By Ed Morrone
Do you hear that sound? If not, listen closer. Hear it now? That’s the sound of every Hofstra basketball fan breathing a great big sigh of relief.
The last time a Hofstra basketball coach was offered a coaching job in the Big East, he took a bigger paycheck and jetted to Villanova. That’s why when current head coach Tom Pecora’s name came up for the Seton Hall vacancy, Pride fans everywhere held their breaths and braced for the worst.
But unlike predecessor Jay Wright, Pecora decided to stay at Hofstra and continue what he started-that is, build on a program that has reached the postseason in consecutive years. Pecora inked a contract extension earlier this week that runs through the 2010-11 season. Terms of the contract were not disclosed, but those close to the deal say Pecora received a “Big East-type package.”
But still, while we’re all happy that Pecora is staying in Hempstead, the question remains- why? After all, the Big East is considered the pinnacle of college basketball (Pecora himself said it was always “a dream of mine to coach in that league”), and many coaches that have the opportunity to coach there take it and never look back.
However, there’s just something about Pecora that doesn’t fit that profile. For one, he cares about this program. After an 8-21 season the year after Wright left for Villanova, many turned theirbacks on Hofstra, considering it a forgotten basketball program. But Pecora worked his tail off to get it back to respectability, and with 47 wins over the last two seasons, he’s done that and then some. He couldn’t leave now, not after coming oh-so close to the NCAA Tournament this year.
He’s also a family man. A native of Queens Village, Pecora has spent most of his life in and around Long Island. He graduated from Adelphi in 1983 and most of his childhood friends remain in the area. He and his wife, Mary Beth, have family close by and also have three children-Amanda (13), Brianna (8) and Sean (2)-that have grown up here.
“I didn’t want to uproot my family,” Pecora said. “We’re so comfortable here and everyone treats us great. I told our kids that we’re never going to make decisions like this without you, and I know we made the right one.”
One of the biggest similarities between Wright and Pecora is that they both longed to be close to home. So when the Villanova job opened in 2001, Wright, who is from the Philadelphia area, went home. His departure allowed Pecora to achieve his dream: be a head coach of a Division I program close to home.
“He’s from here and heloves the situation,” Pride assistant David Duke said. “You can’t beat it. It’s a great job and a great place, and everyone knows it.”
Well, not everybody, which is why many are so stunned that Pecora would stay in the little old Colonial Athletic Association when the Big East was beckoning. But, the CAA, which sent six less teams to the NCAA Tournament than the Big East, still has one playing in the Final Four. The gap between major and mid-major conferences in college basketball is closing fast, and Pecora knows it. This year it’s George Mason; next year, who knows? Maybe Hofstra will be competing for a national championship. Once believed to be an impossible dream, thesekinds of lofty goals are right out in front of any team to grab. And plus, who are we kidding-the Hofstra job is a lot better than the Seton Hall one, which has no recruits signed for next year.
Pecora told me in December that he would never leave Hofstra because it was the only job he’d ever want, and by the look in his eye I could tell he was sincere. He loves this place, and as he said, “people don’t realize how good of a job this is.”
After the press conference on Tuesday when the extension was announced, my cell phone began to blow up with calls and text messages from people dying to know of Pecora’s decision.
Don’t worry everybody, you can breathe now, because this coach cares too much to go anywhere else.