Craig Neal: This alum merits consideration as Tech’s coach
Craig "Noodles" Neal as a Jacket, driving against Ranzino Smith. (Photo courtesy of Georgia Tech)
Ordinarily it makes little sense to hire as head coach someone who hasn’t been a head coach, but Craig Neal’s circumstances are special. He’s not just any assistant but one of the best in the nation. (He has a five-year contract; most assistants go year-to-year.) He has worked alongside Steve Alford for seven seasons, and together they’ve averaged 23 victories — first at Iowa, now at New Mexico.
Last March the Lobos, who hail from the Mountain West Conference, entered the NCAA tournament as a No. 3 seed. This was a lesser Lobo season, but they still went 21-12 in a league that yielded a No. 2 NCAA seed (San Diego State), a No. 3 (BYU) and a No. 8 (UNLV). And given New Mexico’s youth — only one senior on the roster — 21-12 and an NIT berth stands to be the worst this program does for a while.
Said Alford, speaking Sunday of Neal: “He’s been like an assistant head coach. He’s our recruiting coordinator; he’s our offensive coordinator.” (And Neal is not, you should know, the defensive coordinator who allowed BYU’s Jimmer Fredette to go for 52 points last weekend.) Then this from Alford: “I may be biased, but I think [Neal is] a slam dunk.”
He meant as head coach of Georgia Tech, which is in the market for one. And why, you might be interested to know, should an assistant working in Albuquerque be considered for a job in Atlanta?
Because Craig Neal went to Georgia Tech, played (very well) at Georgia Tech, loves Georgia Tech. He experienced Tech basketball at a time when it was the hottest ticket in town. Said Neal: “It used to be you couldn’t get in the place.”
That was in the middle ’80s, when Bobby Cremins was the coach and Mark Price was the point guard and Neal his backup. After Price exited in 1986, Neal would become the starter and make all-ACC. Some Tech backers have pointed to Price as the guy who should be the next Tech coach, but he has worked only sparingly in college basketball — he’s now the shooting coach for the Golden State Warriors — and would be a reach, resume-wise. Neal would not.
Alford: “What sets him apart is that he has had seven years in college ball after 1o years in the NBA [with the Toronto Raptors, first as a scout and then as Lenny Wilkens' assistant] When he walks into a recruit’s house, he hits every note — he has played and coached in the league, and he has played and coached at a high level in college.”
But what about the one gap, the part about never having been a head coach? Said Neal: “There are all kinds of cases at BCS schools of assistants succeeding. I’d have to know my limitations, and I’d hire my staff accordingly. I’d hire someone with head coaching experience.”
Craig Neal today. (Photo courtesy of New Mexico)
Something else of importance: Neal lived in Kennesaw when scouting for the Raptors — he advised drafting Tracy McGrady in 1997 and Vince Carter in 1998 — and he knows the South well. His dad coached for a decade at Pope High in Marietta, and the younger Neal is familiar with the history and hierarchy of the massively important AAU Atlanta Celtics. (Speaking of recruiting: Craig’s son Cullen figures to be a top recruit in 2013.)
Regarding Tech, Neal said: “I know the lay of the land. I know you must get student-athletes who understand the importance of academics. I know there’s a great community and great tradition. I know what it takes.”
Said Alford, who famously led Indiana to the 1987 NCAA title: “When you hire an alum as head coach, you get his heart. He’s not there because he can make more money or because it’s in the ACC, and when things go wrong he’s not looking for a way out. Next year Tech will have to play all road games [because of renovation to the former Alexander Memorial Coliseum], and that’s tough. But when you get an alum, his heart’s in the job.”
This isn’t to say Neal is the only man for Tech, or even the best man. This is to say that, because of who he is and where he has been, he deserves a chance to make his case to athletic director Dan Radakovich. He might be a career assistant, but he’s surely the only college assistant now working who can look at Georgia Tech and say, as he did Sunday, “That’s my dream job. That’s my school.”
And for an amended list of six (head) coaches who might be possibilities at Tech, click here.
By Mark Bradley
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117 comments Add your comment
okiemon
March 14th, 2011
11:55 am
To AlwaysAJacket:I don’t think anyone is saying being an alum makes a difference. Most are saying exactly what you’re saying: get the right guy, alum or not.
To Jermaine: Just like being an alum shouldn’t be a factor, neither should the guy’s skin color.
Simon Bar Sinister
March 14th, 2011
11:55 am
Neal is responsible for two plays that I remember clearly (three if you count the one against Duke, but I’m not going there):
1. Tech is playing UNC, and Jordan gets free. He starts to jump for a 360, but Neal, who never gave up, gets a hand in and knocks the ball free.
