Should This Coach Keep His Job? A Comparison

[Jamie]

After arriving with a fine coaching pedigree, this coach is 59-90 in his five years at his current school. He spent the first three seasons in a major conference and his team held its own, but then they moved to a better basketball conference where they've struggled mightily. In two years, their total conference record is 5-25. However, one of those wins was over a top-15 team and they have shown some modest improvement this season.

The team has been beset by injuries and academic ineligibility, and two players were thrown out of school for disciplinary reasons. They have played hard, but have not always been competitive and there is a great deal of apathy for the basketball program. They play in a large urban area and have been overshadowed in recent years by their football team, but they should still be drawing more fans than they are.

Question: Without me naming the coach, would you let him keep his job?

[usfgrad84]

need more information to make a decision:  

1.  You said they should be drawing more fans.  What is their attendance rlative historical averages?  Is it near an all time low and continuing to get worse?

2.  You said team held it's own in his first few years in old conference.  At tleast he has had some success at this school.  What is the makeup of he current team?  ( How many F, S , JR, SRs).  

At first glance I would say this coach should be in peril as ours should be.  However, if the team is truly going through a transition to get to the next level then he should be given another year.  If he has ben able to bring in tiop recruits and is just in need of a maturing process (i.e.  his team scoring leaders are only Freshman and Sophs and hs something proven and SOLID to build upon there could be hope),  However, if his leading scorers are seniors and unknown commoditiies for next year and for the next couple of years and the team won't be expected to be competitive for at least another 3 or 4 years then time for a change.

Not enough info given to make a decision.

[Guest]

That would be Neil Dougherty head coach of the Texas Christian University Horned Frogs...

[Guest]

^^^ Oh, and he, at least, got his team to the NCAA tournament... in 2003-2004....

And the University has invested in their team:

"Another tangible sign of Dougherty's impact on TCU basketball is the $6 million Ed & Rae Schollmaier Basketball Complex, the newest Horned Frog athletics facility. The 22,000-square-foot complex, which sits southeast of Daniel-Meyer Coliseum, features office space for the men's basketball staff, two NCAA regulation practice courts, a meeting room, a weight room, a lobby and a courtyard. It was completed in March of 2004, and stands as a model of the university's strong commitment to basketball and Coach Dougherty."

[smazza]

i would can him

[crambone]

^Why am I not suprised?!?!

[Brad]

i would can him

I think the idea of the post is to give you pause to think aboutreal world concepts.  Along the same lines I read a story in the NYT yesterday about Winthrop's head coach.

Online version of Story

Since then, Marshall has led the Eagles to the N.C.A.A. tournament in six of the past eight seasons. His annual salary has risen to about $250,000, and the Eagles have many of the trappings of a major program, like a modern locker room with a high-definition plasma television.

Winthrop is paying what USF is paying for its head basketball coach and they're in the Big South?  Clearly he turned around the program and the school, fans and team bought in.  

Who'da thunk a Winthrop coach - or any Big South coach for that matter would be pulling down "USF/Big East/BCS money"?

So if the Big South has to pay 250K to keep a good coach - or to have the league's top tier coach, the Bulls are looking at a significant increase in salary should RMc depart or find eventual success here - but we all knew that.  Success has a price and it is not lip service.

[Jamie]

That would be Neil Dougherty head coach of the Texas Christian University Horned Frogs...

Exactly right. This isn't some kind of "look what big name you just fired!" trick. I wanted everyone to think about what you would do if you were looking at another program whose coach has a history that is remarkably similar to Mac's. If it wasn't your program and you weren't so close to it, would you feel differently?

By the way, here's some more information and opinions:

- TCU made the NIT in 2004, not the NCAA.

- Their roster has three seniors (one of whom is the coach's son), four juniors, one sophomore, and four freshmen. Dougherty lost two players this season because of their involvement in an on-campus ****.

- Considering how they support their football team when there are only about 9,000 students on campus, I'm guessing they should have more than 1500 people actually showing up to their basketball games.

- They beat #13 Air Force on Saturday.

[Joe]

He did make the postseason and got a killer basketball facility built...

However, I'm 99% positive that if you were to stroll over to a TCU board they want him gone he's been aweful the last 2 years.

[BullDoug]

So the current MWC basketball is considered better than old CUSA?  Like to hear those pro vs joes argument.