Jimmy Patsos

If Jimmy Patsos' stomach is roiling at the thought of nine other Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference coaches taking aim at him, the Loyola basketball coach wears his tension well. "I'm happy to be the hunted," says a grinning Patsos, sitting on stage at a downtown charity event with a panel of famous coaches, including Gary Williams, his former boss at Maryland. "Coach Williams taught me that," Patsos continues. "He always said, 'I'd love to have all the problems that Duke and Carolina have.'" The concerns of a champion are new to Loyola basketball, which had floundered for the better part of two decades before Patsos took over in 2004.

There was a moment in last Monday's Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference tournament final against Fairfield when Loyola coach Jimmy Patsos stared for several seconds toward the court during a television timeout, holding his two index fingers close together between his eyes and nose. Obviously angry, Patsos also seemed frozen, fixed on either a call he didn't like from one of the referees or a lapse from one of his players. Assistant coach Luke D'Alessio brought Patsos back to the huddle - and back to the moment.

The men's basketball program that was almost a record-setting loser is already undergoing an extreme makeover. Everywhere one looks at Loyola College, the University of Maryland influence has infiltrated. When the Greyhounds launch their new season under Jimmy Patsos in six months, they will be shaped in the Terrapins' image, playing a style the new coach learned as Gary Williams' longtime assistant at College Park. "I think when we made the hire, we wanted somebody who could give the program a new face," said Loyola athletic director Joe Boylan.

The day after watching his team lose on its home court with a stagnant effort that surprised and angered him, Jimmy Patsos is wrapping up a spirited practice session and running short on sleep. Since taking over one of the NCAA's worst Division I men's basketball programs last spring, Patsos has held steady in the belief that Loyola College, with his knowledge, passion and energy driving it, will fix this mess and do it quickly. And the new face of the Greyhounds keeps telling himself things are getting better.

It had been a whirlwind day for G.G. Smith, the new men's basketball coach at Loyola, when a phone call interrupted his introductory news conference Friday afternoon. That morning, the Loyola assistant had a final interview with the school's search committee. Around lunchtime, he was summoned to the home of Loyola president, Rev. Brian F. Linnane, who informed Smith that the job was his. The 36-year-old then made emotional phone calls to his wife and mother. But during his news conference at Reitz Arena, he was still waiting for his father to return his call.

Every athletic director looking for a basketball coach should have Jimmy Patsos on his or hers short list. What he's done in taking Loyola from 1-27 to the NCAA Tournament is nothing short of remarkable. But he's just 44 and probably makes good, not great, money. According to a story last July when Patsos was being talked about as an assistant at some bigger schools, he could make more as a big-time assistant. Loyola needs to lock him up now. Give him a long extension and as much money possible.

Moving around has always been a big part of new Loyola basketball coach G.G. Smith's life. As a child whose father, Tubby, was a rising star in the college basketball coaching ranks, Smith spent time growing up in college towns like Columbia, S.C., and Lexington, Ky., as well as cities like Tulsa, Okla., and Richmond, Va. As an adult, Smith often took jobs based on where his wife, Lorie, was completing her post-graduate work as she built her career...

Loyola said it will announce on Friday its choice to replace former men's basketball coach Jimmy Patsos. Villanova assistant Raphael Chillious is a finalist for the post, according to a source with knowledge of the search. Loyola assistant G.G. Smith is also a finalist, the source said. Chillious, who is originally from Olney, joined Villanova coach Jay Wright in August 2012 following three seasons at Washington. He played at Lafayette, graduating in 1996. Smith, the son of Texas Tech coach Tubby Smith and a former player at Georgia, has been with Loyola for six seasons as an assistant.

Jimmy Patsos' flirtation with the Big Apple turned out to be brief. The Loyola coach said this morning he has declined an opportunity to join Steve Lavin at St. John's and will remain in Baltimore. "I'm very lucky to be at Loyola, and I really want to coach at Loyola," Patsos said. "I think the future is really bright, and we're on the verge of being really good." Lavin was named St. John's coach on Wednesday. On Thursday, Patsos met with his former boss, Maryland coach Gary Williams, in Indianapolis at the Final Four to gain perspective.

It happens after every college basketball season -- head coaches get dismissed, new ones get hired. Those on the hot seat feel angst. Assistant coaches are quietly hopeful that their time to lead a program has arrived. The players in this this year's drama include Maryland assistant Scott Spinelli. He's among those being linked -- with good reason -- to the Florida International job left vacant when Richard Pitino left for Minnesota earlier this month. Also in the mix, according to published reports, is Florida assistant John Pelphrey.