It’s understandable how former K-State basketball coach Bob Huggins was drawn to accepting his dream job of coaching at his alma mater, West Virginia University. "I don’t know how many years I have left, and this is the job I have always wanted," Huggins, 53, told the Manhattan Mercury. "I’ve always wanted to come home."
But bolting from K-State after just one year isn’t fair to the university, its fans or the players, especially the new recruits who signed letters of intent to attend KSU and play for Huggins.
Do K-State officials share blame by hiring Huggins, who didn’t exactly have an ethical reputation? Is this another example of what’s wrong with major college sports, which is no longer about students and academics but about entertainment and big money? Do you care?
Posted by Phillip Brownlee
Registered?
Commenting on WE Blog now requires you to be a Kansas.com member. Use the links above to register, if you haven't already, or to log in.Contact us
Follow us
Daily Archives
-
Recent Comments
- DorisKing on Open thread 11/22
- Chas on Open thread 11/22
- george on Health care reform would save state money
- satatom on Open thread 11/22
- satatom on Open thread 11/22
- Politico on So they said
- BlueJay on Open thread 11/22
- JWink on Health care reform would save state money
- Politico on Health care reform would save state money
- BlueJay on Open thread 11/22
21 Comments
The “what’s wrong with major college sports” rip is unwarranted.
Costs of college today and in the future doesn’t help students. Many worry about money issues their grades suffer.
Without college sports bringing some finances in, like TV money, many colleges would fail.
Think WSU without Eck stadium or Koch Arena, campus life especially there would die.
It’s not reasonable to end college athletics. People should work out and be able to get a scholarship for doing it. Athletic events on TV help advertisers. College Sports is huge commerce.
I do fault KSU administration for saying to Huggins, “name your salary.”
That is terribly wrong.
What Huggins did was make KSU realize they need a new arena eventually. Better configured inside. Facilities will help attract future basketball players there, the fewest only go to a college specifically for a coach.
I hope recruits still go to KSU, do it for themselves, make their own path in life, not follow Huggins to West Virginia. They made a commitment, stick with it.
Mrage, while I agree with your hope on those who were recruited by Huggins during his one year hiatus from coaching honoring their LOIs, I think they will rather request release therefrom to go elsewhere. I am told WVU only has one bball scholarship left, but there are indications that three of the current athletes will have their scholarships “removed” for the upcoming year and thus may well transfer.
I do wonder, what with the $100,000 contract buyout provision negotiated by Mr. Huggins or his representatives, whether KSU was indeed going for a “quick fix” to get its mens basketball program competitive on a national scale.
Speaking of the “student athletes” recruited by Mr. Huggins: the centerpiece of the incoming Freshman is Michael Beasley, profiled in the following article:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/03/11/AR2007031101466.html
It appears to me that his protestations to the contrary, he wasn’t going to be at KSU more than one year; and, it seems that his Freshman eligibility might be open to question, given the needed 920 on the SAT to meet the NCAA eligibility rules.
What’s his name Belien, the new Michigan coach, who left West Virginia causing this problem with Huggins.
He had a $2 Million dollar buy out clause, no protection to keep him there.
KSU isn’t being rewarded for Huggins leaving unexpectedly.
The recruiting mess is a problem with basketball players trying to one and done, getting to the NBA.
College basketball shouldn’t always be about getting to the NBA. Just have college basketball fun and see how far they go as a team.
I knew Mitch Richmond at KSU back in the 80’s, not realizing he would become NBA Sacramento King’s best player, they retired his jersey number. He didn’t think about the NBA that much. Didn’t know he would have the skills to be there.
KSU could try recruiting kids who don’t think about NBA dreams so hard. But they will get there because of hard work, being no- names until they earn it.
To many “name” college guys are busts in the NBA. They have no college education to fall back on, The list is long and gets longer.
The NBA should try to get most players to stay in college for two years at least.
Get an associates degree has to be required to receive Million dollar NBA contracts. Their age has something to do with it. Also, since the athletes are in college, they deserve an education. NBA has to require that education.
Care? No, to be honest, I couldn’t care less about a high priced coach who coaches a bunch of tall kids playing a game.
My opinion only: any ’sport’ past high school is a big money machine, and fans that show their ’support’ by buying flags and banners and clothing, etc., feed that machine.
That’s a terrible recruiting nightmare for Michael Beasley. Who didn’t tell him vandalism of his name everywhere is a crime.
Requiring two years in college, associates degree, getting an NBA contract would stop that mess.
He’s likely to be a bust in the NBA. What’s his foundation? Moving around all the time isn’t good. Living conditions at a “prep” school are horrible.
I got to be buds with Jack Hartman, back in the day. It was a totally different era, but he said his biggest challenge was getting big city kids interested in living in Manhattan in between basketball games.
His strategy was to recruit players’ *MOTHERS* rather than the kids themselves. The legendary “Manhattan Connection” was Jack’s promise that inner-city kids would be away from gangs and be pushed to attend classes. In today’s era of multi-million NBA salaries, I’m not sure Hartman’s strategy would work.
But the other side of what made Jack Hartman great was his ability to see the skills, the character, and the potential of basketball talent.
Kruger from Silver Lake, Seifert from Humboldt, Henson from McPherson, et al…were small-town Kansas kids who excelled in the college game because they had excellent coaching. And K-State Basketball, by reflecting the university itself, will only achieve success by returning to its roots.
