It looks like the focus by Seton Hall, quite logically, is on Tom Pecora the Head Coach at Hofstra. The problem for Seton Hall, they aren’t sure whether he wants the job.
According to a person close to the Hofstra men’s basketball program, Pecora will meet with Hayes and Hofstra president Stuart Rabinowitz tomorrow morning. The source said Pecora will not meet with Seton Hall athletic director Joe Quinlan until after his meeting with the Hofstra administrators.
Pecora has said he would prefer to stay on Long Island. Hofstra likely will offer him a contract extension at that meeting to cement his feelings.
Pecora gets about $225,000/year at Hofstra. At this point, it isn’t even clear if Seton Hall has contacted Pitt for permission to talk to Rohrssen.
On Friday, Quinlan said he was looking for the Pirates’ next coach to have strong metropolitan recruiting ties. Pecora, known as a proven recruiter, recently expressed his happiness being at Hofstra. The Long Island native led the Pride to a 26-7 record this season. Hofstra went to the NIT quarterfinals, winning its first two postseason games as a Division 1 program. Pecora is 81-71 in five years at the school.
Pittsburgh assistant Barry Rohrssen also could be on the Hall’s short list. Pittsburgh athletic director Jeff Long, through a university spokesman, declined to comment on whether Seton Hall had contacted him to request to interview Rohrssen.
Other candidates appear to include Ohio University coach Tim O’Shea, Bobby Gonzalez of Manhattan and Iona’s Jeff Ruland.
Pirate’s Plank Blog (obligatory, “aarrr”) seems to believe they will target a coach with some head coaching experience.