[powerofx]

Now that XU assistant Chris Mack has been promoted to HC, there are rumors that Mack may try and bring in Boals (sp?) as his number two. They have been crossing paths at summer camps, recruiting, and the past two years of XU/UofA scrimages. Mack wants to keep Weatherspoon and convince Payne to come to X. Any thoughts?

[Zip Watcher]

We need Boals to stay. He's a big part of what's happening here, and hopefully UA can keep him.

He's close to home @ UA, and he's got Zeke coming in. I for one hope he sticks around.

Go Zips!!

[ziptrumpet87]

Gotta keep Boals! He and KD make a great team!

[skip-zip]

Seems like nearly a lateral move, which would surprise me. X is often a ranked team, but he'd still be an assistant in a non-major conference.

[WinZip]

I have never seen anything that would lead me to believe he is leaving...

I have never seen anything that would lead me to believe he would not leave...


If he's close to home though that's a huge plus, and he has to see that UA has a lot on the horizon.

[powerofx]

Seems like nearly a lateral move, which would surprise me. X is often a ranked team, but he'd still be an assistant in a non-major conference.

I know I'm looking at this from my Xavier glasses but I think that statement is incorrect. And this is coming from someone that is from Akron, whose family all went to Akron,and who roots for the Zips as their number 2 team. Akron went to the tourney for the first time in 20+ years and has zero NBA players over that time period. XU pays coaches more...has been to 2 elite 8s and one sweet 16 over the past 6 years, plays to a sold out 10k arena, and develops NBA talent - both in the NBA (West, Posey, etc.) and on the roster (potentially Brown, Crawford).

Saying its just another non-major team defies the logic as to why he came to UA from RMU...

Now if you said that since he's Associate Head coach and will prbably stay at UA until he gets a head coaching gig rather than another assictant gig, I'd buy that.

[Quickzips]

We absolutely have to keep Coach Boals. Lock him up in a bunker underneath the JAR if we have to, but the guy needs to stay. He's a big part of our recruiting efforts and a huge part of what we are building here.

That said, it would be a step up for him if he decided to leave, but not a huge step up. I'm sure the pay is better, and Xavier has a little better national reputation, but this isn't like Coach K is calling him wanting him to sit second chair at Duke.

[GameChngr44]

I would like to pose this question to the entire ZipNation...

What IF Coach Boals DOES LEAVE...what do you all think will happen to the program? Do any of you think that Coach D is capable of bringing in another quality assistant to replace him or do you think that the program will fall to the wayside???

Just curious...

[Zipmeister]

Xavier has a slightly better national reputation than Akron? Next you will be telling me that Dollie Parton has slightly bigger hooters than does the average twelve year old boy.

[MDZip]

The program will go on just fine, KD has both a process and a reputation to fall back on to hire more quality assistants. Remember Shaka Smart was an assistant in the early years and somehow we survived without a guy who was a very good recruiter and was thought of well enough to get the VCU job as his first job.

I like Coach Boals a great deal but I also hope that he ends up doing what is best for him, even if that would mean leaving our program. I certainly hope not, but it does (and should) happen. That just indicates the quality of asst. coaches we can get. And to the poster of this topic, would it have killed you to add a question mark at the end of the subject line? I thought he was already gone.

[WinZip]

He's what I'm reading
Xavier Newswire

Has to be tempting, but I'm hoping he has some unfinished buisness to take care of.

If he would leave I have no doubt KD and staff can bring in someone of equal or greater quality.

[Quickzips]

I wouldn't expect the program to collapse without Boals, but it would certainly be a loss. KD has a way of surrounding himself with good people. As was already stated, Shaka Smart already came out of our program and is putting together a nice career for himself. Would it set us back a little bit? Ofcourse. You don't lose your top recruiter and expect everything to go on without a hiccup, but I don't think it would kill our program.

That said, someone please screen Jeff Boals phone calls for the next couple weeks. Anything that comes from a 513 area code should be heavily screened.

[Zip Watcher]

I think it would slow the Zips down a bit for 2010 recruiting if Jeff did happen to leave. Seems like he might be the lead guy on Payne & Weatherspoon. Nothing says we're getting those guys for sure .. but if he's the guy in the door with the player, and he goes to a school those guys are considering, that can't possibly help the Zips with those guys.

Good news is that we're talking about 2 years out, and not next year. The list of prospects for UA is long, it includes several 3 star players .. not all of them are JB's recruits.

That said, IMHO KD's judgment is to be trusted here. Nothing he's done at UA in 5 years leads me to believe he won't make the right sort of move if faced with a vacancy on his staff. He's established here, the roster is loaded, they're coming off a conference title & NCAA appearance .. there's lots to like for a new assistant & recruiter. Attracting good candidates shouldn't be hard.

I will continue to hope that the assistant coach continues to be JB .. and that he stays to help put UA above XU in the pecking order of college hoops. There's work to be done here .. but the tools are in place. One of the prices of being a good program is that you'll get raided for coaches. Further proof that this vision of KD's is coming to fruition.

Go Zips!!!

[powerofx]

And to the poster of this topic, would it have killed you to add a question mark at the end of the subject line? I thought he was already gone.

Sorry. Maybe just wishful thinking on my part.

[Dave in Green]

I have no insight in this specific situation. But in any college basketball program, individuals will come and individuals will go. Whenever the departure of good people inevitably occurs at UA, it's ultimately going to be up to UA to replace them with other good people. If the school is committed to a strong basketball program, then the resources required to make that happen will be provided.