2. Neal is bringing the ball up the floor, and Spud Webb meets him near midcourt. Neal gives him a couple of moves, and Spud falls on his butt. I think that may have happened twice that game.
BuzzTech86
March 14th, 2011
11:57 am
I went to school with Noodles at GT, and he’s a very sharp guy. Check out his resume here:
http://www.golobos.com/sports/m-baskbl/mtt/neal_craig00.html
We could certainly find worse, but I’m hopeful GT’s long heritage of fine players is tapped in some way for the next coaching staff.
Walter
March 14th, 2011
12:01 pm
How about Bobby Knight. Talk about a proven vet. I’d love to see him in the ACC.
Walter
March 14th, 2011
12:02 pm
How about Bobby Knight? Talk about a winning coach with good academinc support. I’d love to see him in the ACC.
Whiskey Clear
March 14th, 2011
12:06 pm
My question though – can he recruit this area? It’s already noted that losing Caldwell-Pope to Georgia is a big loss (although he’ll be a one and done). The reason it’s a big loss is because Tech used to have a stranglehold on recruiting in the state, and now Mark Fox is creeping into the mix with a lot of guys. I don’t think this will be a problem in the future, as Georgia Tech is in a better conference, and is a bigger basketball school, if they start winning again that is. He needs to be able to recruit the state, because ask anyone – it’s as talent rich as almost anywhere else.
KD
March 14th, 2011
12:07 pm
@Ramblinred — who are the three rumored canadidates?
Yurtle_the_turtle
March 14th, 2011
12:08 pm
I’m the Anti-Hewitt Fan, meaning I use logic and reason to sustain my arguements rather than using tired and illogical opinions like “the refs have it in for Hewitt”, “the Blue Devils” are the reason Hewitt is gone”, “the fans ran Hewitt off”, or “the media is out to get Hewitt”. Paranoia serves you well, Hewitt Fan. I guess that you and the all the other Hewitt backers can meet at the local Waffle House booth for your weekly gathering.
BuzzTech86
March 14th, 2011
12:12 pm
Noodles lived in the Kennesaw area when he was scouting for Toronto Raptors a few years back. I don’t think it’d take him long to reconnect to this area and establish a recruiting base. And yes, he has connections with the AAU Atlanta Celtics.
BuzzTech86
March 14th, 2011
12:15 pm
A little more info on his playing days and position in the NBA draft, with fewer gray hairs:
http://www.thedraftreview.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3670
Jacket Dad
March 14th, 2011
12:17 pm
Wow, look at that photo! An actual crowd shot with a crowd in it!
Not sure who DRad will bring in, but do think Noodles should be in the mix. The possibility is intriguing.
TomB
March 14th, 2011
12:27 pm
Wow, what is #33 Duane Ferrell doing today? If I recall correctly, he was Cremin’s first McDonald’s high school all-american recruited to Tech. He was also ACC rookie of the year.
wampum
March 14th, 2011
12:29 pm
I think Neal would bring excitement here with a capital E.
Will Smith
March 14th, 2011
12:29 pm
The fact that his son will be a top recruit is a reason to steer clear – sons playing for dads has worked so well in the past (Tubby Smith), right?
William Satterwhite
March 14th, 2011
12:33 pm
I don’t like the idea of hiring anyone without previous head coaching experience (does anyone know the last time a major conference school ever hired a coach without some kind of head coaching experience? I honestly can’t think of any such case.) but Neal has a solid resume. One thing this article leads me to wonder is why Neal was never brought back to Tech as an assistant under Hewitt? According to Alford he seems to specialize in offense and that was the primary weakness of Hewitt’s coaching staffs.
drew
March 14th, 2011
12:42 pm
Hewitt Fan,
You are a freakin dumbazz! Go away…like your daddy Paul.
BartBuzz
March 14th, 2011
12:43 pm
I would think he deserves an interview. Having a coach whose heart is in the job would be a welcome change. And bring in Mark Price to teach our kids how to shoot free throws. But my gut says DRad is looking for someone younger and with head coaching experience.
GT45
March 14th, 2011
12:44 pm
One of my employees is a personal friend of Noodles, and last year, while they were talking on the phone, I told him to ask Noodles to come back and coach Tech. He said he would be on the next airplane if the opportunity arose! And he meant it. I think he should be the only choice!
Tech Man
March 14th, 2011
12:46 pm
I’ll take Noodles and I will take him over the mid-major head coaches. Craig will get it done…with efficiency and with passion.
He will also bring a long history of excellent former players back to the campus and help reestablish the GT brand in basketball.
