In his final move to complete his coaching staff Xavier men's basketball coach Chris Mack is expected to announce the hiring of former Wake Forest assistant coach Pat Kelsey in the coming days as the new Associate Head Coach of the men's basketball program.
Kelsey, a 1998 Xavier graduate, had a stellar recruiting resume at Wake Forest, reeling in top talent such as Al Faruq-Aminu, Tony Woods and Ari Stewart.
In addition, Kelsey has been noted as an excellent in-game tactician, and excels in post instruction--both areas of concern for the Xavier staff after James Whitford departed for Arizona along with Sean Miller.
While unlikely to pay immediate recruiting dividends in the 2009 season because of the timing of the hiring--after the spring contact period with recruits--Kelsey's contacts in the Southeast, combined with the effort that Mack has been putting into the area, could produce talent as early as 2010. The hiring will certainly give Xavier a boost with previous southern prospects, such as Atlanta's Donte Williams.
The hiring of Kelsey gives Xavier one of the most formidable staffs in the country on the recruiting trail, consisting of a four man team with impressive resume's in different regions of the country.
'Bino' Ranson has strong connections in the talent-rich Baltimore area from his time as an AAU coach in the region, and also possesses the ability to parlay those ties to strong relationships in the Northeast. Travis Steele has roots in the Indiana AAU circuit, as he was a head coach for the preeminent Indiana grassroots program, Indiana Elite, for six years. Kelsey is one of the most respected recruiters in the country, able to draw from the Southeast for Wake Forest, but also extending his web incrementally as his stature grows.
To top it off, Xavier has a zealous recruiter as their head man. Mack has been able to produce talent from Xavier's immediate recruiting pipeline--Ohio, Michigan, Pennsylvania--in his time as an assistant, and has ties to each of the other hotbeds that his assistants will be dipping into from his tenure on the Xavier staff.
Aside from the future concerns of the program, bringing in Kelsey makes Xavier a better team on the court in 2009-10 by easing the in-game burden on Mack's shoulders. Mack is an excellent in-game coach, but had two fairly inexperienced assistants on his staff already in Ranson and Steele. Kelsey has been through the fire as an assistant in the ACC for five seasons, and will be a strong voice in Mack's ear during critical situations in 09-10.
With a strong foundation now in place on the sidelines, Xavier can focus on completing their roster for next season--highlighted by efforts to land previous commitment Kevin Parrom--and get to work on living up to Final Four-level expectations.
In the meantime, Mack is breathing a sigh of relief. He has landed his first big-time recruit... and potentially his most important.
Sunday, April 26, 2009
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Some possible Assistant Coaches
Here is a quick rundown of two possible assistant coaches on Chris Mack's staff:
Jeff Boals
-Excellent recruiter who has been the lead recruiter at Akron over the past three seasons, helping the Zips to three straight MAC Championship games, including a MAC Tournament title in 2009.
-Was responsible for bringing in four-star center Zeke Marshall in 2009 (rated the No. 39 prospect in the class by Rival.com) as well as the best recruiting class in the MAC in 2008.
-Has ties to Chris Mack and Xavier through former Xavier assistant, and current St. Bonaventure head coach Mark Schmidt. Boals was an assistant to Schmidt from 2004-2006 at Robert Morris. Also, Mack and Boals have gotten to know one another well by recruiting the same tract of land, as both were the lead recruiters for the Ohio area for their respective programs.
-Channeling the appeal of recruiting under Akron head coach Keith Dambrot, former head coach of LeBron James at Akron’s St. Vincent, St. Mary’s High School, Boals has been able to woo some of Ohio’s best talent to take a peek at Akron. Top 100 recruits Adrein Payne, J.D. Weatherspoon both had Akron high on their list in large part because of James, and had their interest augmented by Boals. Xavier would figure to have an excellent chance to re-recruit Weatherspoon with Boals on board, and would now figure to be on the inside track with Payne as Boals was also the lead man in attracting the 6’10” big man’s interest to Akron.
-Boals is also an excellent teacher of post players, something that Xavier has prided itself on in sending Tyrone Hill, Brian Grant, James Posey and David West to the NBA. Boals will take the place of James Whitford, who handled the post duties for Xavier under former head coach Sean Miller.
-If Boals is the man to take over the No. 2 roll on the Xavier staff, look for him to lead Xavier’s recruiting efforts for 2011 forward Markus Crider and guard Stevie Taylor.
Travis Steele
-Spent the 2008-09 season as Xavier’s Director of Basketball Operations after spending three years at Indiana University. Steele was originally the video coordinator at IU, but was promoted to Assistant Coach in February of 2008 in the fallout of head coach Kelvin Sampson’s NCAA recruiting violations.
-Despite being only 24 years old, Steele has deep recruiting ties in the Hoosier state and the Chicago area that originated with his coaching positions with the Speice/Indy Heat Adidas AAU program from 2001-2006. While not a college athlete, Steele chose instead to sharpen his coaching skills during his years at Butler (2001-2004), not only coaching on the AAU circuit, but assisting at Ben Davis High School in Indianapolis
-After college, Steele spent two seasons as an assistant at Wabash College, before moving on to the staff at IU.
-Steele is widely recognized as an outstanding asset in game preparation, with experience beyond his years in film study, and practice preparation.
-With Steele on board, look for Xavier to go after 2011 Indiana recruits Justin Gant, Jeremiah Davis, Kendall Griffin and Darwin Davis.
Jeff Boals
-Excellent recruiter who has been the lead recruiter at Akron over the past three seasons, helping the Zips to three straight MAC Championship games, including a MAC Tournament title in 2009.
-Was responsible for bringing in four-star center Zeke Marshall in 2009 (rated the No. 39 prospect in the class by Rival.com) as well as the best recruiting class in the MAC in 2008.
-Has ties to Chris Mack and Xavier through former Xavier assistant, and current St. Bonaventure head coach Mark Schmidt. Boals was an assistant to Schmidt from 2004-2006 at Robert Morris. Also, Mack and Boals have gotten to know one another well by recruiting the same tract of land, as both were the lead recruiters for the Ohio area for their respective programs.
-Channeling the appeal of recruiting under Akron head coach Keith Dambrot, former head coach of LeBron James at Akron’s St. Vincent, St. Mary’s High School, Boals has been able to woo some of Ohio’s best talent to take a peek at Akron. Top 100 recruits Adrein Payne, J.D. Weatherspoon both had Akron high on their list in large part because of James, and had their interest augmented by Boals. Xavier would figure to have an excellent chance to re-recruit Weatherspoon with Boals on board, and would now figure to be on the inside track with Payne as Boals was also the lead man in attracting the 6’10” big man’s interest to Akron.
-Boals is also an excellent teacher of post players, something that Xavier has prided itself on in sending Tyrone Hill, Brian Grant, James Posey and David West to the NBA. Boals will take the place of James Whitford, who handled the post duties for Xavier under former head coach Sean Miller.
-If Boals is the man to take over the No. 2 roll on the Xavier staff, look for him to lead Xavier’s recruiting efforts for 2011 forward Markus Crider and guard Stevie Taylor.
Travis Steele
-Spent the 2008-09 season as Xavier’s Director of Basketball Operations after spending three years at Indiana University. Steele was originally the video coordinator at IU, but was promoted to Assistant Coach in February of 2008 in the fallout of head coach Kelvin Sampson’s NCAA recruiting violations.
