Turning around Towson tall task for Pat Skerry – Washington Times

TOWSON, Md. | The decor is sparse in new Towson basketball coach Pat Skerry’s office. A few bags are on the floor. His desk is covered with notes jotted down during his first week on the job. A laptop is off to the side, and his mobile device is buzzing.

No wonder: The longtime assistant has his first major head coaching job, one his three immediate predecessors found particularly challenging. While George Mason, Old Dominion and Virginia Commonwealth parlayed consistency in the Colonial Athletic Association into national success, Towson has struggled to gain traction on or off the floor.

Towson will break ground on a $68 million, 5,200-seat arena next month to replace the aging Towson Center. It has a new coach with Big East connections (Skerry worked at Providence and Pittsburgh) and a high-energy athletic director in Mike Waddell, who was hired last fall to revitalize a department whose highest-profile sports have sagged in recent years.

There’s quite a ways to go.