BC fires Jim Christian / hires Earl Grant

[STEVEHOLT]

They should just hire Mickey and Bill Curley as co-head coaches ...

 

[Bulldog04]

I’d bet dollars to donuts one of our 3 leaves for a gig this years

Agree with you on that. Red will get some serious looks and will always get the big offer before Gmac.

 

[SU94]

That is over how many years? Over a lot of years, that isn't all that impressive. I saw Best name on there and he was a long time ago. I saw him in high school back in 1989. Plus, how many of those guys could get in to B.C.? I don't know the answer to that but I would bet on the under whatever that was. I just looked at it again, there was a guy from 1950 on that list. Honestly, you just made my point.

There are over 20 players picked in rounds 1-2 since Ewing that were born In Massachusetts. That’s nothing to sneeze at. Not every player in a program has to be a first rounder either. And the “where born list” does not include all prep school kids, like say Chris McCullough, Tyler Lydon or Lawrence Moten. All drafted in rounds 1 or 2. All came from somewhere else and prepped in New England.

New England basketball includes Boston Metro and the Prep Schools, which have a gravitational pull on top 150 talent. That’s plenty talent-rich for BC to mine, again with the right hire. And from there, they go to NYC, Philly, etc. a bit.

Look at it another way. How many D1 schools are in New England? 20+. And most of those athletes come from local areas or the prep schools.

 

[two3zone]

I’d bet dollars to donuts one of our 3 leaves for a gig this years

I don’t see it, we haven’t had much success lately, plenty of other assistants with more success.

 

[Sherman20]

I gotta ask why you don’t think BC is in a fertile recruiting location? I see about 25 million people and a few dozen prep schools between in between Boston and NYC. What’s not to love about that?

The recruiting territory is fertile, but being a highly selective school is the issue. That’s why Jim O’Brien left for Ohio State years ago, just as dasher says.

 

[elimunelson]

The recruiting territory is fertile, but being a highly selective school is the issue. That’s why Jim O’Brien left for Ohio State years ago, just as dasher says.

Scoonie Penn Mike Bradley were the guys he couldn’t get into BC. I wouldn’t be surprised post covid to see BC relax things w this. They have dumped a ton into their athletic facilities and are gonna try and redo Conte.

BC w the right coach can win big. Guys like MCW and Clark at Kentucky may not leave Boston if they find the right coach/recruiting apparatus.

as a Syracuse fan it concerns me they will figure this out and will become Virginia north. As a son potentially going there I wish them the best. It’s fun going to school w a quality program

 

[Alsacs]

Scoonie Penn Mike Bradley were the guys he couldn’t get into BC. I wouldn’t be surprised post covid to see BC relax things w this. They have dumped a ton into their athletic facilities and are gonna try and redo Conte.

BC w the right coach can win big. Guys like MCW and Clark at Kentucky may not leave Boston if they find the right coach/recruiting apparatus.

as a Syracuse fan it concerns me they will figure this out and will become Virginia north. As a son potentially going there I wish them the best. It’s fun going to school w a quality program

BC will never be more than they were during Al Skinner days when Ed Cooley and Bill Coen were assistants.
Virginia hired a home run coach there are only a few of those in the nation.

If BC got good there coach would get scooped up as their ego would want more attention. BC is completely irrelevant in Boston sports scene.

BC should aspire to be like Pitt under Jamie Dixon. We as Syracuse fans owe Pitt basketball fans a thanks for being fed up with Dixon.

BC will have to pay legit money to get a decent coach after what Donahue and Christian have done as coach.

 

[SU94]

The recruiting territory is fertile, but being a highly selective school is the issue. That’s why Jim O’Brien left for Ohio State years ago, just as dasher says.

Correct. And I agree about the academic standards. The only part I questioned was his statement about NE not being fertile. And he doubled down.

 

[elimunelson]

BC will never be more than they were during Al Skinner days when Ed Cooley and Bill Coen were assistants.
Virginia hired a home run coach there are only a few of those in the nation.

