Brian: Could Al Skinner’s retirement be a short-lived one? FOX Sports’ Jeff Goodman first reported that Al Skinner interviewed yesterday for the vacant Clemson men’s basketball coaching position. While Skinner will reportedly collect a buyout in the $3 million range, it doesn’t seem like he is quite ready to hang them up. The Clemson job makes sense for Skinner as he clearly knows how to coach in the ACC and has a summer home located in South Carolina. Handicap Skinner’s chances for me. Do you think he has a good chance of landing the Tigers’ basketball men’s head coach position?
Jeff: I do think Al Skinner's retirement will be short lived but I am not sure whether or not he will be the next coach for the Tigers. Clemson has been one of the better programs in the ACC since Oliver Purnell took the head coaching job there despite the fact that they have been unable to win a game in the NCAA tournament. Clemson's basketball team disappointed fans a little this season. Trevor Booker is now gone to graduation and his younger brother, Devan, is likely to transfer out of the program regardless of who is coaching next according to his mother. As a result, the Tiger basketball program might be headed back to their days of struggling.
Al Skinner still has good coaching years left in him so I think he will be very successful somewhere. Clemson might work out for him but I would think Clemson will look for a coach from a mid-major school just like they found Oliver Purnell which worked out well for them for several years. The Tigers are going into a rebuilding type year next season regardless of their coach, so I actually think Skinner could find a better fit for himself and the Tigers can find a coach that might stay longer than five years which I'm thinking would be the longest Al would keep coaching.
Big Finish
Brian: Hot coaching prospect Brad Stevens signed a 12 year extension with Butler, ending any chance that Stevens would be coaching in the ACC next season. Chances Stevens is still coaching Butler at the end of the 2022 season?
Jeff: 0%. If he has continued success, he will end up coaching one of the top five programs in the nation. If he doesn't, they'll fire him after opening up the checkbook for what he did with another coach's players.
Jeff: While we are all still in the honeymoon phase with BC coach Steve Donahue, he took a shot at the Yankees in his press conference. Your thoughts?
Brian: He buttered me up by saying he loves college hockey, then brings me right back down with this.
Brian: ACC Sports Journal published a way-too-early men’s basketball power rankings. BC comes in at #8. Sound about right?
Jeff: We finished 8 this season and graduated no one so we should be higher, but considering a coaching change I really can't complain.
Jeff: A familiar foe to the hockey team in the NCAA Tournament, the University of North Dakota retired their Fighting Sioux athletic team name and logo yesterday. What should their new school nickname be?
Brian: I think they should go back to their original nickname, the Flickertails. North Dakota Fighting Flickertails?
Brian: BC baseball faces Maryland this weekend in a three-game ACC set. Do the Eagles win the weekend?
Jeff: Hopefully the weather clears up for the doubleheader tomorrow and I'll say the Eagles win the series. They are 4-1 at home this season.
Jeff: The NY Times Slap Shot blog compared Frozen Four teams to college basketball and called BC the Duke of the field. That cool with you?
Brian: As much as I don't like BC being compared to Duke, Wisconsin was compared to Michigan State so I like our chances tomorrow.
Brian: Last one, National Championship game tomorrow night. Both Wisconsin and BC looked damn impressive in yesterday’s Frozen Four. Who ya got? What’s the final score?
Jeff: Damn impressive is right, but BC beat a much much better team so that's my excuse for going with the Eagles!