Hiring of Lavin and Floyd at St. John’s and UTEP could affect UA
by Javier Morales on Mar. 30, 2010, under Sports
Tim Floyd never did coach at Arizona but now he's only 265 miles away at UTEP
Former UCLA coach Steve Lavin could seek an assistant at St. John’s with New York ties such as Arizona’s Book Richardson.
The fact of the matter is Lavin, who does not have a recruiting background in New York City, needs at least one assistant with recruiting contacts in the Big Apple.
The New York Daily News is reporting that Lavin has been afforded an “impressive budget” to hire a staff of proven recruiters. The Daily News reports that Manhattan coach Barry Rohrssen and former Virginia coach Dave Leitao are expected targets.
With Lavin at St. John’s now and the fact that he was always an avid admirer of former UA coach Lute Olson and the Wildcat program how long will it take for him to schedule a series with Arizona? That would be ideal for Miller and Richardson to gain more visibility in the New York. That would be a Catch-22 for Lavin, however, because he knows Miller and Richardson have already raided New York for talented players such as Lamont “MoMo” Jones and Kevin Parrom.
Tim Floyd, former candidate to permanently replace Lute Olson at Arizona, is now coaching in the vicinity (265 miles) of the UA at UTEP, avoiding obscurity after being part of an NCAA probe as head coach at USC. This could impact the Wildcats’ recruitment of talent in the southwest, including in the state and extending to perhaps L.A. Expect Floyd to continue recruiting the southeast, namely Louisiana, but after coaching at USC for four years, he established a recruiting base in southern California.
The current UTEP roster amassed by Tony Barbee includes a player from Arizona and Los Angeles. Former ASU player Christian Polk, who is from Glendale, and L.A. product Isaac Gordon were part of the Miners’ NCAA tournament team this season.
Former UA assistant coach Phil Johnson will likely be reunited with Floyd at UTEP after he was let go at USC by Kevin O’Neill. How about this potential meeting in the NCAA tournament down the road: USC vs. UTEP. I’d buy a ticket.
These notes are part of a blog I posted at WILDABOUTAZCATS.com that includes audio of UA coach Sean Miller on the Petros and Money radio show this afternoon