If BC got good there coach would get scooped up as their ego would want more attention. BC is completely irrelevant in Boston sports scene.

BC should aspire to be like Pitt under Jamie Dixon. We as Syracuse fans owe Pitt basketball fans a thanks for being fed up with Dixon.

BC will have to pay legit money to get a decent coach after what Donahue and Christian have done as coach.

You prob are too young to remember the Gary Williams years. Team was very good.

Same w the 94 squad w Jimmy O’Brien.

Everything you say is 100% true. That’s why they need to go for the home
Run hire. I think BC can keep someone for a decade plus if it’s right person and they can be a NCAA team every 3 years

 

[IthacaBarrel]

Hire John Belien for a couple years and he brings his son Pat as top assistant and he replaces his dad as Pat needs to rebuild his rep a bit

 

[EnviroSciGuy]

Hire John Belien for a couple years and he brings his son Pat as top assistant and he replaces his dad as Pat needs to rebuild his rep a bit

This is the BC thread, not the JB succession succession discussion

 

[IthacaBarrel]

This is the BC thread, not the JB succession succession discussion

Yeah that works here too

 

[dasher]

There are over 20 players picked in rounds 1-2 since Ewing that were born In Massachusetts. That’s nothing to sneeze at. Not every player in a program has to be a first rounder either. And the “where born list” does not include all prep school kids, like say Chris McCullough, Tyler Lydon or Lawrence Moten. All drafted in rounds 1 or 2. All came from somewhere else and prepped in New England.

New England basketball includes Boston Metro and the Prep Schools, which have a gravitational pull on top 150 talent. That’s plenty talent-rich for BC to mine, again with the right hire. And from there, they go to NYC, Philly, etc. a bit.

Look at it another way. How many D1 schools are in New England? 20+. And most of those athletes come from local areas or the prep schools.

You are comparing B.C. to itself. What ACC school does B.C. have a recruiting advantage against? How many current Big East schools does it have an advantage against. You recruit New England and I'll recruit New York and let's see who comes out on top. Pat Ewing graduated from Boston Latin in 1981. And now try and get those kids in to B.C.. True story, Jim O'Brien wanted a kid and told the admissions people that he would look after the kid and make sure he did the work. The admissions person actually said to O'Brien, you can't look after your own kids (his daughter had a problem at the time). A bad location. A community that doesn't care about program. A tough school to get in to. A special guy could make something out of the B.C. job. But there aren't many coaches that could. They need, as they have at times in the past, to catch lightening in a bottle with some lower rated kids who turn out much better than they were expected to.

 

[elimunelson]

You are comparing B.C. to itself. What ACC school does B.C. have a recruiting advantage against? How many current Big East schools does it have an advantage against. You recruit New England and I'll recruit New York and let's see who comes out on top. Pat Ewing graduated from Boston Latin in 1981. And now try and get those kids in to B.C.. True story, Jim O'Brien wanted a kid and told the admissions people that he would look after the kid and make sure he did the work. The admissions person actually said to O'Brien, you can't look after your own kids (his daughter had a problem at the time). A bad location. A community that doesn't care about program. A tough school to get in to. A special guy could make something out of the B.C. job. But there aren't many coaches that could. They need, as they have at times in the past, to catch lightening in a bottle with some lower rated kids who turn out much better than they were expected to.

Pat Ewing went to Cambridge Rindge and Latin (as did Rumeal Robinson) not Boston Latin. Completely different schools. Latin you need to score to get into.

The admission issue had nothing to do with O'Brien's daughter. Coach K had more issues with his daughter at Duke than Jimmy did.

Alot of the issues stemmed from the Herren debacle and the subsequent gambling scandal. They have gotten plenty of iffy kids into BC. The timing was not their friend w Bradley/Penn/Elton Tyler/Jon Depina/etc. It was handled terribly but it was terrible timing.

The area has a ton of talent to win at the highest level. A kid like Duncan Robison went to Governor's, played in NESCAC and then transferred to Michigan. An intrepid coach with some local success keeps him local.