They may not become an annual powerhouse such as KU — there’s an entirely different zeitgeist to that program — but they will serve the university with great coaching. A program such as K-State depends on great coaching and scouting; even more important than great recruiting.
Even with Bill Snyder gone, K-State is considered a football school. Huggins discovered that early on. K-State used to be a basketball school but, for awhile anyway, football is Number #1 among alums and students. Huggins figured that out early on. He did a helluva coaching job after a critical injury decimated his team… and he still ended up the #2 athletic program on campus.
Where have we gone, totally stupid?
We reward CEO’s of failing companies, Millions of dollars, insettlement benefits, for getting them out of office.
We reward “Name Coaches” hundreds ofthousands of dollars, plus incentives, per year, to coach 18-21year old kids, so they can go to the NBA. Theoretically, so they can make thousands per year. We pay, for their education, meals, travel, medical expenses, etc.
I don’t feel any obligation, to pay an 18 year old kid, from the ghetto, to insure his success in the NBA. Neither do I feel that any Corporate CEO, deserves to receive a MULTI-MILLION dollar retirement settlement, for his failure to fulfill his promises and expectations.
Priorities, are somehow, TotallyScrewed!!
Don’t blame the kids for going to the NBA early. They could get hurt on the next post up and be done. Going for the money as soon as somebody will pay you is not as dumb as it might appear. The problem is somebody may not want to pay you. The competition is brutal. The “funnel theory”, of fewer and fewer people advance to the higher strata, is true.The NCAA has an ad about most of the athletes will be going into something other than sports is true, but if you can, the sooner the better. What does a couple of million dollars throw off in interest per year, after you get hurt in the NBA?
“Neither do I feel that any Corporate CEO, deserves to receive a MULTI-MILLION dollar retirement settlement,…”
And that make you a commie.
Fleetwood:
“Makes me A COMMIE,” How do ya figure?
screw them; it’s K-state. They get what they deserve.
“”Makes me A COMMIE,” How do ya figure?”
Commies care about what somebody else is paid and then make judgements on if it is “fair”.
You were complaining about how much coaches and CEO’s were being paid. That’s commie.
If you would do the math, you would see how these people earn it.
Multiply the number of seats in an arena, by the number of tickets sold, by the amount of increase in the ticket price, by the amount of extra logo items, by the increase of the TV revenue…
Don’t you get it?
If one ballplayer makes a million a year, the owner should be making a million plus 5% on him. Either that, or put his money in a passbook savings account and get out of the business all together.
THANKS FOR ASKING! NO I DO NOT CARE! Not one tiny iota.
Great pic though.
He left because KSU was a second rate school and atheltic program.
;)
Just stirring the pudding. :P
As a fan, I’m disappointed because I had very high hopes for next season, but I guess he’s just showing his true colors. And they definitely aren’t purple.
Fleetwood:
You need to eat more Cheerios!!
I find it disgusting that people equate a degree with success. It’s not the degree that makes you successful it’s how you use it. How many successful business men and women have made it without out going to college. T. Boone Pickens comes to mind. And there are a lot more who are millionaires. So all this crap about a kid should stay in college and forego the riches of the NBA is just that…..CRAP! If your kid had the chance to jump into the pros you’d be the first one at the table hurrying him or her to sign on the line. So I don’t want to hear this feel-good garbage about a kid should stay in school and bypass the chance of a lifetime! Just to make some beer-swig’n sports junkie happy over a college game. Geez, the nerve of some people!
Oldie,
Sports is a marginal chance at success in life. The many play games, fewest are best or last a decade in whatever sport they choose
I think its wrong for that soccer kid to be a professional at 14. Some tennis players too.
Some sports, actual kids areprofessional athletes.
It’s different than being a child actor.
I suggested the associate degree for college basketball players would be good for all of them.
Free agent youngsters need some accounting and business education after high school to understand the contracts they could be signing.
Having a personality, good judgment, makes the decent decision matters.
Too many unfinished younger personalities are making Millions of dollars in contracts. Their agent gets too much until athletes learn about the sports leagues they play in.
Hangers on take from athletes as they spend cash fast.
Many examples of flash in the pan athletes, with big names, national championship or conference championships in college but never become good pro’s.
In basketball, football and baseball.
All professional sports could enact an associate degree needed to sign professional contracts.
Its not reasonable they ever will.
Owners must like athletes, some young as could be and dumb too.
Parents can be dumb by participating in rushing a youngster to get rich quick.
Parents who take from agents, their athletic child could sign with are fools. Eventually that stuff gets found out. The IRS gets involved. It’s cash under the table or untaxed profits and property.
When its an associate degree required for professional sports contracts, all that rush for the riches will slow down
Basketball is terrible in high schools when kids keep transferring to a different school every year just to play the sport.
Using business examples how non college educated make their way in life, isn’t meaningful to a sports argument.
For sports, I believe some college education is required.
Boxing, that’s individual, but don’t we want boxers using some brain cells before they lose them being punched in the head for years?
Boxers don’t know the contracts they are signing. What could be more from the streets, than that sport?
Mixed Martial Arts all the rage now, again, being kicked and punched long term, doesn’t help the brain.
http://eonal.info/viagra/paxil-2b-viagra.php