Patrick Beilein moving up the coaching ladder again; LeMoyne to Niagra
I know plenty of Michigan basketball fans are following the career of Patrick Beilein in earnest in hopes that he can continue the legacy of his dad in Ann Arbor. Well, he's taking another step up the ladder.
He'll move from DII LeMoyne to DI Niagra, which is in the MAAC. Still seems like he's another full step away from a job like Michigan (i.e. he'll need to do well at Niagra and then move on to a mid-major before he'd be considered for a high major). Doesn't look like the timing will be right at this point, but you never know.
Niagara can definitely help a man move up.
that is a nery nery good point.
surprised he didn't hold out for an even bigger job. he was in contention for some.
Good Luck Patrick and hjope he continues to enjoy winning success!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Why can’t Saddi Washington carry on the legacy?
March 28th, 2019 at 10:38 AM ^
Every time I read stories about Yaklich, I always think that Washington is not getting his due. He is the lead assistant, and took over when the team was in Europe and also when Beilein got tossed at PSU. Seems he doesn't get the press that he deserves.
March 28th, 2019 at 11:38 AM ^
He's also an excellent recruiter.
March 28th, 2019 at 12:31 PM ^
is he, though? I think Yak is the best recruiter on staff currently
Aww, thanks! <3 u too!
March 28th, 2019 at 11:38 AM ^
I'm not saying that Yaklich doesn't deserve the accolades, but I feel Washington gets short changed. I assume if anyone were to leave at this point for a HC job, it would be him.
March 28th, 2019 at 11:53 AM ^
That’s ok, let’s keep Saadi under the radar for a while.
As a former Sexton student I want to see Saddi go as far as he can.
I think the timing could end up perfect, really. I think that if health holds, Beilein has about five more years in him. If his son is legit, he could win at Niagra and take a head coaching job at a higher mid-major or other comparable job for a few years. If we wins there, come on down. Beilein-U.
March 28th, 2019 at 11:10 AM ^
I think Patrick is likely 5-6 years away from a power 5 job, but hopefully at this point we arent a typical power 5 job but more in the tier 2 power 5. I would guess he is still 10 years from getting a job like that.
March 28th, 2019 at 12:02 PM ^
I’d be interested in what the move after this is, in terms of region. I guess he was in the mix at Mercer as well, which is in Georgia, but obviously now he’s a Western New York guy. I’d agree he’s a few years away from P5.
March 28th, 2019 at 12:20 PM ^
You bring up an interesting point. If Michigan is a "Tier 2 Power" after the past seven years (2 NC, games, three Elite 8s....at least, B1G championships....), what is MSU? Who are the Tier 1 Powers? I'd go with Duke, UNC, Kentucky and Kansas. UCLA and Indiana might get emeritus status at Tier 1. That would leave UM, MSU, Villanova.....and maybe UVA......at the top of Tier 2.
If Beilein and Izzo both retired at the same time.....which is a better job, UM or MSU?
March 28th, 2019 at 12:44 PM ^
UM and MSU are both great jobs, but Michigan's is harder. You're expected to win at both, but Michigan has been particularly intolerant of cheating since the Ed Martin scandal.
Beilein is going to leave a strong legacy. Not just winning, not just running a clean program, but taking a lot of care in who he recruits. He's put a focus on character and academics that's worked well for him, but won't come easily to many other coaches.
Izzo will leave a strong legacy too. Of winning consistently and staying out of recruiting scandals. But his program has had it's share of stains and MSU has shown those aren't important as long as you win there.
i'm going to go out on a limb here and add that the SAT scores on average on beilein's teams just might be better than those of the sparty players. and if nothing else, beilein recruits high-character kids and that also makes his job more difficult than recruiting rapists to MSU.
We were never just another Power 5 job. Even when our program was down, we lured Tommy Amaker away from Seton Hall and Beilein from WVU. Remember that Beilein had the Mountaineers one overtime away from the Final Four. He knew he could still do bigger things here.
I saw two LeMoyne games this year. No big surprise, but the younger Beilein seemed very composed as a coach. Both games were close, but he really didn't get all that animated. That's not to say that he appeared disengaged--just that he didn't have a very fiery/expressive demeanor. By contrast, in one of the games the opposing coach was riding the refs all game and he was very demonstrative. (No, it wasn't Izzo Jr.)
Has he ever been as assistant coach? Asking for all announcers.
March 28th, 2019 at 10:09 AM ^
I assume you're being facetious, but I believe he was an assistant, analyst, or GA for his dad at both West Virginia and Michigan.
March 28th, 2019 at 10:34 AM ^
Facetious. Besides his UM GA stint, Patrick was an assistant coach at Dartmouth. Also the player development coach for the UTAH JAZZ! So he'll unfortunately never qualify under the "he has never been an assistant coach" category like his father. His West Va coaching gig was head coach at West Virginia Wesleyan College.
