Coaching Carousel Pre-2020 Season

[GBMan]

College Crosse reporting that Harvard and Fairfield have narrowed down their searches to some interesting names...

Some coaching search news, per multiple sources.

Andrew Baxter, Kyle Georgalas, Anthony Gilardi, Brad Ross, and Peter Toner in the running for Fairfield.

Gerry Byrne, Kevin Cassese, and Sean Kirwan in the running for Harvard.

More later on this week's College Crossecast.

https://twitter.com/Chris_Jast/status/1 ... 5164549120

Does Byrne finally leave ND to run his own program?

Gerry’s wife is moving her practice?

No idea, but Xanders also confirmed what College Crosse reported so it seems as though Byrne is at least humoring Harvard about this. Maybe he's just looking for a raise at ND.

I think Kirwan would be interesting. It's not a bad idea to go for a creative offensive mind to compete in a conference with Penn, Yale, Cornell, and Princeton.

What's Harvard want? A .500 team or a team winning Ivy Championships year after year and getting to the Final Four? Plenty of coaches out there for the former. Not many for the latter.

[notentitled]

Harvard may pay well, but you enter a league with established powers. Princeton, Cornell, and Yale all have NCAA championships. Penn almost got there this year and Brown 3-years ago. Harvard's history in lacrosse is nothing like the others. It could be a good gig, but no question the IVY League is very competitive so it is an uphill fight. And you are recruiting against schools with similar academic credentials.

[Dip&Dunk]

Not a thread-jack but has any school in this coaching carousel released their recruits from their NLI? Silly talk I know.

[CU77]

Byrne also interviewed at Harvard in 2012 before withdrawing:
https://www.insidelacrosse.com/article/ ... ssion/8267

Also note the date of that article: July 23. We're still quite early in the coaching-carousel season ...

[HopFan16]

Byrne also interviewed at Harvard in 2012 before withdrawing:
https://www.insidelacrosse.com/article/ ... ssion/8267

Also note the date of that article: July 23. We're still quite early in the coaching-carousel season ...

July 23 seems later than usual. Most (not all) hires in the last couple years have been made in June. Deluca to Delaware was a done deal in late May. Kevin Conry inked on June 21. Feifs and Sheridan were both June hires. Even the UVA debacle was done by June 21. Once the first domino falls (my guess is Fairfield) the others probably won't be too far behind. The exception may be Navy as it appears they are taking their time with it, or at least preventing info from getting out.

College Crosse has some more info about the various searches. Once again, Joe Amplo's name is coming up. He sounds like a candidate at both Navy and Stony Brook.

https://www.collegecrosse.com/2019/6/4/ ... tony-brook

[Muleski]

I have the feeling that on a couple of these {Navy and SB}. College Crosse is as clueless as the rest of us.

in my case I thought that I had some real insight on one of the searches. Two of the key players are good friends of mine, and I has been lined up to be a reference for a candidate. It seems like I read it completely wrong. and I can't "close the loop" on that one!

Fairfield is interesting. My experience is that right now, in almost any sport, there are a lot of available coaches, but far fewer available good or great ones. As a result, I see income and offers going up. My son coaches in another sport at a high level, just made a move and ended up with a package valued at more than twice what he was offered for the same job three years ago. So, it does not surprise me that Fairfield has upped the ante. Not exactly a low cost area to relocate to.

Sounds like Xanders and CC have Baxter as the lead/favorite for that job. He would be good. To me, the start in that group is Brad Ross. you never know how a search committee is looking at things, and generally speaking they tend to want a candidate that they think will stick with the job, for some time, should they come. With the Fairfield list, it looks to me as though it could be a "next step" on the way up the ladder for most. So, they are probably sweetening things. Just a guess.

Harvard.....zero insight. Those three candidates mentioned could not be in more differs places in terms of their careers. I would imagine that IF Gerry Byrne is engaged this time around, he is serious. Just taking a look, when you actually turned down an offer seven years ago is "bad form." I don't think he's be talking if he and his wife were not interested in the move. Harvard had gone to great lengths to help her with her professional move, last time around, as well. That would be a crippling loss for ND, IMO.

Cassese is a strong one. He is a good coach and a class act. If I were on that committee, one of my questions is just what happens when Dino hangs it up at Duke. Cassese has been rumored as a successor there for a long time. And a few years as Harvard's HC will only help his candidacy. I think he trumps Matt D by a big margin. Does the Harvard committee think that they are hiring Duke's next HC in training? Legit question.

