OT: Maryland Basketball Coach Search

Submitted by ChalmersE on

Anyone else think Maryland's search for Gary Williams' successor is sounding a lot like a Michigan football coach search.  First it was only going to be a couple of days.  Then it was going to be Pitt's Jamie Dixon, but he preferred to stay at Pitt.  Same with Villanova's Jay Wright.  Then Arizona's Sean Miller was all but hired, but he leveraged that into a contract extension.  Then Mike Brey was a done deal; after all he grew up in the shadows of College Park.   Now they're back at square one -- does anyone want to coach in the ACC.  smiley

readyourguard

May 9th, 2011 at 11:25 AM ^

The inmates at Sparty24toLife mentioned Beilein as a candidate.  Then again, they also think they're an elite sports program and that RR is still roaming our sidelines, so take it for what it's worth.

 

Hardware Sushi

May 9th, 2011 at 3:21 PM ^

You've mentioned this Sparty24tolife site twice in the past 24 hours but for the life of me I can't find it no matter how much I google it and I end up with a bunch of links to Ja Rule music videos.

Yesterday you said you wouldn't pollute the site with a link. Please do because I want to read Sparty sadness and apparently I no understand the internets or how to find Sparty24tolife...

mjm2k1

May 9th, 2011 at 11:29 AM ^

I think the Michigan football job is stiil an "elite" job while I can't say the same about MD basketball.......

I live in the DC area and I've been listening to post-Williams talk since late last week and I'm not sure I understand why the fans/alumni think Maryland is such an "elite" position. Just b/c you play in a conference with Duke and North Carolina doesn't mean you are on the same level. I found it laughable that the local talking heads thought that Jay Wright, Jamie Dixon etc would leave their programs to take the MD job (despite any local tied they might have). Wright and Dixon run borderline powerhouse programs in arguably the best conference in college basketball. Why would they leave to play (at best) third fiddle to Duke and UNC in an ACC conference which isn't even as good as it used to be? Brey I can see, but no chance the other guys would take that job.  

Maryland basektball = Iowa Football - nice program, had some success, but not a place coaches are just going to run to any time the job opens up.

Am I crazy? This has been bothering me since Gary called it quits last week.....

brose

May 9th, 2011 at 12:44 PM ^

Maryland has won a NC in hoops in the last decade and made several deep runs in both the ACC and NCAA tourney in the last 25 years.  Has Iowa even made a BCS Bowl other than the Orange with Brad Banks in 2001(2?)?

I think Maryland is an absolute sleeping giant in hoops who will be 3rd fiddle in the ACC, but still a perrennial top-25 school able to make a serious run once or twice a decade.

Space Coyote

May 9th, 2011 at 12:56 PM ^

'10 and '03.  In the past decade they've also finished in the top 10 4 times.  The comparison is pretty good as far as results.  The area for recruiting is a bit different though as there is a ton of east coast talent.  The problem is, there are also a ton of schools drinking out of that pool, so you have to compete with that.

Haxel Rose

May 9th, 2011 at 2:26 PM ^

Did you see Dan Steinberg's piece about Prince George's county Maryland? PG county (where College Park is) has more NBA players per capita in the past ten years than any other county in the country. PG has also had more McDonald's All-Americans than  any other STATE besides California.

I actually think Gary Williams was overrated. He recruited scrappy-type players that flew under the radar instead of the absolute monsters that are all over PG county-Washington-Blatimore. Maryland should be a top15 program every year. I think with the right coach they can be.

mschol17

May 9th, 2011 at 7:43 PM ^

Gary Williams refused to play the game, so he didn't get the big names from the area.  I don't think that's a bad thing.

You're right, though.  If MD had a sketchy coach they could haul in loads of talent.  The students here (I go to MD grad school) are pretty intense.

m1jjb00

May 10th, 2011 at 2:57 AM ^

1.  The Viriginia side is dominated by Flint Hill types for whom the players have less of an affinity for the region.  They're just as likely to go somewhere else.

2.  Maryland should build a statue for Gary way before Alabama doing the same for Saban.  He saved that place.  He was exactly what MD needed in who is by all appearances a clean guy.  

3.  MD has a longer tradition than some of you guys are allowing.  You had Len Bias in 1986. You had the great 1974 team that didn't go to the Tournament only b/c 1 team from a league could go, and NC Statte beate them in triple overtime to get the bid.  (And of course, NC State went on to win it all.)  And they had Moses Malone for a day.  MD is bigger in bball than Iowa in football.  That said, I agree with the sentiment that Dixon or Wright weren't going to MD b/c it was a step up from what they had.

TimGetsMeHardaway

May 9th, 2011 at 11:31 AM ^

Dixon and Wright were just names thrown out there by the media. The only person UMD met with was Miller.  I don't think it's about people wanting to coach in the ACC.  It's about the horrible timing of Gary Williams' retirement.

gobluejrm

May 9th, 2011 at 11:38 AM ^

I wonder if they could get one of the CAA or Southern coaches to come over there.  They seem to be a trendy mid major conference, in relatively the same geographical area.  I know Laranagga just left, but someone else from the conference possibly could jump over

GoBlueMich02

May 9th, 2011 at 12:00 PM ^

The reason why, IMO, this is still a great job is that the location (in PG County) makes it huge...one of the best talent counties in the country, and with the right recruiter (Gary Williams wasn't that guy, he refused to play the AAU games) it could be an absolutely unbelievable program again.

 

Sucks for them that Larrinaga left Mason a couple weeks ago.

ChalmersE

May 9th, 2011 at 12:53 PM ^

is that's THE sport at Maryland.  Terp fans barely know they have a football team.  I would have to think if you're going to coach basketball, you would prefer to be some place where basketball is king. 

MichiganAggie

May 9th, 2011 at 2:48 PM ^

He stepped into a decent situation at A&M after BillyG left for UK (Billy took A&M from 0-16 in the Big12 to 2nd round in the NCAA pretty quickly). Turg has maintained that success and has recruited well, ensuring that A&M was not a flash in the pan type program. If he returns to A&M, we should have a top15 team in 2011-12.
<br>
<br>Family oriented guy. I don't think he'd want to move his family for a new job ( unless it was KU - almamater). He does bitch about A&M's crappy attendance though...