Maybe TOT could reunite with Jerrie Hobbie . Hobbie is currently the special assistant to the Head Coach at the University of Washington. Hobbie also played for Fordham and was very good recruiter. Of course, bringing in someone who has a connection to Fordham might not be the best thing.
Maybe TOT could reunite with Jerrie Hobbie . Hobbie is currently the special assistant to the Head Coach at the University of Washington. Hobbie also played for Fordham and was very good recruiter. Of course, bringing in someone who has a connection to Fordham might not be the best thing.
If the list is accurate, I would think a three horse race between Langel Neptune and Grasso. If Fordham values head coaching experience from a very good academic school then Langel (Colgate) would be the choice. If there after a HC who is a known recruiter then it would be Grasso(Bryant) . If they want a an up and coming assistant from a pedigree school, then Neptune ( Villanova) . Perhaps next week we will have an answer?
And he was also on the staff of the Ram's team as a graduate assistant for at least one year immediately after leaving Fairfield in 1987. Ironically that team was then coached by former Stag Nick Macarchuk and also had on its roster not only a future assistant to TOT back up in Fairfield in Fred Quartlebaum (now at Kansas), but also Tom Parrotta. Also the Gene Doris connection too. He had worked for Fordham in more than one capacity including one season as an assistant to Digger Phelps. Will this mean anything in a day or so? I personally hope he gets a chance, as no matter what you think of the job he did here he certainly has put in a lot of work and effort for a long time now working as an assistant at many different places.
If the list is accurate, I would think a three horse race between Langel Neptune and Grasso. If Fordham values head coaching experience from a very good academic school then Langel (Colgate) would be the choice. If there after a HC who is a known recruiter then it would be Grasso(Bryant) . If they want a an up and coming assistant from a pedigree school, then Neptune ( Villanova) . Perhaps next week we will have an answer?
Although I just stated I hope TOT gets a chance, I must say that if I were the person making the decision I think I might lean very strongly to Langel. The job he has done at Colgate is simply phenomenal considering where the school is located. Great, great school, that's not in question. But talk about being in the middle of nowhere, at least as far as eastern schools, that one takes the cake. I know because I stopped there to see a game once (after traveling to Buffalo to see the Stags), and it seemed like it took forever to get there (and leave there) on strictly country roads, certainly not a selling point for recruits I wouldn't think.
Post by jenningsbeach on Apr 4, 2020 12:50:27 GMT -5
No one on the list is going to make any real difference. Fordham will remain a bottom-feeder in the A-10. The school should have hired Rick Pitino. But I agree with others who've said that the Rams had no interest in a tainted coach.
Grasso was actually interim coach at Fordham during the 2009-10 season after Derek Whittenburg got fired. As I recall, Joey D. left the Fairfield broadcast booth to be Grasso's bench coach. The Rams went 1-22 in that time.
Love to see TOT get the gig, but that outcome doesn't seem likely.
I always thought TOT was a pretty good recruiter. He brought in some above average players.
I never had the sense that he was a good X's and O's guy though. But he has a lot more experience at this point.
Take away his last season and he actually had a winning record at Fairfield. Not bad considering what his predecessors had accomplished.
Hope he gets another chance somewhere, though he isn't quite as young as he used to be (56).
Yeah actually in relation to all the Fairfield coaches since 1981 and the start of the MAAC, TOT compares fairly well. No one close to Cooley in one respect of course, that being winning percentage. And Mitch with 2 and Cormier with 1 league title leading to NCAA tournament appearances are lacking on his resume. But other than that, his 112-120 overall record while not good, nevertheless was affected quite a bit by some of the teams he decided to put on his OOC schedule every season. Losses to schools he was probably not going to beat were to such as Duke, Kansas, UCLA, UNLV, Depaul (when they were decent), Miss. State, etc. surely hurt in the perception of his overall job, but of course they were moneymakers in the grand scheme of things. And speaking of making a little money, the average attendance was better back then than it is now, part of the reason being that some of his teams had good athletes and were exciting to watch. So yes maybe experience would help him in the X and O department. Maybe also in what I'm sure Stag fans recall was maybe his biggest weakness, not quite relating well enough to the fans and the community. But maybe the fact he isn't as young as he used to be (who is?) would work in his favor. Sometimes with age comes more knowledge and common sense, something I hope he would apply if he indeed got this job.
I don't understand how there can be a "short list" if they don't have an AD. In addition, its simply not a good job. If I'm looking for my first head coaching job, that's not it, as it might be your last.