Date Posted:14:37:52 02/19/03 Wed Author: Lou Subject: Re: Loyola an attractive place for a coach? In reply to:
MJF '95
's message, "Re: Loyola an attractive place for a coach?" on 10:39:40 02/19/03 Wed
Matt I agree with much of what you say, and am very interested to ask Fr. Angelos about some of these very things Friday night at a reception he is holding down here.
One point I have to disagree on is when you criticize them for not keeping Skip or "replacing him with a credible candidate." For one, I don't think they could have kept Skip. Xavier is a much better job, and a place where he had a lot of roots. Sure he is an opportunist and might have been convinced to stay for enough money, but I think it would have taken a lot more money than Loyola should be giving a coach.
But my real disagreement is the idea that they did not replace him with a credible candidate. Ellerbe was a great DC recruiter at a top-notch local program while at Virginia. He was a hot candidate, and a lot of the recruiting services considered it a steal when we got him. He brought in Powell instantly, one of the best players we have had in recent years, and a lot of other players as well.
Unfortunately he also could not coach all that well, and had a Napoleon complex that kept him from dealing with most human beings, including his own players. He alienated his own team, and most would-be supporters in the athletic program. But he wasn't nearly the disaster that some coaches have been since then.
I would also note that we would not have gotten one of our great marquee games, a series against Virginia that included a trip to the Reitz, without the Ellerbe connection.
No doubt Ellerbe has contributed to the problem, but I think criticizing the school for his hire is a little tough to do.
