Rob Jones gone
- Thread starter 97spiderfan
- Start date
This couldn’t be further from the truth 🤦🏼♂️
Mooney please go outside your tap route of coaching hires and find someone with some different contacts and perspective.
Would imagine Mojo would get promoted to associate head coach though.
Would imagine Mojo would get promoted to associate head coach though.
Very strange on the face of it. What's the motivation? By all accounts, McKay is making in the neighborhood of half of what Mooney does, even with fresh contracts/extensions seemingly every year. So I can't imagine his assistants are paid better than ours.
He should be in line for a lower-level head job like McGeehan, but perhaps we haven't had enough success in recent years.
He should be in line for a lower-level head job like McGeehan, but perhaps we haven't had enough success in recent years.
Plus it's Liberty. Unless you are in the to the lifestyle/worldview, which maybe Rob Jones is, I don't know or care, but if it isn't Liberty isn't that, I have to ask why are you going to work there for the same or most likely less money.
Seems like either:
* He's getting more money (probably not)
* Mooney canned him (unlikely)
* He wants a new challenge
* He wants to be a head coach and figures he needs more than one top assistant job before he can get that chance
* He's getting more money (probably not)
* Mooney canned him (unlikely)
* He wants a new challenge
* He wants to be a head coach and figures he needs more than one top assistant job before he can get that chance
“Jones, a former guard at the National Christian College Athletic Association's Toccoa Falls College…” Guessing he is into the Liberty lifestyle. Otherwise, certainly seems like a step backwards program wise to move to Liberty.
There's no doubt value in working with other people, and McKay seems to be a good one (doesn't hurt that KA is there too), but just seems like he should have had an opportunity to move "up" rather than "down" at some point.
He did say he's had other opportunities to move and didn't, but the time felt right now.
He did say he's had other opportunities to move and didn't, but the time felt right now.
If Bob Jones University had a good basketball team, he probably would have gone there..
Toccoa Falls isn't exactly a traditional powerhouse...
www.yahoo.com
How tiny Toccoa Falls has become college basketball's ultimate whipping boy
The non-scholarship Georgia liberal arts college has suffered losses by 101, 71 and 67 points in three Division I games so far this season.
www.yahoo.com
Odd move. Only viewpoint is if he thinks it’s more likely the Liberty head job will open sooner. Which is probably likely.
Will be interesting what we do.
Will be interesting what we do.
Could certainly justify elevating MoJo to associate head coach (not that we need to have one), but yeah, interested to see what we do here.
I don't think we just promote McGonigal, even though he and Gipe aren't completely green given their time in the program already. Feels like even Mooney will reach for someone with more direct coaching experience.
I don't think we just promote McGonigal, even though he and Gipe aren't completely green given their time in the program already. Feels like even Mooney will reach for someone with more direct coaching experience.
Gave us 17 years ... wish him well .. don't particularly see a need to say or speculate much more ..
Yep - 17 years at one school is an awfully long time unless you're talking about powerhouses like Duke.
I wish him well, but have always been intrigued by unusual developments. The "why" will come out, eventually.
This guy has been a huge influence on Mooney over the last decade and a half. Certainly appeared as though they were frick & frack. Just by watching you could see him constantly talking to Mooney, and seemingly making decisions during games. He appeared to offer a calm approach. More than once he got between Mooney & the official, even guiding Mooney back to the bench.
I'm not close enough to the huddle to know whether Jones was a good or bad influence. But, it is going to be interestingly different.
I'm not close enough to the huddle to know whether Jones was a good or bad influence. But, it is going to be interestingly different.
I think this move only makes sense from two viewpoints.
1) He sees UR chances of success over the next few years as not great. Which means his ability to move on somewhere and get a head job are not great either.
2) See McKay as more likely to leave Liberty if success continues, which means job at Liberty opens up or Jones could potentially follow him to bigger school and bigger paycheck.
Think this is more career move as I think the writing on the wall is Mooney is not leaving, and probably hard to get a full time job with the limited success we have had over the long term and being in the same place for 17 years. At this rate - only job Jones might be considered for is job at UR if Mooney were to leave on his own. If Mooney were ever to get fired, not sure you want to hire the guy who has been with him the whole time. You only hire that guy if we are super successful and want the ride to continue.
Only person really from our staff to move on and get head job is McGeehan and he cashed in right after back to back NCAA appearances. Think he saw Mooney turn down offers, sign 10 year deal and said - I am either here for 10 years or now is the time. Success has been limited at Campbell - NIT, CIT, and CBI appearances. And his staff is a list of former players as well - Pete Thomas and Kevin Smith. I would not be surprised if we look to to pick off one of those guys to come join our staff back in Richmond and make more money than Campbell.
1) He sees UR chances of success over the next few years as not great. Which means his ability to move on somewhere and get a head job are not great either.
2) See McKay as more likely to leave Liberty if success continues, which means job at Liberty opens up or Jones could potentially follow him to bigger school and bigger paycheck.
Think this is more career move as I think the writing on the wall is Mooney is not leaving, and probably hard to get a full time job with the limited success we have had over the long term and being in the same place for 17 years. At this rate - only job Jones might be considered for is job at UR if Mooney were to leave on his own. If Mooney were ever to get fired, not sure you want to hire the guy who has been with him the whole time. You only hire that guy if we are super successful and want the ride to continue.
