Houston/A&M Choices

[50's PONY]

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
HoustonChronicle.com -- http://www.HoustonChronicle.com | Section: Sports

March 16, 2004, 12:37AM



Intriguing choices have hats in ring at UH, A&M
By JOHN P. LOPEZ
Copyright 2004 Houston Chronicle
Retreads, rogues or rookies?

Retreads, rogues or rookies?

For the Aggies and Cougars, basketball coaching searches have in large part come down to these three R's.

Such are the depths to which these programs have sunk.

They have been reduced to courting candidates with sullied coaching reputations, such as Tom Penders.

They have been bandying about the names of party animals such as Larry Eustachy, whose baggage not only wouldn't fit in the overhead bin, it just might break the scale at check-in.

And they've considered the bright-eyed, bushy-tailed novices such as Josh Pastner and Jim Boylen.

So what are these success-starved basketball programs to do?

At a time of year when coaching jobs usually pop open by the dozen, this time the Ags and Coogs are in the enviable positions of not having to compete against as much competition.

Yet the list of prospects still remains thin. That says much about the pits these places have become for coaching careers, at least in perception.

Comparatively few high-profile jobs are out there this year. But these openings still can hardly draw a sniff from the tried and proven.

There are a few exceptions, of course.

John Lucas, a quality teacher with an NBA background and deep recruiting connections, is thick in the hunt over on Scott Street.

Just because Penders, the no-defense, high-strung retread from Rhode Island, UT and George Washington has emerged as a leading candidate, don't think it is a done deal.

Lucas' contract with the Cleveland Cavaliers expires this year, so he'll be available. And considering the NBA money he's already made, he might be available at a hometown discount.

Luke recently had a three-hour meeting with UH athletic director Dave Maggard about the job. After that meeting, both sides left happy but wanted to do a bit more homework.

Meanwhile, the name of UTEP star Billy Gillispie keeps being mentioned within the A&M athletic department offices, and a new and intriguing name has come up -- Virginia Commonwealth's Jeff Capel III.

Both candidates clearly are strong ones, but the level of reciprocal interest is hard to gauge considering they've each built NCAA Tournament teams and should receive hefty salary increases this year.

And in the case of Gillispie, you have to wonder how serious any candidate is when his top four scorers and three of his top four rebounders from a 24-7 NCAA Tournament team will return next season.

If he stays put, Gillispie likely will match or exceed this year's success in 2005, which means a more prestigious job could await.

Which leads to the options the Cougars and Aggies are left to ponder.

It should be noted that some UH players have lobbied Maggard on Lucas' behalf, while Maggard has met with the Kid Coach, Pastner.

According to one UH source, Maggard quietly headed west last week to find out what all the hubbub is about when it comes to this 26-year-old Arizona assistant whose work ethic and recruiting ability have earned raves.

Who knows how the meeting went, but even if Pastner is just three years younger than Capel, who's taking a team to the NCAAs, it's likely Maggard still believes Pastner is too young for the job.

When contacted in Arizona, Pastner would not confirm that he met with Maggard. But when asked about the age thing, he said, "I blame my parents if I don't get this job. They had me in 1977 instead of 1967."

In another little-known-fact twist involving the Cougars, don't believe Eustachy is totally out of the picture, either. As much as this is Maggard's hire, university president Jay Gogue and Eustachy had a good relationship when both were at Utah State in the mid-1990s.

Eustachy was the coach and Gogue provost of the university. Gogue has been putting in a few good words for his old friend throughout this search.

But perhaps no endorsements have been more impressive than those that Boylen, the 38-year-old former Rockets assistant with a pair of NBA championship rings, has received for the Aggies job.

First, Michigan State coach Larry Izzo, who roomed with Boylen when they were assistants under Jud Heathcote, telephoned A&M athletic director Bill Byrne. Izzo, who has won an NCAA title, raved about Boylen's teaching skills and ability to relate with players.

Then, once Boylen officially threw his hat in the ring, Rockets legend Rudy Tomjanovich interrupted a vacation in Europe to telephone Byrne. He reportedly told Byrne about how big a role Boylen played in the Rockets' title runs and raved about his planning and organizational skills.

How's this for organized: One source close to Boylen says he already has broken down tape of the 2003-04 Aggie season. He also has prepared a video presentation of offensive and defensive sets he would run in Aggieland. And he has put together a bound book, detailing what he would do on each of the first 30 days on the job to reconstruct the program.

Sure, there are all kinds of ways these hires might go. Eustachy might be different now. Penders might get his basketball senses together again. Gillispie and/or Capel might surprise.

But all things being equal, the more you see the rogues and retreads come around, the more it seems the best direction for the Coogs is with Luke or the Kid Coach. And hey, Ags, you'd like this Jim Boylen.



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------






HoustonChronicle.com -- http://www.HoustonChronicle.com | Section: Sports
This article is: http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/story.hts/sports/2450708