Potential USF Mens Basketball Coaches

[flsportsfan83]

Everybody keeps asking the "Darkside" to come up with some affordable names.

Here are 4 that I like.  They are in no order.

Joe Holladay is in his fourth year as an assistant coach with the Tar Heels and his 14th as a member of Roy Williams' coaching staff. He has a combined record of 387-94 (.805) on the bench with Williams.

The Tar Heels won the 2004-05 Atlantic Coast Conference regular-season title and the NCAA championship. It was the seventh time his teams have finished first in the conference race and the third time in four years he was a member of a Final Four squad. The Tar Heels were No. 1 in the nation in scoring, assists and scoring margin, fifth in field goal percentage and eighth in rebounding.

Last year, the Tar Heels posted a pair of Top-10 road wins at Duke and Kentucky and finished second in the ACC, despite having the most inexperienced team in school history. The surprise success earned Williams ACC and national coaching honors.

Holladay came to Carolina prior to the 2003-04 season and helped the Tar Heels return to the NCAA Tournament. UNC improved its scoring production by 10 points from the previous season and knocked off No. 1 ranked and eventual national champion Connecticut.

Holladay's responsibilities include recruiting, scouting and day-to-day basketball operations. He oversees the academic progress of the student-athletes. Byron Sanders and Melvin Scott have earned ACC All-Academic honors.

Including Tar Heels Marvin Williams, Raymond Felton, Sean May and Rashad McCants, 12 of Holladay's players have been selected in the first round of the NBA Draft. Four of his student-athletes earned first-team academic All-America honors and he has coached 26 first-team academic all-conference honorees in the last 11 years.

Holladay joined Williams at the University of Kansas prior to the 1993-94 season after 23 highly successful years as a high school coach, teacher and administrator. The Jayhawks posted a cumulative record of 312-71 (.815), and won six conference regular-season championships and three Big 12 Tournament titles during his tenure. Kansas played in the 2002 and 2003 NCAA Final Fours, including the 2003 national championship game.

At Kansas, Holladay coached National Players of the Year Drew Gooden and Nick Collison and first-team All-Americas Jacque Vaughn, Raef LaFrentz, Paul Pierce and Kirk Hinrich.

Kansas finished the year ranked in the Top 10 in the Associated Press poll six times, including No. 1 in 1997 and No. 2 in 1998 and 2002.

A 1969 University of Oklahoma graduate with a degree in history, Holladay was a standout guard for the Sooners from 1966-69. As a senior, he served as team captain.

Holladay earned a master's degree in counseling in 1975 from East Central State University in Oklahoma.

He went to Kansas after working 13 years as head coach and eight years as athletics director at Jenks (Okla.) High School. Holladay previously served as a prep coach in the Oklahoma towns of Norman, Bartlesville, Tulsa, and Lindsay.

In 1998, Holladay was inducted into the Oklahoma High School Coaches Association Hall of Fame, and in 2002, he was inducted into the inaugural 20-member group of the Oklahoma Basketball Coaches Association Hall of Fame.

One of his top players at Jenks High School, Steve Hale, played at North Carolina from 1982-86 under then-assistant coach Roy Williams. Holladay was an outstanding prep baseball player. He was selected by the Chicago White Sox in the Major League Baseball Draft.

Holladay and his wife, Roi, a former schoolteacher, have a daughter, Heather, who is in television commercial production, and a son, Captain Mathew Holladay, a graduate of the U.S. Military Academy, who served in Iraq.

Steve Robinson is in his fourth year as an assistant coach at the University of North Carolina and his 12th as a member of Roy Williams' coaching staff.

Last year, Carolina played three freshmen in the starting lineup for much of the season, but won 23 games and earned a No. 3 seed in the NCAA Tournament. Forward Tyler Hansbrough received unprecedented honors at the national and ACC level for a freshman and Williams was the conference and NCAA Coach of the Year.

In 2004-05, the Tar Heels went 33-4, won the ACC regular-season title and beat the No. 1 ranked team in the nation to win the NCAA championship. Robinson helped coach four players who were selected in the first round of the 2005 NBA Draft, including Final Four MVP Sean May and ACC Rookie of the Year Marvin Williams. Raymond Felton won the Bob Cousy Award as the top point guard in the country.

