Byington interviewed with hoophead Jeff Goodman recently. Here is the link if you care to listen for a few references to his time at JMU.
His interview starts at the 33:30 mark.
(04-24-2024 08:44 PM)Hart Foundation Wrote: Byington interviewed with hoophead Jeff Goodman recently. Here is the link if you care to listen for a few references to his time at JMU.
His interview starts at the 33:30 mark.
You always hope for a "little more" out of a previous coach regarding your program he just left. Campanelli appeared to have left his heart at JMU, I'm not aware of others who moved up to a bigger arena have done the same. That doesn't mean Mark has left a bad impression, it simply means he left.
(04-24-2024 08:44 PM)Hart Foundation Wrote: Byington interviewed with hoophead Jeff Goodman recently. Here is the link if you care to listen for a few references to his time at JMU.
His interview starts at the 33:30 mark.
You always hope for a "little more" out of a previous coach regarding your program he just left. Campanelli appeared to have left his heart at JMU, I'm not aware of others who moved up to a bigger arena have done the same. That doesn't mean Mark has left a bad impression, it simply means he left.
Mark is class, and I'm proud to have had him at JMU. I hope he was a ton of success in the future.
(04-24-2024 08:44 PM)Hart Foundation Wrote: Byington interviewed with hoophead Jeff Goodman recently. Here is the link if you care to listen for a few references to his time at JMU.
His interview starts at the 33:30 mark.
You always hope for a "little more" out of a previous coach regarding your program he just left. Campanelli appeared to have left his heart at JMU, I'm not aware of others who moved up to a bigger arena have done the same. That doesn't mean Mark has left a bad impression, it simply means he left.
Mark is class, and I'm proud to have had him at JMU. I hope he was a ton of success in the future.
Completely agree. JMU MBB was returned to legitimacy under his tenure. He’s earned his shot at Vandy.
Mark is a solid person and did a good job while at JMU. To listen to him talk about Vanderbilt in such glowing terms comes across as him saying the right things. I guess that is just part of the job.
He did a good job at JMU and is a stand up guy. I wish him the best at Vanderbilt. At 47, he has paid his dues and done things the right way.
He was the first coach in a very, very long time to leave the program in a far better state than when he got it. He deserves credit for that. He also inherited the program during a pandemic. His ability to work through that and have success was truly remarkable and he absolutely deserves a ton of credit for that.
But I wouldn't say he's an elite coach. He's a very good coach with high character that players want to play for. He was far from perfect.
When Byington left, it was disappointing. But I didn't feel like we lost a coach we couldn't replace.
(04-26-2024 07:49 AM)JMad03 Wrote: He was the first coach in a very, very long time to leave the program in a far better state than when he got it. He deserves credit for that. He also inherited the program during a pandemic. His ability to work through that and have success was truly remarkable and he absolutely deserves a ton of credit for that.
But I wouldn't say he's an elite coach. He's a very good coach with high character that players want to play for. He was far from perfect.
When Byington left, it was disappointing. But I didn't feel like we lost a coach we couldn't replace.
Without question Matt Brady left the program in a better position than he received it. It wasnt perfect, it wasnt a consistent winner, he didnt resonate with donors, particularly local ones. But the end of the lefty years, the Dillard years and the Keener years especially were pretty bad. Rowe was brought in to address the donor pillar and unfortunately everything else perished.
(04-26-2024 07:49 AM)JMad03 Wrote: He was the first coach in a very, very long time to leave the program in a far better state than when he got it. He deserves credit for that. He also inherited the program during a pandemic. His ability to work through that and have success was truly remarkable and he absolutely deserves a ton of credit for that.
But I wouldn't say he's an elite coach. He's a very good coach with high character that players want to play for. He was far from perfect.
When Byington left, it was disappointing. But I didn't feel like we lost a coach we couldn't replace.
(04-26-2024 07:49 AM)JMad03 Wrote: He was the first coach in a very, very long time to leave the program in a far better state than when he got it. He deserves credit for that. He also inherited the program during a pandemic. His ability to work through that and have success was truly remarkable and he absolutely deserves a ton of credit for that.
But I wouldn't say he's an elite coach. He's a very good coach with high character that players want to play for. He was far from perfect.
When Byington left, it was disappointing. But I didn't feel like we lost a coach we couldn't replace.
Without question Matt Brady left the program in a better position than he received it. It wasnt perfect, it wasnt a consistent winner, he didnt resonate with donors, particularly local ones. But the end of the lefty years, the Dillard years and the Keener years especially were pretty bad. Rowe was brought in to address the donor pillar and unfortunately everything else perished.
For those points you stated, I didn't include Brady. Yes, the program was far better than Keener. Practically anything would have been an improvement.
Under Brady, they absolutely won more games, but he left the program with a lot of issues. Many may disagree, but if the Brady era had been better or more stable, we wouldn't have had to settle for a coach like Rowe. He was temporary relief from two of the worst eras in JMU history.
Back to Byington. If not for Byington, we wouldn't have had a chance at a guy like Coach P.
The program had established itself as a winner and showed what the program was capable of.
That's why I say he was the first coach in a while to leave the program in better shape. While Coach P lost practically all of the team, he still inherited a lot to build upon.
(This post was last modified: 04-26-2024 10:24 AM by JMad03.)
