Boston College

[Markedman]

Fired Donahue today...

The Boston Globe ‏@BostonGlobe 38m
According to multiple sources, Harvard's Tommy Amaker is leading candidate to replace Steve Donahue at BC http://b.globe.com/1iftZwB

[warriorfan4life]

Amaker has it too good at Harvard to leave that behind for a tough ACC job. He may want another shot at a high-major job, but would be best served not messing with happy and keeping that juggernaut at Harvard going.

[unclejohn]

One of the reasons Amaker was not anxious to leave the last time he was reportedly being courted was that his wife is a professor at Harvard. She could keep that job if he was at BC. He would just have to drive across town.

[WindyCityGoldenEagle]

I'd stay at Harvard if I'm Amaker. Is BC really that much of a step above Harvard? Sure it's in the ACC - but the probabilities of sustaining competitiveness in that league are probably lower than consistently making the tourney at Harvard. That being said, the majority of coaches at this level have very large egos and believe they can be that guy to turn around the program.

[MUAlphaBangura]

Ken Bone out at Washington St. also. The carousel in full motion already.

[warriorfan4life]

Ken Bone out at Washington St. also. The carousel in full motion already.

All really tough jobs open so far, though USF has some potential.

[TheSultan]

I'd stay at Harvard if I'm Amaker. Is BC really that much of a step above Harvard?


Yes.

What else exactly is he going to accomplish at Harvard?

[warriorfan4life]

Yes.

What else exactly is he going to accomplish at Harvard?

He has Harvard set up to be a perennial NCAA Tournament team, which would be difficult to duplicate at BC. BC has been a tough place to recruit to, and you saw Al Skinner's success stop there once Bill Coen and Ed Cooley got head coaching jobs (and we have seen the impressive job that Cooley has done recruiting to Providence).

Speaking of recruiting, Amaker has inked a top 100 player in consecutive classes now in Chris Egi and Zena Edosowman. They have also been considered by many other top 100 players, and I could see them keeping up a pace of one top 100 recruit per year. That will not win a national title or lead to Final Four appearances, but they should be a threat to win a game or two in the NCAA's going forward (I've got them beating Cincy this year). Frankly, that is about as well as you can hope to do at BC as well.

To leave a nice gig like Amaker has at Harvard, you need to have the potential to be a top 25 program perennially without magical circumstances. BC is not that gig (and for the record, I could have totally seen Fr. P/LW targeting Amaker as a Buzz replacement).

[TheSultan]

If his goal is to be a perennial winner of the Ivy League, get a 8 to 10ish seed in the NCAAs, and occasionally upset someone, then he should stay there. If his goal is to build something that can win the ACC and get into the second weekend in the tournament on a regular basis, he should leave. (I'm not making a value judgement. Those are equally good options that only he can address.)

Harvard has limitations. They are only going to be able to bring in so many good players. Their RPI is going to be dragged down by their conference opponents. But if he's happy, I wouldn't blame him for sticking around.

If Tony Bennett can do it at UVA...and Larranega at Miami...there is no reason to expect that Amaker couldn't do it at BC.

[CaribouJim]

Seems like Donahue was just hired. Wasn't his last victory at Cornell against Wisconsin in the NCAA's?

[warriorfan4life]

If his goal is to be a perennial winner of the Ivy League, get a 8 to 10ish seed in the NCAAs, and occasionally upset someone, then he should stay there. If his goal is to build something that can win the ACC and get into the second weekend in the tournament on a regular basis, he should leave. (I'm not making a value judgement. Those are equally good options that only he can address.)

Harvard has limitations. They are only going to be able to bring in so many good players. Their RPI is going to be dragged down by their conference opponents. But if he's happy, I wouldn't blame him for sticking around.

If Tony Bennett can do it at UVA...and Larranega at Miami...there is no reason to expect that Amaker couldn't do it at BC.

And see, I am arguing that it is near impossible to do at BC. UVA has a much richer history, an awesome arena in the John Paul Jones center, plus access to the fertile DMV recruiting grounds (and kids in that area actually seriously consider any UVA offer, unlike the New England prep schools and BC).

I just threw a question out to Jeff Goodman on Twitter (who knows the area very well) about Brewster coach Jason Smith being an outside the box candidate for BC? He is familiar recruiting to the area, plus has good contacts with other prep schools there. I think BC is that tough off a job to where the highest ceiling candidate may be that far out of the box.

[Alan Bykowski, "brewcity77"]

At some point, the rest of the Ivy will catch up to Harvard's recruiting. Not sure BC is the right job but eventually Amaker seems certain to move.

[MU/Panther]

Seems like Donahue was just hired. Wasn't his last victory at Cornell against Wisconsin in the NCAA's?
Yep!