Tierney to Denver not just another coaching change
This is not just another coaching change.
Can you imagine how many times a school has asked Princeton’s Bill Tierney to leave the Tigers and lead their program? Johns Hopkins, Maryland, North Carolina, Duke and a few others are among the programs rumored to have approached Tierney in the past. Tierney said yesterday that this opportunity at Denver was one “that I never thought would come my way." That makes me assume he’s had Denver on his mind for a while and it was just a matter of waiting out Jamie Munro, a much younger man who had the job for the last 11 years. Whether it was Munro or the university that made the decision, Jamie resigned on May 7 after posting a 91-70 mark at Denver. I am not trying to fuel speculation, but did the school know of Tierney’s interest before Munro’s departure? I’d fire any coach in the land to get Tierney.
This is not just another coaching change. Bill Tierney is not just another coach. He’s the best. This will change the game and he knows it. In his statement yesterday he said, "The expansion of the game to the West is exciting. If we are truly going to make lacrosse a nationwide sport, we need for some programs out there to become great. I think I can help Colorado lacrosse become the launching pad for that movement."
He’s exactly right and he’s the only one who can do that in my eyes. If Petro or Zimmerman or Desko were headed to Denver, I would say they sold out for the money, and that the money was likely wasted. But Tierney will have Denver in the final four in three years. A national championship will be won within five years. I have no doubt at all. The others would do as well as Munro out there, which was admirable, in my opinion.
This is not just another coaching change. My guess is that Tierney is now the highest paid coach in college lacrosse history, if he wasn’t already that at Princeton. Denver is coming as close to buying a championship as you can come. With it they finance the expansion of the game’s geographic center. Denver was a hotspot already with great pro crowds and huge growth on the youth level, but Tierney will exponentially improve the area in a few years. The Denver summer camps will become a must for blue-chip players. He will draw some of the finest high school players in the land immediately, albeit, perhaps not of the academic caliber he is used to. But that will be a new twist, too. Imagine Tierney being able to recruit kids with less than a 1400 on their SATs. Princeton's academic standards were always a barrier for most kids that would have played for Tierney if they could have.
This is not just another coaching change. Tierney will make the state of Colorado a rival to New York and Maryland as a lacrosse hotbed in short order. He will expand the attendance of Denver lacrosse games from an average of 1,300 fans (2,000 for the Notre Dame game) to over 10,000 in a year’s time. He should be able to capture much of the 15,000-person crowds that attend Colorado Mammoth (NLL) and Denver Outlaws (MLL) games. College lacrosse at the top level has usually done better than any other levels of the game in lacrosse hotbeds. This increased attendance, especially by kids, will exponentially grow the game in Denver, eventually.
This is not just another coaching change. It will limit a Denver recruit’s access to local Division I lacrosse for a while. That is the short-term downside to such rapid change in an area like Denver, at least for some of the kids there. In 2009, the Denver team included 12 players from Colorado while the Princeton team had none. The whole field of NCAA tournament participants included seven players from Colorado. Under the Tierney era, it will take some improvement in the local high school lacrosse for Colorado kids to make the Denver team in the near term. But in a few years, the make-up of the Denver roster may look more like Princeton or other big NCAA teams than the local team it is now. Eventually it will help Denver kids, but the immediate impact will be a negative one, I would think. Every great coach who takes over a program utilizes what he has while he brings in who he wants. That usually means that each class is exponentially better than the last and that kids who start as freshman each year might not start again after their first season. I saw it happen at Georgetown as they went from being an obscure team of Northern Virginia and Montgomery County kids to a national powerhouse with mostly New York and Baltimore kids. The building blocks of these rising teams are often very temporary and it can get awkward as every year freshmen replace the starters.
This is not just another coaching change. This is a change to the game that will benefit our sport greatly. I’ve always moaned about the exclusivity of champions at the Div. I level and suggested that it would take a conspiracy of players to choose a school like Denver or some other outlier to grow the game, but I overlooked this method, thinking Tierney would live out his years at the Ivy League institution where he is an institution. But this will do the trick nicely. Believe me, with yesterday’s news the conspiracies just started. Great high school juniors and sophomores are thinking “Go west young man” as of today! The best kids at Gilman and West Genny and Wilton and Malvern and Georgetown Prep have widened their horizons in a day. The geographic borders of potential greatness just expanded five-fold.
