[Cracked Sidewalks] Dale Layer named assistant coach at MU

[GoMarquetteSays]

Williams Adds Dale Layer To Staff As An Assistant Coach
       

First-year Marquette University head men's basketball coach Buzz Williams has filled a third position on his debut coaching staff with longtime friend and mentor Dale Layer.
       


Milwaukee - First-year Marquette University head men's basketball coach Buzz Williams has filled a third position on his debut coaching staff with longtime friend and mentor Dale Layer.

A veteran of the collegiate coaching business with nearly 30 years of experience as both an assistant and head coach (16 seasons as a program mentor), Layer brings to the Golden Eagles a wealth of experience and success both on and off the court. His career has already included multiple postseason appearances, coach of the year accolades, all-conference performers and NBA draft selections.

"Coach Layer is the exact right fit for what we needed on this staff" Williams said. "He has impeccable character and is one of the best I have been around in terms of taking care of the players. His career path to this point is different from the other coaches on staff, allowing him to bring a unique perspective to the program."

Layer arrives in Milwaukee after most recently serving as an assistant coach at Liberty University under Ritchie McKay. Layer helped guide the Flames to 16 victories in 2007-08, his lone season with the program.

While the head coach at Colorado State, Layer had a 103-106 record (seven years), including a 17-13 mark in 2006-07. In 2003, Layer led the Rams to the Mountain West Conference Championship and its first NCAA Tournament bid in 13 years, falling to Duke in the first round. He was twice voted the region's coach of the year by the National Basketball Coaches Association and helped several student-athletes garner all-conference accolades.

Layer has also demonstrated the ability to develop talent, including former Colorado State center Jason Smith. The seven-footer scored over 1,500 points for Layer's Rams during his three seasons with the program before entering the NBA Draft following his junior campaign. Due to his development under Layer's tutelage, Smith was chosen with the 20th selection of the NBA Draft's first round by the Miami Heat. His rights were traded to the Philadelphia 76ers, with whom he recently completed a solid rookie season. Several of Layer's recruiting classes at Colorado State were ranked among the top 40 nationally by various recruiting publications.

Click here to find out more!

   

Layer has a career 270-193 record (16 years) as a head coach, including nine seasons at the helm of Queens University (formally Queens College) in Charlotte, N.C. He also served as the athletics director while at the school.

After graduating with a bachelor's of arts in psychology from Eckerd College in St. Petersburg, Fla., in 1980, Layer started his coaching career as an assistant under Jim Harley, his former coach. Before moving on to Queens University, Layer spent seven of the next eight years at Eckerd College, except for the 1982-83 season when he was an assistant at Eastern Kentucky. While at Eastern Kentucky, Layer completed a master's of arts in counseling in 1983.

Layer made the jump to Division I in 1998, when McKay took the head coaching job at Colorado State and named him to his staff. During McKay's two seasons with the Rams, Layer helped lead Colorado State to the NIT in 1999, defeating Mississippi State and Colorado, before falling to eventual champion, California.

Layer and his wife, the former Brenda Peterson, have three children: Valerie (23), Tim (21) and Ethan (16).

Coaching Experience
2007-08   Asst. Coach      Liberty
2000-07   Head Coach      Colorado State
1998-00   Asst. Coach      Colorado State
1989-98   Head Coach      Queens College
1983-88   Asst. Coach      Eckerd College
1982-83   Grad. Asst. Coach       Eastern Kentucky
1980-82   Asst. Coach      Eckerd College

Head Coaching Record Colorado State 2000-07 103-106 7 years Queens College 1989-98 167-87 9 years Total 270-193 16 years



http://onlyfans.cstv.com/schools/marq/sports/m-baskbl/spec-rel/050308aac.html
       

[CrackedSidewalksSays]

Dale Layer named assistant coach at MU

Written by: NY Warrior

Buzz Williams went with experience and familiarity to fill the final assistant coaching spot on his bench when he welcomed former Colorado State head coach Dale Layer to Marquette.

Layer, head coach of the Rams from 2000 - 2007, led CSU to one conference title and compiled a 103-106 record overall.  Buzz Williams served on Layer's staff in Colorado Springs for four years.  Layer spent this past season as an assistant at Liberty University and has been in the coaching business for 30 years.

