Article About WCC Coaches, "Zag Envy"

From the Seattle Times... check it out:

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/budwithers/2004141917_withers24.html

Withers is a big Zag honk, but I think his basic premise is right... what Gonzaga has accomplished has put tremendous pressure on other WCC AD's and coaches.

Check out the blog for a longer reaction... I'm too lazy to cut/paste:

http://www.oregonlive.com/collegebasketball/index.ssf/2008/01/the_sheer_and_utter_pain_of_it.html

Nice find, Stoney

The USF situation sounds even worse that it at first appeared. Not only are they going to deal with getting a new coach, but the way Jesse Evans was dealt with will make hiring another coach harder.

There will no doubt be litigation over the firing. It'll be interesting to see what the "Just Cause" the University comes up with is. All that hubbub will steal thunder from the new hire, and valuable resources will no doubt be drained from USF athletics.

And I'm sure there will be many discussions over what cause is and what the severance package will be for the new coach.

I saw this article, and generally agree that there appears to be some "what have you done for me lately" mentality within the WCC. It may be Zag envy, but I am more attuned to believe that it is big time college sports in general. Now, Gonzaga has really brought big time college sports to the forefront of the WCC. As with a lot of things, I think that administrators see the money - both in actual revenue from the sports, and in gained revenue in pledges and donations. It's no secret that folks are more willing to open their pocketbooks for schools when you are competing for national tournaments and titles.

I do think it's unhealthy to have this mentality - I was even hesitant to let go of Holton when we did. Unrealistic expectaions, whether they are real or percieved, put pressure on coaches and administrotors to win, and win now. People do really dumb things under pressure, which leads to embarrasments and punishments. It's similar to someone who is under financial stress deciding to committ fraud - no matter how big or little. It is a no win situation for everyone involved.

We've talked a lot about what our expectations are for Pilot basketball, and often the Zags come up in this discussion. But I think the most healthy, realistic expecations are perhaps to run a clean program with good student-athletes, and to be a competitive team in the conference (i.e., generally top half), challenging for the conference title periodically.

The article you posted talks about creating a niche. I really do believe that UP can carve out a niche in POrtland. That is, a mid-major conference school in a major metropolitan area that offers family friendly, high quality division 1 basketball. To me, if we have a consistently competitive team and aim for that niche, we can average 4K in attendance and have multiple sell-outs a year.

I don't know, just some rambling thoughts - not sure if they even make sense.

Not to mention, alumni will become more active given something to rally around, which will only enhance the mission of the University: Teaching Faith Service.

Very well said, Rochin... I think you hit the nail on the head.

And I think it's especially true for us long-time Pilot fans... for me, just being competitive every year would be an awesome step forward. I've been through so many losing seasons--I don't expect the Red Sea to be parted, I just expect a winning record every now and then and a reputation as a solid team that is always tough to play, i.e. like Santa Clara and San Diego were under Davey and Holland.

Now... that doesn't mean I don't have aspirations. Yes, I would LOVE to reach what SMC has done this year or what the Zags have done in the past. Clearly that's the ultimate goal.

But I don't expect to go from Point A to Point Z in two or three years, and I think it's unfair to expect that of anyone.

I agree with Rochin's comments--spot on. IMO, "Zag Envy" isnt quite the right term. While envy certainly exists, I think it is more a realization by the other WCC schools that if a small school in Spokane can put together a national powerhouse of a team, why cant we?

I will say that I was "surprised" when we fired Holton. At the time, it seemed purely a move based upon the W-L results. We found out later, however, that there was much more going on in the background regarding the academic side of his recruits. Add to that a new AD, and the change was not untimely/unwarranted, IMO.

I guess the arguement could be made that if this was the WCC of 10 years ago, Holton would not have been let go at that point... but then he may not have gone after those specific recruits, either...

Stonehouse, I just read your blog. Well said.

Great post, Stoney. Given our history and tradition (or lack thereof), I think the majority of Pilot fans are willing to be pretty patient with a building process, and in that vein, I also have to think that if Holton had managed 18-19 wins during the 2005-06 season, he'd still be on the Bluff, academic issues notwithstanding. We had three 1,000 point scorers on that team, and we went 11-18. There's no doubt in my mind that that was the primary reason Holton was let go.

I just want two things from the Pilots: first, an upper-half WCC team. Second, an end to those damn "THIS IS OUR HOUSE" chants from the Kennel Club at the Chiles Center every friggin' year!