This is not just another coaching change. The applications for the new opening at Princeton will likely set a record. It is the best job opening in years. I can’t imagine someone other than David Metzbower getting the job. Tierney’s longtime assistant is the top assistant in the game and he could provide a seamless transition. He is the recruiter and a strategic mastermind who Tierney always shared credit with when they won championships. The national job search may just be a formality.
This is not just another coaching change. This is Tierney’s last job. He’s looking to be near family and find a spot to live out his post-collegiate coaching life, too, and what place better than Colorado. His old friend Fred Acee was the coach for years at Air Force and Tierney understands the great quality of life awaiting him. I have always envied the coaches that have a niche in some community that is comforting. Hank Janczyk stands out to me in a small town like Gettysburg. What a life he has up there! I am sure Princeton was a comfort to the Tierneys, but it’s not exactly a retirement mecca, despite the slow pace that the pretty Main Street facade evokes. I am surprised a little that Tierney did not go to Jacksonville, but he must be a mountain guy instead of a beach guy and the hotspot for that type of living is just where he’s headed.
He is also headed into lacrosse immortality. He’s already legendary for his coaching. Now he’s attempting to achieve something far more important, something so rare, perhaps only he could do it. Good luck, coach!
Comments
Was this blog entry written for any reason OTHER than to stir things up?
Bill Tierney is that much better a coach than Dave Pietramala or John Desko, huh? Then why have those two won so many championships lately?
"Princeton's academic standards were always a barrier for most kids that would have played for Tierney if they could have." Really? Look at The Sun's All-Metro team from this past weekend? One kid was from a public school -- the other TEN were from the private schools that Princeton called home.
And your prognostication that Denver will be in the Final 4 within three years? Don't hold your breath. Personally, I think it's more likely that Bill Tierney is laying the groundwork for his son to take over after the elder Tierney retires.
Posted by: patrick | June 9, 2009 3:12 PM
I am sure I saw a rumor somewhere stating that Tierney, in fact, is not being paid more at Denver and in actuality took a pay cut
Posted by: slobdylan | June 9, 2009 3:26 PM
O.M.G. Let me put my mouse down and sing allialuia , the King has come , according to this scribe.
Posted by: oced | June 9, 2009 3:41 PM
This is huge! This will begin the lax invasion fron the West. In a few years, Tierney will have Denver in the Finals...with mostly local-grown talent and a few steals from NY and MD. Colorado is ready for a High School explosion in lax and so is Utah, BTW. I moved to Utah in 2001 and it's amazing how many more kids I see carrying lax sticks now. All of the sporting goods stores carry a nice array of lax gear. There needs to be a spark and this could be it.
Posted by: UT Cal | June 9, 2009 4:50 PM
This isn't just another coaching change, but WHOA! You called Quint out for about one-tenth of the hyperbole in this post. Hotbed to rival NY and MD in short order? You're nuts!
Their stadium holds 2,000, are you saying they will start playing at Mile High? Denver youth lacrosse is already exploding. Coaches, officials and fields are always the bottlenecks to lacrosse development. How does Tierney solve those? You're not onto something, you're on something.
Posted by: Mark Erickson | June 9, 2009 5:44 PM
Money is the motivator, of course. He's a great coach, no doubt; and, a really good erson. It's probably because he said to himself " I wonder if I can do this again elsewhere." That's the motivation for this kind of change regardless of the amount of money involved. It will take some time, but he's one of a very few who has the ability to pull it off. And, if it doesn't work, his reputation will not be diminished in any sense.
Posted by: Sloan Thompson | June 9, 2009 7:31 PM
Frankly, I think the sophomore year performance of Towson High's Sara Flynn at Stanford will have more of an impact on Western Lax. Just ask the squad from Penn.
Posted by: Old Timer | June 9, 2009 8:48 PM
I remember people saying the same thing about Urick when he came to G'town. "oh, he'll have them in the final 4 within 3-5 years!". Get real! Tierney is looking at some long, lean years and the only reason he may have marginal success is b/c of the team he inherited from Munro. Good luck, Bill. You're gonna need it!
