Who Will AD Pat Hobbs Target For The Next Rutgers Men's Basketball Coach?

We have written about the need for Rutgers firing Eddie Jordan as men's basketball coach for almost two months now.  It finally happened, so what's next?  Who will athletic director Patrick Hobbs target as the next coach?  We have you covered there as well.  A month ago Aaron posted a list of 20 potential coaches Hobbs could target.  Then Dave wrote a passionate plea for Danny Hurley being the perfect candidate. We could be in for an usually slow offseason in terms of coaching changes. Hobbs making the move today gives him a head start!

Don't be shocked if this year there are fewer college basketball coaches fired than usual. Both at high-major and lower levels.

— Jeff Goodman (@GoodmanESPN) March 7, 2016

Home Run/Dream Hires:

Danny Hurley

Dave White: In my opinion, this is the home run hire.  Been watching Danny's teams since he got to URI (tough to find Wagner on TV).  His teams grind, defend and they play smart of offense.  He'd walk into Jersey, and have a pipeline heading to the RAC.

Aaron Breitman: Hobbs could correct a colossal mistake from three years ago, when the powers that be at Rutgers didn't do whatever was necessary to land Hurley as our coach. It's easy to say it was a terrible mistake now, but Hurley was more qualified for the job than Eddie back then, and is even more so now. A big name and experience matter, but the right coach for the job is the most important factor, and Danny is that coach.

Bob Cancro: Basketball?  Basketball? Sorry, just channeling my inner Jim Mora.  Gold...solid gold.  He's a proven commodity, albeit at a "lower" level.  This is the grand slam, not just a home run.  His team at URI has shown more talent, skill, and heart than anything we've seen at the RAC in more than three years. He is a name that Hobbs can hang his future on.  Credibility and ability all in one.  Whatever. It. Takes.

Now the question becomes whether Rutgers can land URI’s Danny Hurley this time around. Hurley may have a tough decision to make.

— Jeff Goodman (@GoodmanESPN) March 10, 2016

Tommy Amaker

Dave White: Definitely another home run.  Could walk up to Corey Sanders and say, "I got Jeremy Lin in the NBA, I can do the same for you."  Will recruit  and have his players ready to defend.  Knows NJ and the Big Ten.

Aaron Breitman: I'm skeptical he would leave Harvard for any job other than Duke, but Hobbs knows Amaker from their Seton Hall days so it could be possible.  He would bring instant credibility to the program and bring synergy with Hobbs in stumping to donors/supporters for facility improvements.  Amaker coaches at Harvard, so he won't use dated facilities in the interim as an excuse.

Bob Cancro: His time at Seton Hall might sour the most die-hard RU fans, but he's proven he can coach...and coach smart.  He has the Big Ten creds, too.  I would tend to agree with Aaron that he'd have his eye on Durham and would be checking Coach K's Twitter feed too often.

Solid Choice:

Herb Sendek

Dave White: Herb is a winner.  Took two schools, NC State and ASU, that are afterthoughts in their states, and turned them into NCAA teams.  Can do the same here.

Aaron Breitman: Sendek has won everywhere he has coached but has also had a ceiling he topped out at in each job.  However, if Sendek could replicate similar results at his previous gigs, it would be a major upgrade and he would leave here a legend.

Bob Cancro: Credibility.  If nothing else, Rutgers needs that.  You don't even have to win right away if you can sell players, fans, and alums that you know what you're doing. I believe that Hurley is a real possibility, but Sendek may be a more attainable possibility.

Rising Mid-Major Coaches:

Mike Lonergan

Dave White: Another guy who can flat-out coach.  Will be able to mine international talent and DC talent while building his connections in New Jersey.  A tactician who's teams would throw junk defenses at the the B1G.

Aaron Breitman: Lonergan is a  candidate who doesn't look at a lack of facilities as an issue, GW plays in a glorified gym. I love his ability to recruit internationally, as it would be an asset and possibly speed up progress in building the program quickly. Plus the Atlantic 10 is no joke and he routinely finishes in the upper half of the league.

Bob Cancro: Big fish, little pond. He's been very successful at GW, and we've talked about him a bit.  And that talk says why leave a very good program where you've been successful to start over with the ashes of 28 years, yada yada yada.  He's 50 years old. If he could do the turn around in three, he could go at least another ten-twelve years at RU building a power.

Will Brown

Dave White: A personality, active on social media and charming.  He can shut other teams down (see Stony Brook every year), but doesn't have the NCAA on his resume this year, which would make him a tough hire.  Can he land talent here?