-Despite being only 24 years old, Steele has deep recruiting ties in the Hoosier state and the Chicago area that originated with his coaching positions with the Speice/Indy Heat Adidas AAU program from 2001-2006. While not a college athlete, Steele chose instead to sharpen his coaching skills during his years at Butler (2001-2004), not only coaching on the AAU circuit, but assisting at Ben Davis High School in Indianapolis
-After college, Steele spent two seasons as an assistant at Wabash College, before moving on to the staff at IU.
-Steele is widely recognized as an outstanding asset in game preparation, with experience beyond his years in film study, and practice preparation.
-With Steele on board, look for Xavier to go after 2011 Indiana recruits Justin Gant, Jeremiah Davis, Kendall Griffin and Darwin Davis.
Xavier hires Chris Mack
Eight days after Sean Miller vacated the position to head to the University of Arizona, Xavier University settled their search for a new head men's basketball coach with an in-house hire. Former assistant coach Chris Mack will move one seat down the bench to take over the head role.Mack, a 1992 Xavier graduate, has spent the last five seasons as Miller’s top assistant, and had been drawing interest in the past few years from a number of programs as a head coaching candidate.
While the biggest question surrounding Mack will be his lack of previous collegiate head coaching experience, his résumé is not devoid of accomplishments.
After serving as head coach at Mt. Notre Dame High School from 1995-1999, where he was named Cincinnati Post Coach of the Year in 1996, Mack moved on to three years as Xavier’s Director of Basketball Operations. From there he joined the coaching staff of his former head coach Skip Prosser at Wake Forest for three seasons, before returning to Xavier as the top assistant for Miller in 2004.
Over those five seasons Mack has proven himself to be a capable recruiter, heading Xavier’s fruitful efforts to sign Jamel McLean, Kenny Frease, Brad Redford and Brian Walsh.
As a result, many of those players—including Frease and Dante Jackson publicly—have thrown their support behind Mack in the time period between Miller’s departure and Mack’s hiring.
With the stability of the current Xavier team intact, Mack can immediately focus on bringing in future contributors to the Xavier program.
Mack has already been in touch with 2010 Xavier recruits J.D. Weatherspoon and Adrein Payne, AAU teammates for the Ohio Basketball Club. If Mack is able to add top-flight recruiters to his coaching staff—such Akron associate head coach Jeff Boals, who not only has a strong rapport with Mack, but with many Ohio prospects such as Weatherspoon and Payne—he will be able to remain on course with the talent level of the program.
While the biggest question surrounding Mack will be his lack of previous collegiate head coaching experience, his résumé is not devoid of accomplishments.
After serving as head coach at Mt. Notre Dame High School from 1995-1999, where he was named Cincinnati Post Coach of the Year in 1996, Mack moved on to three years as Xavier’s Director of Basketball Operations. From there he joined the coaching staff of his former head coach Skip Prosser at Wake Forest for three seasons, before returning to Xavier as the top assistant for Miller in 2004.
Over those five seasons Mack has proven himself to be a capable recruiter, heading Xavier’s fruitful efforts to sign Jamel McLean, Kenny Frease, Brad Redford and Brian Walsh.
As a result, many of those players—including Frease and Dante Jackson publicly—have thrown their support behind Mack in the time period between Miller’s departure and Mack’s hiring.
With the stability of the current Xavier team intact, Mack can immediately focus on bringing in future contributors to the Xavier program.
Mack has already been in touch with 2010 Xavier recruits J.D. Weatherspoon and Adrein Payne, AAU teammates for the Ohio Basketball Club. If Mack is able to add top-flight recruiters to his coaching staff—such Akron associate head coach Jeff Boals, who not only has a strong rapport with Mack, but with many Ohio prospects such as Weatherspoon and Payne—he will be able to remain on course with the talent level of the program.
Monday, April 13, 2009
B.J. Raymond impressing at Portsmouth
Xavier senior B.J. Raymond was invited to the Portsmouth Invitational Tournament this week. The tournament is meant to celebrate the nation's top collegiate senior talent, and serves as an adequate showcase for the NBA Draft scouts in attendance. Here is a take on how Raymond is performing from NBADraftExpress.com:
B.J. Raymond had yet another outstanding showing, knocking down another four 3-pointers (bringing him to 8 so far, on just 11 attempts) for an efficient 16 points. Raymond is one of the most vocal players you’ll find here on the defensive end, acting as somewhat of a captain for his team on this end of the floor, and really setting the tone for his teammates himself with the work he puts in. Despite not showing great lateral quickness, Raymond moves his feet exceptionally well and can really anticipate, playing a solid, fundamental brand of perimeter defense, and pretty much shutting down whoever he’s been asked to guard. His ball-handling appears to be average at best, and he seems to have problems finishing around the basket when driving in traffic, although he was able to finish nicely through contact in a few transition situations. Sitting right next to his team’s bench, you could constantly hear his voice during timeouts. It’s no surprise that his team is in the finals despite having likely the tournament’s worst “point guard” (the ultra selfish and constant showoff David Holston) running the show for them. It’s becoming more and more obvious why Raymond was such a winner as a college player in his time at Xavier.
I still think that it is a long shot for Raymond to make an NBA roster, simply because of his limitations on defense and in driving to the basket. But with the strong shooting performances that he has put on in front of the scouts in Portsmouth and at the NABC All-Star game in Detroit he has positioned himself to be a second round draft choice--Xavier's first since Romain Sato in 2004. Ultimately, Raymond's athleticism, scoring ability and leadership qualities should provide him with a similarly successful career to Sato.
B.J. Raymond had yet another outstanding showing, knocking down another four 3-pointers (bringing him to 8 so far, on just 11 attempts) for an efficient 16 points. Raymond is one of the most vocal players you’ll find here on the defensive end, acting as somewhat of a captain for his team on this end of the floor, and really setting the tone for his teammates himself with the work he puts in. Despite not showing great lateral quickness, Raymond moves his feet exceptionally well and can really anticipate, playing a solid, fundamental brand of perimeter defense, and pretty much shutting down whoever he’s been asked to guard. His ball-handling appears to be average at best, and he seems to have problems finishing around the basket when driving in traffic, although he was able to finish nicely through contact in a few transition situations. Sitting right next to his team’s bench, you could constantly hear his voice during timeouts. It’s no surprise that his team is in the finals despite having likely the tournament’s worst “point guard” (the ultra selfish and constant showoff David Holston) running the show for them. It’s becoming more and more obvious why Raymond was such a winner as a college player in his time at Xavier.
I still think that it is a long shot for Raymond to make an NBA roster, simply because of his limitations on defense and in driving to the basket. But with the strong shooting performances that he has put on in front of the scouts in Portsmouth and at the NABC All-Star game in Detroit he has positioned himself to be a second round draft choice--Xavier's first since Romain Sato in 2004. Ultimately, Raymond's athleticism, scoring ability and leadership qualities should provide him with a similarly successful career to Sato.
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
Xavier starting the interview process
With multiple alumni and current players backing him for the vacant head coaching position, Xavier assistant coach Chris Mack has become the first person to formally interview with the Xavier administration.
Mack, a 1992 Xavier graduate and Cincinnati native, has spent the last five seasons as former Xavier coach Sean Miller's top assistant.
Mack also has been an active recruiter under Miller, playing a major role in the recruitment of current Musketeers Kenny Frease, Brad Redford and Brian Walsh.
