Coaching change coming @ UMass

[6xChamps]

I agree 100%. I don't understand this "Kimani could do better" talk. Based on what exactly can he do better? Hurley had to turn around Wagner before he landed an A10 job. The A10 is a good league and UMASS has as much potential as any team in that league.

More than likely Kimani doesn't have the resume for the job as they will probably want someone who has proven themselves as a head coach. If he did get offered the job he should jump at it.

Yea I'm not sure why people think he's just gonna walk right into a power conference program HC job. I mean look at Kyle Neptune - dude was an assistant at Nova for 8 years, bringing them from an average Big East program to a national powerhouse with 2 NCs. The HC job he literally just got is at Fordham, which is a worse job than UMASS. Additionally, with Kimani being a NY guy I'd have to imagine that he was atleast thought of for the Fordham job but they went with Neptune. So basically we're saying that in one year time he went from not being a major candidate for the Fordham job to a guy who's gonna get a high major job.

I think he's gonna be a heck of a HC but there are typically steps that these guys take of going from High Major Assistant -> Low/Mid Major HC -> High Major HC

 

[navery12]

Yea I'm not sure why people think he's just gonna walk right into a power conference program HC job. I mean look at Kyle Neptune - dude was an assistant at Nova for 8 years, bringing them from an average Big East program to a national powerhouse with 2 NCs. The HC job he literally just got is at Fordham, which is a worse job than UMASS. Additionally, with Kimani being a NY guy I'd have to imagine that he was atleast thought of for the Fordham job but they went with Neptune. So basically we're saying that in one year time he went from not being a major candidate for the Fordham job to a guy who's gonna get a high major job.

I think he's gonna be a heck of a HC but there are typically steps that these guys take of going from High Major Assistant -> Low/Mid Major HC -> High Major HC

I haven't seen anyone suggest he should walk right into a high major job. I think he will end up getting a mid-major job first, but hopefully it's at a good school and not one that's a disaster like UMass. That's the type of job that'll ruin your career

 

[CONN78SEJ]

Did he coach there? I thought the NCAA purged that from our collective memories.

Lol. Do you remember a player named Marcus Camby?

 

[auror]

I haven't seen anyone suggest he should walk right into a high major job. I think he will end up getting a mid-major job first, but hopefully it's at a good school and not one that's a disaster like UMass. That's the type of job that'll ruin your career

From this thread:

If Kimani should leave….Maryland is looking too.

 

[CL82]

Lol. Do you remember a player named Marcus Camby?

Vaguely, he never participated in the NCAA tournament did he? At least there is no official record of it.

 

[CL82]

I haven't seen anyone suggest he should walk right into a high major job. I think he will end up getting a mid-major job first,

But I don’t want him to coach at Syracuse.

 

[CONN78SEJ]

Anyone remember the early-mid 90s when the A-10 passed the Big East? UMass, Temple, I think GW were all really good, and the Big East went through some serious down years.
Long time ago.

Were those the Jon Chaney and Calipari years? “Shut up”…….”I’m gonna kill you”……”you Italian sob”

 

[Dogdeacon]

They should. The Big East is considering adding another school, if ever there was a time for UMASS to put their best foot forward and invest in basketball it is now.

Pitino is a UMASS alum BTW. Class of 74.

Could definitely see Pitino going to UMass, location is only negative vs Iona - but he's not in the national conversation at Iona and this would be a marketable story of potential win-win rehabilitation of coach & program at his alma matter.
I kinda like it from a villain to root against scenario - would definitely put NE basketball in the news...

 

[superjohn]

Pitino with a Kimani mention in there...

Rick Pitino: Saint Peter’s coach Shaheen Holloway is a ‘young superstar’ who would be a great fit at UMass or Seton Hall

Rick Pitino: Saint Peter’s coach Shaheen Holloway is a ‘young superstar’ who would be a great fit at UMass or Seton Hall

Iona coach Rick Pitino says Saint Peter's coach Shaheen Holloway is a "superstar" who would be a great fit at UMass or Seton Hall.

www.nj.com

 

[UConnJim]

Could definitely see Pitino going to UMass, location is only negative vs Iona - but he's not in the national conversation at Iona and this would be a marketable story of potential win-win rehabilitation of coach & program at his alma matter.
I kinda like it from a villain to root against scenario - would definitely put NE basketball in the news...

Pitino is either staying at Iona or going to a better school than UMass. Iona is in a good location, close to Pitino's house on Winged Foot, most games are played close to Iona, and Iona has made the NCAA Tournament every year since 2016. If Pitino stays at Iona, he could develop the program into a really good team and play high profile out of conference games.

 

[metsfan2323]

Pitino with a Kimani mention in there...

