June 11, 2008

by Matt DaSilva, Lacrosse Magazine Online Staff

Don't wind up the coaching carousel just yet.

North Carolina fired men's lacrosse coach John Haus on May 27, vacating a position thought to be of interest to several Division I head coaches elsewhere. Two weeks later, frontrunner Don Zimmerman of UMBC has removed his name from consideration, while Navy's Richie Meade has also publicly disavowed interest.

"I have removed myself from consideration for the North Carolina job, having based my decision on what is best for my family at this point in our lives," Zimmerman said in an e-mail Wednesday morning. "I also feel a very strong connection to the people here at UMBC, especially the players who have made the commitment to play for me and my staff."

Zimmerman won two national championships at North Carolina as an assistant coach under Willie Scroggs and three more as the head coach at Johns Hopkins during the 1980s. He took over at UMBC in 1994, where has helped build a perennial top-20 program despite a disadvantage in resources compared to schools such as UNC.

The Retrievers advanced to the NCAA quarterfinals in 2007, defeating in-state flagship and ACC power Maryland in a first-round game in College Park. They also defeated the Terps during the 2008 regular season on an overtime goal by Maxx Davis.

North Carolina, meanwhile, has not won an ACC game in four years, a key element in Haus' dismissal. The Tar Heels have lost 18 straight games to ACC opponents during that time, including ACC tournaments and their NCAA quarterfinal loss to Duke in 2007.

"We're expecting the person we hire to be able to take us back to a higher level, where we can do a better job in the ACC. That's a priority," said Dave Lohse, UNC's associate director of media relations. "It's also a priority that we get someone in here who understands where the program is right now, who understands what it's going to take to get it back in a much more competitive environment and what some of the issues are coming in, in terms of getting our alumni on board, recruiting at a high level and coaching at a high level."

Haus, previously a head coach at Johns Hopkins (1999-2000) and Washington College (1995-98; 1998 NCAA Division III champion), went 58-52 in eight seasons at North Carolina.

Haus was hired there in 2001, following in the footsteps of Scroggs (NCAA championships in 1981, 1982 and 1986), now a senior associate athletic director and head of the search committee tasked with finding Haus' replacement, and Dave Klarmann (NCAA championship in 1990; five ACC titles). But Haus was never able to replicate his predecessors' success.

Alumni and administrative pressure mounted after a 5-8 showing in 2005, followed by a 4-10 campaign in 2006, the Tar Heels' worst finish since going winless in 1967. Haus appeared to have earned some redemption by taking a young team to the NCAA quarterfinals in 2007, but UNC was bounced by Navy in the first round of this year's tournament despite hosting the game as a No. 4 seed.

"The numbers, frankly, speak for themselves," Lohse said. "I'm completely dancing around the issue of trying not to be critical of any individuals who've been here the last 12 years, but we have not lived up to what we can do."

When interviewed by Lacrosse Magazine Online a year ago, Haus contended that the pressure to win at North Carolina was no more or less than at any other Division I institution.

"It's pretty much anywhere now. It is what it is. That's your job. It's my job to win lacrosse games," Haus said. "I mean, they're not going to hire somebody to come in and lose lacrosse games. I understand all of that. That's not a big deal to me."

As a state institution subject to North Carolina state law, UNC must allow the position to post for 30 days before making a hire, but Lohse said the school could apply for a waiver to offer the position prior to then.

Still, the candidate pool has dwindled. Another Division I head coach with North Carolina ties is Ohio State's Joe Breschi, who was an All-American defenseman for the Tar Heels. But Breschi's ties to Columbus are also strong. He's considered a tough sell given his relationship with the Ohio State athletic department and football coach Jim Tressel, who coordinated the Buckeyes' annual spring football game in Ohio Stadium with a lacrosse game April 19 against Denver.

Ohio State routed the Pioneers, 20-13, before a regular-season record 29,601 fans in the Horseshoe.

With Zimmerman out, the race to replace Haus remains wide open. Assistant coaches Greg Paradine, Judd Lattimore and Pat Olmert have remained on staff to run UNC's camps and help with recruiting. But it's unlikely the school would tab anyone without head coaching experience, whether he has former ties to the program or not.

"It was indeed an honor to have been considered for the Carolina coaching position. Director of Athletics Dick Baddour is a class act, as is my longtime friend and former boss Willie Scroggs," Zimmerman said. "Because of the process, I was also able to reconnect with many former players who I coached during my four-year tenure at Carolina, which was a meaningful experience for me personally."

Lohse said North Carolina would like to have its new men's lacrosse coach in place by July 1, when Division I coaches can initiate contact with rising high school seniors. Most of the nation's top recruits have already verbally committed to Carolina and other top programs, but the commitments are nonbinding. High school seniors can officially commit to a college beginning with the early signing period in November.

"It's like the 800-pound gorilla in the room," he said. "There's certainly no reason we can't be successful here."