Sean Kirwan is a very unusual candidate. From all that you hear he is amazing talented, and works like a dog. I have heard some sing his praises as an OC, and also as somebody who is "growing tremendously and WILL at some point be a great HC." That sounds like in the future to me. I believe that Sean is 29. Has two years as an assistant to Daly at Tufts, and has been with Lars since. He's going to have to blow away that committee, and Bob Scalise, to get that job. Of course, Bob was 24 when he became the head lacrosse coach at Harvard. Twenty Four. He may be feeling that Sean has plenty of experience and the right DNA.

Who knows? Perhaps Sean is in the lead?

Navy and Stony Brook? Congrats to them for keeping this under wraps.

Do we think that the rumor of a $500K annual package being turned down by Tillman and Toomey is accurate? If they have that kind of money to work with, they must have some very good candidates in conversation.

Fun to watch. Could/should create some other openings.

[LaxPundit07]

Serious question: what exactly has Kevin Cassese accomplished as a coach that Dan Chemotti has not?

Cassese:
1 year at Stonybrook as assistant
2 years at Duke as assistant
One national championship game appearance at Duke
Head Coaching Record at Lehigh: 103-89, including 39-40 in the last five years

Chemotti:
2 years at Dartmouth as assistant
2 years at St. John's as assistant
5 years at Loyola as assistant
One national championship as Offensive Coordinator at Loyola
Head Coaching Record at Richmond: 65-38, including 59-27 in the last five years

I have no idea if Chemotti is ready to move after all his success at Richmond. I just don't understand all the hype/love for Cassese. Seems to me like Chemotti should be the heir apparent to Dino at Duke, not Cassese.

[HopFan16]

I don't know anything about how they run a practice or what their team cultures/chemistry is like or who's running the better "program" overall but based purely on results on the field I'd rather have Chemotti. The work he's done at Richmond is pretty awesome, turning that team into a playoff contender very quickly. Both good options but, yeah, Chemotti would be my choice. His name doesn't come up as often as Casseese's during these discussions because I'm pretty sure he's not going to leave Richmond unless it's for Duke while Cassese sure seems like he'd be open to leaving Lehigh for another school if the right offer presented itself, which Harvard might be.

[sguy9]

Serious question: what exactly has Kevin Cassese accomplished as a coach that Dan Chemotti has not?

Cassese:
1 year at Stonybrook as assistant
2 years at Duke as assistant
One national championship game appearance at Duke
Head Coaching Record at Lehigh: 103-89, including 39-40 in the last five years

Chemotti:
2 years at Dartmouth as assistant
2 years at St. John's as assistant
5 years at Loyola as assistant
One national championship as Offensive Coordinator at Loyola
Head Coaching Record at Richmond: 65-38, including 59-27 in the last five years

I have no idea if Chemotti is ready to move after all his success at Richmond. I just don't understand all the hype/love for Cassese. Seems to me like Chemotti should be the heir apparent to Dino at Duke, not Cassese.

Good question. I don't know the answer, probably just that Cassese had a couple of very good years at Lehigh and got some press. Chemotti is building a program from scratch, harder to get good press.

My question again is, Where is Jon Thompson in this? Coming off a Championship run, recruits to a school that would be one of the few that compare to Harvard, played in the Ivy.....

[wgdsr]

i agree. and he's been shopping not sure how many times for what is a lateral move? not really understanding how his lehigh employers are so understanding. sounds like he wants a different location.
as far as byrne goes -- there's nothing wrong with taking a call or 2 to see what's being offered to whoever the next head coach is. not sure how that's bad form. if he waits until they move heaven and earth including some extras for his situation and then declines again, then...

[Muleski]

"My question again is, Where is Jon Thompson in this? Coming off a Championship run, recruits to a school that would be one of the few that compare to Harvard, played in the Ivy....."

Coached in the Ivy. Lars' OC before JT's first HC job, at Colby at age 27. He was so successful there in two seasons, that he was literally pulled to Amherst. He would seem like an incredibly strong fit.

JT has turned down two Ivy jobs. Turned down offers. He has been in the lead at a third, and unfortunately he lost the one he wanted, the one he had pretty much been promised, when Brown's new AD hired Daly. It was Daly by a nose. I think that Daly will prove that he was a good hire, however, we'll never know how JT would be doing in that job. I think we are talking degrees of exceptional.

I'm trying to figure out where JT is, in this one. I know that Bob Scalise, the Harvard AD, is a big fan of his. When Harvard was considering making a coaching change not too long ago, there was a lot of conversation. Of course, Lars was still at Brown then. And that was JT's prize and plan. No secret.

It could be that JT has taken himself out of this one. It could be that he was never engaged, which seems highly unlikely. I hear that in retrospect, the job he should have taken was Dartmouth. Great place to raise a young family. He would fit hand in glove there, and I would bet the farm that they would be in a very different place, and on a different glide path right now.

