FB: Old Dominion Athletic Conference

Started by admin, August 16, 2005, 05:13:40 AM

Previous topic - Next topic

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

jknezek

Quote from: HSCTiger fan on January 02, 2018, 02:42:26 PM
Quote from: jknezek on January 02, 2018, 02:15:38 PM
Quote from: HSCTiger fan on January 02, 2018, 01:48:01 PM
He's a perfect fit for Davidson. He goes from a D3 academic powerhouse without athletic scholarships to a D1 academic powerhouse without football scholarships. He is a great coach and will IMO do very well at Davidson.

JK anyone of staff at WL waiting in the wings?

Not really. At least, not in the obvious sense of Coach Abell when Coach Miriello resigned. I think Coach Berlin is the only one with head coach experience. He's been with the program 5 years but was a h.s. head coach before that. Coach Colliton has been around the program forever and was head golf coach at W&L and a baseball assistant. LeRose has also been around for a decade but he's been there since he graduated W&L. No head coach experience or experience anywhere else.

O'Brien has also been there a while and has a lot of experience at other stops around DIII, but no head coaching experience. He's also on the defensive side of the ball.

I'm guessing if they go internal it will be Berlin, but they will still need to hire a new OC. Berlin comes from the defensive side and Abell was obviously the OC since he arrived.

I'm sure the WL football community wants to stick with the success they've had running the option. I would speculate that if they don't hire within they would look for similar offensive minded assistant coaches from Citadel or similar programs. It's not an offense that many teams run. I can't see an assistant from GA Tech or Army or Navy dropping to D3 without WL dropping some serious coin. If they cannot find an offensive coach within the program, I could see them hiring a defensive minded coach and then hiring a successful HS coach who runs a similar offensive scheme to be the OC.

I'm sure they will be bombarded with candidates. Abell built a tremendous program.

I kind of wonder if they will go after the head coach at Springfield. I'd say it's definitely worth a shot except I think he's a Springfield alum. I'd be surprised if W&L couldn't or wouldn't pay more. And he could walk into a pretty veteran staff for recruiting W&L's area.

It wouldn't surprise me if they promote from within like Berlin and pull a "coach in waiting" from a Va h.s. or a college team that runs the option as OC.

Pat Coleman

Cerasuolo just got that job after Mike DeLong and is indeed a Springfield alum. I'd be shocked if he were interested in moving. He has more of a chance of playing in Week 12-13 at Springfield than at W&L.
Publisher. Questions? Check our FAQ for D3f, D3h.
Quote from: old 40 on September 25, 2007, 08:23:57 PMLet's discuss (sports) in a positive way, sometimes kidding each other with no disrespect.

Ralph Turner

Quote from: Pat Coleman on January 02, 2018, 03:33:12 PM
Cerasuolo just got that job after Mike DeLong and is indeed a Springfield alum. I'd be shocked if he were interested in moving. He has more of a chance of playing in Week 12-13 at Springfield than at W&L.
;)    We could drop that post into the 2017 Playoffs message board and generate another 2 pages worth of activity.   :)

jknezek

It is a fascinating search though. W&L has a system that is working for them. Will they look for a coach to continue that system? I probably would. But it's not like you can just pull option coaches from anywhere. If you want head coach experience, you probably need a h.s. coach. Which is tough because it is a different job with the recruiting component. Teams that run the option, Salisbury's coach is an alum and not going anywhere until he retires. Pat confirmed my suspicions about Springfield, Merchant Marine's coach is an alum and has been there a long time. Anyone you pull from a D1 program is basically going to be no higher on the coaching tree than a position coach, at best. Anyway you slice it that is a tall order.

On the other hand, if you just look for the best coach you can find, you are most likely not getting someone with a love and dedication to the option which means the team will probably have a transition period and a transition to what? Even with some of the best passing qbs in W&L's history in the late 90s and early 00s, the Generals were a mid-pack at best ODAC team. Post the early 80s glory years through the mid 00s, W&L was going nowhere fast.

The option pre-dated Coach Abell's arrival, the Generals ran it to a successful ODAC title in 2006, but for six years as head coach, and I think 4 more as OC, Coach Abell has basically been the offensive mind behind the Generals. That's 10 years of his baby. AD Hawthorne has her work cut out for her.

HSCTiger74

  Without knowing anything about either one, what about the HC or OC at Salisbury?
TANSTAAFL

HSCTiger fan

WL's OC in 2006 when they won the ODAC was Bert O'Neal. He was a 2002 WL graduate.  He was only 2 years out of WL when he was hired. What is Luke Heinsohn doing these days?
Hampden Sydney College
ODAC Champions 77, 82, 83, 87, 07, 09, 11, 13, 14
NCAA Playoffs - 77, 07, 09, 10, 11, 13, 14
The "Game" 60 wins and counting...
11/18/2018 Wally referred to me as Chief and admitted "I don't know about that!"

jknezek

Quote from: HSCTiger fan on January 02, 2018, 08:01:53 PM
WL's OC in 2006 when they won the ODAC was Bert O'Neal. He was a 2002 WL graduate.  He was only 2 years out of WL when he was hired. What is Luke Heinsohn doing these days?


Neither are in coaching and both have professional careers based on a simple Internet search. Salisbury 's HC is a long time alum. Not sure if they have a separate OC.

