The landscape shuffled a little bit in the last three days, and the number of head-coaching openings has dwindled to seven (the most notable: Oklahoma State, Providence and Stanford). But there were still some interesting decisions, both by players and coaches.
Good move: Dominic James stays at Marquette for his senior season. This is a nice early gift for new coach Buzz Williams. James' value was probably higher two years ago than it is now, which is sort of startling. But he's still an above-average point guard in a league stacked with above-average teams. If fellow senior-to-be Jerel McNeal returns, bump the Golden Eagles' expectations up a tick for next year.
Bad move: Providence whiffs again. The good news for Providence is that athletic director Bob Driscoll is targeting superb coaches. But both George Mason's Jim Larranaga and Massachusetts' Travis Ford have publicly turned down the Friars, and the most logical fallback plan for the Big East school --- Craig Robinson from crosstown Brown --- has already bolted for Oregon State. Driscoll is understandably busy with his NCAA hockey committee duties at the Frozen Four this week, so it's not the drawn-out process that is a concern. Rather, it's the perception that Providence isn't all that appealing a gig even if it dwells in the Big East --- or because the Friars' chances of seriously moving beyond a program that wins 15-20 games a year are hindered by their membership in the colossal confederation. And coaches turning you down --- even good coaches with comfortable gigs --- doesn't help that perception at all.
Good move: O.J. Mayo turns pro. This will go down as the second-most predictable early entry, right behind Michael Beasley whenever he decides to bolt Kansas State in the coming days. Southern California spent much of the season hovering around the outskirts of the top 25, so a lot of people didn't really develop their opinions of Mayo beyond the initial hype. But he ultimately proved to be really good, averaging 20.7 points and 4.5 rebounds, and barring anything too crazy he'll at least be an above-average NBA player. He's pretty much a lottery lock, which is why it is hard to argue with his decision.
What-the-heck? move: Purdue freshman Scott Martin opts to transfer. Part of the Boilermakers' cornerstone freshman class is on the move after a season. Martin averaged 8.5 points for Purdue, which surprisingly contended for the Big Ten title and lost in the second round of the NCAA tournament to Xavier. He filled a sixth man role, and will have no shortage of places to wind up at in the coming months. But possessing plenty of options doesn't make the decision any easier to figure out.
Bad move: UMBC assistant Frankie Allen takes over at UMES. It's hard to blame a guy who was a head coach for 18 years at three other stops for wanting to be one again. Allen worked at Virginia Tech, Tennessee State (where he earned NCAA tournament nods in 1993 and 1994) and Howard, and at age 59, it's pretty clear the guy still has a head coaching itch to scratch. But if you look up the phrase "coaching graveyard" in a thesaurus, chances are UMES is the first synonym you'll come up with. In the last 33 years, only one of the Hawks' 11 coaches has left Princess Anne with a winning record. And yes, some elementary math shows that the average tenure in that span is three years. Here's wishing Allen --- who helped UMBC earn its first NCAA berth this season --- the best of luck; history indicates he'll need it.
--- Patrick Stevens
