Ugh.
Sean Sutton has apparently been fired after two seasons at Oklahoma State.
Here's the story from ESPN...
http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/news/story?id=3323779
Ugh.
I had a feeling this was coming. He just did not look happy at any time during the season. You could almost see the pressure on his face during losses. Hopefully he lands on his feet soon and is successful.
From Self's previously scheduled local presser today, it sounds more like Self will just expect KU to back up the Brinks truck, which it will. Self repeatedly suggested that his alma mater look in a different direction. I assume he knows that T. Boone's looking at throwing $3 to $4 Million per at some name. Pretty obscene, really.
Well, that is sad. We can only rejoice that Duke did not have such a short fuse when Coach K was starting out.
I really hope this was a mutual decision. For a guy who has been a part of the program for over 15 years to be forced out after just 2 years as a head coach is just embarrassing. It find it sad that it's common practice now for a coach to be hired and fired in less time than it takes a player to graduate.
Maybe they were taking out their horrible football season on him.
Some rumors in UK land of OSU throwing a truck of money at Gillespie. Not sure how true it is, but after some of the criticisms he endured around here, I wouldn't blame him
I don't understand how you can judge a coach after only two seasons. Sadly, it's becoming quite common. The University of Idaho also fired their coach (George Pfeifer) after just two years. In my opinion, if you give a coach a contract for three years, then honor that contract and at least give him the chance to develop the program.
I don't particularly like Sean Sutton, Eddie Sutton, Doug Gottleib, or Boone Pickens for that matter, but...
Bouncing the coach 2 years into an initial 5-year contract (and with most of the team coming back)...that's just not right.
I don't particularly care for anyone in the OSU athletics department, but there was talk that Sean Sutton had basically been running the program for the final years of Eddie's tenure. And now things are trending down, so it's a little more unusual than just saying, "he got only two years."
I would think Pat Knight would have a similarly short window to make things right down in Lubbock, although TXTech doesn't have Pickens money to throw at a potentially better option.
Maybe one of the more interesting side effects of these legacy jobs is that you get the gig without much of a fight, but you don't get the benefit of "time to get your own kids in there," when you've been there for a while.
One would hope that Bill Self would see the difference between his alma mater and Ol' Roy's alma mater. I'm a KU fan, and while I will never agree with the decision or the logic that the frickin' one used to bail in 2003, I can see UNC and KU on equal footing with regard to program prominence. The same cannot be said of OSU: Mr. Iba and Big Country Reeves don't hold a candle to the tradition in Lawrence.
Anybody ever think that K would leave Duke for West Point? Didn't think so . . . .
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/200...a.crean/1.html
ReCap of Seth's thoughts on the Coaching Carousel speculation:
OSU's T. Boone Pickens throwing a lot of money at Gillispie.
Tony Bennett still looking to get out of the Northwest, maybe LSU or Marquette.
Travis Ford to LSU or Western Kentucky.
Don't be completely certain. Pickens is from Amarillo, 120 miles north of Lubbock with absolutely nothing in between. He threw enough money at West Texas A&M to be able to call the shots there. He is also tight with the newspaper company that owns the papers in both Amarillo and Lubbock. He might just consider Texas Tech within his sphere of influence. This is a man who likes to have his influence felt, and his name in the papers.