Coach K Pushing Collins For Xavier Job?

[Franzez]

Its mentioned by a respected poster on their site.

Would Coach K push one of his assistants for a HC job?

I'm not sure he did so with Dawkins, but in Collins' case he is more then ready to lead a program.

[ncexnyc]

That's a mighty big step IMHO.

[sandinmyshoes]

It's not that much more of a jump, maybe even less, then it was for Johnny Dawkins to Stanford, is it?

[Franzez]

It's not that much more of a jump, maybe even less, then it was for Johnny Dawkins to Stanford, is it?
Stanford is a much bigger job on a larger stage, but its not better due to their high academic standards of clearing athletes.

Dawkins needs to hit the recruiting trail harder after looking at his recruiting classes, but maybe thats the best he can bring in there.

Xavier looks like a great job, he has a Top 10 team possibly returning next season.

[roywhite]

That's a mighty big step IMHO.

Collins was Duke class of 1996, actually a year ahead of Jeff Capel. In addition to his time at Duke, he worked at Seton Hall for two years, and has been around basketball for all his live with father Doug.

Seems to me like he may be ready for such a job, esp. if Coach K is recommending him.

[dermite]

Exciting stuff! Would Nate take his place?

[ncexnyc]

Collins was Duke class of 1996, actually a year ahead of Jeff Capel. In addition to his time at Duke, he worked at Seton Hall for two years, and has been around basketball for all his live with father Doug.

Seems to me like he may be ready for such a job, esp. if Coach K is recommending him.

What you say is true, however Jeff did cut his teeth at VCU.

I'm not sure that jumping straight into the pressure cooker of a possible top 10 program like Xavier would be a good career move.

[sagegrouse]

Exciting stuff! Would Nate take his place?

Nate is already a full-fledged asistant coach. I think the title Assistant Head Coach which Chris and Wojo have is a measure of experience and skill, not a true slot.

sagegrouse

[Pacer]

Exciting stuff! Would Nate take his place?

Did you mean Chris Carawell?

[dermite]

Yep, mea culpa. Guess I was excited about seeing the coaching tree expand, it would be great for Chris (both of them!).

[Newton_14]

I think this would be a good opportunity for Chris. I hope he gets the job. I think he is ready and it would be a good fit. Chris for sure knows the ropes having grown up amongst NBA'ers and then mentored by his dad and Coach K. I think he would do well. Will be interesting to see if it happens.

[Devilsfan]

Good move on everybodies part if it's true. I would elevate Nate. What he showed in his work with Elliott is terrific.

[CameronBornAndBred]

Did you mean Chris Carawell?
Who would fill in Carawell's spot? How long until we see Paulus in some capacity in the program, like Carawell is now? I would hope that Greg goes off and plays overseas for a few years and gets some exciting experiences under his belt. I think Greg will be back on the bench some day, just not this early. So who else is there?
And I hope it's true about Collins, he'll be fun to keep tabs on.

[geraldsneighbor]

Who would fill in Carawell's spot? How long until we see Paulus in some capacity in the program, like Carawell is now? I would hope that Greg goes off and plays overseas for a few years and gets some exciting experiences under his belt. I think Greg will be back on the bench some day, just not this early. So who else is there?
And I hope it's true about Collins, he'll be fun to keep tabs on.

The only name that comes to mind is J-Will. He has said he would want to coach but I'm not sure it would happen.

[Cameron]

Jason would be a fantastic person to have sitting on the Duke bench. His on-court gifts could definitely be put to good use in the training of young Duke points. And because Jason was probably the best college guard the NCAA has seen over the past decade, it would, in my eyes, be a wonderful asset to have him in Duke Blue. What young player, in his most important stage of basketball development, wouldn't want to have Jason Williams at his side?

Also, does anyone here actually think this Collins to Xavier talk has any legs? This is very interesting. If Coach K is really backing this jump, perhaps he is adamant about Collins getting that experience outside of Durham before .... Collins takes over at Duke.

Just a thought. I have always wanted Chris to be the man that took over the reigns in Durham once Coach K retired, so maybe this is the beginning stages of that. Obviously he still has to prove himself. I love Johnny, but give me a coach with Chris' blue-blood passion and charismatic and unbridled energy any day of the week. That type of coach is who I want standing on our sidelines. (I am not saying that Johnny doesn't have a passion for Duke or that he wouldn't be a great choice. I just happen to be a Collins person.)

