Cordaro hired at UTA

[OmahaDawg]

MEN'S BASKETBALL HIRES CORDARO



Larry Cordaro named assistant men's basketball coach






Aug. 11, 2004

Larry Cordaro has been hired as an assistant men's basketball coach by head coach Eddie McCarter recently.

Cordaro served as the director of basketball operations at Louisiana State University (LSU) since 2002. His duties included recruiting, academic monitoring, co-director of basketball camps and events, video coordinator, help coordinate pre-game meals and organizing meetings with the LSU men's basketball booster club. and administrative duties. Cordaro entered the program as a student assistant in 2001.

"We are fortunate to have a coach of Larry's caliber join our program," said McCarter, who enters his 12th season as the head coach of the Mavericks. "He will help us with on-the-floor coaching, recruiting, academic monitoring and scouting. He will have his hand in all aspects of the program."

A native of Ruston, La, Cordaro earned a bachelor of science in accounting from LSU in 2002 and a master of science in sport management in 2004. UTA begins the 2004-05 season against Texas-Permian Basin on Nov. 20 at Texas Hall. Tipoff is at 7 p.m.

[OmahaDawg]

Due to a Private Message that says this info is not right to be posted here, I will remove it in a day or 2. Sorry to that poster who says it is not relavant because Larry did not go to Tech or have any ties to Tech.


He did attend LaTech for a period, graduated from Ruston and has many on here who enjoy keeping up with him and some who have helped him.

Sorry if I offended anyone. Just thought this was more relavant than if you pull for LSU or some other stupid thread.

MArtie

[MattEE]

Nothing wrong with this thread at all! Kudos to your brother. I went to high school with him, and I always thought he was a top notch guy. I doubt many people took offense to this thread, atleast I didn't and I am as much of a TECH fan as anyone can be.

[Dwayne From Minden]

Some people are just small minded individuals...

[b_hoss_mac]

Well, for the idiot who private messaged Martie, you can PM me too if you want. But this is a PUBLIC thread, and one of our loyal BB&B members can post anything he wants about a family member on here.

Larry is a good guy who is very driven and will make a very successful head coach one day — heck, maybe we can get him at Tech some day.

For now, he is one of the youngest assistants in the country at the tender age of 24. Not bad, young man.

For more on Larry and his story, check out the lead story on today's Ruston Daily Leader sports page.

[Champ967]

As an avowed lsu-hater for life, I have no problem with this thread. Congrats to Bama's bro!

[MattEE]

I agree with b hoss mac. I hope some day Bama's brother can come here as the MBB head coach. Seeing Larry at RHS as a competitor I would be willing to bet a scholarship that he would be a better coach than Richard. I am not saying Richard is bad necessarily, but Larry is really a fiery competitor as I remember things.

[TulsaDawg]

Congrats from a fellow native Rustonian.

[TYLERTECHSAS]

At 24 years old huh?? VERY COOL INDEED!

[OmahaDawg]

OK cool. Thanks for the reassurance.


Martie

[rphdawg]

Cordaro hired as UTA assistant in basketball
Posted August 12, 2004
By Bret H. McCormick
Staff Writer

Ruston High graduate Larry Cordaro has taken the next step up the collegiate basketball coaching ranks.


After spending the past two seasons as the director of basketball operations at LSU (and three seasons total in Baton Rouge), Cordaro has been hired as an assistant coach at the University of Texas at Arlington at the tender age of 24.


"Larry was here with us for three years," LSU head coach John Brady said. "Hopefully, the experiences he had here will help him do another outstanding job at Texas-Arlington."


Cordaro said the experiences he learned about college coaching in his three years at LSU will stay with him as he translates to a full-time assistant.


"I learned a lot at LSU," Cordaro said. "It prepared me to be an assistant. My time there was wonderful; it prepared me for the future. I'm ready to move on. I felt like I mastered that position."


Three years ago, Cordaro decided he wanted to coach basketball. Cordaro said he asked himself what he would do for free, and he said he wanted to be a basketball coach.


Cordaro said his father (Ruston realtor and commercial developer Frank Cordaro) put him in touch with Grambling High head coach Michael Lyons.


Lyons, whose star player Antonio Hudson had signed with LSU the previous summer, put Cordaro in touch with LSU assistant coach Butch Pierre.


"Coach Lyons introduced me to coach Brady and Pierre," Cordaro said. "He opened the door for me to start my career. If it wasn't for him, we wouldn't be talking."


After getting in touch Pierre, Cordaro got the chance to talk with Brady.


"Brady came in the office, sat down and spoke with me," Cordaro said. "He liked my personality and said, 'Put this man to work.'"


Cordaro spent his first season with the team as a volunteer student assistant while he finished up work on his bachelor's degree in accounting. Then he spent the next two years as the director of basketball operations while earning his master's in sport management.


