Rooney focused on Omaha
| LSU EXTRAS |
| NAVIGATION Home | Sports | LSU | Photos BASEBALL RANKINGS SOFTBALL SCHEDULE: 2009 FOOTBALL RECRUITING BASKETBALL MEN SCHEDULE: 2008-09 WOMEN SCHEDULE: 2008-09
|
 |
LSU pitching coach puts UCF on backburner
Print
Email
Save
Twitter
Social Media
Del.icio.us
Digg
Facebook
Reddit
OMAHA, Neb. — An LSU assistant coach taking a new job with his current team playing for a national championship certainly isn’t exactly groundbreaking news.
So Tigers pitching coach and recruiting coordinator Terry Rooney has some precedence to lean on.
Rooney was named the head coach at Central Florida last Thursday, putting him in the same position former football defensive coordinator Bo Pelini was in when he landed the Nebraska head-coaching job the same day LSU was selected to play in the BCS National Championship Game.
“I haven’t called Bo yet, but this is certainly a situation that’s very similar,” said Rooney, who attended his introduction in Orlando, Fla., and then arrived in Omaha later in the day. “It’s exciting for a lot of reasons.”
Like Pelini, Rooney said the fact he has work to do on his new job won’t supersede his responsibilities to the Tigers pitching staff.
While the timing of Pelini’s hiring left nearly a month of time to split duties, Rooney is in a different position. As long as LSU remains alive, he won’t have the time — or the desire — to balance both jobs.
“Once I arrived here (Thursday) night, my full attention was on LSU,” he said. “It actually works out pretty well with the schedule set up the way it is. I’ll be able to manage my time and balance things when we’re not playing, but when we’re on the field it’s all about LSU. I certainly won’t leave Omaha until we’re done. My full attention is on our games and trying to help us win a national championship.”
Meanwhile, he has plenty of baseball knowledge to lean on as he prepares to launch the new phase of his coaching career. The coaches Rooney has worked for include LSU’s Paul Mainieri for the last five years, Pete Dunn of Stetson, Tony Guzzo of Old Dominion and Tom Walter of New Orleans.
“I’ve worked for a group of head coaches with over 3,000 wins, so I have great resources in those guys, plus being around Skip Bertman the last two years has been a great advantage,” Rooney said. “They’re all here this week, so I’ll figure it out with their help.”
Mainieri said Rooney is the first coach he has lost while the season was still going. He isn’t worried about Rooney being distracted while the Tigers began their quest for a sixth national championship.
“He’s got a lot invested in this team and this program and he wants to win the national championship as much as anybody else,” Mainieri said. “I don’t have an ounce of concern about him and the job he’ll do.”
Rooney has worked with Mainieri for five years after two years each at Stetson, Old Dominion and James Madison. His coaching career began with one season at George Washington where he worked for Walter.
So Tigers pitching coach and recruiting coordinator Terry Rooney has some precedence to lean on.
Rooney was named the head coach at Central Florida last Thursday, putting him in the same position former football defensive coordinator Bo Pelini was in when he landed the Nebraska head-coaching job the same day LSU was selected to play in the BCS National Championship Game.
“I haven’t called Bo yet, but this is certainly a situation that’s very similar,” said Rooney, who attended his introduction in Orlando, Fla., and then arrived in Omaha later in the day. “It’s exciting for a lot of reasons.”
Like Pelini, Rooney said the fact he has work to do on his new job won’t supersede his responsibilities to the Tigers pitching staff.
While the timing of Pelini’s hiring left nearly a month of time to split duties, Rooney is in a different position. As long as LSU remains alive, he won’t have the time — or the desire — to balance both jobs.
“Once I arrived here (Thursday) night, my full attention was on LSU,” he said. “It actually works out pretty well with the schedule set up the way it is. I’ll be able to manage my time and balance things when we’re not playing, but when we’re on the field it’s all about LSU. I certainly won’t leave Omaha until we’re done. My full attention is on our games and trying to help us win a national championship.”
Meanwhile, he has plenty of baseball knowledge to lean on as he prepares to launch the new phase of his coaching career. The coaches Rooney has worked for include LSU’s Paul Mainieri for the last five years, Pete Dunn of Stetson, Tony Guzzo of Old Dominion and Tom Walter of New Orleans.
“I’ve worked for a group of head coaches with over 3,000 wins, so I have great resources in those guys, plus being around Skip Bertman the last two years has been a great advantage,” Rooney said. “They’re all here this week, so I’ll figure it out with their help.”
Mainieri said Rooney is the first coach he has lost while the season was still going. He isn’t worried about Rooney being distracted while the Tigers began their quest for a sixth national championship.
“He’s got a lot invested in this team and this program and he wants to win the national championship as much as anybody else,” Mainieri said. “I don’t have an ounce of concern about him and the job he’ll do.”
Rooney has worked with Mainieri for five years after two years each at Stetson, Old Dominion and James Madison. His coaching career began with one season at George Washington where he worked for Walter.
 | ||||
| Most Popular | Most Emailed | Hot Topics | ||
