It's Waugh

[XU-PA]

not official till 2:30 i guess, but the players were notified.

[Masterofreality]

I had received a private e-mail saying not to publicize it, but Joe Kay of the Associated Press already Tweeted about it.

So much for keeping it under your hat.

Congratulations, Amy. I like the hire!!!

[XU-PA]

on the plus side for Coach Waugh.
She played the game, and will expect her players to put the same intensity into their game.
Maybe you haven't heard the story, but in XU's elite 8 year back then, Waugh tore an achilles early, or ,maybe it was a knee, in the season. Instead of just laying back and waiting to take off the cast she would head to the practice court every day, sit in a chair and shoot from all spots on the floor. That is dedication!
She is a magnet. When she was in uniform, she was one of those players that had her own audience, young budding ball players flocked to the game, and hung around afterwards just for a chance at talking to her, or getting an autograph. She had the same impact in the Xavier camps during her playing time.

I'll be very interesting in seeing the make up of her staff. I was very impressed with Neighbors and Morrow, wonder who she'll add. I think that with her years of experience, she'll want to add someone with strength in recruiting, perhaps someone with experience working with bigs

[Perma Fro]

Congrats to Amy.

This should make the banquet tonight even MORE interesting. Glad I have my ticket.

[MD Muskie]

Very cool to see a member of my graduating class achieve a high level position on campus that I am sure she coveted. Good Luck to her and the Lady Muskies.

[HomerCecil]

I like it. I remember that when she arrived on campus as a player, she'd made an extensive playbook just from watching Xavier play the season before. I'm pretty sure Balcomb took it and made copies for everyone else. If her playing days are any cue, we'll definitely have a much more structured offense than we've seen the past couple years.

With that said, and with all due respect to our current crop of players, people are going to have to be very patient. Next year is going to be a big challenge given what we lost out of this senior class and given we've lost at least one recruit for this class coming in.

[muskienick]

It's working with Chris Mack, a former Muskie player dedicated to learning the nuances of the game the hard way. Amy Waugh was cut from the same cloth.

I anticipate that Coach Waugh, over the next few years, will assemble a Xavier Women's Basketball program that will not only routinely excel in the A-10 but also fulfill and even exceed expectations on the national scene.

[blobfan]

Next year will likely be a rebuilding year but I don't look forward to giving up my women's season tickets any time soon. You can't beat it for the money and it'll be fun to watch a new coach build her program.

[GreatWhiteNorth]

Waugh's hire is in keeping with the X tradition...keeping it in the family.

[HomerCecil]

Unsurprisingly given the Cincinnati media, no one asked anything interesting during the press conference.

Amy's been here under both of our most successful coaches — playing for both Balcomb and McGuff, and then coaching under McGuff — and I would have been interested to hear what she learned from both of them, and what she plans to implement from either of them.

I'm personally really excited! I'd be curious to know who else interviewed for the job, but I assume we'll never know.

[XU-PA]

Unsurprisingly given the Cincinnati media, no one asked anything interesting during the press conference.

Amy's been here under both of our most successful coaches — playing for both Balcomb and McGuff, and then coaching under McGuff — and I would have been interested to hear what she learned from both of them, and what she plans to implement from either of them.

I'm personally really excited! I'd be curious to know who else interviewed for the job, but I assume we'll never know.

Yes, no surprise. Sounded like the enquirer and channel 12 were the only ones on hand.
I was impressed with Amy. I know it was only a few minutes, but then way she carried herself was not that of a 30 year old. She has the confidence and the knowledge to do the job. and I do like how she paid homage to Coach McGuff. He raised this program to new heights, she knows how tough it will be to maintain!

I was actually most interested to hear about her staff, wondering if she's retaining Neighbors and Morrow, I think they were valuable assets, also interested to knoe specifics about our recruiting class for 11/12 and interested if she has been on the recruiting trail this past week.

[XU-PA]

a nice welcome to the job from Coach Mack, via twitter.

"Congrats to @CoachWaugh. It's about time Xavier Basketball, men or women, hired a former player that was actually a good player...."

