a heck of a coach, who identifies talent and coaches them into smart players — both musts in Providence’s next coach — and that’s why he would make a good hire.
Ron Everhart
Head Coach, Duquesne
Profile
After a pretty successful five-year stretch at Northeastern, Everhart took a Duquesne team that went 3-24 in 2005-06 and guided them to a 17-12 finish this year. Under Everhart, the Dukes have played an up-tempo style that teams have had difficulty dealing with — 10 players averaged 11 minutes or more per game, and the Dukes finished second only to Xavier in the A-10 in scoring differential at +8.2.We’ve been stressing defense, defense, defense in our PC coaching search posts — the reason, of course, is that PC will rarely if ever be more individually talented than its rivals, and it needs a system that levels the playing field to some degree. Perhaps the easiest way to do this is through stingy defense, but as John Beilein showed at West Virginia, that isn’t the only way. Everhart doesn’t fit the defense-first description of many of the other coaches on this list, but his frenetic, full-court style is another system that gives opponents fits, and that’s why he intrigues us.
Fran McCaffrey
Head Coach, Siena
Profile
Somewhat like Everhart in that he wins more on the offensive end than on the defensive end, with the added bonus that his teams rarely turn the ball over. A former Notre Dame assistant, McCaffrey recruited both Pat Garrity and Troy Murphy to South Bend. This skill as a recruiter is evident in the turnaround he engineered at Siena: a Saints squad that went 6-24 in 2004-05 (the year before McCaffrey took over) just knocked off 4th seeded Vanderbilt in the NCAA Tourney over the weekend thanks to double digit outputs from three sophomores, all McCaffrey recruits.A Philly native, McCaffrey is certainly familiar with the Northeast in general and the Big East in particular. The only red flags for McCaffrey: his teams are typically not great defensively and get killed on the glass, and he posted only a 90-87 record in six years at UNC-Greensboro.
Matt Doherty
Head Coach, SMU
Profile
If ever there were a situation for which “playing with fire” was a great analogy, this is it. Doherty is an ace recruiter, has Northeast roots (he’s a Long Island guy), and would help re-energize a stagnant program. On the other hand, he flamed out horribly at UNC and hasn’t bowled anyone over in his time at Florida Atlantic (15-13 in one year) or SMU (14-17 last year, 10-19 this year). Then again, he did convince former PC superstar Jeff Parmer to transfer to Florida Atlantic, so he certainly has an eye for top-shelf talent.
Villanova's Wright brings substance with the flash
Pete Prisco wrote an article on Villanova head coach Jay Wright and what he brings to a program: great coaching and expensive suits; some would argue Tim Welsh only brought expensive suits to PC.
(Hat tip: I Bleed Blue and White)
(Hat tip: I Bleed Blue and White)
Three on one
The referees may have caused Georgetown's upset yesterday by making Hoyas center Roy Hibbert useless.
The Hoyas did not lose to Davidson because of the officiating. The frustrating blown lead was not the referees’ fault. But it was the refs’ fault that Roy Hibbert was not allowed to participate. Hibbert was abused by the refs; there is no other way to put it. Roy’s teammates should have managed without him, as they had done a number of times during the season, but a fairly officiated game would have sent the Hoyas to their third straight Sweet Sixteen. It’s not an excuse. It’s a fact.
I am 5′8″ tall. Yesterday I could have single-handedly shut down Roy Hibbert. Here’s how: I would have stood near him playing post defense, and every time he extended his arm for the ball I would let his elbow make contact with me. Then I would fall down. Then Hibbert would be called for an offensive foul. That’s exactly what happened against Davidson. Smaller defenders, with no chance of stopping Hibbert, were rewarded by the astoundingly poor judgment of the officials.
Monday morning NCAA tournament links
Sunday, March 23, 2008
Clark, Louisville roll past Oklahoma, into Sweet 16
The Cardinals simply crushed the Sooners today.
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- Rick Pitino and Louisville pressed on.
