I'm speechless

From Hoyas to Henson?
Ex-Georgetown coach wants Aggies job
By Jeff CarltonTribune ReporterFebruary 18, 2005
Former Georgetown men's basketball coach Craig Esherick took over for one coaching legend. Now he wants to replace another.
Esherick, 48, told The Tribune on Thursday he has applied for New Mexico State's head coaching job, which opened after illness forced Lou Henson into retirement after 41 seasons.
"I'd be a heck of a coach for them," Esherick said by phone. "But that is not my call."
New Mexico State Athletics Director McKinley Boston confirmed he has received Esherick's application. Bubba Jennings, a former star at Clovis High and Texas Tech, had also applied, Boston said. Jennings is the director of video operations for Texas Tech.
Lou Henson has two road wins since retiring from New Mexico State. N.M. 28, from Las Cruces to Sunland Park, will be named for the legendary Aggies and Illinois men's basketball coach, the state Transportation Commission announced Thursday. Henson had a street named after him in Champaign, Ill., where he coached the Illini for 21 years.
He had a 779-413 record in 41 years, including two stints at NMSU, his alma mater, from 1966-75 and 1997-2005.
Boston said he is two to three weeks from weeding out the applicants. He said he plans to interview candidates and make a hire by early April during the Final Four.
"This is very much an open process," Boston said. "I am committed to finding the best coach that I can afford."
Esherick coached the Georgetown Hoyas from 1999 until 2004. His career record is 103-74. He took over for legendary coach John Thompson and was replaced by John Thompson III.
Esherick is a Washington, D.C., native who has spent most of his life on the East Coast. He played basketball at Georgetown, graduating with a finance degree in 1978.
After one season as a high school coach and two more as a Georgetown graduate assistant, Esherick became an assistant coach under the elder Thompson in 1982. He served on Thompson's staff until his retirement in 1999. Then Esherick took over.
In his first season, he coached the Hoyas to the NCAA Sweet 16, his only appearance in that tournament as head coach. The following season, Georgetown turned down an NIT invitation.
One season later, the Hoyas played in the NIT, losing the title game to St. John's. In Esherick's fourth season, Georgetown went 13-15 and did not receive a postseason bid for the first time in 30 years. Esherick was fired.
As a coach and player, Esherick participated in 20 NCAA tournaments. As an assistant coach, he made it to three Final Fours and won a national title.
Esherick is a college basketball analyst for AOL Radio. He said the job gives him the chance to travel and learn from other coaches.
"I think there is an awful lot of potential (at New Mexico State)," he said. "I think, clearly, I do want to get back into coaching. I think I have a great chance to win there. I sent in my application, and that is all I know right now."
Esherick would replace another legend in Henson, who retired at NMSU on Jan. 22 as the sixth all-time winningest coach with 779 victories. He is NMSU's all-time winningest coach with 289 wins. He also is the winningest coach at Illinois.
Jennings coached for nine seasons at Artesia High, leading the Bulldogs to two state titles. He was the state's high school player of the year at Clovis in 1980. He set a state record for points in a game and career points.
Jennings was the 1985 Southwest Conference Player of the Year at Texas Tech. He was later drafted by the Dallas Mavericks.
Boston said he has encouraged New Mexico State interim coach Tony Stubblefield to apply. Stubblefield has coached the Aggies to a 5-20 record, including Thursday's 91-49 loss to Louisiana-Lafayette.
Larry Shyatt, who was an assistant at the University of New Mexico and a head coach at Wyoming and Clemson, denied through a spokesman that he is interested in coaching the Aggies. Shyatt is an assistant coach at Florida under Billy Donovan.
"He is not a candidate for New Mexico State," said Fred Demarest, a Florida Athletics Department spokesman. "He hasn't been contacted by New Mexico State. He did not apply."