Rod
March 14th, 2011
12:47 pm
To all you idiots who are insisting on hiring a head coach instead of an assistant. You do realize that you’d be getting:
a) A former head coach who was so bad at his last job he got fired
b) A current head coach who wants to take a job at a better school – if he does well, he’ll leave Tech in a heartbeat – he did it to get to Tech!
To say someone’s not qualified just because they haven’t been a “head coach” is plain stupid. You do realize assistants actually run the program at alot of these schools with 80 year old coaches, right?
BartBuzz
March 14th, 2011
12:50 pm
Mark,
I don’t know what you did to pizz off Hewitt Fan….but THANK YOU!
drew
March 14th, 2011
12:54 pm
As D-Rad said a few minutes ago on the radio, the hiring process involves the potential coach “selling themself”, but the institution also has to “sell itself”. GT is not the only program in the country looking for a new coach. But based on Neal’s comments, he’s already sold on Tech. And Tech’s probably one of the few places that might be interested in Neal, based primarily on his history with Tech.
I see Neal as an ace in the hole…if we can’t find another good candidate with head coaching experience, I’d have no problem with Neal. D-Rad talks a lot about “energizing” the program…if Neal coaches like he played (hard and smart), I can see energized.
For now, I’m just happy that Groundhog day is FINALLY over.
5150 UOAD
March 14th, 2011
12:55 pm
BuzzTech86
TECH will NEVER get another Atlanta Celtic because they fired HEWITT.
Hewitt FAN is making it a PERSONAL MISSION to use his POWER to make sure no Atl Celtic ever goes to Tech again. Didn’t you Hewitt Fan is the AAU god and he can make it happen. The ACC refs are all in the posket of Coach K and DUKE. Hewitt Fan knows for a fact that before the Bball season every year the ACC refs get together and decide what games Duke will lose but make sure they are always going to be #1 or #2 when the ACC tourney starts.
Jay P.
March 14th, 2011
12:55 pm
I would love to see Craig Neal at GA Tech!
redeagle4
March 14th, 2011
12:56 pm
Will you run the new coach off in the paper like you did Hewitt?
A new list of Tech possibilities, this one including Amaker | Mark Bradley
March 14th, 2011
12:58 pm
[...] by the NCAA. And Craig Neal, the Tech alum and New Mexico assistant, isn’t on the list because I’ve discussed him elsewhere. And with that, I give you another [...]
Matt Brock
March 14th, 2011
12:58 pm
Remember Bradley also led the crusade to get rid of Cremins. How long before he turns on Neal as well?
drew
March 14th, 2011
1:04 pm
Rod…good point.
Head coaching experience is over-rated. Wasn’t Hewiit a young, hot, “head” coach? Nearly EVERY successfull head coach was as some point an assistant coach. Plus, assistant coaches are generally younger, hungrier, more passionate, and they won’t cost you an arm and a leg. I like Neal’s resume’.
BugThug
March 14th, 2011
1:05 pm
The number of players on each team in the study who were found to have police records
Read more: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2011/writers/the_bonus/02/27/cfb.crime/index.html#ixzz1GaoOV8pE
William Satterwhite
March 14th, 2011
1:08 pm
“b) A current head coach who wants to take a job at a better school – if he does well, he’ll leave Tech in a heartbeat – he did it to get to Tech!”
And? I’ve never understood why Tech people are so worried about coaches moving on to bigger jobs from Tech, if you trust DRad to make the right decisions that shouldn’t matter. Unless you’re one of the true blue bloods (UK, Kansas, UCLA, UNC, Duke- but even Kansas and UCLA have had coaches voluntarily leave for other jobs) or you have a coach who is a relic (Boeheim at Syracuse, Calhoun at UConn), the fact is every coach nowadays is a candidate to move on to a bigger and better job and every coaching job is a stepping stone. Good thing for Tech is there aren’t too many bigger and better jobs out there to move on to.
drew
March 14th, 2011
1:10 pm
Matt and Redeagle:
Yeah, that big, bad, Mark Bradley’s just running everybody off. Better be careful…he could be coming for you next.
Jeeeezzz…some of you idiots just don’t get it…and you never will. Shoot messenger…stick head back in sand.
ga tech 92
March 14th, 2011
1:11 pm
Good arguments for consideration.
GordoConBonzo
March 14th, 2011
1:13 pm
I can’t believe everyone is missing the one true candidate that should stand for all the is Tech basketball – the history, and packed stands, the existing play. James Munlyn. He’s no ‘Toine Ford, but he’s something. What about Dave Boisvert?
Gordon
March 14th, 2011
1:16 pm
I don’t understand the appeal of a former Georgia Tech player. If Craig Neal had not played at Tech, would he be a candidate? I doubt it. I realize there is always a risk, but Tech doesn’t need to take the risk on someone who has never been a head coach. One of the things that Radakovich said Saturday was that paying Hewitt would not interfere with the salary of the new coach. That means that donors stepped up to pay Hewitt, so we don’t have to go with the cheap high risk option.
