Tuesday, June 28, 2011

Brian Daly to complete Chambers' Penn State staff

By Craig Meyer/DFP Staff

Having been passed over for the program's head coaching position, Boston University men's basketball associate head coach Brian Daly has resigned and will take a job as an assistant coach under Patrick Chambers at Penn State University, as confirmed in a press release from the Penn State athletic department today.

Daly was the only remaining member of Chambers' staff still at BU, so his departure will allow new BU head coach Joe Jones to compose an entirely new coaching staff.

Jones was introduced as the Terriers' head coach in a press conference Monday.

Daly joins former BU assistant Ross Condon and former director of basketball operations Adam Fisher at Penn State, both of whom left the BU program over the last week. Eugene Burroughs and Keith Urgo are the other two assistants on Chambers' first Nittany Lions staff.

"I am very excited for this opportunity and would like to thank Coach Chambers for welcoming me to the Penn State family," Daly said in a statement.

Daly reportedly interviewed for the head coaching position at BU on June 22, the same day that news broke of Jones' hire. Before his two years with the BU program, Daly was the head coach for the Monsignor Bonner High School boys' basketball team in Drexel Hill, Pa.

Monday, June 27, 2011

Jones introduced as new Terrier head coach

By René Reyes/DFP Staff

BOSTON – Nearly three weeks ago to the day since Patrick Chambers was hired by Penn State University as its new men’s basketball coach, Director of Athletics Mike Lynch couldn’t have been more thrilled Monday to formally introduce a 45-year-old to the Boston University community.

Out of approximately 50 candidates, Lynch spoke directly with 12 coaches and interviewed seven of them during the exhaustive three-week search for Chambers’ replacement. Last Thursday, he offered the job to a man he believes is best served to build on the successful foundation left behind by Chambers at BU, a man who was also responsible for the third-best single-season turnaround in Ivy League history.

That man is Joe Jones, the former associate head coach at Boston College, who was accompanied by his wife, Kristin, and 5-year-old son, JJ, at his unveiling at Agganis Arena as the 25th head coach in Terrier basketball history.

“It’s a really exciting time to be a part of our program … back-to-back 21-win seasons, couple of opportunities to go to postseason play, last year advancing to the second round of the NCAA Tournament and putting on a fantastic showing against [the University of] Kansas on national television,” Lynch said. “I’d have to imagine that whoever steps into this seat, knowing the team we have back, has got to be really excited.

“I’m just really, really enthusiastic about this hire. I think Joe’s going to do a fantastic job for BU basketball.”

Joe Jones Introductory Press Conference

Jones, Griffin and O'Brien face the media

Thursday, June 23, 2011

Ross Condon to join Chambers at Penn State

By Craig Meyer/DFP Staff

Boston University men's basketball assistant coach Ross Condon has resigned his post with the team to accept the same position with coach Patrick Chambers at Penn State University, Penn State athletics confirmed in a press release today.

It was first reported yesterday that Condon had left BU, but it was not confirmed as to whether he was heading to State College, Pa. with Chambers.

Condon arrived at BU after spending two years as the director of basketball operations at Radford University. Prior to that, Condon was a walk-on for the Villanova University basketball team, playing for Chambers for three seasons.

His departure means that Brian Daly is the only remaining member of Chambers' staff who has not yet left the program and new head coach Joe Jones.

Wednesday, June 22, 2011

Boston University hires Joe Jones as head coach

By Tim Healey and Craig Meyer/DFP Staff

Photo credit: gocolumbialions.com

Joe Jones, the associate head coach of the Boston College men's basketball team, has been hired to be Boston University's new head coach, according to multiple outlets after it was first reported by Jeff Goodman of CBSSports.com.

"We are thrilled to have Joe Jones take over the reins of a BU basketball program that is on the rise," BU athletic director Mike Lynch said in a statement. "Joe comes with impressive credentials and past head coaching experience that will help take the program to the next level."

Jones just finished his first year at BC under new Eagles head coach Steve Donahue, but was previously the head coach at Columbia University for seven years where he compiled a 86-108 record with no Ivy League championships. However, Jones' final graduating class at Columbia totaled 26 Ivy League wins, the most conference wins for any Lions graduating class since 1994. Jones voluntarily left for the position in Chestnut Hill in 2010.

