UVA’s Boyle is retiring

[HuskyFan1125]

Joanne Boyle Announces Her Retirement from Coaching

 

[HuskyFan1125]

......let the speculation begin.....

 

[HuskyFan1125]

 

[MilfordHusky]

She’s very young to retire. UVA will draw some good candidates. Shea??

 

[HuskyFan1125]

She’s very young to retire. UVA will draw some good candidates. Shea??

I dont know. I honestly think Shea is happy right where she is.

 

[Dillon77]

She’s very young to retire. UVA will draw some good candidates. Shea??

The middle-aged guy in me who has been through these kinds of situations wishes her well. Sometimes being "the adult in the room" calls for a drastic change.

The skeptical side of me thinks "retirement" or "resigning" in these cases could translate to "not being re-upped."

In any case, this now makes two ACC jobs open: here and BC.

I'll be looking at this on via a WCBB lens because there's no way a current ND assistant coach -- such as Niele Ivey or Beth Morgan Cunningham (who did quite well as HC at VCU) is going to apply for a position in the same conference as ND.

Ivey was a finalist for the Vanderbilt position that Stephanie White ultimately was named to. The other finalist was Princeton's Courtney Banghart. Could Banghart be interested in the Wahoo position? She's young (39-40) and has a proven track record.

As discussed, another young splash would be someone like Shea Ralph, with her ties to the region. While Shea may be very happy at UConn, does she want to be a head coach? Perhaps at UConn down the road? If so, there are many who think you only get ready to be a head coach by being a head coach. In any case, this is a premier post. On the other hand, the job at NC may open up soon as well and that's home for her.

This will be very intriguing position to keep an eye on....

 

[cockhrnleghrn]

UVA tried to hire Dawn when they had their last opening, but I don't see Dawn going anywhere.

 

[DefenseBB]

The "Retirement" allows for an exit with grace and dignity I suppose. @Dillon77 and I were suspecting that she would not be retained as her contract was up and with a new Women's Basketball playing AD who could not be hoodwinked into any false pretense (ie. see Phil Fulmer @ Tenn), this allows for both sides to graciously move on to new chapters in their respective lives...

Now, let's address the Shea Ralph situation-I might have missed this somewhere here, but Shea is obviously pregnant and with a new baby, great job and great support system in play here in CT, why would she want to take on a rebuild at a new institution, try and build a staff and family support while caring for a new baby? I guess stranger things occur but...

 

[EricLA]

Well Dawn's from Philly but went to UVA for 4 years until 1992. I know UVA is a much better school from an academics perspective (than SC) but I don't know that Dawn could recruit any better there than at SC. Her recruiting at SC, aside from Wilson, has been good but not great. Her best recruit by year is as follows:

• 2008 - Miranda Tate
• 2009 - Kelsey Bone (transferred out)
• 2010 Brit Webb
• 2011 Aleghsha Welch
• 2012 - Tiffany Mitchell
• 2013 Alaina Coates
• 2014 - Wilson, White (transferred out), Duckett (transferred out)
• 2015 - Colley (never came)
• 2016 - Harris, Bradshaw (transferred out)
• 2017 - Grissett, Jackson (both outside top 20)
• 2018 - Henderson (first top 10 kid since Wilson)

Don't get me wrong - solid recruiting, but not great. Would not have won the NC last year without top 10 transfers Davis and Gray, and next year she has another transfer T'ea Cooper, another top 10 kid eligible to play. So she's gotten some great transfers, but even with Wilson this year, they are hovering around the top 10. Next year I see them in the 15-20 range. It's going to be a while before SC recruits well enough to make it to the top again. Just my $.02 regarding them. Point being, not sure she'd do any better at UVA. But, what she's done in the past 4 years is way better than UVA so maybe they'd love to get her.

I don't see Shea going there - I think she waits for the UNC job to open when Hatchell retires. Then I think the UCONN job comes down to her or Jen depending on how they both do. Jen's in a better spot at GW than she was at Hartford, and UNC is certainly a top level school in a P5 conference.

 

[Dillon77]

The "Retirement" allows for an exit with grace and dignity I suppose. @Dillon77 and I were suspecting that she would not be retained as her contract was up and with a new Women's Basketball playing AD who could not be hoodwinked into any false pretense (ie. see Phil Fulmer @ Tenn), this allows for both sides to graciously move on to new chapters in their respective lives...

Now, let's address the Shea Ralph situation-I might have missed this somewhere here, but Shea is obviously pregnant and with a new baby, great job and great support system in play here in CT, why would she want to take on a rebuild at a new institution, try and build a staff and family support while caring for a new baby? I guess stranger things occur but...