Earl Clark scored 14 points and the Cardinals played to near-perfection on both ends, romping past Oklahoma 78-48 Sunday in the second round of the East Regional.
Fantastically fantastic Duke highlights
If you hate Duke University, and love Big East basketball at the same time, check out the Mountaineers vs. Blue Devils' highlights on West by God Virginia.
Curry, Davidson stage remarkable comeback, stun Georgetown 74-70
Davidson probably busted a few brackets today, upsetting the Hoyas 74-70.
Easter morning NIT links
Easter morning NCAA/Big East links
Hoyas are charged with putting out Curry's fire
Davidson set for tall task
Cards meet Slowpoklahoma
OU's reputation would get jolt from upset of Louisville
Washington St. shuts down Harangody, Notre Dame
Marquette's season ends in Anaheim
Villanova's big men play key role
McCaffery built Siena into tourney shocker
Michigan State sends Pitt packing
Sweet 16 for the Mountaineers
Xavier refuses to repeat past
Davidson set for tall task
Cards meet Slowpoklahoma
OU's reputation would get jolt from upset of Louisville
Washington St. shuts down Harangody, Notre Dame
Marquette's season ends in Anaheim
Villanova's big men play key role
McCaffery built Siena into tourney shocker
Michigan State sends Pitt packing
Sweet 16 for the Mountaineers
Xavier refuses to repeat past
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
PC coaching search, part two: Odd Men Out
Them's Good Eaton's part two of a three part series that examines who should win Tim Welsh's vacancy at Providence College. Today: candidates who should not get the job.
Jim O’Brien
Former Head Coach, Ohio State
Profile
A very popular candidate among fans for his success at Boston College (NCAA tournament teams three of his last four years) and The Ohio State (four consecutive trips to the Dance, and a Final Four appearance in ‘99). He’s a regional guy — grew up in Brooklyn — who has proven he can recruit at the high-major level and win in New England.He’s also left a black stain on every program he touches. Boston College? Lawsuit. Ohio State? Sanctions, scandal (academic fraud and paying recruits) and a lawsuit. (It should be noted that his lawsuit against BC was resolved out of court.) While we understand that college athletics at this level are never pristine, and cheating does occur, O’Brien is right up there with Kelvin Sampson in terms of tactics. At Ohio State, violations like these can be overcome. At PC, actions like O’Brien’s threaten to send us to the A-10. Do not pass go. Do not collect $200. We have no problem with the idea of playing with some fire in hiring a coach, but handing the keys to O’Brien is like throwing ourselves directly into the incinerator.
Jimmy Patsos
Head Coach, Loyola (Md.)
Profile
The coach of “Providence College at Baltimore.” Lord knows he’s coached enough former Friars in his time at Loyola (Md.) so he should have a realistic handle on the intricacies of the job in Little Rhodie’s capitol. But can he build a program? We say no.His stint at Loyola has been fueled by accepting transfers from high-majors (i.e. Providence and Maryland) and troubled recruits that scared off other suitors because of off-the-court concerns (Brian Rudolph, anyone?) or academic shortcomings. You can’t build a Big East program on transfers. You can’t slide those kind of recruits in at PC. Patsos has never proven he can build a program the way he would have to at Providence. Thumbs down.
Karl Hobbs
Head Coach, George Washington
Profile
No way. This guy’s antics on the sideline are only topped by Bobby Gonzalez’s, which turns us off from the start. Supporters of Hobbs cite his success in guiding George Washington to three-straight NCAA Tournament appearances and a 27-3 record in 2005-’06. But, like Patsos, an examination of how he built the program yields some alarming results.Under Hobbs’ watch, GW recruited key players from “diploma mills,” or schools that were shams academically and little-more than half-way houses to qualify athletes for college. Just like Patsos’ techniques, that won’t fly at PC. Can Hobbs win when he has to worry about recruiting potential academic casualties? We don’t know yet, and we’d rather not see Providence serve as his guinea pig.
