Coaching Carousel 2023

[gmujim92]

Would Tony be the 1st Coach L player as a DIV I head coach?

Mike Huger played for L at Bowling Green

 

[Patriot Lawdog]

Ewing had exactly ZERO experience as a college coach when Georgetown hired him. Tony has many years of relevant college experience and is much younger and in tune with todays kids/players...Not to mention his local connections with schools and top AAU programs. Ewing and CTS are not comparable IMO.

Oh, and the cherry on top that he played extensively overseas and knows that landscape as well.

 

[GMUgemini]

Off the top of my head look at UNC, Syracuse and Duke, all with former players as either head coach or associate head coach. It goes a long way in program building to bring in someone who knows the culture, can build on it, and actually cares about the university.

The up side of Tony succeeding here is higher than the upside of a random outside hire succeeding here. Thinking Coach L involvement, HOF creation...etc.

Shaheen Holloway played for Seton Hall. Granted he already took a smaller school to an Elite Eight before taking over his Alma mater.

Also forgot to mention Penny Hardaway at Memphis.

 

[Expat Hoops]

Oh, and the cherry on top that he played extensively overseas and knows that landscape as well.

The overseas game can often be pretty tactical, and the styles can vary a lot more than the NBA game too. So the fact Tony was a point guard having to play differing styles year after year, is a positive.

 

[JimP]

Sounds like Skinn can recruit, which is huge. Playing at a high level and teaching basketball are two entirely different things though. I hope GMU is also considering those with head coaching experience too.

 

[psyclone]

Would Tony be the 1st Coach L player as a DIV I head coach?

Michael Huger played for Coach L at Bowling Green and was a head coach at BG for the last 8 yrs (.502 record) until a couple of weeks ago. Not sure about Mason players becoming a head coach.

 

[GMU1983]

No

 

[psyclone]

Update on ESPN's Coaching Carousel:

As for Penn State, vcu's Mike Rhoades has emerged as one of the front-runners. The two sides met over the weekend, according to sources. Rhoades was mentioned as a candidate last week, given his Pennsylvania roots and three NCAA tournaments in the past five years.

• Ryan Odom is starting to garner buzz again. The Utah State head coach is rumored to be interested in moving back East, and he's emerged as a candidate at South Florida. Meanwhile, keep an eye on Odom for vcu if Rhoades opts to leave for Penn State. Another name to watch for vcu would be UNC Asheville's Mike Morrell, who spent four seasons with the Rams on Shaka Smart's staff.
  
  
• Buffalo appeared to be zeroing in on its top targets, but sources have indicated they're now widening their net a bit.
• The name gathering steam at George Mason since the job opened has been Tony Skinn, who was a starter on the Patriots' Final Four team in 2006 and is currently on Kevin Willard's staff at Maryland.

Coaching carousel: Where do all the moves leave us at the end of March?

As spots open up across the sport, who's going where, what's left and more. We have you covered with all the rumors, news and breakdowns.

www.espn.com

 

[Walter]

Is Odom an upgrade over Rhoades? While it is close, I give Odom a slight edge.

 

[Herndon]

Ewing had exactly ZERO experience as a college coach when Georgetown hired him. Tony has many years of relevant college experience and is much younger and in tune with todays kids/players...Not to mention his local connections with schools and top AAU programs. Ewing and CTS are not comparable IMO.

*sigh* ok, then:

Also close to home, Michael Huger, who played for L at Bowling Green, and was a star there, played internationally, then coached college under L for years before getting the gig at his alma mater, and proceeding to coach .500 ball for years and years before getting fired a couple of weeks ago.

Michael Huger out at BGSU after eight seasons

The former Falcons star point guard is out as head coach after an up-and-down tenure at BGSU.

www.hustlebelt.com

Is that an apt enough comparison for you guys?

Maybe him being 44 when he was hired is HUGELY different than Skinn being 40 today, but I don't buy it.

So, I'll ask again, not that there's anything WRONG with Skinn, but are we REALLY sure he's the best candidate there is, to be trying to organize an influence campaign with the president of the university?

Feels pretty "small picture" to me.

 

[Pikapppatri8]

*sigh* ok, then:

Also close to home, Michael Huger, who played for L at Bowling Green, and was a star there, played internationally, then coached college under L for years before getting the gig at his alma mater, and proceeding to coach .500 ball for years and years before getting fired a couple of weeks ago.

Michael Huger out at BGSU after eight seasons

The former Falcons star point guard is out as head coach after an up-and-down tenure at BGSU.

www.hustlebelt.com

Is that an apt enough comparison for you guys?

Maybe him being 44 when he was hired is HUGELY different than Skinn being 40 today, but I don't buy it.

So, I'll ask again, not that there's anything WRONG with Skinn, but are we REALLY sure he's the best candidate there is, to be trying to organize an influence campaign with the president of the university?

Feels pretty "small picture" to me.

Your point is not without merit - my follow-up would be who else should we consider that wouldn't be warmed over dog food.

 

[gmujim92]

*sigh* ok, then:

Also close to home, Michael Huger, who played for L at Bowling Green, and was a star there, played internationally, then coached college under L for years before getting the gig at his alma mater, and proceeding to coach .500 ball for years and years before getting fired a couple of weeks ago.

Michael Huger out at BGSU after eight seasons

The former Falcons star point guard is out as head coach after an up-and-down tenure at BGSU.

www.hustlebelt.com

Is that an apt enough comparison for you guys?