It's a good "lesson" that when "your guy" retires or leaves, and the new AD arrives, a lot of your currency and goodwill is suddenly worthless, or devalued. I would venture that it would have been a slam dunk a couple of years earlier.

JT is a talented guy. I think that he's ABD with his PhD. Perhaps his next step will be as an AD before too long? I think he likes his situation. I believe that he is the top paid coach in the NESCAC. And Amherst {along with Williams} has boundless resources. Worse places to be.

[GBMan]

Harvard.....zero insight. Those three candidates mentioned could not be in more differs places in terms of their careers. I would imagine that IF Gerry Byrne is engaged this time around, he is serious. Just taking a look, when you actually turned down an offer seven years ago is "bad form." I don't think he's be talking if he and his wife were not interested in the move. Harvard had gone to great lengths to help her with her professional move, last time around, as well. That would be a crippling loss for ND, IMO.

Cassese is a strong one. He is a good coach and a class act. If I were on that committee, one of my questions is just what happens when Dino hangs it up at Duke. Cassese has been rumored as a successor there for a long time. And a few years as Harvard's HC will only help his candidacy. I think he trumps Matt D by a big margin. Does the Harvard committee think that they are hiring Duke's next HC in training? Legit question.

Sean Kirwan is a very unusual candidate. From all that you hear he is amazing talented, and works like a dog. I have heard some sing his praises as an OC, and also as somebody who is "growing tremendously and WILL at some point be a great HC." That sounds like in the future to me. I believe that Sean is 29. Has two years as an assistant to Daly at Tufts, and has been with Lars since. He's going to have to blow away that committee, and Bob Scalise, to get that job. Of course, Bob was 24 when he became the head lacrosse coach at Harvard. Twenty Four. He may be feeling that Sean has plenty of experience and the right DNA.

Who knows? Perhaps Sean is in the lead?

Ok, let me make the case for Kirwan. Not too many guys come along that have made such an impact at so young an age - I'm talking about the Tufts/Brown/UVA uptempo style of offense that is such a treat to watch and must be a ton of fun to play. He's coming off a DI championship - can any other contender make the same claim? Also, who would have a bigger impact on the Harvard community, alumni, current roster, and potential recruits? I'd have to think that current and future players would be totally jazzed to play for Kirwan's push it style offense and would buy into his program on Day One. Can't say the same for any of the other candidates - they come across to me at least as competent coaches but nothing to jump up and down about. As far as age and lack of HC experience? Well, the safe way is to choose someone that is older and has a HC gig or two under his belt, but does Harvard want safe? That'll get them another .500 squad. Some time ago Princeton chose a young assistant coach w/o HC experience and a reputation for innovation (on the defensive side) - his name was Bill Tierney.

[MDlaxfan76]

Harvard may pay well, but you enter a league with established powers. Princeton, Cornell, and Yale all have NCAA championships. Penn almost got there this year and Brown 3-years ago. Harvard's history in lacrosse is nothing like the others. It could be a good gig, but no question the IVY League is very competitive so it is an uphill fight. And you are recruiting against schools with similar academic credentials.

Yes, it's a great league.
But do you not think that they would have quite likely have won more had Tillman stuck and built a staff? He was landing top 5 classes in a row, and that momentum sustained even with Wojcik at first (who recruited my son). They really should have had a deep NCAA run in 2016 but made a calamitous mistake with the assistants hired. Even so they beat Duke, Cornell, Brown, etc.

Seems to me that with the right guy to build the right staff, Harvard's got a serious shot to go deep. Go deep and anything can happen.

I wish I could say the same about my alma mater, Dartmouth, but we have a way bigger hole. Doable, but will take more time than at Harvard.

[WOMBAT, Mod Emeritus]

Depends on the institution.

A "search committee" will almost certainly be assigned at each school looking for a new head coach. Their role will vary. Some schools have the AD do the whole search and only pull in the search committee on the interview day (to take the candidate to lunch and offer feedback after the interview). Other schools will have the search committee review the initial pool of candidates and their resumes, offer feedback, take part in the initial round of phone or Skype interviews, etc.

My experience has been that the athletic directors with intimate knowledge of the sport of lacrosse will lead the charge. AD's that aren't familiar with the sport will lean on their search committees more. As for how they create an applicant pool: Again, it depends on the AD's knowledge and connections to the sport. Well connected AD's will contact other AD's for permission to speak with candidates or ask for suggestions. Other AD's will post the position on NCAA job boards, etc. and wait to see what comes to them.

I have interviewed, coached, and served on search committees at the Division 1 and 3 levels and each individual search was its own unique experience. The only consistent factor was the AD's involvement being determined by their connection and knowledge of the sport.