He also served under Jay Wright as an assistant coach at Hofstra University (1994-97) and Villanova University (2001-03), while also working as an assistant at Villanova from 1997-01 under then-Wildcats head coach Steve Lappas. In 1999, Jones was named one of the nation's top recruiters by the magazine Eastern Basketball and was a member of the staff that helped bring in heralded recruits like Allan Ray, Randy Foye and Curtis Sumpter, a nucleus that helped lead Villanova to a No. 1 seed and an Elite Eight appearance in the 2006 NCAA Tournament.

A press conference is scheduled for Monday at 11 a.m. at Agganis Arena to unveil Jones as BU's next head coach.

The news comes approximately three weeks after Patrick Chambers left BU to be the head coach at Penn State University, and just one day after Chambers said BU interim head coach Brian Daly would interview for the position today.

The Indianapolis Star also reported that Butler University assistant coach Matthew Graves was a finalist for the position with the Terriers.

Below is a link to the press release on the BU athletics website, complete with quotes from Jones, Lynch and BU president Robert Brown:

http://www.goterriers.com/sports/m-baskbl/spec-rel/062311aaa.html

Daly to interview today

By Craig Meyer/DFP Staff

Boston University interim head men's basketball coach Brian Daly is scheduled to interview with athletic department officials today for the vacant head coaching position, former BU head coach Patrick Chambers said yesterday.

Chambers was a guest on the program "Daily News Live" on the CSNPhilly network when he disclosed the information. He also noted that if Daly is ultimately not chosen to be the Terriers' next head coach that he will bring Daly with him to be an assistant at Penn State University. If that were to happen, assistant coach Ross Condon would be the only remaining member on the BU staff.

Daly has been at BU for two years, serving as an assistant coach his first season with the team before being promoted to associate head coach the following year following the departure of Orlando Vandross to the University of North Carolina-Charlotte. His duties with the team ranged from practice and game planning to on-the-floor coaching, particularly with the low post players.

Prior to his time on Commonwealth Ave., Daly was the head boy's basketball coach for four seasons at his alma mater, Monsignor Bonner High School in Drexel Hill, Pa. A 1992 graduate of St. Joseph's University, Daly's two years at BU have served as his only experience in the collegiate coaching ranks.

The announcement of Daly's interview comes just a day after it was reported that two widely-speculated coaching candidates -- University of Maryland assistant coach Scott Spinelli and Virginia Commonwealth University assistant coach Mike Rhoades -- were no longer under consideration for the position.

Tuesday, June 21, 2011

Goodman: Rhoades-BU speculation over

By Craig Meyer/DFP Staff

Less than a week ago, it was first reported that Virginia Commonwealth University assistant coach Mike Rhoades was under close consideration to become the next head coach of the Boston University men's basketball program.

Days later, such talk has come to an end, as CBS Sport college basketball writer/insider tweeted Tuesday that Rhoades is "no longer in the mix at BU."

Rhoades, 36, just completed his second season as an assistant to Rams head coach Shaka Smart after spending the previous ten seasons as the head coach at Randolph-Macon College. Virginia Commonwealth is coming off the first Final Four appearance in the history of the program.

The news comes within the same hour that University of Maryland assistant Scott Spinelli informed The Daily Free Press that he will no longer pursue the opening at his alma mater.

Scott Spinelli out of running at Boston University

By Craig Meyer/DFP Staff

University of Maryland assistant coach Scott Spinelli is no longer under consideration for the vacant head coaching position at Boston University, the coach told The Daily Free Press in a phone interview Tuesday.

Spinelli noted that he had been contacted and "spoken to a couple guys" from the BU athletic department regarding the job, but ultimately, it came down to a simple matter of timing.

"Based on where they're at and where I'm at, it's one of those situations where the timing isn't right," Spinelli said.

The rumors revolving around Spinelli and the BU opening came at a very busy juncture in Spinelli's career. On May 18, it was announced that Spinelli would be joining new head coach Mark Turgeon at the University of Maryland after serving as Turgeon's associate head coach at Texas A&M University for four seasons. He had filled the same position in Turgeon's staff at Wichita State University during the 2006-07 season.

