George Mason Basketball: Are all the assistant coaches following Jim Larranaga to Miami?

Monday, April 25, 2011

Are all the assistant coaches following Jim Larranaga to Miami?

We already knew that the assistant coaches were looking for work elsewhere after the news about Jim Larranaga's departure surfaced. Now it seems they may be headed to Miami as well. Josh Barr of the Washington Post, who covers recruiting and local high school sports, tweeted today that all the George Mason assistant coaches were following Larranaga to the ACC:

Barr would be a reliable source as he has a long history of reporting on recruiting updates that have to do with the assistant coaches. If the entire coaching staff goes to Miami you really have to start worrying about certain players following them there as well.

Labels: Coach Larranaga

36 Comments:

Taylormade703 said...: Does it make me a bad Patriot if, in addition to my Mason gear, I buy a Miami shirt?; 2:15 PM
ByGeorge06 said...: This would be ideal for Larranaga and the the assistant coaches but bad for the team, the players and the school. Good Job O'Connor, you just buried our potential first ever pre-season top 25 team. YOU SHOULD BE FIRED!!!; 2:27 PM
Ross_williams1 said...: This is awful news. How did GMU screw this up so badly? The AD needs to go and now!; 2:51 PM
Taylormade703 said...: I could be wrong, but I am under the impression from George and Ross, that TOC will not be getting a Christmas card from them this year. :); 2:54 PM
Livnonaprayer said...: TOC is not the bad guy. Sorry ....but spending that kind of money is Merten's decision; 3:41 PM
Taylormade703 said...: Merten had Larranaga's back. Plain and simple.

And on the subject of new coaches, what about a BCS school's coach? Sure, the money might not be the same, but sometimes it not just about money. Why do we have to settle for an up and coming coach? I'm not saying we'll get Roy Williams or Jim Calhoun, but what about a Bruce Pearl or Anthony Grant-type?; 3:48 PM
ByGeorge06 said...: Merten reviews and signs off on the annual budget for each department but it's up to O'Connor how he wants to spend the money that was given to the Athletic Department. If he doesn't want to commit too much money on basketball programs there is nothing Merten can do about it!; 3:51 PM
c hirsch said...: Because right or wrong, willingly going from a BCS school job to a mid-major job would be seen as backward career movement.; 4:34 PM
Rmjank said...: It might be that way on paper, but I think in reality there was a lot of back and forth between Mertens and O'connor regarding men's hoops and Coach. And in the past Mertens got it done. But now with Mertens announcing his own resignation, he probably loses a lot of clout. And whatever clout he had left, he might have felt the need to back off from it, anyway. Otherwise if he strong-armed Oconnor into forking over a million, it might look like Mertens was letting Coach L take the money while Mertens does the "run" part. Coach L had to think that with the facilities not being built (was that part Mertens' fault as well?) and other short-shrift to the program, that staying posed an even larger risk that the basketball program would not get the things it deserved.
My question is this: since O'Connor is a former coach and at least appears to like sports, why would he be undermining the program this way?? We may never get the answer to that one, and would be better off kicking him to the curb. I hope Mertens or somebody can oversee the hiring process and make sure we get a quality coach. I fear we will get an unheralded coach, or an up-and-comer who has way up to come. After all, they came up short with coach L; the pattern would be for them to not exactly open the wallets for a replacement. These are trying times.; 4:35 PM
Cottrell99 said...: I graduated from VCU more than forty years ago and am a GMU season ticket holder. The Rams have seen darker days than those we now face. Let them enjoy their day in the sun and we get excited about new leaders and incoming players. If a 74 year old fan can look forward, you should too!; 5:06 PM
Ross_williams1 said...: Only to wish him a happy retirement.; 5:52 PM
SCOTTRANDA said...: 106.7 the fan mentioned Jeff Capal as maybe GMU's next head coach.; 6:30 PM
Josh said...: Nope. I'm a Miami alum from the DC area who has a Mason sweatshirt and always liked Larranaga and the program. We have like three basketball fans at Miami - the more the merrier!; 6:55 PM
overrated14 said...: You guys are unbelievable. Stop all of the whining and pointing the finger already. You sound like a bunch of jilted junior high girls . I have a feeling this decision wasn't something that happened overnight during negotions. Larranaga is getting old, Miami is an ideal situation for him and his family. Besides, Larranaga (and his crew) need a fresh start. I wish the assistants would go their separate ways in order to advance their careers. As for the players, they are a lot more resilient than you think. The only player I see possibly going with Coach L is Hancock. As for the others????? Blame, Oconnor, Merten, the economy, whatever....Larranaga is in a great position to prove himself as a coach in the BCS and retire happily ever after. I don't think he is nearly as broken up as you guys are. Get Over It!; 7:01 PM
Guest said...: Hey, this all just shows that Mason is actually getting into the big time now...we have coaching crises and make news and so on. I was here when Westhead came in as a new coach...didn't generate more than a "believe it or not" post from one or two news sources. Things have progressed...even if it is annoying that Coach L left.; 9:46 PM
Taylormade703 said...: This is my fear. TOC hires an "ok" coach, things go alright this year, just because we're loaded. Things aren't quite as good the next year, and the next. Then, we have a bad season (.500). TOC gets fired, new coach gets fired. Then it takes us 15 years to get back to where we were 3 weeks ago. I hope I'm wrong, but it's a possibility, especially if we want to be cheap with our commitment to excellence and not pay our coaches, yet somehow expect the same results as the schools that do.; 9:32 AM
Jmckend1 said...: Anyone think we could give Miami TOC for free?
I was told that Mason isn't even looking at Bill Courtney because TOC and the other clowns in the show don't want even a trace of Larranaga there; Bill Courtney's agent(s) already looked into it and got denied big time. Can we start a "Fire TOC" petition online?; 11:26 AM
Taylormade703 said...: A "I miss Larranaga" facebook page? And where did you hear Bill Courtney isn't getting a look? I mean, I believe it, I'm just curious.; 11:29 AM
Patotobin said...: I heard Head from a reliable source that the coach at Woffard is going to be interviewed.; 12:06 PM
Patotobin said...: Sorry, i heard... not head and Wofford not Woffard.; 12:08 PM
Matt Cerilli said...: I saw on ESPN Insider that Courtney has been ruled out.; 12:11 PM
Taylormade703 said...: I'm not saying there aren't other qualified coaches out there, but to NOT interview Courtney would be a shame. I know he has ties to the most successful coach in school history, and that may make less secure decision makers uncomfortable, but he should get an honest, legit, interview at a minimum.; 12:23 PM
Taylormade703 said...: I read about him online. He looks pretty good. Not in Courtney's league, but good none the less.; 1:13 PM
c hirsch said...: George Washington is now looking for a new coach. The national media's heads may explode trying to differentiate between us and them.; 3:02 PM
Ross_williams1 said...: TOC's contract runs out in 2013 so he is here for a couple of more years.; 7:22 PM
Mark Schumaker said...: Like it or not, I think TOC has become public enemy #1 for the average Mason fan. We love Larranaga, I just learned who TOC was. It's pretty obvious who I'm going to blame.; 11:08 PM
Mark Schumaker said...: I can't endorse this, I already have VT as my football school because we don't have a program. Those two don't mix.; 11:09 PM
Taylormade703 said...: I just called and emailed Debby Gregg, the executive admin. assistant for Tom O'Conner. Her number is (703) 993-3256 and her email is dgregg@gmu.edu. I encourage everybody on the gmuhoops blog to email her with her thoughts on the possible new coach, whatever those thoughts may be. This would be a great opportunity to say if you feel Courtney, Lonergan, or anyone else, should be interviewed.

