With the Friars still smarting from the rejection by alumnus Jim Larranaga, AD Bob Driscoll is in San Antonio for the Final Four, ostensibly interviewing potential candidates for the now 3-week vacant Friars Head Coach job. Davidson’s Bob McKillop already informed several schools that he wants to stay to coach All-American Stefan Curry, as well as his son, with the Wildcats next year. That leaves:
Craig Robinson, Brown - The coach at the OTHER school in Providence, who happens to be Barrack Obama’s brother-in-law, is the new favorite to take over on Smith Hill. Robinson not only BEAT Providence this year, he won a school-record 19 games in only his second year at Brown.
Tim O’Shea, Ohio - The Massachusetts native and former Al Skinner assistant at URI and BC is a recruiting maven who led the Bobcats to back-to-back 19+ wins the last four seasons.
Dave Leitao, Virginia - A native of New Bedford, Leitao was the 2007 ACC Coach of the Year in his second season and the Cavaliers finished 17-16 this year.
Travis Ford, UMass - My favorite choice, Ford is from Kentucky and he probably wants his first “big-time” job to be somewhere in the SEC or ACC. He took the Minutemen to the NIT Finals and he has brought UMass back to relevence in just 3 years.
Analysis: Ford is the best candidate, but at this point, unfortunately, the Providence job is not really a step up from UMass. For Ford, and many other candidates, a lot might depend on what happens with the LSU, Marquette, and Oklahoma State jobs, ALL better and more lucrative than Providence. If LSU comes calling for Ford, that might be it. If any “big name” coach, or coach from a big program, goes to Oklahoma State or Marquette, it could set off a domino effect.
If Providence wants their man, they are going to have to offer $1 Million +, as well as high salaries for assistants, scheduling freedom, charter flights, and promises of improved facilities. Unfortunately, I don’t see them doing that, so say goodbye to Leitao and Ford. My guess: Robinson.
4 Comments until now
Robinson and O’Shea are both quite likely, IMO - lots of in-common links to RI/New England.
Where did you get Leitao? Seriously?? I think you’re smoking some serious stuff if you think PC could lure him away from a school where he’s got a national recruiting base, a brand-spankin’-new $150M 15,000 seat PALACE of an arena, and already makes nearly $1M in total compensation. Unless he’s got a BIG personal draw pulling him “home,” I just don’t see this in ANY way. But crazier things have happened….
Borg, I didn’t come up with Leitao, the Providence Journal did.
Virginia does NOT have a national recruiting base, PRovidence will pay more than $1 Million, and he is from New Enaglnd. I’m not smoking anything.
Many people think the Big East is a better basketball conference than the ACC, which the last 4-5 years of tournament play has pretty well underscored. The new Dunkin Donuts Center will be bigger and better than the new U-Hall ( or JPJ Arena) in Charlottesville, and UConn and BC are the only other major college programs in New England to compete against for talent. PC even usually makes great inroads in NYC, the capitol of college basketball. Also, in Providence, PC Hoops is the only show in town. You win there, you are king of Rhode Island. UVA hoops will always be behind V-Tech football, MD hoops, G’Town hoops, and even MD and UVA football in the Virginia/DC area.
I didn’t make up Leitao, but where there’s smoke, there’s fire.
That being said, with Robinson potentially taking the Oregon State job, it’s looking more like O’Shea is the favorite.
Two more potential candidates. Here’s the latest from the ProJo:
I’m sorry - the ProJo’s on crack, then, w/r/t Leitao. There’s just no way. Maybe if he’d been a UVA for 5 or 8 years with lots of .500 seasons, but he’s only been there two. And only a year removed from a share of the ACC regular season title. Sure, the BE is a better bball conference - right now - than the ACC. But as you’ve even said, the ACC is widely recognized as being “down” right now. And it’s not about just switching from one comparable big-time conference to another. That’s just not enough reason to move - and for a roughly lateral salary. Maybe if PC paid him $1M or $1.5M, plus endorsements… Sure, I’d bet they’d LOVE to have him, but I seriously doubt he’d even interview.
I could see him going to UConn or Georgetown (for example, if they needed a coach) in a heartbeat. But while PC has some nice history, it’s really not on-par - at least right now - with a big state school — in ANY power conference. You’re trying to tell me the PC job - with 4,000 students (UVA has almost 20k), a $115M endowment (UVA’s is over $5 BILLION) and no sniff of the NCAA in years - is a somehow better job than UVA? Doubtful. Prov is nice, and may be near where Leitao came from, but so is C’ville.
And even with the $60M Dunk renovations, i really don’t think you can make a case that it’ll be nicer than the brand new JPJ. I’ve seen JPJ, and seen all the behind-the-scenes areas like the practice facilities and locker rooms and stuff (a very good buddy is a UVA booster). IT’S BEAUTIFUL. And the Dunk website says it’ll hold 12,500 for bball - that’s not 15,200. Even with $60M, there’s only so much you can do with an off-campus arena which also hosts minor league hockey, and is 35 years old. When you OWN the joint, that’s a different story.
Anyway, I think Fraschilla is movin’ up the ranks quickly. I believe I telegraphed that one on one of your earlier Fire Welsh posts!
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