Pack Clarifies Search(Giglio)

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Yow is in Houston for the Final Four. Virginia Commonwealth coach Shaka Smart, Wichita State coach Gregg Marshall and Cincinnati’s Mick Cronin are believed to be among Yow’s top targets.

Mick Cronin’s wikipedia page.

Mick Cronin’s bio.

If you will remember, then earlier in the week JP Giglio made these tweets:

Jpgiglio Joe Giglio
Those aren’t the only two options, just where the search is at …. both coaches still have games left
22 minutes ago Favorite Undo Retweet Reply

jpgiglio Joe Giglio
Wichita State’s Gregg Marshall, as he has been all along, and VCU’s Shaka Smart, are the main targets
27 minutes ago

Also, Dave Glenn made this report stating that Shaka Smart and two additional candidates were under consideration:

According to multiple sources, Wolfpack officials also are considering at least two additional candidates for the job. One of those candidates already has given preliminary approval of the basic framework of an agreement with NCSU.

Could Smart, Marshall, and Cronin mentioned by Giglio be the same three coaches from Glenn’s report?

Coaching Carousel General

68 Responses to Pack Clarifies Search(Giglio)

  1. nseast8 04/01/2011 at 9:46 AM #

    I don’t know much about Cronin but it seems unlikely that someone would leave their alma mater, which happens to be a BCS school.

  2. Daily Update 04/01/2011 at 9:51 AM #

    I think Cronin would leave. Better pay, better support and a better chance to win.

  3. Oldwolf 04/01/2011 at 9:55 AM #

    note that the N&O said are ***believed*** to be among Yow’s top targets. Meaning that they are still just guessing and know nothing.

  4. Scooter 04/01/2011 at 10:05 AM #

    This is totally sour grapes, but it’s funny how the N&O can comment on everything going on with this coaching search, but have so little to share on the UNC football scandal. Hilarious.

  5. bsly 04/01/2011 at 10:05 AM #

    Seems like Cincinati is Cronin’s dream job. I cant believe that he would leave.

  6. StandUpAndHowl 04/01/2011 at 10:08 AM #

    As the old idiom goes, “Nature abhors a vacuum.” In the absence of actual information and verifiable sources, the main stream media is making stuff up and using shadowy “numerous sources”. Okay, because they hear the same BS from “numerous sources”, it must be right. What a circus, I bet Director Yow is having a huge laugh at this.

  7. ThomYorkepack 04/01/2011 at 10:16 AM #

    LOL at Mick freakin’ Cronin being a ‘target’. Holy God.

  8. RickJ 04/01/2011 at 10:17 AM #

    Cronin resume, age and background are not bad. He had success at Murray State and Cincy was really down after all the trouble at the end with Huggins. He has made a slow and steady rise in 5 years.

    I do have one very bad association with Cronin. Cincy came to the RBC in December 2007 – his team was terrible and State won but they played as dirty a game as I’ve ever seen. The game took forever with Cincy fouling 35 times, many of them very hard. It culminated near the end of the game with Farnold DeGand being pushed in the back on an open lay-up resulting in his wrecking his ACL and being lost for the year.

  9. lush 04/01/2011 at 10:18 AM #

    Cronin?! Seriously? Which part of Yow’s criteria does he fall under? I dont remember anything about a loveable loser in her press conference. I would rather Towe be our coach and go through this all over again next year.

  10. RTPMedic 04/01/2011 at 10:19 AM #

    “…the N&O can comment on everything going on with this coaching search, but have so little to share on the UNC football scandal”

    Scandal? There’s a UNC football scandal? Is this an April Fool’s joke?

  11. Rochester 04/01/2011 at 10:20 AM #

    Shaka Smart is looking better all the time. Cronin’s a step up over Lowe, but so is just about anyone.

  12. Sam92 04/01/2011 at 10:24 AM #

    i’ warming up to gregg marshall – and maybe on the cheap side. if shaka’s price is too steep, maybe it is better for us to go with marshall

  13. newt 04/01/2011 at 10:26 AM #

    Cronin is known as a great recruiter, especially as an assistant to Huggins and Pitino, but I’m not sure recruiting is our need these days (and I’m definitely a reruiting guy).

    I think Marshall excites me most of those three, although I can get excited about Shaka Smart too.

    Still think we’ll probably get somebody out of left field, as is usually the case.

  14. beowolf 04/01/2011 at 10:30 AM #

    We’ve now reached the inevitable stage of the coach “search” where essentially the university, the media who hate it, and the internet alternative media all agree that it’s time for NC State fans to forget about a nice steak or seafood dinner and start dreaming about how much they’re gonna love to get that paper plate loaded down with meatloaf.

