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| Username | Post: Earl Leaving for William & Mary |
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scoop85 Freshman Posts 75 |
03-23-24 09:28 AM - Post#366206
Cornell AD Nikki Moore sent out an e-mail this morning that Earl is leaving Cornell to take the job at W&M. Seems like a strange move to me, as is the CAA really a step-up over the Ivies right now? And will W&M be a player in the NIL space? Regardless, it’s a tough loss for Cornell. He’s a terrific coach and resurrected a program at the abyss. I wonder if lead assistant Jon Jaques gets a crack at it, or if Moore will look for someone with head coaching experience. There is a nice corps returning, so whoever gets the job will be walking into a pretty good situation. |
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palestra38 Professor Posts 34403 |
03-23-24 09:47 AM - Post#366210
I just commented on this in the Columbia board---W&M has never made the NCAA tournament. And the CAA is several steps down from where it was a few years ago (then the C was Colonial, not Coastal)when it had James Madison and before it brought in lower caliber teams like Stony Brook, Hampton, Monmouth and Campbell. -- Manon has another year of eligibility---Earl conceivably could convince almost his entire team to go with him and get them paid. |
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scoop85 Freshman Posts 75 |
03-23-24 10:09 AM - Post#366215
That’s an interesting point. If Earl convinces Manon, Gray, and Hansen to join him at W&M that would be an interesting dynamic. But that seems like a long shot unless W&M has a particular master’s program that suits all of their needs. |
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TigerFan PhD Student Posts 1912 |
03-23-24 10:44 AM - Post#366218
Head scratcher but then again I never understood Sydney Johnson’s move to Fairfield. I assume Brian will work the portal hard and try to turn W&M around quickly. He will cause headaches for the CAA. |
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scoop85 Freshman Posts 75 |
03-23-24 10:56 AM - Post#366219
Cornell AD Nikki Moore sent out an e-mail this morning that Earl is leaving Cornell to take the job at W&M. Seems like a strange move to me, as is the CAA really a step-up over the Ivies right now? And will W&M be a player in the NIL space? Regardless, it’s a tough loss for Cornell. He’s a terrific coach and resurrected a program at the abyss. I wonder if lead assistant Jon Jaques gets a crack at it, or if Moore will look for someone with head coaching experience. There is a nice core returning, so whoever gets the job will be walking into a pretty good situation. |
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rbg Postdoc Posts 3096 |
03-23-24 11:09 AM - Post#366221
https://cornellbigred.com/news/2024/3/23/mens-b ask... Earl has done an amazing job at Cornell and deserves to go to a school where he can make more money and have a better shot at getting to the NCAA Tournament. Each year I expect his name to come up in the coaching carousel, but it doesn't. I'm kind of surprised that he chose W&M and did it so quickly. At first, I thought maybe he would go down to Virginia to be closer to his brother, but Dan has moved on from VMI and has been at Chattanooga for the last few years. The CAA is an odd conference that keeps trying to reinvent itself. It's also another 1-bid league. (With JMU gone and Delaware soon to depart, the CAA will be Drexel, Northeastern, Stony Brook, Hofstra, Monmouth, Towson, Elon, Campbell, NC A&T, Hampton, UNCW, W&M & College of Charleston) It's hard to think that W&M is going all-in on being a big-time basketball program. From an Ivy League perspective, I wonder if he had any thoughts about Princeton (deciding that Mitch is staying, or Brett would take over) or Penn (deciding that Steve is staying or it's not worth it). Also, maybe he also saw the added difficulty of coaching in the IL in this new NIL/transfer portal reality and decided he's got to get before things get worse. |
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rbg Postdoc Posts 3096 |
03-23-24 11:19 AM - Post#366222
Nicki Moore now has two basketball coaches to replace this offseason. Lots of pressure on the new AD. |
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mountainred Masters Student Posts 522 |
03-23-24 11:25 AM - Post#366225
Stunning. Not that he left -- I never thought Earl was an Ithaca lifer -- but Wm & Mary is an odd choice for the reasons listed here. |
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gokinsmen Postdoc Posts 3753 |
