Why coaches choose to turn down N.C. State
The people at North Carolina State are starting to realize just how attractive -- or not -- their coaching vacancy is perceived to be around the country.
|
|
| N.C. State's new coach might not have Andrew Brackman on his roster. (Getty Images) |
Both Barnes and Calipari turned down roughly $400,000 in additional annual compensation to stay at Texas and Memphis.
At the highest levels of college basketball, what's wrong with the N.C. State job?
Let us count the ways:
Expectations: N.C. State made it clear to Barnes and Calipari that finishing third in the ACC, if that means finishing behind Duke and North Carolina, is not acceptable. That's well and good to shoot that high, but realistic? It's not realistic. True, N.C. State has won two national championships. But look at the coaches who won those titles, Norm Sloan and Jim Valvano, and more important, look at their reputations from an NCAA investigative standpoint. Is N.C. State a place where you can win a national championship without cutting large corners here and there? It hasn't been done -- cleanly -- yet.
Admissions: Former Wolfpack coach Herb Sendek preferred cerebral athletes, setting a tone that spoiled the school's admissions board. Along the way, Sendek and the Wolfpack were unable to recruit two Raleigh stars -- Chris Wilcox and P.J. Tucker -- who qualified to play as college freshmen yet couldn't get past the N.C. State admissions office. Wilcox started for Maryland's 2002 national championship team, while Tucker was a second-team All-American this season at Texas. Tucker helped the Longhorns end N.C. State's season in the 2006 NCAA Tournament, putting up 17 points, 11 rebounds, four assists and two steals.
Attrition: This is the scariest reason of all. Coaches like Barnes and Calipari, who have turned losers into winners everywhere they've been, aren't afraid of North Carolina's Roy Williams or Duke's Mike Krzyzewski. They're more afraid of potential hangups with the school's admissions department. But worst of all is the potential for massive attrition from N.C. State's 22-10 team in 2005-06. The known is bad: starters Tony Bethel, Cameron Bennerman and Ilian Evtimov were seniors. The unknown is worse as it relates to the program's sophomore nucleus: Star center Cedric Simmons is considering entering the 2006 NBA Draft; power forward/pitcher Andrew Brackman is considering focusing only on baseball to get ready for the 2007 draft; and Jamaican wing Gavin Grant faces deportation issues.
Barnes and Calipari had reasons to stay where they are, of course. Barnes has Texas as a perennial Top 10 team, with another fabulous recruiting class on the way. Calipari also has Memphis in annual Top 10 territory.
Of the two, Calipari came closer to joining the Wolfpack. A source close to N.C. State athletics director Lee Fowler -- a former Memphis assistant under Dana Kirk -- said Fowler and Calipari bonded this week. Fowler noted that Calipari's latest graduation rates compared favorably to Sendek's, and Fowler also took an in-depth look into Calipari's background, dating to the Marcus Camby scandal in 1996 when Camby took money from an agent while playing for UMass.
After speaking with the NCAA, the source said, Fowler was eager to hire Calipari. And the feeling was almost mutual.
"I know for a fact Cal wanted the job, and he wanted to work for Lee Fowler," the source said. "But there were two or three things (Calipari) felt he couldn't overcome (at N.C. State), and he's not speaking about those things."
Those things, whatever they are, helped Calipari and Barnes turn N.C. State's attention into massive raises at their current schools. Those things, whatever they are, won't scare away everyone, of course.
LSU's John Brady is said to be next on the Wolfpack wish list, and if N.C. State is OK with the fact Brady has made a career out of coaching at the only viable in-state option for Louisiana's best players, Brady will be OK with N.C. State's money.
Is Brady an upgrade over Sendek? Ask ACC coaches. First, though, make them stop laughing.
