The Big East is going to look A LOT different in a couple years. If Syracuse and Pittsburgh do in fact go to the ACC, there will be a tremendous whole in the quality of the conference. It doesn't even sound right to imagine not having Jim Boeheim in the Big East. There is something magical about the Big East Tournament in Madison Square Garden each March and it will be hard to imagine losing two of the most dominant teams.
One of the interesting dynamics will be the styles of play that Pitt and Syracuse will bring to the ACC. These are two extremely tough, rugged teams that will knock the hell out of you. Their focus is on rebounding and the famous Boeheim 2-3 zone, respectively. The ACC is known for his finesse, up-tempo style of play which isn't necessarily the complete opposite of Syracuse and Pitt, but it clearly isn't the first thing you think of with these two programs.
Coach Pitino wrote in his blog that the Big East has to stick together and find football programs immediately. He is thinking about the short-term necessity of gaining teams to fill the void, but if you look 3 or 4 years down the road, there is an enormous opportunity brewing in Louisville, Kentucky. In my opinion, Louisville just became an unbelievably attractive job once Coach Pitino retires. It clearly is already a great school to coach at, but think about the current the Big East gauntlet that teams play in - You could play Villanova, Pitt, and at Marquette in a matter of 10 days. That's absolutely brutal. If you take Pitt and Syracuse out of the equation, you're looking at Villanova, Notre Dame, and Marquette as the hardest competition.
Taking over for Coach Pitino whenever he retires could be the perfect situation in a Pitt/Syracuse-less Big East that will soon by wide open for taking.
September 20, 2011
September 14, 2011
"Last Friday Night"
On-campus visits are a tremendous opportunity for teams to recruit in hopes of a commitment. Both coaches and recruits talk about their "experience" while on campus. It has to be a great "experience" for the kids and their families to make a commitment. Well, from a behind the scenes perspective - it's a borderline 3-ring circus.
The best weekends for kids to come visit is when there is a lot going on campus, especially in the fall during the big football game weekends. It definitely helps Billy Donovan to have 100,000 fans screaming for the Gators on Saturdays, and these coaches play that up. They have to.
The weekends start with a Friday night fly-in and a curbside pick up from the coaches, straight to a dinner that's waiting for them (steaks, anyone? Also, make sure they're well-done!) Friday night has to be a blast for the kid. Parties and girls. These guys want to meet girls when they come to campus, it's a fact. You better be sure for him to meet some or it will put a negative outlook for the entire visit.
Saturday mornings are usually a team tailgate that has an impressive food spread for 25 enormous young men. Adoring fans are constantly coming over to creep out the players and shake the assistant strength coach's hand. The hardcore fans are aware of what recruits are on campus and will try their best to help the school get a commit by screaming their name like it's the Holy Grail.
It's a constant effort by everyone to cut up and tell jokes. You have to keep the recruit stimulated the entire weekend. If the kid becomes bored, most of the time the experience isn't quite right and he'll look at other schools favorably where he had more fun. If that happens, all of the peons whose job it was to make the weekend amazing gets cussed out.
Sunday is all about hugs and "we'll see you soon!" Coaches stay up at night praying that wasn't the last time they wave goodbye. It's like a sappy high school break up; they're suicidal when "the one" gets away, but a week later they are calling someone else.
The best weekends for kids to come visit is when there is a lot going on campus, especially in the fall during the big football game weekends. It definitely helps Billy Donovan to have 100,000 fans screaming for the Gators on Saturdays, and these coaches play that up. They have to.
The weekends start with a Friday night fly-in and a curbside pick up from the coaches, straight to a dinner that's waiting for them (steaks, anyone? Also, make sure they're well-done!) Friday night has to be a blast for the kid. Parties and girls. These guys want to meet girls when they come to campus, it's a fact. You better be sure for him to meet some or it will put a negative outlook for the entire visit.
Saturday mornings are usually a team tailgate that has an impressive food spread for 25 enormous young men. Adoring fans are constantly coming over to creep out the players and shake the assistant strength coach's hand. The hardcore fans are aware of what recruits are on campus and will try their best to help the school get a commit by screaming their name like it's the Holy Grail.
It's a constant effort by everyone to cut up and tell jokes. You have to keep the recruit stimulated the entire weekend. If the kid becomes bored, most of the time the experience isn't quite right and he'll look at other schools favorably where he had more fun. If that happens, all of the peons whose job it was to make the weekend amazing gets cussed out.