Lastly, the $$$ piece of this will vary as well. At schools that are REALLY strapped for cash, they will share their salary range with the candidates from the very beginning; they want to save the trouble of losing a candidate when that candidate finds out the offer is only 40,000/year. Other schools, know they will be offering well into the six figure and don't really find a need to discuss the offer until later in the process. As you can imagine, the bigger the athletic department, the more leeway the AD has in making a significant financial offer. They may be tied down financially by budgetary restrictions or by their own "thin ice" standing at an institution.

Hope this helps.

What’s been your experience with coaches having agents? Or contract lawyers at least?

PITA, or helpful to the process? Sometimes for both sides?

[Sting The Corner]

No idea if Ivy AD’s consider long-term ambition in a hire. It’s one thing to find the right guy with the right staff, it’s another to keep them from jumping to an ACC/Big Ten when it presents itself. We’ve seen Tillman, Tiffany, and Tambroni leave for greener pastures—I would not group Tierney in here. Of those three, I think Tambroni might have had a Championship @ Cornell by now if he stuck around. Before this year it looked a little like a mistake to leave Ithaca. Shay is the exception to the rule.

Harvard may pay well, but you enter a league with established powers. Princeton, Cornell, and Yale all have NCAA championships. Penn almost got there this year and Brown 3-years ago. Harvard's history in lacrosse is nothing like the others. It could be a good gig, but no question the IVY League is very competitive so it is an uphill fight. And you are recruiting against schools with similar academic credentials.

Yes, it's a great league.
But do you not think that they would have quite likely have won more had Tillman stuck and built a staff? He was landing top 5 classes in a row, and that momentum sustained even with Wojcik at first (who recruited my son). They really should have had a deep NCAA run in 2016 but made a calamitous mistake with the assistants hired. Even so they beat Duke, Cornell, Brown, etc.

Seems to me that with the right guy to build the right staff, Harvard's got a serious shot to go deep. Go deep and anything can happen.

I wish I could say the same about my alma mater, Dartmouth, but we have a way bigger hole. Doable, but will take more time than at Harvard.

[Tdemling6]

Depends on the institution.

A "search committee" will almost certainly be assigned at each school looking for a new head coach. Their role will vary. Some schools have the AD do the whole search and only pull in the search committee on the interview day (to take the candidate to lunch and offer feedback after the interview). Other schools will have the search committee review the initial pool of candidates and their resumes, offer feedback, take part in the initial round of phone or Skype interviews, etc.

My experience has been that the athletic directors with intimate knowledge of the sport of lacrosse will lead the charge. AD's that aren't familiar with the sport will lean on their search committees more. As for how they create an applicant pool: Again, it depends on the AD's knowledge and connections to the sport. Well connected AD's will contact other AD's for permission to speak with candidates or ask for suggestions. Other AD's will post the position on NCAA job boards, etc. and wait to see what comes to them.

I have interviewed, coached, and served on search committees at the Division 1 and 3 levels and each individual search was its own unique experience. The only consistent factor was the AD's involvement being determined by their connection and knowledge of the sport.

Lastly, the $$$ piece of this will vary as well. At schools that are REALLY strapped for cash, they will share their salary range with the candidates from the very beginning; they want to save the trouble of losing a candidate when that candidate finds out the offer is only 40,000/year. Other schools, know they will be offering well into the six figure and don't really find a need to discuss the offer until later in the process. As you can imagine, the bigger the athletic department, the more leeway the AD has in making a significant financial offer. They may be tied down financially by budgetary restrictions or by their own "thin ice" standing at an institution.

Hope this helps.

What’s been your experience with coaches having agents? Or contract lawyers at least?

PITA, or helpful to the process? Sometimes for both sides?

Went to high school with a kid who's dad is Ryan Polley's agent and represents multiple other college lacrosse coaches as well. It's more of a newer thing in lacrosse but some do have them. What what I know from football and basketball the agents usually do most of the talking for the coach they are representing. Not sure if that's the same in lacrosse but depends on the coach and situation I guess.

[HooDat]

IF Gerry Byrne is engaged this time around, he is serious. Just taking a look, when you actually turned down an offer seven years ago is "bad form." I don't think he's be talking if he and his wife were not interested in the move. Harvard had gone to great lengths to help her with her professional move, last time around, as well. That would be a crippling loss for ND, IMO.

so it's a two-fer?

[CU77]

Amplo to Navy.

https://www.capitalgazette.com/sports/n ... story.html

[admin]

from the navy thread, hired this am, signing contracts as we speak.

[HopFan16]

I have the feeling that on a couple of these {Navy and SB}. College Crosse is as clueless as the rest of us.

Yikes!