George Mason Coach Jim Larranaga met with the president of Providence today about the opening with the Friars. Larranaga played at Providence and would be the perfect choice to rebuild his alma mater. If that happens, look for former assistant Bill Courtney to be the leading candidate at George Mason. Courtney was intrumental in the recruitment of the personnel on the Final Four team.
Reach the Sweet Sixteen, get a new job. That’s what Darrin Horn of Western Kentucky did. He will be announced as the new head coach at South Carolina. Look for the Hilltoppers to go the assistant route as they did with Horn. Former assistant and current Texas assistant, Ken McDonald will be involved heavily.
Staying put for the time being. Washington State’s Tony Bennett has rebuffed Indiana out of concern for possible NCAA penalties. Also, look for him to be the leading candidate at Cal. How upside down is college basketball when a coach turns down Indiana for Cal. Are you kidding me? On another note, I was glad to hear that Isiah Thomas said he wasn’t interested in the job. Talk about overinflated opinion of yourself. He bankrupts the ABA then destroys the Knicks. Time to get off scholarship and find another profession.
Rumor has it that Bill Bayno (former UNLV, current Portland trailblazer) is the leading candidate at Loyola Marymount. His connections with the Pump Brothers, who run camps on the Marymount campus, is the main hook is this scenario. However, the other day Bo Kimble came out in the newspaper and said he wanted the job. Makes perfect sense. He’s 41 never coached a day in his life, but he was a great player there. That is an insult to all of the coaches out there who have worked their tails off perfecting their craft.
Also, look for Geno Ford, current Kent assistant, to be bumped up as the head coach to replace Jim Christian. Makes sense since he already has head coaching experience.
