Bobby Gonzalez
Encyclopedia
Bobby Gonzalez is the former head coach of the Seton Hall University
Pirates men's basketball team
. Gonzalez was previously the head coach at Manhattan College
and was well known for leading the Jaspers to two NCAA tournaments and the second NCAA tournament win in school history.
Gonzalez had previously been an assistant under Pete Gillen
at Xavier, Providence
and Virginia
, serving as one of Gillen's top recruiters.
Gonzalez also has experience coaching with USA Basketball
. He was an assistant coach with the 2005 USA World University Games Team that won a gold medal in Turkey
. He was also a court coach for the 2002 USA Junior National Team Trials.
A native of Binghamton, New York
; Gonzalez graduated from Buffalo State College
in 1986.
. He took the Jaspers to the 2nd Round of the 2004 NCAA Tournament
after the team defeated the fifth seeded Florida Gators
in the first round 75–60—the program's second NCAA Tournament win.
Gonzalez's first season as Seton Hall coach ended with an under .500 record overall. The season ended with a 13–16 record and a record of 4–12 in the Big East. Seton Hall finished 13th out of 16 in the Big East and missed the Big East tournament for the first time ever.
Gonzalez's second season at Seton Hall was more successful than his first. The Pirates finished the regular season with 7 Big East wins and 17 wins overall. They qualified for the Big East tournament
for the first time under Gonzalez as the 11 seed against the 6 seed Marquette Golden Eagles
. Marquette won the game 67–54 to advance to the quarterfinals against the University of Notre Dame
. The Pirates missed out on an NIT
bid and rejected an invitation to the inaugural College Basketball Invitational
.
The 2008–09 season saw the Pirates notch an identical record to the previous year—a 17–15 overall record and a 7–11 Big East record. As the 11th seed in the 2009 Big East Men's Basketball Tournament
, they defeated 14th-seed South Florida
68–54 for their first win in the conference tournament in six years. However, they lost the next day to Syracuse, 89–74. School officials rewarded with Gonzalez a contract extension that would have kept him at Seton Hall until 2015.
Gonzalez led the 2009–2010 Pirates to postseason play for the first time in four years, with a berth in the NIT. Six minutes into the Pirates' first-round matchup with Texas Tech
, forward Herb Pope knocked Texas Tech's Darko Cohadarevic to the floor with a punch to the groin. After officials reviewed the play on the replay monitor, Pope was ejected from the game, which Seton Hall subsequently lost 87–69.
The next day, Gonzalez was fired. School officials stated that despite the team's on-court improvement, he was not a good representative for Seton Hall. According to The Star-Ledger
, Seton Hall Law School Dean Patrick Hobbs, who oversaw the athletic department at the time (though Seton Hall still had an athletic director), recommended Gonzalez' firing on the weekend before the NIT. School officials were displeased with Gonzalez' behavior--specifically, his tendency to berate Seton Hall administrators, opposing coaches, opposing players and referees. They were also concerned about several incidents involving Gonzalez' players.
A month after his firing, Gonzalez sued Seton Hall for wrongful termination, seeking to be paid for the last two years of his contract. The suit was settled in August; terms were not disclosed.
Seton Hall University
Seton Hall University is a private Roman Catholic university in South Orange, New Jersey, United States. Founded in 1856 by Archbishop James Roosevelt Bayley, Seton Hall is the oldest diocesan university in the United States. Seton Hall is also the oldest and largest Catholic university in the...
Pirates men's basketball team
Seton Hall Pirates men's basketball
The Seton Hall Pirates men's basketball program is the NCAA Division I intercollegiate men's basketball program of Seton Hall University in South Orange, New Jersey...
. Gonzalez was previously the head coach at Manhattan College
Manhattan College
Manhattan College is a Roman Catholic liberal arts college in the Lasallian tradition in New York City, United States. Despite the college's name, it is no longer located in Manhattan but in the Riverdale section of the Bronx, roughly 10 miles north of Midtown. Manhattan College offers...
and was well known for leading the Jaspers to two NCAA tournaments and the second NCAA tournament win in school history.
Gonzalez had previously been an assistant under Pete Gillen
Pete Gillen
Pete Gillen is an American former college basketball head coach of the Division I Xavier Musketeers, Providence Friars and Virginia Cavaliers and is a member of the New York City Basketball Hall of Fame...
at Xavier, Providence
Providence Friars
The Providence Friars is the name of the athletic teams of Providence College. They compete in the Big East Conference for every sport except for ice hockey, where they compete in Hockey East and in women's volleyball, where they compete in the America East Conference...
and Virginia
Virginia Cavaliers
The Virginia Cavaliers, also known as Wahoos or Hoos, are the athletic teams officially representing the University of Virginia in college sports. The Cavaliers compete in 25 NCAA Division I varsity sports and are members of the Atlantic Coast Conference...
, serving as one of Gillen's top recruiters.
Gonzalez also has experience coaching with USA Basketball
USA Basketball
USA Basketball is a non-profit organization and the governing body for basketball in the United States. The organization represents the United States in FIBA and the men's and women's national basketball teams in the United States Olympic Committee...
. He was an assistant coach with the 2005 USA World University Games Team that won a gold medal in Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
. He was also a court coach for the 2002 USA Junior National Team Trials.
A native of Binghamton, New York
Binghamton, New York
Binghamton is a city in the Southern Tier of New York in the United States. It is near the Pennsylvania border, in a bowl-shaped valley at the confluence of the Susquehanna and Chenango Rivers...