Sunday is all about hugs and "we'll see you soon!" Coaches stay up at night praying that wasn't the last time they wave goodbye. It's like a sappy high school break up; they're suicidal when "the one" gets away, but a week later they are calling someone else.
September 7, 2011
Rasheen Davis - Xavier Assistant
My second interview was with Xavier assistant Rasheen Davis. Rasheen and I worked a year together at Louisville and have remained in contact over the past four years. He has demonstrated the ability to grow in this business through networking and hard work. I spoke with him about his past, working his way up the coaching ranks, and comparing styles between some of the coaches he's worked for.
To give a little background on Davis before Xavier - he played Division II ball and immediately began coaching on staff after graduation. After three seasons in high school, he returned to the college game at Louisville as a Program Assistant then on to Pitt as the Video Coordinator for a couple seasons. Rasheen's biggest strength is in the New York City area, with great connections in the recruiting world that he established while working with the legendary NY Gauchos AAU program.
AHT: Hey Ra, great to talk to you again. First of all, tell me how you got into coaching.
Davis: I blew out my knee my senior year of college when I was playing for St. Thomas Aquinas. It was then, in 2002, that I began to see things differently while on the sidelines. I began to see the game from a coaching perspective. After I graduated, I stayed on staff and worked there for 3 years. It was a great opportunity to begin coaching right out of college.
AHT: Then you went to powerhouse Rice High School, right?
Davis: Ya, I went to Rice. I'd played there for three years in high school, and always kept in touch in with Coach Mo Hicks. He wanted a young guy on the staff and it worked out. When I came in, Edgar (Sosa) and Curtis (Kelly) were both seniors, Kemba Walker was a sophomore, Durand Scott and "Momo" Jones were both freshman. We had a great group of guys to work with.
AHT: Ya, that's an amazing high school team. What did you take from working with guys that talented?
Davis: Well, I played with Elton Brand for 5 years in AAU growing up, so I've always been used to big time players like that. It was all I knew. It was great though, because Rice's practices were college level practices. We did what places like Louisville did in practice. People see how successful some of these coaches like Coach Pitino and their style, so they implement it into what they're doing at the high school level.
AHT: So what brought you from Rice back to the collegiate level?
Davis: My whole goal was to be a D1 assistant. I chose to network and work at every camp I could when I easily could have gone on vacations. (He begins to laugh on the phone, it's obvious he's immediately thinking back to friends inviting him to vacations that he sacrificed on along the way. He laughs contently at the choices he's made, and thousands of hours working toward this goal.)
AHT: What's the best thing you've learned after nearly a decade in coaching basketball?
Davis: The best thing I've learned is to get better every day. Right now as I'm coming into my second year here at Xavier, I'm working on becoming more vocal. The terminology is different everywhere you go and now that I am a lot more comfortable with this system and program, I've really got to step up and become more vocal.
AHT: What about Coach Mack at Xavier? Tell me a little about him.
Davis: He's different than both Coach Pitino and Coach Dixon. He gives the players a lot of freedom on the court to create. He's definitely a player's coach and the guys really like him. When you look at Pitino, it's all about the press and speeding teams up, Dixon stresses rebounding at tough half-court defense, but Coach Mack is about executing our defensive scheme. We have a unique shame on defense and we really focus on accomplishing that as a unit.
AHT: Sounds great, Ra. I know Xavier is going to have another great season in the A-10.
To give a little background on Davis before Xavier - he played Division II ball and immediately began coaching on staff after graduation. After three seasons in high school, he returned to the college game at Louisville as a Program Assistant then on to Pitt as the Video Coordinator for a couple seasons. Rasheen's biggest strength is in the New York City area, with great connections in the recruiting world that he established while working with the legendary NY Gauchos AAU program.
Davis: I blew out my knee my senior year of college when I was playing for St. Thomas Aquinas. It was then, in 2002, that I began to see things differently while on the sidelines. I began to see the game from a coaching perspective. After I graduated, I stayed on staff and worked there for 3 years. It was a great opportunity to begin coaching right out of college.
AHT: Then you went to powerhouse Rice High School, right?
Davis: Ya, I went to Rice. I'd played there for three years in high school, and always kept in touch in with Coach Mo Hicks. He wanted a young guy on the staff and it worked out. When I came in, Edgar (Sosa) and Curtis (Kelly) were both seniors, Kemba Walker was a sophomore, Durand Scott and "Momo" Jones were both freshman. We had a great group of guys to work with.
