It's that time of year: College coach carousel!

I agree, it might be a little early to judge Smart, but I'm impressed that he was able to get VCU turned around after that bad stretch late in the season. That team could have rolled over after some bad losses when it looked like it didn't have a prayer to make the tournament. Instead VCU started playing its best ball.

 

Kleine is an assistant at Arkansas-Little Rock. He owns a chain of pretty successful (but crappy) barbecue restaurants, so he might be like Corliss was, coaching just because he wants to coach and not because he needs the money.

 

Not sure if I've seen this anywhere here yet but Providence apparently has hired someone named Ed Cooley. Now that's a splash hire....... :

 

From what I hear Shaka wants to stay at VCU, but if he is to live up to his surname, he should get to a BCS job while the getting is good -- especially if VCU beats the Noles and gets at least to the Elite 8.

That kind of accomplishment is a once-in-a-lifetime thing even for the elite mid-major programs. He'll never be hotter or more on schools' radar than he is right now, and his stock can only go down in subsequent seasons as he and VCU struggle to live up to the inevitable comparisons to the magical 2011 team.

 

A lot of people thought Grant had to strike while he was hot from the tourney win over Duke. He stuck around two more years and was still in high demand. Smart has to decide if the right fit is there for him or if it's worth waiting. For example, if he wants South Carolina it should be there for him next year.

 

I watched them a couple of times. He has them trying to play 40 minutes of hell. Well, it was hell on them. Like you said, he was coaching with Rand Chappell's players. Chappell played a defensive-oriented style that was almost slow down (and they were a good D-II before moving up). I'm surprised he didn't ease into the new system. Talk about square peg/round hole with the personnel he had.

 

Getting rid of Hamilton before the hire would be the best...

 

If Buzz Williams goes anywhere, it's probably to OU. That puts him three hours from his hometown. But Arkansas could make it worth his while.

Lots of conflicting information on Anderson right now that won't be resolved until tomorrow at the earliest. Anderson is in Tulsa for a friend's funeral.

 

I wouldn't be shocked if Smart stays at VCU. That is not a good job, that is a GREAT job. And as far as coaches go, he's a bright, bright guy who realize there's life outside the gym and who doesn't have dollar signs in his eyes. He might be, pardon the pun, smart enough to figure he can name his price at VCU and enjoy a long, successful career. But he'll never be this hot ever again, so who knows.

 

But VCU couldn't match the prices for Capel or Grant. Unless Smart just likes downtown Richmond so much (and who wouldn't?) that he couldn't bear the thought of departing, then some school will swoop in with a much better contract than he could get at VCU, even if they threw in Capital Ale House.

Speaking of CAA coaching rumors: Wyoming is going after ODU's Blaine Taylor. Exactly why Taylor would want to leave a consistent CAA contender with great support filling a nice arena in a town that provides him cheap drinks and a free pass for his mustache for a bottom-feeding team whose eyes haven't seen the glory in the A.D. (After Dennisfembo) days is anyone's guess. Sure, he coached at Montana, but I'd call Wyoming a step down from ODU (not that I'm biased or nothing.)

He's also linked to Utah, which would at least be advancement.

 

He's a Providence native and was Al Skinner's big recruiter at Boston College. Did a nice job building up Fairfield despite injuries the last few years. BC interviewed him last year before going with Steve Donahue from Cornell. This was going to be the Stags' big year, No. 1 seed in the conference tournament on their own floor, etc., and they choked against Saint Peter's in the semis. I'm wondering if point guard Derek Needham follows Cooley to Providence. Stags were going to be good again next year.