Virginia Tech assistants interview for openings

Virginia Tech assistant coaches Bill Courtney and James Johnson have each interviewed for coaching openings, with Courtney meeting with Cornell and Johnson speaking with Gardner-Webb, according to a person with knowledge of the situation.

That Courtney and Johnson have both interviewed elsewhere raises serious concerns about the stability on Virginia Tech's staff. Both are known as strong recruiters. On Thursday, Ryan Odom, a Hokies assistant for the past seven seasons, left to take an assistant coaching position at Charlotte.

Courtney, who interviewed at Cornell last week, has been at Virginia Tech since June 2009. He previously has been an assistant coach at Virginia and George Mason, among other stops. He graduated from Bucknell in 1992.

Cornell, which reached the Round of 16 in the NCAA tournament in March, is seen as a desirable destination. Its former coach, Steve Donahue, who left to take over at Boston College, built a solid foundation of talent in 10 years at Cornell, despite not being able to offer scholarships as an Ivy League school.

Johnson has been in Blacksburg since 2007. He came to Virginia Tech after assistant coaching stints at George Mason and Penn State. He graduated from Ferrum College in 1993.

Gardner-Webb fired Rick Scruggs in March after 15 seasons coaching in the program. Scruggs was 199-218 at Gardner-Webb, and the Runnin' Bulldogs were 8-21 in the recent season and 5-13 in the Big South.