[Rosiak's Blog] Monarch promoted; Lundy hired

[ToddRosiakSays]

Monarch promoted; Lundy hired
               

As it turned out, coach Buzz Williams didn't have to look far for his replacement for departed assistant Dale Layer.

Scott Monarch, one of Williams' closest friends who served as his director of basketball operations last season, has been promoted to the assistant's role that Layer left vacant when he accepted the head-coaching job at Liberty University in early April.

“In order to have success at an elite level, in my opinion, it is imperative that your entire organization functions as a team,” Williams said.  “Coach Monarch’s skill set, coupled with his passion to be the ultimate teammate, made this decision easy.

“I have known Scott my entire career, trust him completely and admire his ingenuity in manufacturing the success he has had at every stop. He is more than deserving of this opportunity and I know that we will all benefit because of his talent.”

Monarch was an assistant under Williams at New Orleans in 2006-'07, and in 2007-'08 was an assistant at Tyler (Texas) Junior College, where he helped coach current MU players Jimmy Butler and Joe Fulce.

Prior to that Monarch spent six seasons as head coach at Panola College in Carthage, Texas. A graduate of Mississippi Valley State, Monarch has also served as an associate head coach at Tennessee State (1999-2000) and Kentucky Wesleyan (1996-'98).

Filling Monarch's spot as MU's director of basketball operations will be Bart Lundy, who spent the last six seasons as head coach at Division I High Point University in High Point, N.C.

High Point, a member of the Big South Conference, went 96-87 during Lundy's tenure. Prior to that he was head coach for five seasons at Division II Queens University in Charlotte.

"It’s not hard to figure out that I root for those that have come up the hard way in our industry and have had success, despite the hurdles involved at each locale,” Williams said.  “Coach Lundy is another example of that, as he joins our staff. I have known of him longer than I have known him personally and I am excited about who he is, the example he will be for our players and his experience as a head coach will be invaluable to our program."

Lundy, 37, is a 1994 graduate of Winthrop.
               

http://www.jsonline.com/blogs/sports/48773232.html
               

[ToddRosiakSays]

Monarch promoted; Lundy hired
               

As it turned out, coach Buzz Williams didn't have to look far for his replacement for departed assistant Dale Layer.

Scott Monarch, one of Williams' closest friends who served as his director of basketball operations last season, has been promoted to the assistant's role that Layer left vacant when he accepted the head-coaching job at Liberty University in early April.

“In order to have success at an elite level, in my opinion, it is imperative that your entire organization functions as a team,” Williams said.  “Coach Monarch’s skill set, coupled with his passion to be the ultimate teammate, made this decision easy.

“I have known Scott my entire career, trust him completely and admire his ingenuity in manufacturing the success he has had at every stop. He is more than deserving of this opportunity and I know that we will all benefit because of his talent.”

Monarch, 42, was an assistant under Williams at New Orleans in 2006-'07, and in 2007-'08 was an assistant at Tyler (Texas) Junior College, where he helped coach current MU players Jimmy Butler and Joe Fulce.

Prior to that Monarch spent six seasons as head coach at Panola College in Carthage, Texas. A graduate of Mississippi Valley State, Monarch has also served as an associate head coach at Tennessee State (1999-2000) and Kentucky Wesleyan (1996-'98).

Filling Monarch's spot as MU's director of basketball operations will be Bart Lundy, who spent the last six seasons as head coach at Division I High Point University in High Point, N.C.

High Point, a member of the Big South Conference, went 96-87 during Lundy's tenure. Prior to that he was head coach for five seasons at Division II Queens University in Charlotte.

"It’s not hard to figure out that I root for those that have come up the hard way in our industry and have had success, despite the hurdles involved at each locale,” Williams said.  “Coach Lundy is another example of that, as he joins our staff. I have known of him longer than I have known him personally and I am excited about who he is, the example he will be for our players and his experience as a head coach will be invaluable to our program."