Ah, I didn't know about the new baby. Congrats, Shea!

One reason Niele Ivey was very particular about opportunities is that she's a single mom who has raised her son with support and input from the entire ND basketball community (BTW, he's 6'3" now, a sophomore in HS and a good hoopster.).

Now, what do folks think about Princeton's Courtney Banghart for this position? (Maybe she could take the marvelous Bella Alarie with her . I'm just kidding, Nan, I really am.)

 

[CocoHusky]

Ah, I didn't know about the new baby. Congrats, Shea!

One reason Niele Ivey was very particular about opportunities was she is a single mom who has raised her son with support and input from the entire ND basketball community (BTW, he's 6'3" now, a sophomore in HS and a good hoopster.).

Now, what do folks think about Princeton's Courtney Banghart for this position? (Maybe she could take the marvelous Bella Alarie with her . I'm just kidding, Nan, I really am.)

I called this (Courtney to UVA) a week ago in a different post. BTW Courtney will have 4 kids on the UVA roster that are from NJ. Well technically 3 but Fee Aiyeotan is from PA but attended Blair Academy for her last two years and played with AEH.

 

[MilfordHusky]

UVA tried to hire Dawn when they had their last opening, but I don't see Dawn going anywhere.

This would not be a step up for Dawn at this point.

 

[MilfordHusky]

I called this (Courtney to UVA) a week ago in a different post.

I missed that, but I totally agree. Banghart would be a good fit at UVA.

 

[DefenseBB]

I think Jen would be great for UVa....

 

[sarals24]

Wait, Shea is pregnant? How have I missed this?

 

[CocoHusky]

Wait, Shea is pregnant? How have I missed this?

It was mentioned a few weeks back as a "possibility". Don't believe it was ever confirmed and potentially insensitive if not correct.

 

[kat0189]

If I'm UVA's AD I let Sam Brunelle pick their next head coach (under one obvious condition, lol)

 

[Dillon77]

I called this (Courtney to UVA) a week ago in a different post. BTW Courtney will have 4 kids on the UVA roster that are from NJ. Well technically 3 but Fee Aiyeotan is from PA but attended Blair Academy for her last two year and played with AEH.

I missed that, but am not all surprised that you'd be in front of it (or that you and I would be thinking that way....).
Her Princeton (and Dartmouth before that) ties would come in handy, as would her and the UVA NJ ties. Gosh, I could see her having a natural pipeline into the NJ Shore Conference.

So, I've got some ideas on the BC job, too, but it's my turn to cook dinner....

 

[RockyMTblue2]

I dont know. I honestly think Shea is happy right where she is.

I honestly think you are right.

"I love the part of my job as an assistant that makes me feel so completely supported," Ralph said. "I can't speak for other places, and there are other great programs, but I have literally spent about half my life at UConn and I believe wholeheartedly in what we do and that our community believes in us. That's a great place to be when you are working with kids and trying to help them. There's nothing like it.

"Obviously, I am a little biased, having played here and worked here and having loved every minute of the experience. It's a great job and I understand anyone in women's basketball would die to work here and for Coach Auriemma and Chris Dailey. And from the perspective of learning about the game, from working with the type of players we work with and the people we work for, being an assistant here [for eight seasons] is absolutely one of the top jobs in the country.

"It's the type of job that makes you just pinch yourself every morning to remind yourself how cool it really is to come here. And it's been that way for me for almost 20 years now."

UConn Women's Basketball Insider: What's In Shea Ralph's Future?

Shea Ralph Has Been Living UConn Dream For 20 Years; 'It's Utopia, In Some Ways'

"Sometimes it's surreal," Ralph said. "When I start to think about the stuff … it's like, 'Is that real life?' It's almost like it's utopia, in some ways."

 

[CamrnCrz1974]

The "Retirement" allows for an exit with grace and dignity I suppose. @Dillon77 and I were suspecting that she would not be retained as her contract was up and with a new Women's Basketball playing AD who could not be hoodwinked into any false pretense (ie. see Phil Fulmer @ Tenn), this allows for both sides to graciously move on to new chapters in their respective lives...

With all due respect @DefenseBB (and @Dillon77 ), Joanne Boyle has been dealing with a very, very sick mother in recent years -- which is why she took the UVA job in the first place (to move back to the East Coast). She lost her father around 2010 (as I recall)

As for existing with "grace and dignity," Boyle survived a brain aneurysm (an AVM, or arteriovenous malformation, the result of a capillary deficiency that causes an eruption of blood vessels) back in 2001-2002. She traveled to Africa to adopt a daughter at 50 years old. She has been dealing with a sick mother.

