A day after Mark Turgeon announced he’s leaving for Maryland, Tuesday was a day for gobs of internet and break room conversation about who will be Texas A&M’s next basketball coach.
But at A&M, since Bill Byrne arrived nearly nine years ago, the hiring process has focused on his list…. that’s the list he says always has five or six names on it as prospective head coaches for just about every sport.
And the list has worked well. Coaches at or near the top of that list have included people like Gary Blair, Mike Sherman, Rob Childress and Pat Henry. Two of those coaches have now brought A&M a total of five National Championships.
So who’s on Byrne’s men’s basketball list is anyone’s guess but yesterday people were guessing away. Most of the Buzz was about Buzz… Buzz Williams that is. The Marquette head coach was Billy Gillispie’s assistant here for two years before becoming head coach at New Orleans for a season and just finished his third year at Marquette, with three NCAA appearances and a Sweet 16 berth this past season. But according to a few publications the latest is that Williams is unaffordable and out of the conversation. He makes around $2 million a year at Marquette and word is the new contract he just recently signed calls for another $2 million buyout. Also it’s reported that Memphis’ Josh Pastner has said he’s not interested in leaving.
This hiring coming five weeks after the college season ended causes some hurdles as many top coaches have already landed new jobs or re-upped at the ones they have.
But still other names being volleyed around include Colorado’s Tad Boyle, Nebraska’s Doc Sadler, UTEP’s Tim Floyd, and even former New Mexico and St. John’s head coach and now ESPN game analyst Fran Fraschilla, who has not coached since 2002.
But all that said, count on the next head coach needing one important quality. Has he been on Bill Byrne’s list?