Mack has received the backing of notable former Xavier players such as 2003 National Player of the Year David West and all time leading scorer Byron Larkin. If hired, he would likely be able to keep the current roster in tact, as Jackson and Frease have voiced their affinity for Mack publicly, and others have opined for the stability of a familiar coach.
All of this could make for a quick search for the Xavier brass, something that athletic director Mike Bobinski stated as a priority on Monday.
Mack, a 1992 Xavier graduate and Cincinnati native, has spent the last five seasons as former Xavier coach Sean Miller's top assistant.
Mack also has been an active recruiter under Miller, playing a major role in the recruitment of current Musketeers Kenny Frease, Brad Redford and Brian Walsh.
Mack has received the backing of notable former Xavier players such as 2003 National Player of the Year David West and all time leading scorer Byron Larkin. If hired, he would likely be able to keep the current roster in tact, as Jackson and Frease have voiced their affinity for Mack publicly, and others have opined for the stability of a familiar coach.
All of this could make for a quick search for the Xavier brass, something that athletic director Mike Bobinski stated as a priority on Monday.
Monday, April 6, 2009
Sean Miller to Arizona timeline
Wow! What a day!
Here is a rough timeline of the events from today, as I understood and observed them (times are rough estimates, as I was not checking my watch closely):
Early Morning- Mike Bobinski drives to Sean Miller’s house and has a heartfelt meeting with the coach. The two had talked last night, and had been in constant communication about the situation. Miller had gone to bed with doubts in his mind, and woken up still torn. Bobinski described the conversation as emotional, but ultimately left with his coaching situation up in the air.
Noon- Miller calls Bobinski to inform him that he will be leaving for Arizona. Presumably, Miller and his wife Amy discussed the situation all morning, and ultimately decided to pull the trigger.
1:30 p.m.- The alarm goes out to the players to come to Cintas for a meeting, but they are not told what the meeting is for. Word got out quickly, however, and any already knew before they got in the locker room that Miller was leaving.
1:35 p.m.- As players trickle in they all turn down comment with the media, and head straight for the locker room.
1:40 p.m.- Five players—Dante Jackson, Kenny Frease, Jamel McLean, Derrick Brown and Mark Lyons—are here already. Lyons was the last to arrive, and walked into the locker room for a brief moment, before exiting quickly, chased by Kenny Frease. “This is bull----!,” Lyons yelled. Frease tried to get Lyons to come back into the locker room, but Lyons responded, “No man! F--- this.”
1:50 p.m.- Jackson, Frease and the newly arrived Brian Walsh head outside the locker room to meet others at the West Entrance of Cintas.
“We came to play for Miller,” Jackson said. “Anytime you lose a head coach it is going to be a blow.”
“We just have to regroup and go from here,” Frease said. “Coach Miller was a big part of coming to Xavier, but [potentially leaving] is not something that I want to talk about right now.”
1:55 p.m.- The players are called back inside, presumably to avoid us media folk.
2:00 p.m.- The players claim to be here for a 3:30 lift, but it is revealed the coaches will meet with the players after Bobinski breaks the news to them around 2:30.
2:05 p.m.- There are fans gathering outside of the West Entrance, one of whom has a pair of Arizona shorts that is being stomped on. Obviously, the student body is unhappy.
2:10 p.m.- B.J. Raymond shows up, one of the final few to trickle in. He does stop and talk to the media, unlike some of his younger, more shaken teammates.
Raymond: “Last year there were big things about coach getting ready to leave, and he told us that he was not going to stay forever. You have to be happy for coach. We knew that Xavier was not a place that you want to end [your career]. So he went down to Arizona, they offered him about twice as much, and that is good for him. You can’t be mad at him, but I am sad to see him leave… I talked to the younger guys and told them that it did not look too promising because when I was here he never took a visit. I gotta go in there and calm down the younger guys… Basketball is a business. You have to look at it in those terms. You have to perform when you are a player, and you have to perform when you are a coach. And he has performed very well. When you perform well you deserve things; coach deserves this… Even if I was not leaving, you can’t be mad at him… I’m not surprised. I expected it when he took the visit. Something was going down. If he wasn’t leaving this year, I knew that it would probably be next year, simply because he took the visit. But this year’s team is going to be a great team, and they are going to go make a deep run. If it wasn’t this year, it was going to be next year.”
2:15 p.m.- Jordan Crawford had walked in with Raymond, but had a similar reaction to Lyons earlier, and stormed out of Cintas Center without saying a word. This is the second time in two years that Crawford’s coach has left him, and you have to feel for the kid.
2:20 p.m.- Brad Redford is not exactly thinking clearly at the moment, as he forgot the code to the locker room (that he basically sleeps in).
2:25 p.m.- C.J. Anderson just showed up with his son Antoine. He learned about the move from Crawford as Crawford was disgustedly walking back to his dorm room. Anderson said he plans to go talk to Crawford, and try to keep his head on straight, along with the rest of the team.
Anderson: “I thought coach Miller would be here for a while because he signed an extension.… Congratulations to coach Miller and his family. Hopefully he does as well there as he did here… I understand it is a business. He took a lot of things into account. I trust coach Miller, he is a smart guy, and he must have felt like this was the move that he needed to make… I think coach Mack knows the players, and it would be a better transition. The players know him, and he knows the system. It would be a comfortable transition, so I definitely think that Xavier should take a good look at coach Mack.”
2:30 p.m.- Not much is doing here, as the players have come in and the media has been backed far away from the locker room. It would seem from the brief snippets we have gotten so far that the older players always had this moment in the back of their mind, and anticipated it. They knew that this day would come, and the Mack would likely be the guy, so they were not that worried about it. The younger players are more emotional, however. That is likely because they have not heard Miller’s speech about this not being his final destination.
2:31 p.m.- Word is the players are in a meeting now with Mike Bobinski, and are being told what has happened, and what will happen.
2:40 p.m.- The meeting is out, and a select group of players have chosen to speak to the media: Jackson, Jason Love and Kenny Frease. I did not get to Love in time but here are the other two:
Jackson: “It’s tough. I feel terrible for our guys. We are all disappointed and hurt. You hope and pray that he sticks around for as long as you are going to be there. We knew that coach Miller was a hot commodity, and we wish him the best. We are looking forward to continuing our success as a program. Xavier has not been a program that is made by the coach. Mr. Bobinski will initiate the search, and bring in the right guy for our program… Our goal is to make it to the Final Four, and my mindset was working on making myself and our team better to reach that. You hear the rumor and I didn’t pay much attention to it… I knew he wasn’t going to be here forever. I didn’t think he was going to leave this year. If he was going to leave it was going to be last year. I have a lot of respect for him, he recruited me, and he does things the right way… We haven’t spoken to [Miller] yet. We will a little later, and I am looking forward to that… Coach Mack is obviously going to be in the running. He graduated from here. He is ready to be a head coach. I’m going to sit back and trust our athletic director to make the right decision… Xavier is going to be Xavier, and always put a good team on the floor. We are going to play for our program, our fans, and our family. It doesn’t matter who is the coach on the sidelines… A lot of guys are upset right now, and a lot of things are being said out of emotion. They came for coach miller and also to wear ‘Xavier’ across their uniforms… The mood was disappointment in the locker room… We asked questions of Mr. Bobinski, and we will have questions for our staff later… We have to take it in stride, be upbeat and positive. This program is still going to be here, and we are doing pretty damn good.”
