ForumsCollege basketball’s marquee event is upon us. The coaching carousel is spinning at a dizzying pace. There is plenty to discuss across the college hoops universe. Here are the topic’s chosen for this week’s Trap:
1. Be Careful What You Wish For… Greg McDermott and Todd Lickliter were living a young coach’s dream. They had parlayed their successes at Northern Iowa and Butler into jobs in BCS conferences at schools that have enjoyed success. Now, they are facing the harsh reality of modern college basketball. While UNI and Bulter were both in the NCAA field this season, Iowa State and Iowa both languished in the nether regions of their leagues. Now, each team is being hit with a rash of player defections. Sometimes, the grass is actually greener where you are standing.
2. The Road Less Traveled. It would have been easy to fire Ernie Kent. Oregon spent most of the season threatening to go winless in the PAC 10 and Craig Robinson was showing the lift a breath of fresh c0aching air could provide a program by working miracles at rival Oregon State. Instead, Oregon did the tough thing. They chose to stick with an alum who has led them to mutiple Elite Eights and recruited well. The administration in Eugene is allowing Kent, and recently hired lead assistant Mike Dunlap, the opportunity to right the ship. If it works, it sould give administrators an example that patience is, in some cases, a virtue.
3. Old Coaches Never Die… Speaking of Oregon, Paul Westhead is the new women’s head coach. Yes, Los Angeles Lakers/Chicago Bulls/Loyola Marymount/Denver Nuggets/George Mason/WNBA Paul Westhead. If anyone needs more proof that the game is part of some people’s DNA, look no further than a man with an NBA title on his resume taking over an obscure, awful women’s program in a fairly remote locale.
4. Mission Accomplished. When he arrived in Los Angeles, Tim Floyd announced that he considered Lute Olson’s Arizona program to be the measuring stick in the PAC 10 and that he hoped USC could get to their level. By turning down an offer to take over in the desert in a most public way, Floyd has sent a message to recruits and the rest of the basketball world that Troy trumps Tucson. Nothing like elevating your program and kneecapping a rival in one fell swoop. Jim Livengood’s coaching search is beginning to look a process that should be accompanied by clowns crowding into tiny cars and muscial monkeys.
5. Out Of The Box. Virginia and Georgia are both in dire need of a spark for their failing basketball programs. Each did their due diligence in gauging the interest of high profile coaches. Then, they chose to go with off the radar coaches. However, these choices are not akin to Tennessee settling for Jerry Green in the wake of Kevin O’Neill’s abrupt departure. Tony Bennett and Mark Fox can both coach. The Trap won’t be the least bit surprised if both programs are in far better shape five years from now.
6. Launching Pad. For years, Tulsa was the best jumping off point for coaches with an eye toward parlaying a mid major job into a trip to the big time. Nolan Richardson, Tubby Smith, Steve Robinson, Bill Self, and Buzz Peterson all used the head spot with the Golden Hurricane into to garner jobs in one of the power conferences. Now, VCU is starting to gain such a reputation. Jeff Capel and Anthony Grant have turned success in Richmond into positions in the Big Twelve and the SEC. Shaka Smart, one of Billy Donovan’s assistants at Florida, will be the latest to cut his head coaching teeth with the Rams. Recent history indicates it is a decision he won’t regret.
Until next week, stay classy, Volnation.