It was only the second time in NBA history one school had four players chosen in the top 14 selections of one draft.

The Tar Heels averaged 88.0 points per game, the 10th time in as many years that Robinson has teamed with Williams to coach a squad averaging 80 or more points. The Tar Heels were No. 1 in the nation in scoring and assists, fifth in field goal accuracy and seventh in three-point shooting.

In 2003-04, Robinson coached three different Tar Heels who led the ACC in scoring, rebounding and assists. His primary responsibilities include scouting, recruiting and bench coaching. He was recently named one of the top 25 recruiters in college basketball.

Robinson was head coach at the University of Tulsa for two years (1995-97) and at Florida State University for five years (1997-2002).

As head coach at Florida State, he led the Seminoles to the second round of the 1998 NCAA Tournament, becoming the first coach in school history to qualify for the NCAA Tournament in his first season. The Seminoles went 18-14, beat No. 5 -anked Arizona, the defending champions, and upset fifth-seeded TCU in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.

Robinson was head coach at Tulsa in 1995-96 and 1996-97. He led the Golden Hurricane to a 46-18 record and back-to-back appearances in the NCAA Tournament. In his first year, Tulsa won 22 games and won the Missouri Valley Tournament for the first time in 10 years. In 1996-97, Tulsa went 24-10 and advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament. For his efforts, Robinson was named the Coach of the Year in the WAC Mountain Division. The 24 wins were the second-most in Tulsa history. Robinson coached future NBA players Michael Ruffin and Shea Seals while at Tulsa.

Robinson has a record of 266-74 (.782) on the bench with Williams.

He was an assistant at Kansas from 1988-95 and in 2002-03, during which the Jayhawks posted a combined record of 214-59. The Jayhawks won five Big Eight Conference regular-season titles and made Final Four appearances in 1991 and 1993. He was the team's academic coordinator; nine players made the Big Eight All-Academic Team and 37 had grade point averages of 3.0 or better.

He coached a number of Kansas standouts, including first-team All-Americas Jacque Vaughn and Raef LaFrentz, All-Big Eight selections Kevin Pritchard, Mark Randall, Adonis Jordan and Rex Walters and Big Eight Newcomer of the Year Jerod Haase.

Before joining Williams in 1988, Robinson spent two years as an assistant coach at Cornell and three seasons at his alma mater, Radford. In 1988, Cornell won the Ivy League title and advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in 35 years.

A native of Roanoke, Va., Robinson graduated from William Fleming High School, and attended Ferrum Junior College, where he played basketball for two seasons. He was one of three student-athletes to receive Radford's first athletic scholarships, and was team captain in 1980 and 1981. He earned his bachelor's degree in health and physical education in 1981 and his master's degree in counseling in 1985, both from Radford.

He is a member of both the Ferrum Junior College and Radford University Halls of Fame.

Robinson was born Oct. 29, 1957. He and his wife, Lisa, have four children - daughters, Shauna and Kiaya, and sons, Tarron and Denzel.

Donnie Jones

Is beginning his 13th year overall with Billy Donovan, his 11th at the University of Florida after the two spent a pair of seasons together at Marshall. He was promoted to the role of Associate Head Coach following the Gators' run to the national title in 2006.

Instrumental in recruiting, as well as one of the top X's and O's assistants in the country.

A former standout point guard at Pikeville College (W. Va.) where he finished second in the nation in assists at the NAIA level, averaging 10.7 per game in 1988. He was selected to the Pikeville Hall of Fame in 2004.