Frease: “In my year here, you come to Xavier for Miller. He was a great coach and recruiter. I fell in love with Xavier, and the traditions they have here. It makes it hard to think about leaving… We have big goals for next year. The talent is there, but it just depends. That is the worst part because you don’t know what is going to happen with the players… I have gotten to know coach pretty well, and there has to be something at Arizona. I don’t feel let down… It’s tough because it is a business.”
3:00 p.m.- Lyons had returned from storming out before, and is now ready to leave again before the 4:00 meeting with Miller. He is stopped by Frease again, who asked him to stay and listen to Miller. “What can he possibly say to me?,” asked Lyons. “Why should I listen to him?”
3:15 p.m.- A lot more waiting here, as Miller is expected to address the team at 4:00. Brown, McLean, Lyons, Anderson (C.J. and Antoine), Stephen Duckett and Jackson are all hanging around in the Auxiliary gym, casually shooting. Jackson leaves to make a phone call, muttering, “They are not better than us. They are just more appealing.”
3:25 p.m.- The press conference has been set for 4:30, with Miller and Bobinski to speak
3:30 p.m.- High school junior J.D. Weatherspoon has de-committed from Xavier. Weatherspoon is a very emotional kid, and likely denounced Xavier in a spur of the moment decision. I tend to believe Xavier still has a good chance with him if they were to hire Mack, especially if Mack hires the right assistant coaches. As for other recruits, I would assume that Emanuel Richardson is already picking out a house in Tucson with the way things played out. So he might end up taking 2009 recruit Kevin Parrom, 2010 recruit Jordan Latham and 2011 recruit Nadir Tharpe out to Tucson with the staff.
4:00 p.m.- The Xavier coaching staff, minus Miller, has addressed the Xavier team in the locker room. After the meeting James Whitford and Terrell Holloway shared a hug, with Whitford tearing up at the moment.
4:05 p.m.- Whitford is in a more jovial mood when talking to Raymond, with Chris Mack also in the conversation. Whitford is nowhere to be seen, but Whitford (and later Miller) and director of basketball operations Travis Steele are wearing neutral clothing—odd for men that wear Xavier apparel every day to work. Mack is wearing a Xavier polo shirt, however. Whitford jokes with Raymond that he should come out to Tucson to be an assistant coach, since he has been one already for four years. He says they have one spot open on the bench, leading me to believe that Mack may have already been given the job.
4:15 p.m.- Miller arrives with his son Braden. He has not addressed the team personally yet, as he was not part of the meeting in the locker room earlier.
4:25 p.m.- Mack is stalking around the media room, hanging out in the back and talking with administrators. He is giving me the impression that he may be introduced as the head coach here any moment, and is ready to speak. One of the other writers asked him if he wanted to hop up on the podium and accept the job, to which he just laughed and shook his head.
4:27 p.m.- Frease and Jackson are at it again, speaking outside the press room. Both are reiterating how they are disappointed, but not upset. Frease mentioned how it is going to be tough to lose Whitford, who was the post-player coach.
4:30 p.m.- Miller comes in to the press conference. I will not do any transcribing, since it has already been widely disseminated. I will, however, say that the go-to quote about Xavier not being able to win a national title was overblown. “I would never leave Xavier unless I felt that it was a place where I can win a national championship. I don’t want to say that you can’t win one here. But it is a place that has done it before, and has that quarter of century worth of excellence stamp to it.” Miller was saying that he was attracted by the tradition of a place like Arizona, of which a championship is a part. He was not slighting Xavier, merely pointing out that the place he is going to has been to the mountaintop. In my opinion, the big moment was when Miller choked up when talking about Bobinski, and what he means to him.
4:40 p.m.- Bobinski is on the stand now, and I will not get much into what he said, either. I will say that he did not sound like he had made up his mind on a coach, but that is what you have to say if you are an Athletic Director, of which there are few better than Mike Bobinski.
5:00 p.m.- After the press conference Crawford, McLean and Redford were in the Auxiliary gym shooting around. Bobinski went in to talk to Crawford, who was obviously still shaken. The doors were closed, but Bobinski repeatedly made motions indicating he was talking about the program growing in the future.
Whew! Action packed couple of hours.
My general thoughts are that Xavier is still in a great position moving forward. Sure, the Musketeers might lose some recruits for next season and beyond. But overall, the talent level at Xavier will be extremely high next season, and will continue at that level for the next few years. Crawford, Frease and Jackson would figure to still be on campus next year, and that three some alone should bridge the two year gap that any coach would need to infuse his own recruited talent.
Also, another conference title, and a deep NCAA run next year will keep the recruits coming. I am very confident in saying that Xavier will ultimately hire Mack. Mack has strong ties within the state of Ohio, and on the recruiting scene in general, to where he will be able to fill his staff effectively and his roster will remain loaded.
Still, for many April 6, 2009 will go down as one of the gloomier days on the campus of Xavier University, both literally and figuratively.
Here is a rough timeline of the events from today, as I understood and observed them (times are rough estimates, as I was not checking my watch closely):
Early Morning- Mike Bobinski drives to Sean Miller’s house and has a heartfelt meeting with the coach. The two had talked last night, and had been in constant communication about the situation. Miller had gone to bed with doubts in his mind, and woken up still torn. Bobinski described the conversation as emotional, but ultimately left with his coaching situation up in the air.
Noon- Miller calls Bobinski to inform him that he will be leaving for Arizona. Presumably, Miller and his wife Amy discussed the situation all morning, and ultimately decided to pull the trigger.
1:30 p.m.- The alarm goes out to the players to come to Cintas for a meeting, but they are not told what the meeting is for. Word got out quickly, however, and any already knew before they got in the locker room that Miller was leaving.
1:35 p.m.- As players trickle in they all turn down comment with the media, and head straight for the locker room.
1:40 p.m.- Five players—Dante Jackson, Kenny Frease, Jamel McLean, Derrick Brown and Mark Lyons—are here already. Lyons was the last to arrive, and walked into the locker room for a brief moment, before exiting quickly, chased by Kenny Frease. “This is bull----!,” Lyons yelled. Frease tried to get Lyons to come back into the locker room, but Lyons responded, “No man! F--- this.”
1:50 p.m.- Jackson, Frease and the newly arrived Brian Walsh head outside the locker room to meet others at the West Entrance of Cintas.
“We came to play for Miller,” Jackson said. “Anytime you lose a head coach it is going to be a blow.”
“We just have to regroup and go from here,” Frease said. “Coach Miller was a big part of coming to Xavier, but [potentially leaving] is not something that I want to talk about right now.”
1:55 p.m.- The players are called back inside, presumably to avoid us media folk.
2:00 p.m.- The players claim to be here for a 3:30 lift, but it is revealed the coaches will meet with the players after Bobinski breaks the news to them around 2:30.
2:05 p.m.- There are fans gathering outside of the West Entrance, one of whom has a pair of Arizona shorts that is being stomped on. Obviously, the student body is unhappy.
2:10 p.m.- B.J. Raymond shows up, one of the final few to trickle in. He does stop and talk to the media, unlike some of his younger, more shaken teammates.