  15. ADVENTUROO 04/01/2011 at 10:31 AM #

    This is probably a bunch of hooey….but you gotta believe that some of the names are or have been considered.

    I do NOT know if it is SAFE to assume (speculate) that all the BIG NAMERS are off the list….who knows, we may STILL (and probably are) negotiating with them….

    As far a the the three….

    Smart gets my vote….by a long shot.

    Marshall….don’t know why, just don’t particularly care for him. He coached a great game last night….in the NIT…sort of like the Junior Prom compared to the Debutane Ball….

    Cronin. Interesting pick….My personal take is that he is not a serious contender….or may not be interested in moving. According to a LOT of UNSUBSTANTIATED references, he is in the same situation that, purpotedly, Sidney is in…Separated but NOT divorced.

    His personal Bio on the Cin Roster lists his three year old daughter…
    “Cronin and his three-year old daughter, Samantha, reside in Cincinnati”.

    Does not say that she lives with him…but that they BOTH reside in Cin…

    If you do some googling, he used to have his wife, Darlenese (SP?) on the Cin bio. She is now gone…and her facebook has changed BACK to her maiden name….not the Hyphenated with Cronin Name that it originally had. If he has a young child and they are sharing custody, THAT would be one of the most compelling reasons for him to stay in Ohio….but stranger things have happened.

    Turgeon, Few, Miller, Barnes, Fill in the Blank, may ALL still be in the mix….

    Sometimes, when you make an investment, you look at ALL your options….and then you diversify….or you really feel like the ONE stock is going to be the ten bagger and you put all your money there.

    I’ll bet that Debbie has an upper limit that would attract some big boys, but she might consider putting a lesser amount in a really up and coming coach….remember, she has to PAY for the new coach from selling the unfilled (6000) seats….and she is STILL paying off Fowler’s contact and has a $900K outstanding check to Sidney…

    Now, I KNOW if these guys are employed, that we only make up the difference…and Lee is diligently looking for a job from his Lake House. Sidney will probably land a gig…don’t know how much it will pay….OR…if I were him….I might just take off a year. His mom is here and so is a BUNCH of his relatives. I might just decide to spend some quality time with them as he lost a lot of that with his playing and Pro coaching career. He DOES have a grandchild in Raleigh, I think, if not, it is in NC…and as a Granddad…I enjoy mine.

    SO, there are a LOT of unknowns in the AD’s checkbook and I’ll bet that Debbie has multiple spreadsheets with various scenarios and that she will spend her booty wisely.

    Just some thoughts….No real insight as to who she will end up with…but I’m certainly happy (other than I still would have liked to have given Sid a chance as UNC did to let him coach they “youngsters” next year) that she is handling this.

  16. Gene 04/01/2011 at 10:53 AM #

    I was really excited about Smart, but I was thinking about others have posted about how his team is playing over their heads. I think it may compare to Sid’s first year, when we got hot in the ACC Tourney and the NIT’s and shot a really high FG%, which we never were able to duplicate, because we didn’t have a good veteran PG, in the past 4 years.

    I haven’t followed VCU closely enough during the season, to see if anyone brings certain intangibles to the team, that won’t show up in the box score, but will be impossible to replace, i.e. Atsur brought A TON of leadership to the team, that took the pressure off the coaches, to get the team to play together and made the coaches look better than they did.

    I went to the Drexel NIT game (I wish we’d play at Drexel again, it’s watching NCSU in a high school gym – you are that close the action) and I saw Atsur correcting Ferguson during warm ups and drills. I don’t know, if this VCU run is being fueled by a “glue guy”, who doesn’t always put up big numbers, but will be hard to replace.

    Lowe seemed to have “it” after his first year, so I guess I’m becoming hesitant about Smart.

    I hope DY will actually be able to sit down and interview our prospective candidate, so she can make an informed decision. Right now, I doubt she’s actually talked to Smart, yet.

  17. GoldenChain 04/01/2011 at 11:09 AM #

    Hey, RickJ, sorry, that’s exactly the kind of coach I want and the kind I think we need.
    Take nothing from no one, not afraid of anyone.
    Was listening to one o the CLT radio shows and they said we needed a coach with “attitude”.
    …..I agree.
    I’m tired of Droopy and Koolaid man being nice…..I’ve had enough ‘nice’.

    I don’t think anyone (i.e. unx/Duke) could think any less of us, why not at elast make ’em scared to play us because they know they’ll be black n blue aferwards.

