Assistant Coach Prospects
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No one on the list of candidates is an up-and-comer on another Big Ten staff who are experienced recruiting the Big Ten geographic footprint. We need to put the “recruit locally” paradigm behind us. Find Big Ten caliber talent who want to compete in the Big Ten. Hire someone from Michigan State, Purdue, Maryland, Indiana who is looking to take the next step up the coaching ladder.
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So, just so I have this straight, the only guys you want are "up and comers" on other Big Ten staffs. Which means, you're down to 13 teams you want to poach from--3 assistants on each staff--which means 39 possible coaches. Then you want someone young, which probably eliminates half the Big Ten--without really looking. So you're now down to 16 or 17 guys. Then you have to find someone who wants to leave their Big Ten coaching job to come to Rutgers--probably a lateral move at best.
Stop pigeon holing yourself. There are some good names on that list. Andre Lafluer, who used to be a UConn assistant and recruited well at UNLV recruited nationally. MacConnell is considered an up and comer. Just because he's from NJ doesn't mean he only recruits NJ. Kelvin Jefferson has some interesting contacts (and even helped get Shane Rector to commit to RU before the Rice thing happened).
Plus, who knows if that's even the whole list. I'm sure there are a lot more.
But you're idea of a good hire is so pigeon holed that I don't think there's a candidate that fits it. It's very quiet right now, yes, but trust Pikiell.
Stop pigeon holing yourself. There are some good names on that list. Andre Lafluer, who used to be a UConn assistant and recruited well at UNLV recruited nationally. MacConnell is considered an up and comer. Just because he's from NJ doesn't mean he only recruits NJ. Kelvin Jefferson has some interesting contacts (and even helped get Shane Rector to commit to RU before the Rice thing happened).
Plus, who knows if that's even the whole list. I'm sure there are a lot more.
But you're idea of a good hire is so pigeon holed that I don't think there's a candidate that fits it. It's very quiet right now, yes, but trust Pikiell.
Michigan State coaches:
Dwayne Stephens (Associate Head Coach) 16 years at MSU
Mike Garland (Assistant Coach) 19 years
Dane Fife (Associate Head Coach) 8 years
NO UP AND COMERS
Purdue Coaches:
Steve Lutz (Assistant) 2 years at Purdue, came from Creighton
Brandon Brantley (Assistant) 6 years at Purdue and is a Purdue alum
They don't list a 3rd candidate
I doubt you'll snatch either of these two.
Maryland Staff
Matt Brady (Assistant) was just elevated from his position at MD to assistant
Kevin Broadus (Assistant) top recruiter, in his second year at MD as well but been around. Not young.
Bino Ranson (Assistant) 9 years at MD
Again, I don't think anyone is looking to leave here. These are older guys who've been around the game a while.
Indiana Staff
Todd Ostrom 2nd year at Indiana. Came over with Miller from Dayton
Bruiser Flint Been in the game forever. Long time head coach too. 2nd year
Ed Schilling In his second year after being an Assistant at UCLA. Indiana native. I think he was rumored for St. John's opening before Mullin left.
So there ya go. I found you *maybe* one guy on the four staffs you mentioned.
Stealing another Big 10 assistant coach will be very very difficult. I’m confident Pike will find someone that adds plenty of value.
There are over 100 candidates who have expressed interest in the opening and that happened before Jay Young was officially announced at Fairfield. It's going to be awhile before we see anything shake out, that is how high in demand RU is right now and how coveted a B1G assistant position is at this stage. This isn't a game of telephone tag on offers or what used to happen at RU before.
The usual protocol has informal interviews behind the scenes during Final Four weekend, which is what most coaches who have intended to change jobs or want to meet without a ton of distractions, can do so discreetly.
There are some names tossed around, but there are tons of options that are being considered whenever you have coaching turnover around the country. Every job opening, big and small, has ramifications that impact plenty of programs and players.
The usual protocol has informal interviews behind the scenes during Final Four weekend, which is what most coaches who have intended to change jobs or want to meet without a ton of distractions, can do so discreetly.
There are some names tossed around, but there are tons of options that are being considered whenever you have coaching turnover around the country. Every job opening, big and small, has ramifications that impact plenty of programs and players.
How about ex-UConn player Kevin Freeman at Penn State or Scoonie Penn at Ohio State or DeAndre Haynes at Michigan? Or outside the Big Ten, Rashon Burno at Arizona State?
But... that's not what you said. And of those guys, I think maybe Pikiell might be able to sway Freeman as a former UConn guy.
And, since this is Freeman's first year as a coach... at Penn State, mind you... how do we know he can even recruit?
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The intent was to think in terms of finding someone from another Big Ten staff to start to capitalize on the Big Ten’s geographic footprint when it comes to recruiting.
So, someone like Andre Lafleur, who's recruited nationwide, can't do that? Trust Pikiell to find the right fit.
I want a guy that Pikiell is comfortable with who can recruit players that want to come to Rutgers. A guy who can develop talent into winners. That's all. This is a challenging hire as Pikiell is trying to replace a guy he coached with essentially his entire head coaching career.
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