Speculation over possible new coaches

Another post from senior writer Jennifer Hart.

It’s March. That means it’s time for the country’s sports fans to live and breathe college basketball. It’s a time for commentary (read: wild speculation) on who will win which games in the NCAA tournament. It’s the time to enter brackets into pools on the off chance you might win some cash. It's also the time, however, when coaching staffs turn over: firings, hirings and resignations create a whole new round of speculation and commentary on the wild world of NCAA basketball.

At Princeton, we're at the center of speculation in many ways. Athletic Director Gary Walters is the chairman of the NCAA Tournament Selection committee. Not to mention the fact that our head coach suddenly resigned on Tuesday to take a job at the University of Denver.

Names are being bandied around the Princeton basketball community. Will Northwestern’s head coach Bill Carmody — who went 92-25 in his four seasons at Princeton — make a triumphant return? Northwestern’s athletic department says no.

Another pair of options is Sydney Johnson ’97 and Robert Burke. Both are currently assistants at Georgetown under John Thompson III ’88. Scott took over for Thompson when he left to coach the Hoyas, taking the Princeton Offense to the nation's capital three years ago. Now Georgetown is a No. 2 seed in the NCAA tournament who many have picked to win the national title.

What about current Princeton assistant Mike Brennan ’94? Current players think he’d be a great choice.

“I love Coach Brennan,” junior Noah Savage said.

The team, however, isn’t terribly worried about who will take over. They also don’t necessarily care if it’s kept in the Princeton family —- those coaches and former players who attended the Pete Carril school of basketball coaching and believe in the Princeton Offense.

Some outside commentators believe a move away from the much vaunted Princeton offense might be called for.

In any event, the search is underway and speculation is sure to run rampant as it progresses and until a successor is named. When Thompson left, the succession was clear: Scott would take over the program, like the prodigal son returning home. Today the field is cluttered by a plethora of names and a team with only fleeting similarities to the one Scott took control of three seasons ago.