Coaching Carousel: Shawn Nadelen’s Focused On Towson, Not Michigan.

Shout out to friend of the blog Scott Hensley for the tip.

Our man Edward Lee of the Baltimore Sun did some old school reporting today and got the scoop out of Tigerland on Towson head coach Shawn Nadelen and the speculation surrounding him & the Michigan job. BOSS Nadelen put those rumors speculation about him leaving Towson for Michigan in his typical chokehold and snuffed it out.

“I just don’t really pay much attention to it,” he said Wednesday. “I’m focused on our program, and once the season ends, you get focused on the recruiting, and you’re doing what’s best for Towson lacrosse at all times.”

After putting the #banter about him and Michigan to bed, Nadelen swiftly shifted attention away from himself to his staff. BOSS Nadelen thinks you’re “crazy” if you believe it is a one-man show at Towson. Like any good captain knows, your ship is only as good as its crew, and Nadelen feels like he has a phenomenal supporting cast at Towson.

“I guess it’s something that comes up due to the success that our program has been able to achieve, but if anybody thinks that’s solely on me, they’re crazy,” he said. “It’s a complete team effort. I’ve been blessed to have my assistant coaches be with me on staff here for the six years that I’ve been here as the head coach, and I think that’s been a huge reason for our success over the past six years. [Defensive coordinator] Dan Cocchi and [offensive coordinator/associate head coach] Anthony Gilardi provide a consistency with regards to how we’ve been able to develop our players and our team each year.”

#Blessed

I know our boy Jake is very pleased about today’s news.

It’s pretty obvious why Nadelen would be among the most popular names bandied about for the Michigan vacancy. In Nadelen’s six years at Towson, he’s amassed a 65-37 record, won four CAA Tournament titles, and just capped off a wonderful 2017 with the program’s first Final Four run since 2001. Towson lacrosse is pretty hot right now, and a lot of that is due to coach Nadelen and the team around him.

While Nadelen’s originally from New York, he’s made Baltimore/Towson his home for quite some time now. He played at Hopkins, was a pro player for the Bayhawks, and has served on the Towson coaching staff since 2005 after first coming in as an assistant coach. Additionally, Lee’s report noted that coach’s wife is a clinical assistant professor in Towson’s kinesiology department. So it’s going to take a lot to get him to leave the Charm City area, as the Nadelen family has some deep roots in the community.

Moreover, given all the success he’s enjoyed at Towson and his deep connections in the Baltimore area, you can easily make a case that Michigan needs him a lot more than he needs Michigan.

The Michigan job is a big time gig, but there’s still some work to do. The Wolverines haven’t developed as quickly as other young D1 programs have (Richmond, Marquette, BU etc), and Michigan’s definitely looking up in the Big Ten standings, as all 5 other members of the Big Ten THE GAWD CONFERENCE are significantly better than the Wolverine are right now. If you are a coach at a top 10-15 program, Michigan still has to make a compelling case that it’s in your interest to leave a good situation where you are making good money, for door #2 in Ann Arbor.

Of course some Michigan alum could come through Michigan Athletic Director Warde Manuel’s office and drop some serious cash money on his desk, if they were adamant they wanted coach (*insert top 10-12 coach here*). However, unless a Brinks truck is en route to campus right now, I think today’s report pretty much removes Nadelen from the Michigan search. (Ed. Note: I guess we can parse his words a little bit since “I’m focused on Towson” isn’t a declarative “Nah, I’m not going to Michigan,” but let’s just say, as of today, it’s extremely unlikely/probably next to impossible that Nadelen’s going to Michigan this offseason.)

Lee’s report last week about Petro & Hopkins also crossed Pietramala from the Michigan job as well.

“My players at Johns Hopkins know my commitment to them and know my commitment to my institution,” Pietramala said. “I’ve given the better part of my adult life to this place, and I’ve given everything that I have and I plan to continue to do that and more. My players, I believe, know my heart. They know how much I love Hopkins. How could I expect them to give that if I’m not willing to give that myself? We all have to do a better job. They have to do a better job, I have to do a better job, and my staff has to do a better job.”

BOSS Amplo and Marquette renewed their commitment to each other over the weekend, so that knocks Amplo off the list. (Ed. Note: We heard some pretty interesting whispers over the weekend regarding Marquette & Amplo. Nothing to report right now, but we’ll definitely put out something later if we get any juicy grapes from the valley.)

The Coaching Carousel Big Board is underneath. Nothing too big to report, but please feel free to share some of your speculation in the comments section. Let us know who you think might be a good choice for the Michigan and/or St. Bonaventure job.

Mount up!