[SilkyJ]

I think the title Assistant Head Coach which Chris and Wojo have is a measure of experience and skill, not a true slot.

sagegrouse

Quick fact check: Chris and Wojo actually go by the title Associate Head Coach, which is the title Johnny Dawkins had for his last several years, while Wojo and Chris had the title of Assistant Coach. After Johnny's departure they were promoted to Associate Head Coach almost immediately, and shortly thereafter Nate joined as an Assistant Coach.

Wojo and Chris joined the Duke bench in 1999 and 2000, respectively.

http://www.goduke.com/SportSelect.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=4200&SPID=1845&SPSID=22725

[CameronBornAndBred]

Wojo and Chris joined the Duke bench in 1999 and 2000, respectively.

http://www.goduke.com/SportSelect.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=4200&SPID=1845&SPSID=22725
Thanks for bringing up the timeline. Since Collins came in second, do you think K might be responding (if true) to a personal request from Chris for support? I'm positive K would give either his backing if asked, so it's interesting as far as seniority goes, since Wojo has more experience (on K's bench) that Collins would get the nod.

[Franzez]

Any chance Roshawn Mcleod joins the staff?

I remember hearing he was interested in coaching.

[Cameron]

Roshown is now at Indiana University coaching, I believe, so I am sure it is possible that he'd be interested in Duke.

If Collins does leave, though, I still think an offer to Jason Williams would come first. Jason loves Duke, comes around often, and is almost always there throughout Coach K's summer camp working with not only campers but also Duke's players.

But first Chris would have to leave, and, as of now, no one here has been able to provide anything reliable indicating that Chris is interested in Xavier.

[Jim3k]

Any chance Roshawn Mcleod joins the staff?

I remember hearing he was interested in coaching.

Roshown McLeod (note correct spelling) is currently an assistant at IU to Tom Crean and has held that job for only a year. Given that, it is doubtful he would move on so quickly; no doubt he wants to be part of the rebuild there. He does some of Crean's recruiting. He was an assistant at Fairfield for a couple of years before going into high school coaching, teaching and AAU coaching. The IU job is a step he needs to take if he wants to be a college head coach.

[SeattleIrish]

How long until we see Paulus in some capacity in the program, like Carawell is now? I would hope that Greg goes off and plays overseas for a few years and gets some exciting experiences under his belt. I think Greg will be back on the bench some day, just not this early. So who else is there?

Greg is one of my all-time-favorite players, and I would love to see him coaching at Duke some day; I've always had a hope that Greg would get a shot at playing QB somehow - perhaps just invited to a pro. camp. I know Greg has stated his goal is to be a coach, so I'm certainly rooting for him to coach at Duke. However, I would love to see him play QB at some point in an ulternate universe.

I'm really not sure what skill set is required on the recruiting side of college hoops, but my uninformed opinion is Jason Williams would make a more powerful impact on most (but not all) recruits than would Greg. Who knows - perhaps there will be a spot for both some day. Love seeing the tree grow.

s.i.

[Buckeye Devil]

get the X job, let's hope that he would handle it better than his predecessors in terms of how he views the position. Sean Miller recently became a member of the Xavier he-man coach haters club along with Thad Matta. It is kind of pathetic that these two more or less gave an impression that they would stay at Xavier and then bolted for perceived greener pastures. But I guess that is the reality of coaching these days. Really, if a coach wants a bigger job, then just come out and say it and leave. Don't slap a school like Xavier in the face.

Xavier is a quality school/program that seems to invest heavily in much more than just developing good players. There is a strong focus on academics and graduating players. Unfortunately, X has become a stepping-stone job when in reality it should be a place where a coach lands and stays for a long time. Maybe it isn't the place where you win a national championship, but it has developed a national reputation, plays against good competition, and is located in a solid area for recruiting. I would argue that Xavier is a top 25 job nationally. If CC gets the job, I would wish him long tenure there and the ability to continue the Musketeer's winning ways.