[muskienick]

a nice welcome to the job from Coach Mack, via twitter.

"Congrats to @CoachWaugh. It's about time Xavier Basketball, men or women, hired a former player that was actually a good player...."

Chris Mack has never been known as a guy who lacks a sense of humor. He doesn't disappoint once again. I also appreciate that his humor is of the self-deprecating variety! The two gym rats should get along great in leading the Muskies to their greatest heights.

[HomerCecil]

Mel Greenberg wrote in his blog that VCU coach Beth Cunningham and Notre Dame assistant Jontahan Tsipis interviewed at Xavier.

http://womhoops.blogspot.com/2011/04/guru-report-another-state-of-virginia.html

[XU-PA]

interesting read Homer. interesting that he named everyone but Waugh. Is her hire that much of a surprise?
Anyway, I suspect today's news conference will start the crescendo of hires and moves.

[X-band '01]

on the plus side for Coach Waugh.
She played the game, and will expect her players to put the same intensity into their game.
Maybe you haven't heard the story, but in XU's elite 8 year back then, Waugh tore an achilles early, or ,maybe it was a knee, in the season. Instead of just laying back and waiting to take off the cast she would head to the practice court every day, sit in a chair and shoot from all spots on the floor. That is dedication!
She is a magnet. When she was in uniform, she was one of those players that had her own audience, young budding ball players flocked to the game, and hung around afterwards just for a chance at talking to her, or getting an autograph. She had the same impact in the Xavier camps during her playing time.

I'll be very interesting in seeing the make up of her staff. I was very impressed with Neighbors and Morrow, wonder who she'll add. I think that with her years of experience, she'll want to add someone with strength in recruiting, perhaps someone with experience working with bigs

It was the Achilles that she tore during preseason in 2000-01; even the unsinkable Amy Waugh probably would not have been able to come back from an ACL tear in just a 2-3 month timeframe.

A happy day indeed; it's great to keep her in the Xavier program for years to come.

[GuyFawkes38]

So she graduated in 2003 which makes her 30'ish.

head coaches seems to be getting younger and younger.

[RoseyMuskie]

Kind of interesting that both Waugh and Mack played for X, coached at X, and also coached at Wake before being head coaches at X.

[1757Williams]

Kind of interesting that both Waugh and Mack played for X, coached at X, and also coached at Wake before being head coaches at X.

Good point, lets hope they can each achieve high success, and sustain it for an extended period of time!

[FLXFAN]

Congrats to Amy...I wish her the best of luck...GO X!

[spongebob]

Yes, no surprise. Sounded like the enquirer and channel 12 were the only ones on hand.
I was impressed with Amy. I know it was only a few minutes, but then way she carried herself was not that of a 30 year old. She has the confidence and the knowledge to do the job. and I do like how she paid homage to Coach McGuff. He raised this program to new heights, she knows how tough it will be to maintain!

I was actually most interested to hear about her staff, wondering if she's retaining Neighbors and Morrow, I think they were valuable assets, also interested to knoe specifics about our recruiting class for 11/12 and interested if she has been on the recruiting trail this past week.

Congratulations to Coach Waugh. Have to think a person of her make up will have nothing but success.

I too think Coach's Neighbors and Morrow are great assets, but wonder how they may have been affected by being "jumped over", for lack of a better description, in the HC hiring. It certainly will be interesting to see how it pans out.

[Perma Fro]

Discussion at the banquet said Mike (not in attendance) is headed west while Carla (in attendance) will remain on staff.

[XU-PA]

Discussion at the banquet said Mike (not in attendance) is headed west while Carla (in attendance) will remain on staff.

Mike's facebook postings would confirm, at least that he's not staying.

A big tip of my Xavier cap to Coach Neighbors, fine job, you had a positive impact, you certainly have a bright future. It's always easy to look at a hire like this and think that perhaps one applicant was better and one worse, and I don't think that's the case here. It's like coaches say, "time and score" it's the situation, and the timing.

Coach Amy Waugh is the right place, right time.