AHT: Ya, that's an amazing high school team. What did you take from working with guys that talented?
Davis: Well, I played with Elton Brand for 5 years in AAU growing up, so I've always been used to big time players like that. It was all I knew. It was great though, because Rice's practices were college level practices. We did what places like Louisville did in practice. People see how successful some of these coaches like Coach Pitino and their style, so they implement it into what they're doing at the high school level.
AHT: So what brought you from Rice back to the collegiate level?
Davis: My whole goal was to be a D1 assistant. I chose to network and work at every camp I could when I easily could have gone on vacations. (He begins to laugh on the phone, it's obvious he's immediately thinking back to friends inviting him to vacations that he sacrificed on along the way. He laughs contently at the choices he's made, and thousands of hours working toward this goal.)
AHT: What's the best thing you've learned after nearly a decade in coaching basketball?
Davis: The best thing I've learned is to get better every day. Right now as I'm coming into my second year here at Xavier, I'm working on becoming more vocal. The terminology is different everywhere you go and now that I am a lot more comfortable with this system and program, I've really got to step up and become more vocal.
AHT: What about Coach Mack at Xavier? Tell me a little about him.
Davis: He's different than both Coach Pitino and Coach Dixon. He gives the players a lot of freedom on the court to create. He's definitely a player's coach and the guys really like him. When you look at Pitino, it's all about the press and speeding teams up, Dixon stresses rebounding at tough half-court defense, but Coach Mack is about executing our defensive scheme. We have a unique shame on defense and we really focus on accomplishing that as a unit.
AHT: Sounds great, Ra. I know Xavier is going to have another great season in the A-10.
September 6, 2011
A Fallen Soldier
One of the most beloved players in all of basketball, Edgar Sosa, went down with a gut-wrentching injury this week, breaking his shin. It was one of the most painful videos I've ever seen, both teams actually were crying as Sosa writhed in agony on the floor. Whether it was because of the screams of pain, respect for Edgar, the severity of the injury, or all of the above, it was definitely hard not to get emotional at the end of only a 20 second video clip.
Edgar is living out his dream - playing professional basketball, representing his national Dominican Republic team, and most importantly supporting his family by playing the game he loves. His continued success will have to be put on hold for a while, unfortunately. My heart sank when Louie Larizza (current PG at Fairleigh Dickinson) told me about Edgar. We were all at Louisville together and even though Coach Pitino was tough on Edgar, he was always willing to tell a joke that made everyone laugh. His laugh and smile are both contagious with a magnetic personality as well.
So many people have reached out on places like Twitter to offer their support for Edgar. Chris Paul, Charlie Villanueva, Coach Calipari, and even hard core Kentucky fans who hate anything red have all extended a positive message for Edgar and a speedy recovery.
I wish my good friend nothing but the best. Edgar - please get well soon so you can get back to what you love most - playing the game of basketball. You're such a good person and we all love and support you very much. Don't get down and frustrated because that's not you!
- Mase
Edgar is living out his dream - playing professional basketball, representing his national Dominican Republic team, and most importantly supporting his family by playing the game he loves. His continued success will have to be put on hold for a while, unfortunately. My heart sank when Louie Larizza (current PG at Fairleigh Dickinson) told me about Edgar. We were all at Louisville together and even though Coach Pitino was tough on Edgar, he was always willing to tell a joke that made everyone laugh. His laugh and smile are both contagious with a magnetic personality as well.
So many people have reached out on places like Twitter to offer their support for Edgar. Chris Paul, Charlie Villanueva, Coach Calipari, and even hard core Kentucky fans who hate anything red have all extended a positive message for Edgar and a speedy recovery.
I wish my good friend nothing but the best. Edgar - please get well soon so you can get back to what you love most - playing the game of basketball. You're such a good person and we all love and support you very much. Don't get down and frustrated because that's not you!
- Mase
September 2, 2011
Ok, what's his number?
You can study film and talk X's and O's all day long, but if you don't have the players that can get it done on the court, it doesn't matter. The best slogan I heard when evaluating high-level talent is, "Does he take you to a Final Four?" If it isn't an immediate "yes," then you keep looking for your best potential players.
