Stan Heath gone and it won't matter

The Orlando Magic hired BC Basketball Assistant Stan Heath as the coach of their G League team. Losing an assistant over the summer is not ideal, but I don't think anyone is upset by this. How can you get upset? Heath has done nothing to keep this team out of the dumps the past two years and has been a non-factor in recruiting.

I want some optimism, but this upcoming basketball season feels like a waste of time. Christian is a lame duck and while the talent might be better, I don't have much faith in that the coaching staff will get them to play well. Maybe with an empty suit like Heath gone, Christian might find a some young hungry assistant who can provide a spark.

Stan Heath gets Globe treatment

It is not often that BC Basketball assistants are the subject of offseason features in the Globe's sports section. But here we are in August and Vega is writing about Jim Christian's biggest offseason addition: Stan Heath.

Other than bringing credibility and familiarity to the staff, Heath should help instill better defense. You get the sense from the article that this wasn't a career stop he planned, but he's glad to be back at work and glad to be reunited with Christian.

This is a rebuilding year for Basketball, but will also be critical for establishing the new culture. Having Heath's experience and support should help the young players realize what is needed to win at this level.

Christian hires Stan Heath as final assistant.

After some initial reports, Vega confirmed with Christian that he added former Arkansas and South Florida coach Stan Heath to the staff. Heath fills the open position created by Preston Murphy's departure. On a very basic level this is a great hire. We replace a young assistant with an experienced major conference coach. Christian fills an open spot with a former boss (which I always take as a sign of respect between the two). Hiring Heath also speaks to a decent budget. BC won't release Heath's salary, but I doubt he came cheap.

There are of course questions related to the Heath hire. Can he recruit to a school like BC with tougher admission standards? Can he recruit New England? Does he have the young energy that enabled Murphy to relate to recruits?

As much as the Murphy departure worried me, this sort of move calms my nerves a bit. Sometimes personalities just don't mix. If Murphy and Christian weren't on the same page, it is better to address it early than late. I assume that Heath and Christian will work well together. The roles are reversed, but they had success once before. Even if Heath is not as effective as Murphy on the recruiting trail, a united staff is ultimately what Christian needs. There will be bumps ahead and by adding Heath he gets a trusted sounding board, who will hopefully lead BC back to success.