Raymond: “Last year there were big things about coach getting ready to leave, and he told us that he was not going to stay forever. You have to be happy for coach. We knew that Xavier was not a place that you want to end [your career]. So he went down to Arizona, they offered him about twice as much, and that is good for him. You can’t be mad at him, but I am sad to see him leave… I talked to the younger guys and told them that it did not look too promising because when I was here he never took a visit. I gotta go in there and calm down the younger guys… Basketball is a business. You have to look at it in those terms. You have to perform when you are a player, and you have to perform when you are a coach. And he has performed very well. When you perform well you deserve things; coach deserves this… Even if I was not leaving, you can’t be mad at him… I’m not surprised. I expected it when he took the visit. Something was going down. If he wasn’t leaving this year, I knew that it would probably be next year, simply because he took the visit. But this year’s team is going to be a great team, and they are going to go make a deep run. If it wasn’t this year, it was going to be next year.”
2:15 p.m.- Jordan Crawford had walked in with Raymond, but had a similar reaction to Lyons earlier, and stormed out of Cintas Center without saying a word. This is the second time in two years that Crawford’s coach has left him, and you have to feel for the kid.
2:20 p.m.- Brad Redford is not exactly thinking clearly at the moment, as he forgot the code to the locker room (that he basically sleeps in).
2:25 p.m.- C.J. Anderson just showed up with his son Antoine. He learned about the move from Crawford as Crawford was disgustedly walking back to his dorm room. Anderson said he plans to go talk to Crawford, and try to keep his head on straight, along with the rest of the team.
Anderson: “I thought coach Miller would be here for a while because he signed an extension.… Congratulations to coach Miller and his family. Hopefully he does as well there as he did here… I understand it is a business. He took a lot of things into account. I trust coach Miller, he is a smart guy, and he must have felt like this was the move that he needed to make… I think coach Mack knows the players, and it would be a better transition. The players know him, and he knows the system. It would be a comfortable transition, so I definitely think that Xavier should take a good look at coach Mack.”
2:30 p.m.- Not much is doing here, as the players have come in and the media has been backed far away from the locker room. It would seem from the brief snippets we have gotten so far that the older players always had this moment in the back of their mind, and anticipated it. They knew that this day would come, and the Mack would likely be the guy, so they were not that worried about it. The younger players are more emotional, however. That is likely because they have not heard Miller’s speech about this not being his final destination.
2:31 p.m.- Word is the players are in a meeting now with Mike Bobinski, and are being told what has happened, and what will happen.
2:40 p.m.- The meeting is out, and a select group of players have chosen to speak to the media: Jackson, Jason Love and Kenny Frease. I did not get to Love in time but here are the other two:
Jackson: “It’s tough. I feel terrible for our guys. We are all disappointed and hurt. You hope and pray that he sticks around for as long as you are going to be there. We knew that coach Miller was a hot commodity, and we wish him the best. We are looking forward to continuing our success as a program. Xavier has not been a program that is made by the coach. Mr. Bobinski will initiate the search, and bring in the right guy for our program… Our goal is to make it to the Final Four, and my mindset was working on making myself and our team better to reach that. You hear the rumor and I didn’t pay much attention to it… I knew he wasn’t going to be here forever. I didn’t think he was going to leave this year. If he was going to leave it was going to be last year. I have a lot of respect for him, he recruited me, and he does things the right way… We haven’t spoken to [Miller] yet. We will a little later, and I am looking forward to that… Coach Mack is obviously going to be in the running. He graduated from here. He is ready to be a head coach. I’m going to sit back and trust our athletic director to make the right decision… Xavier is going to be Xavier, and always put a good team on the floor. We are going to play for our program, our fans, and our family. It doesn’t matter who is the coach on the sidelines… A lot of guys are upset right now, and a lot of things are being said out of emotion. They came for coach miller and also to wear ‘Xavier’ across their uniforms… The mood was disappointment in the locker room… We asked questions of Mr. Bobinski, and we will have questions for our staff later… We have to take it in stride, be upbeat and positive. This program is still going to be here, and we are doing pretty damn good.”
Frease: “In my year here, you come to Xavier for Miller. He was a great coach and recruiter. I fell in love with Xavier, and the traditions they have here. It makes it hard to think about leaving… We have big goals for next year. The talent is there, but it just depends. That is the worst part because you don’t know what is going to happen with the players… I have gotten to know coach pretty well, and there has to be something at Arizona. I don’t feel let down… It’s tough because it is a business.”
3:00 p.m.- Lyons had returned from storming out before, and is now ready to leave again before the 4:00 meeting with Miller. He is stopped by Frease again, who asked him to stay and listen to Miller. “What can he possibly say to me?,” asked Lyons. “Why should I listen to him?”
3:15 p.m.- A lot more waiting here, as Miller is expected to address the team at 4:00. Brown, McLean, Lyons, Anderson (C.J. and Antoine), Stephen Duckett and Jackson are all hanging around in the Auxiliary gym, casually shooting. Jackson leaves to make a phone call, muttering, “They are not better than us. They are just more appealing.”
3:25 p.m.- The press conference has been set for 4:30, with Miller and Bobinski to speak
3:30 p.m.- High school junior J.D. Weatherspoon has de-committed from Xavier. Weatherspoon is a very emotional kid, and likely denounced Xavier in a spur of the moment decision. I tend to believe Xavier still has a good chance with him if they were to hire Mack, especially if Mack hires the right assistant coaches. As for other recruits, I would assume that Emanuel Richardson is already picking out a house in Tucson with the way things played out. So he might end up taking 2009 recruit Kevin Parrom, 2010 recruit Jordan Latham and 2011 recruit Nadir Tharpe out to Tucson with the staff.
4:00 p.m.- The Xavier coaching staff, minus Miller, has addressed the Xavier team in the locker room. After the meeting James Whitford and Terrell Holloway shared a hug, with Whitford tearing up at the moment.
4:05 p.m.- Whitford is in a more jovial mood when talking to Raymond, with Chris Mack also in the conversation. Whitford is nowhere to be seen, but Whitford (and later Miller) and director of basketball operations Travis Steele are wearing neutral clothing—odd for men that wear Xavier apparel every day to work. Mack is wearing a Xavier polo shirt, however. Whitford jokes with Raymond that he should come out to Tucson to be an assistant coach, since he has been one already for four years. He says they have one spot open on the bench, leading me to believe that Mack may have already been given the job.
4:15 p.m.- Miller arrives with his son Braden. He has not addressed the team personally yet, as he was not part of the meeting in the locker room earlier.
4:25 p.m.- Mack is stalking around the media room, hanging out in the back and talking with administrators. He is giving me the impression that he may be introduced as the head coach here any moment, and is ready to speak. One of the other writers asked him if he wanted to hop up on the podium and accept the job, to which he just laughed and shook his head.
4:27 p.m.- Frease and Jackson are at it again, speaking outside the press room. Both are reiterating how they are disappointed, but not upset. Frease mentioned how it is going to be tough to lose Whitford, who was the post-player coach.
4:30 p.m.- Miller comes in to the press conference. I will not do any transcribing, since it has already been widely disseminated. I will, however, say that the go-to quote about Xavier not being able to win a national title was overblown. “I would never leave Xavier unless I felt that it was a place where I can win a national championship. I don’t want to say that you can’t win one here. But it is a place that has done it before, and has that quarter of century worth of excellence stamp to it.” Miller was saying that he was attracted by the tradition of a place like Arizona, of which a championship is a part. He was not slighting Xavier, merely pointing out that the place he is going to has been to the mountaintop. In my opinion, the big moment was when Miller choked up when talking about Bobinski, and what he means to him.
