Monson took the money, then ran back to comfort zone

LONG BEACH, Calif. -- During the press conference last November when his resignation from Minnesota was announced, Dan Monson stood there in the background, worn out, beat down, deep circles under his eyes, stunned look on his face.

Around the country, college basketball fixtures nodded and winked on cue, pointed at the television and entered him into evidence as Exhibit Q of why mid-major coaches should be careful when jumping at bigger opportunities.

Dan Monson led Minnesota to the NCAA Tournament once in eight seasons. (US Presswire)

For a bad -- and tough -- thing at Minnesota.

In hindsight by many, it was deemed a mistake.

But that's an oversimplified way of looking at it.

Truth is, Monson -- now back in the less-stressful world of mid-major basketball here at Long Beach State -- did what many reasonable people would do in similar circumstances. He weighed the possibility of sustaining success at Gonzaga with a $125,000-per-year salary against the possibility of achieving success at Minnesota with a contract that was essentially guaranteed for a total of $7 million.

Not surprisingly, he decided that if he was going to err it would be on the side of security, given how he had just gotten married and planned to start a family.

"From a financial standpoint, you have to look at the opportunity," Monson said as he navigated the streets of Long Beach the other day, on his way to dinner before heading home to help his wife, Darci, put their four children to bed in their new home. "You have to look at the money, but you do kind of make a deal with the devil."

In this case, the devil won.

But the savings account did too.

And so as the timeless debate continues, the question remains mostly unanswered.

Is it better to be content as the big fish in the little conference?