Travis Ford
Head Coach, UMass
Profile
Not only does Ford have Northeast ties (he’s in his second year as head coach at UMass) to go along with a former career at Kentucky under Rick Pitino, he would give PC a coach that starred in the Academy Award winning picture “The Sixth Man,” with the Wayans brothers. I’m not kidding (except for the Academy Award part).On the surface, Ford is a terrific candidate. But, digging deeper than his budding thespian career and time in Amherst, we don’t see Ford as a viable option, largely because he’ll always be one good season away from leaving Smith Hill.
You see, Ford is from Kentucky. His entire coaching career prior to landing at UMass was in Kentucky. He’s a southern boy, and he’s looking for his shot to land a plum SEC job. Should he not land one of several SEC gigs likely to open this offseason, the only reason he would take over the Friars would be to improve his resume in hopes of better positioning himself for the next wave of openings in the South. PC’s veteran squad would appeal to him as a one-and-done layover on his way back to Dixie.
Kevin Willard
Head Coach, Iona
Profile
PC hiring a young, up-and-coming coach from Iona, who’s father was a coach, and who previously served as an assistant to a Hall of Fame Big East coach. Sound familiar? Actually, our case against Willard has nothing to do with his similar career path to Tim Welsh. If we are comparing Willard’s resume with Welsh’s from a decade ago, there’s really no contest — Welsh had accomplished far more. And that’s our biggest beef with Willard. What has he ever done to warrant the head coach’s seat at the Dunk? Answer: nothing.Craig Robinson
Head Coach, Brown
Profile
Robinson has impressed us in his short time at Brown — last year’s victory over PC still makes us shudder — so let’s be clear, his appearance on this list is not meant to be an indictment. He is an intelligent, well-spoken man who has impressed us in our few personal dealings with him. Plus, his brother-in-law may well be our next President. How’s that for a recruiting pitch? However, he just doesn’t have enough of a background to warrant the position. His coaching experience consists of six years as an assistant at Northwestern, and two years as the head man at Brown. That’s too big a jump for our liking.Tom Moore
Head Coach, Quinnipiac
Profile
See Robinson, Craig. Except for the brother-in-law thing. We like Moore ahead of Robinson because he cut his teeth in the Big East as an assistant to Jim Calhoun at UConn. He became an ace recruiter in his last few years in Storrs, and fits the mold of what we want in PC’s next coach. But, he’s only been at the helm of his own program for one year, and that was at Quinnipiac. Like Robinson, we’d like someone with more time running a program. Also rumored to be Calhoun’s eventual successor.Tom Pecora
Head Coach, Hofstra
Profile
In the spirit of Survivor, Pecora has spent his entire career on the Island. Long Island. And we’d rather not vote him off, at least not to ship him to Providence. He was one of the hot names swirling around as a replacement had Welsh been dismissed after last season, but the bloom has fallen off Pecora’s rose a bit. To us, Pecora has reached his ceiling — a very good coach in a smaller conference. He wouldn’t cut it at PC though.Matt Brady
Head Coach, Marist
Profile
It’s not that Brady would be a terrible hire. It’s that there are too many more appealing options. Throw in that Brady is more of an offensive coach, and that PC desperately needs a coach that will preach and teach defense first, and this isn’t a good match.
Ranking the Big East chances in the dance
Storming the Floor examines how far each Big East team can go in the NCAA tournament.
(Hat tip: With Leather, Saint Andrew's Net)
(Hat tip: With Leather, Saint Andrew's Net)
Same old story: URI falters in final ticks
I know the Rams are rivals, but any division one Rhode Island team in any post season tournament receives a cheering from me. So, I turned this game off in the middle of the second half so I could go to bed, figuring URI had the game in the bag; I guessed wrong.
Because it put a capper to the season, the one that took place last night might have been the most painful of all. Cavel Witter, who had been 0 for 7 from the floor for the game, hit a 3-point shot from the left wing with three seconds left, giving Creighton a 74-73 victory over Rhode Island in an NIT opening round game at the Qwest Center.