Maybe him being 44 when he was hired is HUGELY different than Skinn being 40 today, but I don't buy it.

So, I'll ask again, not that there's anything WRONG with Skinn, but are we REALLY sure he's the best candidate there is, to be trying to organize an influence campaign with the president of the university?

Feels pretty "small picture" to me.

So who do you think Mason should be interviewing?

 

[GMUSSTN]

I get the apprehension but Tony should still be a candidate regardless of his alumni status...he's been a key assistant for winning programs for a few years now, recruits well in the DMV. Literally any coaching hire can bust. His alumni status SHOULD be an asset. What the hell do we have to lose at this point anyway?

 

[GMU79]

*sigh* ok, then:

Also close to home, Michael Huger, who played for L at Bowling Green, and was a star there, played internationally, then coached college under L for years before getting the gig at his alma mater, and proceeding to coach .500 ball for years and years before getting fired a couple of weeks ago.

Michael Huger out at BGSU after eight seasons

The former Falcons star point guard is out as head coach after an up-and-down tenure at BGSU.

www.hustlebelt.com

Is that an apt enough comparison for you guys?

Maybe him being 44 when he was hired is HUGELY different than Skinn being 40 today, but I don't buy it.

So, I'll ask again, not that there's anything WRONG with Skinn, but are we REALLY sure he's the best candidate there is, to be trying to organize an influence campaign with the president of the university?

Feels pretty "small picture" to me.

My questions exactly. Regardless of the illustration, it's a valid point.
But as others have said, at this point he's probably our best option.

 

[p8triotfan4life]

I think the sentiment is that Tony should be the hire. what if that falls through? Good post about the Longwood coach above.

I was thinking there is a chance Mason will do another outside the box hire.

I am pretty sure that former NBA player Mike Miller was a finalist the previous time we had an opening as well as Irvines Coach the previous time.

I would love for us to land Charlestons Coach Kelsey, but we cant beat the offer he just got to stay there. What about Towsons Pat Skerry, Vermonts John Becker or Northeasterns Bill Coen? All 4 of them are program builders. Thoughts?

 

[Mason32]

What about Towsons Pat Skerry, Vermonts John Becker or Northeasterns Bill Coen? All 4 of them are program builders. Thoughts?

So depressed between this and Bill Rohland tweeting about Bill Courtney hopefully being considered...

 

[gmubrian]

*sigh* ok, then:

Also close to home, Michael Huger, who played for L at Bowling Green, and was a star there, played internationally, then coached college under L for years before getting the gig at his alma mater, and proceeding to coach .500 ball for years and years before getting fired a couple of weeks ago.

Michael Huger out at BGSU after eight seasons

The former Falcons star point guard is out as head coach after an up-and-down tenure at BGSU.

www.hustlebelt.com

Is that an apt enough comparison for you guys?

Maybe him being 44 when he was hired is HUGELY different than Skinn being 40 today, but I don't buy it.

So, I'll ask again, not that there's anything WRONG with Skinn, but are we REALLY sure he's the best candidate there is, to be trying to organize an influence campaign with the president of the university?

Feels pretty "small picture" to me.

None of these mean much in isolation, but, there is:
He comes highly recommended from past and current head coaches where he played and assisted.
His former players speak highly of him.
He is one of the highest paid assistant coaches in the country.
His fans (and possibly school) are campaigning to keep him. Not clear if that is UMD's position as well.

Seems to be enough to warrant serious consideration regardless of where he went to school.

 

[GMUSSTN]

He is one of the highest paid assistant coaches in the country.
His fans (and possibly school) are campaigning to keep him. Not clear if that is UMD's position as well.

Little 4-D chess moment: former George Mason Head Coach Richard Barnes seems to have all the time in the world to call and advocate for CKE to get jobs, seemed happy to see him get out the door and spread his wings. BUT MAYBE he just wanted him off the coaching staff because he seemed too set on getting a HC gig. This is all in comparison to an asst. coach who wants a HC gig but the old staff is fighting to keep.

 

[EXpatriot13]

*sigh* ok, then:

Also close to home, Michael Huger, who played for L at Bowling Green, and was a star there, played internationally, then coached college under L for years before getting the gig at his alma mater, and proceeding to coach .500 ball for years and years before getting fired a couple of weeks ago.

Michael Huger out at BGSU after eight seasons

The former Falcons star point guard is out as head coach after an up-and-down tenure at BGSU.

www.hustlebelt.com

Is that an apt enough comparison for you guys?

Maybe him being 44 when he was hired is HUGELY different than Skinn being 40 today, but I don't buy it.

So, I'll ask again, not that there's anything WRONG with Skinn, but are we REALLY sure he's the best candidate there is, to be trying to organize an influence campaign with the president of the university?

Feels pretty "small picture" to me.

There is risk with every single hire. Is there substantially more risk with Tony than other comparable candidates? I really don’t think so.

A lot of us are acting like Tony has been sitting on his couch since the Final Four.

Odom seems like a pipe dream, but he’s really the only one who I think is on another tier. He’d be taking a massive risk coming to Mason given our recent track record.

 

[EXpatriot13]

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1640479408677961728

View: https://twitter.com/hoopsweiss/status/1640479408677961728?s=46&t=_7MBd7na4F8vkITVHPca_g