Topic: I like what I'm reading about Pitt's Herrion

[_sturt_]

...and what's more... you all may have already known this, but I just figured it out... Hamrick hired Tom's brother Bill to coach at ECU years ago... not a particularly good hire that time, but I guess the point is that there's a connection there that I didn't recognize previously.


http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/sports/s_606596.html

        

Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

Assistant proves indespensible to Pitt

By John Grupp
TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Sunday, January 11, 2009

Parts of Houston remained without power when Tom Herrion landed in the hurricane-torn region last fall.

Herrion, a second-year Pitt assistant, and coach Jamie Dixon were visiting potential recruit J.J. Richardson, whose family was displaced after Hurricane Ike tore through northeast Texas.

"We felt it was something we needed to do," Herrion said. "More from a human standpoint than any selfishness for the program."

Herrion and Dixon spent the afternoon and evening with Richardson. The visit made a profound impact on the 6-foot-7 three-star forward, who committed to Pitt that night.

"Coach Herrion is a good coach and a great recruiter," Richardson said this week. "He's also a good person. He came to my house. We didn't have any power. It showed me that he cared how I was doing, and he cared about my family, too."

Herrion is one of the reasons the Panthers (14-0, 2-0 Big East) are ranked No. 1 in the nation heading into today's game with visiting St. John's (10-4, 1-1).

Herrion, who replaced Robert Morris-bound Mike Rice after the 2006-07 season, has become an invaluable piece of the Panthers' staff, along with assistants Pat Sandle and Brandin Knight. He was the chief recruiter for Pitt's highly touted Class of 2009 and is regarded as one of the top 10 assistants in the nation by at least one recruiting site.

"The bottom line is that he has tremendous passion," Dixon said. "He thinks like I think as far as work ethic."

A little more than two years ago, Herrion was out of coaching after an angry and bitter firing by the College of Charleston.

It was the first time in two decades that the high-energy son of a basketball family wasn't playing or coaching his beloved sport. Herrion, who played at Division II Merrimack College as a part-time guard, languished in coaching limbo.

"My wife didn't remember me raking any leaves before," he said. "Now. ... I'm a small part of a team that's ranked No. 1. You can't come up for air, but you take a few seconds to appreciate it.

"From a career standpoint, I've landed on my feet quite nicely."

That's what made Herrion's circuitous route to the top of the Big East at times frustrating and, now, so rewarding.

A former assistant in the Big East (Providence) and the ACC (Virginia), Herrion got his first head-coaching job at age 34 at College of Charleston prior to the 2002-03 season. A longtime assistant under Pete Gillen, Herrion went 80-38 in four seasons at Charleston, but he was forced out after going 17-11 in 2005-06.

Whether it was high expectations following coaching legend John Kresse, sinking attendance, his sometimes abrasive temperament or declining victory totals, Herrion was axed.

David Baller, who played for Herrion as a sophomore walk-on in 2005-06, said his former coach "belongs" in basketball.

"He was perceived to be the bad guy after such a beloved coach (Kresse)," said Baller, 22, who works in financial planning in Charleston. "It was tough shoes to fill. But he's tenacious in everything he does. As an assistant, he can just kill it."

Herrion, who had four years left on his contract, received a $787,000 buyout for being fired without cause.

"We had a lot of success there," Herrion said. "But they made the decision that I wasn't the right fit. Yeah, there's a little bit of a sour taste in your mouth, but you move past it."

Because the firing came in June, there were no coaching openings for 2006-07. Herrion worked Nike and Michael Jordan camps and as a television commentator for ESPN Regional.

But it wasn't enough. Herrion grew up in a coaching family. His late father, Jim, was a noted high school coach in New York City. His older brother, Bill, is the coach at New Hampshire. He tried to embrace his year away from coaching.

"Sometimes stepping away is not the worst thing in the world," he said. "I think it was an opportunity for me to recharge my batteries."

Herrion stayed in the loop by attending college practices and going to Junior AAU and high school tournaments.

One of those trips brought Herrion to town for the Pittsburgh Jamfest in April 2007. Rice was about to land at Robert Morris. One thing led to another, and Herrion was hired at Pitt as an assistant coach.

"I wasn't going to panic and jump at something," he said. "It had to be the right fit."

Called by Duke's Mike Krzyzewski as "one of the most energetic coaches I've ever seen," Herrion has numerous duties at Pitt, including recruiting, scouting, in-game coaching and working with the big men.

With Herrion's help, forwards Sam Young and Tyrell Biggs and center DeJuan Blair have developed into one of the nation's more imposing frontcourts....

[Buffalo Bop]

....A longtime assistant under Pete Gillen, Herrion went 80-38 in four seasons at Charleston, but he was forced out after going 17-11 in 2005-06.

Herrion, who had four years left on his contract, received a $787,000 buyout for being fired without cause.

I didn't think SoCon schools could afford to cough up that kind of money....That's a ton of money to get rid of a winning coach.