What’s the deal with all the coaching changes and back-outs? (a bit Seinfeld-esque)
Just the latest in the indeciciveness:
According to the Orlando Sentinel, the Orlando Magic has agreed to let Billy Donovan out of his contract, paving the way for the former Florida coach to return to the Gators.
Donovan agreed to a five-year, $27.5 million deal late last week with the Magic, but approached both sides about getting out of the contract over the weekend … AFTER being formally indrotuced at a news conference on Friday. Donovan had already turned down offers from Kentucky and the Memphis Grizzlies, and looked to be staying in Gainesville before being announced in Orlando.
Other notables THIS season:
Dana Altman: Creighton coach Dana Altman was introduced as Arkansas’ new basketball coach earlier this spring, then decided to return to Creighton two days later.
Gregg Marshall: Charleston hired Winthrop’s Gregg Marshall, but Marshall told the Cougars one day later he was returning to Winthrop.
I could understand if they changed their minds and cancelled the deal before the news conference, but after being introduced as the new leader? Come on.
There is a precendece for this, though.
In 1993, Bobby Cremins accepted the South Carolina job, then changed his mind two days later and returned to Georgia Tech.
Bill Belichick was introduced as the Jets new football coach. One day later he changed his mind.
Eddie Stanky was introduced as Texas Rangers manager. One day later he changed his mind.
Dana Altman, introduced as Arkansas’ new basketball coach on Monday, changed his mind less than 24 hours later and announced on Tuesday night that he is returning to Creighton, where he has coached the Bluejays the past 13 seasons.
Altman isn’t the first college coach to pull an about-face after accepting a new job. In 1993, then-Georgia Tech basketball coach Bobby Cremins signed a five-year contract to return to South Carolina, his alma mater, but then went back to the Yellow Jackets three days later. Cremins coached at Georgia Tech for seven more seasons.
Altman was believed to be at least the Razorbacks’ sixth target. Arkansas officials reportedly offered the job to Texas A&M’s Billy Gillespie, Kansas’ Bill Self, Southern California’s Tim Floyd, Memphis’ John Calipari and Marquette’s Tom Crean, who each turned the job down.
Now that Altman is out, it is up to Athletic Director Frank Broyles to restart the arduous process of looking for a head coach. Might he look a few hours north to Springfield, Missouri and Missouri State’s Barry Hinson?
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Dana Altman was hired as Arkansas’ basketball coach Monday, ending the Razorbacks’ weeklong search to replace Stan Heath.
Altman coached Creighton for 13 seasons and went 260-141. The Bluejays went 22-11 this season for their ninth straight 20-win season, a Missouri Valley Conference record.
Creighton officials were more concerned recently that Altman could be off to Iowa, which is a job he had coveted. But the Hawkeyes never contacted Altman. No one was convinced that Altman was going to Arkansas.
Scott Sutton of Oral Roberts, who was a former Bluejays coach who left there to go to Arkansas, is a possible replacement for Altman, according to ESPN.com’s Andy Katz. Sutton is the son of legendary coach Eddie Sutton.
In 1974, Eddie Sutton came to Arkansas from Creighton.
A source close to the situation said Creighton also is losing athletics director Bruce Rasmussen, who will go with Altman to Arkansas as his director of operations for men’s basketball.
The move, viewed as a step down for an athletics director, would put Rasmussen in line for an administrative position once athletics director Frank Broyles retires, which is expected at the end of the year, the source said.
The 48-year-old Altman is 343-208 in 18 years at the Division I level. He coached at Marshall and Kansas State before going to Creighton.
After Broyles fired Heath March 26, the ex-coach said Broyles had grown concerned about a decline in the Razorbacks’ season ticket sales. Arkansas attendance last season was 14,400 — down from 18,294 in 1998-99.
In introducing Altman to the media at Bud Walton Arena, Broyles credited Altman for having successful teams and attracting fans.
“It’s not just Xs and Os. You’re doing something special because the fans want to come see you play,” Broyles said.
Altman, soft-spoken, said he was excited to follow in the footsteps of Eddie Sutton and Nolan Richardson. Sutton, the former Oklahoma State coach who also coached at Creighton, took Arkansas to the Final Four in 1978. Richardson’s teams reached the Final Four in 1990, 1994 and 1995 and won the national title in 1994 with a style of play dubbed “Forty Minutes of Hell.”
“The style of play will be exciting to the fans,” Altman said. “We press 40 minutes a game — not quite the old Nolan press, we change it up a bit. We trap in different spots. We do press all the time.”
Heath was hired after taking Kent State to the round of eight in the NCAA Tournament in 2002, but that was his first season as a head coach. This time, Arkansas had eyed Texas A&M coach Billy Gillispie — then the Razorbacks received permission to talk to Memphis coach John Calipari.
Instead, the Razorbacks ended up with another coach from a mid-major conference, although the Missouri Valley has done a lot to shed that label in recent years. Altman might not be the big name many Arkansas fans wanted, but his credentials are solid. Creighton has been to the NCAA Tournament seven times in the last nine seasons and won a school-record 29 games in 2002-03.
Creighton loses Altman just a few days after assistant Kevin McKenna left to take over the Indiana State program. The Bluejays lost in the first round of the NCAA Tournament to Nevada, 77-71 in overtime.
Arkansas has fallen from the heights it enjoyed under Richardson during the mid-1990s. The Razorbacks have not won an NCAA Tournament game since 1999. Broyles fired Richardson in 2002 believing the coach had lost confidence in the program.
ESPN.com’s Andy Katz and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
The final four is set, and Fan Stop Central ended up 75% right … in two brackets anyway.
- University of Florida Gators
- Georgetown University Hoyas
- Ohio State University Buckeyes
- University of California - Los Angeles (UCLA) Bruins
Of course, in both brackets with the most Final Four picks, FSC picked Wisconsin to advance and win - so for any more bracket success, Ohio State has to win on Saturday. After that, it’s over for FSC.
We hope everyone had a fun and safe NCAA Tournament bracket season! See you next year. Of course, keep it right here as we will continue with the daily Cardinals™ Fact/Trivia, NASCAR news and thoughts, MLB and NFL to round-out the year. FSC will definitely throw some golf and tennis in there from time to time … golf is a favorite pastime around here, so how could we pass that up?
Until next time, may they be long and straight - the balls that is … golf balls.
The highest seed not advancing after the first weekend turned out to be the two-seed Wisconsin Badgers. It seems the UNLV Runnin’ Rebels were too much for the cheeseheads.
Also exiting early are the Texas Longhorns. The four-seed left early after stumbling to Pac-10 darling, USC.
Florida, Butler, UNLV, Oregon, Kansas, Southern Illinois, Pittsburgh, UCLA, Memphis, Texas A & M, Georgetown, Vanderbilt, Ohio State, Tennessee, North Carolina and USC have danced their way into the Sweet Sixteen.
This season marks the first time in recent years that a double-digit team did not advance to the second weekend. #7 UNLV is the lowest seed to move on.
