Boals to OSU as assistant?

[Blue & Gold]

Firstly, you guys sound as if without Coach Boals no recruits are going to want to come here. Doesn't Coach Dambrot recruit these kids and build relationships with them too? Would a head coach give that power to a single assistant coach? So much power that if that assistant coach should leave then the program falls apart like a house of cards? I'm not being smart, I'm asking for those "in the know" to let me know how college recruiting works. Why should it matter THAT much if we lose an assistant coach? Our head coach is still here - isn't that why most kids choose one program over another?Secondly, if Coach Boals does indeed bolt for Columbus State (I'm going to puke) then it should make getting a high-quality replacement VERY easy for KD - for it appears Zips are a very quick road to the tip-top of the mountain - first we lose Shaka Smart to Florida and now we lose Boals to Columbus. That HAS to be mouth-watering for any up-and-coming young coach.

[Zip Watcher]

Firstly, you guys sound as if without Coach Boals no recruits are going to want to come here. Doesn't Coach Dambrot recruit these kids and build relationships with them too? Would a head coach give that power to a single assistant coach? So much power that if that assistant coach should leave then the program falls apart like a house of cards? I'm not being smart, I'm asking for those "in the know" to let me know how college recruiting works. Why should it matter THAT much if we lose an assistant coach? Our head coach is still here - isn't that why most kids choose one program over another?Secondly, if Coach Boals does indeed bolt for Columbus State (I'm going to puke) then it should make getting a high-quality replacement VERY easy for KD - for it appears Zips are a very quick road to the tip-top of the mountain - first we lose Shaka Smart to Florida and now we lose Boals to Columbus. That HAS to be mouth-watering for any up-and-coming young coach.

Good points, both. I'm in agreement on both counts.This isn't a house of cards, and it's not coming down because of this. It simply matters because the assistants are the ones that forge the early relationships with some of the guys. KD can't possibly be involved in EVERY meeting with EVERY recruit, so the top 2 or 3 assistants are key to getting the ball rolling.This MAY hurt us with guys that JB has been starting with .. but on the court there should be no effect in 2009-10 as far as personnel, and hopefully minimal in 2010 if the Zips adapt quickly and keep moving.Remember that all of these top guys are hoping to play in the JAR at the end of the month, and will be traveling here to try and do so. That will continue to help.Your second point is a huge one also. We lost Shaka to Clemson, not Florida .. but it's 2 guys in a row that have jumped from UA's bench to BCS, without an A10 or MVC stop in the middle.Go Zips!!! B)

[w00t]

Has anything been confirmed for sure by someone at UA, or is it still just hearsay at this point?

[FromdaBurgh]

Well...the rumors are TRUE!!! Coach Boals is leaving for Ohio State. He spoke with Zeke last night and Zeke is completely fine with it. I think that unlike the freshman players such as Humpty, Nickoli and the like who have established a deep, deep, and very close relationship with Boals; Zeke on the other hand, although he has and will keep a close friendship with Boals, did not have that "next level" relationship with him as a player/coach. Having said all of that let me say this...Zeke told Coach B that he completely understands the decision he made and that he is fine and that in his "humanity" although he hurts it doesnt mean that he (Zeke) is going to walk away for UA...so for any person who may be wondering...Zeke is here to stay!!!!I personally was very sadden at the news, although I completely understand and respect his decision..(because in the end he HAS to do what is best for him and his family) if the truth be told..it still doesnt take "the sting away" Zips basketball is going to thrive, prosper and be a force to be reckoned with both now and in the future so keep your heads held high ZipNation...lets say goodbye and good luck to Coach B and lets get ready for 09-10 season and another MAC Championship and NCAA Tourney run! Who's with me!!!!!!!!!!!!!!??????????????

[w00t]

Well...the rumors are TRUE!!! Coach Boals is leaving for Ohio State. He spoke with Zeke last night and Zeke is completely fine with it. I think that unlike the freshman players such as Humpty, Nickoli and the like who have established a deep, deep, and very close relationship with Boals; Zeke on the other hand, although he has and will keep a close friendship with Boals, did not have that "next level" relationship with him as a player/coach. Having said all of that let me say this...Zeke told Coach B that he completely understands the decision he made and that he is fine and that in his "humanity" although he hurts it doesnt mean that he (Zeke) is going to walk away for UA...so for any person who may be wondering...Zeke is here to stay!!!!I personally was very sadden at the news, although I completely understand and respect his decision..(because in the end he HAS to do what is best for him and his family) if the truth be told..it still doesnt take "the sting away" Zips basketball is going to thrive, prosper and be a force to be reckoned with both now and in the future so keep your heads held high ZipNation...lets say goodbye and good luck to Coach B and lets get ready for 09-10 season and another MAC Championship and NCAA Tourney run! Who's with me!!!!!!!!!!!!!!??????????????

Well there's some speedy confirmation... and despite how much of a bummer this is, I'm with you.