HSCTiger fan

I was half joking when I mentioned Heinsohn. But they hired O'Neal 2 years out of college. Maybe there's a protégé of Abell out there that is coaching that would be interested. I doubt that person if they exist would be hired as the head coach but certainly a consideration for OC job.
Hampden Sydney College
ODAC Champions 77, 82, 83, 87, 07, 09, 11, 13, 14
NCAA Playoffs - 77, 07, 09, 10, 11, 13, 14
The "Game" 60 wins and counting...
11/18/2018 Wally referred to me as Chief and admitted "I don't know about that!"

jknezek

Quote from: HSCTiger fan on January 02, 2018, 08:29:47 PM
I was half joking when I mentioned Heinsohn. But they hired O'Neal 2 years out of college. Maybe there's a protégé of Abell out there that is coaching that would be interested. I doubt that person if they exist would be hired as the head coach but certainly a consideration for OC job.

I think that's most likely and what I said above. I think they promote one of the DCs to HC and bring in an OC that is a h.s. head coach who runs the option. But that's just all a guess. It will be very interesting. I really hope they find someone to keep the option. I know some people hate to watch it or find it boring, but I love seeing a different style of play from almost everyone else. Plus it's been effective. And I love that most of all...

Birddawg79

We wish Coach Abell the best. Sources tell us that Berlin and Jackson are leaving with him.
New hire will get to bring some new blood in with him.

jknezek

Quote from: Birddawg79 on January 03, 2018, 03:55:20 PM
We wish Coach Abell the best. Sources tell us that Berlin and Jackson are leaving with him.
New hire will get to bring some new blood in with him.

Well... clean slates can be good right? Uggh... Congrats to them though.

HSCTiger fan

The timing of his departure is tough. Right smack in middle of recruiting season for D3. Last year WL had less than 20 recruits. This year I would have assumed to be a very important year. Never easy to lose a good coach.
Hampden Sydney College
ODAC Champions 77, 82, 83, 87, 07, 09, 11, 13, 14
NCAA Playoffs - 77, 07, 09, 10, 11, 13, 14
The "Game" 60 wins and counting...
11/18/2018 Wally referred to me as Chief and admitted "I don't know about that!"

jknezek

Quote from: HSCTiger fan on January 03, 2018, 05:50:18 PM
The timing of his departure is tough. Right smack in middle of recruiting season for D3. Last year WL had less than 20 recruits. This year I would have assumed to be a very important year. Never easy to lose a good coach.

Yeah. That has me concerned as well. Though I think the problem at W&L has always been getting the athletes through admissions, not getting them to apply. I could be wrong and we will see. I'm torn between hoping W&L acts fast and wanting them to take the time needed to get the right people.

I will say, Hathorn as AD has been darned effective at hiring coaches since she took over 11 years ago. Only the basketball programs still lag the top of the ODAC, and even those are looking much improved this year though it is early.

HSCTiger fan

Quote from: jknezek on January 04, 2018, 08:54:00 AM
Quote from: HSCTiger fan on January 03, 2018, 05:50:18 PM
The timing of his departure is tough. Right smack in middle of recruiting season for D3. Last year WL had less than 20 recruits. This year I would have assumed to be a very important year. Never easy to lose a good coach.

Yeah. That has me concerned as well. Though I think the problem at W&L has always been getting the athletes through admissions, not getting them to apply. I could be wrong and we will see. I'm torn between hoping W&L acts fast and wanting them to take the time needed to get the right people.

I will say, Hathorn as AD has been darned effective at hiring coaches since she took over 11 years ago. Only the basketball programs still lag the top of the ODAC, and even those are looking much improvede  this year though it is early.

The additional concern in recruiting is that Davidson and WL recruit many of the same players. I'm sure WL will find a great coach. But IMO they need to act as quickly as possible.  If in fact the other coaches are going with Abell then no one is even talking to potential players.  The prospects the coaches have already spoken to are now their best prospects for Davidson.  Tough situation for WL.
Hampden Sydney College
ODAC Champions 77, 82, 83, 87, 07, 09, 11, 13, 14
NCAA Playoffs - 77, 07, 09, 10, 11, 13, 14
The "Game" 60 wins and counting...
11/18/2018 Wally referred to me as Chief and admitted "I don't know about that!"

jknezek

Quote from: HSCTiger fan on January 04, 2018, 12:22:31 PM
Quote from: jknezek on January 04, 2018, 08:54:00 AM
Quote from: HSCTiger fan on January 03, 2018, 05:50:18 PM
The timing of his departure is tough. Right smack in middle of recruiting season for D3. Last year WL had less than 20 recruits. This year I would have assumed to be a very important year. Never easy to lose a good coach.

Yeah. That has me concerned as well. Though I think the problem at W&L has always been getting the athletes through admissions, not getting them to apply. I could be wrong and we will see. I'm torn between hoping W&L acts fast and wanting them to take the time needed to get the right people.

I will say, Hathorn as AD has been darned effective at hiring coaches since she took over 11 years ago. Only the basketball programs still lag the top of the ODAC, and even those are looking much improvede  this year though it is early.

The additional concern in recruiting is that Davidson and WL recruit many of the same players. I'm sure WL will find a great coach. But IMO they need to act as quickly as possible.  If in fact the other coaches are going with Abell then no one is even talking to potential players.  The players the coaches have already spoken to are now their best prospects for Davidson.  Tough situation for WL.

It always is when the coach leaves. It's not something W&L has to deal with too often though. Abell was only the third coach since 1978. Fallon and Miriello both coached for 17 seasons.