Before UConn's opening game against Chattanooga Jim Calhoun said, "I called Mike Lynch and talked to him about Andre (LaFleur). I think there was some interest." LaFleur was one of the top scorers for Calhoun at Northeastern. LaFleur then played and coached overseas for 11 years. He has been part of the UCONN staff for the last eight years.
Other top assistants mentioned have included Pat Duquette for BC, Pittsburgh assistant Tom Herrion, and Providence assistant Pat Skerry.
Duquette has spent the last 12 years on the BC staff. BC has been incredibly successful during his time with post-season berths in seven of the last eight seasons. Duquette has stated he would not leave for just any job, but this does not seem to be any job because he has expressed his interest.
Herrion has been the associate head coach for Pitt the last two years. Before that he was the head coach for the College of Charleston and led the team to an 80-38 record under him including an NIT appearance and a top-25 ranking.
Herrion has also been the assistant at the University of Virginia for two years and Providence College for four years. In total he has 18 years of experience at the college level. Herrion was a graduate of Division II Merrimack College and grew up in Oxford.
Pat Skerry spent this past season assisting Keno Davis at Providence College. Prior to that he was an assistant at Rhode Island for three years, spent two years assisting Tom Herrion, another possible candidate, at College of Charleston, and three years at William & Mary. Skerry has spent 17 years at the collegiate level, 12 of which have been in New England.
Other names mentioned include former Providence and Iona head coach Tom Welsh, former Celtic Ed Pinckney, former Harvard head coach Frank Sullivan.
Tim Welsh is the only coach with experience at a high level school in Division I who is under consideration. Welsh has expressed interest in the job. He coached the Iona Gaels to three straight MAAC championships and post-season births. His teams made the NIT twice and NCAA once.
Welsh then moved onto Providence where he was unable to match the success at Iona, but finished with five post-season births in ten years. None of his teams ever won a NCAA tournament game. His overall record is 215-148. Welsh also was an assistant at Florida State, Syracuse, and Iona before becoming the head coach of the Gaels.
Pinckney has been an assistant for the Minnesota Timberwolves for two years and previously spent the prior four years as an assistant for his alma mater, the Villanova Wildcats. Pinckney played in the NBA for twelve years for multiple teams including the Celtics. Pinckney starred for Villanova in their run to the National Championship in 1985.
Sullivan has expressed interest in the position. He spent 33 years coaching at the collegiate level including his last 16 as head coach of Harvard. Sullivan also assisted at recognizable schools like Villanova and Seton Hall. Sullivan also was a very successful head coach at Bentley for seven years. He has spent the past two seasons as the America East coordinator of officials. Sullivan is a native of Lexington and went to Westfield State.
AD Mike Lynch seems to want a new face for the program, so I doubt Tim Welsh, the most qualified, or Frank Sullivan are in the running even though both have expressed their interest. If any of the Louisville assistants are going to get this job it will be Richard Pitino, because the name still resonates at BU and also on a national stage. Masiello does not seem to have interest in it removing one of Richard's biggest competitors for the position.
The Pitino coaching tree has already produced numerous successful coaches, including Billy Donovan, Tubby Smith, Ralph Willard, Reggie Theus, Herb Sendek, and Travis Ford, to name a few. Pat Duquette is a formidable competition for the job. He knows the area so well and has much more experience than Pitino. LeFleur will be getting a head coaching shot soon, but it does not look like this year will be his.
Watch out for the dark horse Tom Herrion in all this.
Favorites: Richard Pitino, Louisville assistant; Andre LeFleur, UConn assistant; Pat Duquette, BC assistant.
Dark Horses: Tom Herrion, Pitt assistant.
Longshots: Walter McCarty, Louisville assistant; Ed Pinckney, Timberwolves assistant.
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