College basketball coaches at the NCAA Division I level are some of the most well paid individuals in the sports profession. However, the job security for these men continues to be stand of shaky ground with each passing year.
Those high salaries create high expectations from the administrators, boosters and the general fan base. If those expectations are not met, the coach is generally out of a job and he understands that. Coaches know that they are paid to win.
Times have really changed. Now, winning 20 games and reaching the NCAA Tournament is not enough for a coach to keep his job. The new mantra for many of these programs is “Win now and win big, or else.” Programs with great tradition now believe they are entitled to a spot in the Final Four. As former Southeast Missouri State head coach Ron Shumate stated years ago, “The fans are with you, win or win.”
Stan Heath was the latest to find this out on Monday as he was fired as the head coach at Arkansas. Heath had won 21 and 22 games and taken the Razorbacks to the NCAA Tournament the past two years. However, attendance was declining and Razorback fans, who were accustomed to seeing the Hogs’ among the nation’s elite, were relegated to watching fellow Southeastern Conference teams such as Florida and LSU reach the Final Four. The people sent the message loud and clear and retiring Athletic Director Frank Broyles listened. Stan was sent packing on Monday.
When Heath was hired in 2002, he had inherited a mess of a program in the wake of the firing of legendary Boss Hog Nolan Richardson. When Heath took over, several players left the program and top recruit, Andre Iguodala of Springfield, Ill., opted out of his commitment and landed in Arizona.
After two seasons of struggle, the Hogs managed to finish 18-12, 22-10 and 21-14 in the past three seasons. He managed the 21 victories this past season despite losing All-SEC guard Ronnie Brewer to the NBA Draft a year early.
Heath had brought the Hogs back to respectability and the NCAA Tournament. And the 2007-08 season was expected to be his best year. His entire roster is expected back and the Razorbacks were a certain preseason Top 20 team next year.
However, success was not coming fast enough for the good folks of Arkansas. They longed for the days of Corliss Williamson, Scottie Thurman and Final Four appearances, right now. So instead of letting Heath finish his rebuilding job and reap the rewards of his hard work, he was shown the door. Meanwhile, Arkansas brass is in hot pursuit of Texas A&M coach Billy Gillespie, who took the Aggies from the outhouse to the penthouse of the Big XII Conference.
Stan Heath now joins the un-nerving growing list of college coaches who lose their jobs despite posting winning seasons, but are crushed under the burden of enormous expectation. Tubby Smith was literally chased out of Kentucky last week despite delivering a national championship to Lexington. He took the job at Minnesota. A few years back, Nebraska football coach Frank Solich lost his job despite leading the ‘Huskers to a 10-3 record.