[Quickzips]

Great to hear that Zeke is here to stay. I for one appreciate and respect the young man for honoring his decision when he could have easily walked away with Coach Boals.It sucks that Jeff is leaving, and in the short term there is no doubt that it will have effect on the program. It may not hurt us as much as some would speculate, but it certainly doesn't help. I guess the question now is who do we replace Boals with?

[tpsjugglerdude]

Glad to hear Zeke is staying, although I never really doubted that would affect this level-headed player's commitment.

[WinZip]

Well as a few others, when I read this last night I was too disgusted to say much. In the end, we all know it will work out fine. We have a quality program with a great young kid coming in. Things can only improve! This will test us to see if we are ready to take that next step forward. I don't think KD will have any problem finding a top-notch replacement. The only thing that really concerns me is our setback with recruits in '10. I will remain hopeful... but I know it doesn't help our chances. Perhaps after our MAC champs and Zeke blow away the competition next year we can pull some top-100 players simply on that fact. PS. I'm glad the players had a strong relationship with coach Boals, but it does worry me a little...

[Zips Win!]

Any way you slice it, this sucks for UA.And you buckeye honks on the board wonder why I despise them so much...We lose out to deeper pockets, again.Good Luck to Jeff. He is a fantastic coach, great person and it was a pleasure to get to know him.

[g-mann17]

Now, here is a question I have often wondered. Why is it when a coach leaves to another school he's allowed to talk to players who have made commitments to his former school?Isn't that tampering and shouldn't the NCAA have a rule about that?Now I know Coach Boals isn't going to do anything shady like that (as much as OSU officials would want him to) but I've noticed a lot of player's transferring to where their coach is hired. I think if the NCAA was all about the student athlete, then they would have rule that you can't try to to have contact with former recruits and players.It just proves it's a big boys club. You want a recruit that is going to a mid-major, hire the coach that is recruiting him.

[ZachTheZip]

I don't think Boals meshes well with OSU's recruiting philosophy. He spent his time here going after good kids with good character. At OSU he'll be recruiting players who both he and the player know will leave the program at the first opportunity for the NBA, players who won't take classes seriously if they take any at all. I know I couldn't do that in good conscience.Leaving one one-and-done tournament team as an associate HC to be an assistant at another one-and-done team seems like a step backwards.

[zip37]

Chngr54-- couldn't have said it better. Hopwood

[Class of 82]

Leaving one one-and-done tournament team as an associate HC to be an assistant at another one-and-done team seems like a step backwards.

Just guessing, but he's probably going to earn at least 25 to 50 percent more money in Columbus. If I got a raise like that, neither I not my family would consider it a step backwards. And if you want to be a head coach someday, adding a Big Ten team to your resume sure doesn't hurt.I wish the guy well. I also have faith that the coach who really matters isn't going anywhere any time soon.Go Zips!

[skip-zip]

Leaving one one-and-done tournament team as an associate HC to be an assistant at another one-and-done team seems like a step backwards.

Just guessing, but he's probably going to earn at least 25 to 50 percent more money in Columbus. If I got a raise like that, neither I not my family would consider it a step backwards. And if you want to be a head coach someday, adding a Big Ten team to your resume sure doesn't hurt.I wish the guy well. I also have faith that the coach who really matters isn't going anywhere any time soon.Go Zips!

I like that last line.I'm a little dissappointed by this news, but probably not as much as some of you. The head coach is the foundation of the program. Recruits are all well aware that assistants can float around quite a bit. Jeff was a nice asset to us in his knowledge of post play, and I am confident we'll find someone to fill that void. Other than that, I sincerely hope that his exit will not be the make-or-break factor in the decisions of some of our upcoming recruits. uakronkid...I hate OSwho as much as you, but I'd have a hard time making an argument that this is not an excellent opportunity for Jeff, and a major step forward, by going to one of the better programs in the Big 10.

[Buckzip]

Good luck to coach Boals. He will be missed. I hope his leaving doesn't affect any of the young players that are close to him...I assume that the players sign on to play for the head coach, not the assistant. However, this sounds like he was the main force.

[Zip_ME87]

Well...the rumors are TRUE!!! Coach Boals is leaving for Ohio State. He spoke with Zeke last night and Zeke is completely fine with it. I think that unlike the freshman players such as Humpty, Nickoli and the like who have established a deep, deep, and very close relationship with Boals; Zeke on the other hand, although he has and will keep a close friendship with Boals, did not have that "next level" relationship with him as a player/coach. Having said all of that let me say this...Zeke told Coach B that he completely understands the decision he made and that he is fine and that in his "humanity" although he hurts it doesnt mean that he (Zeke) is going to walk away for UA...so for any person who may be wondering...Zeke is here to stay!!!!I personally was very sadden at the news, although I completely understand and respect his decision..(because in the end he HAS to do what is best for him and his family) if the truth be told..it still doesnt take "the sting away" Zips basketball is going to thrive, prosper and be a force to be reckoned with both now and in the future so keep your heads held high ZipNation...lets say goodbye and good luck to Coach B and lets get ready for 09-10 season and another MAC Championship and NCAA Tourney run! Who's with me!!!!!!!!!!!!!!??????????????