Aaron Breitman: While not as big of a name of any above, Brown would be a great front man in selling the program to donors and recruits.  As Dave said, he is active on twitter and we have seen the positive affect that presence has had with Rutgers football coach Chris Ash. Also he already has five NCAA appearances at Albany, including the past three seasons, at the young age of 44. He could be what Jim Calhoun was to Connecticut.

Bob Cancro: He knows the Northeast, so he'd have that in his back pocket as he recruits.  He hasn't been around really big programs (a la Flood), though he did coach at a very high level with JUCOs (two JUCO final fours).  Viable option, but it doesn't send off any exciting vibes.

Mark Schmidt

Dave White: Think this could be a sneaky good hire.  Will mine Canada and JUCO ranks to land players, and he can coach.  He also built the Bonnies up after they had a major scandal where they canceled an entire season.  Knows what it takes to build.

Aaron Breitman: He would be a solid hire and has steadily improved the Bonnies, winning Atlantic 10 coach of the year honors this season.  It did take him a long time and he isn't a sexy pick though, but basketball people know he is legit. I do think Dave's point about him having experience building a program from almost nothing does give him credibility and should make him a candidate for the Rutgers job.

Bob Cancro: Do we really want another coach from Robert Morris?  He's done pretty well at RMU and St. Bonaventure, but after 15 years as a head coach, he's only seven games over .500.

What Mark Schmidt proved is you don't need glittering facilities or bottomless budgets to succeed. All you need is a good coach #Bonnies

— Ryan Michael Lazo (@ByRyanLazo) March 8, 2016

Steve Pickell

Dave White: Jim Calhoun coaching tree.  Can identify Jersey talent and use it to his advantage.  Would coach defense and have shooters too.

Aaron Breitman: Has done an amazing job at Stony Brook and would be a solid choice.  He wouldn't wow the mainstream perception wise coming from the Seawolves, but he is a really good coach that would instantly make Rutgers better on the court.

Bob Cancro: What Dave said. Not a sexy hire, but solid.  I've seen Stony Brook's gym.  No problem coming here.

Back Up Plans:

Jim Engles

Dave White: Can coach 'em up.  His teams run good stuff and they play hard.  But the jump from NJIT to the Big Ten is a tough one.

Aaron Breitman: I like Engles as a coach and think he has done wonders at NJIT.  Perhaps unfairly though, he reminds me of Kyle Flood with his background, as he was an assistant at Wagner, Rider, and Columbia.  Not enough big program or bright lights exposure.

Bob Cancro: Nice story with the Highlanders, I'm sure a decent coach. But coaching in the North Southern Sun Coast Conference after being an independent.....meh.

Steve Masiello

Dave White: Could be a sneaky home run.  Masiello can coach, runs an exciting style and he can land talent.  If he could bring back former assistant Rasheen Davis with him, recruiting would go through the roof.  But he is a risky hire, the resume incident might haunt him in this area.

Aaron Breitman: I'm torn on this one, as I think Masiello is a good coach, has the right personality and energy that could really benefit the program. However, I know he eventually graduated as well, like Eddie Jordan did, but there is one key difference.  He lied about it to move up the coaching ranks. Everyone deserves second chances, but for a program like Rutgers, why take a risk on someone with previous red flags? The Pitino connection doesn't exactly help these days either.

Bob Cancro: When I was at Rutgers and we played Manhattan regularly, the chant would go up from the students (yes, students actually went to games back then), "What the hell's a Jaspar?"  The team nickname came from an early coach at the Catholic school, Father Jaspar.  End of history lesson.  And my interest here.  We need more.

Wild Cards:

Kevin Boyle

Dave White: I hate the idea of hiring a high school coach to be a Big Ten college head coach.  But if you were going to do it, this is the guy.  He has coached a ton of talent at the high school level and would likely bring kids with him.  Big risk, but possible big reward.

Aaron Breitman: I hate this idea. Boyle can certainly coach, but he inherited powerhouse programs in St. Patricks and Monteverde Academy.  He is used to having some of the best high school players in the country. Can he make a team better with far less talent than other schools in their conference? Why gamble on someone in making the jump to a power five college program? We failed with an NBA coach, the only answer to hire a college coach with experience.

Bob Cancro: No.  Just no. Bailed on New Jersey and is doing his high school recruiting thing in Florida.  Enjoy the sunshine.

Joe Dooley

Dave White: Knows Jersey and knows how to recruit.  A big run in the tourney by FGCU might make him mega-attractive.

Aaron Breitman: Really like Dooley, who played at St. Patrick's and was a longtime assistant of Bill Self at Kansas. I think he is a great sleeper candidate for the job.

Bob Cancro: He knows what its like to be in the spotlight of the NCAA.  Wouldn't that be nice? And he's a Jersey guy, which in hoops might be a lot more important than in football. Interesting.