MBB: Old Dominion Athletic Conference

[Jacketlawyer]

OUCH. Losing Ted Keller amd Mike Rhoades in one week. Tough time to be a Macon fan.

[78rmc]

   I knew this day would come but it still sadens me. Best of luck to Coach Rhoades and his family. Guess now I will have to follow VCU.

Don, check your email.

[rmc1982]

And now the questions:

Who will coach RMC?

Will RMC lose any recruits?

Anyone have speculation (or, gasp , knowledge) about answers?

I have heard a number of peoples names being mentioned,most noteworthy are the High School coach at Benedictine in Richmond(i can't remember his name)who has been extremely successful there,but myself and alot of Alumni  I have spoken with hope that former Rhoades point guard/leader Jamal Brunt,who is an assistant at the University of Richmond,will apply for the job.I have known Jamal since he was a player at RMC and there is no finer an individual than he to fill Mike's shoes.He has the ability,the tie to the college,the integrity,intelligence, and the intestinal fortitude to compete for us.He may be happy at U of R but I for one certainly hope he throws his hat in the ring.

[3sdown]

Congrats to Coach Rhoades and his family.  He has done amazingly well at RMC and I am sure will do well at VCU.  But I am sure it will only be mere time before he has his own D1 Program. 

I don't know where RMC goes...There are a number of highly successful alumni of the program in the basketball arena that are likely to be interested.  I hope the job remains in the Nunnally/Rhoades family, but time will only tell...

Donho--

I'll see you at the ODU/VCU game next year! :-) 

[3sdown]

Since someone else brought it up...

Benedictine's Coach is Sean McAloon.  RMC Graduate and played for Nunnally (and Rhoades when he was an assistant).  Also coached under Rhoades as well before moving on to Bucknell and then Benedictine.  Great knowledge of the game.  Hasn't been involved in recruiting outside of kids getting recruited from Benedictine over the last several years, such as Ed Davis going to UNC and multiple others (a kid signed with Richmond recently.  Known well in the Richmond high school basketball area and Virginia as well.

Jamal Brunt is at University of Richmond and has been since leaving as a Rhoades' Assistant.  RMC graduate and a 4 year starter.  Involved in the most successful years of Rhoades' tenure at RMC (not that there were any bad times). Unbelievable person, coach, etc.  Would be great at the job.  Is a great recruiter and would be a tremendous recruiter at RMC. 

Whether these individuals are interested or not depends heavily upon their goals and position in life.  McAloon...No heavy travel right now with his gig.  Thus, no late nights, etc. on the recruiting trail.  Brunt...Signed onto a staff at U of R that has things moving in the right direction and improving each year.  Sky is the limit for Jamal and may have his sites set much higher within the D1 Community. 

There are others as well... 

   

[donho]

  Yep, I will be at the ODU-VCU game next year.
   As far as RMC , hell they have someone sitting down the hall from Mike's old office that would do one hell of a job.  Yep Jon-David Byers !!

[y_jack_lok]

I hope the job remains in the Nunnally/Rhoades family, but time will only tell...

Actually, it would be the Webb/Nunnally/Rhoades family, wouldn't it? Wasn't Hall Nunnally and assistant to Paul Webb for a few years until Webb moved to Old Dominion.

[yj424]

For Randolph Macon, I hope no one overlooks the assistant coach, J D Beyers. He's a proven recruiter, a hard worker, great knowledge for the game, also from Lebanon Valley and I believe a winner of the Jostens Trophy. And he certainly did one hell of a job in Mike's absence, after the terrible tragedy involving Mike's parents, preparing the team during the remainder of pre-season practice and having them ready to play George Mason, and of course winning.

[donho]

  yj424
    That would be BYERS.

[Jacketlawyer]

I can only hope it'll be someone groomed/recommended by Rhoades, as he was by Nunnally.

Like DonHo said, I knew the day was coming, but I'd hoped it would be later.

[rmc1982]

I can only hope it'll be someone groomed/recommended by Rhoades, as he was by Nunnally.

Like DonHo said, I knew the day was coming, but I'd hoped it would be later.

Me too,Jacketlawyer.I'mk sorry for him  leaving but happy for him with the opportunity,also..Mike has always been a good friend to me and my kids LOVE him...and I didn't mean to disrespect JD Byers,either-he has done a good job for us and if the AD thinks he's the best then I'll go along with that,too.....but Jamal Brunt ,although I do think he has his mind set on higher heights than the head job at RMC, is a wonderful PERSON of integrity who also happens to be a great basketball mind who's in the family at RMC already.I've been impressed with him since he was one of my son's counselors at b-ball camp when he was a freshman-he sat at my table when he was a senior at the friends of b-ball dinner and I was even more impressed.He's just an all-around great person. I hope he applies but I'm not sure he will......

[3sdown]

J.D. Byers is indeed another possible choice...Great recruiter and has a very similar background to Rhoades.  And obviously did a great job this past fall in Rhoades unfortunate absence. 

I have no clue what the administration at RMC will do, but RMC is not prone to make the best decisions given situations like this...Thanks to Hal Nunnally President Roger Martin was forced to hire Rhoades an extremely young coach at the time by any standards.  In other sports at RMC this has not been the case and RMC has made poor decisions.  For example, Josh Laux (RMC Player and Assistant Coach) should have been the RMC Head Soccer Coach when Coach Warner stepped down, but for some reason the institution decided against it and HSC hired Laux a very young coach at the time just like Rhoades.  Take a look at the comparisons of 2 Programs since then:

RMC

2008: 4-12-2
2007: 7-10-1
2006: 6-12-0
2005: 12-4-2 (With Laux Recruited Players)
2004: 10-4-3 (With Laux Recruited Players)

HSC

2008: 12-6-1
2007: 11-6-3
2006: 10-6-2
2005: 10-8-1
2004: 3-11-3

My point being...RMC needs to get a young coach in there with RMC/Rhoades ties in my opinion.  The upside in choosing a young, energetic coach is much greater than choosing someone in the later phases of one's career in my opinion.  There are a few exceptions in my opinion...For example, if Nathan Davis would come back to be the Head Coach at RMC.  Don't know if that is a possibility...Anyway just my thoughts.

[donho]

  Who is Nathan Davis ?

[3sdown]

Graduated in 1997 from RMC.  Played 4 Years.  Co-Captain in junior and senior year.  Spent a year coaching at Emory & Henry under Bob Johnson before going to U.S. Naval Academy.  Was at the Naval Academy for 5 years. While in Annapolis he served as head coach Don DeVoe's chief western recruiter, landing numerous top prospects from that region. Davis helped guide the Midshipmen to Patriot League championship game appearances in 2000 and 2001.  After that he went to Bucknell University, where he was responsible in all aspects of the program under Head Coach Pat Flannery (Rhoades' Coach at Lebanon Valley and where Sean McAloon was an assistant). He assisted with scouting and player development and was recruiting coordinator. On a number of occasions, he served as interim head coach when Flannery missed games because of illness.  During his tenure, the Bison won 99 games including two Patriot League regular-season championships, two Patriot League Tournament championships and made two NCAA Tournament appearances. During both of Bucknell's NCAA appearances, the Bison pulled first round upsets over Kansas in 2005 and Arkansas in 2006. In 2006 Bucknell finished 24th in the nation in the Coaches Poll.  He was the top assistant at Colgate this past year.  Went 10-20.

[donho]

  Thanks 3sdown