The Jones File

Coaching Experience:

1988-90 Assistant Coach, Pikeville College (Kentucky)

1990-92 Graduate Assistant Coach, Marshall University  

1992-96 Assistant Coach, Marshall University

1996-06 Assistant Coach, University of Florida

2006-Present Associate Head Coach, University of Florida

Playing Experience:

1984-88 Pikeville College

Playing Honors:

Team Captain, 1988

Career Assist Leader

Single-season Assist Leader

Single-game Assist Record

Pikeville Hall of Fame, 2004

Education:

Point Pleasant High School, 1984

Pikeville College, 1988

Marshall University, 1992

Date of Birth:

July 7, 1966

Kirk Speraw When Kirk Speraw first arrived at UCF 14 years ago, the school had never posted a winning season at the Division I level. In fact, when Speraw walked onto UCF's campus in 1993, the Golden Knights had not won more than 12 games in a campaign in a decade. Simply put, the program was nowhere to be found on the national basketball map.

Fast forward to today. The Golden Knights, with their four NCAA Tournament appearances under Speraw, have averaged 20 victories over the last five seasons. Speraw has built a winning program at UCF and the growth was especially evident in 2005-06.

In its first season in Conference USA, one of the top leagues in the nation, UCF finished fifth. The Golden Knights quickly established themselves as one of the premier programs in the 12-team league. The top four squads in the conference - Memphis, UAB, UTEP and Houston - combined to lose just three games to the other eight C-USA teams. UCF served as the spoiler on two occasions, recording victories against Houston and UTEP.

Thanks to Speraw, UCF is not only a perennial power in the state of Florida, but also a nationally recognized program. Dating back to the start of the 2002-03 season, Speraw's Golden Knights have recorded 84 victories. The 84 wins rank 39th nationally and are second among all state teams during that span.

As he enters his 14th campaign with the Golden Knights, Speraw is one of just 20 coaches in the country to have spent at least 13 years with their current school. Speraw is among an impressive list of mentors who are currently enjoying long tenures, including Jim Boeheim of Syracuse, Mike Krzyzewski of Duke, Lute Olson of Arizona, Jim Calhoun of Connecticut and Gary Williams of Maryland.

Speraw is 209-178 as UCF's head coach. His 209 victories rank second in the UCF annals. Overall as a head coach, he has a 291-199 mark.

A year ago, the Golden Knights experienced success while facing the toughest schedule in school history. Playing in a highly-competitive league after moving from the Atlantic Sun, UCF finished 14-15 overall and 7-7 in C-USA. The team closed the season by winning four of its last six games. The late season success was highlighted by a convincing win over East Carolina in the opening round of the league championship. Speraw usually has his teams playing their best basketball in March. UCF has won nine of its last 11 conference tournament games and is 22-8 in league championship play under Speraw.

UCF's seven conference wins last year came against teams with impressive legacies. The Golden Knights defeated UTEP, a program that has appeared in 16 NCAA Tournaments and won the national title in 1966. UCF also beat Houston, a school that has participated in 18 NCAA Tournaments and has made four trips to the Final Four.

Last season, UCF played four teams (Florida, Kentucky, Memphis, UAB) that appeared in the 2006 NCAA Tournament and three squads (Houston, UTEP, Western Kentucky) that played in the postseason National Invitation Tournament. During the regular season, the Golden Knights faced three ranked teams.

On the court, UCF won games thanks to its strong defense, a staple during the Speraw era. UCF limited opponents to just 63.4 points per game, good for second in the conference. The team held 15 of its opponents to below 60 points. On offense, UCF paced C-USA in 3-point field goal percentage, shooting 36.5 percent from deep.

Speraw reached a milestone during the season, winning his 200th game as UCF's head coach when the Golden Knights eased past Norfolk State, 63-47, at home.

In 2004-05, their last season in the A-Sun, the Golden Knights posted one of the most impressive campaigns in school history. UCF went 24-9 and claimed its first A-Sun regular season crown before winning the conference championship title.

Speraw's team made its second consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance in 2005, meeting the defending national champion Connecticut Huskies in the first round. Under Speraw, the Golden Knights have advanced to the "Big Dance" on four occasions - their only four trips to the postseason at the Division I level.

Several individuals garnered accolades for their play during the 2004-05 campaign. Gary Johnson was named the MVP of the A-Sun Championship and was joined on the all-tournament team by Josh Peppers. Both Johnson and Peppers garnered spots on the all-conference second team at the end of the regular season.

Johnson sank 103 3-point field goals on the year, establishing a new program single-season record. UCF's 283 treys were also a school record. On the defensive end, the team blocked 143 shots, the most in Golden Knight history.