She is well aware of the importance of things in life. She is not the type of person who would let a press release go out citing a pressing family matter if it were not true. You will have to trust me (and my track record) on that.

 

[sharris952]

Well Dawn's from Philly but went to UVA for 4 years until 1992. I know UVA is a much better school from an academics perspective (than SC) but I don't know that Dawn could recruit any better there than at SC. Her recruiting at SC, aside from Wilson, has been good but not great. Her best recruit by year is as follows:

• 2008 - Miranda Tate
• 2009 - Kelsey Bone (transferred out)
• 2010 Brit Webb
• 2011 Aleghsha Welch
• 2012 - Tiffany Mitchell
• 2013 Alaina Coates
• 2014 - Wilson, White (transferred out), Duckett (transferred out)
• 2015 - Colley (never came)
• 2016 - Harris, Bradshaw (transferred out)
• 2017 - Grissett, Jackson (both outside top 20)
• 2018 - Henderson (first top 10 kid since Wilson)

Don't get me wrong - solid recruiting, but not great. Would not have won the NC last year without top 10 transfers Davis and Gray, and next year she has another transfer T'ea Cooper, another top 10 kid eligible to play. So she's gotten some great transfers, but even with Wilson this year, they are hovering around the top 10. Next year I see them in the 15-20 range. It's going to be a while before SC recruits well enough to make it to the top again. Just my $.02 regarding them. Point being, not sure she'd do any better at UVA. But, what she's done in the past 4 years is way better than UVA so maybe they'd love to get her.

I don't see Shea going there - I think she waits for the UNC job to open when Hatchell retires. Then I think the UCONN job comes down to her or Jen depending on how they both do. Jen's in a better spot at GW than she was at Hartford, and UNC is certainly a top level school in a P5 conference.

Well Dawn has recruited pretty well with many of her recruits being top 50 or higher kids and has had outstanding production from players outside the top 50 in Welsch and Herbert Harrigan who were steals. Though the two guards helped them win the championship last year, her players recruited that shd had without transfers had already won three SEC championships and one was before Aja Wilso got there. Another wave of outstanding talent is coming through SC and with her success in Atl and Florida i dont think Dawn is leaving especially with a following that averaged over 13,000 fans a game.

 

[CocoHusky]

I missed that, but am not all surprised that you'd be in front of it (or that you and I would be thinking that way....).
Her Princeton (and Dartmouth before that) ties would come in handy, as would her and the UVA NJ ties. Gosh, I could see her having a natural pipeline into the NJ Shore Conference.
So, I've got some ideas on the BC job, too, but it's my turn to cook dinner....

One of Boyle's failure at UVA was she did not maintain the I95 pipeline and relationships with the key AAU coaches in the I95 corridor that Debbie Ryan had established. Ryan pulled in kids like China Crosby & Bria Smith out of NYC, Chelsea Shine, Lexie Gerson, Bre Butler and Enonge Stovall all out of the Philly burbs. Smith & Butler decided to transfer to Louisville and Syracuse after Ryan announced her retirement.

 

[Dillon77]

With all due respect @DefenseBB (and @Dillon77 ), Joanne Boyle has been dealing with a very, very sick mother in recent years -- which is why she took the UVA job in the first place (to move back to the East Coast). She lost her father around 2010 (as I recall)

As for existing with "grace and dignity," Boyle survived a brain aneurysm (an AVM, or arteriovenous malformation, the result of a capillary deficiency that causes an eruption of blood vessels) back in 2001-2002. She traveled to Africa to adopt a daughter at 50 years old. She has dealing with a sick mother.

She is well aware of the importance of things in life. She is not the type of person who would let a press release go out citing a pressing family matter if it were not true. You will have to trust me (and my track record) on that.

I will trust you. Thanks for the information.

As I noted in my first line, I've been through situations that have caused work to take a back seat and if that is the case, fine.

But I've also seen situations recently in which personal issues and professional situations are not doing well either separately and/or with each other and some kind of arrangement is reached that can possibly help each other.

From a personal perspective, I hope things do work out for her.

From a basketball coaching perspective, I was hoping Boyle's classes from two years ago would help get UVA over the hump. Didn't seem to happen for whatever reasons.

Thanks again for the information.

 

[LETTERL]

I expect Dawn Staley will return to UVA to coach her alma mater. I have no inside knowledge...just a gut feeling.

 

[augustaTC]

While Shea may be very happy at UConn, does she want to be a head coach? Perhaps at UConn down the road? If so, there are many who think you only get ready to be a head coach by being a head coach.

Amen on the last sentence.