Posted by: Cookie | June 9, 2009 9:20 PM
Why disrespect Desko, Petro and Zimmerman in your fairy tale? Those three men deserve some respect and if you look back on recent history Zim stayed home when money was pulling him to NC. I know he received a raise but when your gig at the SUN ends will you not seek more money?
Posted by: Bill Bloom | June 9, 2009 9:36 PM
It shows no dispespect to anyone that Tierney is the undisputed coaching master in this country. I'd pick him to coach any team anywhere. He's the best and that is not debatable. I actually showed Zimmerman, Desko and Petro respect by using them as an example.
Posted by: John Weaver | June 9, 2009 9:49 PM
"Undisputed coaching master"? "He is the best and that is not debatable"? Come on John, that is laughable. I'm not saying he's not AMONG the best, but saying he is "undisputed" is ridiculous. Your own counterpart Mike Preston called Petro possibly the best coach in ANY sport in the country just in April!! You're entitled to your opinions, but saying a claim like yours is "not debatable" is just nonsense. Desko has 5 rings as a head coach, and 6 more as an assistant; along with a .844 tourney winning percentage which is the best of any head coach in D1 history. Petro is the only person to be a Player of the Year, win the championship as a player and as a head coach. I would argue that Petro changed 2 teams into national title contenders, as opposed to Tierney's 1. Moreover, to say that any team's money would be wasted on Desko, Zim, or Petro is also crazy considering that Petro and Desko are in their prime and Tierney is clearly on his way out. What has he done since 2002? Having said all that, Tierney will be in the Hall someday, and I agree that his going to Denver should hopefully bode well for the sport's future, and I'm happy for that, but your zeal really went overboard here.
Posted by: Let's get some common sense, here... | June 10, 2009 11:55 AM
Tierney introduced and perfected the quick-slide concept on D in the early nineties and had the whole world flummoxed for a while. But the world caught up, and if you don't think his program at Princeton has been surpassed in the Ivy League by Cornell, then you having been paying attention--either that, or you've been wearing orange-colored glasses...
That said, it's a big deal. I just maybe you went a little overboard. Nothing wrong with that--it's exciting!
Posted by: G | June 10, 2009 2:02 PM
"But Tierney will have Denver in the final four in three years. A national championship will be won within five years. I have no doubt at all."
Pick one:
The writer has:
1. mad cow disease
2. been eating ergot tainted crab cakes
3. simply lost all sense of reality
Posted by: MDR | June 10, 2009 2:11 PM
John, I had the same thought as a previous post-er about the Georgetown-Ulrich example. Do you think that Tierney is so much better as a coach that he can make his team a final four team that soon?
Posted by: Bill | June 10, 2009 3:31 PM
It is not debatable. Preston was wrong. I have nothing against Petro, but he isn't the best lax coach in Baltimore. None of those fine coaches have EVER outcoached Tierney in a game. They may get a better recruit (the meatheads Tierney cannot get into Princeton), but only Zimmerman comes close on the game's sideline. If you get a chance to ask a Petro or Desko who is the best coach in lacrosse they will likely tell you I am right. And yes Petro was a better player than Tierney. I'll give you that.
The funny part is that I am now defending a guy that I have criticized in the past and doesn't particularly like me after calling it like I saw it so many times on Warrior's marketing tactics and Princeton's support of the Warrior company in light of thier sexist and sophomoric advertising. Tierney is not perfect. He made a terrible call allowing the word PIMP to be seen on his team's gloves and his schools logo to be associated with Warrior's classless marketing. BUT he is a genius and it's not just his defensive schemes. His players are far more prepared than most in every game they play.
Posted by: John Weaver | June 10, 2009 4:27 PM
Tiernay was luckily hired by Chic at JHU as an assistant,-Zim played for Chic-Where is the mention of the real great Lacrosse coach,Chic,who learned from Scotty-Is it true that Tiernay obtained concessions from princeton ademissions?That should be verified before making these statements-I played for Richie in High School and Scotty and Chic in college-Chic and Scotty were the repositories of vast knowledge which Zim received from Chic and Willie. Tiernay also was exposed at JHU.The offenses I see with no cutting has ruined the game They should all get new coaches who understand and actually implement the beauty of Lacrosse ,which no longer is seen , and which has sunk to the level of dodge and shoot Doug Honig JHU 70
PS.A great coach understands the significance of every given moment in a game and in practice with players. If you think Tiernay has the greatest grasp of this, then I think you do not get it.
