Jim Foster, Mentor to Geno and Muffet, Announces Retirement

[Dillon77]

Jim Foster, 69, calls it quits after a coaching journey that started in Philadelphia, went to Nashville, then north to Columbus and finished in Chattanooga. Coached tons of players and mentored more than a few assistant coaches including those two well-known upstarts, Geno A. and Muffet M.

I've included the bio and announcement from Chattanooga, but worth noting the Columbus, Ohio papers also noted his retirement. Little did they know....

A few highlights:
- 49 Years of coaching.
- 903 Total Wins at four schools.
- Only coach in the NCAA to have all four ranked in the AP Top 25 Poll as well the AP Top 25 Preseason Poll.
- One of only two coaches to have won 200 games at three different schools: St. Joe's, Vanderbilt and Ohio State
- Vandy reached the Final Four once, the Elite Eight four times and advanced to the Sweet 16 three times.
- Foster spent 11 seasons at Ohio State prior to Chattanooga, where the Buckeyes qualified for a school record 10 consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances with three trips to the Sweet 16 and six Big Ten regular season titles.

Announcement: Foster Announces Retirement

Bio: Chattanooga Athletics

 

[Reypl21]

It's pretty cool that the two best coached currently were part of his coaching staff.

 

[RockyMTblue2]

I have always liked the way Jim carried himself, but felt he should have done more with what he had at Ohio. Now, Chattanooga, there he lifted that program up.

 

[KnightBridgeAZ]

I have always liked the way Jim carried himself, but felt he should have done more with what he had at Ohio. Now, Chattanooga, there he lifted that program up.

Not really as much as it seems, that was Wes Moore's program, as they say "you can look it up". Rutgers lost to them in the NCAA's, in one of the few games I don't even want to think about.

I too liked Jim as a coach, but he rarely got his teams "over the hump" and for much of his later career suffered post-season "collapse-itis" although, to be fair, I often wondered if it was a product of the Big 10 and it's style of play as much as whatever Jim's perceived weaknesses were.

 

[DefenseBB]

I have always liked the way Jim carried himself, but felt he should have done more with what he had at Ohio. Now, Chattanooga, there he lifted that program up.

As opposed to what McGuff has done at OSU?

 

[RockyMTblue2]

As opposed to what McGuff has done at OSU?

Yeah, sure, McGuff has set the standard! Talk about lower level mediocre at best in high cotton.

 

[Bigboote]

I'm sorry to see Foster go. He has always seemed like a nice guy; the world needs more like him.

 

[EricLA]

Here's a question... OSU either fired Foster, or did not renew his contract, basically letting him go because he did not get OSU far enough into the NCAA's.

Who has done a better job? Foster or McGuff? How long before McGuff is gone? His hiring the father of a superstar to land her didn't do them much good at all and I think they take big drop next year.

 

[ucbart]

Here's a question... OSU either fired Foster, or did not renew his contract, basically letting him go because he did not get OSU far enough into the NCAA's.

Who has done a better job? Foster or McGuff? How long before McGuff is gone? His hiring the father of a superstar to land her didn't do them much good at all and I think they take big drop next year.

And no coach has done less with more in the last 5 years. That team had FF talent the past two seasons. I feel bad for those kids, none of them got any better. Mitchell was Mitchell, but I think Mavunga could've been one of the best and most dominating post players in the country.

 

[Dillon77]

I'm sorry to see Foster go. He has always seemed like a nice guy; the world needs more like him.

I'd agree, as does Mechelle Voepel of ESPNw in this appreciative column about Jim Foster. You'll note the infamous picture of he, Geno A., Muffet and others taken on the Jersey Shore, back in the day.
Foster made immeasurable contributions to women's basketball

 

[MSSportsGuy]

Foster clearly did something right to coach for that long and be successful. He didn't win many big ones but his old Vanderbilt teams of the SEC were always a tough out for anyone. Didn't follow him much at OSU or UTC but both places did well under his watch numbers wise they just weren't in top company. Still, there is more to the game than just winning.

I would suspect he had good reasons for hiring Geno and Muffet as assistants so he apparently possessed some good judgement once upon a time.