Over the next few days, we'll take a look at the possible candidates for the now vacant Boston College men's basketball head coaching job.
First, up here's a look at Northeastern's head coach Bill Coen.
Main Selling Point. Knows Boston College basketball better than anyone other than Al, having spent 9 seasons in Chestnut Hill on Skinner's staff.
Resume.
Assistant, Hamilton College (1987-1989)
Assistant, Rhode Island (1989-1997)
Assistant, Boston College (1997-2006)
Head Coach, Northeastern (2006-present)
Coen has the closest ties to Al Skinner, working for Al for eight seasons at Rhode Island, two as a grad assistant and six as an assistant coach. Coen later followed Skinner to BC, where he was an assistant coach up until 2006. In 2006, Coen left the Heights to turn around the crosstown Northeastern Huskies program. Much like he and Al Skinner led BC hoop's transition to the ACC, Coen has led Northeastern during their move to the highly competitive Colonial Athletic Association.
In three seasons, Coen has posted a 46-49 record with the Huskies. This year he led Northeastern to a 19-13 record, a third place finish in the CAA and a postseason appearance in the CBI, where they won their first postseason game in 25 seasons.
But how does Coen stack up against the three pillars of job qualifications laid down by DeFilippo?
Qualification 1: Exciting Brand of Basketball. Coen has really breathed life back into the Northeastern hoops program, leading them to a third-place finish this year in a highly competitive basketball conference (see: Old Dominion, Virginia Commonwealth, William & Mary). That said, I've read that he occasionally runs the Flex with the Huskies. So if you were looking to completely rid yourself of this offense, you might want to back someone else.
Qualification 2: Relate to Student Body, Staff, Alumni, and Fans. Coen certainly knows the territory, having spent 9 seasons on the Heights. He has to be more animated in-game with the Huskies than Al was with BC, right? That being said, he's also not all that young. He's a 1983 grad of Hamilton College so that puts him at, like, 47-48 years old?
Qualification 3: Solid Recruiter. This is probably Coen's strongest job qualification. If Eagles fans want more of the same recruiting they got in the early and mid-2000s (think: Jared Dudley, Craig Smith, Sean Marshall, Sean Williams), then Coen is your man. Coen was largely responsible for bringing in these recruits and also knows the Boston area well. Coen's biggest recruit at Northeastern has been Matt Janning, who has twice earned all-CAA honors and was the conference's Rookie of the Year in 2006-07.
Thoughts? Would you be OK with Bill Coen as the next head coach of the Eagles?
Rock the vote.