4:40 p.m.- Bobinski is on the stand now, and I will not get much into what he said, either. I will say that he did not sound like he had made up his mind on a coach, but that is what you have to say if you are an Athletic Director, of which there are few better than Mike Bobinski.
5:00 p.m.- After the press conference Crawford, McLean and Redford were in the Auxiliary gym shooting around. Bobinski went in to talk to Crawford, who was obviously still shaken. The doors were closed, but Bobinski repeatedly made motions indicating he was talking about the program growing in the future.
Whew! Action packed couple of hours.
My general thoughts are that Xavier is still in a great position moving forward. Sure, the Musketeers might lose some recruits for next season and beyond. But overall, the talent level at Xavier will be extremely high next season, and will continue at that level for the next few years. Crawford, Frease and Jackson would figure to still be on campus next year, and that three some alone should bridge the two year gap that any coach would need to infuse his own recruited talent.
Also, another conference title, and a deep NCAA run next year will keep the recruits coming. I am very confident in saying that Xavier will ultimately hire Mack. Mack has strong ties within the state of Ohio, and on the recruiting scene in general, to where he will be able to fill his staff effectively and his roster will remain loaded.
Still, for many April 6, 2009 will go down as one of the gloomier days on the campus of Xavier University, both literally and figuratively.
Sunday, April 5, 2009
Why Miller would think of leaving
Over the past few days as news has trickled out that Sean Miller is seriously entertaining an offer to become the next head coach at the University of Arizona many Xavier fans have been left scratching their head.
The Musketeers have a top-10 caliber team returning in 2009-10, a top-flight schedule and recruiting commitments lined up down the road. Why would Miller want to leave that situation for Arizona, who will have a bare cupboard after the expected departures of Jordan Hill and Chase Buddinger to the NBA?
While the situation at Xavier is still very enticing to Miller, and still might hold up to a comparison with any job in the country at the end of the day, the position at Arizona warrants a look from Miller simply because it suits all of the things that he desires in a dream job. Here is a rough list of three things that Miller would have to have to leave Xavier, and how Arizona matches up:
Membership in a winnable major conference- Miller wants to be able to play a schedule where his team will be tested every time out on the floor, and where he can win 19 games and still make the Tournament in his first few seasons. Certainly, he would like to eventually get to a point where he can dominate a conference on a year-to-year basis the way that North Carolina does in the ACC or UCLA does in the PAC-10. He has expressed to people close to him in the past that the Big East does not seem like a place where he could achieve that kind of success, with the depth and talent that is in the conference on a yearly basis. That is part of the reason why a return to his alma mater, Pittsburgh, is not as attractive to him as many national pundits might think.
Why Arizona? The Wildcats are part of the PAC-10 conference. While UCLA will be difficult to dismantle from the top spot in the conference, Miller could quickly mold the program into perennial contenders, hopefully joining UCLA in the top tier above contenders USC, Oregon, Stanford and Arizona State.
A Primary athletic focus on basketball- Miller wants his program to be the main money maker for the athletic department, and thus be given preference when asking for monetary improvements to the basketball program. He has such a situation set up at Xavier, but it is not as strong as it could be. The men’s basketball team is the only program turning a profit at XU, and carries the weight for everything from women’s basketball to golf. Going to programs such as Virginia or Georgia where he would be given the leftover money from the football program was not as attractive to Miller as staying at Xavier and getting the first pick of athletic funding.
Why Arizona? Arizona would not only give Miller the free reign in spending that he needs, and the total commitment that he demands, but would be able to take away some of the sting of carrying the entire athletic department. The UA football team has been on the rise in recent years, and would be able to provide a solid second income for the athletic program, possibly covering the costs of the rest of the sports.
Program Prestige- Miller wants to be able to go to a program that has won before, and has a fan base that is used to success. At Xavier, he enjoys celebrating the firsts, and striving to be the first Musketeer coach to reach a Final Four. However, being in a place with championship banners, and a name that is on the minds of pundits nationwide is always appealing.
Why Arizona? The Wildcats won the NCAA title in 1997, and have made 25 straight NCAA Tournaments. Their alumni have dotted NBA and international rosters for years. The program can reasonably be considered among the elite in the country. Miller would likely embrace having the legendary Lute Olson around campus in the same fashion that Ben Howland has with John Wooden at UCLA and Roy Williams has with Dean Smith at North Carolina.
For Miller, taking a look at Arizona made sense now because the list of schools that fit even this small list of criteria here is very small. Arizona is one of maybe 10 places in the country—some of which, such as North Carolina, Duke, Kentucky and UCLA don’t figure to be hiring soon—that fit a description for a school that Miller would leave for.
Speculation in recent days that Miller may bolt for more money is unfounded—the man did not even know how much his yearly salary was a year ago.
He simply got an opportunity to pursue a job that met his strict criteria. In reality, I would be scratching my head if Miller did not at least explore such a unique opportunity.
The Musketeers have a top-10 caliber team returning in 2009-10, a top-flight schedule and recruiting commitments lined up down the road. Why would Miller want to leave that situation for Arizona, who will have a bare cupboard after the expected departures of Jordan Hill and Chase Buddinger to the NBA?
While the situation at Xavier is still very enticing to Miller, and still might hold up to a comparison with any job in the country at the end of the day, the position at Arizona warrants a look from Miller simply because it suits all of the things that he desires in a dream job. Here is a rough list of three things that Miller would have to have to leave Xavier, and how Arizona matches up:
Membership in a winnable major conference- Miller wants to be able to play a schedule where his team will be tested every time out on the floor, and where he can win 19 games and still make the Tournament in his first few seasons. Certainly, he would like to eventually get to a point where he can dominate a conference on a year-to-year basis the way that North Carolina does in the ACC or UCLA does in the PAC-10. He has expressed to people close to him in the past that the Big East does not seem like a place where he could achieve that kind of success, with the depth and talent that is in the conference on a yearly basis. That is part of the reason why a return to his alma mater, Pittsburgh, is not as attractive to him as many national pundits might think.
Why Arizona? The Wildcats are part of the PAC-10 conference. While UCLA will be difficult to dismantle from the top spot in the conference, Miller could quickly mold the program into perennial contenders, hopefully joining UCLA in the top tier above contenders USC, Oregon, Stanford and Arizona State.
A Primary athletic focus on basketball- Miller wants his program to be the main money maker for the athletic department, and thus be given preference when asking for monetary improvements to the basketball program. He has such a situation set up at Xavier, but it is not as strong as it could be. The men’s basketball team is the only program turning a profit at XU, and carries the weight for everything from women’s basketball to golf. Going to programs such as Virginia or Georgia where he would be given the leftover money from the football program was not as attractive to Miller as staying at Xavier and getting the first pick of athletic funding.
Why Arizona? Arizona would not only give Miller the free reign in spending that he needs, and the total commitment that he demands, but would be able to take away some of the sting of carrying the entire athletic department. The UA football team has been on the rise in recent years, and would be able to provide a solid second income for the athletic program, possibly covering the costs of the rest of the sports.
Program Prestige- Miller wants to be able to go to a program that has won before, and has a fan base that is used to success. At Xavier, he enjoys celebrating the firsts, and striving to be the first Musketeer coach to reach a Final Four. However, being in a place with championship banners, and a name that is on the minds of pundits nationwide is always appealing.