Prior to his time working for Turgeon, Spinelli was an assistant coach at the University of Nebraska for three seasons, helping the Cornhuskers land two nationally-ranked recruiting classes.

After being passed over to possibly replace Turgeon at Texas A&M, Spinelli acknowledged the difficulties in moving himself, his wife and three children from College Station, Texas to Maryland. It was a reality that was exceptionally critical in the mutual decision between Spinelli and BU to not explore the possibility of Spinelli becoming the program's next head coach.

Spinelli played basketball at BU under then-head coach Mike Jarvis for four seasons, graduating from the university in 1989.

Though he will not be roaming the sidelines of Case Gymnasium and Agganis Arena next season, Spinelli expressed his reverence for his alma mater and insisted that BU will ultimately "find the right guy."

"I have tremendous respect and passion for Boston University," Spinelli said. "It's a special place and only the people who have gone there understand that."

Fisher to Penn State

By Craig Meyer/DFP Staff

Boston University men's basketball director of basketball operations Adam Fisher is leaving the program to take the same position under Patrick Chambers at Penn State University, the website HoopDirt.com reported Tuesday.

A team official confirmed that Fisher has indeed resigned at BU.

Fisher, a Penn State graduate, worked as a graduate manager under Jay Wright at Villanova University from 2007-2009 before moving north to join Chambers' staff at BU, where he worked for each of the past two seasons.

The departure of Fisher, along with former assistant coach Dwayne Killings' move to Temple University, leaves interim head coach Brian Daly and assistant coach Ross Condon as the only two remaining members on the Terriers' coaching staff.

Goodman: Jones, Skinner 'in the mix' at BU

By Craig Meyer/DFP Staff

Recent developments in the Boston University athletic department's search for a new coach indicate that a collective eye may be cast a few miles west down Commonwealth Ave., as CBS Sports college basketball writer Jeff Goodman tweeted Monday that Boston College associate head coach Joe Jones and former Eagles head coach Al Skinner are both being considered for the vacancy left by Patrick Chambers when he became the new head coach at Penn State University.

Jones, 45, just completed his first season as an assistant under new BC coach Steve Donahue. Before arriving in Chestnut Hill, Jones was the head coach at Columbia University for seven seasons, compiling a 86-108 record in his time with the Lions. His final graduating class at Columbia totaled 26 Ivy League wins, the most conference wins for any graduating class since the class of 1994. Jones has also served as an assistant at Villanova University and Hofstra University.

A call from The Daily Free Press to Jones has not been immediately returned.

Below is a link to his biography on the BC athletics website:

http://bceagles.cstv.com/sports/m-baskbl/mtt/jones_joe00.html

Turning from a current Eagles coach to a former one, Skinner spent the last season away from coaching after he was fired by BC in March 2010. Prior to his termination, Skinner, 59, was a head coach for 22 seasons, with a majority of those seasons taking place at BC. In his 13 seasons at the helm of the Eagles program, Skinner went 247-165, a run that included seven NCAA Tournament appearances. His 247 wins are tops for any coach in program history.

However, Skinner's teams never advanced further than the Sweet 16 and missed out on postseason play altogether in two of his last three seasons. Additionally, after Skinner was ousted, Boston Globe columnist and BC graduate Bob Ryan published a column in which he dubbed Skinner "the least-hard-working guy in show business." The following is an excerpt from the column discussing Skinner's time commitment to the BC program:

Al works Al hours, arriving around noon, playing some pickup ball, and going to a practice that, more than likely, had been planned by an assistant. Don’t they know how infrequently Al is seen on the recruiting trail during the offseason, when games are really won and lost? Don’t they know that if you hire Al, you must supply him with a first-class recruiting assistant, one who totally understands Al’s likes, dislikes, and peculiarities? Don’t they know, that, when it comes to offense, Al is, ahem, inflexible?

Skinner had previously served as the head coach at the University of Rhode Island, where he spent nine seasons, tallying a 138-126 record with two NCAA Tournament appearances.

Full Court Press and The Daily Free Press will stay updated with any breaking developments in BU's coaching search.