One of the most important things I learned in college basketball was the importance of recruiting, which can't be stressed enough. Also, it's not only who you recruit, but how. I have seen some really good recruiting styles and I have seen some that can make you cringe because you know there's not a connection between a player and a coach. I've seen a player and his family feel honored to be in the same room as a coach and I've also seen the complete opposite where a player has the coach in the palm of his hand. The latter usually doesn't turn out well for the team - it's usually catching a game, a free meal, and trying to hook up that night while on campus.
Recruiting has essentially turned into a 3-ring circus. It is no longer about visiting a kid at his home, enjoying a home cooked meal, and speaking to the mother and father about turning that young man into a grown man with maturity and a degree. Rather, for the most part, it's about being the shortest route from high school to the NBA with college as a crash course. Coaches have to try to cram four years of development, strength, maturity, skills, and game experience into a season. The worst part? If they don't recruit this way, they automatically miss out on the top players in the country. Furthermore, with the pressure to make the NCAA tournament every season, coaches cannot miss out on the best players and chalk a season up to "rebuilding" while the school 200 miles away is on a roll.
Most often the person the coaches are recruiting is not the player, but instead it's the person who is in "charge" of the kid's recruiting. I've heard, "Ok, what's his number" way too many times because there's always someone else that you have to talk to. Also, where a coach is from originally and what connections they have already established can be some of the biggest factors in being hired or not and signing a recruit or not. Why? Because of the large number of people involved now with recruiting elite players. AD's and head coaches realize that the ability to get players is fundamental in hiring a coach, and will hire weaker X & O coaches in lieu of "recruiting" coaches who are connected in the recruiting world.
It's a cut-throat world of recruiting. It's constantly making calls, visits, and appearances at games. News flash: coaches don't have to see a kid play 37 times in a summer to evaluate, they know in about 2 minutes if a kid can play or not. It is to constantly be in front of the kid and his family. College basketball is about 80% recruiting and 20% coaching. Coaches have to get players but only have to have the ability to coach their system enough to make it through the season. If you don't believe the 80-20 ratio, think about this - Jim Boeheim's 2-3 zone and John Calipari's dribble drive offense are brain surgery and they seem to be doing great.
Gotta go, this kid's uncle's friend is calling.
One of the most important things I learned in college basketball was the importance of recruiting, which can't be stressed enough. Also, it's not only who you recruit, but how. I have seen some really good recruiting styles and I have seen some that can make you cringe because you know there's not a connection between a player and a coach. I've seen a player and his family feel honored to be in the same room as a coach and I've also seen the complete opposite where a player has the coach in the palm of his hand. The latter usually doesn't turn out well for the team - it's usually catching a game, a free meal, and trying to hook up that night while on campus.
Recruiting has essentially turned into a 3-ring circus. It is no longer about visiting a kid at his home, enjoying a home cooked meal, and speaking to the mother and father about turning that young man into a grown man with maturity and a degree. Rather, for the most part, it's about being the shortest route from high school to the NBA with college as a crash course. Coaches have to try to cram four years of development, strength, maturity, skills, and game experience into a season. The worst part? If they don't recruit this way, they automatically miss out on the top players in the country. Furthermore, with the pressure to make the NCAA tournament every season, coaches cannot miss out on the best players and chalk a season up to "rebuilding" while the school 200 miles away is on a roll.
Most often the person the coaches are recruiting is not the player, but instead it's the person who is in "charge" of the kid's recruiting. I've heard, "Ok, what's his number" way too many times because there's always someone else that you have to talk to. Also, where a coach is from originally and what connections they have already established can be some of the biggest factors in being hired or not and signing a recruit or not. Why? Because of the large number of people involved now with recruiting elite players. AD's and head coaches realize that the ability to get players is fundamental in hiring a coach, and will hire weaker X & O coaches in lieu of "recruiting" coaches who are connected in the recruiting world.
It's a cut-throat world of recruiting. It's constantly making calls, visits, and appearances at games. News flash: coaches don't have to see a kid play 37 times in a summer to evaluate, they know in about 2 minutes if a kid can play or not. It is to constantly be in front of the kid and his family. College basketball is about 80% recruiting and 20% coaching. Coaches have to get players but only have to have the ability to coach their system enough to make it through the season. If you don't believe the 80-20 ratio, think about this - Jim Boeheim's 2-3 zone and John Calipari's dribble drive offense are brain surgery and they seem to be doing great.
Gotta go, this kid's uncle's friend is calling.
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