[sagegrouse]

get the X job, let's hope that he would handle it better than his predecessors in terms of how he views the position. Sean Miller recently became a member of the Xavier he-man coach haters club along with Thad Matta. It is kind of pathetic that these two more or less gave an impression that they would stay at Xavier and then bolted for perceived greener pastures. But I guess that is the reality of coaching these days. Really, if a coach wants a bigger job, then just come out and say it and leave. Don't slap a school like Xavier in the face.

Xavier is a quality school/program that seems to invest heavily in much more than just developing good players. There is a strong focus on academics and graduating players. Unfortunately, X has become a stepping-stone job when in reality it should be a place where a coach lands and stays for a long time. Maybe it isn't the place where you win a national championship, but it has developed a national reputation, plays against good competition, and is located in a solid area for recruiting. I would argue that Xavier is a top 25 job nationally. If CC gets the job, I would wish him long tenure there and the ability to continue the Musketeer's winning ways.

I agree with you about the strength of the Xavier program, but the reality of hoops coaching in major college programs heads in a different direction. Hence the title of this posting.

The top jobs seem to offer about $2M per year, which is what Miller got just in salary from Arizona (plus signing $1M bonus plus media and endorsement income, etc.). He was the highest paid coach in the A-10 at a salary between 700 and 900 thousand.

Lets ignore the fact that college basketball coaches are among the most competitive souls on the entire planet, and how much they earn is one way they keep score. And also ignore the fact that the Zona job is at the pinnacle of the profession, people say. (I say Lute Olson fouled that nest pretty badly, and we'll see.)

Sure, Sean Miller could make a really good living at Xavier on a long-term basis, say the next 25 years (he is 40). But hoops coaches are paid high salaries to win, and if he starts losing at Xavier, he is gone.

Under these circumstances it is hard to turn down the Zona contract where he and his family would be set for life, even if things don't turn out that well on the basketball court.

One of the more touching stories along these lines is that of Fran Dunphy, the former UPenn coach now at Temple. He had the dominant program in the Ivy League for over a decade (my daughter was a UPenn cheerleader in the mid 90s). I believe stories at the time indicated he was paid 250-300 per at Penn, in line with the most senior professors. He moved across town to Temple, not because he wanted to be the most famous and highest-paid coach in the profession, but because in his late 50s, he needed financial security. I believe he is making about 750 at Temple and doing very well on the court. Temple, IIRC, has won thel ast two A-10 championship tournaments. Meanwhile, UPenn has sunk to mediocrity, and Cornell and (soon) Harvard are looking like the strongest Ivy programs,

sagegrouse

[Buckeye Devil]

mentioned the possibility of a national championship at Xavier versus one at Arizona stating that Arizona had won one. He got in the neighborhood of $1 million per year at X and there was rumor that they would have upped the ante to keep him, though undoubtedly not close to the $2 million mark and that does seem to be the magic number for top jobs as sagegrouse indicated. Unless, of course, you are John Calipari.

Yes it is true that the kind of money he will be making will bring him financial security. But $1 million+ annually gives a really comfortable standard of living in Cincinnati and Xavier would have fielded a strong team for the foreseeable future.

[roywhite]

mentioned the possibility of a national championship at Xavier versus one at Arizona stating that Arizona had won one. He got in the neighborhood of $1 million per year at X and there was rumor that they would have upped the ante to keep him, though undoubtedly not close to the $2 million mark and that does seem to be the magic number for top jobs as sagegrouse indicated. Unless, of course, you are John Calipari.

Yes it is true that the kind of money he will be making will bring him financial security. But $1 million+ annually gives a really comfortable standard of living in Cincinnati and Xavier would have fielded a strong team for the foreseeable future.

So long as Xavier again identifies a great young coach (Collins?), they should continue to be a top 20 program. Gillen, Prosser, Matta, Miller---truly a "cradle of coaches".

[kramerbr]

Its mentioned by a respected poster on their site.

Would Coach K push one of his assistants for a HC job?

I'm not sure he did so with Dawkins, but in Collins' case he is more then ready to lead a program.

Can you provide a link to the site? It'd be interesting to see what they are saying about all of this...

[gotham devil]

Roshown is now at Indiana University coaching, I believe, so I am sure it is possible that he'd be interested in Duke.

