Matt Brown
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Wright State needs a new basketball coach. Could they target Ohio State's Jeff Boals?
Matt Brown via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
#JeffBoals4WrightState? Could Ohio State lose an assistant coach?
Now that the season is over for most college basketball programs in the country, the coaching carousel is starting to really heat up. This year's season may not have a ton of blue-chip programs open (the biggest names right now might be Pitt and Stanford), and there doesn't project to be much more movement in the Big Ten (now that Rutgers has hired Steve Pikiell), but that doesn't mean the carousel can't impact the Buckeyes.
One of the more surprising positions to open up was Wright State, who let Billy Donlon go after six seasons. According to the Dayton Daily News, one name the Raiders could potentially take a look towards is an all-too-familiar name for Land-Grant readers.
That's right. Jeff Boals.
On paper, this does make a lot of sense. Boals is still relatively young (he's only 43), and he has extensive experience coaching in Ohio. He's been on the sidelines with Thad Matta for seven seasons, and coached at Akron and Ohio prior to that. He has strong credentials as a defensive minded coach, he knows Wright State's natural recruiting territory, and he'll probably fit in WSU's budget. That's a lot of prospective boxes to check.
A few of the other names on the Dayton Daily News' list are current head coaches, like Ron Hunter at Georgia State. Convincing another successful low-major coach to make the jump to Wright State feels a little unlikely, unless the athletic department is prepared to make major investments in the basketball program. Per the USA TODAY Database, Wright State's athletic department is one of the smallest in the Horizon League. Donlon also saw some real success at Wright State, as he lead the Raiders to three 20+ win seasons during his tenure (and to 19 wins in another). Sure, there wasn't an NCAA bid during those years, but in a challenging Horizon League, NCAA or Bust is a daunting goal.
The other assistant coach named on the list is Xavier's Travis Steele, who would probably also make a solid choice.
If Boals wants to become a head coach, Wright State could be an attractive job. Given Ohio State's struggles these past few seasons, Boals' star might have dimmed a tiny bit, and there aren't too many jobs in Ohio that have potential, but would also consider a candidate who hasn't been a head coach before. For as difficult a gig as Wright State could be (it isn't even the best program in Dayton!), it's probably a better job than say, Youngstown State.
Continue reading...
Matt Brown via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
#JeffBoals4WrightState? Could Ohio State lose an assistant coach?
Now that the season is over for most college basketball programs in the country, the coaching carousel is starting to really heat up. This year's season may not have a ton of blue-chip programs open (the biggest names right now might be Pitt and Stanford), and there doesn't project to be much more movement in the Big Ten (now that Rutgers has hired Steve Pikiell), but that doesn't mean the carousel can't impact the Buckeyes.
One of the more surprising positions to open up was Wright State, who let Billy Donlon go after six seasons. According to the Dayton Daily News, one name the Raiders could potentially take a look towards is an all-too-familiar name for Land-Grant readers.
That's right. Jeff Boals.
On paper, this does make a lot of sense. Boals is still relatively young (he's only 43), and he has extensive experience coaching in Ohio. He's been on the sidelines with Thad Matta for seven seasons, and coached at Akron and Ohio prior to that. He has strong credentials as a defensive minded coach, he knows Wright State's natural recruiting territory, and he'll probably fit in WSU's budget. That's a lot of prospective boxes to check.
A few of the other names on the Dayton Daily News' list are current head coaches, like Ron Hunter at Georgia State. Convincing another successful low-major coach to make the jump to Wright State feels a little unlikely, unless the athletic department is prepared to make major investments in the basketball program. Per the USA TODAY Database, Wright State's athletic department is one of the smallest in the Horizon League. Donlon also saw some real success at Wright State, as he lead the Raiders to three 20+ win seasons during his tenure (and to 19 wins in another). Sure, there wasn't an NCAA bid during those years, but in a challenging Horizon League, NCAA or Bust is a daunting goal.
The other assistant coach named on the list is Xavier's Travis Steele, who would probably also make a solid choice.
If Boals wants to become a head coach, Wright State could be an attractive job. Given Ohio State's struggles these past few seasons, Boals' star might have dimmed a tiny bit, and there aren't too many jobs in Ohio that have potential, but would also consider a candidate who hasn't been a head coach before. For as difficult a gig as Wright State could be (it isn't even the best program in Dayton!), it's probably a better job than say, Youngstown State.
Continue reading...