Posted by: doug honig | June 10, 2009 8:24 PM
YOUR A JOKE!!! Tierney has never been out coached what a crock that is! Syracuse is 16-9 vs Tierney. Get some facts straight Tierney has won 1 title this decade to Desko's 5 PAHLEASEEEEEEEE
Posted by: steve | June 10, 2009 10:46 PM
Desko's a fine coach. One of the best ever. I think he's the perfect mix of the old Roy Jr style and the serious Dave Metzbower, Don Zimmerman X's and O's guy, but he always got far better talent than Tierney. I think you are COMPLETELY confusing winning with being a good coach. If John Wooden was at a community college would he be a crappy coach? Did Dave Urick become a worse coach over the years? He won 11 straight D3 crowns and has won 0 at the D1 level. Is it because Desko is so much better a coach than he is? Again, most of you are fans of one or another of these schools or these coaches but if you look objectively at the accomplishments along with the top talent's college choices, you will find that there are great coaches all over the place. I think that Ed Stevenson and Scott Marr are great coaches, among the best, but I am not predicting that Binghamton and Albany are final four teams next year or any year unless they get the talent to do so. This is pretty basic stuff. A college team under Bear Bryant wouldn't beat a bad NFL team coached by a terrible coach. As a lacrosse fan, I love Syracuse's program and pick them publicly when no one else does, like the last two years. It is no suprise to me that they have won so many titles of late. But some of those years, Tierney has actually achieved more with the talent he has as a coach than Desko. In fact two of the best coaching seasons I have ever seen were Tony Seaman and Richie Meade in losing seasons. Otherwise there would only be like 12 good coaches in all of college lacrosse, right?
Posted by: John Weaver | June 10, 2009 11:09 PM
How is it that you "actually showed Zimmerman, Desko and Petro respect" by speculating that
"[i]f Petro or Zimmerman or Desko were headed to Denver, I would say they sold out for the money"?
Posted by: joe | June 11, 2009 1:55 AM
You have got to be on serious meds if you think Denver will be in the Final Four and win a National Championship in 5 years. What high school lacrosse player is going to want to go play for a coach whose idea of an offense is to throw the ball around for 5 minutes trying to find the perfect shot? Who would want to go to play for a coach that shouts expletives at the team and the opposing fans all game long?
The only way Tierney out recruits Desko is if Denver starts paying their players. Recruits go to Syracuse because they know come May, they will have a chance to play for a ring in an offense where they get to play lacrosse the way it was meant to be played.
HEAD! HEART! HUSTLE!
SYRACUSE UNIVERSITY IS LACROSSE!
Posted by: Ray | June 11, 2009 4:52 AM
Weaver you are hiding behind the "intangibles" defense. Winning IS what coaches are measured by, not X's and O's, handholding, love, respect etc. Coaches get paid to win because it puts fans in the stands. The ability to combine the afforementioned into a winning season is what coaching is all about. Your comment about the best coaching you have seen came in losing seasons is a waste of my valuable time.
Posted by: not so smart | June 11, 2009 7:26 AM
John, Tierney may be the best Coach when it comes to defensive schemes but he is by no way the best all around Coach. He has been accused by lacrosse fans, highly regarded lacrosse writers, and Division I lacrosse coaches of employing and encouraging teams to play the slow it down stall ball offense. Let's be honest here....the best lacrosse in NY is typically played in the public schools while the Baltimore and NJ areas are dominated by private schools with alot of students who do have the grades and SAT scores to get into Princeton. Alot of kids just don't relate to him like they do a Desko, Tambroni, Petro, Breschi, and Starsia (who by the way is a mediocre Coach who can recruit kids to a top notch state school). Denver will not make a Final Four in 3-5 years due to location (not near a hotbed of HS lax for recruiting) and most kids could care less about his previous success at Princeton. My HS lacrosse coach, Coach Mike Messere of WG with 700+ wins, is a much much better coach then Tierney and it's not even close.
