Monday, March 05, 2012

Update on Burke - Officially resigns

I'm hearing that Robert Burke officially resigned as Mount St. Mary's basketball coach last week and that the situation could resolve itself this week.

EDIT Official release on resignation http://www.mountathletics.com/sports/mbkb/2011-12/releases/20120305vhl6cc

Let's be blatantly honest right here. The Mount needs a Mount guy right now.

Someone who knows the community and knows what it takes to win at this level.

For me there are three legitimate candidates who fit that mold.

Cliff Warren - The Jacksonville head coach and former Mt. St. Mary's point guard and assistant has shown the ability to command a program. Growing up in the DC Metro he recruited Chris McGuthrie and Riley Inge to the Mount. Unfortunately, the move would be a lateral one at best for #5 - and probably a drop on the pay scale which may mean he's not a candidate at all.

Jamion Christian - One of the first recruits to establish the pipeline into Virginia that helped build the Mount back into an NEC contender. The young man is especially bright and is going to be a great head coach someday. No reason that couldn't be at his alma mater. He's worked with three successful programs at Bucknell, William & Mary and now Virginia Commonwealth.

Kevin Robinson - The former Mount assistant followed Milan Brown to Holy Cross but he's lived and breathed Mount basketball all his life. He did a great job helping students be athletes during his time at the Mount and he's been a big part in the recruiting that helped the Mount be so successful during recent years.

The fourth candidate that immediately comes to mind is acting head coach Matt Henry. But upon closer examination you have to really wonder why? The top line on his resume has to be assisting Rob Burke during these disastrous two years, where the Mount went 19-42 posting back to back 20 loss seasons. He wouldn't warrant a job interview at any other program in the country. The argument to keep cohesion within the program isn't a good one. There has been no cohesion since Burke arrived and rumors run rampant that an exodus will occur if Henry is hired. Matt Henry may very well be a fine head basketball coach someday but this just doesn't seem like a good fit by any stretch of the imagination.

So really what we know right now is very little. Rob Burke won't be back. After that it's a muddled mess. That maybe we'll find out more about as the week wears on.

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3 comments:

  1. I don't understand why it needs to be a Mount guy. Sure Burke was a flop, but that doesn't mean that a more well suited "outsider" couldn't come in and turn things around. The possibility of mass defections shouldn't weigh too heavily on the decision at this point. It's not like we have a team full of stars and the transfer already sat out one year; they probably aren't going anywhere. If you want a Mount guy, how about adding Don Anderson to your list. He's currently an assistant at Binghamton and is probably the most experienced Mount guy (other than Warren, who like you said, isn't coming here).

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  2. Another non-Mount guy, but the AD should go hard after VCU Assistant, Mike Rhoades. He grew up a small town Catholic boy, just up the road in rural PA, he was a successful DIII coach at Randolph-Macon, and has tons of ties to the Baltimore/DC area. He might be a longshot, especially if Smart moves on as he's a possible replacement at VCU, but the Athletic Department should at least give it a shot.

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  3. Oh puh-leeze, anyone but Kevin Robinson. I knew him from when he was a little kid, when I was riding my bike from town going to the Mount games too. It would easily be Kevin's dream job to be the coach at Mount. He was flattered beyond belief to be an assistant. I believe that was mostly due to his 'ties' to the Mount more than anything. we need someone who is not going to be in 'awe' of the position. Yes, he'd probably work hard and provide a good effort, but I believe he would be in over his head. Heck, they will probably make him head coach in the end anyway. Knowing my luck,with so many things not going the way I wished for the Mount the past few years, it will probably happen, lolol. Y'all may dislike what I say yet again, but I just do not believe that Kevin is legitimate enough to be a head coach at a D-1 school. Maybe high school.

    I doubt it would happen as well, but, I'd sure like to see Cliffy come back to coach also. Unless Mount paid him handsomely, I can't see why he would leave Florida to come back to MD. Although Jacksonville has regressed this year at the bottom of the A-Sun, Cliff has had great success down there sending them to the big dance, along with his team upsetting Arizona St. in the NIT a few years ago. I sure hope Cliff gets Jax rolling again because he may have passed up a huge opportunity a year or so ago when Jax did so well. he likely could have gotten a job at a bigtime school but he chose to stay at Jax--so that tells you something about his commitment down there. Yes, Jamion Christian might be a good choice due to his youth and experience- Mount definitely needs some energy lately. I believe he would be adept at recruiting also. Don Anderson is good guy and is a wise man , but i just don't know if he would want the stress of the Mount rebuilding job. I know him from my times in Gettysburg. He would undoubtedly be a swell recruiter too. He knows a lot about the Bmore and DC youth. That Pete Strickland guy does seem to bring a lot to the table with his experience and success. However, I don't know if the question should be whether or not the new coach is a 'Mount guy' or not. I believe a better question should be...'do we go younger or older'?

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