.
So here’s mine, in no particular order..
WICHITA STATE GREGG MARSHALL: He’s excelled at the so-called mid-major level, taking Winthrop to seven NCAA tournaments in nine years, and Wichita State to one NCAA and an NIT championship in five seasons.
A graduate of Roanoke’s Cave Spring High, Marshall played at Randolph-Macon and attended grad school at Richmond, so he certainly knows the state. He’s 303-144 in 14 years, and this season the Shockers lost to VCU in the NCAA tournament.
Marshall declined overtures last season from N.C. State and this year from Nebraska. But like Herrion, Marshall, 49, carries a high-maintenance reputation.
DAVIDSON COACH BOB MCKILLOP: I hadn’t thought of McKillop until reading Mark Berman’s blog post on the Roanoke Times’ website. At 61, McKillop may be older than Weaver’s prototype, but he’s guided the Wildcats to a 426-271 record and six NCAA tournaments in 23 years.
Most famously, McKillop’s 2008 squad reached the Elite Eight. Stephen Curry, son of Hokies icon Dell Curry, led that Davidson team to tournament conquests of Gonzaga, Georgetown and Wisconsin. The Wildcats lost to eventual national champion Kansas in a regional final.
FORMER TECH ALL-AMERICAN DELL CURRY: Stephen Curry tweeted Monday night that “Pops wants to coach.” In an aside to his brother, Seth, a guard at Duke, Stephen said, “maybe we would get that scholarship offer to VaTech.”
Indeed, Greenberg did not aggressively recruit either of the Currys, despite their maroon-and-orange pedigree. But family ties and NBA cred -- Dell played 16 pro seasons – aside, Weaver isn’t about to hire someone who’s never coached or recruited.
Curry, 47, is Tech’s No. 2 career scorer behind Bimbo Coles.
NORTH CAROLINA ASSISTANT STEVE ROBINSON: A Roanoke native and Radford graduate whose promising head-coaching career fizzled at Florida State.
Robinson assisted Roy Williams at Kansas from 1988-95 before taking over Tulsa’s program. He coached the Golden Hurricane to a 46-18 record and two NCAA tournaments in as many years before succeeding Pat Kennedy at FSU.
The Seminoles reached the second round of the NCAAs in Robinson’s first season, but four consecutive losing years followed, prompting his dismissal with a 64-86 mark. Robinson then returned to Kansas under Williams and accompanied him to Carolina.
Might the past 10 seasons at ol’ Roy’s side, which include two national titles, have Robinson far more prepared to run a program? Would he be comfortable competing against Williams in the ACC? Might be worth asking.
HARVARD COACH TOMMY AMAKER: What’s not to like about a former Duke All-American from Virginia who this past season led the Crimson to its first NCAA tournament since 1946 and, by the way, coached Jeremy Lin?
Well, prior to Harvard, where he’s 92-56 in five years, Amaker was fired at Michigan. His Wolverines were 109-83 in six seasons, 43-53 in the Big Ten, and failed to make an NCAA tournament. In four years at Seton Hall, Amaker was 68-55 and took the Pirates to a Sweet 16.
Amaker, 46 and a Fairfax native, was the starting point guard on Mike Krzyzewski’s first Final Four team, in 1986. He was an assistant coach on Duke’s 1991 and ’92 national championship squads.
Amaker interviewed for Miami’s vacancy last season before electing to remain at Harvard. So he’s at least willing to consider competing against Krzyzewski in the ACC. His wife, Stephanie, is a licensed clinical psychologist and a Harvard faculty member. Tough gig to leave.
DUKE ASSOCIATE HEAD COACH CHRIS COLLINS: If anyone without big-whistle experience merits consideration, it’s Collins, a former Devils guard whose father, Doug, coaches the NBA’s Philadelphia 76ers.
Since working under Amaker at Seton Hall for two Collins, 38, has spent the last 12 at Duke. He’s also played a key role for Krzyzewski with the U.S. Olympic team.
During a press conference prior to the NCAA tournament, when Chicago media considered Collins a potential candidate at Illinois, a reporter asked Krzyzewski about him.
“Chris is unbelievable,” Krzyzewski said. “Remember, Chris has been with me six years with the Olympic team. He does the scouts, and also when we break down working with our national team, on his end of the court he has the perimeter guys. He's got Kobe, Dwyane, Lebron, Deron (Williams), Chris (Paul), Jason (Kidd), and he's got to coach them. And he coaches them really well.
“So that level of experience and confidence, most coaches would never have that opportunity. Chris is a great basketball -- he's got a great basketball mind … just like his dad.”
I’m sure Weaver will vet other candidates, and remember, he didn’t target Greenberg in 2003 until primary targets Jeff Lebo (then at Chattanooga), Jim Baron (Rhode Island), Ed DeChellis (East Tennessee State) and Oliver Purnell (Dayton) declined his overtures.
The late date of this search is less than ideal, but Virginia Tech is among 12 ACC jobs and comes with supportive fans and a $21-million practice complex that opened two years ago. There will be no shortage of candidates.
Timetable? Weaver said he told the team his search could take five, 10 or 15 days, and his history indicates as much.
In 2003, Weaver fired Stokes on March 10 and introduced Greenberg on April 3. In 1999, Weaver fired Bobby Hussey on March 22 and introduced Stokes on March 24.
Let the sleuthing begin.
I can be reached at 247-4636 or by e-mail at dteel@dailypress.com. Follow me at twitter.com/DavidTeelatDP
Here’s a link to my Daily Press print columns, including Tuesday’s on Greenberg’s dismissal.Copyright © 2015, The Morning Call