03-23-24 11:29 AM - Post#366226
It was a natural time to leave - Cornell's best season since 2010, but probably taking a step back next year As with Sydney Johnson leaving for Fairfield back in 2011, I assume it has a lot to do with salary. Brian is 47, has a family, never had a big payday. If W&M offered to double his salary... well, you can't really say no to that. Put away a nest egg for your wife and children. |
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mountainred Masters Student Posts 522 |
03-23-24 11:34 AM - Post#366229
This is a good time to leave, assuming there is such an animal, I was just expecting it to be a more clear step up. I have several law partners who are W&M grads and none of them follow their alma mater in any sport. Earl is a great coach, and I wish him nothing but success, but ouch. |
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gokinsmen Postdoc Posts 3753 |
03-23-24 11:43 AM - Post#366230
If he had won the ILT (and a game in the NCAAs), I'm sure the bigger offers would have rolled in. That national spotlight is everything. Mitch's profile skyrocketed after last year. That said, the CAA is still a solid midmajor conference and I imagine W&M will give Earl a lot of freedom to build the program he wants. |
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Ever True Junior Posts 265 |
03-23-24 12:15 PM - Post#366236
I don't disagree with any of you, re: W & M being an interesting choice, as far as next steps are concerned. If I try to take my Ivy League glasses off, this is what I see. - A bump in salary - Better facilities - including a recent renovation to the arena and new practice facility: https://www.wm.edu/news/stories/2020/wm- announces-... - Better recruiting situation - closer to DMV hotbed and no longer directly competing with Yale/Princeton for Ivy-profile recruits - Good showcase job - still in a high academic situation, where he can continue to audition for Princeton job, but in the backyard of Power 5 programs who might consider him if he succeeds Not the gospel truth, just my perspective. A loss for the league, for sure - what he's done at Cornell over the past three years has been incredible, and fun to watch as a non-HYP fan. |
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FlareScreen Freshman Posts 44 |
03-23-24 01:51 PM - Post#366245
Earl was a great coach at Cornell and I see this as a perfect time for him to leave. In the past couple of years, it has been grad transfers who leave but that is likely to change with the NIL money. I would not be surprised to start seeing freshmen leaving after a good season which would have been unheard of 5 years ago. I think that W&M and the Ivies are roughly comparable. So let's say a talented player with the grades is choosing between Cornell and W&M. I love Cornell but full scholarship+Alston+NIL. First-class travel and perks and a nice bank account at graduation. Seems like an easy decision to me if I was a player. Best of luck to Brian, he changed Cornell basketball and I will be rooting for him. |
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TigerFan PhD Student Posts 1912 |
03-23-24 02:18 PM - Post#366248
Maybe I’m naive but don’t you think these kids want to win basketball games and play in March Madness? William & Mary is a great school but they won 10 games this year and their KenPom rating is 319. I’m sure Brian will raise the bar but that program has a long way to go. |
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mountainred Masters Student Posts 522 |
03-23-24 03:54 PM - Post#366255
Maybe I’m naive but don’t you think these kids want to win basketball games and play in March Madness? William & Mary is a great school but they won 10 games this year and their KenPom rating is 319. I’m sure Brian will raise the bar but that program has a long way to go. W&M was KenPom 87 as recently 2016, so this isn't Chicago St. we're talking about it. If whittak is correct, and I have no reason to doubt that, W&M has more than double the hoops budget, some of which has to be the coach's salary. And Earl gets to coach the main winter sport instead of the one that better not interfere with hockey. Or wrestling (though that has to be less of a concern post-Andy). On the flip side, this has to have been quick decision for W&M. Terrific coach who knows how to succeed at an academic school, yes please. It was nice while it lasted, but I knew it wasn't going to last forever. Now, does anyone follow or use this as an excuse to move on? |
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SRP Postdoc Posts 4959 |
03-23-24 07:32 PM - Post#366284
