It's not often someone goes from coaching a 12-19 MAAC team to becoming an NBA general manager, but that appears to be the case with Marist coach Jeff Bower...
Let's have some fun. Any Stag connected possible replacements: --Carmen Maciariello (although he just took an asst. job) --Bob Simon --Joey D --Tony Newsom --Martin Bahar --Greg Francis --Keith Urgo --TOT - unlikely --Mitch - very unlikely
Jeff Bower was formerly a GM for the New Orleans Hornets, so not much of surprise that he got another GM position in the NBA. The surprise was that he became the Marist coach in the first place. He is more of an executive rather that a Basketball Coach. Luke Murray will likely be the next Fairfield Alumni to be a Division I Head Coach.
From Ryan Restivo's article in nycbuckets on the head coaching situation at Marist:
Head Coaches from 2002-2015 Marist 5 Siena 4 Iona 3 Manhattan 3 Canisius 3 Rider 3 Fairfield 3 Quinnipiac 2 St. Peter’s 2 Monmouth 2 Niagara 2
...The winner, in a category that you probably don’t want to win, is Marist. When they hire Jeff Bower’s successor they will have hired their fifth head coach within a 14-season span. The Red Foxes have to be the most surprising answer, considering they have yet to reach the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference tournament championship game in their program’s history. There have been plenty of constants during that time at the college, but one has been the man who has hired each coach – athletic director Tim Murray...
...The benefit of a MAAC job is that plenty of head coaching candidates will flock towards it, even if it is late in the cycle. Stony Brook associate head coach Jay Young was in the mix last year at Marist, this year at Maine among other jobs and is a 1986 Marist graduate... NJIT head coach Jim Engles was in the mix as well for the job last season and so was Boston University head coach Joe Jones, whose athletic director stepped down Monday. Former head coaches Bill Carmody and Al Skinner were rumored candidates in the last cycle and former Boston College head coach Steve Donahue might be a fit for Marist’s rigorous academic standards...
Don't know what year Restivo graduated from Marist but that is his alma mater:
..Ryan Restivo grew up on Long Island. His passion for MAAC basketball began when his alma mater, the Marist Red Foxes, almost captured their first ever MAAC postseason title and NCAA tournament berth during the 2006-2007 season...
Post by nashvillestag on Jun 7, 2014 8:59:20 GMT -5
This might be a little "outside the box" type thinking, but if I were Marist I believe I might consider moving Brian Giorgis over from the women's team to the mens squad. Yes I know this could be a gamble (certainly a different ballgame as far as competition), and maybe he would not be good at handling some of the rough patches that would be sure to pop up at the start. But yet my feeling is that a good basketball coach with a great reputation for success with integrity can transcend any level of the game. And certainly Giorgis fits this description based on his unprecedented success. Maybe of course he wouldn't want the job because he is too comfortable in his current position (will they ever lose the league tournament)? But on the other hand the huge challenge (not to mention more money) might be enticing. Put it this way, on a higher level, anyone think Geno Auriemma couldn't have success coaching a college men's team? Now I realize this is not likely to happen (and his age might be a negative factor), but I just thought I might throw this out there for a little discussion in this LONG, LONG offseason with not much to talk about concerning our Stags.
This might be a little "outside the box" type thinking, but if I were Marist I believe I might consider moving Brian Giorgis over from the women's team to the mens squad. Yes I know this could be a gamble (certainly a different ballgame as far as competition), and maybe he would not be good at handling some of the rough patches that would be sure to pop up at the start. But yet my feeling is that a good basketball coach with a great reputation for success with integrity can transcend any level of the game. And certainly Giorgis fits this description based on his unprecedented success. Maybe of course he wouldn't want the job because he is too comfortable in his current position (will they ever lose the league tournament)? But on the other hand the huge challenge (not to mention more money) might be enticing. Put it this way, on a higher level, anyone think Geno Auriemma couldn't have success coaching a college men's team? Now I realize this is not likely to happen (and his age might be a negative factor), but I just thought I might throw this out there for a little discussion in this LONG, LONG offseason with not much to talk about concerning our Stags.
Speedy Morris did this at LaSalle about 25plus years ago
Post by nashvillestag on Jun 17, 2014 12:14:32 GMT -5
According to Marist board, looks like they will be hiring Mike Maker as their next HC. From Williams College, he has had great success at the D-111 level. Has worked as an assistant previously at West Virginia. Appears to be well respected among the college coaching community. BTW, our own DBO Kyle Konce worked for him before he came here. Wonder if he might be given the opportunity to go back with his former boss as an assistant?
