I think he was ready to do it seven years ago. You have to be at the right place at the right time and this was the right place at the right time for Fred Hill. I have no reservations whatsoever about his competency and his qualifications for his job.

I think it's what the politicians call a win-win situation. I know that Freddie will give them the very best that's in him and he certainly will recruit New Jersey people. And he has the background to recruit New Jersey people. In my own opinion, he'll be very successful.

He's ready to run his own show. He's been exposed to all different types of coaches and nobody knows the game better than him. The thing that has made him a great recruiter all these years is that he's always true to his word. That's going to make him successful as a head coach, too.

Freddie is a chip off the old block. As a player, he was like another coach on the floor. He was our point guard and he was completely unselfish. He could read defenses like a gem and he'd do whatever was asked of him.

First and foremost, he has to find assistants who recruit the type of players that he wants, not the ones that they want. He has to find assistants that have a philosophy that's compatible with his as to how the game should be played.