A Jersey Guy: Doesn't Have To Look Far For Its Next Hoop Coach
Boston College surprised some people on Monday when it fired men's basketball coach Jim Christian.
Not that it was not going to happen, which was a foregone conclusion.
With only one winning season in seven years at BC, the Eagles as athletic director Patrick Kraft said, were headed in the wrong direction.
The Eagles were under manned and outmatched.
With a roster depleted because of COVID and other issues, don't be surprised if the Eagles shutdown for the season completely in the next few weeks.
The lingering question, of course, is what is next for BC basketball, which has fallen into the worst category, irrelevance.
Kraft made the usual ""begin a national search' statement on Monday.
Two names have been mentioned already.
Former BC player Howard Eisley, who has morphed from a successful NBA career, into an assistant NBA coaching level and, for the past two years an assistant at Michigan, has been the most widely spread name for the past few years.
Less obvious is Loyola-Chicago Coach Porter Moser who has made the Ramblers a perennial mid-major power the past several years.
The BC connection?
Moser was at Loyola when Kraft was the Executive Senior Associate Athletic Director at Loyola. The two men have worked together.
Northeastern Coach Billy Coen, a former BC assistant would be another solid choice, but that probably won't happen for a variety of reasons since the Eagles have already had a few chances to hire Coen and not done so.
But the best choice would also be the easiest logistically for the Eagles.
Go across the Charles River and hire Harvard coach Tommy Amaker, who checks off EVERY criteria box that Kraft could have in hiring a new coach.
Amaker, who has been at Harvard since 2007, is available NOW since the Ivy League has been the only Division 1 conference NOT to play basketball this season.
His pedigree is both academic and athletic coming from Duke and the high powered Atlantic Coast Conference.
He has coached and won in both the Big East (Seton Hall) and Big Ten (Michigan).
He has proven he can recruit at the Harvard level academically while bringing in ACC or Big East quality players.
He has proven he can win at Harvard, taking the Crimson to not only Ivy League titles, but NCAA bids and even a pair of first round victories.
He would be affordable since BC could double his salary at Harvard and still be slightly under the $1.8 million Christian was being paid.
If there is a minority issue involved, Amaker, who has been a growing presence in Boston outside of basketball, also checks all the boxes.
Amaker and BC have flirted with each other before, but BC chose to go in other directions both times (Steve Donahue and Christian).
Maybe the third time will indeed be the charm, completed with a phone call, interview and a simple offer without the fanfare of a long involved interview process. which could be taken care of in a matter of days.
Much of the process could be done with a simple zoom call.
Amaker's hire would create the same flow of fresh air into the BC athletic program which was created when football coach Jeff Hafley was hired a year ago.
This not to say that Moser does not have the credentials or that Eisley could not be a future star. Or that Kraft will not find a decent candidate.
It's just that Amaker is right person for BC at the right time and is in the right place.
He is the best fit.
It seems simple, but since it is BC there is legitimate skepticism that it will again be complicated and drawn out over a longer period of time than necessary.
It is also a signature move for Kraft as an administrator.
Let's see what happens.