Steve Masiello

As BC basketball plays in the first round of the ACC Tournament tonight, which will most likely be their final game of the dreadful 2013-14 season, it is time for us BC fans to start looking towards the future.  While I, along with other BC bloggers, have already speculated about potential candidates to replace current Head Coach Steve Donahue, one name I have not seen yet, but I think should receive strong consideration is current Manhattan Head Coach Steve Masiello.  While I think Bruce Pearl appears to be the favorite among BC fans to be Donahue's replacement, we all know a) Pearl comes at a high risk and b) there is a good chance he may not be interested in the job.  With that being said I still think Brad Bates should definitely make a run at Pearl, a BC alum and Sharon, MA native, but if things between BC and Pearl don't work out, Masiello is the guy I'd call next.

While Masiello is only 36, and only has 3 years of head coaching experience, I think he would be a perfect candidate for the job.  In just his 3rd year at Manhattan he has the Jaspers going to the Big Dance, and in 2 out of his 3 years there his team has had 20+ wins.  In his second year the Jaspers went 14-18, but this year he showed he could rebound from a bad season by going 25-7 and winning the MAAC.  Another reason, and maybe the most important reason why Maisello maybe a great option, is that he is a Rick Pitino disciple and was Pitino's strongest recruiter at Louisville who recruited many of the players that were on last year's National Championship team.

If Bates uses the same criteria in hiring the next basketball coach that he used to hire current BC football coach Steve Addazio, then he will immediately be attracted to Masiello's energy.  Although I haven't really researched him until the past few days, you can tell in the videos that I have watched (one of which I have posted at the end of my Rant) that he is very similar to Addazio.  Masiello has passion for the game and coaching and because of that you can tell why he has been such a strong recruiter.

I am not saying Masiello is going to be the next Billy Donovan, but they do share a lot of similarities.  Both are from New York, and both played for Pitino in college, granted Masiello was merely a bench player at Kentucky.  After college both Donovan and Masiello become Pitino assistants and then both became head coaches at a young age.  Donovan became the head coach at Marshall when he was 28, and took over the high profile Florida program just two seasons later.   Masiello may not win back to back National Championships at Boston College like Donovan has done at Florida, but I think he is a guy that definitely deserves a strong look by Brad Bates.

While I do think Masiello's stock has risen this season given Manhattan's success, I still think he is low profile enough where he wouldn't blow off the BC job if offered to him.  This would be the perfect opportunity for Brad Bates to strike the iron while it is hot, and I am confident if the Eagles hired Masiello that he will be able to turn around the program.