Only person really from our staff to move on and get head job is McGeehan and he cashed in right after back to back NCAA appearances. Think he saw Mooney turn down offers, sign 10 year deal and said - I am either here for 10 years or now is the time. Success has been limited at Campbell - NIT, CIT, and CBI appearances. And his staff is a list of former players as well - Pete Thomas and Kevin Smith. I would not be surprised if we look to to pick off one of those guys to come join our staff back in Richmond and make more money than Campbell.
Largely agree on number 2. I don't agree with number 1 so much though. I think Rob Jones if he wants to ever become anything besides associate head coach at UR he needs a much larger breadth of experience. No one is coming to pick Mooney's associate head coach to be their head coach with Mooney's record here. And probably no one wanted Rob Jones even for an associate head coach until our run this year, so Rob jumped at the chance.
I don't see Rob Jones as head coaching material, but could he move on with McKay to be an associate head coach at a larger school if McKay continues to do well at Liberty, I think that would be the most likely path for him. Also, he's been here 17 years, maybe he just wanted a change.
If Mooney was gonna poach one of McGeehan's assistant coaches he would have done it by now.
My point with 1 is - if he thought UR would be successful the next few years, lets say make another NCAA tourney in the next 2 years - then he sets himself up just like McGeehan to potentially get a low conference HC job. BUT - I think he sees, our chances of returning to the dance in the next few years dwindling and also - doesn't look Mooney would move up even if happened - so best bet, I agree with you - is go with Liberty, if they stay hot - McKay leaves and Jones goes with him or gets lucky and gets Liberty job.
I agree - I don't see him as head coach material just based on what I see from the sidelines, but maybe there is a lot that goes on behind the scenes in recruiting, game planning and strategy, and scouting we just don't see. I mean - maybe Rob Jones is the mastermind behind the Matt Grace clearout against Davidson. I could Mooney saying in the huddle - okay, lets work it around the perimeter, then get it back to Gil - Grant set ball screen and you two operate two man game. Then Rob steps in and says - NO!!! Lets give to Grace at high post, have Goose cut back door at half speed. And when the side is all cleared out, Matt will take his man and bury him under the hoop.
I would expect Maurice gets bumped to associate HC. And we look to hire a new assistant. Maybe someone from a program that has been operating heavily in the transfer portal as I think we will need continue to hit that area.
I agree - I don't see him as head coach material just based on what I see from the sidelines, but maybe there is a lot that goes on behind the scenes in recruiting, game planning and strategy, and scouting we just don't see. I mean - maybe Rob Jones is the mastermind behind the Matt Grace clearout against Davidson. I could Mooney saying in the huddle - okay, lets work it around the perimeter, then get it back to Gil - Grant set ball screen and you two operate two man game. Then Rob steps in and says - NO!!! Lets give to Grace at high post, have Goose cut back door at half speed. And when the side is all cleared out, Matt will take his man and bury him under the hoop.
I would expect Maurice gets bumped to associate HC. And we look to hire a new assistant. Maybe someone from a program that has been operating heavily in the transfer portal as I think we will need continue to hit that area.
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I just hope when Mooney finally moves on that we go a completely different direction and with a new approach. This is not to disparage any current or former staff and players, but too much of Mooney is entrenched in them. A fresh approach and staff would be welcomed at least IMO. At some point, change is necessary and good.
Interesting how much turnover there has been on the coaching staff as compared to player turnover lately. Good luck to Coach Jones.
Definitely will be a new look Spider team on all fronts next year.
Definitely will be a new look Spider team on all fronts next year.
Just checked the Liberty Basketball coaches page. Kevin Anderson was there on Monday night as Director of Player Development. Tonight, he was gone. Another staff member had been promoted to the position. No announcement was made. Is he coming to Richmond? Has he left coaching? Is he coaching somewhere else? I would be interested to know.
Interesting...yeah, he was on there Tuesday when I checked.
Looking back, I see that he wasn't on the main athletic staff page as of Tuesday (neither was Soucie), but Jones hadn't been added yet. (Jones is on there now.)
Looking back, I see that he wasn't on the main athletic staff page as of Tuesday (neither was Soucie), but Jones hadn't been added yet. (Jones is on there now.)
Hmm, we are sending Jones to Liberty for KA and Curtis Blair.
Will do. I am dying to see our current freshmen and the transfers during the summer.
Also noted on Liberty page that announces hiring of Jones - they promoted another assistant to Associate Head Coach as well - his name Derek Johnston - so 2 associate head coaches in Liberty.
No mention of KA on website. His last tweet is from December and involved Liberty. No so strange that Liberty has not mentioned anything, but strange his name has not appeared anywhere else. Example - no mention of Jones leaving on UR site, but mentioned as joining on Liberty site. So strange he has not popped up somewhere else, but maybe just a timing issue at this point.
No mention of KA on website. His last tweet is from December and involved Liberty. No so strange that Liberty has not mentioned anything, but strange his name has not appeared anywhere else. Example - no mention of Jones leaving on UR site, but mentioned as joining on Liberty site. So strange he has not popped up somewhere else, but maybe just a timing issue at this point.
Kevin Anderson was one of our all time great players and that is why his name in this rafters. Is he the best and most qualified candidate to be our next assistant coach? I'd say probably not.
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