Did you see what he did? Yes that does sound like dumber than a bag of hammers. Getting rehired doesn't mean you have much going on. Indiana hired Kelvin Sampson AFTER he cheated at Oklahoma. Did they look after him closer beacuse of his past? Nope.
What this looks like to me is FIU is a glorfied community college that wants to prove they are legit. They hire Isiah and say take that Miami, Florida and FSU. Kind of like a scrawny guy getting a barbed wire tattoo to look tough. Now would Isiah even take the job if some admins were going to hassle him from their Ivory Towers? No way. This guy is used to calling all the shots. If you give Isiah that much discretion to even run a restaurant, he'd manage to burn it to the ground.
My GOD you are one arrogant SOB!! "a glorified community college"??!! Your "local" university won the national basketball championship and suddenly everyone elses program does not have the right to improve and breathe the same as the Tar Heels?
Hell even decent writes think it was a good move, but hey, YOU know more than anyone else when it comes to the matters of college basketball because mighty North Carolina won it all.....
Commish: Sun Belt teams have to take chances
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
The Sun Belt Conference has to take chances to change its image as a one-bid league, according to commissioner Wright Waters.
That's one of the reasons schools like Florida Atlantic and Arkansas State went after coaches like Mike Jarvis and John Brady, respectively, after they had been sacked at high-major programs.
And it explains why Florida International stunned the college basketball community Tuesday by tapping NBA Hall of Famer Isiah Thomas to rehabilitate his career and to resuscitate the program.
"You have to take some chances -- and some pay off -- to stay competitive," Waters said. "I'll take the top half of our facilities and compete against any facility in the SEC."
Waters rattled off facilities at Arkansas State and South Alabama as being better than those at the University of Alabama and Mississippi State.
"You've got to hire John Brady or hire Mike Jarvis and now Isiah to compete," Waters said. "FIU got more attention [Tuesday] than in the history of the school."
Waters said he has instructed the compliance staff at the Sun Belt Conference to work with the compliance staff at FIU to ensure Thomas understands the nuances of the NCAA rules. Waters said Thomas can't recruit until he passes the online test. Next Monday through Wednesday is a key period for April recruiting.
"I've got some work to do and studying, and I'll study some more [Tuesday night] and get up to speed as quickly as we can," Thomas said. "I don't know if we'll make a big splash this summer, but we'll get out there and beat the bushes and get in on some of the players that haven't signed or committed. But at the same token we have to take care of the players in-house."
FIU athletic director Pete Garcia didn't hide his expectations. He said at the news conference that Thomas could get "the best players in the world" to come to FIU.
Making Florida International a destination for an elite player will be a chore. FIU does have the attraction of Thomas, and plenty of parents of prospective student-athletes would look fondly upon his time at Indiana and with the Detroit Pistons. South Florida as a destination helps. But television exposure and NCAA tournament access is an issue.
As of Wednesday, there has been no decision on whether FIU will get an appearance.
The Sun Belt has had multiple bids only once in the last 15 tournaments, and that was when South Alabama and Western Kentucky made the field in 2008.
Thomas said he sought advice from his former college coach, Bob Knight of Indiana, and Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski. Thomas said Knight told him that he and the team have a "tough journey ahead of us. We're capable, and coach Knight talked about the commitment and hard work." Thomas hinted he might spend a few days with Knight.
"We're not going to do it overnight," Thomas said. "We're not going to jump up over night and compete with the more established programs. We have the potential to do that and the way I coach and prepare [the players] for the next level, I know what it will take to get there."
Hiring a staff will be critical for a team that went 13-20 last season and hasn't had a winning record since 2000. Does Thomas make a splash hire like former NBA guard Tim Hardaway? Does he go with a junior college coach who can deliver players? Does he go with established college recruiters?
"I'll sit down and evaluate as I always do and be meticulous and tedious in putting together a staff with the right people," Thomas said. When asked specifically about Hardaway, Thomas said, "I don't have anyone on the staff, so everyone out there is a candidate."
Thomas said he expected to be at FIU when his contract is up in five years. And he summarized his determination to make sure this works by saying that he has had ups and downs in his life and that people shouldn't "expect me to just stay down. That's not happening."
The FIU provost butchered his name in introducing the new coach, calling him "Thompson" instead of Thomas, but the effort was clearly there to pull in the entire community -- it was one of the most significant days in the school's history. There were representatives of mayoral offices and Dade County at the news conference.
Thomas' decision not to take his salary for the first year will make plenty of headlines. But ultimately the only thing that matters will be whether Thomas is relevant in years to come at a program that hasn't been since it joined Division I.
Thomas called FIU a hidden gem. He said he wanted to take FIU to the next level. What that tangibly means is still up for debate. Thomas is now the face of the program and the school. But it won't mean as much if he doesn't have name players to coach to ensure that FIU becomes a signature Sun Belt program and ultimately an NCAA one, too.
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