Read all the details here at GoMarquette.com

So, Buzz Williams will go to battle with Tony Benford, Dale Layer and Aki Collins.  These coaches are an interesting mix given that their strong national footprint as coaches does not include the significant Midwestern flavor that characterize most Marquette coaching staffs.

With this hire, Williams has a decidedly veteran assistant coaching staff considering Layer and Benford combine for more than 45 years on the sidelines.  Throw Collins' New York City heritage and recent work at a Jesuit university, and the make-up of the staff appears strong - with only the one glaring weakness:

• Can this group of coaches successfully recruit the Midwest?  

Perhaps they don't need to -- well, let's not go that far.

Recently, MU's roster has been built with recruits from outside of MU's home region.  Still, recruiting well close to home -- ie, MU's own back yard and Chicagoland -- will be one aspect of the next six months (until National Signing Day) fans will track closely.

http://www.crackedsidewalks.com/2008/05/dale-layer-named-assistant-coach-at-mu.html

[mviale]

Did Midwest Recruiting get us the championship in 77?

[CrackedSidewalksSays]

Dale Layer named assistant coach at MU

Written by: NY Warrior

Buzz Williams went with experience and familiarity to fill the final assistant coaching spot on his bench when he welcomed former Colorado State head coach Dale Layer to Marquette.

Layer, head coach of the Rams from 2000 - 2007, led CSU to one conference title and compiled a 103-106 record overall.  Buzz Williams served on Layer's staff in Fort Collins for four years.  Layer spent this past season as an assistant at Liberty University and has been in the coaching business for 30 years.

Read all the details here at GoMarquette.com

So, Buzz Williams will go to battle with Tony Benford, Dale Layer and Aki Collins.  These coaches are an interesting mix given that their strong national footprint as coaches does not include the significant Midwestern flavor that characterize most Marquette coaching staffs.

With this hire, Williams has a decidedly veteran assistant coaching staff considering Layer and Benford combine for more than 45 years on the sidelines.  Throw Collins' New York City heritage and recent work at a Jesuit university, and the make-up of the staff appears strong - with only the one glaring weakness:

• Can this group of coaches successfully recruit the Midwest?  

Perhaps they don't need to -- well, let's not go that far.

Recently, MU's roster has been built with recruits from outside of MU's home region.  Still, recruiting well close to home -- ie, MU's own back yard and Chicagoland -- will be one aspect of the next six months (until National Signing Day) fans will track closely.

http://www.crackedsidewalks.com/2008/05/dale-layer-named-assistant-coach-at-mu.html

[mviale]

I think this is a great hire, but can someone explain how one goes from Colorado State to Liberty?

[NYWarrior]

a think this is a great hire, but can someone explain how one goes from Colorado State to Liberty?

one gets canned

[nyg]

The coaching profession in all sports equates to taking care of "others"  The "others" are coaches who are fired, resign and then want back, etc.  Happens all the time, see Sampson to the Bucks as an example just this week.  I am pleased Buzz went with a guy who had significant tenure as a head coach, even though Colorado State is not a B-ball powerhouse.  Buzz went with someone he can trust and learn from, especially the x and o's, so credit is due here.  Lets see how this shakes out.

[NYWarrior]

Did Midwest Recruiting get us the championship in 77?

It's hard to say it no. Ellis, Gary Rosenberger, Jerome Whitehead were all fairly important parts of that 1977 team.  Chicago, Milwaukee and Waukegan, respectively.

Not to mention others on the roster like Neary, Byrd, Dudley and Butrym -- all from the midwest.....so, that's 7 of the 10 guys on the 1977 team from the Midwest.

[bma725]

The coaching profession in all sports equates to taking care of "others"  The "others" are coaches who are fired, resign and then want back, etc.  Happens all the time, see Sampson to the Bucks as an example just this week.  I am pleased Buzz went with a guy who had significant tenure as a head coach, even though Colorado State is not a B-ball powerhouse.  Buzz went with someone he can trust and learn from, especially the x and o's, so credit is due here.  Lets see how this shakes out.