If Collins does leave, though, I still think an offer to Jason Williams would come first. Jason loves Duke, comes around often, and is almost always there throughout Coach K's summer camp working with not only campers but also Duke's players.

But first Chris would have to leave, and, as of now, no one here has been able to provide anything reliable indicating that Chris is interested in Xavier.

Roshown was definitely interested in the Duke job. McLeod was one of the finalists for the assistant coaching job, which James wound up winning. He was involved in the Atlanta AAU scene and has strong ties to the basketball hotbed of Northern NJ.

I would be shocked if the position didn't go to Carrawell.

[SmartDevil]

Why Colliins and not Wojo?

[dukemsu]

Why Colliins and not Wojo?

Silly. Don't you know that Wojo can only coach guards? ;)

dukemsu

[Capn Poptart]

Why Colliins and not Wojo?

Maybe because of Chris's Midwestern roots? Xavier is only, what, four or five hours from Chicago? That might be a factor...

[BD80]

Why Colliins and not Wojo?

I think Collins has better connections in the midwest.

[heyman25]

The only name that comes to mind is J-Will. He has said he would want to coach but I'm not sure it would happen.

No offense to Greg but Jason Williams would be much better for Duke recruiting than Paulus.ESPN might be too good of a gig to give up.

[78Devil]

Interesting possibility, if true.

For some reason, Chris Collins is one of the few Duke players I could never warm up to, and have never been able to get a feel for as a coach or a person. No knock on him -- its probably more of a statement of what I like/care about in a player. But I'm curious if others have felt the same.

[Cameron]

Apparently Xavier assistant coach Chris Mack is the front-runner for the job opening at X. That is the word here in Ohio at least, so it looks like Collins is not going to be heading to the Queen City.

Besides, I think some major, or at least minor, story lines would have been popping up in the Triangle by now.

[sagegrouse]

No offense to Greg but Jason Williams would be much better for Duke recruiting than Paulus.ESPN might be too good of a gig to give up.

Don't look to see JWill play work-ups [see note] on the Duke bench. Within ten years he will be running some really important entity. In fact, he and Battier may be running the country.

Work-ups is a form of baseball when you have 12 or so players but not enough for two teams, so players rotate through the positions, starting in the outfield, and eventually becoming the batter. And, as long you get hits, you get to stay a batter. "Work-ups" is the Yankee term, because the young kids start in the outfield and, because advances occur mostly when outs are made, take forever to get to hit.

This is what college coaching is like. You start as the head of conditioning or the business manager; move onto the bench after a few years when an opening occurs; move up the bench with seniority, and, and, and, if everything works right, eventually become a D-1 head coach.

BTW the Southern term for this form of baseball is "Motion," due probably to the superior emphasis on classical Latin in the South back in the day.

Anyway, no way, no how will Jason Williams be a college assistant coach.

sagegrouse

[cspan37421]

Interesting possibility, if true.

For some reason, Chris Collins is one of the few Duke players I could never warm up to, and have never been able to get a feel for as a coach or a person. No knock on him -- its probably more of a statement of what I like/care about in a player. But I'm curious if others have felt the same.

The conspicuous gold "CC" around his neck might have turned some people off. Frankly, I think his association with K's lost season (94-95?) probably plays a big factor. Based on the stats I could pull up, he logged a lot fewer minutes that year (his junior yr) than in the year prior or subsequent. Not sure why, maybe Gaudet preferred giving time to some of the many other guards on that team (Price, Blakeney, Wojo), not counting Capel and Langdon. Crowded backcourt.

Weird - I just checked, that team didn't even have a forward that logged 10 min a game. All guards and centers. Hmm.

I'm in no position to question a guy with 3 NCs, but I note with interest that for the Olympic team he went out and got assistant coaches who were experts in areas he was not - e.g., the international game and zone defense. For some reason that rationale doesn't carry over to the Duke bench, where for quite awhile only his former players have been on staff.

[wilko]

I like Collins fine. And Wojo. I very briefly met Collins at a Bulls game. He and I were both taking our kids to pee at the same time. He was pleasant enuff and cordial, but circumstances didnt really lend itself to a conversation.

That aside... I dont think it would be the worst thing ever to happen to see someone on the bench that hasnt been drinking the Duke Kool-aid.

