Coaching Carousel 2025

GMU79

Hall of Famer
⭐️ Donor ⭐️
GIVING DAY 2023
Here's what I will say: If the worst was to happen and he was to leave, I'll feel much different this time around. Clearly the administration has been proactive in keeping our coach. That's all I can ask. You can't force people to care about a college basketball program or sports team in general.
Yes, money talks. If Tony bails after only 2 years after all the coming home hoopla and joy Mason showered on him, well, I guess money speaks louder than anything else. Sadly.
 

FreeGunston12

All-American
Yes, money talks. If Tony bails after only 2 years after all the coming home hoopla and joy Mason showered on him, well, I guess money speaks louder than anything else. Sadly.
Along these lines, I could already post in the hate thread about hearing these sorts of questions in each post-game interview. “What does it mean to do this here?”, “What does having the fan support mean to you?”, etc.

Can we please retire those questions? You should be allowed to ask them at an introductory press conference and at the end of the year. That’s it.
 

GMU79

Hall of Famer
⭐️ Donor ⭐️
GIVING DAY 2023
Along these lines, I could already post in the hate thread about hearing these sorts of questions in each post-game interview. “What does it mean to do this here?”, “What does having the fan support mean to you?”, etc.

Can we please retire those questions? You should be allowed to ask them at an introductory press conference and at the end of the year. That’s it.
And we all, in this forum, should be allowed to praise when we feel like it, and gripe when we feel like it.
That's what it's for.
 

jessej

All-American
⭐️ Donor ⭐️
GIVING DAY 2023
Pros and cons for Tony taking UMD job:

Pros
It is still local
Double+ his pay (again in ~ two weeks).
That is life changing money and even if you only get paid the typical 5 years of a contract and are let go, maybe, that is all the time a coach wants to spend in this new environment so you can retire on that money.
Better chance at making tournament (at face value right now)

Cons:
Just signed extension and got what he was looking for
Just doubled his pay
Loves Mason and wants to stay in this area
Football at MD
Revenue share has the potential to kill some B10 basketball programs and MD is one of those at risk.
A10 is positioned well under revenue share. The 1 bid league problem has the potential to go away in a year or two (if A10 plays cards right)
Don't make the same mistake that CKE made...
MD doesn't even have an AD right now.

The amount of the money MD could offer could be very enticing even though he is already getting life changing money from Mason with his new extension. I don't see Tony as a getting every dollar he can get kind of person. But, there is the allure of being a P4 coach.

Overall, I would be surprised (and hugely disappointed) if Tony took the UMD job.

Edited to add lack of AD at MD.
other factors

differences in NIL budgets
Size of fanbase
# of season ticket holders
student/game atmosphere
travel distance to home
 

jruby

Starter
From the Athletic:

And the hire is …

Beard, Byington or Williams, if — and that’s a big “if” — Maryland can convince any of them to give up their SEC gigs. All three led their teams to the NCAA Tournament this season and would seemingly ensure there’s no drop-off in College Park. (Byington is probably the most gettable of the three, and his regional ties are a bonus, even if he’s not a “big” name.) But there’s no guarantee any of the three would be willing to leave the SEC — in which case, the Terps could do a lot worse than bringing back former assistant Tony Skinn. Skinn’s star feels like it’s on the rise, and while Maryland might be hiring him a cycle too early, that’s better than the alternative: waiting too long and missing out.
 

TheStringer

Preferred Walk-On
This is one heckuva roller coaster ya'll. From 247

"Perhaps the biggest fan favorite, UConn assistant Luke Murray, has been added to Maryland's list and they have reached out to his agent. He's a high-ceiling, high-risk candidate. A big piece of Dan Hurley's offensive makeover that helped UConn win back-to-back national titles, he's one of the hottest-name assistants in college basketball. The son of comedy legend Bill Murray, he's also a renowned recruiter. We'll see if things get serious here.

If Maryland does choose Murray, don't be surprised to see Bullis (Md.) five-star center Eric Reibe, the No. 3 center in the country, strongly consider a flip. He was recruited there by Murray, has local ties and would have an opportunity to earn all the playing time he can handle with Derik Queen and Julian Reese gone.

