Despite the hire of former North Dakota State coach Saul Phillips, Jim Christian’s departure is still fresh in the minds of many Bobcats fans. That, paired with the endless debate about the NCAA’s efficiency, is just another example of how coaches are the real winners in college sports.
I say: Don’t blame the coach; blame the system.
When Boston College came calling, Christian would have been foolish to turn down the offer.
His buyout from Ohio University was $500,000, but for a school like Boston College — which is affiliated with the prestigious Atlantic Coast Conference — that is simply a drop in the bucket of athletic spending.
Certainly Christian could be crucified for wrecking the upward trajectory that Ohio’s basketball program seems to be headed in. But the NCAA allows coaches to essentially jump ship whenever they like for a better job, while the players suffer in their wake. For instance, Ohio junior guard Stevie Taylor will now be playing for his third coach at Ohio. I’m sure that’s exactly what he signed up for.
The Mid-American Conference is not an elite basketball conference. If it were, it would be more than a one-bid automatic NCAA Tournament league.
The conference is and always will be a stepping-stone for greener pastures. Jim Schaus, Ohio Director of Athletics, hired Christian two years ago because of his experience in the MAC and willingness to come to a school that is eager to invest in its basketball program.
However, when schools like Boston College have a hat in the ring, Ohio does not necessarily have the means to even scratch the surface of competing. While the Bobcats have a number of positives — including high attendance, a classy venue and a winning tradition — it cannot compete with schools that possess the wealth of King Midas.
Ohio is and always will be in a precarious spot with its basketball program. The university seeks a coach with experience who will grow roots in Athens. That’s certainly easier said than done. The quaint town of Athens is not for everyone — especially if a bigger program is courting a coach with more impressive finances and visibility.
Having a coach like the football team’s Frank Solich stay as long as he has in an anomaly, and it just doesn’t happen often.
The MAC is a conference that embraces winning but does so at a certain cost. That’s precisely the reason why former MAC basketball coaches Louis Orr, Billy Taylor and Reggie Witherspoon held on to their respective jobs for so long. The Bobcats want a coach like Western Michigan’s Steve Hawkins and Akron’s Keith Dambrot, someone who will build a winner every year and compete for a conference title without the threat of leaving after a successful season.
Phillips fits the bill of what the Bobcats want in a coach. He is someone with energy and experience that can challenge for a MAC title every season. It was a splashy move for the Bobcats, courting a coach to who was just an NCAA Tournament darling.
The goal is that Phillips stays and continues to build a solid program under his watch. If he does, more power to him and the university. If he leaves, it will just be another product of the trend of NCAA coaches. Athletics will simply thank him and wish him the very best of luck in the future.
Attaining a Sweet 16 run under John Groce raised the bar for what is expected for Ohio’s basketball program. Basketball prowess goes in spurts — remember George Mason or Butler’s NCAA Tournament runs.
Christian did an admirable job with the cards he was dealt. Would fans have liked to seen more? No question. But in light of the latest news, his move might become an afterthought to most Ohio fans, and he cannot be chastised for moving to Chestnut Hill, Mass. Instead, blame the system, which makes the coaching carousel spin.
