Ehsan leaving for UAB
Rob Ehsan is leaving his job as an assistant men’s basketball coach at Virginia Tech to become an assistant at Conference USA member Alabama-Birmingham, Tech associate athletic director Tom Gabbard said Monday.
UAB hired Jerood Haase, previously a North Carolina assistant, as its head coach last week. Gabbard said Ehsan and Haase had planned to work together the last time Haase was in the running for a head-coaching job, but Haase did not get the position that time.
This season was Ehsan’s first on coach Seth Greenberg’s staff. He previously had been an assistant at Maryland.
This is the fourth straight year that one of Greenberg’s assistant coaches is leaving to become an assistant at another school.
Jeff Wulbrun, who served as Greenberg’s director of basketball operations this year, is also leaving for UAB. His new job will be a move up to assistant coach. This was also Wulbrun’s first year on the Tech staff.
April 2, 2012 - 8:55 PM
First, how come Tom Gabbard is announcing this, WHERE IS WEAVER ?? If he is not healthy and cannot do his job, he should retire. He has served VT well and needs to step down and let VT get a new AD. Also, what is Greenbergs problem keeping coaches and players ?? Maybe it is time for him to move on.
Mark, while it’s another case of an assistant leaving, it’s also another case of leaving for a lower level school (similar to Odom and UNC Charlotte). Should we be reading more into this, particularly the idea that assistants might be reading the writing on the wall in terms to Greenberg/job security, or is this really a case of wanting to work with a friend? I remember there some something unusual with Odom, too (family in the area, I think), to help soften that blow.
This has nothing to do with Weaver’s health. I quoted Tom because he just happened to be the person I talked to. If I had dialed Jim’s number, it would have been Jim. But with something like an assistant coach leaving, the first call you make isn’t to the head of the entire dept.
I haven’t talked to Rob yet, which I don’t expect to until the UAB move is official on the UAB end, but I wouldn’t read much into this from the Greenberg job security standpoint. He has 4 years left on his contract, which means next March he’ll still have 3 years left on his contract,. And it’s not like one of the top 2 assistants has left. Assuming they stay, Johnson will be heading into his sixth year at Tech and Richardson will be heading into his third year at Tech. The ast. coach who left was just here one year, and he was third on the pecking order among the assistants. The No. 3 guy on the staff also left last year — Adrian Autry.
Mark. I do not think there is anything to read into this. You are right Eshan really just kind of landed here after Gary Williams retired and he was not retained. I hate to see him go because I think he brought a lot to the table as a shooting coach. But you cannot blame him for wanting to work with a friend. Also moving up the pecking oreder is imprtant for young coach wanting to climb ladder. Not like football where it is better to be at big school. Resume in basketball is more of your duties performed than where it was done. I would hope that Ramon Williams would be considered for possible position on staff. I think he would be a great addition. Know Ryan Odom his departure was nothing more than getting closer to family. Wife’s family had a business in Charlotte area that she needed to get back and take over and his mom and dad settled in Charlotte area also. Another case of having opportunity to work with a friend.
The problem is that there is little continuity on the staff, which impacts recruiting. It has to be hard for the players to adjust to the coaching changes. Why are so many players transferring? Another so-so season and no NCAA bid, and I agree with Tony. Time to move on, regardless of his contract.