Why Arizona? The Wildcats won the NCAA title in 1997, and have made 25 straight NCAA Tournaments. Their alumni have dotted NBA and international rosters for years. The program can reasonably be considered among the elite in the country. Miller would likely embrace having the legendary Lute Olson around campus in the same fashion that Ben Howland has with John Wooden at UCLA and Roy Williams has with Dean Smith at North Carolina.
For Miller, taking a look at Arizona made sense now because the list of schools that fit even this small list of criteria here is very small. Arizona is one of maybe 10 places in the country—some of which, such as North Carolina, Duke, Kentucky and UCLA don’t figure to be hiring soon—that fit a description for a school that Miller would leave for.
Speculation in recent days that Miller may bolt for more money is unfounded—the man did not even know how much his yearly salary was a year ago.
He simply got an opportunity to pursue a job that met his strict criteria. In reality, I would be scratching my head if Miller did not at least explore such a unique opportunity.
Taking a logical look at what Xavier would be left with after Miller
Reports are circulating today that Sean Miller is on a plane to Albuquerque, NM to discuss accepting the head coaching job at the University of Arizona. The job would seem to suit Miller’s desires for a big-time program in a winnable conference (non-Big East), that has the commitment to basketball as the primary objective.
If Miller were to take the position, something I would put as a probability at this point, he would not completely debilitate the Xavier program; much the opposite.
Xavier already has a head-coach-in-waiting in Chris Mack, who has held the title of ‘next-Xavier-assistant-to-become-a-successful-coach’ for a few years now. "Chris is ready to become a head coach. He has a great basketball mind and is an excellent recruiter," was Miller’s assessment of Mack in preseason media guide.
The pedigree as a successful head coach at Mt. Notre Dame High School, on the Xavier staff from 1999-2001, on the Wake Forest staff for three years after that, and with Miller at Xavier ever since has set Mack up for an opportunity as a head coach. There were even whispers this offseason that Xavier would not be able to keep Mack, as he would be a hot candidate for head coaching positions at non-major schools that lost their head coaches to the power conferences.
A big strength that Mack would figure to have in the head coaching role at Xavier is a continued string of excellent recruiting classes. Mack has been a major force for Miller on the recruiting trail over the past few seasons, heading the efforts to sign Kenny Frease, Mark Lyons, and Brad Redford. The fervor that he has shown on the recruiting trail would not figure to dissipate once he becomes head coach.
Mack would also be helped by the logical play-out of the assistant coaches if he were to take over the head role. Miller would likely take James Whitford with him out west, and possibly director of basketball operations Travis Steele. Mack would likely be left with current lead-recruiter Emanuel “Book” Richardson—who would be less effective recruiting his ties in New York City from the exotic location of Tucson, AZ, forcing Miller to turn to a similarly connected figure from the Los Angeles or Houston scene for his staff at Arizona—and possibly Steele. The real coup would be if Mack is able to retain Director of Basketball Administration Mario Mercurio, who has been chiefly responsible for transforming Xavier’s schedule into the murderer’s row that it has become.
Miller would likely only need to add one more assistant coach from among the growing list of candidates available in the Wake Forest-Xavier-Calipari coaching tree.
With a set coaching staff, Mack could focus his attention quickly on those players that the staff would have gotten him. Miller will have left Mack with a stocked cupboard for 2009-10, with the ability to challenge for a Final Four in his first season—a situation not dissimilar to the one Buzz Peterson walked into at Marquette last season after Tom Crean left town.
It is unlikely that any current Xavier players would transfer from the program, as all of them were either recruited by Mack or came to respect him as the obvious second in command during their time on campus. Surely, some players who do not figure to be major components on the 2009-10 squad such as Brian Walsh and Andrew Taylor could consider moving on, but further departures seem extremely unlikely.
Even in the recruiting game, Mack would not lose much in the future outlook for Xavier. 2009 recruit Kevin Parrom and 2010 commitment Jordan Latham both chose Xavier because of the influence of Richardson, and the growing prestige of the Xavier program, neither of which would figure to disappear if Miller were to leave.
Question marks would begin to rise around 2010 commit J.D. Weatherspoon, as he was heavily recruited by Whitford, and chose Xavier in large part because of their proximity to home and the success of the program under Miller. While Xavier will not get any further from Weatherspoon’s home in Columbus, the perception in Weatherspoon’s mind may indicate that a Xavier program without Miller may drift them further from March success. That uncertainty, combined with the mercurial rise in Weatherspoon’s stock, would certainly draw interest from a bevy of other major programs as to the possibility of a change of heart.
The uncertainty at the head of the bench would also figure to hurt Xavier in their pursuit of 2009 recruit Kyryl Natyazkho. Natyazkho is down to a choice between Arizona State and Xavier at the moment, and would figure to be shy about pulling the trigger on a future in Norwood without knowing who the head man will be. Even if Miller were to return to Xavier, it would seem that his flirtation with Arizona may have come at the wrong time, as Natyazkho will be making his final decision in the coming weeks.
Looking even further down the road, Mack will be able to stabilize the Xavier program in recruiting, with major assistance from Richardson. Richardson’s ties with 2011 point guard Nadir Tharpe and a host of other New York City stars in 2011 and 2012 might solidify a pipeline from The Big Apple to Cincinnati.
The only other potential disadvantage that Mack could face would be a weaker position in bringing in transfers, a staple of the Xavier program’s success in recent years. Similar to the uncertainty that recruits such as Natyazkho might have, a forlorn scholarship holder from another major program might seek refuge elsewhere, rather than heading to a talent-laden and uncertain program at Xavier.
Nonetheless, if Xavier athletic director Mike Bobinski is forced to turn to Chris Mack as the next head coach of Xavier men’s basketball, it will not be a major detriment to the program. The team is too talented in 2009-10, Mack is too talented of a coach and the program’s recruiting roots are too strong for the move to result in anything but a bright future for Xavier basketball.
So back off the ledge Xavier fans. Everything is going to be alright.
If Miller were to take the position, something I would put as a probability at this point, he would not completely debilitate the Xavier program; much the opposite.
Xavier already has a head-coach-in-waiting in Chris Mack, who has held the title of ‘next-Xavier-assistant-to-become-a-successful-coach’ for a few years now. "Chris is ready to become a head coach. He has a great basketball mind and is an excellent recruiter," was Miller’s assessment of Mack in preseason media guide.
The pedigree as a successful head coach at Mt. Notre Dame High School, on the Xavier staff from 1999-2001, on the Wake Forest staff for three years after that, and with Miller at Xavier ever since has set Mack up for an opportunity as a head coach. There were even whispers this offseason that Xavier would not be able to keep Mack, as he would be a hot candidate for head coaching positions at non-major schools that lost their head coaches to the power conferences.
A big strength that Mack would figure to have in the head coaching role at Xavier is a continued string of excellent recruiting classes. Mack has been a major force for Miller on the recruiting trail over the past few seasons, heading the efforts to sign Kenny Frease, Mark Lyons, and Brad Redford. The fervor that he has shown on the recruiting trail would not figure to dissipate once he becomes head coach.
