Duquense looks set to hire Jim Ferry from Long Island University. 

Seems like an odd hire to me.  The supposed reason for firing Everhart was that they thought he did a nice job getting them to this respectable level, but didn't think he could get them to the next.  That sounded fishy to me, but that's what they said.

So instead of making a big, splashy hire, they go get this coach from LIU-Brooklyn.  Now granted, Ferry has won big the last two years.  However, he was mediocre at best for 8 years before that.  That's a long time for a superstar coach to get a program turned around (Year 5 they were 10-19 -- impressive that LIU stuck with him after that).   Plus, he never was an assistant at a next level program, and while he did have success at the D2/3 level, it's not like he ever made a Final 4 there or anything.

I hope I'm wrong and this guy elevates Duquesne to another level with his uptempo attack, but on paper he doesn't strike me as much of an upgrade over Everhart, and he seems like more of a conventional pick than you would expect of a school looking for the home run coach.

One other thing, his success these last two years was based on some big recruiting home runs, including all-conference player Jamal Olaswere.  Didn't we recruit him at one point?  I seem to recall his name as a local kid that KH was after (maybe offered, maybe not -- I'm not sure).

http://www.gwhoops.com/default.aspx?mid=23042

4/19/2009 10:43:00 AM 
Poster: notta hater 

Jamil Olasewere mentioned  GW as an interested school in today's Washington Post.

Everhart firing made little sense on the surface. He may have had some top players transfer out but Nee and his predecessor weren't even getting them to Duquesne in the first place. Their Palumbo Center has been fixed up over the past several years but it's still a glorifed Bender Arena. GW will ultimately be seen and written up as the bellweather standard for athletic upgrades without academic compromises.