FORT MYERS — We can now surely put a fork in it.
If the tweet of Jeff Goodman of ESPN is correct, the, “Florida Gulf Coast University third-year (until Friday) coach Joe Dooley has
interviewed with Fill in the Blank” stuff can be done.
Until next year.
Goodman put this to rest with this Thursday afternoon tweet: “NC State has hired UT Martin head coach Heath Schroyer. Joe Dooley passed, Schroyer did not. More $$$$”
We’ve heard Schroyer’s name from a contact in Raleigh for a couple of days, so this name will stick on the wall.
On April 12, Rob Dauster of NBC Sports speculated that “now it appears that Gottfried will likely be hiring former Kansas
assistant and current FGCU head coach Joe Dooley” under the blog headline: “FGCU Head Coach Joe Dooley Expected To Join
N.C. State Staff.”
CBS Sports’ Gary Parrish was a bit less emphatic that day, but also speculated on Dooley become a Mark Gottfried assistant, writing, “A decision could come by the end of next week.”
It probably did.
Dooley likely said, “No, thanks.”
If it even got there far. Hard to say because Dooley doesn’t talk much about things like that. But he did tell us late last week in an unusually candid conversation that he really enjoys being a head coach — we sometimes wondered — and is proud of the program he has built and the players he has.
Almost all of FGCU’s scoring, rebounding, you name it, returns for next season as the Eagles lose just one starter and gain an armful of help in three incoming freshmen and two transfers who sat out last season and will be eligible.
FGCU should torch the Atlantic Sun and could very likely make some cool Big Dance moves.
Dooley interviewed for the head coaching job at Wright State. He also probably interviewed for the head coaching job at Saint Louis.
Obviously, he didn’t get either.
This time next year, he’ll be in much better shape to make the transition to a biggie for quite a bit more money than the current $240,000 salary FGCU athletic director Ken Kavanagh is working to raise a bit.
Perhaps Dooley can make as big of a rebound as former FGCU coach Andy Enfield did when he got the USC job after leading the Eagles to the 2013 Sweet 16 in just his second season as a head coach.
Stay tuned.
Dana Caldwell is the NDN beat writer for Florida Gulf Coast University athletics and can be followed on Twitter at
@NDN_DCaldwell