UMass

[Albany Fan]

I saw UMass team report on channel 6 the other night as featured area star Freeman from Schenectady High. I also heard Rodger Wyland on radio the other day w/ a college analyst. Among things talked about was Mike Jarvis being over-rated as a coach & should be ousted at St. Johns as bringing program down. He was also talking about UMass hiring Lappas which he could not understand as program has been a bust as of late & Wyland stated this is not the guy to improve program to where it should be. My point to all of this is one player, Marcus Camby, elevated that program to new heights but since has fallen off as any sort of powerhouse program. In basketball, one player can be such as difference maker so why can't UAlbany jump to A-10 with hope of getting higher lever recruit or two which could make them solid program. My point as well is would hate to see UAlbany such as Siena being stepping stone for up & coming coaches. Jarvis & Lappas started at lower level programs (Boston U & Manhattan) & then move on to bigger programs. I would love to see UAlbany become a program where coaches desire to be than just a layover on way to advancing career. Otherwise we will have a program that peeks from time to time & then has rebuilding process again & again.

[DOWNTOWN]

Coaching is a nomadic profession. A coach residing at the same institution for long periods of time is the exception rather than the rule. I think every coach at the D1 level, especially a young coach, aspires to get to the highest level possible.....this is a good thing. Their avenue to get there is to make the institution they are at a winner and to do it legit. If successful then both the school and the coach benefit. The coach by stepping up to a higher level, the school by gaining name recgonition and publicity and an improved program. If you want a coach who has no ambition and desire and is more than happy to just to sit on the end of the bench year in and year out then you would wind up with someone like..........naaa, I don't want to start a war!

 

Reality: None of the elite coaches in the land started out where they are now....it is just the nature of the beast.