Count me in. Good luck to coach Boals! But the Zips are and will be again. OSUcks!

[Zipsrifle]

Leaving one one-and-done tournament team as an associate HC to be an assistant at another one-and-done team seems like a step backwards.

Just guessing, but he's probably going to earn at least 25 to 50 percent more money in Columbus. If I got a raise like that, neither I not my family would consider it a step backwards. And if you want to be a head coach someday, adding a Big Ten team to your resume sure doesn't hurt.I wish the guy well. I also have faith that the coach who really matters isn't going anywhere any time soon.Go Zips!

Good point. Maybe it is the case that KD intends to be here a very long time and there was no where to go? Just a thought.

[zip37]

Belirve me, KD has a repacement in mind, don't know whom it might be, but my guess is that he will be another great one!

[Blue & Gold]

<br />Well...the rumors are TRUE!!! Coach Boals is leaving for Ohio State. He spoke with Zeke last night and Zeke is completely fine with it. I think that unlike the freshman players such as Humpty, Nickoli and the like who have established a deep, deep, and very close relationship with Boals; Zeke on the other hand, although he has and will keep a close friendship with Boals, did not have that "next level" relationship with him as a player/coach. <br /><br />Having said all of that let me say this...Zeke told Coach B that he completely understands the decision he made and that he is fine and that in his "humanity" although he hurts it doesnt mean that he (Zeke) is going to walk away for UA...so for any person who may be wondering...Zeke is here to stay!!!!<br /><br />I personally was very sadden at the news, although I completely understand and respect his decision..(because in the end he HAS to do what is best for him and his family) if the truth be told..it still doesnt take "the sting away" <img src="style_emoticons/default/crying.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid="" border="0" alt="crying.gif" /> Zips basketball is going to thrive, prosper and be a force to be reckoned with both now and in the future so keep your heads held high ZipNation...lets say goodbye and good luck to Coach B and lets get ready for 09-10 season and another MAC Championship and NCAA Tourney run! <br /><br />Who's with me!!!!!!!!!!!!!!??????????????<br />

<br /><br /><br />Marry me, Zeke's Mom!!! You are too good to be true!!!

[RACER]

anybody on this board would jump at the chance to do the same job with alott more$$$$.as much as osu is dislikedit's a step up for jeff.i wish him the best,but it won't effect next year at all.it's actually shows how far kd has taken this program.we now have big ten schools looking at our asst coaches to fill jobs.next year we have a veteran team with zeke coming in.

[Zippysgotagun]

As much of a bummer as this is, did we really not see it coming? "Star Assistants" at schools like Akron don't stay assistants at schools like Akron forever. We are quickly rising, and other (yes, larger) schools take note of that. There are 2 places to go from jobs like what Boals had (and did very well, also) here.1. Assistant at larger conference school.2. Head Coach at smaller conference school.I love the job that Boals did here, and I wish him well in his future endeavors. Taking this job at OSU now gives him these options in a few years:1. Move up at current school when HC leaves/retires/gets canned2. Take a HC gig at a mid-major or small school of his own choosingIt's really a no brainer for him, no matter what larger conference school he moved to. Hats off to you, Jeff. You did one hell of a job here, and I hope your career continues to rise.Having said that, KD isn't an idiot, and I'm sure he can find a more than suitable replacement. I hear some guy who has a head for B-ball named Middleton is on UA's bench. Or maybe another assistant can step into the void. Or maybe Dambrot can find another assistant at another school. Who knows? Boals might have done a lot of legwork in scoring recruits, but I'm pretty sure that everything starts at the top. And as long as KD stays, we have the right guy there.

[Buckzip]

Yes it sucks that we are losing a good coach. However, there is a positive. It means UA is more respected and their assistants are considered top notch guys. Major programs lose asistants all the time. In football it seems that USC loses their OC every year. That happens to good teams.

[zipsbandman]

Ask memphis fans how they are feeling.

[BirdZip]

Perhaps Boals can talk Thad Matta into a 1-and-1 with Akron in the future.And I love Cedrick, but I'll not be happy unless the replacement is someone with prior experience and also someone who can work with the big men.Translation for RACER:perhaps boals can talk thad matta, into a 1and1 with akron in hte future Ilove cedrickbut I'll not be happy unless, the replacement is someone with prior experience and also someone who can work with the big men

[Buckzip]

Perhaps Boals can talk Thad Matta into a 1-and-1 with Akron in the future.And I love Cedrick, but I'll not be happy unless the replacement is someone with prior experience and also someone who can work with the big men.Translation for RACER:perhaps boals can talk thad matta, into a 1and1 with akron in hte future Ilove cedrickbut I'll not be happy unless, the replacement is someone with prior experience and also someone who can work with the big men

I doubt that will happen. Unlike football, Akron can put a major scare into a big time team. I fully accept UA to upset someone major in the near future. That is if we ever get the chance.No big school will schedule a mid-major that has a chance to win. They only schedule the ones they know they can beat.It sucks, but that is the way it is....