Hoops Hires: Evaluating 10 Of The Best and Most Questionable Moves

[Drew]

Slam Dunks:

Dan Hurley, UConn: Coaching is in Hurley’s blood — his father, Bob Sr., is a retired Hall of Fame high school coach, and his brother, Bobby, is the coach at Arizona State. Dan is a program builder. In his first season at Wagner in 2010-11, the Seahawks were 13-17. In his second, and not coincidentally, last season, they were 25-6.

Hurley moved on to Rhode Island. The Rams were 8-21 in 2012-13. This season they were 26-8, including 15-3 in the Atlantic 10, and advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

Hurley was quick to surround himself with assistant coaches with similar backgrounds and experience recruiting in UConn’s geographic hot spot. Kimani Young came from Richard Pitino’s staff at Minnesota, but he developed a relationship with Hurley years ago in the New York youth and AAU basketball scene.

Hurley also plucked Kenya Hunter from Tim Miles’ staff at Nebraska. Hunter gained familiarity with UConn while coaching against the Huskies for six seasons on John Thompson III’s staff at Georgetown, and he’s also coached at Xavier, Duquesne and N.C. State. Hunter is a well-respected recruiter, and over the years he has filed away basketball philosophies from a host of successful coaches.


Hoops hires: Evaluating 10 of the best and most questionable...

 

[Drew]

The jury’s out:

Penny Hardaway, Memphis: True, it’s a gamble to take a coach straight out of high school for a prominent Division I job. But Hardaway wasn’t just any high school coach. He’s a legend in Memphis and knows the recruiting scene in a city that’s a hotbed for talent.

That talent comes with a caveat, though, and in many cases a posse that can get in the ear of players and undercut the influence of the Memphis coach. Just ask Josh Pastner and Tubby Smith about that.

As the recruiting haul that Hardaway and his staff just completed in less than a week might indicate, he’s going to be able to get players, as many expected. He was also astute enough to hire another former Memphis player, veteran assistant Tony Madlock, who got a brief taste of the head coach’s seat while serving as the interim at Ole Miss late this season. Madlock is as experienced as they come.

Hardaway also hired another big name, former Florida and NBA star Mike Miller, who happens to have a talented son playing for the Memphis-based M33M youth program.

At this writing, Hardaway was trying to add a former head coach to his staff. Trent Johnson, the former Nevada, LSU and TCU coach, is among the candidates reportedly being considered.

 

[Drew]

What were they (or was he) thinking?

Joe Dooley, East Carolina: We’re not criticizing East Carolina for the hire, but why would Dooley want to return to East Carolina, where he coached from 1995-99 and was fired despite being the only coach in program history to post a winning record? (OK, so it was only 57-52.) He knows it’s a tough gig. Surely he didn’t make the leap just for the paycheck, which will nearly triple the salary he was pulling at Florida Gulf Coast.

East Carolina’s move to the American Athletic Conference doomed it to bottom-tier status in that league, and it’ll take a gargantuan effort to build the program. Dooley, 52, is a good coach, but might he have been more patient and waited for a better gig?

 

[Dream Jobbed 2.0]

Mike Miller has a son being recruited for big time basketball? I feel very old all of a sudden. Also, another Memphis coach hiring assistants with their son being a recruit??

 

[HuskyHawk]

Hard to fault the analysis here.

 

[ihatepants]

Not to get too off topic, but The Athletic is probably the best sports site right now and it's well worth the subscription fee. Their strategy of poaching the best writers from other places to come work for them has really resulted in some great content.

 

[YoungFree]

I am hoping Hardaway succeeds...but I am leary now about recent former NBA players turned college coach...maybe it's just because the whole Ollie-situation has left us a little scarred.

I'm still waiting for Ewing to do something and whats-his-face (name is escaping me at the moment) at St. John's to do something.

 

[JMick]

I am hoping Hardaway succeeds...but I am leary now about recent former NBA players turned college coach...maybe it's just because the whole Ollie-situation has left us a little scarred.

I'm still waiting for Ewing to do something and whats-his-face (name is escaping me at the moment) at St. John's to do something.

Hoiberg?

 

[YoungFree]

Hoiberg?

It's Chris Mullin now right? I found my brain...I think.

 

[JMick]

It's Chris Mullin now right? I found my brain...I think.

You said you were skeptical of ex-NBA player head coaches. Hoiberg was just that and had a lot of success

 

[kobe]

Eric Mussleman and Dan Marjerle have had pretty good success coaching in college.

 

[YoungFree]

Like I said, it just might be the Ollie situation and Ewing's poor performance that is jiving me right now.

 

[JMick]

Like I said, it just might be the Ollie situation and Ewing's poor performance that is jiving me right now.

Ewing has been a coach for one year...

 

[Kitaman]

Ewing has been a coach for one year...

And has coaching background (NBA). He may even remember some of JT's tidbits. I hope he suceeeds, because that's a dream of his (I.e. coaching) vs. looking for something challenging to do that's basketball related.

 

[YoungFree]

And has coaching background (NBA). He may even remember some of JT's tidbits. I hope he suceeeds, because that's a dream of his (I.e. coaching) vs. looking for something challenging to do that's basketball related.

I never said my perspective and reasoning was without flaws. So maybe it's just the Ollie debacle.