Coaching Change

Antoine Myers loved the idea of learning from one of the game's best point guards of all time, making his commitment to Isiah Thomas ' Florida International program an easy decision. A week after Myers' pledge to the Panthers, however, plans to play for the NBA Hall of Famer were ended when FIU dismissed Thomas. “It was difficult,” Myers said. “I had my mind set on going to one place and then for all that stuff to happen, to reopen my recruitment and try to like another school, it was kind of hard.”  While Myers was upset with Thomas' dismissal, several mid-major programs were ecstatic that the 6-foot-3, 190-pound point guard was back on the market.

Antoine Myers loved the idea of learning from one of the game's best point guards of all time, making his commitment to Isiah Thomas ' Florida International program an easy decision. A week after Myers' pledge to the Panthers, however, plans to play for the NBA Hall of Famer were ended when FIU dismissed Thomas. “It was difficult,” Myers said. “I had my mind set on going to one place and then for all that stuff to happen, to reopen my recruitment and try to like another school, it was kind of hard.”  While Myers was upset with Thomas' dismissal, several mid-major programs were ecstatic that the 6-foot-3, 190-pound point guard was back on the market.

With the exception of a little game of musical coaches in boys lacrosse and girls track, spring head-coaching positions in Carroll shouldremain consistent.In boys lacrosse, former assistant coach Jim Langrill becomes the head coach at Liberty High, replacing Bill Gibson, who stepped down after a 10-year career as the school's only coach.Langrill is in his third year at the school as a business teacher. He graduated from Westminster High and Gettysburg College with former Western Maryland trainer Paul Welliver.

Franklin wide receiver Ian Thomas had a few reservations about his intention to sign with Rutgers after the Scarlet Knights coach Greg Schiano announced his departure late last week for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. After a lot of thought, however, Thomas decided Rutgers was still the place for him. “I can't stand here and tell anyone that I will be playing in the NFL,” Thomas said during his Wednesday morning signing ceremony, “but I can guarantee I will have a degree from Rutgers in the next four years.” In the Franklin gym before a crowd of family, teammates and friends, Thomas signed his national letter of intent to accept a full football scholarship from the New Jersey university on the opening day of the football signing period.

Of the more than 80 scholarship football players who will be impacted by a coaching change at Maryland, none will be more immediately affected than redshirt freshman quarterback Danny O'Brien. Recently named the Atlantic Coast Conference's Rookie of the Year after leading the Terps to an 8-4 record and late-season contention for a division title, O'Brien now faces the prospect of continuing his career in College Park without the two coaches most responsible for him being there — coach Ralph Friedgen and offensive coordinator James Franklin.

Twin sisters Toni and Lashon White, last season's Howard County girls basketball co-Players of the Year, have withdrawn from Marist College.The sisters left the Division I program in Poughkeepsie, N.Y., following the team's last game Dec. 12. The Wilde Lake graduates were both attending Marist on full scholarships, and now must sit out a year before playing at another Division I program."

LOS ANGELES - Few point guards maneuver with the skill and grace of the New Jersey Nets' Jason Kidd, and that dexterity is helping during All-Star weekend, as he has had to weave his way through the traffic of questions about the team's coaching change. The Nets, fresh off two straight trips to the NBA Finals, dumped coach Byron Scott on Jan. 26 and replaced him with former assistant Lawrence Frank. In terms of wins and losses, the move was a good one, as the team has won 10 straight games - nine since Frank took over.

Tom Lind has been named the new baseball coach at Archbishop Spalding, effective Monday.Lind took over for Steve Miller, who had coached the Cavaliers for one season and was forced to resign due to an increase of work hours in his full-time sales job."It's really an unfortunate situation, because Steve Miller was an excellent coach," said Spalding athletic director Domenic Pachence."However, everyone is moving into this coaching change very smoothly."The Cavaliers went 8-12 last year and dropped a 5-4 decision toGilman in their opener yesterday.

Former Chesapeake assistant coach Bernard Williams was named head coach of the school's baseball team Friday morning, replacing third-year mentor Bob Dill.Dill, whose record was 5-8 after a 12-11 loss to Severna Park on Tuesday, had no comment on the sudden coaching change when reached at his Pasadena home on Friday.Chesapeake athletic director Al Grau said, "The only thing I can say is that Williams will coach the remainder of the season. This is an in-house matter, and I'd rather not say anything about it."

Franklin wide receiver Ian Thomas had a few reservations about his intention to sign with Rutgers after the Scarlet Knights coach Greg Schiano announced his departure late last week for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. After a lot of thought, however, Thomas decided Rutgers was still the place for him. “I can't stand here and tell anyone that I will be playing in the NFL,” Thomas said during his Wednesday morning signing ceremony, “but I can guarantee I will have a degree from Rutgers in the next four years.” In the Franklin gym before a crowd of family, teammates and friends, Thomas signed his national letter of intent to accept a full football scholarship from the New Jersey university on the opening day of the football signing period.

