Tom Barrise has not yet been named head coach at Fairleigh Dickinson University, but all signs point to him being named the head coach as early as next week.
Barrise spent Wednesday night scouting Wayne (N.J.) Valley senior point guard Jason Rosenberg put up 18 points and 9 assists when Passaic Valley beat Wayne Valley, 68-60, in a North 1, Group 3 playoff game at PV.
Barrise, who still works for the Nets and was their interim head coach for two games this year after Lawrence Frank was fired, has also scouted Paterson Kennedy senior wing Shondel Stewart.
Barrise indicated he would reach out to the coaches of those players “next week,” a source with knowledge said.
Since high school players can’t jump to the NBA, one can reasonably infer that Barrise is scouting these players to play at FDU next season.
Barrise was the head coach for three seasons (1992-95) at Ramapo College. He has also coached at St. Peter’s, Fairfield, East Carolina, Jacksonville, William Paterson and FDU.
Multiple sources said Barrise, a Paterson, N.J. native and former two-sport star at FDU, has already interviewed for the FDU job, currently held by interim coach Greg Vetrone.
Look for Barrise to hire current Nets scout and former Villanova star Kerry Kittles as an assistant if he does get the job.The No. 5-seeded Knights play at No. 4 LIU in an NEC quarterfinal Thursday night. Barrise could be introduced as early as next week, assuming FDU loses in the conference tournament. FDU athletic director David Langford said he would not comment until the school had completed its internal inquiries. “While I cannot comment on personnel matters as per our University policy, I can say that we are fully committed to bringing in the coach that is the best fit for our institution, department and men’s basketball program,” Langford said in an email. “This search must be done thoroughly as well as in a timely manner as not to put our men’s basketball program at a disadvantage heading into next season.” Follow Adam Zagoria on Twitter.
