The Erie BayHawks made major headlines most recently with rumblings surrounding their head coaching position.
First, it was (then) current head coach Jay Larranaga who announced he had received a bit of an NBA call-up of his own. He has since joined the Boston Celtics and will occupy a seat on Doc Rivers' coaching staff's bench.
Larranaga was one of many D-League coaches who ventured on to potentially bigger and better opportunities this past summer. But when one door closes, another door opens. The BayHawks and their NBA affiliate, the New York Knicks, saw Larranaga's exit as a great opportunity to welcome in one of the game's greatest players of all time.
After spending nearly a decade as an assistant coach in the NBA, Knickerbocker legend Patrick Ewing has been working diligently over the last couple of years to get interviews with teams that have head coaching vacancies. Since proving himself as an assistant, Ewing desires the well-deserved chance to prove he can fully run the show.
And the BayHawks and Knicks alike realized the Big Fella's existent desire. Hoping to finally bring him back to the Knicks organization (at least on some level), Ewing was offered Larranaga's former position as head coach of the BayHawks.
Unfortunately, Ewing rejected the offer, citing another desire to otherwise stay involved in the NBA instead. But the fact that such a position was offered to an even bigger name was enough to make major headlines. Should this have been a signal that BayHawks would ultimately target a more notable presence with NBA experience to be their next head coach?
According to GoErie.com, apparently not. After being turned down by Ewing, GoErie.com is reporting that the BayHawks will ultimately name Iowa Energy assistant Gene Cross as the new head man in charge. Cross would join an array of D-League assistants to have received head coaching promotions this summer.
Sources have in fact told RidiculousUpside.com that after more than a week of anticipation, the BayHawks will finally reveal the identity of their new head coach this afternoon.
Will the new head coach in fact be Cross, or will the BayHawks opt to make more of a splash and hire a more notable presence in the NBA? Time will soon tell, but following Larranaga's success and obvious credibility, his successor will have big shoes to fill.