Brett McMurphy on McCullum

[TyBull]

BULLS

Today Could Be Finale For McCullum

By BRETT McMURPHY The Tampa Tribune

Published: Mar 3, 2007

ROSEMONT, ILL. - Midway through Robert McCullum's first season at the University of South Florida, he was asked about the Bulls' winning tradition under former coach Seth Greenberg.

"You say they're used to winning here; that's all relative," McCullum said in 2004. "That conjures up something bigger, something greater. With all due respect to all they've done here in the last five, six years, if you want to call that 'used to winning,' I guess you can.

"If you finish one game above .500, that's winning. You can make an argument for that because you had a winning record. That's not what I have in mind when you say a winning program. [Finishing] 16-15, 16-14, is not what I have in mind. We're not talking a tradition-rich program here, so changes need to be made."

Four years later, change may occur. But certainly not what McCullum envisioned on April 18, 2003, when former USF athletic director Lee Roy Selmon gave him a six-year contract after McCullum's three-year 44-45 stint at Western Michigan.

This afternoon in Allstate Arena, McCullum completes his fourth - and possibly final - losing season at USF.

The winning tradition McCullum questioned is a distant memory. Who would have thought being on the NIT bubble annually under Greenberg would be viewed as the "good old days?"

Greenberg, of course, has done a masterful job at Virginia Tech, accomplishing everything he promised he would at USF, but didn't. In Greenberg's final year at USF, Bulls fans became frustrated by the NCAA Tournament-caliber teams that never made the Big Dance and the infamous late-season meltdowns.

But the fans still cared.

The most damning thing about McCullum's tenure at USF has been the fan apathy that has engulfed the program. It's one thing for fans to be upset, it's another when they don't care.

In McCullum's four seasons, the Bulls have recorded three of the five lowest season home attendance averages in the 27 years they have played in the Sun Dome.

Even with this year's schedule featuring Louisville, Notre Dame and Syracuse, USF averaged an announced attendance of 3,900, the fifth-lowest in the Sun Dome era.

Before McCullum, the Bulls flirted with making the NCAA Tournament. Under McCullum, USF has been reduced to hoping to finish 12th in the 16-team Big East.

Ironically, USF is the only Big East team that did not make the league tournament the past two seasons.

"There's any number of measuring sticks," McCullum said. "The fact that one of them could be whether you make the conference tournament, I think that's the one that's very difficult for me because you look around the country, it's not that way in most conferences.

"In this league, those are the rules [that only the top 12 teams make the league tournament]. It was a goal of ours to make it and we fell short," said McCullum, whose Bulls are the only Big East team to not make the league tournament the past two seasons.

"There are a number of other areas we can point to where the team has gotten better. We've dealt with so many obstacles, or injuries, this year, I don't know if it was subconscious, I almost tried to ignore them. I tried not to even acknowledge them. You get to the point, what can happen next?"

So what will happen next?

Last season, USF athletic director Doug Woolard said he needed to see "significant" improvement from McCullum this season.

Last year, USF finished 1-15 in the Big East. This year, the Bulls are 3-12, but enter today's game at DePaul having lost 19 consecutive conference road games, the nation's second-longest current streak. Is a two or three-win improvement in league play significant?

Woolard, who last season announced McCullum would return for the 2006-07 season, has thus far refused to discuss McCullum's status for next season.

"Well, all I'll tell you [is] I think the wording of itself - significant - is a relative term," McCullum said. "So how one person defines significant could very well differ from another. Obviously it's not my decision to make."

The players admit they've heard about the speculation and, not surprisingly, defend their coach.

"He knows basketball, he knows the game," USF senior point guard Chris Capko said. "More importantly, he has the best interest of all his players, I truly believe that. He has a love for this program. He'll give this program his all.

"You don't have to worry about anything dirty going on with the program. It's just going to take time, it's a tough conference. It isn't some mid-major, it's the Big East."

Despite McCullum's 40-75 record, including 10-53 in league play, he had has his share of bright spots. He has four victories against nationally ranked teams - the same number as USF's previous six coaches had in the program's first 32 seasons.

"I think we made progress [this year], we just didn't win as many as what we would have liked to have won," McCullum said. "The guys made a great deal of progress. I like the nucleus of young players that we have. We've got [junior center] Kentrell [Gransberry] for another year."

Ultimately, McCullum's future may depend more on dollars and cents opposed to wins and losses.

If McCullum is fired after this season, he would be owed about $400,000 - the remaining two years of his base salary ($200,000 per year) - that USF would have to pay by April 15, 2009.

If McCullum returned next season, but was fired before April 15, 2008, the school would owe him $200,000. However, if he returned and was fired after April 15, 2008, USF would owe him an additional $100,000 annuity he collects on April 15, 2008.

The school also would have to offer much more money - in the range of $600,000 to $800,000 annually - to attract a candidate to coach at a Big East school that doesn't use charter airplanes and lacks a quality practice facility.

Even as the losses and speculation increased, McCullum maintained a positive outlook.

When news surfaced last year about a group of boosters wanting to buy out McCullum's contract and bring in Bob Huggins, McCullum, in the middle of a school-record 17-game losing streak, said he would turn the program around.

"I think we're close - very close," McCullum said after last year's home loss to Connecticut. "I think it's going to happen next year [in 2006-07]. One thing I'm absolutely convinced of, and not just because of [this game], but there's no doubt in my mind we can be successful in the Big East.

"There's no ifs, ands or buts about it at all. I'm confident about that."

Reporter Brett McMurphy can be reached at (813) 259-7928 or bmcmurphy@tampatrib.com.

[flsportsfan83]

another great piece by Brett.

[dabull80]

another great piece by Brett.

Wake up sunshine.  The only reason he is nice to Mac is because CJL spanked his ass and made him go home with no milk and cookies.

[jg]

why didn't he interview all the player's about how disgruntled they are in the middle of the season. that is his MO usually......

[smazza]

another great piece by Brett.

Wake up sunshine.  The only reason he is nice to Mac is because CJL spanked his ass and made him go home with no milk and cookies.

clj came out looking low rent

[Triple B]

another great piece by Brett.

Wake up sunshine.  The only reason he is nice to Mac is because CJL spanked his ass and made him go home with no milk and cookies.

You consider that article "nice to Mac"??

[smazza]

rmc is done at usf

[Knight_Light]

FYI, here's Greg's St Pete Times article on RMC's possible last game.

http://www.sptimes.com/2007/03/03/Sports/McCullum_intent_on_ke.shtml

[Triple B]

FYI, here's Greg's St Pete Times article on RMC's possible last game.

http://www.sptimes.com/2007/03/03/Sports/McCullum_intent_on_ke.shtml

[smiley=loser.gif]

[Guest Rueben_Horowitz]

Great article Brett.

I love the comment of the Greenberg era being 'the good old days'. Unfortunately, I feel the same way....At least we were sniffing the dance back then.

Rueben