Herrion new Herd head coach
Published 12:09 am Sunday, April 11, 2010
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. — Tom Herrion has been hired as Marshall’s new basketball coach.
The former Pittsburgh associate head coach was introduced at a news conference Saturday.
Terms of Herrion’s contract weren’t immediately released. Herrion replaces Donnie Jones, who left last month to become Central Florida’s coach.
Herrion, 42, spent three seasons on Jamie Dixon’s staff at Pittsburgh. The Panthers won the Big East tournament in 2008 and advanced to the NCAA regional finals in 2009.
Before that he went 80-38 in four seasons as head coach at the College of Charleston, including a 25-8 record in his first season. He also spent eight years on Pete Gillen’s staffs at Providence and Virginia.
A 1989 graduate of Merrimack, Herrion wasn’t Marshall’s first choice. Appalachian State’s Buzz Peterson said he was offered the Marshall job but the two sides couldn’t agree on a contract.
Marshall went 24-10 this season and played in the 16-team CollegeInsider.com Tournament, its first postseason tournament appearance since 1988.
Marshall athletic director Mike Hamrick was the AD at East Carolina when he hired Herrion’s brother, Bill, as basketball coach in 1999. Bill Herrion is now the coach at New Hampshire.
Tom Herrion will continue to take part in the rivalry with West Virginia, Marshall’s cross-state rival. On Feb. 3 in Morgantown, Herrion was struck under his right eye by a coin that came from the stands. Marshall and West Virginia meet every January in Charleston.