Thank you AD Pilling for doing the right thing! Please find someone quickly who is like Jon and Meg. Don’t listen to the persons who recommended you hire JE nine years ago. Please plan on hiring a very smart, upbeat young person with a strong connection to Columbia.
Don’t worry, man - the person who did the hiring in 2016 is dead; and for that matter, probably spinning in his grave!
Pilling has made several good hires.
And who’s this Jon you’re so casually referring to? Sort of rings a bell. Think I know of ‘a very smart, upbeat young person with a strong connection to Columbia’ named Jon; a former basketball player from the West Coast- is that he?
I was thinking of our football coach, Jon Poppe
Poppe has been fantastic so far.
Oh, THAT Jon - quite impressive that you’re on a first name basis with him already; guess the man has figured out who the key players are and what to do to maintain his good standing! Thanks for the acknowledgement.
Is Armond Hill available?
He’s 71 years old and working with Mike Woodson at Indiana. Woodson is leaving there at the end of the current season- not sure where that leaves Armond; however the results of his time at Columbia a generation ago mirror those of the just-resigned coach. In fact, his last Columbia team in '03 finished 0-14 in Ivy play; a record, at least, Mr. Engles never quite sank to. And while a Columbia reunion seems unlikely for Armond Hill, his NBA connections are probably still strong, built upon his lengthy playing career. So, he’ll probably be able to secure some employment for himself in the field, if that’s what he still wants to do.
For someone who dishes out quite a bit of it, you’re not very good at detecting sarcasm.
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That’s probably true, though I try to reserve my sarcasm for those deserving of it. And, honestly, I’ve always liked Armond Hill and thought he brought a lot to the table both as a player and coach. He was the best player in New York City coming out of high school in 1972 (Bishop Ford Central Catholic High School in Brooklyn); perhaps the best Princeton’s ever seen, as well; and he went on to have a solid, decade-long starting NBA career with coach Hubie Brown and the Atlanta Hawks. His years at Columbia, though unremarkable, were years when Columbia had a coach people knew; a name coach with both Ivy League and street credibility. Most importantly, his players generally played for four years; performed their due diligence on the classroom and graduated after eight semesters; appreciative all the while of the New York City and Columbia experience. Armond Hill and James Engles - two fine men well- acquainted with the blessings and the challenges of coaching men’s basketball at Columbia University. Also, though I’m somewhat anal as you allude to, a lot of young people never heard of Armond Hill as a coach, though they may have seen You Tube videos of him playing.
My comment wasn’t so much of a blow against Armond Hill as it was against the hiring practices that led us to bring Engles. It seemed to be done with some degree of haste, and that certainly would be the case in hiring Hill back as well.
The real reason why I made my comment, was because another posted accused you of being the most obnoxious on the board (or something of the matter), and I won’t let you have an undisputed claim to that crown. You’re giving me all you got though, this won’t be an easy fight.
I’m sorry but he wins by far, you cannot even get close to him
Thanks for this engagement, but let me correct you about one thing: SadSack called me the most ‘annoying’, not the most ‘obnoxious’ and, as much as I don’t aspire to either of those designations, SadSack is entitled to that point of view. As for you: I see you as the consummate Columbia gentleman. To the best of my knowledge, you haven’t offended me or anyone else, out here - just count your blessings; we’re simply a small community inside the toy department of life; nothing for you to feel in any way ‘Cursed’ about! In fact, I must thank you for invoking the names of two of my all-time most favorite Ivy League backcourt players, as part of your writings: Armond Hill and Geronimo Rubio De La Rosa! As far as hasty Columbia hirings go, consider that the University has a broad agenda and properly filling the role of head men’s basketball coach in the best way possible is not normally going to be anywhere near the top of Low Library’s to do list. And now, more than ever, with Columbia under siege, people like SadSack should think better of it than to impose his/her sadness upon us; throwing a self-pity party as he/she ‘couldn’t fathom how Jim Engles was still the men’s basketball coach’ on Sunday, March 9, 2025 - there is just so much else going on right now that takes rightful precedence over our debates concerning light blue aspects of this toy department of life. Let’s just enjoy it as best we can! Thanks again
Armond was a very nice player—and had a good NBA career. But in college, Princeton had many players who had better college careers, of course, Bradley, Brian Taylor and Geoff Petrie lead that list. Kit Mueller, Ian Hummer and Craig Robinson also had better college careers.
Throw in Joe DePre while you’re at it - surely one of your all time favorites!
DePre was a good player, but for St. John’s.
Armand was a great player at both ends.
His numbers are lower than one would expect.
His unselfishness combined with the “Princeton
offense” means that some more recent stars
pass his career numbers, but his talent was
memorable.
True, a St. John’s Redman; and one of that man’s favorite players. We’re permitted to introduce him into the discussion. as far as I know.
I don’t think anybody expects that hiring a new basketball coach is a top institutional priority. I do expect that it is or at least should be for… I don’t know…the athletic director?
I
They should find an Israeli basketball coach. Two birds with one stone.