Mack would also be helped by the logical play-out of the assistant coaches if he were to take over the head role. Miller would likely take James Whitford with him out west, and possibly director of basketball operations Travis Steele. Mack would likely be left with current lead-recruiter Emanuel “Book” Richardson—who would be less effective recruiting his ties in New York City from the exotic location of Tucson, AZ, forcing Miller to turn to a similarly connected figure from the Los Angeles or Houston scene for his staff at Arizona—and possibly Steele. The real coup would be if Mack is able to retain Director of Basketball Administration Mario Mercurio, who has been chiefly responsible for transforming Xavier’s schedule into the murderer’s row that it has become.
Miller would likely only need to add one more assistant coach from among the growing list of candidates available in the Wake Forest-Xavier-Calipari coaching tree.
With a set coaching staff, Mack could focus his attention quickly on those players that the staff would have gotten him. Miller will have left Mack with a stocked cupboard for 2009-10, with the ability to challenge for a Final Four in his first season—a situation not dissimilar to the one Buzz Peterson walked into at Marquette last season after Tom Crean left town.
It is unlikely that any current Xavier players would transfer from the program, as all of them were either recruited by Mack or came to respect him as the obvious second in command during their time on campus. Surely, some players who do not figure to be major components on the 2009-10 squad such as Brian Walsh and Andrew Taylor could consider moving on, but further departures seem extremely unlikely.
Even in the recruiting game, Mack would not lose much in the future outlook for Xavier. 2009 recruit Kevin Parrom and 2010 commitment Jordan Latham both chose Xavier because of the influence of Richardson, and the growing prestige of the Xavier program, neither of which would figure to disappear if Miller were to leave.
Question marks would begin to rise around 2010 commit J.D. Weatherspoon, as he was heavily recruited by Whitford, and chose Xavier in large part because of their proximity to home and the success of the program under Miller. While Xavier will not get any further from Weatherspoon’s home in Columbus, the perception in Weatherspoon’s mind may indicate that a Xavier program without Miller may drift them further from March success. That uncertainty, combined with the mercurial rise in Weatherspoon’s stock, would certainly draw interest from a bevy of other major programs as to the possibility of a change of heart.
The uncertainty at the head of the bench would also figure to hurt Xavier in their pursuit of 2009 recruit Kyryl Natyazkho. Natyazkho is down to a choice between Arizona State and Xavier at the moment, and would figure to be shy about pulling the trigger on a future in Norwood without knowing who the head man will be. Even if Miller were to return to Xavier, it would seem that his flirtation with Arizona may have come at the wrong time, as Natyazkho will be making his final decision in the coming weeks.
Looking even further down the road, Mack will be able to stabilize the Xavier program in recruiting, with major assistance from Richardson. Richardson’s ties with 2011 point guard Nadir Tharpe and a host of other New York City stars in 2011 and 2012 might solidify a pipeline from The Big Apple to Cincinnati.
The only other potential disadvantage that Mack could face would be a weaker position in bringing in transfers, a staple of the Xavier program’s success in recent years. Similar to the uncertainty that recruits such as Natyazkho might have, a forlorn scholarship holder from another major program might seek refuge elsewhere, rather than heading to a talent-laden and uncertain program at Xavier.
Nonetheless, if Xavier athletic director Mike Bobinski is forced to turn to Chris Mack as the next head coach of Xavier men’s basketball, it will not be a major detriment to the program. The team is too talented in 2009-10, Mack is too talented of a coach and the program’s recruiting roots are too strong for the move to result in anything but a bright future for Xavier basketball.
So back off the ledge Xavier fans. Everything is going to be alright.
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
Xavier to begin series with Florida
In the latest step to increase the level of opponents in their non-conference schedule, the Xavier men's basketball team has added the University of Florida to their 2009-10 schedule according to multiple sources inside of the men's basketball program.
Already with a loaded non-conference schedule that includes trips to Kansas State, Wake Forest and Butler, home games against Louisiana State, Cincinnati and Miami (OH.), and involvement in the Old Spice Classic that includes Baylor, Florida State, Michigan, Alabama, Marquette, Iona and Creighton, Xavier's addition of the matchup with the Gators offers the ability to boost the team's strength of schedule to an elite level.
The trip to Gainesville will be the beginning of a two year home-and-home series between Xavier and Florida, an arrangement that the Xavier program has utilized in the past to secure matchups with Virginia, LSU, Auburn and Butler.
The matchup with the Gators--a team that has won two national titles in the past four years--takes such scheduling advances to a new height.
Florida potentially returns 88.4 percent of their scoring, 95.3 percent of their rebounding and 86.4 percent of their assists from a team that went 25-11 and lost in the quarterfinals of the NIT.
The only sure departure from the squad is senior guard Walter Hodge, who averaged 8.9 points, 1.5 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game in 2008-09.
Hodge, who played predominantly off the ball while 6'5 sophomore Nick Calathes handles most of the point guard duties, figures to be replaced quickly as Florida head coach Billy Donovan is bringing in 6'3" McDonald's All-American Kenny Boyton--the only McDonald's All-American to commit to an SEC school (something that figures to change with John Calipari's move to Kenticky).
Boyton is predicted to start from Day 1 in the backcourt alongside All-SEC performer Calathes, despite Calathes' recent foray into the NBA Draft. Calathes, who has not signed with an agent and can still return to school, is slated by most scouts as a second round pick if he were to remain in the draft.
When combined with the firepower that Xavier is expected to offer in 2009-10--returning 66 percent of their scoring, 76 percent of their rebounding and 70 percent of their assists from a Sweet Sixteen team that will add the backcourt duo of Jordan Crawford and Mark Lyons--the matchup in Gainesville figures to be a game between two top-10 schools.
Already with a loaded non-conference schedule that includes trips to Kansas State, Wake Forest and Butler, home games against Louisiana State, Cincinnati and Miami (OH.), and involvement in the Old Spice Classic that includes Baylor, Florida State, Michigan, Alabama, Marquette, Iona and Creighton, Xavier's addition of the matchup with the Gators offers the ability to boost the team's strength of schedule to an elite level.
The trip to Gainesville will be the beginning of a two year home-and-home series between Xavier and Florida, an arrangement that the Xavier program has utilized in the past to secure matchups with Virginia, LSU, Auburn and Butler.
The matchup with the Gators--a team that has won two national titles in the past four years--takes such scheduling advances to a new height.
Florida potentially returns 88.4 percent of their scoring, 95.3 percent of their rebounding and 86.4 percent of their assists from a team that went 25-11 and lost in the quarterfinals of the NIT.
The only sure departure from the squad is senior guard Walter Hodge, who averaged 8.9 points, 1.5 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game in 2008-09.
Hodge, who played predominantly off the ball while 6'5 sophomore Nick Calathes handles most of the point guard duties, figures to be replaced quickly as Florida head coach Billy Donovan is bringing in 6'3" McDonald's All-American Kenny Boyton--the only McDonald's All-American to commit to an SEC school (something that figures to change with John Calipari's move to Kenticky).
Boyton is predicted to start from Day 1 in the backcourt alongside All-SEC performer Calathes, despite Calathes' recent foray into the NBA Draft. Calathes, who has not signed with an agent and can still return to school, is slated by most scouts as a second round pick if he were to remain in the draft.
When combined with the firepower that Xavier is expected to offer in 2009-10--returning 66 percent of their scoring, 76 percent of their rebounding and 70 percent of their assists from a Sweet Sixteen team that will add the backcourt duo of Jordan Crawford and Mark Lyons--the matchup in Gainesville figures to be a game between two top-10 schools.
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