; Gonzalez graduated from Buffalo State College
Buffalo State College
The State University of New York College at Buffalo, referred to as Buffalo State College, often referred to colloquially as Buff State, is a public, liberal arts college in Buffalo, New York, United States and is part of the State University of New York. Buffalo State was founded in 1871 as the...
in 1986.
Manhattan College
Gonzalez had a career record of 129–77 in seven seasons at Manhattan, including two trips to the NCAA TournamentNCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship
The NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship is a single-elimination tournament held each spring in the United States, featuring 68 college basketball teams, to determine the national championship in the top tier of college basketball...
. He took the Jaspers to the 2nd Round of the 2004 NCAA Tournament
2004 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament
The 2004 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament involved 65 schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball. It began on March 16, 2004, and ended with the championship game on April 5 at the Alamodome in San Antonio,...
after the team defeated the fifth seeded Florida Gators
Florida Gators
The Florida Gators are the intercollegiate sports teams that represent the University of Florida located in Gainesville, Florida. The "Lady Gators" is an alternative nickname sometimes used by the Gators women's teams...
in the first round 75–60—the program's second NCAA Tournament win.
Seton Hall University
Gonzalez was hired by Seton Hall in April 2006, largely because of his recruiting pedigree and his ties to high school coaches in New York City (which is 14 miles east of Seton Hall's campus).Gonzalez's first season as Seton Hall coach ended with an under .500 record overall. The season ended with a 13–16 record and a record of 4–12 in the Big East. Seton Hall finished 13th out of 16 in the Big East and missed the Big East tournament for the first time ever.
Gonzalez's second season at Seton Hall was more successful than his first. The Pirates finished the regular season with 7 Big East wins and 17 wins overall. They qualified for the Big East tournament
2008 Big East Men's Basketball Tournament
The 2008 Big East Men's Basketball Tournament, a part of the 2007-08 NCAA Division I men's basketball season, took place from March 12–March 15, 2008 at Madison Square Garden in New York City. Its winner received the Big East Conference's automatic bid to the 2008 NCAA Tournament...
for the first time under Gonzalez as the 11 seed against the 6 seed Marquette Golden Eagles
Marquette Golden Eagles
The Marquette Golden Eagles are the intercollegiate athletic teams of Marquette University....
. Marquette won the game 67–54 to advance to the quarterfinals against the University of Notre Dame
University of Notre Dame
The University of Notre Dame du Lac is a Catholic research university located in Notre Dame, an unincorporated community north of the city of South Bend, in St. Joseph County, Indiana, United States...
. The Pirates missed out on an NIT
National Invitation Tournament
The National Invitation Tournament is a men's college basketball tournament operated by the National Collegiate Athletic Association. There are two NIT events each season. The first, played in November and known as the Dick's Sporting Goods NIT Season Tip-Off , was founded in 1985...
bid and rejected an invitation to the inaugural College Basketball Invitational
College Basketball Invitational
The College Basketball Invitational is a men's college basketball tournament created in 2007 by The Gazelle Group. The inaugural tournament occurred after the conclusion of the 2007–08 men's college basketball regular season. The CBI selects 16 teams that are not selected for the NCAA Tournament...
.
The 2008–09 season saw the Pirates notch an identical record to the previous year—a 17–15 overall record and a 7–11 Big East record. As the 11th seed in the 2009 Big East Men's Basketball Tournament
2009 Big East Men's Basketball Tournament
- Championship Game :- Syracuse vs. Connecticut :The quarterfinal game on Thursday, March 12 between Syracuse and Connecticut lasted for six overtime periods, the second-longest game in NCAA Division I Men's Basketball history...
, they defeated 14th-seed South Florida
South Florida Bulls
The South Florida Bulls are the athletic teams for the University of South Florida. The university competes in NCAA Division I, USF is a member of the Big East Conference, and has been since 2005...
68–54 for their first win in the conference tournament in six years. However, they lost the next day to Syracuse, 89–74. School officials rewarded with Gonzalez a contract extension that would have kept him at Seton Hall until 2015.
Gonzalez led the 2009–2010 Pirates to postseason play for the first time in four years, with a berth in the NIT. Six minutes into the Pirates' first-round matchup with Texas Tech
Texas Tech Red Raiders
The Texas Tech Red Raiders are the athletic teams that represent Texas Tech University . The women's basketball team uses the name Lady Raiders; however, the school's other women's teams use the "Red Raiders" name. The university's athletic program fields teams in 15 varsity sports and 30 club sports...
, forward Herb Pope knocked Texas Tech's Darko Cohadarevic to the floor with a punch to the groin. After officials reviewed the play on the replay monitor, Pope was ejected from the game, which Seton Hall subsequently lost 87–69.
The next day, Gonzalez was fired. School officials stated that despite the team's on-court improvement, he was not a good representative for Seton Hall. According to The Star-Ledger
The Star-Ledger
The Star-Ledger is the largest circulated newspaper in the U.S. state of New Jersey and is based in Newark. It is a sister paper to The Jersey Journal of Jersey City, The Times of Trenton and the Staten Island Advance, all of which are owned by Advance Publications.The Newark Star-Ledgers daily...
, Seton Hall Law School Dean Patrick Hobbs, who oversaw the athletic department at the time (though Seton Hall still had an athletic director), recommended Gonzalez' firing on the weekend before the NIT. School officials were displeased with Gonzalez' behavior--specifically, his tendency to berate Seton Hall administrators, opposing coaches, opposing players and referees. They were also concerned about several incidents involving Gonzalez' players.
A month after his firing, Gonzalez sued Seton Hall for wrongful termination, seeking to be paid for the last two years of his contract. The suit was settled in August; terms were not disclosed.