As reported by Newsday yesterday, Tom Pecora is leaving the Mack Sports Complex and heading over to the A-10 to coach Fordham.

Here are a few thoughts on both Pecora’s tenure at HU, and where Jack Hayes should look to hire his successor:

• Pecora’s run at Hofstra was overrated. If you talk to a program outsider, they’ll point to the 20-win seasons, and appearances in the CBI. Problem is, the program was on that level when Pecora first arrived, and didn’t make any significant stride forward.
• The move for Pecora is completely lateral. Yes, Fordham is an A-10 team, but they are bottom of the barrel. Moreover, the Atlantic 10, while deep, has no respect when it comes to the NCAA Tournament committee (see: 2 A-10 teams in the NIT semis). It’s not secret Pecora wants to get to the Dance … the A-10 is anything but an automatic ticket.
• I’ll be interested to see the effect this has on Jenkins next season. The soon-to-be-senior can already be mentioned in the same breath as Antoine Agudio in terms of program greats, and with another superstar season, could be paired up with Speedy and Stokes. Jenkins’ supporting cast has been minimal at best while he’s been at Hofstra, yet he’s always in contention for conference player of the year. Jenkins’ best career move would probably be to transition to point guard, as combo guards rarely get a shot in the NBA; the next coach at Hofstra would be smart to consider coaxing Jenkins to make the switch.
• As far as next in line at Hofstra, they should look local, and outside of the program. A guy like Tim Cluess at C.W. Post could be a perfect fit. Hofstra already has a reputation in international recruiting, and the next logical step would be to try to rival St. John’s (although they haven’t scored any of the big NYC products lately) in Long Island and NYC recruiting. Cluess has his finger on the pulse of Long Island basketball; pair him with an assistant from the city, and Hofstra could again look to surge to the top of the CAA.