Courtney: Virginia Tech’s man in motion

BLACKSBURG -- Bill Courtney, Virginia Tech's newest men's basketball assistant coach, spent yesterday morning working one of the Hokies' youth camps. By mid-afternoon, he was back in his office at the Merryman Center, sorting through the papers on his desk -- all manner of notes and to-do lists -- and making a telephone call to inquire about setting up direct deposit of his paycheck.

Courtney is familiar with the busywork that comes with a new job in a new town. He spent the past three seasons as an assistant for Dave Leitao at Virginia but found himself unemployed in March when Leitao resigned under pressure.

New Virginia Commonwealth coach Shaka Smart hired Courtney on April 15, and Courtney immediately began recruiting for the Rams. He moved into a hotel in Richmond and started researching houses and schools; he and his wife, Gina, have two sons, ages 6 and 8.

Then a phone call from Tech head coach Seth Greenberg began yet another transition. Greenberg lost assistant Stacey Palmore to Georgia in early May, and as Greenberg talked to colleagues to research possible replacements, "Bill's name just kept on coming up," he said.

Courtney accepted Greenberg's offer on June 9, and now the 39-year-old career assistant is living in a new hotel, looking into another new house and school. "I've got a lot of clothes built up in the back of my car," he said.

While his wife and kids remain in Charlottesville, Courtney is balancing the minutia of moving with the rigors of recruiting at summer-league tournaments and camps during July, the only summer month that college coaches can evaluate high school players.

During the first part of the evaluation period, July 6-15, Courtney will be in Cincinnati for the Adidas It Takes 5IVE Classic; in North Augusta, S.C., for the Nike Peach Jam; and in Philadelphia for the Reebok All-American Camp. The second part of the summer evaluation period is July 22-31.

Courtney is considered a sharp recruiter in coaching circles. At Virginia, he signed the Cavaliers' best player, guard Sylven Landesberg, and incoming freshman Tristan Spurlock, regarded as one of the top small forwards in the country.

At George Mason, where he worked from 1997-2005, he was responsible for landing every significant player on the Patriots' 2006 team that went to the Final Four as a No. 11 seed. Greenberg said George Mason coach Jim Larranaga called Courtney "the best [assistant] he's ever had."

As summer recruiting season approached, Greenberg saw in Courtney the qualities he valued most during this search: "a seasoned pro that could hit the road running," Greenberg said. Thanks to Courtney's time at Virginia, George Mason and American, where he began his career in 1995, he is familiar with Washington, D.C. and Baltimore areas critical to Tech's recruiting.

"I just think I'm a people person," Courtney said of his recruiting style. "I like people. I like interacting with all different types of people. I like being able to get to know people. I think that's just kind of always the way I've been."

Courtney said he also values loyalty, citing his eight years of service to Larranaga, and was hesitant to leave VCU so soon after he arrived. But he believed he had accomplished all he could in the Colonial Athletic Association, VCU and George Mason's league, and wanted to get back into the ACC.

Knowing Tech's staff also helped Courtney make his decision. He met Greenberg last summer on the recruiting circuit but has known Tech's current assistants, Ryan Odom and James Johnson, for longer. Courtney met Odom when Odom worked at American from 2000-03, and Johnson replaced Courtney at George Mason when he left for Providence.

Sorting out the details of another move the house, the school and all those lists will happen soon enough. For the moment, Courtney is preparing to pack up again and recruit the main reason why he wound up at this new destination in the first place.

"So now," Courtney said with a laugh, "I'll really be living out a suitcase."