There is some major college coaching news to report.
One of the nation’s most highly regarded coaches, Jeff Tambroni (pictured at left), who has led Cornell to the Division I final four three times the last four years, has accepted the head-coaching position at Penn State.
John Tillman, who has lifted Harvard to the upper echelon of the Ivy League, will be moving on to Maryland.
Be sure to weigh in with your thoughts.
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Joe – So, what do you think this means to recruits and verbals at the four affected schools? Things like this, to me, are always why I hear, pick a school for the school and the academics and your own general non-athletic reason, not the coach. Will some players and/or recruits typically follow a coach to his new school, in your experience? Are they allowed to?
Believe it or not there were some antsy alumni at Cornell because of last year’s excruciating loss to Cuse in the finals. So now Tambroni starts fresh and can build a program with long term job security.
Good job by Penn State to go out and lure Tambronni (sp)
Tambroni shares an uncanny resemblance to Don Draper.
NYmike –
I don’t expect any recruits to change their commitments. While coaches is a factor in a recruit’s decision, it should not be one of the main ones and there haven’t been too many cases of a player following a coach to a new school. (Although the NCAA’s all-time leading goal scorer, Zack Greer, going from Duke to Bryant with Mike Pressler is one high-profile example.)
Lacrosse is a bit different than basketball or football in that transfers are eligible immediately after transferring and do not have to sit out a year, provided the school they are transferring out of grants a release.
Cornell is expected to name associated head coach Ben DeLuca as its new head coach which should please incoming recruits.
Thanks Joe, good info –
Would love to see Tambroni eventually move PS into a challenging role to the ALL American “factories” (i.e. challenge like Delaware , Army, Stony Brook, Notre Dame,etc.)
Congrats to Tillman also but the pressure is far greater for him then Tambroni as Tillman is inheriting one of the largest incoming AA classes–he better produce BIG.
Can anyone explain to me why Tambroni would want to leave an establish program and one that he’s had a huge amount of success with… to go coach a team that hasn’t really had any success
westchesterlax- i think i have an idea
going out on a limb here, but i’m gonna have to say money haha.
I might have held out for the Michigan job that is sure to come. Agree with slalacrosse – nice to the sport expanding as it is outside the traditional areas and conferences.
NYmike,
Wouldn’t be shocked if there’s not a bit of pre-selling going on with certain coaches for a potential Michigan job! A real plumb for someone that wants to build a varsity program at a flagship academic and athletic university. When Mich decides to make the move they will go full force!!
So in the 7-team Ivy League there were three 1st year head coaches this past year (Princeton, Dartmouth and Penn) and now two more openings (Harvard, Cornell). The Brown coach turned down the Penn St. job that the Cornell coach accepted. That leaves Andy Shay of Yale as the longest tenured coach in the Ivy and the only one that wasn’t looking to leave (or in Brown’s case, considering) in the past 12 months or so. What does that say about the reality of recruiting and building a consistent winner in the Ivy League? Or is it a matter of simple economics, where coaches are being lured away by compensation packages and/or other considerations that the Ivy schools simply won’t match?
As Joe had noted Ben Deluca was indeed named Cornell’s new head coach. Nice job by the administration to move quickly – a show of support for what the program has accomplished these last few years. It will be interesting to see if Kyle Georgalas is elevated to associate head coach (Deluca’s former job) at Cornell or if he follows Tramboni to Penn State.
Sorry to lose Coach T. It will be interesting to see who takes over.
Wonder if Scott Marr at Albany make realize the time is right and try to get the Harvard gig. If he has another season like this last one at Albany he could be out of a job. Just saying.
Interesting developments in the college world