Let the blame game begin. Former basketball coach for University of Missouri, Frank Haith, decided to abandon ship after he realized there was no way he would be able to turn things around within the foreseeable future. Well, at least he had vision. Since then, the annual call to blame and hope to get athletic director Mike Alden fired has once again resurfaced.
Great idea, blame Alden. Make sure you are blaming him for the right reasons. If you want to blame Alden for this one, it would go back to hiring Haith in the first place. There were many who said “Frank Who?” when it was announced he would be the coach. Only a few knew about him and were the ones who did the head shakes in disbelief.
Once hired, it was discovered that Haith was in a spot of trouble with the NCAA. This eventually saw him suspended for five games after a botched NCAA investigation could not prove as much as was on the table. We took Alden’s word on this one, but there is more.
Frank Haith was a nice guy to those who knew him. He was also a nice guy to those who did not work for him. One problem! He obviously did not know enough people, as he did a poor job of recruiting in the St. Louis area. In addition, it was hard for him to have any coaching continuity with his assistants, as they headed for the hills. Throw in the fact that he was not a good “X’s and O’s’ coach, and eventually you were going to have problems.
Did I mention that he had more transfers, junior college players, and short-toured players come through Mizzou than the two previous coaches combined in half the time?
Alden is to blame also, as he signed off on the hiring. Once he realized that Haith could not survive, he elected not to grant Haith a contract extension. Communication, according to some, was less frequent and Haith was left to fend for himself. Now you know why coaches get paid millions of dollars. saw the writing on the wall, grabbed his hat and coat, and took a lesser job, leaving Missouri behind.
Now Alden seems to have a target on his back by some who have short memories. Alden has been shrewd in developing relationships around the state. If there is a better fundraiser, the Democrats and Republicans would like to meet him. When it comes to facilities and construction of new ones, Alden’s watch has been unlike any athletic department in the 100-plus years of athletics at Mizzou.
As for winning, there have been more programs that have won since his arrival, more than ever before. Now some programs find themselves nationally ranked with reasonable regularity. There still is not a Final Four appearance or BCS championship, but at least there is a conversation now when it comes to Bowl season.
Alden has the ability to keep many people at a respectable distance. He is truly apolitical when it comes to hot topics, and he can at times be hard to pin down. He seldom reaches out to the media. While he is not perfect, he has done a lot that Mizzou fans should feel good about.
As for finding a basketball coach, that has not worked out well, although when you look back at the three he hired, two of them appeared to be sound hires. Quin Snyder had the Duke pedigree and was considered one of the up and comers. In the end, it was more like over and out. Anderson was the first African American head coach hired by the university in its 100 years of athletics. Alden did not just hire someone who was black, he hired a very good coach who happened to be black.
With those hires came everything one could ever imagine, from off-court embarrassment to on-court losing. Here we go again, as another hire will take place. The question is now why would any good proven coach take the Mizzou job? They have no really good established players to speak of. They play in front of more empty seats than the law should allow. They are in a conference they cannot win for the foreseeable future. Other than that, it sounds like a fun job.
The next coach will have his hands full in just trying to find players in the state. He should get to know Demetrious Johnson, who has been a friend to coaches who have earned his respect, and Rich Gray, who runs the St. Louis Eagles AAU program that has produced countless college and NBA players. Neither looks for anything under the table nor would accept it. They share the mission of getting kids the opportunity that they need and are willing to work for.
While I am sure there will be some media types who will want everything from the kissing of their ring to elite status access, there is really no need for a coach to do that. He just needs to just do his job and coach. The media need to do their job of reporting what the coach is coaching.
This is the most important hire for Alden. He has to get it right. He has to make sure that all are on board from the administration, boosters and fan base. He cannot let an occurrence compared to Tennessee with then-Coach Cuonzo Martin occur in Missouri. They let the inmates run the asylum, and with it they lost a good coach who will have the last laugh on that hillbilly foundation in Knoxville.
My time
Yes, it’s here: the Masters, Cardinals baseball, NBA and NHL Playoffs all start at the same time.
As for the NBA, the early rounds is where it is at, as you see the up-and-coming teams making it interesting for the big boys. You see players you normally do not see because of the NBA and the networks of giving us LeBron and Kobe whenever they can stand up and run.
Now you see the local kids in Bradley Beal and David Lee show their stuff. You see a Brooklyn team that no one wants to play because they may have a run in them. There is Golden State who features Steph Curry and Clay Thompson, who shoot it like it should be taught.
Now I understand why Scandal had it season finale last week, as command of the remote control in some households would have been an issue. Peace descends on the Earl Austin Jr. household, now with Scandal on hiatus and the Washington Wizards in the playoffs.
The Stanley Cup Playoffs is what true competition is all about. The Stanley Cup is the hardest trophy to win in team sports. The physical and mental sacrifice is unlike anything in other sports. What hockey players do to play games and win games makes you tip your cap for the effort.
The Blues have a real chance to go far. If you like it rough and tumble, look no further than your St. Louis Blues. It’s worth the watch, for sure.