This seems like a calculated risk for Earl. Much higher salary, but no security as he has at Cornell. Another one-bid league, a team with no heritage, a weak fan base, and likely no NIL potential. I wish him the best of luck, and he’s going to need it. This seems a worse job than when Sydney left for Fairfield. |
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jeromelh Junior Posts 227 |
03-24-24 02:31 PM - Post#366314
As to a rationale for this move, let me propose this. Earl is just not going to get a major college coaching job from Cornell. However, if he can do at W & M what he did at Cornell he may get a major college look. |
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palestra38 Professor Posts 34403 |
03-24-24 03:40 PM - Post#366317
Yes, but the CAA is a really weak conference now. And William and Mary was next to last in a conference with Stony Brook, Hampton, Campbell, Monmouth and a lot of former America East and Northeast Conference teams. And William and Mary has the largest endowment in the League, at $1.2 billion, 1/6 of the smallest Ivy endowment and about 10% of Cornell's. I think he could have gotten a job in the A-10 or equivalent, which would have been a much better feeder to Big Time than CAA. I think this is all about the financial offer, as was Sydney Johnson's |
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final479 Freshman Posts 50 |
03-28-24 04:58 AM - Post#366627
Agree with a lot of the other comments. I would think the comp is much higher, and that in and of itself may have been enough motivation. He was an assistant for a long time, where comp is a pittance, and I suspect the Cornell contract was likely not overwhelming. Also, on the assumption he has ambition to move up the coaching ranks he needed to move on from Cornell at 47. He was not going to get a major job from Cornell, if he does well at W&M he might ... |
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1LotteryPick1969 Postdoc Posts 2331 
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03-28-24 09:39 AM - Post#366632
He was an assistant for a long time, where comp is a pittance, and I suspect the Cornell contract was likely not overwhelming. I think this hits the nail on the head. And then factor in the impending impact of NIL, and perhaps a sharp decline in the ability to recruit in the Ivy League. At least he will have athletic scholarships to offer, and a very high quality education as well. And better climate  |
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mountainred Masters Student Posts 522 |
03-28-24 03:35 PM - Post#366651
He was not going to get a major job from Cornell, if he does well at W&M he might ... Well, Steve did back in 2010 (BC). Jan van Breda Kolff did in the 90's(Vandy). Tom Miller did in the mid-80's (Colorado). Meanwhile, Bruce Parkhill made the jump from Williamsburg to Penn State in '83 and that's about it. That's three Cornell coaches getting a major job since the last time it happened at W&M. I don't begrudge Brian getting a pay hike and honestly wish him great things; I have a lot of positive memories of his time with us and have told my friends who are W&M grads to support him. But it is hard to say W&M is a better launching pad than Cornell. |
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1LotteryPick1969 Postdoc Posts 2331
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03-28-24 05:08 PM - Post#366660
But it is hard to say W&M is a better launching pad than Cornell. Change that to "it WAS hard to say" and I would agree. But the college basketball scene in undergoing a seismic upheaval and the Ivies look a little vulnerable right now. |
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umbrellaman Masters Student Posts 476 
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03-29-24 05:45 PM - Post#366710
I think his extended time as an assistant hits the nail on the head - Henderson is only a couple of years older but has been a head coach for 10 more years. Earl has some catching up to do. |
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jeromelh Junior Posts 227 |
03-29-24 06:54 PM - Post#366713
Let me respond this way. Certainly money plays a part. I don't believe that alone Cornell or W&M are steps to a major league job. However, if can turn W&M around as he did at Cornell, I think he will get major program attention. What he did at Cornell is amazing.. |
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PennFan10 Postdoc Posts 3612 |
04-02-24 09:34 AM - Post#366800
Seems to me Williamsburg is a lot more palatable to live than Ithaca. Could be as simple as that? |
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