The shot gave the Bluejays their second lead of the night. The other one had been at 3-0. Rhode Island controlled play much of the way, led by as many as 17 and was still up by 12 (70-58) with 3:08 left.
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
CBI, round one
Tillman scores 21 as Ohio beats Brown 80-74 in invitational:
ATHENS, Ohio (AP) Jerome Tillman scored 21 points and grabbed 11 rebounds as Ohio overcame a 39-point performance from Damon Huffman to defeat Brown 80-74 Tuesday night in the first round of the College Basketball Invitational.
Leon Williams had 20 points and 12 rebounds for the Bobcats (20-12, 9-7 Mid-American), and Bubba Walther finished with 10 points and 12 assists.Huffman had nine of Brown's 16 3-point field goals. He scored the first 14 points for the Bears (19-10, 11-3 Ivy), and had 22 points by halftime, with Brown building a lead as great as 10 in the first half. They led by five at the halftime buzzer.
Mark McAndrew scored 15 points and Peter Sullivan had 10 for Brown.
Ohio overcame a dismal 8-of-28 performance from 3-point range and outrebounded the Bears 35 to 24.
Big East Cast
Listen to Brendon Desrochers and Dante Carnevale discuss the Tim Welsh firing on the Tuesday, March 18, episode of the Big East Cast.
PC coaching search, part one: The Untouchables
In part one of a three part series, Them's Good Eaton lists the coaches who will not roam the sidelines at the Dunkin' Donuts Center; at least not on the home bench.
Billy Donovan
Head Coach, Florida
Profile
PC’s favorite son, the sharpshooting guard on the 1987 Final Four team. He’d certainly be the perfect coach for Providence: he’s young, a great recruiter, and — oh yeah — he’s won two National Titles. But he turned down the Orlando Magic last summer to re-up at Florida for something like 148 years at $37 million per. And did we mention that Florida is about a million times better of a job than PC? PC’s best hope of hiring Billy the Kid is to wait 20 years and then hope he’d fancy a swan song at his alma mater — you know, out of nostalgia’s sake. Good things come to those that wait, right? Right? [I begin to twitch nervously].Jeff van Gundy
Lead NBA Analyst, ESPN
Profile
Assistant coach to Pitino at PC for the 1986-87 and 1987-88 seasons before moving on to bigger and better things (i.e. wrapping himself around Alonzo Mourning’s leg). A very good NBA coach and a defensive whiz, van Gundy has absolutely no incentive to leave his cushy job as ESPN analyst for the rough-and-tumble life of Big East basketball. And anyway, he’s on top of his profession right now — Bill Simmons recently dubbed him “the single best (analyst) for any sport, college or pro” — so it stands to reason that he’d have absolutely nothing to gain by wading into college hoops. Driscoll could always place a call (it doesn’t hurt, obviously) but he’d be wise not to hold his breath.Sean Miller
Head Coach, Xavier
Profile
Yes, Xavier is an A-10 team, and yes, the Big East is better than the A-10. But Xavier has become the Gonzaga of the A-10 in recent years; the Musketeers are a fixture in March at this point (having made it 7 out of the last 8 years), and the team was recently ranked No. 20 by Forbes on the list of most valuable college basketball programs. In other words… it’s a better job than PC. Let that sink in for a second, and then consider this: Sean Miller is in line for a much better job than Providence (like, say, Indiana). So forget about him.Mike Montgomery
Assistant to the Athletic Director, Stanford
Profile
Montgomery’s mediocre turn as Head Coach of the Golden State Warriors certainly shouldn’t overshadow the tremendous success he had while at the helm of the Stanford program. In 18 years, Montgomery compiled a 393-167 record (a stellar .702 winning percentage), made 10 straight NCAA Tournaments from 1995-2004, and recruited seven future first round picks. He only works part-time for Stanford now in a role that amounts to advisor, but facts are facts: he’s 61 years old, he’s done everything at the NCAA level except win a title, and he’s a West Coast guy. Even if he had a hankering to get back into coaching, Providence would hold absolutely no appeal for him.Phil Martelli
Head Coach, St. Joe’s
Profile
We don’t mean to cause an A-10 inferiority complex here, but Martelli is a special case. He was born in Philly, played college basketball in Philly (at Widener), and has coached in Philly his entire adult life. He’s had chances to leave before, most notably in 2003 when he was courted by Penn State amongst other schools; instead, he signed a lengthy extension (he’s currently inked through the 2011-12 season). In other words, we don’t ever see him leaving. He’s the John Chaney of St. Joe’s, except instead of being black and angry, he’s Italian and goofy. He’s shown that he’s a great recruiter — Jameer Nelson and Delonte West spring to mind — and would certainly be a fantastic hire for PC, but it’ll never happen.
