With Coach Pitino heading off to Minnesota. PantherRage conducted a coaching hot board of names to be on the look out for.
Please remember this will be a tough sell for Pete Garcia. The 2011-12 APR could possibly ban FIU from postseason play next season and to make matters worse a star player wants to get his release (Malik Smith).
I fully expect Pete to hire another extremely young coach or go the Ron Turner route and hire a seasoned, well traveled head coach with a ton of experience that needs another shot.
Any coach that knows the landscape down in Miami will definitely be looked at. There are plenty of coaches that are from Miami that would love to take a shot at this position. The question is will Pete make another surprise hire?
With the current success from the University of Miami it will be hard for Pete not to take a look at Jim Larranaga's assistants who know Miami and understand how to recruit down here.
This is a very fluid situation and I will have more information after tomorrow's press conference. Please take a look at the names listed below.
Mike Balado[/B]
FIU Assistant Coach
Balado coached his first season as an assistant coach at FIU after spending three seasons at High Point where he assisted in all areas of the Panther basketball program with a heavy concentration on recruiting. He helped bring in several recruits as part of HPU's first two recruiting classes. A native of Miami, Balado speaks fluent Spanish, which is a strength on the international scene.
"Mike Balado has great experience in the college game as well as the junior college ranks."
"He knows the state of Florida and will be able to recruit from top to bottom. He is a tireless worker and will bring a lot to our staff," Coach Pitino said.
Kimani Young[/B]
FIU Assistant Coach
Coached his first season as an assistant coach at FIU after serving as athletic director for the New Heights non-profit youth program in the Bronx since the fall of 2006.
"We are excited about Kimani Young because he brings a lot of connections from the New York, New Jersey area; an area in which we expect to do a lot of recruiting," Coach Pitino said. "Kimani is great with people, has an unbelievable work ethic and is a great teacher and a student of the game."
Mark Lieberman[/B]
FIU Assistant Coach
A successful high school coach for 16 years, he coached his first season as an assistant coach for the FIU men's basketball program.
"Mark Lieberman comes to us with a lot of coaching experience from the state of Florida," Coach Pitino said.
"He has great energy on and off the court and will be a valuable asset to our staff."
Lieberman comes to FIU after two years at Louisville. He served as director of basketball operations last year and was an assistant coach for the Cardinals during the 2010-11 season. During the 2010-11 season UofL exceeded expectations in tying for third in arguably the nation's toughest conference, rising as high as 11th in the AP poll, finishing as runner up in the BIG EAST Conference Tournament, and posting a 25-10 record.Lieberman served as head varsity boys basketball coach at Monsignor Pace High School in Miami, Fla., for 13 years.
Chris Caputo[/B]
University of Miami Assistant Coach
Chris Caputo just finished coaching his second season with the Hurricanes and his 11th season on head coach Jim Larranaga's staff. Entering his eighth season as an assistant coach, his primary responsibilities include recruiting and scouting the opposition.
Michael Huger[/B]
University of Miami Assistant Coach
Also just finished coaching his second season at the University of Miami and his sixth season as an assistant coach for head coach Jim Larranaga, assisting in all aspects of the program. He brings seven seasons of collegiate coaching experience and nearly a dozen years of professional basketball experience to The U.
Eric Konkol[/B]
University of Miami Assistant Coach
Also just finished coaching his second season at the University of Miami and ninth as a member of head coach Jim Larranaga's staff. He assists in all aspects of the program including recruiting, practices, individual player workouts and game preparation.
Wild Card Hire:
Marcus Carreno[/B]
Miami High Head Coach
Carreno played for Miami High and FIU.
He lead Miami High to its most recent state title in 2005 and knows the local basketball circuit inside and out.