Last week, I mentioned that Tom Herrion and Danny Hurley were candidates for the lead assistant coach job in basketball. Well, with Hurley declining, Herrion gets the chance according to the e-mailed story from Pittsburgh Sports Report.
Herrion, 39, is back in the coaching ranks after losing his head coach coaching job at the College of Charleston after the 2005-06 season despite a four year record of 80-38. Herrion found it difficult to live up the expectations of replacing John Kresse, a coach so popular and successful that the new College of Charleston arena was named after him. Herrion was 25-8 in his first season, including an NIT appearance, but the wins declined each season. The Cougars were 17-11 in ’05-’06, when he was fired despite having four years left on his contract. He negotiated a buyout of $787,000.
Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski has called Herrion “one of the most energetic coaches I’ve ever seen.†His intensity and fire may not have been a good fit for the laid back city of Charleston, however, as he was seen as abrasive and alienating to some fans, who were used to the more affable Kresse.
Prior to coaching at Charleston, Herrion was an assistant for Pete Gillen for eight years; four at Providence and four at Virginia. He was Gillen’s lead assistant during his final three years at Virginia. Prior to joining Gillen, Herrion was an assistant at his Alma Mater, Merrimack College in North Hanover, MA.
There was also some issue with player behavior off the court as well that pissed off the alum.
Yes, I would have preferred Hurley, but that didn’t work. I happen to think this is a very good “fall back” hire. I like it better than any of the other names that had been mentioned. Herrion is still young, and wants to get his rep back and another shot as a head coach. He has been a successful recruiter all along the East Coast.
From the description of Herrion as intense and energetic, he may be an excellent counterweight to Coach Dixon’s more laidback demeanor. There has been the lingering undercurrent of complaints that Dixon was always Ben Howland’s “good cop” with the players and that Dixon needs to have a “bad cop” to provide balance as head coach.