Saturday, June 18, 2011

Coaching Search Update 6/18

By Craig Meyer/DFP Staff

Now just over two weeks since Patrick Chambers left the Boston University men's basketball program to become the next head coach at Penn State University, BU Athletics is still engaged in a search for the Terriers' next coach.

As was reported on Monday, two rumored candidates for the job -- Florida Atlantic University associate head coach Mike Jarvis II and University of North Carolina-Charlotte assistant coach Orlando Vandross -- have yet to be contacted by BU regarding the job.

Over the past week, other potential names have emerged.

On Tuesday, the website HoopDirt reported that Long Island University head coach Jim Ferry was being considered for the same position at BU. Ferry, who turned down an offer to become the Manhattan College head coach a few months ago, has New England ties, having served as the head coach at Plymouth State University and as an assistant at Bentley University. In his nine seasons with the Blackbirds, Ferry has compiled a 125-140 record, a run that included a 2010-11 season in which Ferry led Long Island to a 27-6 record and a berth in the NCAA Tournament. The Blackbirds return a bulk of that team that lost 102-87 to the University of North Carolina in the tournament's second round.

Below is the link to the original HoopDirt article:

http://hoopdirt.com/blog/22388b8d/daily-dirt-6-14-11/

Also on Tuesday, CBS Sports college basketball writer Jeff Goodman tweeted that Virginia Commonwealth University assistant coach Mike Rhoades is "in the mix" at BU.

Rhoades, 36, just completed his second season with coach Shaka Smart and the Rams. Before that, he served as the head coach at Randolph-Macon College for ten years. Rhoades' name is surfacing for the job just months after Virginia Commonwealth's historic run to the 2011 Final Four.

Calls from The Daily Free Press to both coaches have not been immediately returned.

Monday, June 13, 2011

Update on coaching candidates: Vandross, Jarvis II not yet contacted

By Craig Meyer/DFP Staff

Approximately 10 days after former head coach Patrick Chambers left the program to become the new coach at Penn State University, the Boston University men's basketball team is still in need of someone to lead a team that returns all but one player from an America East Conference title and NCAA Tournament berth.

Over this period, despite no official word from the university or athletic department, names of several assistant coaches have been mentioned for or linked to the open position, a job that many national writers over the course of the past two weeks have deemed to be the best in the AE.

In separate phone interviews with The Daily Free Press, two widely-speculated candidates -- Florida Atlantic University associate head coach Mike Jarvis II and University of North Carolina-Charlotte assistant coach -- stated that they have not been contacted by BU Athletics officials regarding the coaching vacancy.

Jarvis II, a BU graduate and former Terrier who played two seasons for his father Mike Jarvis, was reported to be a 'leading candidate' for the job by the website FAUOwlAccess.com. Jarvis II, however, noted that he has not been contacted by BU, although he said he would be very interested in replacing Chambers.

Vandross, who served as an assistant coach at BU for 13 seasons, accepted his current position with Charlotte after spending one season as Chambers' associate head coach. He had an active hand in recruiting several of the players on BU's current roster.

BU interim head coach Brian Daly, as well as the entire BU Athletic Department, had no comment on the university's search. No timetable has been set for a hire, though it would make sense for a coach to be in place by the beginning of the recruiting evaluation period on July 6.

The Daily Free Press and Full Court Press will continue to keep readers up to date with any breaking developments in BU's search for a new head coach, in addition to articles and reports from other outlets regarding the search.

Friday, June 10, 2011

Report: Jarvis leading candidate at BU

By Craig Meyer/DFP Staff

Florida Atlantic University associate head coach Mike Jarvis II is a leading candidate for the vacant head coaching position at Boston University, according to a report from the website FAUOwlAccess.com.

Jarvis II just completed his third season as the associate head coach at Florida Atlantic, where he works under his father, Owls head coach and former BU head coach Mike Jarvis. Jarvis II graduated from BU in 1992 after playing four seasons for his father.

Aside from a stint as an assistant at Drexel University during the 1995-96 season and working as Duke University's director of player development beginning in 2004 , Jarvis II has spent the entirety of his coaching career on his father's staffs, having coached at George Washington University from 1992-95 and 1996-98, and St. John's University from 1998-2004 before reuniting with his father at Florida Atlantic in 2008.