While the director of basketball operations, Cordaro's assignments spanned a number of areas necessary to run a basketball program — recruiting, video coordinating, academic monitoring and programming camps and events.


The first and last areas of the list are where Cordaro really made his mark on the LSU basketball program.


Although Cordaro was not allowed to do any off-campus recruiting, he was integral in the on-campus visits by prospects considering LSU.


Two of the key players Cordaro helped recruit were McDonald's All-Americans — Brandon Bass in 2003 and Glen "Big Baby" Davis in 2004.


But it was his relentless work ethic at summer camps that vaulted Cordaro to the next level. At LSU, he was the co-director of the annual summer and Christmas John Brady Basketball Camps.


Brady said not only was Cordaro instrumental in LSU's camps, but he also assisted in every other aspect of the program.


"He was involved in all aspects of our program," Brady said. "The summer camps, on-campus recruiting, tape and film exchange, coaching on the floor — he was involved in every aspect of our program. He didn't recruit on the road, but he was very involved with our on-campus recruiting."


During the summer, Cordaro also volunteered at camps throughout the South — Rick Barnes' camp at the University of Texas, Lute Olson's camp at the University of Arizona and camps at New Orleans, Miami and Ole Miss.


Cordaro also assisted in Eddie McCarter's summer camp. Now he will assist Eddie McCarter as a member of his staff at UTA.


"We are fortunate to have a coach of Larry's caliber join our program," said McCarter, who enters his 12th season as the head coach of the Mavericks. "He will help us with on-the-floor coaching, recruiting, academic monitoring and scouting. He will have his hand in all aspects of the program."


Cordaro said he credited his parents for teaching him about hard work, something he practiced at all the summer camps.


"I credit that to my parents," Cordaro said. "They taught me hard work, discipline and to treat others with respect."


Cordaro said he forged many relationships with coaches along the way, who helped him get to this point in his life — former LSU head coach Dale Brown, former Ruston High and current Cedar Creek head coach Jack Thigpen, Arizona assistant coach Josh Pastner and former LSU assistant Rickey Broussard.


"Rickey Broussard used to be the head coach at Nicholls (State, which plays against UTA in the Southland Conference)," Cordaro said. "He knew the coach at UTA and kind of initiated everything."


Pastner is someone Cordaro said he keeps in touch with via e-mail. The two have something in common. Pastner, heading into his third year as an assistant for Olson at Arizona, also became a full-time assistant at the age of 24.


"He's someone, even though he's just two years older than me, that I can look up to," Cordaro said. "He's also a peer."


Cordaro went to work this summer looking for a full-time job. He went out to the camps, looking to meet with coaches and athletic directors about potential jobs.


"I looked for the best opportunity," Cordaro said. "I held on to the last minute. I've been patient, waiting on the job I wanted. I waited until close to school and it paid off. I got what I wanted."


Cordaro said he's eager to get started at both recruiting and coaching his new players.


"I feel like I can be successful (in recruiting), particularly in Louisiana where I'm from — getting local talent and bringing it to Arlington," Cordaro said.


He also added that he's looking forward to being able to teach X's and O's in practice.


"I'm looking forward to being able to speak up in practice," Cordaro said. "At LSU, there were four coaches in front of me. Out there (in Arlington), I can actually give my opinion. There's more authority and more respect at that position."


As a member of the Southland Conference, UTA competes against five schools from Louisiana — Louisiana-Monroe, Northwestern State, McNeese State, Nicholls State and Southeastern Louisiana — and Cordaro said he looks forward to the opportunity to compete against teams from his home state.


"We play five Louisiana schools in conference," Cordaro said. "I take pride in that and want to try and beat up on my home state. It'll be good to come back home."


His ultimate goal is to become a head coach at a high major university, but he said for now he just wants to help UTA become better.


"I want to help them get to the NCAA tourney," Cordaro said. "I think it's possible. They lost four starters from last year. The team is mostly freshmen and sophomores with a few upperclassmen."


Junior forward Steven Thomas, who averaged 12.1 points and five rebounds a game last year for the Mavs, is the only returning starter. Guards Jarrett Howell and Brady Dawkins return after averaging over 15 minutes a game last year.


The Mavs will lean heavily on transfers Steven Ozier (Stephen F. Austin) and Chris Hairfield (Sacred Heart), as well as incoming freshmen Rodrick Epps (6-0, 170), Baron Sauls (6-2, 180), Myles Guidry (6-4, 200), Larry Posey (6-5, 250) and Jermaine Griffin (6-8, 220).

http://www.rustonleader.com/s-01.htm

[OmahaDawg]

Thanks for posting that Cody. I had not read that yet.

Martie