2009.03.30
Observations on the new coach
Just overheard my wife telling somebody over the phone, "They can't do anything right."
I think she was talking about Virginia's new men's basketball coach.
I'm going to reserve judgment.
My first inclination was to think, "This has Jon Oliver's fingerprints all over it."
Oliver, who has two degrees from Boise State, is the West Coast guy in the Virginia athletic department. Before coming to UVa, Oliver spent six years on the staff at Washington State, the school from which Virginia plucked new coach Tony Bennett.
There had been considerable speculation that Oliver would go after LSU coach Trent Johnson, his fellow Boise State alumnus. Many wondered about the wisdom of such a move because Johnson had never recruited on the East Coast.
So, they didn't hire Johnson, but they hired another guy who hasn't recruited on the East Coast. How's that going to work?
I don't agree with people who say Dave Leitao recruited poorly. List the offers for every player on the current roster and it's not a bad list. Believe me. But, could Leitao have recruited better? Certainly.
I have no reason to believe Bennett can't evaluate talent and can't be persuasive, but who does he know? Does he know Boo Williams? Does he know Richmond AAU boss Tony Squire? Steve Smith at Oak Hill? Mike Jones at DeMatha?
That's where the assistants come in. Unless one of Bennett's assistants at Washington State is chosen to succeed him, those guys are going to want jobs. In their sphere of influence, they're probably good recruiters. If Bennett is the decent guy we hear he is, he'll want to keep them. Who's going to tell him he can't?
If it were me -- and what do I know, I've only been watching and covering UVa basketball for more than 35 years ? -- I'd hire Dennis Wolff. Wolff is one of the two best basketball assistants Virginia has ever had -- Dave Odom is the other -- and Wolff is available, having been dismissed after a 17-13 season at Boston University.
I think Cory Alexander, the point guard-turned-radio commentator, has the potential to be an excellent coach and recruiter. And, I'd consider rehiring Bill Courtney off the Leitao staff. The guy was responsible for Sylven Landesberg, Assane Sene and Tristan Spurlock. That's not too shabby.
Would it be too hard to get someone who is above mediocre? First round loser in the NIT, dream big don't we Littlepage. Hell, the Radford version of coach Greenburg got to the big dance. I keep getting my hopes up that they're serious... $128mm facility, jayvee coaches. Think I just jumped on Roy Williams and Steve Robinson bus (seldom mentioned that Steve spent time as an asst. at Radford). 30 years of suffering is enough.
Comment by Nita Change — March 30, 2009 @ 10:26 pm
In the end, Oliver and CastePage have not earned our confidence in any of their decisions regarding revenue sports. Why should this be different? If the administration felt the expansion giveaway to the Hokies was helpful, why trust them to hire a coach or do anything else?
Question: if Bennett is so highly regarded, why didn't Uva offer him the job last time? Bennett is credentialed but his program is on mild decline as were gillen's and Leitao's. Like Leitao, he has no significant east coast recruiting experience
Comment by Wahoo Walt — March 31, 2009 @ 1:23 am
Will one of Bennett's assistants at Washington State be hired to replace him as the head men's basketball coach at Washington State?
That would be an indicator of just how good a job the athletic director really thinks Bennett did!
After reading the bios, I feel that Ben Johnson and Ron Sanchez might be coming with Bennett, as opposed to Bennett hiring ex-UVa players, as UVa fans want him to. But that's just my guess.
I'm not convinced that there's an advantage with being familiar with the state of Virginia or with the recruiting territory in basketball: there's a constant turnover of high school coaches, for example. Why would there be?
His staff at Washington State was:
Ben Johnson - Assistant Coach
Ron Sanchez - Assistant Coach
Matt Woodley - Assistant Coach
Mike Heideman - Director Player Development/Operations
Ronnie Wideman - Men's Basketball Operations Assistant
Comment by Nelson — March 31, 2009 @ 1:58 am
I also have never felt that Tubby Smith/Jeff Capel/Anthony Grant would have been good hires! UVa needed to set their sights even higher: how about Tom Izzo and Billy Donovan!
Tubby was too old and was about to get fired at Kentucky before he left. Jeff Capel might not have been in the picture had Blake Griffin not been born in Oklahoma! Anthony Grant has been a head coach in what league again?!
Let me point out something though: the Pac 10 was the best basketball conference in the country this year, if you believe USA Today! It had fewer weak teams than any league in the country. The Big East was loaded with poor teams from the middle to the bottom. Yes, I know, I know...!
Let's face it. Virginia fans want the big time. The UVa administration is de-emphasizing athletics.
Comment by Nelson — March 31, 2009 @ 2:05 am
I'm not crazy about the hire compared to the names that were floated. Though, objectively, hiring an up and comer from another BCS school who has garnered interest from Indiana and LSU isn't exactly a failure. The Washington State fans appear to be very disappointed to have lost Bennett.
A couple of other potential candidates for assistant coaches with good Virginia (commonwealth and university) connections would be Mark Byington (currently at College of Charleston) and Richard Morgan (currently at Appalachian State).
Comment by KevinL — March 31, 2009 @ 8:02 am
Here's a prediction: Next year under Bennett UVa finishes in the top half of the ACC--maybe JUST above the middle. The next year, as the young talent continues to mature, they're in the top 3 or 4. From that point on they're competitive on a regular basis with occasional dips and rises. As a former Midwesterner, I saw Wisconsin--Green Bay and U. of Wisconsin win, win, win with strong defensive, few turnovers, and impressive toughness. Bennett's going to win over a lot of fans. The JPJ will be full and loud again before too long.
Comment by RDS — March 31, 2009 @ 8:28 am
Does CL have the ability to spot the next great coach? Time will tell. One thing is for sure, he obviously feels very comfortable with his job security. Everything was in place for a big hire. Outstanding facilities, booster money standing by and long suffering fans ready to fill the seats. This is what he comes up with, man his has some big ones.
I will support the new coach and he does appear to be a step up from DL. While basketball recruiting is much more national then football, it does give me concern that his east coast connections appear to be limited. As DD mentioned, he may be able to address that with his staff.
Go Hoos.
Comment by Joe — March 31, 2009 @ 8:44 am
Nelson, I know the Wahoo's are proud of their programs. But it's hard to tell if you are being sarcastic or not. If you are not, why in the world would Izzo and Donovan leave their current positions to come to UVa???? They've won titles in the past and have good chances to do so in the future.
Comment by Justafan — March 31, 2009 @ 8:51 am
i hope they got a good coach iam tired of losing.i live in nc the unc fans are so hard to put up with go uva
Comment by johnny — March 31, 2009 @ 4:12 pm
i admit it's stupid to pre-judge, but there have to be questions.
No matter how good a coach you are, recruiting is the name of the game. In his first two years as head coach, he did great, but in his third, when presumably he had the guys he recruited, he was 17-16.
Are you going to score great recruits for a team that plays Ivy League slow-down basketball in a league that worships the fast-break? Will he be able to convince them that they would be learning the skills they'll need to play in the NBA?
When the winning score is in the mid fifties, and the difference between winning and losing is about three points, what does it say about a coach who is 17-16?
Comment by Norm — April 1, 2009 @ 8:00 pm