As a team, UCF peaked at the right time, winning 12 of its last 14 contests. The squad concluded the regular season with a five-game winning streak.

Under Speraw, UCF dominated the competition in the A-Sun. Speraw led the Golden Knights to a 122-93 record in league contests. The Golden Knights were just as impressive in the conference tournament. The team sits atop the league record books with a 21-7 tournament mark, seven finals appearances and four title game victories.

With a 25-6 record, UCF recorded one of the best campaigns in program history during the 2003-04 season. The team compiled a 14-game winning streak, its longest since entering the Division I ranks. The Golden Knights rolled through A-Sun play with a 17-3 mark. With a victory over Troy in the conference championship title game, UCF claimed its first tournament crown since 1996 and advanced to the NCAA Tournament.

The squad earned a No. 14 seed in the tournament (the best seed given to a UCF squad) and faced Pittsburgh in the first round.

A pair of players garnered all-league honors as Dexter Lyons was a first team selection and Roberto Morentin was named to the second team. Lyons also earned the first A-Sun Defensive Player of the Year honor in addition to receiving the A-Sun Championship MVP award.

Speraw led UCF to its first of three consecutive trips to the A-Sun Championship final in 2002-03. His team completed the campaign with a 21-11 record - the first 20-win season at UCF in eight years. The highlight of the season came on Dec. 12 at home when the Golden Knights defeated No. 25 College of Charleston, 82-64, to record the first win in school history against a nationally-ranked foe.

Speraw's 2001-02 squad registered a 17-12 overall mark. In 1999-00, he led an injury-plagued team to 11 victories in its final 17 contests and a trip to the A-Sun Championship title game.

Despite facing four nationally-ranked opponents, UCF recorded a 19-10 record, including a 13-3 mark in the A-Sun, in 1998-99. The team advanced to the A-Sun final, dropping the championship game to Samford. Brad Traina earned first-team all-league honors following the regular season.

During Speraw's tenure, 15 of his players have garnered all-conference accolades, including four first-team members (Lyons, Traina, Mark Jones and Ochiel Swaby). Jones was named the A-Sun Player of the Year in 1997-98, while also winning the newcomer of the year award that same season.

Three Golden Knight standouts who played under Speraw - Traina, D'Quarius Stewart and Paul Reed - are members of UCF's 1,000-point club. Reed and Mario Lovett, who was also coached by Speraw, are two of the five players in UCF history to grab at least 600 rebounds.

Since his arrival in Orlando, Speraw has stressed success in the classroom as well as strong play on the court. During the 2005-06 campaign, four UCF student-athletes were named to the C-USA Commissioner's Honor Roll with a grade-point average of 3.0 or higher. Dating back to the 1993-94 season, 51 of Speraw's players have earned all-academic league recognition.

Following the 2003-04 season, Morentin was named to the CoSIDA Academic All-America District III Team.

In addition to guiding his players both on and off of the court, Speraw has also served as a mentor for members of his coaching staff. Former UCF assistant Tom Schuberth was hired as the head coach at Texas-Pan American in April of 2006 and another former Speraw assistant, Chris Mowry, is the head coach at Santa Fe Community College in Gainesville, Fla.

Speraw led the 1997-98 team, that relied on just over 20 points per game from Jones, to a 17-11 mark. That squad concluded the regular season with a seven-game winning streak.

In 1995-96, Speraw's Golden Knights entered the A-Sun Championship with a No. 6 seed. His team reeled off three victories at the tournament, including an 86-77 win over Mercer in the finals to claim the league crown. UCF advanced to the NCAA Tournament, playing No. 1 Massaschusetts in the opening round.

In his first year in Orlando in 1993-94, Speraw inherited a team that went just 10-17 the previous season. He molded his squad, which was playing its first season as a member of the A-Sun, into an impressive team, finishing the campaign with a 21-9 record - its first 20-win season at the Division I level.

The Golden Knights bowled over the competition at the conference championship. The team topped Stetson, 70-67, in the title game to earn its first trip to the NCAA Tournament. In his first season as a Division I head coach, Speraw guided his squad to the "Big Dance." Making its first national television appearance, UCF faced top-seeded Purdue in the first round of the tournament.