Posted by: WgLaxFan | June 11, 2009 8:50 AM
Weaver, pump the breaks man! Your man was seriously out coached by Tambroni just last month at his own game! Matter of fact he came within 3 min out out coaching everyone in D1. It's obvious you are just trying to stir things up just to get a response like a bad AM radio show. To say he's the "Undisputed coaching master" is laughable. He came up with a new wrinkle for defense over a decade ago, and when other teams adjusted, he didn't. That makes him the best coach of all time in the entire world? C'mon, what have you done for me lately? Tierney's style of play on offense is like watching paint dry. That's really good coaching!
As far as him going out west, it's great for the sport. There's a whole lot of talent out there begging for a place to play and have success. Players out west don't always get the benefit of the doubt playing for the traditional power houses. Coaches are reluctant to burn recruiting bridges by playing an "outsider" over a local product. Also, don't see NY & MD going out west just because the great Tierney is out there. FF in 3, and a ring in 5? You must be hanging out in Boulder too much! ;-)
Posted by: lclax4real | June 11, 2009 12:57 PM
"If Petro or Zimmerman or Desko were headed to Denver, I would say they sold out for the money, and that the money was likely wasted."
Please ask these coaches if they feel respected by this post and publish their responses.
Posted by: Mark Erickson | June 11, 2009 12:59 PM
I have read some of your prior writings, and thought you knew something about the game. I was wrong.
Posted by: Lou | June 11, 2009 2:36 PM
"Don Zimmerman X's and O's guy, but he always got far better talent than Tierney. "
Far better talent? Let me stop you there. Zim does more with less than any coach in the top 10 in D1 lacrosse. Rarely does he get a blue chipper. Tierney gets a solid class every year. Zim develops.
Posted by: Bill Bloom | June 11, 2009 8:07 PM
Zimmerman's great. I never said he got more talent than Tierney. Zimmerman is one who also does more with what he gets than many of the "top guys".
Posted by: John Weaver | June 11, 2009 8:09 PM
I was fortunate enough to play for Coach Tierney and also be an assistant coach with him after I graduated. I also played for Coach Messere at West Genny...so I was blessed with great teammates and great coaches for my entire career. I can't speak to how great other coaches (Petro, Tambroni, Desko, Zimmerman, etc) may be but I can speak to Tierney's abilities. I think Tierney could be a successful coach in any sport and at any level. Yes, he's very good with the Xs and Os but his greatest talent is to get the most out of every player; he can make 1+1=3 when he takes the individual players and molds them into a cohesive team. It seems like some other coaches can probably do that as well.
I have no doubt whatsoever that Tierney will build Denver into a national power that will be competing in NCAA tournaments and for championships in the next five years. People may have forgotten that Princeton was 2-13 in 1987 during Coach T's first year and was 13-2 with a national championship just five years later. He literally built the program from nothing and won a championship in five years...with no scholarships. Keep in mind that this was not the first time he has done this. He was head lacrosse coach at RIT for three years, compiled a 34-7 record and made the quarterfinals of the DIII playoffs in two of those years - RIT had no such history of success prior to Tierney. Next, while he was an assistant lacrosse coach at JHU he was also asked to be the head men's soccer coach even though he admittedly didn't know the Xs and Os about soccer. With no recent history of success, the JHU men's soccer team made the NCAA DIII playoffs in just his second year as coach. Princeton was the 3rd college athletic program that he successfully turned around in short order. Denver will undoubtedly be his 4th and, as Tierney acknowledges, the Denver program is already in pretty good shape.
As Coach T said, he wants to help the game grow out west, he wants to improve the Denver program, he wants to retire in Denver and he wants to be closer to 3 of his 4 children. But make no mistake, he really wants to and intends to win another national championship while at Denver. I would never bet against him.
Posted by: mytwocents | June 12, 2009 12:14 PM
That's about the most inane article I've ever read. The author is truly delusional and I suspect is secretly Tierney's press agent.
Just downright dumb!
Posted by: Gary Geirgo | June 12, 2009 9:56 PM
"Tierney will make the state of Colorado a rival to New York and Maryland as a lacrosse hotbed in short order"....... How long has New York and Baltimore been the hotbed of lacrosse??? Many decades?? How can one coach make a hot bed for an entire state? Too bad the best lacrosse sports writer who ever lived, James H. Jackson, died 16 years ago, because that statement would have never been allowed to be printed. Am I the only person who thinks that statement is ludicrous. Please.........
Posted by: Matt Jacklson | June 13, 2009 9:04 PM