[cinskyline]

Congrats to Amy! I hoped that one day she would become our coach. Never did I expect that it would be this soon. I think she'll do a fantastic job.

[cinskyline]

Mike's facebook postings would confirm, at least that he's not staying.

A big tip of my Xavier cap to Coach Neighbors, fine job, you had a positive impact, you certainly have a bright future. It's always easy to look at a hire like this and think that perhaps one applicant was better and one worse, and I don't think that's the case here. It's like coaches say, "time and score" it's the situation, and the timing.

Coach Amy Waugh is the right place, right time.

I agree, PA. I've been impressed with Coach Neighbors in his time here. He seems like a real rah-rah, rally the troops kind of coach that players would want to play for. He will be a head coach very soon somewhere. Best wishes to him in Washington.

[Bigbluebrotha]

To those who attended the banquet, what was it like with some coaches there and some not?

[PM Thor]

I love Amy Waugh. I have loved her for years and years and years.

But those bangs have got to go. Maybe when she falls asleep tomorrow I will cut them.

I am kidding, but I have always had a crush on her, well before she was in the finals of the 3 point shot. No really, I love her.

I HATE dayton.

[wbbfan]

career coaching records
Youngstown State (2003-04): 4-24
Wake Forest (2004-05): 17-15
Wake Forest (2005-06): 12-16
Wake Forest (2006-07): 9-20
Wake Forest (2007-08): 15-15
Wake Forest (2008-09): 19-12
Total: 76-102 (.427)

Is that really the best we could find for the #11 team in the nation?? Its a real shame.

[blobfan]

career coaching records
Youngstown State (2003-04): 4-24
Wake Forest (2004-05): 17-15
Wake Forest (2005-06): 12-16
Wake Forest (2006-07): 9-20
Wake Forest (2007-08): 15-15
Wake Forest (2008-09): 19-12
Total: 76-102 (.427)

Is that really the best we could find for the #11 team in the nation?? Its a real shame.

If you are going to include her record as an assistant prior to joining the X staff, then to be fair you need to add
Xavier (2009-2010) 30-4
Xavier (2010-2011) 29-3
Total: 135-109 (.553)

So, yeah, I say she's worthy.

[wbbfan]

career coaching records
Youngstown State (2003-04): 4-24
Wake Forest (2004-05): 17-15
Wake Forest (2005-06): 12-16
Wake Forest (2006-07): 9-20
Wake Forest (2007-08): 15-15
Wake Forest (2008-09): 19-12
Total: 76-102 (.427)

Is that really the best we could find for the #11 team in the nation?? Its a real shame.

yeah thats a good point but with A team full of players she had nothing to do with bringing to X campus

[xu_fan]

To be fair to "wbbfan" they are entitled to their opinion... My first thought of the hire was excitement as you could prolly see in my earlier posts... Thinking about it more though I am concerned. I just don't know enough I guess... I love Amy but recruiting is such a big thing in womens basketball. Yes, teaching is important too but you have to have good talent to develop. Idk I guess I'm just worried!

[blobfan]

To be fair to "wbbfan" they are entitled to their opinion... My first thought of the hire was excitement as you could prolly see in my earlier posts... Thinking about it more though I am concerned. I just don't know enough I guess... I love Amy but recruiting is such a big thing in womens basketball. Yes, teaching is important too but you have to have good talent to develop. Idk I guess I'm just worried!

I'd be more inclined to be fair to wbbfan if he/she'd brought complete statistics instead of fudging them to prove a point. Sounds like a hater with an agenda.

I don't know if Amy is going to be good or not, but I'm withholding judgment until she gets a chance to prove herself. From what I've heard, she's got a vision, desire to win, and the support of a lot of people that know her abilities more than we do. Based on that I'm willing to give her a couple seasons before declaring her a bad hire unworthy of the opportunity.

[xu_fan]

I'd be more inclined to be fair to wbbfan if he/she'd brought complete statistics instead of fudging them to prove a point. Sounds like a hater with an agenda.