 

[dasher]

Pat Ewing went to Cambridge Rindge and Latin (as did Rumeal Robinson) not Boston Latin. Completely different schools. Latin you need to score to get into.

The admission issue had nothing to do with O'Brien's daughter. Coach K had more issues with his daughter at Duke than Jimmy did.

Alot of the issues stemmed from the Herren debacle and the subsequent gambling scandal. They have gotten plenty of iffy kids into BC. The timing was not their friend w Bradley/Penn/Elton Tyler/Jon Depina/etc. It was handled terribly but it was terrible timing.

The area has a ton of talent to win at the highest level. A kid like Duncan Robison went to Governor's, played in NESCAC and then transferred to Michigan. An intrepid coach with some local success keeps him local.

I know he wen to Canbridge Ridge and Latin. Mt cousin went to Boston Latin. Old age. I didn't say that O'Brien's daughter had an admission problem. I said that the admissions guy said to O'Brien that he couldn't take care of his daughter. Awful thing to say. And we can just disagree about the talent pool and the admission process. B.C. is at a disadvantage with both against fellow ACC schools and Big East schools. Now, if you want to argue that someone with Bennett's ability could win there, I wouldn't disagree. I think it would take a very special guy to win there. I love the city. But there are few ACC jobs I wouldn't rather have.

 

[Hoo's That]

That is so true, dumb move to fire Skinner, they haven't been able to replace him

That AD, Gene DeFilippo, not only fired Skinner he also forced Tom O'Brien to leave for NC State and fired Jeff Jagodzinski. His name is a curse word on the BC board. They still haven't fully recovered from the damage he did. He's also the one who famously said, "I'll start a {fill in a sport here} team when Florida State starts a hockey team."

 

[elimunelson]

That AD, Gene DeFilippo, not only fired Skinner he also forced Tom O'Brien to leave for NC State and fired Jeff Jagodzinski. His name is a curse word on the BC board. They still haven't fully recovered from the damage he did. He's also the one who famously said, "I'll start a {fill in a sport here} team when Florida State starts a hockey team."

Tom O'Brien habitually was looking to job jump at BC. I don't hold that against Gene at all. Jags lied to Gene about interviewing for the Jets job. Again, not a good career move to do so. Jags won with Tom's recruits too.

Gene hired Al Skinner which was a great hire and a terrible fire. I grant you that one but Al's staff kinda fell apart at the end when Ed Cooley left.

Ed is the hire if they can somehow land him and he can somehow hold his nose with how Al was treated. Doubtful on both.

 

[elimunelson]

Pitino randomly stating he's not a candidate for the BC job which means he wants to be in the discussion for the job. Guy is the best.

 

[Alsacs]

Pitino randomly stating he's not a candidate for the BC job which means he wants to be in the discussion for the job. Guy is the best.

Jim Boeheim has a better chance of retiring after this season than Rick Pitino does at getting the BC job.

Pitino needs an SEC team to be desperate to hire him to get him back at a P5 job.
Think South Carolina.

 

[shandeezy7]

Hire John Belien for a couple years and he brings his son Pat as top assistant and he replaces his dad as Pat needs to rebuild his rep a bit

This article from October sure reads like a guy who is totally happy with being retired from coaching:

John Beilein is back at home in Ann Arbor

John Beilein has come home to Ann Arbor, and it has made a world of difference.

www.michigandaily.com

 

[elimunelson]

Jim Boeheim has a better chance of retiring after this season than Rick Pitino does at getting the BC job.

Pitino needs an SEC team to be desperate to hire him to get him back at a P5 job.
Think South Carolina.

There's some loud money at the Heights that is sick of losing FWIW. BC isn't broke and has money to spend. Question is will they spend it to invest in the program. Pitino would reset the conversation immediately. Perhaps Richard Pitino would consider it? Went to HS in Boston, college at Providence...

I agree it's a long shot but I don't doubt they are aiming higher than what we perceive to be the candidates. Something to monitor...