Rick Pitino: Saint Peter’s coach Shaheen Holloway is a ‘young superstar’ who would be a great fit at UMass or Seton Hall

Rick Pitino: Saint Peter’s coach Shaheen Holloway is a ‘young superstar’ who would be a great fit at UMass or Seton Hall

Iona coach Rick Pitino says Saint Peter's coach Shaheen Holloway is a "superstar" who would be a great fit at UMass or Seton Hall.

www.nj.com

Interesting thing about that article is no mention of whether or not Pitino would be interested in the UMASS job. He obviously declined to comment.

 

[CCSUblue]

Pitino turned down Maryland yesterday. He is going to retire from Iona.

 

[Senor Blue]

You would think that Kimani has the resume to land a little further up the food chain.

Better job, UMass or URi? I think URI based on more recent success, fanbase with a pulse, and location.

Danny loves the guys that coach for him. He's not letting Kimani go to UMass. They're a hot mess. Who fake fires their coach and then says they're going to stay on the sidelines? Then the AD makes all those statements about how serious they are to invest - who does that? Someone who's desperate. They don't have any actual candidates that want anything to do with them. So they're trying to get people from outside the region/their connections. Remember Pat Kelsey accepted and ran away.

URI is a way better job. Arena, fans, everything. Basketball is number one there. UMass still thinks they can win in football. They need to invest better (so does UMass), but Danny had a good experience there. Kimani would be a great get for them. Question is if they want to take another Dan Hurley AHC after the Cox hire has gone so poorly.

 

[Hey Adrien!]

Pitino with a Kimani mention in there...

Rick Pitino: Saint Peter’s coach Shaheen Holloway is a ‘young superstar’ who would be a great fit at UMass or Seton Hall

Rick Pitino: Saint Peter’s coach Shaheen Holloway is a ‘young superstar’ who would be a great fit at UMass or Seton Hall

Iona coach Rick Pitino says Saint Peter's coach Shaheen Holloway is a "superstar" who would be a great fit at UMass or Seton Hall.

www.nj.com

I really like Holloway as a coach: tons of passion, energy and his kids seem to really like him as a coach.

However, with his idiosyncratic style: hyper-aggressive defense, offensive that can't shoot but attacks the rim and rebounds well, I have trouble seeing him translate that style to the A-10 level.

On the other hand, I guess his style isn't that different than say a Huggins at West Virginia or Adams at Texas Tech. Either way, a Holloway coached team would be a blast to watch live and should at least spark basketball interest at UMass.

 

[auror]

I really like Holloway as a coach: tons of passion, energy and his kids seem to really like him as a coach.

However, with his idiosyncratic style: hyper-aggressive defense, offensive that can't shoot but attacks the rim and rebounds well, I have trouble seeing him translate that style to the A-10 level.

On the other hand, I guess his style isn't that different than say a Huggins at West Virginia or Adams at Texas Tech. Either way, a Holloway coached team would be a blast to watch live and should at least spark basketball interest at UMass.

There's a certain Big East coach that took a team playing Havoc defense to the Final Four from the A-10.

 

[FfldCntyFan]

There's a certain Big East coach that took a team playing Havoc defense to the Final Four from the A-10.

If you're speaking of Shaka, I don't believe VCU was in the A-10 at that time.

That aside, there is no reason that approach couldn't work in the A-10.

 

[businesslawyer]

You can't possibly be serious. Do you really need victim's names and specific details of what happened to take a sexual assault claim seriously?

How can you have a claim without a victim and specified acts? Isn't the technical term for just saying "there have been" rumor?

Pitino turned down Maryland yesterday. He is going to retire from Iona.

So he joins Randy Edsall in thinking Maryland is a dream job.

 

[huskymedic]

Blaud can be hit or miss with his tweets/intel @ times but he still has decent contacts in Massachusetts:

 

[Psolo12]

Blaud can be hit or miss with his tweets/intel @ times but he still has decent contacts in Massachusetts:

PLEASE GOD NO

 

[k-walk]

Blaud can be hit or miss with his tweets/intel @ times but he still has decent contacts in Massachusetts:

Ew plz no

 

[Dooooooomed]

I gotta doubt he'd accept another job the week of the BE tourney. Way too much season left.

 

[TRest]

Umass job will be there when the dance is over. No need to do it now.

 

[The Viking]

Blauds has good contacts, I don’t think he’d throw this out there if he didn’t feel confident in his source(s)
Was he the first to get Don Brown back to UMass too?

 

[navery12]

Happy for Kimani if it's true, but would be bittersweet if he leaves before our season ends

 

[ThabeetDown]

I forget how credible this guy is. I remember he was breaking news about something a few years ago and I was skeptical then but he could have been right? Anyone remember?

Regardless, if true, great for KY. A-10 is a great conference IMO. UMass has potential given the prep schools in the area. Fortunately for us, I don’t think we’ll lose many recruits to them at the end of the day which is really all that matters. Rather him the the A-10 than BE any day of the week.

If he gets them going would be great to get some home and home series on the schedules.