There is already a lot of interest in the Monmouth job that opened up when Dave Calloway was forced to resign this past weekend. Most of the names that I’ve heard so far are Jersey guys (as they should be). My bet is that they hire someone with local connections – that combined with the new arena should be enough to drum up some excitement around the program that has struggled lately. Here’s who I’ve heard so far:

Bobby Hurley Jr. – Assistant Coach Wagner. The former Duke star is a NJ native and would bring instant name recognition to the program. Is in his first season as an assistant to his brother Dan at Wagner

Ken Dempsey – Assistant Coach New Hampshire. A former Monmouth assistant and NJ native. Is credited with recruiting one of the best teams ever at Monmouth.

Darren Savio – Assistant Coach Cincinnati. Played for Bob Hurely Sr. at St. Anthony. Former assistant at Rutgers.

Matt Langel – Assistant Coach Temple. Former Pennn standout. Has been an assistant at Temple for the last 5 seasons. A NJ native (aren’t they all?)

Van Macon – Assistant Coach Rutgers. Former associate head coach at Hofstra. Has very strong NY/NJ recruiting ties.

Also, look for current prep coaches Geoff Billett (CBA) and Kevin Boyle (St. Pat’s) to get some consideration.

A couple former head coaches who would be long shots are Norm Roberts (St. John’s) and Al Skinner (Boston College).

I’ll know more as the search progresses.