Owls team spokesman Justin Johnson said he has no personal knowledge of whether Jarvis has been contacted by BU regarding the job.

Below is a link to the original article:

http://www.fauowlaccess.com/blogs/owlthingsconsidered/2011/06/fridays-daily-briefing-jarvis-ii-a-candidate-for-head-coaching-job-at-boston-u.aspx

Wednesday, June 8, 2011

Pitino endorses McCarty for BU opening

By Craig Meyer/DFP Staff

Just as Rick Pitino closed speculation on one name for the open Boston University basketball coaching position, he opened the proverbial floodgates on another.

In the same Tuesday press conference in which he announced that his son Richard Pitino would not be taking the BU job because of a two-year commitment contract, the University of Louisville coach endorsed former Louisville and current Indiana Pacers assistant Walter McCarty for the position.

McCarty was an assistant for the Cardinals under Pitino from 2007-2010 before moving on to his current position with the Pacers, and also played for Pitino at the University of Kentucky, starting for Kentucky's 1996 NCAA national championship team. After leaving Kentucky, McCarty played in the NBA for 10 seasons, spending a majority of his career with the Boston Celtics, where he played from 1997-2005.

While Pitino admitted he's not sure how likely it is that McCarty will ultimately be hired, he feels that his former player's strong connection with the city of Boston would make him a great fit at BU.

"Walt would be a great candidate for the job," Pitino said in the press conference. "Being an ex-Celtic, he's very, very popular in that town. He would be a tremdendous fit for Boston University, but I don't know what they're thinking or what roads they are traveling."

Pitino, who also coached McCarty for three of his seasons on the Celtics, began his head coaching career at BU in 1978 when he was just 25-years-old.

Pitino's endorsement was followed Wednesday with a report from The Indianapolis Star that Pacers interim head coach Frank Vogel was told that if we were to be hired as the full time coach that he would need to replace several assistants, among them McCarty.

McCarty's name joins a list of speculated candidates that includes University of Maryland assistant and BU graduate Scott Spinelli, University of North Carolina-Charlotte and former BU assistant Orlando Vandross, University of Washington assistant Raphael Chillious, along with interim head coach Brian Daly.

Tuesday, June 7, 2011

Richard Pitino not a candidate for BU job

By Craig Meyer/DFP Staff

University of Louisville assistant Richard Pitino is not a candidate for the vacant coaching position at Boston University, Richard's father and Louisville head coach Rick Pitino said Tuesday.

Pitino's name was being widely-mentioned as a possible candidate to replace former coach Patrick Chambers, who left the program Friday to become the head coach at Penn State University. Pitino was also speculated to be a candidate for the BU job in 2009 after Dennis Wolff was fired and Chambers was ultimately hired.

The 28-year-old Pitino rejoined his father Rick Pitino's staff at Louisville in April after a two-year stint as an assistant at the University of Florida under Billy Donovan. His arrival was part of an overhaul of Pitino's staff after former assistant Steve Masiello left to become the head coach at Manhattan College and former assistant Tim Fuller left for a similar position at the University of Missouri after just one season on the Cardinals' staff, a departure that prompted Pitino to consider a two-year commitment contract from anyone he brings on to his staff.

"Richard is under contract for two years," the elder Pitino said in a press conference today. "If the greatest job in America came up next year, he is not going anywhere."

Pitino's statements came within an hour of a tweet from CBS Sports and MSG Network college basketball writer Jon Rothstein, who claimed that Pitino was no longer under consideration for the BU job.

Upon Pitino's return to Louisville, rumors circulated that he was to be the program's head coach-in-waiting, but such reports were denied by Louisville athletic director Tom Jurich.

Other names who have been mentioned by national writers for the BU position have been University of Maryland assistant and former BU player Scott Spinelli, University of North Carolina-Charlotte assistant and former BU assistant Orlando Vandross, University of Washington assistant Raphael Chillious, as well as BU assistant and interim head coach Brian Daly.

Friday, June 3, 2011

BREAKING NEWS: Chambers leaves BU to coach at Penn State

By René Reyes and Craig Meyer/DFP Staff

In an announcement that was bound to come sooner rather than later, Patrick Chambers has accepted the head coaching position at Penn State University, the school confirmed in a press release today.