PC fired ethical coach
Terry Nau of the Pawtucket Times believes Tim Welsh was fired because PC is lowering its "standards."
The irony behind Tim Welsh’s dismissal as Providence College basketball coach is the school fired just the type of person it strives to produce on campus – someone with dignity, humility and a respect for his fellow man.
Welsh didn’t really fail at his job over the past 10 years. Even his last team played hard until the final seconds of the farewell game had elapsed. I’ve seen coaches who deserved to be fired because their players quit on them halfway through the season. That didn’t happen with Welsh.
Maybe it was just time for a change, after 10 years on the job. That’s a lifetime in big-time college sports, where coaches come and go, taking bigger jobs at the first opportunity. Welsh turned down a few offers, the first time in two decades that a PC coach had shown any desire to stick around.
Here’s the dirty truth about this business: PC’s administration didn’t want to fire Welsh one year before his contract ran out. The alumni who support the athletic program with cash donations every year wanted him gone.
And when a coach loses the support of influential alumni, that’s far worse than having players tuning him out.
The only way PC gets better is to hire a bright young coach who can win a few recruiting battles for blue-chip players. And maybe the school has to look the other way when it comes to admission standards for certain prospective student-athletes. That’s the unfortunate truth about winning in highly competitive college sports like football and basketball. Just bend the rules a little bit. All the Top 10 schools do it. The alumni love it, too.
Of course, then PC could be accused of lowering its standards. After firing a decent human being as coach, though, one would suggest that has already happened.
Monday, March 17, 2008
Looking ahead
After coach Tim Welsh's firing, the men's basketball team wonders what the future has in store for them.
N.J. forward Dixon plans to join Friars
PC's only 2008-09 recruit, Bilal Dixon, still plans on being a Friar even though the man who recruited him was fired a few days ago.
Bilal Dixon, Providence College’s only recruit for the 2008-09 season, said yesterday he still intends to enroll at PC despite the firing of coach Tim Welsh. Dixon, a 6-foot-8 forward at Queen of Peace High School in Arlington, N.J., is expected to add some strength and size to the Friars’ frontcourt.
“My reaction is, I was shocked,” Dixon said of PC’s decision, “but I’m still going to go there. I like the school and the players. It’s a good spot for me.”
Sunday, March 16, 2008
Post season appearance for two Ocean State college basketball programs
The Rhode Island Rams accepted a bid to play in the NIT, while Brown University will play in the newly created CBI.
Sunday morning tournament links
What a Knight for Pitt
Young earns MVP as Panthers capture second Big East tournament title
Big East runs give Pitt, WVU a bump
Hoyas rejected by Pitt in final
Calhoun remains a fighter through turbulent season
Where does ND fit in the dance?
Villanova must wait for NCAA invite
Mountaineers await NCAA tournament destination
Young earns MVP as Panthers capture second Big East tournament title
Big East runs give Pitt, WVU a bump
Hoyas rejected by Pitt in final
Calhoun remains a fighter through turbulent season
Where does ND fit in the dance?
Villanova must wait for NCAA invite
Mountaineers await NCAA tournament destination