Report: BC Basketball Hires Former Arkansas Coach Stan Heath As Assistant Head Coach

Boston College basketball was dealt a major blow a month ago when assistant head coach Preston Murphy decided to leave the Eagles for Creighton. Jim Christian didn't wait long to find a quality replacement though, hiring a former head coach to join him on the bench:

Source: Former Arkansas and USF coach Stan Heath headed to Boston College as an assistant coach.

— Pete Thamel (@SIPeteThamel) June 15, 2015

Heath, originally from Michigan, most recently coached USF from 2007-2014 leading the Bulls to a 97-129 record but brought the team to the tournament twice in his last two years, once winning two games, and in 2014 losing the opening round. Before that he coached the Arkansas Razorbacks to two tournament appearances in his six seasons. His first job was at Kent State where he led the Golden Flashes to a 31 win season and an Elite Eight appearance.

While losing Murphy was big, grabbing an assistant with head coaching experience is huge, especially with major wins in the tournament. Heath has had experience recruiting at the major conference level as well, as he was an assistant for five seasons at Michigan State under Tom Izzo.

This type of hire certainly lessens the sting of losing Preston Murphy. However the biggest way Stan Heath is going will be judged is on the recruiting trail. And right now BC has a few recruits they need to close on for the upcoming season, including Juan Carlos Reyes and Florida transfer Eli Carter. The learning curve is going to be swift for Heath, but let's see what he can do.