Bonnies courting Lonergan

[purplehaze]

Vermont’s Lonergan joins Bona’s search list

By Mike Harrington NEWS SPORTS REPORTER

Updated: 04/03/07 6:44 AM

 

ATLANTA — St. Bonaventure Athletics Director Steve Watson has been a busy man during Final Four weekend.

 

Vermont coach Mike Lonergan is one of several candidates Watson has interviewed here to replace Anthony Solomon as the school’s new coach and sources say he may be Bona’s immediate focus.

 

Others who have emerged include deposed Iona coach Jeff Ruland, St. Francis of Brooklyn coach and former Bona assistant Brian Nash and Robert Morris coach Mark Schmidt, a former Xavier assistant.

 

Reached here Monday, Watson said he was not concerned about the perception that Thursday’s rejection by Albany coach Will Brown was a setback that has Bona in scramble mode.

 

“The search is moving on,” said Watson, who had not commented since Solomon was fired March 8. “We feel good about where we are and the people we’re talking to. We’re moving at warp speed but with extreme caution.”

 

Lonergan is 38-25 in his two years at Vermont, losing to Brown’s Albany club in the America East championship game both seasons. Vermont was 25-8 and advanced to the NIT this year, dropping a two-point decision at Kansas State. He went 13-17 in his first season.

 

The 40-year-old built his reputation with an amazing career at Catholic University in Washington, D.C., where he went 251-88 in 12 seasons, earning seven consecutive NCAA Tournament berths and winning the 2001 Division III national championship. He was an assistant at Colgate from 1989-1992 and served under Gary Wlliams at Maryland in the 2004-05 season.

 

Ruland went 139-135 in nine years at Iona, and the school bought out the final two years of his contract March 27 in the wake of the Gaels’ injury-riddled, 2-28 season. Iona went to three NCAA Tournaments under Ruland, a former Gaels All-American and NBA all-star.

 

Sources close to the search said there is concern Lonergan, who makes only about $125,000, is using Bona as leverage to get a new deal from Vermont as Brown did with Albany. But Lonergan is also known to be unhappy with Vermont officials for initially denying Watson permission to talk to him when Solomon was let go. Ruland made $350,000 at Iona and wouldn’t get that in Olean. But the sources said he was unhappy with the way his Iona tenure ended, wants to remain in coaching and feels he could recruit quality players because of Bona’s A-10 affiliation.

 

Bona is reportedly offering in the $250,000 range, on the low end of the A-10 pay scale. But it’s believed Watson is willing to offer a longer deal, from five to seven years, to provide a coach with more security and offset some of the difference in pay a candidate would need to accept.

 

Nash, an assistant under Jim Baron from 1994-2000, is 19-39 in two years at St. Francis.

[Mattmo]

A lot of half truths and bad facts in that article. Unless something ridiculous happens, he will be coaching UVM next season.

[Mattmo]

Just to follow up, and prove I was right :

 

http://www.uvm.edu/~sportspr/?Page=News&storyID=10379

 

Must suck getting shafted by two AE coaches...

[purplehaze]

Supposedly the St. Bona focus is now on Mark Schmidt, head coach at Robert Morris . Per WKBW in Buffalo he will be interviewed soon

[Dane Pound]

I like the quote "We’re moving at warp speed but with extreme caution." I think that's how chickens with their heads cut off move - Almost Yogi Berra-ish. The future ain't what it used to be out there.

[purplehaze]

Supposedly the St. Bona focus is now on Mark Schmidt, head coach at Robert Morris . Per WKBW in Buffalo he will be interviewed soon

Supposedly, Schmidt was interviewed, and will be offered the job. If he is, watch for Robert Morris to give him a raise, and he stays there.

[UA_MA_2000]

I like the quote "We’re moving at warp speed but with extreme caution." I think that's how chickens with their heads cut off move - Almost Yogi Berra-ish. The future ain't what it used to be out there.

 

Location, location, location. :-/

 

Their difficulties do not give me pause, as I think it's indicative of the overall trend for college education in this part of the country: SUNY enrollment at an all-time high, and private schools are charing higher tuition and costs than every before, etc. --- I ask myself whether the future of a college education and an overall positive academic experience truly exists at small and private liberal arts school that leaves you with $80K of debt when you're finished? There should always be higher education alternatives to state institutions; this is something that many countries with fewer freedoms do not have, but perhaps these expensive private schools should be left for those who can truly afford them and those who really want or need that kind of academic atmosphere and experience (not me!).

 

Unless one is a student that needs a small class size and intimate academic environment, or wants a religous-based academic experience (which is great, IMHO, of course), I have yet to see one reason for going to any of the small private schools in the Northeast as opposed to many of the schools in the America East Conference (unless you're going to one of the Ivies), but I'll always listen for one.

 

As always, my $.02 in an effort to promote public education institutions of higher learning.

 

BTW, interesting to see that the NCAA Title games for men and women featured 4 very large public universities in our country: Ohio State, Florida, Tenn., and Rutgers.

[Clickclack]

Supposedly the St. Bona focus is now on Mark Schmidt, head coach at Robert Morris . Per WKBW in Buffalo he will be interviewed soon

Supposedly, Schmidt was interviewed, and will be offered the job. If he is, watch for Robert Morris to give him a raise, and he stays there.

 

 

You gotta feel bad for the Bonnies, they can't get a coach to go there. They've been looking for weeks and still no cigar. I think it's about time to physically kidnap a coach.

[statefan]

Well, i don't know how everyone would have reacted if we, or Vermont for that matter, had lost our coach, but hopefully better than is guy on the West Virginia rivals board who wants to go to Michigan and piss on Bo Schembechler' grave.

 

http://westvirginia.rivals.com/showmsg.asp...891&style=2

[Clickclack]

Well, i don't know how everyone would have reacted if we, or Vermont for that matter, had lost our coach, but hopefully better than is guy on the West Virginia rivals board who wants to go to Michigan and piss on Bo Schembechler' grave.

 

http://westvirginia.rivals.com/showmsg.asp...891&style=2

 

 

Wow...this guys totally lost his marbles!