Friday, March 30, 2007

ESPN look at Quinny

This note showed up in Andy Katz's blog on espn.com

• A reality check is needed at Quinnipiac. Any thoughts that this school is going to the America East or Atlantic 10 in the near future is simply not true. The Q told at least one candidate that its hope was to lure a name coach to get the interest of these leagues. Well, no offense to Connecticut's Tom Moore, but hiring him isn't going to lead to expansion in those leagues. The America East said Thursday there is no discussion of adding Quinnipiac as a 10th member. And a source with knowledge of the Atlantic 10's thought process told ESPN.com that the league, if anything, should probably decrease, not increase. And if there is any expansion at any point it's more likely to be Boston University (America East) or Hofstra (CAA), not Quinnipiac.

And in case you missed it, here are some UConn notes from the Register on coaching changes, Hasheem Thabeet and practice facilities.

Also, here's a look at the coaches' hotel on Thursday from the Final Four in Atlanta courtesy of the Washington Post's John Feinstein. Jim Boeheim never seemed so personable as he does in this piece.

Quick clarification: According to UConn officials, the Dec. 16 game between Quinnipiac and UConn will be played at the Hartford Civic Center, not Gampel Pavilion.

Wednesday, March 28, 2007

Moore to Quinnipiac

University of Connecticut associate head men’s basketball coach Tom Moore met with Quinnipiac University officials Tuesday regarding the school’s head coaching position. Sources said Moore accepted the job later in the day.

After a weeklong hard sell, it appears Quinnipiac has gotten the man it coveted to be the next men’s basketball coach. Moore, who the school settled on last week after a nationwide search, will be announced as the new head coach at a Thursday press conference.

Moore, as reported Sunday in the Register, had moved to the top of Quinnipiac’s list when Vermont coach Mike Lonergan signed a new contract with the Catamounts.

Moore was unavailable for comment Tuesday.

Moore had a preliminary interview with Quinnipiac officials Thursday. Proposed terms of Moore’s contract were not disclosed, but sources said the deal could be $300,000 a season for six years.

This is Moore’s first Division I head coaching job after interviewing for at least seven other positions during his 13-year tenure at UConn. The 41-year-old coach headed Division III Worcester (Mass.) State for five years before arriving in Storrs for the 1994-95 season. He also interviewed for the vacant St. Bonaventure position Friday outside New York City. At UConn, he was promoted to the position of associate head coach during the fall of 2005 and has been the Huskies’ top recruiter for the last six seasons. He was an integral part in securing players for the 2004 national championship team.

Moore would be the school’s fifth head men’s basketball coach and replaces Joe DeSantis, who led the Bobcats for 11 seasons before he was fired March 7. Moore would inherit a program which began play this season in the $52 million, 3,500-seat TD Banknorth Sports Center and finished 14-15 overall and 11-7 in the Northeast Conference.

So far, there have been 36 Division I head men’s basketball coaching vacancies since the regular season ended with 18 filled, most notably Tubby Smith at Minnesota and Steve Alford at New Mexico.

Sunday, March 25, 2007

Moore interviews with Quinnipiac

University of Connecticut associate head men's basketball coach Tom Moore confirmed Sunday afternoon that he has interviewed with officials from Quinnipiac and St. Bonaventure for their respective head coaching positions.

Moore had a preliminary on-campus interview with Quinnipiac on Thursday. He said he met with officials and toured the university's new $52 million TD Banknorth Sports Center. The coach also denied interviewing on St. Bonaventure's campus in Olean, N.Y., as was reported by various media outlets this weekend. Moore said he met with school officials outside of New York City on Friday. University at Albany head coach Will Brown is reportedly the frontrunner for that position.

Moore, 41, said he feels comfortable with accepting a head coaching position this year if any is offered. The associate head coach just finished his 13th season at UConn and is the program's head recruiter. Over the past few years, he has interviewed for at least seven head coaching positions but either did not receive an offer or chose to remain in Storrs.

He said a change may happen by the end of the week.

"If there was ever a year, it would be now because I feel comfortable with my situation and ability. My first priority is my wife and family and at any school, I would want to put a plan in place to get them where we want to be," Moore said. "They're appealing jobs."

Quinnipiac fired 11-year head coach Joe DeSantis on March 7 and hired a recruiting firm, DHR International of Chicago, to conduct a national search. Moore said he was contacted last week regarding the vacancy.

Read more in Monday's Register.