I remember a game from November of 2007 like it was yesterday.  I was coaching in the game and it was Iona at Robert Morris. One program was down at the time…another program was on the way up.  But both teams had 1st year head coaches.  It was a Friday night and it was Kevin Willard’s coaching debut at Iona.  It was also Mike Rice’s coaching debut at Robert Morris.  Rice inherited a much better situation than Willard.  Robert Morris lost to Syracuse by 6 in the 2008 NIT, lost to Michigan State by 15 in the 2009 NCAA Tourney and came within seconds of upsetting Villanova in this year’s Big Dance.  Willard took over 2-28 and by year 3 had 21 wins this past season in New Rochelle, NY.  Willard played at Pitt, worked for the Boston Celtics and Louisiville under legendary Rick Pitino and was a head coach by 32 years of age.  Rice was part of fired coaching staffs at Niagara and Marquette….and had to work at Chicago State and the Hoop Group (a New Jersey Basketball Camp Company) before landing at St. Joe’s with Phil Martelli 6 years ago.  Then to Pitt with Jamie Dixon…. and then to Robert Morris where he did a great job. Willard’s father sits next to Rick Pitino on Louisville’s bench….Rice’s father is the Walt ‘Clyde’ Frazier of the Portland Trailblazers.  One guy had to fight and scrap for his dream job.  The other guy was pursued as hard as you can be pursued.

Both backgrounds are different.  Both have taken different roads to get here.  But both are Big East head coaches in the Garden State.  Rice’s energy and New Jersey connections will energize the State University.  He plans on being visible and marketing the program like Greg Schiano has done with football on the other side of campus.  Willard’s full court ‘Pitino like’ play will have the fans in Newark rocking and forgetting they ever sat in the ‘GonZone.’

In 1997 both Seton Hall and Rutgers opened the same year.  Rutgers went to Kevin Bannon.  Seton Hall went to Tommy Amaker.

In 2001 both jobs opened again.  Rutgers to Gary Waters.  Seton Hall to Louis Orr.

In 2006 both opened yet again in the same year.  Rutgers to Fred Hill.  Seton Hall to Bobby Gonzalez.

And now 2010.  The rivalry is back and most likely here to stay.  You are not gonna find two guys that love the metropolitan area more than Mike Rice and Kevin Willard.  These two want to be here and want to win….bad.  The recruiting wars will be vicious and the games will be beyond intense.

And who would have thought that the matchup in 2007 in Pittsburgh would be a sneak peek of a Big East rivalry.

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