Update: According to Jeff Goodman of CBSSports.com, James Johnson will indeed be the next coach. (Of course this broke three minutes after my original post went up, which follows below.)
Another Update: Raines is happy, and Erick Green tweets he'll be back next year.
Yessss I'll be back next year— Erick Green (@egreen11vt) April 30, 2012
Its a great day to be a #hokie— Cadarian Raines (@Raines_4VT) April 30, 2012
Jim Weaver's week long search to find a replacement for Seth Greenberg may have come to an end. If reports from WSPA 7 On Your Side (a CBS affiliate), TheClemsonInsider.com, and Larry Williams of TigerIllustated.com are true then James Johnson, a former Virginia Tech assistant under Seth Greenberg, will be the Hokies next head basketball coach.
Two weeks ago Johnson left Greenberg's staff after five years at Virginia Tech to accept an assistant coach position under Brad Brownell at Clemson. Initially it was reported that the move was motivated by money. However, it later came to light that Jim Weaver was willing to match Clemson's salary offer in order to retain Johnson. Johnson later stated, "coaches have to do what they think is best for their careers", and "this move and no other move in my 19 years of coaching had anything to do with money."
This isn't the big-name, glamour hire many people were hoping for, but that doesn't mean it's not a solid one. By all accounts, Johnson is a terrific recruiter, and was very well liked by those in the athletic department during his time in Blacksburg. Johnson inherits a loaded team, with a little bit of baggage. He'll have to try his to best to keep incoming recruits Montrezl Harrell and Marshall Wood, as well as players currently on the roster from seeking their release. There's no existing staff in place, and it'll be a bit tougher to find coaches who want to switch jobs in May. If he is the next coach, we'll find out quickly what he's made of.
What do you guys think?
Comments
Don't Like
It seems like the wrong move for Weaver to say that he did not want to keep Seth on as a lame duck without staff just to elevate a member of his staff....
And if Seth's culture rubbed the athletic department and Weaver the wrong way, how is one of his assistants much better? Maybe this will pay off in the long run but I don't see how this is an improvement. I was hoping for Dino all along though, knows the ACC, learned from Skip Prosser, and a totally different attitude than Seth had.
Dino
Would have been a terrible hire, from what I've heard he rubbed people the wrong way at WF and that's why he's not there anymore. From what I've heard (and seen, according to twitter) the players love JJ and he's the one who was the lead recruiter for our recruiting class, if I remember correctly.
I was saying all along that this is who they should have hired.
Skeptical
I'm still skeptical, I think if what Weaver said was true he should have gone another direction, but if JJ keeps this group together it will already be worth hiring him. Hopefully we don't see anyone defect. If so he will have plenty of talent to work with and hopefully he can fill out his staff, I'm worried at this point in the offseason finding a good staff will be a challenge
I Like The Hire
The players seem excited and ready to play for Johnson, which is already a step in the right direction. He's not a big name nationally but he's a big name around here. He recruits very well which Seth couldn't do to save his life. Weaver backing his statements that he wants a family-like atmosphere and it is resonating through the words of the players. It's not Shaka Smart but I like it.
"He recruits very well which Seth couldn't do to save his life."
Is anyone else completely baffled by this comment? We had two top 20 classes under Greenberg. How does that translate to him not being able to recruit?
Makes sense
Probably also the path of least resistance.
Will be able to possibly salvage recruiting class.
Apparently is a Weaver favorite - not sure if that's a good thing or not.
Regardless, best of luck to Coach Johnson.
Now go hire some assistants.
50-50
I can see the positives. He is a great recruiter and respected by the current players.
I guess my question is was this a hasty decision by Weaver trying to save face? Does he think that if he can pacify the current players and save current recruits people will be ok with it?
Weaver seems to be quick to make a decision lately and i guess that instead of really looking for whats best long term he is looking for what saves his butt right now.
Time will tell how this will workout.
conflicted, but approving
I'm also a little conflicted here, but for different reasons. I'm sure we'd all rather have a proven commodity. But I also understand that was going to be a tall order. So let's see how this plays out. If he can pacify the current players and save current recruits that's a big step in the right direction. We'll want wins of course, but having good players is after all a prerequisite for that. And if it doesn't work out, Weaver will be retiring about the same time this experiment is drawing to a close, and the new AD can pick their own guy... hopefully with a little better timing.
Whatevs
MEH! Ask me in mid February. I mean who even knew who this guy is until he left for Clemson. If he keeps the team from imploding this off season then great as this whole Seth termination has generated a lot of negative focus on the VT basketball program. I am not booking Sweet 16 2014 tickets yet but I don't claim to know shit about basketball except #AllOfTheThrees
I like us taking a coach back from Clemson!
I heard an interesting opinion today
Is it possible this is just a placeholder position? We were too late to the game to get a big time coach. Johnson will keep the current players happy and (hopefully) the recruits signed. He gets a year of coaching experience in the ACC and then leaves next year for bigger and better things. We get stability for a year while we make plans for going after a bigger coach next year. Any possibility? What do y'all think?
1 year at a mid level acc
school as a hc and he moves on to bigger and better?
really?
Well that sums that up.
Nuff said
Fog is rising...
JW must have really liked this guy now looking back at the press conference where he announced Seth was gone. If the players all stay that means they must have liked him too. If JW did not get permission to talk to any big name coaches this most likely was the plan to hire JJ. Sounds okay to me because JJ and these young players don't win it will be a lot easier than all the drama with the Seth termination. Go Hokies!
well..
i can see where it will work, young, liked, knows how to recruit in the acc, vs some mid major guy who has never recruited at this level (i.e. runners and aau coaches.) we'll see, it's obvious they struck out on bigger names and that's ok too. bburg is not a destination job in cbb.
what i don't want and have seen, is saying jj caused sg to be fired then took his job. not accurate.
a semi tl as i understand/deducted it ...
it's in jj's court now.
The players like it
so I like it.
excellent synapsis BC
hmmm
As a VT fan Im somewhat offended by Eric Green's tweet. Was he really considering transferring!? shows how much school pride he has.
Players have to consider what's best for them and their future. That's what recruiting is all about, who the recruit feels comfortable being coached by. If he didn't like the new coach, he's not going to take in much coaching.
Players transfer all the time
It happens. I'm sure Erick would have rather stayed than left, but he def has to look out for his best interest. If, for example, we hired a coach that doesn't believe the PG should ever shoot- he should only facilitate, I would not blame Erick if he wanted to play elsewhere.
I'm glad he and the other players seem to like JJ and are excited to play for him. Now we just need a few more players (only have 8 scholarship players on the roster without Harrell and Wood)
from what i understand from a legit source, it's erick's love for vt thats kept him there this long. seth was an ahole case closed. who wants to play for a guy like that? trust me he has plenty of school pride but one can only take so much.
here's to a successful 2012-13 with our senior point guard leading the way
you have a point
but Erick Green is not just a player. He is the star leader of the team and current face of the basketball program