McDonald's Nuggets: Penn State's next coach; Paul Atkinson
This week’s McDonald’s Nuggets discusses replacements for Pat Chambers at Penn State, an early top transfer target in Paul Atkinson and the Commits of the Week.
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2021 Rankings: Rivals150 | Team | Position
2022 Rankings: Rivals150 | Team
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WHAT’S ON MY MIND: Who will replace Pat Chambers at Penn State?
On Wednesday afternoon, news came out that Pat Chambers was stepping down as coach at Penn State after an investigation into alleged racist comments he made to a former player. After a slow year in the coaching carousel, we now have at least one high-major job that will be open, so let’s take a look at some potential replacements for Chambers.
For a program that could use a jolt on a national scale, why not take a long look at Rick Pitino, who is set to start his first season at Iona? There is no doubt he’s one of the best coaches in the sport and could attract top recruits, but the baggage in his past could obviously make this a difficult choice.
Could Penn State attract former Michigan head coach John Beilein? It might be tough depending on which jobs open up, but he absolutely must get a call. Likewise, it’s always tough to steal coaches from VCU, but Mike Rhoades is another one the Penn State administration should certainly consider.
If Penn State chooses to go for a coach from the mid-major ranks, Robert Morris head coach Andrew Toole could be an option. He’s compiled a 188-154 record as a head coach with two NCAA Tournament appearances. He played at Penn and his whole college coaching career has been in the state of Pennsylvania, so he’s connected in the area from a recruiting standpoint.
Another coach with strong recruiting ties in the area is George Washington head coach Jamion Christian. A former assistant of Shaka Smart at VCU, Christian started his head coaching career with six years at Mount St. Mary’s, followed by a year at Siena before leaving for George Washington last year. His overall record of 130-131 isn’t going to win a press conference, but he did have a winning overall record in his two previous stops, has coached in the NCAA Tournament twice and he plays a fun brand of basketball.
If the Nittany Lions can have some success on the court this season, don’t completely rule out interim head coach Jim Ferry keeping the job going forward. Other names to consider here would be Tulane head coach Ron Hunter, Penn head coach Steve Donahue and Yale head coach James Jones.
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RECRUITING NOTE: Paul Atkinson goes into the portal
With the Ivy League season looking like it might not happen, Yale’s Paul Atkinson decided not to waste any time in finding a new home for next season. He entered the transfer portal this week and found out there will be no shortage of options.
Arkansas, Boston College, Cincinnati, Duke, Florida, Georgia, Gonzaga, Kansas, Maryland, Miami, NC State, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Oklahoma State, Stanford, Tennessee, Texas, Texas A&M, USC, Virginia Tech, Wake Forest and Xavier make up the list of schools to reach out to the reigning Ivy League co-Player of the Year.
As a junior, the Florida native averaged 17.6 point and 7.3 rebounds per game for the Bulldogs.
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2021 COMMIT OF THE WEEK: Wade Taylor to Texas A&M
Buzz Williams secured his second commitment in the 2021 class this week with the addition of Wade Taylor. The four-star guard from Lancaster, Texas, joins five-star guard Manny Obaseki to form a really nice future backcourt for the Aggies. Taylor had also considered Iowa State, Oklahoma State, SMU and Virginia Tech before settling on Texas A&M.
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2022 COMMIT OF THE WEEK: Skyy Clark to Kentucky
Skyy Clark made the biggest recruiting news of the week with his decision to commit to Kentucky on Thursday night. Once again, John Calipari wins out in a huge recruiting battle with other top programs such as Memphis, North Carolina and UCLA. The five-star point guard is currently No. 13 overall in the 2022 Rivals150. Clark is best known for his ability to elevate the play of his teammates, but he’s more than capable of creating his own offense.