Hewitt Fan
March 14th, 2011
1:30 pm
@Mark
well at least you do know we (THE GREAT ATLANTA CELTICS) control whether or not GT wins..Cremins gave James Forrest some very bad advice and we cut him off….Next thing you know GT had 5 straight no NCAAS…We are very pissed at the GT fan base right now over how Favors and Gani were treated, and Hewitt but Neal is a good guy..I think he would go public about the refs in the ACC and demand to be treated fair…His son is a beast…
Blewitt
March 14th, 2011
1:36 pm
I think Neal as HC and Price as an assistant would pretty much satisfy the majority of the fan base. There are allot of people who are pushing hard for Price. Also if Price was not interested you would have heard by now.
5150 UOAD
March 14th, 2011
1:37 pm
Hewitt Fan
Who is WE? What do you have a rat in your pocket?
If you are so big with the Atl Celtics, then why don’t you use your real name?Wouldn’t that help you in recruiting new players and families to YOUR Atl CELTICS?
okiemon
March 14th, 2011
1:40 pm
Gordon: that’s exactly the point (or should be): Neal should be a candidate even if he didn’t play at Tech, and the fact that he did, should not disqualify him.
5150 UOAD
March 14th, 2011
1:41 pm
PRICE? He coached some small private schools and is a shooting coach for the NBA. He has never put together a coaching staff. He has not won a single college basketball game as a coach.
I loved Mark, his heart, and passion on the court, but what makes him qualified to be a coach in the ACC?
John Salley would make a great Stand-up Comedian but that is it. Don’t even say Kenny “I need a CHECK” Anderson as a head coach.
GTce96
March 14th, 2011
1:42 pm
I think the biggest selling point for Neal in this article is the line “he’s our offensive coordination”. Can you imagine a Tech coach that could run an offense? Cremins was not known for his game management skills, and Hewitt’s ineptitude was even obvious to folks like me that don’t know the first thing about coaching.
Say no to Tubby (who was hopefully sincere when he already said no to us)!
Hewitt Fan
March 14th, 2011
1:42 pm
@5150 UOAD
No its not me ..the president is Coach Mcray …his brother is Karl Mccray, both are highly respectful men who are tired of the BS..You should contact them both and hear it for your self…
Newtonite
March 14th, 2011
1:42 pm
I say go with Neal, and bring in Kenny Anderson as one assistant. Then get a former D-1 head coach as another assistant. Sounds like a dream team to me.
Sonny Clusters
March 14th, 2011
2:20 pm
We like the idea of somebody named “Noodles” being the coach. When we was with the paper there was a guy named Noodles that panhandled Marietta Street but we guess he either quit or moved to Dunwoody. Being coach of a team without a place to play home games doesn’t sound like much of an opportunity right off the bat.
Gordon
March 14th, 2011
2:28 pm
okiemon,
I don’t think he should be a candidate since he has never been a head coach, Tech alum or not.
TechBuzz
March 14th, 2011
2:35 pm
Tech should look at Richard Pitino on Florida’s staff—he’s better than neal and ready for a big time job.
Old Fashioned
March 14th, 2011
3:08 pm
Neal played for GT but,did he GRADUATE from GT? Just curious,as it doesn’t make much difference in the long run.
Paul in RDU
March 14th, 2011
5:11 pm
Judging from his latest picture, Craig Neal has changed his nickname from “Noodles” to “Manicotti”
growing older, but not up
March 14th, 2011
5:18 pm
He looks a little bit like Cremmins in the second photo.
Coach Cal
March 14th, 2011
5:37 pm
again guys, its coach cal here! i am not coming to Atlanta, but its time for you to bring in my main man Derek Kellogg, unlike this Neal dude he has real live head coaching experience and is about to create a powerhouse at the place that I put on the map (the greatest coach in Massachusetts history). HIRE DK, you wont be disapointed, and oh yah, he comes REALLY cheap
The Solution
March 14th, 2011
5:45 pm
@Old Fashioned – Per his bio on the UNM site, Neal earned his bachelor’s degree in management from Georgia Tech in 1988.
Neal is deserving of a serious interview. Would be nice if he had HC experience, but by all accounts he is one of the country’s top assistants and a strong recruiter who knows the area and has credibility with coaches and players. He’d put forth a fundamentally sound, but active and exciting team and because he knows and loves Tech as much as the fanbase does, he could arouse the near-term alumni support this broken program lacks. A slight gamble, but Neal has the tools and I think the Tech community would view his hiring very positively.