I think a fresh perspective could be valuable and insightful.

[geraldsneighbor]

I like Collins fine. And Wojo. I very briefly met Collins at a Bulls game. He and I were both taking our kids to pee at the same time. He was pleasant enuff and cordial, but circumstances didnt really lend itself to a conversation.

That aside... I dont think it would be the worst thing ever to happen to see someone on the bench that hasnt been drinking the Duke Kool-aid.

I think a fresh perspective could be valuable and insightful.

Thank you sir for painting the picture.

[jimsumner]

"Frankly, I think his association with K's lost season (94-95?) probably plays a big factor. Based on the stats I could pull up, he logged a lot fewer minutes that year (his junior yr) than in the year prior or subsequent. Not sure why, maybe Gaudet preferred giving time to some of the many other guards on that team (Price, Blakeney, Wojo), not counting Capel and Langdon."

Jeff Capel and Wojo also were associated with that season.

RE: Collins and 1995. He broke a foot in pre-season and was just getting back into form when K called it quits for the season. Gaudet cut back on PT for Collins and Wojo and gave extra minutes to Blakeney. Guess he liked Blakeney's defense. Or something.

I would consider Price a forward on that team but Duke did use a lot of three-guard sets.

Note that Collins recovered nicely for 1996 and was Duke's best player, making second-team All-ACC.

FWIW, I've never had any trouble warming to Collins. I find him engaging, articulate, and very intelligent. I think he'll make a fine head coach in the right situation and Xavier may well be that situation.

Of course, your mileage may vary.

[monkey]

"Frankly, I think his association with K's lost season (94-95?) probably plays a big factor. Based on the stats I could pull up, he logged a lot fewer minutes that year (his junior yr) than in the year prior or subsequent. Not sure why, maybe Gaudet preferred giving time to some of the many other guards on that team (Price, Blakeney, Wojo), not counting Capel and Langdon."

Jeff Capel and Wojo also were associated with that season.

RE: Collins and 1995. He broke a foot in pre-season and was just getting back into form when K called it quits for the season. Gaudet cut back on PT for Collins and Wojo and gave extra minutes to Blakeney. Guess he liked Blakeney's defense. Or something.


I suspect Chris played less in 1994-95 because his shot was _horrible_ (no doubt related to the injury). His FG% for the year was 29.8%, shooting 3 pointers at 23.3%. I recall many, many bricks launched by Mr. Collins that year. Ugly. Actually, I think you were closer to the mark with the gold chain comment - he always seemed like the type of player I would despise if he weren't playing for my team (and not in the Battier beats-my-team secret respect sort of way) - I just remember that it seemed like after every made basket he would run down the court shouting about it and banging his fists on his chest.

He played a lot more the next year (in part because that team was substantially depleted and had a shortened roster but largely because, again probably after the injury healed, he regained his shot - returning to shoot 46.7 from the field and nearly double the prior years 3 pt % at 44.1%

[cspan37421]

FWIW the only times I've heard CC interviewed, he seems like a perfectly nice guy who knows the game as well as anyone.

Someone pointed out that Capel and Wojo were associated with that team, too, and that's true, but I think their place in collective memory isn't quite a 180 degree contrast. Wojo probably fares the best b/c he was a freshman on that team, and in subsequent years as he saw more PT, the team rapidly returned to prominence. 156 steals in his last 2 years was pretty studly, too.

Capel's experience has been hashed over before. It was his soph year. His stats took a dip his jr. year - could have been injury - my memory isn't that detailed - but his overall a-to-t/o ratio was about 4:3, vs. 5:2 for wojo.

Others on that team are not remembered as fondly as many - Meeks, Newton, Ricky Price - I think we all hoped for them to have substantially more success on the court than they did, esp. relative to expectation when they came in.

But as I say to my 10 y.o. son, when your team has some dips, you don't give up rooting for them. You accept that sometimes your guys aren't the best, even if you always wish them the best. And you're proud of them if they give their all, whether its enough for an ACC or NCAA title or not - or even a winning season or not. You own best is all that you can do.