Lundy, 37, is a 1994 graduate of Winthrop.
               

http://www.jsonline.com/blogs/sports/48773232.html
               

[Golden Avalanche]

Saw this one coming the day Layer left the program. I am very disappointed with this move. Would have been better shoring up the east coast connections. Most will spin and say that Buzz did his due diligence and didn't think the candidates were up for it; I think otherwise.

[Skatastrophy]

Saw this one coming the day Layer left the program. I am very disappointed with this move. Would have been better shoring up the east coast connections. Most will spin and say that Buzz did his due diligence and didn't think the candidates were up for it; I think otherwise.

I'm not convinced that hiring an individual from a specific region is a better move than hiring the best man for the job.

[Big Papi]

I was hoping for a more established coach similar to a Layer in terms of experience but for a younger type coach, Lundy is a great hire. He got a raw deal at High Point.  I just wonder if Lundy would have been better as the assistant instead of as the director of basketball operations.

[GOMU1104]

It looks like Buzz feels better about Monarch's recruiting ability, than Lundy's. Both coaches will be invovled in coaching the current team...but I beleve the DOBO is restricted when it comes to recruiting.

[drbeauch]

Lundy was likely responsible for high number of North Carolina kids at the recent MU Elite camp - while he may be limited in recruiting as DOBO vs assistant coach, he cleary has the east coast connections thatThe Golden Avalanche is looking for. I see this as a very good hire....

[Skatastrophy]

A funny thing about Lundy is that he's bald too.  It seems that Buzz has a preference towards candidates that lack hair 

[ChicosBailBonds]

1) Bummer,  I won't have to eat my shoe since Billy Gillespie wasn't hired.  


2) I'm not sure trading Monarch for Layer is a good trade.  One thing I loved about Buzz last year was the staff he put together.  With Layer's departure, I was hoping for someone similar to Layer's stature, but that may have been asking too much.

But Buzz trusts him implicitly and that's what you need in the trenches.  Hopefully he's up to the task.

Lundy is an interesting hire.    Some solid comments about him from the fans of High Point here.   http://www.greensborosports.com/2009/03/09/bart-lundy-out-as-hpu-basketball-coach/

Wishing them both success.

[ChicosBailBonds]

I'm not convinced that hiring an individual from a specific region is a better move than hiring the best man for the job.

Which begs the question...did the latter happen?  I don't know, just asking.

[Nukem2]

In the end, I suspect the recruiters are Buzz, Tony and Aki.  Monarch and Lundy bring their own talents irregardless of their titles.  In the end, its probably a solid staff.  Reading Lundy's bio at High Point, it appears that he favors a fast-paced offense.  I'm sure he'll bring much to the table as he was quite successful at High Point until this past season when he had a very young squad.

[Golden Avalanche]

Lundy was likely responsible for high number of North Carolina kids at the recent MU Elite camp - while he may be limited in recruiting as DOBO vs assistant coach, he cleary has the east coast connections thatThe Golden Avalanche is looking for. I see this as a very good hire....

Not really. I should clarify this: by east coast, I mean the NYC-metro. We have yet to see Benford's impact in Chicago and even though we're listed with NYC kids, I am skeptical we have the connections to land them in Aki alone. For me, these are two major regions we need to focus on for future success in the Big East.

Buzz kept it all in the family. He promoted his best friend (but why take seven weeks to do so?) and hired one of Layer's former assistants from Queens. The MU bio spotlights Lundy's recruiting ability which makes it strange that he'd be put in a recruiting-restricted position. Lundy looks like a good addition but why hamstring his value?

[Tulsa Warrior]

Could it be that Buzz knows more about the situation, talents and needs than we do?

[Blackhat]

I like that Buzz is rewarding Monarch for the hard work he has put in.

But looking at it from afar it seems Lundy has the better resume than Monarch. 

[avid1010]

Could it be that Buzz knows more about the situation, talents and needs than we do?

+10000000000000000

Buzz has more riding on these choices than anyone. 

[Canned Goods n Ammo]

+10000000000000000

Buzz has more riding on these choices than anyone. 

I agree with that.

I usually default to: "The coach knows his players and staff the best".