 

[SU94]

You are comparing B.C. to itself. What ACC school does B.C. have a recruiting advantage against? How many current Big East schools does it have an advantage against. You recruit New England and I'll recruit New York and let's see who comes out on top. Pat Ewing graduated from Boston Latin in 1981. And now try and get those kids in to B.C.. True story, Jim O'Brien wanted a kid and told the admissions people that he would look after the kid and make sure he did the work. The admissions person actually said to O'Brien, you can't look after your own kids (his daughter had a problem at the time). A bad location. A community that doesn't care about program. A tough school to get in to. A special guy could make something out of the B.C. job. But there aren't many coaches that could. They need, as they have at times in the past, to catch lightening in a bottle with some lower rated kids who turn out much better than they were expected to.

I respectfully questioned one singular portion of your entire BC-job-is-not-much thesis, namely that New England is not a fertile recruiting area. I disagree with that and laid out a few reasons and examples of why. I also agree with you that academic standards there can be problematic. To what degree in the present, I'm not sure. We'd have to ask Steve Donahue or Jim Christian, I suppose.

I then followed that to say that BC can hang in there in terms of recruiting if they hire the right person to mine that talent and/or mend the relationships, be it in New England (4 of their top 10 all-time scorers are from New England), New York, Philly, DC, etc.

Remember, ... Rollie once went ~30 years without signing a single recruit from inner city Philly. Twice this decade, Jay Wright won National Titles with rosters loaded with local talent. Nova and BC share similar profiles (not identical!), especially in academics, demographics and suburban/big city campuses. So, things can change in a blink.

(BTW, I hate BC with the power of 1000 suns and hate stressing their potential positives).

 

[dasher]

I respectfully questioned one singular portion of your entire BC-job-is-not-much thesis, namely that New England is not a fertile recruiting area. I disagree with that and laid out a few reasons and examples of why. I also agree with you that academic standards there can be problematic. To what degree in the present, I'm not sure. We'd have to ask Steve Donahue or Jim Christian, I suppose.

I then followed that top say that BC can hang in there in terms of recruiting if they hire the right person to mine that talent and/or mend the relationships, be it in New England (4 of their top 10 all-time scorers are from New England), New York, Philly, DC, etc.

Remember, ... Rollie once went ~30 years without signing a single recruit from inner city Philly. Twice this decade, Jay Wright won National Titles with rosters loaded with local talent. Nova and BC share similar profiles (not identical!), especially in academics, demographics and suburban/big city campuses. So, things can change in a blink.

(BTW, I hate BC with the power of 1000 suns and hate stressing their potential positives).

I don't hate them the way I hate others. That is even after that idiot gloating at me after the tournament loss in '81 But I would really challenge the take that the local hoop scene in Boston is anything like the local hoop scene in Philly. In my opinion, Philly youth hoops is far greater. We have seen really all of the philly teams do something in basketball using a lot of philly players. The 5 widely known philly schools have all had their moments. Not the case in Boston. If there was a challenge year after year between philly schools and Boston schools, i think Philly would wipe the floor with them. Might be fun to actually have that now that I think about it. Nova, St Joes., Temple, Penn and La Salle vs B.C., Harvard, B.U., Northeastern and I guess you would have to take either Holy Cross or UMass. But that even shows that Boston only has 4 teams. I think I could add mote to the Philly cause if I had to.

 

[CuseFaninVT]

Personally, I think BC is too big a step up for John Becker, but I'm interested to hear why the Bonnies coach would be favored over Becker. UVM has won that matchup the last few years anyway. Becker has had more consistent results getting the league championship and the guaranteed bid to the NCAA (or so it feels). He's done a good job of recruiting and using transfers pretty well despite being in a lower level league.

 

[elimunelson]

Personally, I think BC is too big a step up for John Becker, but I'm interested to hear why the Bonnies coach would be favored over Becker. UVM has won that matchup the last few years anyway. Becker has had more consistent results getting the league championship and the guaranteed bid to the NCAA (or so it feels). He's done a good job of recruiting and using transfers pretty well despite being in a lower level league.

Bona coach is from North Attleborough MA so i assume it's local guy angle.