Seawolves Fans

If it's not Geno, and I have no info on whether it will or won't be, then I fully expect to the next candidate to come out of left field, just as Boals did three years ago.

I have a feeling too it would be an unexpected hire. But yeah.. Jay should be given a look.

It being an "unexpected" hire is fine, so long as whoever it is has some ties to the northeast, making them less likely to bolt.

What do you think of this guy as a HC candidate?  I kind of like his bona fides, especially since he's an east coast guy and not likely to bolt in the near term.



Eric Eaton returns for his second season on the Iona men's basketball staff in 2018-19 under the direction of Tim Cluess. Eaton has helped guide Iona to its third (2018) and fourth (2019) straight MAAC Championships and NCAA Tournament appearances.

Eaton has established himself as a premier assistant coach with 18 years of NCAA Division I experience. He has been to seven NCAA Tournaments, an NIT, and 11 total postseason appearances. Eaton has been directly involved in all aspects of running four different Division I programs including recruiting, practice planning, on court coaching and opponent scouting, academic monitoring and fundraising.

Prior to Iona, Eaton was an assistant at Iona's MAAC rival Quinnipiac.  His recruiting prowess yielded the Bobcats five players who scored 1,000 or more points (Justin Rutty, James Johnson, Ousmane Drame, Umar Shannon and Cameron Young) and two who pulled down over 1,000 rebounds (Rutty, Drame). Rutty was the 2010 Northeast Conference Player of the Yea while Young was the 2019 MAAC Player of the Year.  Eaton also was responsible for the recruitment of 2017 MAAC All-Rookie selection Peter Kiss. He is well connected in the New England Prep Schools, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland and Washington D.C. as well as at the Junior College level nationally.

At Quinnipiac, Eaton coordinated the individual instruction of the post players, where he was instrumental in developing Justin Rutty (2010 NEC Player of the Year, 2011 First Team All-NEC), Ike Azotam (2012 & 2013 All-NEC Second Team, 2014 All-MAAC First Team) and Ousmane Drame (2012 NEC All-Rookie, 2014 & 2015 All-MAAC Second Team). In total, five of his former frontcourt players at Quinnipiac went on to the professional ranks after graduation. The Bobcats were also consistently ranked as one of the top rebounding teams in the country, leading the nation in at least one rebounding category for six years in a row from 2010-11 through 2015-16, including the 2013-14 season, when the Bobcats ranked first nationally in total rebounds, offensive rebounds, defensive rebounds and rebounding margin.

Eaton played a major role in the most successful five-year stretch in Quinnipiac history. The program recorded 98 wins from 2009-14, won a NEC regular season title in 2010, and participated in four postseason tournaments (2010 NIT, 2011 & 2014 CIT and 2012 CBI). Quinnipiac also had the largest three-year APR turnaround in the country from 2008-10 (+219 points) and posted the highest GPA in the Northeast Conference from 2010-2012.

Recognized as one of the top coaches in the region and nationally, Eaton was called out by Collegeinsider.com as one of 30 assistants nationally “Ready to Run Their Own Program” in 2016. In 2012, he was selected to attend the Nike Villa 7 Consortium. At this prestigious event, VCU's Center for Sport Leadership, VCU athletics and Nike brought together university athletic directors and the country's elite assistant basketball coaches in an effort to prepare the next generation of college basketball leaders. Eaton was also named the No. 3 assistant in the Northeast Conference by FoxSports.com after the 2009-10 season, while he earned an honorable mention on the CollegeInsider.com Top 25 Mid-Major Assistants list following the 2008-09 season.

Prior to Quinnipiac, Eaton joined the University at Albany staff as an assistant for the 2005-06 season. The Great Danes finished 21-11 and reached the 2006 NCAA tournament for the first time at the NCAA Division I level. Eaton was then elevated to Associate Head Coach and the Great Danes won the 2007 America East Tournament Championship while earning an NCAA berth for the second consecutive season.

During his time with the Great Danes, Eaton played a key role in developing a two-time America East Player of the Year, three all-league performers and a Defensive Player of the Year. The team also posted the highest team grade point average in the America East for those two seasons.

Prior to joining the Albany staff, Eaton coached at the College of the Holy Cross from 2000-04 under head coach Ralph Willard. While in Worcester, the Crusaders won the Patriot League championship and reached the NCAA Tournament in three consecutive seasons (2001-03). During that period, Eaton recruited the Patriot League's Rookie of the Year and a two-time First Team All-League player. He also assisted in the development of 15 players who earned all-league or all-rookie recognition, including three Player of the Year award winners.

Eaton was an assistant coach for one year at Assumption College in Worcester, MA prior to joining the Holy Cross staff. He also worked at Anna Maria College from 1997-99 and was a volunteer assistant at UMass-Dartmouth when that program won 20 games and made a NCAA Division III Tournament appearance.

A member of the UMass-Dartmouth Athletic Hall of Fame, Eaton played on three Little East Conference championship teams that reached the NCAA tournament in the mid-1990s including a Final Four in 1993. He earned his undergraduate degree in business management.

Eric and his wife, Alexis, are the parents of twin boys, Evan and Owen.

Wolfie... you think Claxton would be interested in coaching SBU? I would think he is shoe in as next Hofstra coach, when Mihalich moves to a higher paying job.

I have a few expectations for this hire- I'd prefer a local guy who will want to stay here. I think Pikiell really would have stayed here forever but its hard to turn down a Big 10 offer. He loved living here and raising his family locally. Priore, for all his warts, loves being in this area. Despite cost of living and whatnot, Long Island is still IMHO a great place to be. I want a guy with a good pedigree and who can recruit well.

If it were up to me, Speedy Claxton would be my #1 target. He knows NYC and Long Island, was a 1st round NBA draft pick, and seems to be an apt recruiter. He also lives in Dix Hills so you don't have to sell him on Long Island. I'll give Hofstra credit where its due- their team has come a long way with multiple solid recruiting classes.

Jay Young should also get a look but I get the sense that ship has sailed. Again, he's a guy that knows the area and really built the solid Stony Brook defenses that we knew and loved.

I don't love these firms for coaching searches to be honest- I think a comprehensive search by the administration would be sufficient.

Great post.

Disagree on Clayton...no Hofstra guys.

Agree on Young...he should have been the choice back then, should be the choice now. Great coach, great guy, and loyal SBU guy. But as you say, that ship may have sailed.

Agree on search firms...what a joke. AD’s get paid big bucks and then pay big bucks to aid in decisions they should be able to make themselves.




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Paul Hewitt's an island guy who's recruited on a national level at a couple places. I wonder if he's getting the itch to return to the bench. Do we want a proven coach/retread like him or Pecora, or a up-and-comer with his first head coaching gig?

Somebody else brought up Pitino. That would certainly fill the seats, but too filthy for this job. Kevin Ollie too probably.

Newsday is reporting about Geno Ford too.

https://www.newsday.com/sports/college/stony-brook/geno-ford-basketball-coach-1.28956762

Not sure how or what I think about that.

He was really good at Kent State and really awful at Bradley.