I'm told some other new coaches have been added to the list and I'm working on chasing them down.

School president Darryl Pines is overseeing the search and getting assistance from some department members and crew of program supporters. I'm told one powerful program supporter is pushing for David Cox to get the job."
 

GMU79

Hall of Famer
⭐️ Donor ⭐️
GIVING DAY 2023
Well, that sounds like a stable situation to jump into....
Why in the world would Tony want that?
It's not like it will be the only offer he will ever get...assuming he's successful at Mason.

This is one heckuva roller coaster ya'll. From 247

"Perhaps the biggest fan favorite, UConn assistant Luke Murray, has been added to Maryland's list and they have reached out to his agent. He's a high-ceiling, high-risk candidate. A big piece of Dan Hurley's offensive makeover that helped UConn win back-to-back national titles, he's one of the hottest-name assistants in college basketball. The son of comedy legend Bill Murray, he's also a renowned recruiter. We'll see if things get serious here.

If Maryland does choose Murray, don't be surprised to see Bullis (Md.) five-star center Eric Reibe, the No. 3 center in the country, strongly consider a flip. He was recruited there by Murray, has local ties and would have an opportunity to earn all the playing time he can handle with Derik Queen and Julian Reese gone.

I'm told some other new coaches have been added to the list and I'm working on chasing them down.

School president Darryl Pines is overseeing the search and getting assistance from some department members and crew of program supporters. I'm told one powerful program supporter is pushing for David Cox to get the job."
Anybody but Tony!
 

gmujim92

Hall of Famer
GIVING DAY 2023
Along these lines, I could already post in the hate thread about hearing these sorts of questions in each post-game interview. “What does it mean to do this here?”, “What does having the fan support mean to you?”, etc.

Can we please retire those questions? You should be allowed to ask them at an introductory press conference and at the end of the year. That’s it.
I think two things can be true at once: It does mean more for Tony to have success at his alma mater, a place he clearly loves with people who clearly love him, but passing up life-changing money would be irresponsible for a person with a family to think of.

Hopefully Maryland’s institutional chaos prevents them from doing the right thing and they wind up choosing someone else b/c our guy would absolutely kill there.
 

Old Man

Starter
⭐️ Donor ⭐️
GOLD SPONSOR
GIVING DAY 2023
This is one heckuva roller coaster ya'll. From 247

"Perhaps the biggest fan favorite, UConn assistant Luke Murray, has been added to Maryland's list and they have reached out to his agent. He's a high-ceiling, high-risk candidate. A big piece of Dan Hurley's offensive makeover that helped UConn win back-to-back national titles, he's one of the hottest-name assistants in college basketball. The son of comedy legend Bill Murray, he's also a renowned recruiter. We'll see if things get serious here.

If Maryland does choose Murray, don't be surprised to see Bullis (Md.) five-star center Eric Reibe, the No. 3 center in the country, strongly consider a flip. He was recruited there by Murray, has local ties and would have an opportunity to earn all the playing time he can handle with Derik Queen and Julian Reese gone.

I'm told some other new coaches have been added to the list and I'm working on chasing them down.

School president Darryl Pines is overseeing the search and getting assistance from some department members and crew of program supporters. I'm told one powerful program supporter is pushing for David Cox to get the job."

When Luke Murray was an assistant with Towson, his dad, Bill, would be at the games. Following games, he was very accommodating to fans who came up to him.

Here's Luke's dad, Bill, entertaining his fans (from 2012):
Screenshot_2025-03-31-13-18-59-53_ab7988c7b00b15bc78ec5a428c58236f.jpg
 

FreeGunston12

All-American
I think two things can be true at once: It does mean more for Tony to have success at his alma mater, a place he clearly loves with people who clearly love him, but passing up life-changing money would be irresponsible for a person with a family to think of.

Hopefully Maryland’s institutional chaos prevents them from doing the right thing and they wind up choosing someone else b/c our guy would absolutely kill there.
Agree 100%. My complaint has little to do with prospect of Skinn leaving. It’s just an over-asked question with undertones of “we rarely get over 4,000 in attendance” and “we haven’t been relevant in almost 15 years”.
 
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