The hiring of Kearney (different spelling, but same pronunciation as our beloved sage) is being hailed as a blow for the lunch pail coaching fraternity. He is a coaching lifer with very little in the way of big reputation/big name connections. In his long stint with Brey at Notre Dame he was involved in Big East recruiting and helped land some quality players for the Irish. After dealing with the Notre Dame admissions process, he should not experience any culture shock when the folks in Woo tell him that his prize recruit doesn't stand a chance because he reads at a 3rd grade level.
Still, this looks like a risky hire for the 'saders, who view hoops as the be all and end all of intercollegiate athletics. He is, I believe, 49 years old, and has no proven track record at anything that will make or break him as a head coach. With all the support and enthusiasm surrounding the program, he should have no trouble holding the Crossers in the upper echelon of a perennially weak Patriot League. The big question is, will he be able to move them to the next level, which is what the faithful consider their rightful place in the universe?
That whole lunch pail/paid his dues thing though, has me wishing him the best. |