Brian Daily, Chambers' former assistant coach at Boston University, has been appointed the interim head coach of the Terriers for the moment, but the school will conduct a nationwide search to find Chambers' replacement.

The following is the press release from BU athletics:

BOSTON - Boston University assistant vice president and director of athletics Mike Lynch announced today that head men's basketball coach Patrick Chambers has accepted the head coach position at Big Ten member Penn State. Lynch also announced that BU associate head coach Brian Daly has been named interim head coach. A national search for the program's 25th head coach will begin immediately.

"I would like to thank Pat for his contributions to Boston University and to our men's basketball program," said Lynch. "As our head coach, he helped return BU to its winning tradition. We have a very bright future and I am confident that we will find a replacement who will continue to build on our tradition of excellence."

Daly has been a member of Chambers' coaching staff for the past two years and was promoted to associate head coach in May 2010.

"Brian Daly was an easy choice to assume the interim head coach position while a search is conducted," said Lynch. "He has been involved in all aspects of the program's operation and will provide a smooth transition to the next phase of Terrier basketball."

Chambers led the Terriers to back-to-back postseason appearances and America East Championship berths while becoming the first coach in program history to earn at least 20 wins in each of his first two years. This past season, BU hosted its first conference title game since 2003 and earned its first NCAA berth since 2002 (seventh overall) with a 56-54 victory over Stony Brook in front of an energized fan base at Agganis Arena.

Chambers compiled a 42-28 (.600) overall record and a 23-9 (.719) mark in league action. In the months of February and March, he was 21-4 (.840) after leading the Terriers to the semifinals of the 2010 CBI tournament and the second round of the 2011 NCAAs.

A native of Philadelphia, Chambers will be returning to his home state and coaching at a school where several family members and friends graduated from.

We'll have more details later on this breaking story, including any notices on BU's search for a new head coach.

Thursday, June 2, 2011

UPDATE: Rothstein: Chambers 'likely' to Penn State

By Craig Meyer and René Reyes/DFP Staff

Sources indicated that Penn State University will likely hire Boston University head men's basketball coach Patrick Chambers to be the Nittany Lions' next coach, MSG and CBS Network college basketball Jon Rothstein tweeted Thursday.

And on Friday, Jeff Goodman of CBS Sports tweeted that per his sources, Chambers was officially "offered the Penn State job earlier today." After Duquesne University head coach Ron Everhart withdrew his name from Penn State's head coaching search Thursday evening, only Chambers and the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee head coach Rob Jeter remained as the final two candidates for the Nittany Lions' head coaching job.

However, this afternoon, Gary Parrish of CBS Sports tweeted that "Ron Everhart and Rob Jeter have both publicly withdrawn at Penn State. That means, barring a shock, BU's Pat Chambers is getting the job."

Current BU players may have foreshadowed the official announcement of Chambers' hire at Penn State, with sophomore forward Dom Morris posting on his Facebook status today, "Worst news I heard in my life besides hearing that my father past away...smfh," and sophomore forward Travis Robinson posting, "It's a business...gotta remember that...smh."

Amid these swarm of rumors surrounding the head coaching vacancy at Penn State, Chambers recently had agreed to a contract extension in early May to continue at BU through the 2015-16 campaign.

Chambers, who just completed his second season as the Terriers' bench boss, owns a career 42-28 record, with two postseason tournament appearances, including a berth in the 2011 NCAA Tournament.

Goodman tweeted on Thursday that, per his sources, Chambers has not yet been offered the job, but that he is "in the mix." ESPN's Andy Katz reported Thursday that no decision has been made, but that Penn State had narrowed its finalists for the job down to Chambers and Jeter, stating that both candidates have already interviewed for the position.

If Chambers is indeed hired by Penn State, BU would be placed with the task of conducting a search for a new coach at a very late moment of the proverbial coaching carousel.

A team official said that there was no comment on the situation when contacted by The Daily Free Press this afternoon.

Additionally, in a move that could signal Chambers' departure from Commonwealth Ave., Chambers' former assistant coach Dwayne Killings has accepted the same position at Temple University, according to The Recruit Scoop.