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Colorado assistants get new titles in hopes of bolstering head coaching prospects

Tad Boyle

Colorado head coach Tad Boyle signals to his players during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game against Arizona at McKale Center in Tucson, Ariz., Thursday, Jan. 3, 2013. Arizona won 92-83 in overtime. (AP Photo/Wily Low)

AP

While the head coaching carousel is the focus every offseason the many changes within a coaching staff can also have an impact.

At Colorado, head coach Tad Boyle is fortunate to have led the same staff for each of his three seasons in Boulder, resulting in the most successful stretch in the history of the program.

With a 69-38 record and two NCAA tournament appearances, it can be argued that assistants such as Jean Prioleau and Mike Rohn deserve a sniff from some program looking to hire a new head coach.

But that has yet to happen. And with that in mind, Boyle has given both an additional title with the hope being that it will nudge Prioleau and Rohn a little closer to their goal of being a head coach.

On Thursday, Boyle named Prioleau his associate head coach and Rohn his recruiting coordinator according to the
Boulder Daily Camera.

“In terms of their day-to-day duties and what they’re doing for the program, nothing changes,” Boyle said. “We’ve had a lot of success in recruiting and coach Rohn has been a big part of that, as our whole staff has. Coach Prioleau has shown everything it takes to be a head coach at this level and I think he deserves that opportunity; it’s just a matter of him finding the right fit.

“Hopefully over the next couple of years that fit will present itself.”


Boyle noted in the story that while he certainly doesn’t want to lose capable assistants such as Prioleau and Rohn, he also doesn’t want to hold them back in their quest to run their own programs.

Colorado will need to account for the loss of forward Andre Roberson and guard Sabatino Chen, two key pieces on a team that won 21 games in 2012-13.

But with players such as guards Askia Booker and Spencer Dinwiddie and forwards Xavier Johnson and Josh Scott returning to Boulder (not to mention a talented recruiting class that includes Tre’Shaun Fletcher and Jaron Hopkins), Colorado should be among the best teams in the Pac-12.

And if the Buffaloes can continue to leave their mark on the basketball court, new opportunities could arise for Boyle’s assistants.

Raphielle can be followed on Twitter at @raphiellej.