UD Interviews Lehigh Coach

[SunCoastBlueHen]

What do the Lehigh people think of this?

http://www.delawareonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060329/SPORTS07/603290335/1002/SPORTS

[89Hen]

What do the Lehigh people think of this?
Who cares what they think? What do YOU think? :p

[SunCoastBlueHen]

Who cares what they think? What do YOU think? :p

I know nothing about the guy, hence the question. I was hoping for a reaction of disappointment from the Lehigh contingent - but judging from to underwhelming response to this thread, I guess this is a non-event. :)

[MR. CHICKEN]

LOOKS LIKE DUH HIGH PROFILE...TOP ASSISSTANTS...TA DUH BIG TIME COACHES......WANT NUFFIN' TA DO WHIFF...EDGAR & ROSELLE..........AH'M SURE DUH LEHIGH GUY IS....UH RESPECTED SORT......BUT AH HAD MAH.......TICKER.....SET ON UH YOUNG GUN!...:(....BRAWK!

[ChickenMan]

Can we also interview the Lehigh AD...???

[ngineer]

What do the Lehigh people think of this?

http://www.delawareonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060329/SPORTS07/603290335/1002/SPORTS

Wasn't aware of this til you posted. Obviously, this is to be expected. Taylor has done an excellent job in making basketball competitive, again. He's well respected, the kids like him alot and he conducts himself with class and dignity--which is unusual for a lot of roundball coaches. I would hope he stays. He has said that he truly enjoys the atmosphere at Lehigh and raising a family in the Lehigh Valley, but if he's looking to start climbing the ladder to a 'bigger time' program it may be a start--although IMO Lehigh's program is stronger than UD's at this stage.

[SunCoastBlueHen]

although IMO Lehigh's program is stronger than UD's at this stage.

I don't think you will get much of an argument there as Henderson drove the program into the dirt. There is a tremendous potential upside with the Delaware job, however. UD resides in the middle of fertile recruiting grounds and the CAA conference has really grown in notoriety thanks to the George Mason run and a solid showing by Hofstra and ODU in the NIT. The fan base at UD, though lulled to sleep by the Henderson era, will wake up once the program shows signs of moving in the right direction. Of course we have our bonehead administration on the other side of the equation, but I can see why it might be an attractive option for coach Taylor.

[MR. CHICKEN]

ALL TRUE LADS......WE HAVE VERAH LITTLE TALENT REMAININ'......WE HAVE 4 AVAILABLE SCHOLLIES........IT'S VERAH LATE INTA DUH RECRUITIN' PERIOD.....PROBABLY NOT MUCH TALENT..DAT HASN'T COMMITTED......NEW COACH MIGHT HAVE TA GO DUH JUCO ROUTE.....OR BRING SOME PLAYERS WHIFF HIM.........IT'S BLEAK IN NEWARK....AN' WILL TAKE SOME TIME.....JES' TA GET RESPECTABLE.........WE NEED UH SCORER....SOME BALL HANDLIN'....BIG GUYS WHIFF HANDS...HEWSON 7'2"....CAN BLOCK SHOTS..AN' LOOKS GOOD WHEN HE'S IN DERE.......BUT HAS VERAH LITTLE STAMINA..........DIS MESS...IS WHAT MIGHT BE SCARIN' OFF......DUH UP AN' COMERS........DEN DERE IS DUH ADMIN?.....PECKER-HEADS WILL PACK DUH BOB...WIN AN' DEY WILL COME.......BUT DIS PROGRAM....WILL BE UH PROJECT...TA WHOM-EVERAH ACCEPTS DUH CHALLENGE..........:twocents:........BRAWK!

[kardplayer]

Taylor going to UD makes no sense for him.

If he's going to go anywhere, I would expect it to be a big step up, not an incremental or, arguably (based on the UD program's current status), lateral move as Delaware would be.

He's already shown he can turn around a program and take it further than it has gone in 20 years. If he's going to leave Lehigh (and I, for one, hope he doesn't) and take an intermediate step to a power conference, I would rather see him go to a conference that is usually multi-bid (MVC comes quickly to mind, as opposed to the CAA that this year had its first at large in something like 20 years with GMU), to a school that has either gotten close to the conference title/NCAA Tourny, but hasn't quite gotten over the hump, OR is as moribund as the Lehigh program was when he took over so he can show he can do it on a bigger stage.

That would seem to be the better career move, IMHO.

[GannonFan]

I think you're underestimating the step up for Tyler. No one is going to argue the current status of the UD team in terms of performance on the floor, but as for the program's postition in the NCAA hierarchy of men's basketball the program and the conference are a big step up from the Patriot League. Granted the CAA has not been a consistent multi-bid conference, but typically the CAA has always had much better seeds than the Patriot (10-12 for the CAA while the Patriot is normally 13-16). RPI-wise the CAA is always in the 10-15 range in terms of rankings of all conferences while the Patriot is often in the 20's. And UD is a great place to coach - if you do well enough the place sells out for every game (5k capacity) and you can get decent players there based on conference standing and just location. There's no way that a move to UD from Lehigh would be considered anything but a step up, and certainly not a lateral move. I'll grant you that there are certainly bigger steps up out there (and going to the MVC is a good step up towards eventually a Big 10 job) but it's a step up nonetheless.

[Lehigh Football Nation]

If this were pre-Bucknell, I'd say that the CAA is miles ahead of the PL in terms of basketball. However, George Mason nonwithstanding, the gap between the CAA and the PL is not nearly what it was. Bucknell has proven that they can win a first-round game consistently, and Holy Cross and Lehigh are not all that far behind either. It will remain to be seen if Bucknell can keep up this incredible run, but PL basketball isn't what it was even four years ago.

If I'm Billy Taylor, I look at it this way. Right now I have Lehigh nipping at Bucknell's heels for an autobid, while with Delaware I have (by all accounts here) a ground-up rebuilding effort. Also, how high can Delaware basketball really reach? Can they really be a team that makes the big dance? Heck, can they even compete against Drexel, ODU, George Mason, or Hofstra?

Lateral move, at best. Unless I really felt like Lehigh basketball is about as good as its going to get, I wouldn't do it.

[SunCoastBlueHen]

Also, how high can Delaware basketball really reach? Can they really be a team that makes the big dance? Heck, can they even compete against Drexel, ODU, George Mason, or Hofstra?

Lateral move, at best. Unless I really felt like Lehigh basketball is about as good as its going to get, I wouldn't do it.

Delaware made the big dance not that long ago (under Mike Brey) and beat Drexel twice this year. You are obviously unfamiliar with the UD program. With the right coach there is no reason why Delaware shouldn't be at the top of the CAA for reasons already detailed above. The sky is the limit a far as the potential of Delaware basketball.

[kardplayer]

Delaware went with an assistant coach from St. Joe's...

http://www.udel.edu/sportsinfo/mens_basketball/mbb06-rosshire.html

Taylor stays for now :rotateh:

[ngineer]

Delaware went with an assistant coach from St. Joe's...

http://www.udel.edu/sportsinfo/mens_basketball/mbb06-rosshire.html

Taylor stays for now :rotateh:

:hurray: :hurray: :hurray: :hurray: :hurray: :hurray: :hurray: :hurray:

[ngineer]

According some posters on the voy site, Taylor was offered the position but turned it down. Also rumored he may have been interviewed at another school as well..:(