March 28th, 2019 at 11:06 AM ^
I figured as much. I'm glad my memory was correct, since I decided not to check Wikipedia before firing off a response.
March 28th, 2019 at 11:34 AM ^
We should check with KENTUCKY TRANSFER Charles Matthews, or maybe ask CURRENT UCF PLAYER Aubrey Dawkins.
March 28th, 2019 at 12:55 PM ^
Does Xavier Simpson practice that crazy hook shot?
March 28th, 2019 at 10:12 AM ^
Good for Patrick and good for the Beilein crew. Whether he ever ends up here or not, I’m sure he will do well.
March 28th, 2019 at 10:13 AM ^
First things first though, gotta cheer on Dad and maybe give him a few pointers ;)
Anaheim for the #SweetSixteen with my 2 Favorite’s❤️ #GoBlue @JohnBeilein pic.twitter.com/nJAnC893K4
— Patrick Beilein (@PBeilein) March 28, 2019
March 28th, 2019 at 10:20 AM ^
I would rather have an assistant currently on staff as option #1. If that doesn't occur, I would rather see a young coach with mid-major experience or major D1 experience without the same last name. We don't need a coach that has to live up to a relative's accomplishments, and sometimes it's best for the program to add a coach with new ideas/perspective.
March 28th, 2019 at 10:36 AM ^
Nothing like some good ole nepotism
March 28th, 2019 at 10:51 AM ^
Regarding saying Patrick is the heir apparent to his dad at Michigan.
Good for Patrick. He seems like a great dude, just like his dad.
March 28th, 2019 at 11:10 AM ^
Nepotism is really only a problem if the family members are unqualified or under qualified compared to the competition.
I would consider saying Pat should be the next Michigan coach after his dad "nepotism". What has he done besides be related to John Beilein that would suggest he should be the next Michigan coach?
Michigan is a top 10 (or so) job in college basketball. It's going to be a very attractive place when John retires
March 28th, 2019 at 11:23 AM ^
Patrick's probably a bit too young to take over for his dad. But he could take over after Washington/Yaklich/Jordan retire.
March 28th, 2019 at 11:25 AM ^
When you take Niagara it will grow on you.
March 28th, 2019 at 11:42 AM ^
But not longer than 4 hours.
March 28th, 2019 at 11:43 AM ^
PSA: It's spelled Niagara. We're not selling ED medication in here
March 28th, 2019 at 11:44 AM ^
Niagara is on the rise
...which is funny when you think about, as Niagara University is near a place where the Niagara River drops quite precipitously.
March 28th, 2019 at 11:48 AM ^
Michigan should be hiring the best coach available if/when Beilein does retire... currently my feeling is that it would either be Luke or Saddi
no offense, but outside of having the same last name, no one would be following Patrick Beilein's coaching career...so far, i haven't heard or seen enough that would make me think that he'd be a future coach at Michigan...
Probably not the immediate successor to John Beilein, but if he's half as smart as his dad, he'll probably get a nice Power 5 job at some point and be in contention when he's in his 50s. Worth keeping an eye on for the long term.
If we're talking best coach available, it wouldn't be Yaklich or Washington either. Yaklich has only even been at the college coaching level for 5 years, all as an assistant. If Pat Beilein puts together a couple solid years at Niagara, it could be easily argued he'd be better qualified than Yaklich imo.
Washington is the most qualified of the 3. He was at Western for a decade, including a few as "associate head coach" whatever that means.
If Washington or Yaklich wants the job in 4-5 years, they should probably take a head coaching gig somewhere. Michigan will be at a high enough level they shouldn't settle for an unproven, young assistant coach.
March 29th, 2019 at 12:35 AM ^
fair points... i think that getting out on your own, esp coach Yaklich, is important...
Michigan should not feel obligated to go with anyone with ties to the program as that eliminates a lot of potential candidates...I like the guys on staff, but you are right about Michigan being able to attract a lot of top coaches outside of the program
March 28th, 2019 at 11:57 AM ^
I'd get out of LeMoyne too-- their Raiders are flat-out assholes.
March 28th, 2019 at 12:40 PM ^
i think he's on the precipice of a great career
2 years at Niagara then 2-3 at a mid major with high success at both stops and hes on the radar. I have wondered though if he takes a longer time to get here would they hire him as an assistant to be the coach in waiting for when his dad does retire. Seems like if yaklich were to leave in the meantime it wouldn’t be out of the question to bring Patrick on as an assistant and let him get time at a high major college that way. It’s something that could be considered...
A number of UB fans wanted to hire him. Guess he wasn’t on their radar cause Buffalo is certainly a better job than Niagra.
Siena missed out on a gem. Will be interesting to see what happens to Siena and Niagara in the next 5 years
Bucknell would be a nice stop after Niagara. I'd even buy season tickets.