Welcome Coach Tony Skinn!

[gmujim92]

I highly doubt Maryland, a perennial top 25 team would hire a coach without NCAA Tourney experience.

Let it go guys. Especially if Willard departs in a nasty divorce. They would have a better chance of hiring Duane Simpkins.

Simp is an alum and still very much a beloved member of the Maryland community. AU to the Big Ten is a huge jump but I think he’d be a legit candidate.

 

[mkaufman1]

Simp is an alum and still very much a beloved member of the Maryland community. AU to the Big Ten is a huge jump but I think he’d be a legit candidate.

Sorry Jim, respectfully disagree. If Maryland is hiring or really considering Simpkins something went terribly wrong. Simpkins is probably going to need to prove himself at a higher level than the Patriot League before he gets consideration for the Maryland job. That is a huge jump.

Maybe if the new guy wants to bring him as a lead assistant at more than what AU can pay him, sure. But Maryland is going to be in the 4m range to pay a coach, and most likely bring in someone who already is at a power program.

 

[Pablo]

Tony Skinn (’06) Earns Contract Extension Through 2029-30 - George Mason University Athletics

George Mason University Assistant Vice President/Director of Athletics Marvin Lewis has announced a contract extension for men's basketball head coach Tony Skinn

gomason.com

 

[GMU79]

At this point, it almost seems like you're rooting for Tony to take the job.......let it go my man.

He does have it in a vise grip.

 

[Jack Strop]

Can we bring back the football thread to replace this one? LOL. Tony stays.

NOOOOOOOO!
I'd rather talk about Cricket.

 

[mkaufman1]

Can we bring back the football thread to replace this one? LOL. Tony stays.

Can we at least make it to April without talking about Mason Football haha

 

[Old Man]

NOOOOOOOO!
I'd rather talk about Cricket.

I'm good either way!

I watched Australia v. New Zealand in a T20I clash the other night and it was great. NZ only averaged about 9.5ish runs per over (173/9 - think that's right) and the Aussies (243/5) demolished NZ's score way before the 20th over during their innings.

Football anyone?

 

[Falco]

At this point, it almost seems like you're rooting for Tony to take the job.......let it go my man.

Let it go guys. Especially if Willard departs in a nasty divorce. They would have a better chance of hiring Duane Simpkins.

I definitely don’t want it to happen, but I find it weird that people are saying to “let it go” when it’s still a very real possibility. John Rothstein on the Junkies, Sage Curry Hicks, and plenty of other insiders have pointed to Skinn as an option.

Im just bracing myself because, at this point in the offseason, the coaching pool is pretty dried up. Ignoring it doesn’t make it less likely.

 

[gmujim92]

Sorry Jim, respectfully disagree. If Maryland is hiring or really considering Simpkins something went terribly wrong. Simpkins is probably going to need to prove himself at a higher level than the Patriot League before he gets consideration for the Maryland job. That is a huge jump.

Maybe if the new guy wants to bring him as a lead assistant at more than what AU can pay him, sure. But Maryland is going to be in the 4m range to pay a coach, and most likely bring in someone who already is at a power program.

You’re absolutely right

 

[mkaufman1]

You’re absolutely right

All good - I tip my hat to @Petey Buckets who basically said this a few years ago to me and it stuck with me. Maryland is just too much of a powerhouse with resources and ability to spend on a coach. Supposedly the guy they have is Buzz Williams.

 

[Where's the party?]

So happy that Tony extended at Mason. Was actually considering dropping my season tix and finding another winter hobby if Mason couldn't manage to keep an alumnus coach. Dealing with a completely new team every year is bad enough, but a new coaching staff every two years, especially in this new ridiculous NIL/Portal environment, was going to put me over the edge.

Thank you Mason for finally getting something right.

And thank you Tony, for being willing to commit to building something here.

I'm in

 

[TheStringer]

All good - I tip my hat to @Petey Buckets who basically said this a few years ago to me and it stuck with me. Maryland is just too much of a powerhouse with resources and ability to spend on a coach. Supposedly the guy they have is Buzz Williams.

Buzz would be an awful hire for them. With allll the money and resources at A&M he still can’t win anything of consequence

 

[GMUgemini]

I definitely don’t want it to happen, but I find it weird that people are saying to “let it go” when it’s still a very real possibility. John Rothstein on the Junkies, Sage Curry Hicks, and plenty of other insiders have pointed to Skinn as an option.

Im just bracing myself because, at this point in the offseason, the coaching pool is pretty dried up. Ignoring it doesn’t make it less likely.

If it does happen (knock on wood it doesn’t). I’d think you’d try to retain one of the assistants so they don’t follow him to UMD (Curran being option 1). You could also interview Mike Ekanem who left here to go to Oklahoma State (granted he’s not from this area).

My hope is Tony Skinn is serious about his project to turn Mason into a basketball school (for which he claims it already is). And isn’t going to leave until that project is well on its way. If he continues to succeed here there will be other jobs that come calling (hell, UMD could be open again in the next 5 years).

If he’s making 1.8 million, why leave before we are on solid ground?

 

[illayin]

is anyone concerned about the timing? kevin willard leaves and CTS accepts the extension offer (which i heard was on the table for weeks) within hours of each other... could he be using it for leverage and/or doing us a favor with the buyout? maybe i'm being paranoid

 

[GMU79]

is anyone concerned about the timing? kevin willard leaves and CTS accepts the extension offer (which i heard was on the table for weeks) within hours of each other... could he be using it for leverage and/or doing us a favor with the buyout? maybe i'm being paranoid

I think you're paranoid. But yeah, we have been burned before, and we are Mason, so, yeah...

 

[tblack33]

I never thought we’d pony up that much for a coach. I was guessing we’d get over a mil, but doubling his salary is a serious investment in the program and should show how serious the AD and university is in building a premier program. If this doesn’t show that we are all in I don’t know what will.

 

[Jack Strop]

If I were Villanova I would not take Kevin Willard. He now has a history and a proclivity to throw his employer under the bus in public. I don't think any school would want to deal with such a PR risk. In my opinion, he's screwed himself royally and he now might not get any job for which that he's qualified. Willard may very well need to lay low for a while as a European coach, re-emerge at a low level, and work his way back up—a la Rick Pitino. 0K, maybe a bit extreme, but I think it gets my point across. Kevin Willard may now be toxic.

 

[Verdad]

If I were Villanova I would not take Kevin Willard. He now has a history and a proclivity to throw his employer under the bus in public. I don't think any school would want to deal with such a PR risk. In my opinion, he's screwed himself royally and he now might not get any job for which that he's qualified. Willard may very well need to lay low for a while as a European coach, re-emerge at a low level, and work his way back up—a la Rick Pitino. 0K, maybe a bit extreme, but I think it gets my point across. Kevin Willard may now be toxic.

I see what you are doing there - if Willard isn’t hired by Nova, he stays ar UMD and UMD doesn’t poach Tony. Nicely done

 

[GMU1983]

TWERPS go down!

 

[patriot2000]

Buzz to Maryland. Hope that means Skinn is with us for some time!