Aside from former defensive coordinator Chuck Pagano leaving to coach the Indianapolis Colts, Ravens head coach John Harbaugh said at Friday's introdutory press conference for new defensive coordiantor Dean Pees that he'd like the rest of his staff this year to return. However, he didn't dismiss the possibility that he could still lose a couple of his staff members. There has been some speculation that defensive line coach Clarence Brooks, who has now been passed over in consecutive seasons for the defensive coordinator post, could head to Indianapolis to work under Pagano.

On a day where Chuck Pagano was introduced as the new head coach of the Indianapolis Colts, the Ravens remained mum on the status of their own coaching staff Thursday. However, all indications are that linebackers coach Dean Pees remains the clear front-runner to succeed Pagano as the Ravens' defensive coordinator, and offensive coordinator Cam Cameron will stay in his current position. Coach John Harbaugh called a news conference for 11 a.m. Friday to discuss his coaching staff, ahead of owner Steve Bisciotti and the organization's top decision-makers' annual State of the Ravens address next week.

The Atlantic Coast Conference has always had a reputation for being a top-heavy basketball league, especially when its top two teams, North Carolina and Duke, were significantly better than their competition. As ACC play begins this weekend, there is a feeling that the league, perhaps for the first time in memory, is a lot weaker at the bottom than it is strong at the top. "I think the ACC is perhaps the weakest it's ever been," said longtime college basketball analyst Jay Bilas, who played and later coached at Duke under Mike Krzyzewski.

Quarterback C.J. Brown has started only a single game for Maryland, and there's already speculation about whether Danny 'O'Brien -- the starter the previous 15 games -- could depart for another school. It's a bit premature. At least for now, those who know him say O'Brien doesn't intend to leave. That doesn't surprise me. His attachment to Maryland and the region is strong, and that's not something that changes overnight.  O'Brien is smart enough to know seasons are long, and outlooks for players can swiftly change.

COLLEGE PARK - Top recruit Nick Faust arrived at Maryland with a hitch in his shooting stroke, a tendency to miss the occasional dunk during workouts, and a story to tell about how the Terps almost lost him after coach Gary Williams retired in May. Someday - perhaps even this season - the talented City graduate may become a college basketball star. But that doesn't mean the 6-foot-6 guard with a youthful face and wispy mustache won't first have some growing up to do. The learning process began before Faust had even enrolled.

To give you a look at Maryland and this week's opponent, Georgia Tech, I traded five question-and-answers with Ken Sugiura, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution's Georgia Tech beat writer. Here are my answers to Ken's questions. His responses to my Georgia Tech-themed questions will appear soon.   1) Is "disciplined" a word you would use to describe Maryland's defense? Disciplined, yes. But also young and still learning. Maryland started three first-year players on defense last week.

An administrator at a county high school received a telephone call the other day from a woman asking if season tickets for that school's football games were still available.Getting over his surprise quickly, the person said yes, and the woman then wanted to know if they were reserved seats. She and her family had recently moved from Oklahoma, and there the local high school team drew standing-room-only crowds.Assured there would be plenty of room, she thanked the official and hung up.Three county teams open their seasons at home tonight.

Quarterback C.J. Brown has started only a single game for Maryland, and there's already speculation about whether Danny 'O'Brien -- the starter the previous 15 games -- could depart for another school. It's a bit premature. At least for now, those who know him say O'Brien doesn't intend to leave. That doesn't surprise me. His attachment to Maryland and the region is strong, and that's not something that changes overnight.  O'Brien is smart enough to know seasons are long, and outlooks for players can swiftly change.

This summer, usually a busy time in college lacrosse, has been even more turbulent than summers past. Almost 20 percent of the Division I schools have made changes regarding their head coaches, and the subject has dwarfed other topics in lacrosse publications, on message boards, and among the coaches themselves. ESPN analyst and former Johns Hopkins midfielder Mark Dixon said the turnover is symptomatic of the sport's evolution. "I think it's the growth of the game, and it could also be a troubling trend," he said.

— A day after the Washington Capitals were swept by the Tampa Bay Lightning in the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs, general manager George McPhee said he expects Bruce Boudreau to return as coach. "I expect him to be back," McPhee said. "He's a good coach. Someone said he's not a playoff coach — there's no difference between a playoff coach and a regular-season coach. You're either a good coach or you're not. He's a good coach. " But as the Capitals returned Thursday to clean out their lockers and conduct final interviews before dispersing for the summer, there were plenty of questions about what changes might happen within an organization that has been unable to advance beyond the second round since 1998.