If you read some comments from CSU fans, Layer is not an Xs and Os guy.  In fact, many felt Buzz was the Xs and Os guy on that team and they would have been better off if they had just turned that over to Buzz and let Layer do the recruiting and handle the media.

[mviale]

yes, but does MU make the Final Four without that starting backcourt?

We can live with Midwest recruiting, but we can reach the next level by recruiting Big East talent.

Let me add that I know we have had some great players from the midwest - Wade recently, but the players that made MU in the 70s were from east coast:

Lucas, George Thompson, Lee, Worthen, Tatum and Meminger.

[nyg]

If Layer is not the x and o's guy, then we have four recruiting coaches.  If this is factual, then it's a questionable hire.

[bma725]

If Layer is not the x and o's guy, then we have four recruiting coaches.  If this is factual, then it's a questionable hire.

Benford is more of a player development and x and o guy than recruiter.  And again, the CSU fans seem to think very highly of Buzz's x and o's ability.  They seem to think this a better situation than what they had at CSU, Layer is better as a recruiting assistant and Buzz is now in charge of strategy.

[nyg]

Lets hope they all work together as a team, not components and get the job done. Should be an interesting ride.

[ToddRosiakSays]

Layer rounds out staff

Written by: Todd Rosiak

Eight years ago, Dale Layer hired a young up-and-coming assistant named Buzz Williams to his staff at Colorado State.
On Saturday, their relationship came full circle as Williams hired Layer to round out his staff at Marquette University.
"There's definitely a comfort level there, but that's not the reason I hired him," said Williams. "I hired because he's the exact right person, right coach for what we need within our staff. I didn't want to hire people because of prior relationships; I wanted to make sure I hired people with impeccable character, which Coach Layer definitely has."
A head coach for 16 years at various collegiate levels, Layer comes to MU after a one-year stint as an assistant at Liberty University. Prior to that, Layer compiled a 103-106 record in seven years at Colorado State, where he led the Rams to the Mountain West Conference championship and their first NCAA tournament bid in 13 years in 2003.
Layer has experience both recruiting and working with big men, most notably Jason Smith, who played three seasons for Layer at Colorado State before being selected 20th by the Miami Heat and then traded to the Philadelphia 76ers last summer.
Williams was an assistant to Layer from 2000-2003, and then was named associate head coach in 2004 before leaving for Texas A&M.
"Coach Williams is a dear friend, and we have a great relationship," Layer said. "Hopefully I'll be able to help him, encourage him and be a guy that can bring a little head-coaching experience and wisdom to the table."
Layer joins Tony Benford and Aki Collins, both of whom were hired by Williams last week. Prior to Colorado State, Layer also spent nine years as head coach and athletic director at Queens College in Charlotte, N.C., and had stints as an assistant at both Eastern Kentucky and Eckerd College.

"He's recruited, developed and coached NBA players," said Williams. "His career track is on a different path than the other coaches that I've hired. What he brings is unique. They all have a story, and I think all those stories combined help best put together the puzzle as it relates to the staff that we could have."

Williams and Layer had been in contact about the position ever since Williams was named as Tom Crean's replacement on April 7, but weren't able to finalize anything until the last day or so.

"It came in the middle of a heavy recruiting period for Coach Williams," said Layer. "He was putting out a lot of fires. It was a little bit of a long process, but there was a lot going on in the middle of it."



http://blogs.jsonline.com/muhoops/archive/2008/05/03/layer-rounds-out-staff.aspx

[muguru]

If Layer is not the x and o's guy, then we have four recruiting coaches.  If this is factual, then it's a questionable hire.

Talent, talent, & more talent that's what it takes to win consistently in the BE. If this staff can consistently recruit the top talent, things will be fine. Great talent can make up for shortcomings in other areas. That's not to say they don't need to be coached, but I'd take a team with top talent and lesser coaching any day over the opposite.

Al always used to tell other Coaches when they asked what the key to his success was "get some talent and get out of the way".  He would also be the first to tell anyone, he won because he had better players.

[Big Daddy Z]

I think it's a commited group that has very high expectations for themselves....the key as always will be their ability to recruit players that can excell in the Big Easy....their are some very experienced coaching staff's in the Big Easy...Buzz and the boys will be challanged, but I think they can get it done.