[downtown85]

I found this website while googling Scott Monarch.  Hadn't seen this before.

http://www.scottmonarch.com/

[downtown85]

Lundy was likely responsible for high number of North Carolina kids at the recent MU Elite camp - while he may be limited in recruiting as DOBO vs assistant coach, he cleary has the east coast connections thatThe Golden Avalanche is looking for. I see this as a very good hire....

How could Lundy be responsible for getting the NC recruits to MU when he is not allowed to call recruits as DOBO?  He left his High Point job in early March and was "hired" by MU at the end of June.  As far as I know, unemployed coaches are not subject to NCAA recruting rules regarding contacting recruits during quiet periods.  Lundy (and Buzz) would never exploit such a loophole would he (they)? 

[Skatastrophy]

Lundy (and Buzz) would never exploit such a loophole would he (they)? 

I recall a post soon after Layer accepted his new position on this topic.  That post stated, fairly plainly, that Marquette had chosen Layer's replacement but was waiting to officially hire him just so that they could exploit that loophole.

It's an interesting idea to be sure

[pbiflyer]

Could it be that Buzz knows more about the situation, talents and needs than we do?

Don't be stupid. I bet Buzz doesn't spend nearly the time reading basketball related bulletin boards that we do.

[rocky_warrior]

But looking at it from afar it seems Lundy has the better resume than Monarch. 

Agreed.

Could it be that Buzz knows more about the situation, talents and needs than we do?

Well, I certainly hope so 

[Golden Avalanche]

Good thing we have a forum where we can discuss these issues intelligently and maturely and flesh them out. That's assuming of course 75% of the people don't default into a "Buzz is our leader; he is always right" mindset. Feels like TC circa 2003/2004.

I think most everyone has gone home for the summer. 

[Goatherder]

Good thing we have a forum where we can discuss these issues intelligently and maturely and flesh them out. That's assuming of course 75% of the people don't default into a "Buzz is our leader; he is always right" mindset. Feels like TC circa 2003/2004.

I think most everyone has gone home for the summer. 

I prefer that to the default, "I am a basketball fan.  I think I know what is going on, though for the most part I am guessing.  I am mad because events did not go the way I thought they should have, based upon my nearly complete lack of information."

Buzz knows basketball coaches.  He knows them better than most people here, who probably could not name a dozen D-1 assistants.  So people here have no idea who was available, or whether they were good or bad.  What we do know is that Buzz put together a very good staff last year.  Buzz is a network kind of guy.  He is getting a guy from his network, somebody who worked for Layer, who Buzz also worked for.  So he is getting a guy he is familiar with, with, with a similar philosophy of how to coach the team.  His position is largely irrelevant, as he is going to be coaching like all the rest.  He just will not be off campus recruiting.  However, Monarch, who has been on the staff for a year, is more familiar with the players, got a look at how Buzz operated his program last year, and has an idea of how Buzz wants to recruit, will be.  So maybe the staff get shuffled next year.  More likely, Lundy moves up when Collins or Benford get a head job.  Or he gets one himself. 

Last year, somebody tried to show through statistical analysis that Marquette made the wrong hire, and described it as Cottingham "having another 'Oops! I just crapped my pants again!' moment."  Of course, the commentator knew nothing, so taking zero and running it through some complicated formula he learned in business school, he still came up with zero, but thought he actually knew something.  This is much the same.  If the casual fan should not trust the coach on this one, a coach whose method is to build relationships with other coaches, then who  does that casual fan think he should have hired instead?  And "somebody better" is not an answer.  Come up with a name, then explain why that person is a better candidate. 

[kmwtrucks]

I look at things the other way.  How many programs have a 6 year DIV 1 head coach, who has had some success and is still young, as the DOBO?  When your DOBO has that strong a resume than that will just make the whole staff better.  I feel like under Crean our DOBO was a guy who had no coaching experience at any level let alone head coaching experience.

[Galway03]

  I talked to some friends in Charlotte last night and they told me that this is a very good hire. Apparently Lundy has done remarkable things with less than decent support, financially and in other regards. They said that the High Point program was a joke when he took it over.