MAAC Basketball Coaches Rank the Best Jobs in the Conference

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I found this interesting even if it was from a year ago.


MAAC Basketball Coaches Rank the Best Jobs in the Conference
by Jeff Goodman, Stadium Basketball Insider January 18,2019

This is the latest in Stadium’s “Conference Chain of Command” series in which we polled a handful of veteran coaches in every league to determine the best JOBS in each league, all the way down to the ones that are the most difficult.

Here are the eight categories that were utilized to determine the overall rankings.

Tradition – The history of the program
Media Exposure – Games on national television
Game Atmosphere – Includes attendance
Budget/Resources – Includes coaches’ salaries, recruiting budget, travel budget, private planes, cost of attendance, etc.
Buy Games – Programs who are bought the fewest number of times will rank first
Geographical Recruiting Base – Proximity to players
Facilities – Not just the arena, but also practice facilities, weight room, locker rooms, etc.
Selling Pros – Being able to sell not only NBA players, but also those who play overseas
This is how polling in the MAAC shook out among coaches who voted, with one being the best and 11 being the worst:



5. Fairfield (54) – The Stags have gone to the NCAA tourney three times: twice under Mitch Buonaguro in 1986 and 1987, and once in 1997 under Paul Cormier. There have been some successful seasons since, but it’s been more than 20 years since Fairfield has been back — and that spans a trio of coaches (Tim O’Toole, Ed Cooley and Sydney Johnson).

Where they win: “Beautiful campus, high academic school, close to the beach, can get into New York City in an hour and one of the best facilities in the league.” – MAAC assistant coach

The knock: “Playing off-campus, zero student support.” – MAAC head coach

watchstadium.com/maac-basketball-coaches-rank-the-best-jobs-in-the-conference-01-18-2019/

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Pitino has demonstrated he wants to coach badly — badly enough to move all the way to Greece and lead the Panathinaikos basketball club in the Greek Basket League and Euroleague. That he was willing to go so far afield to remain in the business, when he is far beyond doing it for the money, is more than surprising.

Even though it offers the opportunity to live again in midtown Manhattan, if he wishes, it seemed highly unlikely he would be willing to coach in one of the college game's most charming and balanced — but least glamorous — leagues, so well captured in a beautiful midseason column by New York Post sportswriter Mike Vaccaro.

The MAAC itself has declined a bit in recent years. In 1990, it was home to a national player of the year, Lionel Simmons, and a La Salle Explorers team that went 30-2, earned a No. 5 NCAA Tournament seed and produced two other NBA players beyond Simmons.

In 2012, Iona earned an at-large NCAA Tournament bid and appeared in the First Four opposite BYU, and under coach Tim Cluess the Gaels won the MAAC's automati to the NCAA Tournament the past four seasons and five times overall.

Cluess missed the 2019-20 season, though, with an undisclosed illness and resigned earlier this week to serve as a consultant to the program and focus on his recovery.

Iona is located in New Rochelle, N.Y., one of the American cities most challenged by the emergence of the coronavirus. There may be some who criticize Iona for insensitivity or poor optics, but this is a moment when Iona most needs prospective students to understand the college has a future.

Now, that future will include one of the most gifted coaches ever to wear a pair of designer loafers in front of a college bench. One wonders if he will dress down a bit.

www.sportingnews.com/us/ncaa-basketball/news/rick-pitino-iona-coach-ncaa-march-madness/17757lotng3wi19ljk010lc2bw