I don't know if Amy is going to be good or not, but I'm withholding judgment until she gets a chance to prove herself. From what I've heard, she's got a vision, desire to win, and the support of a lot of people that know her abilities more than we do. Based on that I'm willing to give her a couple seasons before declaring her a bad hire unworthy of the opportunity.

I can't disagree with anything you said... I am more than willing to give Amy the chance!

[wbbfan]

i'm not sure how the info i provided was "fudged" in any way. you are welcome to look up all those records and see them for yourself. facts are facts. sorry if you have a problem with the ones i pointed out. and i dont' hate anybody and wouldn't call anybody a hater. i guess that's another spot where we differ. i love this team and am simply stating that i find it very hard to believe that this was the best candidate. this had to be a job that tons of people wanted. maybe i'm wrong, but i would think this program could have found someone with a little more experience in a lot more areas. i don't wish anybody any ill will. i'm as far from a hater as you'll find. i do think it will be interesting to see how the next few years go.

[cinskyline]

i love this team and am simply stating that i find it very hard to believe that this was the best candidate. this had to be a job that tons of people wanted. maybe i'm wrong, but i would think this program could have found someone with a little more experience in a lot more areas.

I don't know, but when I hear names like Beth Cunningham (who has a losing record at VCU) as being among top candidates, then I seriously wonder about things. Also, how much is the administration willing to pay for a coach? If you look at McGuff's salary, the answer is = not much. Given that attendance is mediocre at best and is not bringing in much $$$$, there are financial limits as to who can be hired.

I think that Amy will do just fine, although I too am concerned about recruiting. Hopefully she will find some hidden gems and turn average players into above average players.

[blobfan]

i'm not sure how the info i provided was "fudged" in any way. you are welcome to look up all those records and see them for yourself. facts are facts. sorry if you have a problem with the ones i pointed out. and i dont' hate anybody and wouldn't call anybody a hater. i guess that's another spot where we differ. i love this team and am simply stating that i find it very hard to believe that this was the best candidate. this had to be a job that tons of people wanted. maybe i'm wrong, but i would think this program could have found someone with a little more experience in a lot more areas. i don't wish anybody any ill will. i'm as far from a hater as you'll find. i do think it will be interesting to see how the next few years go.

I found it questionable that you did not include her 2 years as an assistant at X but are more than willing to hold her accountable for losing records as an assistant elsewhere. You used incomplete data to support your assertion. That's fudging the facts. At least that's what most people not in politics would say. What do you call it? Or was that not intended to be a factual statement?

[wbbfan]

I found it questionable that you did not include her 2 years as an assistant at X but are more than willing to hold her accountable for losing records as an assistant elsewhere. You used incomplete data to support your assertion. That's fudging the facts. At least that's what most people not in politics would say. What do you call it? Or was that not intended to be a factual statement?

include the X record all you want (and did), i still find it questionable that she was hired as the head coach of the No. 11 team in the nation based on that resume. i just want the best for this program. i'm not convinced that is what we got.

[HomerCecil]

Whenever you hire a 29-year-old with no head coaching experience, it's a gamble. There's really no way around that.

With that said, I trust Bobo and I do think those of us who watched Amy play knew she was a sure-fire head coach. She's got a bit of a difficult hand because of the depleted roster from next year — although I do think the transfer from Marquette should help quite a bit in the frontcourt — and because it seems that recruiting for this year is going to basically be a wash.

If she can weather through next year and hit the ground running recruiting wise, I think this team could be back in really good shape. To be honest, I thought Kevin did his best recruiting in the early part of his career at X (Granderson, Green, Miller, obviously Amer and Ta'Shia) and he really could have left this program in better shape than he did. We aren't loaded — yes, Tyeasha is a very solid player, but as far as really skilled, developed players, she's the best we've got, and it's going to be much harder for her next year without teams having to sag in on the post players — and it's Amy's job to fill out this roster.

It would also be nice to see all of the recruits we sign actually make it to campus. That has been an issue lately as well.

With that said, I really hope she turns out to be as good as I think she could be. If she does, I think she's ours for a decade or more.