#7. Tommy Amaker (Head Coach at Harvard)
Positives
- Great recruiter
- Ties to NE area
- Knows how to recruit with academic restrictions
Negatives:
- Has never had success as a HC at a major college
- Ethics have come to question over the years
- No ties to BC
Conclusion:
I do not want Amaker as a coach at BC because he appears to be another one of those coaches that is a great recruiter, but awful coach (as evidence but his underachieving teams at Michigan and Seton Hall).
#6. Bill Coen (Head Coach at Northeastern)
Positives:
- Excellent talent evaluator
- Has strong NE and BC ties
- Was given credit for a lot of Skinner's success while he was an assistant
Negatives:
- Too similar to Skinner in terms of attitude and style
- Took over an already successful Northeastern program and failed to bring them to new heights
Conclusion:
Coen wouldn't be a bad hire for BC, but he would not provide for enough of a change in my opinion. I think that GDF is looking for a new coach with a little more passion
#5. Steve Donahue (Head Coach at Cornell)
Positives:
- Very intelligent coach who runs a very effective motion offense
- Can recruit with academic restrictions
- Brought Cornell program to new heights with three straight NCAA tournament appearances
Negatives:
- Does not have any coaching experience at a major conference level
- Took 7 seasons at Cornell before his team finally had a winning season
Conclusion:
Donahue seems like a plausible hire on the outside but when you look at it closer his resume raises many questions. Can he recruit at the ACC level? Why did his team have losing seasons for 6 years in a row? Is he simply just riding on the coattails of his senior class' success? These questions make the Donahue hire too risky in my opinion.
#4. Chris Mooney (Head Coach at Richmond)
Positives:
- Richmond program saw steady improvement under his watch
- Energetic coach who would bring change to program
- Can recruit well with academic restrictions
- Runs an exciting motion offense
Negatives:
- No NE or BC ties
- Questionable passion for the BC job
Conclusion:
Mooney appears very well qualified for the BC job but, at the end of the day I don't feel like he wants the job enough. He has no previous ties to the program and at a time when the new head coach is to be the definite new face of the program, I don;t know if Mooney fills the void we have.
#3. Mike Rice (Head Coach at Robert Morris)
Positives:
- Hot young coach saw his Robert Morris squads make the NCAAs all three years he was head coach (hadn't made it to the NCAAs since 1992 before he got there)
- Assistant coaching experience at many power conference schools (such as Pitt)
- Enthusiastic coach who who bring wanted change to program
- Ties to NE area
Negatives:
- Jump from Northeast Conference to ACC is a rather large one
- Only has 3 years HC experience under his belt
- No BC ties
Conclusion:
Rice is a very interesting candidate as he seems to me to possibly be the wild card in the coaching search. He is young and energetic, but also appears to be a pretty solid coach as well. The Princeton grad is very smart, and I would trust him to run the BC program. With that being said, his lack of experience could hurt him in the coaching search as he might not be ready just yet to take a job at a power conference.
#2. Ed Cooley (Head Coach at Fairfield)
Positives:
- Very energetic and enthusiastic, personality is much more lively than Skinner
- Solid recruiter, especially on the East Coast
- Resurrected the Fairfield program from garbage, to a 20-win team after 4 years
- Stated that BC is his dream job, would have no problem being the face of the program
- Obvious BC and NE ties
Negatives:
- Jump from MAAC conference to ACC is also a big jump
- Has really only had one successful year at Fairfield (which was this season)
Conclusion:
I was surprised while looking at Cooley's resume at how impressed by him I was. He took over a pretty terrible Fairfield squad and after recruiting all his own players, turned them into a solid squad 4 years after being hired. He showed the ability to recruit and find diamonds in the rough during his time at Fairfield, landing a couple of very solid players. He also possesses the type of personality that it appears GDF is looking for in his new coach, and despite the fact that he is sort of a Skinner disciple, I feel he is sufficiently different from Skinner to be seriously considered for the job. Like Rice, the concern again is experience, as being the head coach at BC is a big transition from being a head coach at Fairfield.
#1. Bruce Pearl (Head Coach at Tennessee)
Positives:
- Excellent recruiter
- Great coach who has had success at every place he has coached
- Enthusiastic coach that would be ideal for the new face of the program
- Strong BC ties, as he is an alumni and former coach
Negatives:
- Ethics raise serious question marks
- Probably will not consider BC job as he is too comfortable at UT
Conclusion:
Pearl is the absolute IDEAL new coach
