Candidates buzz ODU's Taylor, hoping to fill job opening

By Ed Miller
The Virginian-Pilot
© June 3, 2010

Though Tuesday was John Richardson's last official day as an assistant coach at Old Dominion, the unofficial jockeying to replace him has been under way since news broke last week that Richardson was leaving to take a job at Virginia Tech.

ODU coach Blaine Taylor's phone has been buzzing with calls from potential candidates to replace Richardson, whose hiring was confirmed Wednesday in a news release from Tech.

Taylor's message to applicants: Be patient. And, oh yeah, don't call him; he'll call you.

"People call and act like we're going to hire someone tomorrow and they're going to be left out," he said Wednesday. "I can understand that, but we're a state school, so it's not like I can get a guy here in two days."

Much of the process is outside of Taylor's control. Per state hiring regulations, the job must be advertised and certain protocols followed. The process can sometimes be sped up for coaching positions, where it can often be necessary to hire quickly.

ODU would like to have someone in place before the start of the critical summer recruiting season. Coaches can evaluate prospects from July 6-15 and 22-31. Taylor said he does not have any candidates in mind.

"I'm weeks away, so any speculation would be really unfounded," he said. "I don't have a long list, a short list, or any list."

Taylor has not had much turnover on his staff in recent years. Assistant Jim Corrigan has been at ODU for 16 seasons and assistant Rob Wilkes eight. Richardson was at ODU for five seasons, three as director of basketball operations and two as an assistant. He was a high school and AAU coach prior to that, winning two state titles at Woodside High in Newport News.

"It was a magical experience," Richardson said Wednesday. "Old Dominion first and foremost will always be considered home. It's where I got my mentoring as a college coach, learning the business from the bottom up, and I'll always be indebted to Blaine Taylor."

Ed Miller, (757) 446-2372, ed.miller@pilotonline.com

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