Speraw has enjoyed success on every rung of the coaching ladder. He came to UCF after a three-year stint as an assistant at the University of Florida under Lon Kruger. Prior to that, he posted three solid campaigns as the head coach at Pensacola Junior College, starting in 1987.

During his time at PJC, Speraw led the Pirates to an 82-21 record and three consecutive Panhandle Conference titles. His team posted a 31-7 mark and finished fifth nationally in 1989-90. That season, Speraw was honored as the NABC/Kodak National Junior College Coach of the Year, as well as the Florida Junior College Coach of the Year.

Before moving to the bench at PJC, he served as an assistant at Florida Southern under George Scholz from 1982-87. During his time at Florida Southern, the Moccasins posted a 109-46 overall record and made four appearances in the Division II NCAA Tournament, finishing third in 1986 and advancing to the final eight in 1987. Speraw helped recruit and mentor four first-team All-America selections at Florida Southern, including Jerry Johnson and Kris Kearney, who both earned national player of the year honors.

A native of Sioux City, Iowa, Speraw played collegiately at Iowa for Olson. He was a member of the 1978-79 Hawkeye squad that won the Big Ten title. As a senior, he was named the team's most inspirational player.

He began his coaching career at his alma mater, serving as a graduate assistant with Iowa's 1979-80 team that advanced to the Final Four. Speraw then moved on to Denver for two seasons. At Denver, he was an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator while pursuing an M.B.A.

As both an assistant and head coach, Speraw has mentored dozens of players who have played professionally. Jones and Andrew DeClerq, who he coached at Florida, have both played in the National Basketball Association. Jones made his NBA debut in 2005, playing close to UCF with the Orlando Magic.

Most recently, Gary Johnson and Marcus Avant both inked contracts with pro squads overseas in 2005.

Speraw also prepares his players for life after basketball. Many former Golden Knights are enjoying success in the "real world." The coach takes pride in the fact that among his former players are respected businessmen, detectives, doctors, educators and social workers.

Speraw is a devoted family man. He and his wife, Tracy, have two sons, Drew (20) and Dustin (15). The couple also has two daughters, Brooke (17) and Bailey (8).

Drew is a sophomore guard for the Golden Knights. As a freshman in 2005-06, he saw action in 17 contests, including seven in C-USA play.

The former A-Sun representative to the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC), Speraw is an active member of the professional organization.

[USFDan]

First I am not a dark sider.  I will wait to see how the season plays out.  I feel our biggest problem right now is inexperience.  2 freshman guards and 3 transfers who don't have a lot of playing time yet.  All that adds up to a ton of turnovers which is hurting us right now.  I'll play the wait and see game.

As far as the list of candidates, I would prefer a head coach from a midmajor or major school.  3 of your picks are long time assistants but not head coaches.  I would hope that we are in a position now where we can go after experienced head coaches instead of taking chances on assistants.

Kirk Speraw is an interesting option.  I wonder why he has been at UCF so long instead of taking the jump to a higher profile job?  He seems to have done a lot with their program.

[Bull Matrix]

No to Steve Robinson!!!! Dont you recall him at FSU??? He was terrible while at FSU, so I dont want a proven failure at USF. Coach Robinson has to be one of the dullest and most boring coaches out there. He would be a downgrade in my opinion.

[flsportsfan83]

Speraw is my first choice

[bulls96go]

thank you

[E.T.]

If more fans attend games and donate, may be able to go after a high profile coach ... or give a raise to the current coach if he ends up turning around USF basketball.

[flsportsfan83]

If more fans attend games and donate, may be able to go after a high profile coach ... or give a raise to the current coach if he ends up turning around USF basketball.

ET i agree with you but what does USF basketball have to sell to the Casual basketball fan in Tampa?

[E.T.]

More than what USF Football had in 1996  

[flsportsfan83]

but less than what USF basketball had in 1996.

Not to mention why would a high profile coach that currently has a job come to USF?

[smazza]

tommy amaker at michigan