More on Coach Spiker

AllBasketballReview.com gives a thumbs up for Army's hiring Zach Spiker as its new head coach. The site writes:

I don’t know Zach Spiker, at all. I don’t know anyone who knows him… but I love to see an athletic department take a chance. Zach Spiker isn’t a household name, he has never been a head coach and if this job wasn’t open in September – he probably doesn’t get it.

Fantastic! So many coaches never get a shot, or get a chance this early in their career because of perception.

We’re not talking about surgery… it’s coaching basketball, building relationships, working your tail off. Don’t lose your mind coaches, I’m one of you… us… but, you know what I am saying.

This choice looks like a great fit. We all talk about “fit.” He’s young and will probably work like a dog (will also be thankful for the opportunity to be a DI head coach at 30), he has a non-scholarship recruiting background, he has an academic recruiting background and has been around good people...

...Spiker had served as an assistant at Cornell under Steve Donahue and helped the Big Red to upper-division finishes in the Ivy League each of his five seasons there.

Spiker was involved in recruiting at Cornell, which won consecutive Ivy League titles the past two seasons, including a 14-0 conference mark in 2007-08. It marked the first back-to-back league titles for Cornell in school history, and the first time a team other than Penn or Princeton won consecutive Ivy League championships.

With Spiker leaving his assistant coaching position at Cornell, the Big Red must also fill an assistant soccer coaching position. Spiker's wife, Jen, was named an assistant of the Cornell women's soccer team just last August.

Cornell men's basketball is expected to complete its hiring process for a 3rd assistant and make a formal announcement of Spiker's replacement sometime before the start of practices on October 17.