Q&A with Pat Skerry

[TheInfoMan]

www.baltimoresun.com/sports/recruiting-blog/bal-qa-with-towson-mens-basketball-coach-pat-skerry-20120612,0,7805875.story

By Matt Bracken The Baltimore Sun

1:55 p.m. EDT, June 13, 2012

For a guy who just lived through a 1-31 season in his first year as a Division I head coach, Pat Skerry seems oddly optimistic.

But for the second-year Towson men's basketball coach, staying positive is a surprisingly easy thing to do. Just steps away from his second-floor Towson Center office, construction continues on the state-of-the-art Tiger Arena, which is scheduled to open Aug. 1, 2013. Skerry says he couldn't be happier about the support his program receives from the athletic department and the university's administration. And the former Pittsburgh, Providence and Rhode Island assistant is bringing in a group of players that he thinks can potentially turn around Towson's on-the-court fortunes in a hurry.

For the 2012-13 season, Towson returns leading scorer Marcus Damas, a junior small forward, sophomore point guard Kris Walden, and sophomore center Jamel Flash. The Tigers also add three Big East transfers in center Bilal Dixon (Providence), shooting guard Mike Burwell (South Florida) and power forward Jerrelle Benimon (Georgetown).

Skerry's highly touted 2012 recruiting class, which NBCSports.com named one of the best under-the-radar groups in the country, features: Roanoke, Va., point guard Jerome Hairston (Rivals.com's No. 121 prospect nationally); Bridgeport, Conn., forward Timajh Parker-Rivera; Wilmington, Del., center/forward Barrington Alston; Reading, Pa., wing Marquis Marshall (son of former NBA player Donyell Marshall); and wing Rafriel Guthrie, a D.C. native who played last year at College of Southern Idaho. Petersburg, Va., guard Frank Mason, who signed with the Tigers in November, is not expected to be at Towson this year. The Tigers are also expected to welcome one of their top players during the 2010-11 season.

[pcdad]

Sounds like he's putting together a strong team with 3 Big East Transfers and some top "under the radar" players.
I wonder if they play UMBC and Loyola? The new venue - Tiger Arena ready for the following season.

Pat Skerry has reason for optimism.

[TheInfoMan]

Skerry strikes gold again. Lands Vermont's America East Freshman of the Year Four McGlynn, who opted to transfer in order to upgrade.

(Although I have to question how much of an upgrade Towson is).

[TheInfoMan]

collegebasketballtalk.nbcsports.com/2012/06/20/pat-skerry-has-towson-heading-the-right-direction/

Of the 345 teams in Division I basketball, there aren’t many that look like they are in a worse position than Towson.

Pat Skerry’s club is coming off of a season where the 1-31 Tigers were the only team in the country that didn’t win at least two games. Robert Nwankwo (who averaged a double-double last season) is graduating. If that wasn’t bad enough, Towson is one of ten programs nationally that won’t be allowed to participate in postseason play this season due to their poor APR scores.

But, believe it or not, Towson looks like they are heading in the right direction.

Skerry has spent just 14 months on the job, but he’s already landed a very solid incoming class. In addition to the trio of Big East cast-offs he has getting eligible this season — junior Jerelle Benimon (Georgetown), senior Bilal Dixon (Providence) and junior Mike Burwell (South Florida) — Skerry landed a recruiting class that was ranked 12th amongst the non-BCS programs by CBSSports.com. That class is headlined by talented back court players Jerome Hairston and Frank Mason.

And now, Towson is throwing Four McGlynn into the mix. McGlynn is the reigning America East Freshman of the Year, but opted to leave Vermont to transfer closer to his family in York, PA. (Interestingly enough, Skerry will not be applying for a waiver to get McGlynn eligible immediately. The waiver would have had a decent chance to go through given the circumstances, which makes you wonder what, exactly, the reason is.)

The rebuilding of Towson is still a ways from completion, but with Skerry’s recruiting chops and the talent that has already been brought into the program, the Tigers are currently ahead of the curve. With Old Dominion and VCU leaving the CAA, it may not be that long before Towson is competing with George Mason and Drexel (and Davidson and the College of Charleston?) for league titles.

Which means it may not be long before Skerry has a job in a bigger conference.

[connfriar]

UVM goes to the NCAA's and has now lost its fourth player from that squad...

[TheInfoMan]

Skerry loses one:
Alex Kline ‏@therecruitscoop
RT @coach_Rick57: 2012 Towson commit Frank Mason will re-class to 2013 & attend Massanutten Military (VA) & play for Team Loaded in July.

The kid woulda been a stud in the CAA.