Do with this information as you see fit.; 10:22 AM
c hirsch said...: Are they having a "Fans get to pick the coach" contest?

I'd be scared if that is the case, considering the best we came up with for naming the new mascot was "The Patriot"; 11:58 AM
Ross_williams1 said...: I sent an email to TOC and got a call back from Max Baker Executive Director of the Patriot Club. He did not come right out and say it but the message I got is that VCU is not going to set the bar for how much the next coach will make and that they will be sticking to their budget. Really no surprises there.; 1:31 PM
Taylormade703 said...: I called Max Baker at the Patriot Club today. He was a nice guy and listened to me. I simply stated that VCU "raised the bar" as far as coaching salaries in the CAA go, and I, as an alum, did not want to see us revert back to the days of Paul Westhead and Ernie Nestor. He listened, was polite and professional. I encourage everybody to call him at work, 703-993-3216, to express your thoughts and support.; 8:44 PM
Bill L. said...: Alum financial support to Mason is up some ridiculous % since the final four season.............$2200.00 of that was mine......I cannot financially support my school any longer. There seems to be a disconnect between money, edu, and basketball. GREAT Basketball leads to more money which leads to new buildings.................how many 100K profs are on salary at GMU?????? Have any of you seen their payroll...it would make your head spin.; 8:00 AM
Taylormade703 said...: The school was so much better off when our biggest accomplishment was our new swimming pool. Why wouldn't you want to go back to those glory days? Final Four, school pride and financial support are for those wimpy colleges. You can't mess with our debate team!; 12:13 PM
BatMason said...: post the facts baby; 8:23 PM
BatMason said...: hehe; 8:24 PM
BatMason said...: HAHA; 8:25 PM

Are all the assistant coaches following Jim Larranaga to Miami?

George Mason Basketball

Monday, April 25, 2011

Are all the assistant coaches following Jim Larranaga to Miami?

36 Comments:

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