[CameronBornAndBred]

This story on ESPN has the only fact that I've heard about the Xavier job. And that is the coach wil be announced in a couple days. (I think they want him at their banquet)
http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/news/story?id=4066137
and this article has some of the coaches I've heard listed as candidates. Not once in the last few days have I heard Collins name other than on DBR.
http://news.cincinnati.com/article/20090407/SPT0102/904070357
That being said, Dawkins was pretty much an out of the blue hire.
We'll know for sure shortly.

[geraldsneighbor]

Well, it was all speculation after all. Chris Mack, Xavier assistant coach, has been promoted to take over the program as its next head coach.

[Cormac]

Well, it was all speculation after all. Chris Mack, Xavier assistant coach, has been promoted to take over the program as its next head coach.


Mack has paid his dues (played at X, was a two-time captain, worked there under Prosser before going with Skip to Wake, and then eventually returning to X for all of Miller's tenure). I expected X to hire him and hopefully this will limit (or eliminate, fingers crossed) any transfers and decommits. I don't know a whole lot about him, as this is his first head coaching job, but X has had some luck with the young ones. Hopefully, my alma mater continues to be successful and relevant!

[gotham devil]

Mack has paid his dues (played at X, was a two-time captain, worked there under Prosser before going with Skip to Wake, and then eventually returning to X for all of Miller's tenure). I expected X to hire him and hopefully this will limit (or eliminate, fingers crossed) any transfers and decommits. I don't know a whole lot about him, as this is his first head coaching job, but X has had some luck with the young ones. Hopefully, my alma mater continues to be successful and relevant!

The top recruit, Kev Parrom, chose Xavier because of Book Richardson. Miller wisely brought him along to Arizona. I'd expect that he'll wind up at one of three locations: Xavier, St. John's (his "brother" Omari Lawrence and former AAU coach, Os Cross, will be there), or follow Book out to Arizona.

[NSDukeFan]

FWIW the only times I've heard CC interviewed, he seems like a perfectly nice guy who knows the game as well as anyone.

Someone pointed out that Capel and Wojo were associated with that team, too, and that's true, but I think their place in collective memory isn't quite a 180 degree contrast. Wojo probably fares the best b/c he was a freshman on that team, and in subsequent years as he saw more PT, the team rapidly returned to prominence. 156 steals in his last 2 years was pretty studly, too.

Capel's experience has been hashed over before. It was his soph year. His stats took a dip his jr. year - could have been injury - my memory isn't that detailed - but his overall a-to-t/o ratio was about 4:3, vs. 5:2 for wojo.

Others on that team are not remembered as fondly as many - Meeks, Newton, Ricky Price - I think we all hoped for them to have substantially more success on the court than they did, esp. relative to expectation when they came in.

But as I say to my 10 y.o. son, when your team has some dips, you don't give up rooting for them. You accept that sometimes your guys aren't the best, even if you always wish them the best. And you're proud of them if they give their all, whether its enough for an ACC or NCAA title or not - or even a winning season or not. You own best is all that you can do.

I guess you can keep cheering for the team, but it's not a good season unless you win the national championship; maybe it's ok if you make the final four.;)

[JasonEvans]

Mack has paid his dues (played at X, was a two-time captain, worked there under Prosser before going with Skip to Wake, and then eventually returning to X for all of Miller's tenure). I expected X to hire him and hopefully this will limit (or eliminate, fingers crossed) any transfers and decommits. I don't know a whole lot about him, as this is his first head coaching job, but X has had some luck with the young ones. Hopefully, my alma mater continues to be successful and relevant!

Here is a link (http://www.cbssports.com/mcc/blogs/entry/6271764/14510270) confirming Mack as the next head coach. News conference is scheduled for Wednesday.

-Jason "Xavier has a great track record as a breed ground for young coaches" Evans

[jimsumner]

"His stats took a dip his jr. year - could have been injury - my memory isn't that detailed - but his overall a-to-t/o ratio was about 4:3, vs. 5:2 for wojo."

A minor point but Capel's junior year was his best year.

[cspan37421]

jimsumner:

my post was too hastily assembled - the jr. year I referenced was Chris Collins', not Capel's. I had mentally "moved on" from Capel by saying that his Duke years had been gone over before and I didn't want to re-open that debate.

Sorry for not being more clear. Thanks for pointing it out though.