  18. ringo 04/01/2011 at 11:12 AM #

    I have the same worries about Smart, but out of the ones mentioned now, he is the only one with a final 4 and will create the most buzz and presumably is a recruting wizz. His team is hot, but I don’t think it’s necessarily all luck. You can’t run that gauntlet on luck alone. I can think of a particular inbound play that won them a game…that was coaching and everybody knows it..hence he’s getting lots of love. He is also the best personality. IMO he has the most upside of all. I just hope he doesn’t ask for an unreasonable price tag.

    we have to remember he is not a 300k coach now because VCU is CERTAIN to throw the kitchen sink at him. He is more like a current 1.5 million coach meaning we’ll have to go up over that to get him really interested fwiw.

  19. BladenWolf 04/01/2011 at 11:17 AM #

    Wow. If the top three “clarified” candidates are Smart, Marshall, and Cronin then I’m honestly disappointed. To have all the assets that NC State has and only have those listed above on the radar for our next coach puzzles me greatly. I hope I’m wrong and Yow has been keeping a very good secret.
    I do not think Cronin’s record of 86-76 over five years at Cincy is impressive at all. Ten games above .500? And that excites people? Good Lord. I see another version of Sendek – slightly above mediocre. I attended the Cincy-State game and they played dirty as hell – with a lot of unnecessary hard fouls with no chance to win.
    We’ve discussed Marshall before so no surprise to see him in the mix, but again he just doesn’t excite me. What tourney are they in now? Oh yeah… the NIT. Again…is that what we want?
    But Smart becoming a dark horse leader for the position is equally disturbing. I simply expected candidates with more experience and level of success than the two coaches from Wichita State and VCU. Hopefully I’ll be pleasantly surprised by a great coach being introduced as our new head coach…or either I will receive a hellava reality check about where our basketball program truly is.

  20. lush 04/01/2011 at 11:17 AM #

    Take nothing from no one, not afraid of anyone.
    Was listening to one o the CLT radio shows and they said we needed a coach with “attitude”.
    …..I agree.
    I’m tired of Droopy and Koolaid man being nice…..I’ve had enough ‘nice’.

    I don’t think anyone (i.e. unx/Duke) could think any less of us, why not at elast make ‘em scared to play us because they know they’ll be black n blue afterwards”. GoldenChain

    This needed to be posted again

  21. one00_proof 04/01/2011 at 11:28 AM #

    Just FYI, Cronin signed Lance Stephenson, a 5-star talent and an individual ACCUSED OF RAPE. He was the only one in the country who would touch Lance… Thanks but no thanks on Cronin.

  22. ringo 04/01/2011 at 11:33 AM #

    It’s not an indication of where our basketball program is. It’s an indication of where the ACC is and where Mid majors are. Two in the Final four and one is a repeat. Let that sink in.

    Hell, Butler had the ball with a chance to win it all last year and nobody would be shocked to see them do it this year…BUT THEY DIDN’T EVEN WIN THEIR CONF. REGULAR SEASON.

    The midmajor have caught up to the BCS schools because of the early entry. Our job pays well but we are in a tough neighborhood and some of these schools will start to pony up in the millions.

  23. Howler 04/01/2011 at 11:35 AM #

    The risk differential between Smart and Marshall should be obvious. Marshall has been successful everywhere he’s been. Smart has had an amazing couple of weeks. I can’t wait to read the posts if VCU loses by 25 on Saturday. The bandwagon is beginning to buckle and creak from all of the jumping on and off.

    DY is going to get a quality coach who carries as little risk as possible. It could be Smart, but I just don’t think he’s a good fit with her criteria.

  24. newt 04/01/2011 at 11:41 AM #

    Head Coach of DeMatha Mike Jones tweeted…

    “What of the rumor of Greg Marshall from Witchita going to be the next coach at NC State”

    So a) he’s heard that and b) he’s interested, which is good.

  25. brown pelican 04/01/2011 at 11:54 AM #

    cronin loooks suspiciously like another former pitino assistant who parowled the sidelines for us—leading us proudly into the muddle of mediocrity—we need something fresh—something unique—the way smart thinks and coaches the game is just that—i realize that marshall may have more of a proven track record and be more of a ‘sure thing’—however—the upside with smart could be much greater—this guy has the charisma—intelligence—motivational skills—and—commitment to a style of play that he is comfortable recruiting to that does not require one or two big stars every year to make it work—get a second mortgage on whatever we own and write the check—the guy will gives us a great ride!

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