Horizon League Links
Butler
Detroit
Illinois-Chicago
Wisconsin-Milwaukee
Wright State
Youngstown State
Horizon Connection
Editorial 2/14/04
Here's a Vote for Spinelli
2/14/04
by John C. Thomas
There has been a lot of speculation among fans about potential solutions for Loyola’s current malaise. Here is my suggestion:
The day after the last game of this season, Loyola should offer Scott Spinelli the head coaching position of the Loyola men’s basketball team and pay Larry Farmer a cash settlement for the remainder of Loyola’s obligation to him.
For those out of the loop, Scott Spinelli was an assistant coach at Loyola from 2001-2003. In 2003 Spinelli was named one of the 10 best assistant coaches in college basketball by CollegeInsider.com. During his tenure, Loyola had a 32-29 record overall, 18-14 in conference, a 3-2 record in the league tournament, and came within one point of going to the NCAA Tournament. To provide some perspective, Coach Farmer is 37-69 overall, 16-39 in conference, and 0-3 in the conference tournament without Spinelli on the sidelines.
Since heading to Nebraska as an assistant, that program has also made a significant turnaround. Nebraska went 11-18 last year in former Butler coach Barry Collier’s third year. So far this year, Nebraska is 13-7 with two of their losses coming on the road against nationally ranked league teams (Texas and Missouri) by two points.
Many people have claimed that Spinelli would not take the Loyola position. Some say that he knows the pitfalls of such a commitment, and would never agree to it. Why would he leave a well-paid assistant coaching position at the University of Nebraska to take on a project that has left a wake of mangled careers of several good and capable men?
Frankly speaking, Scott Spinelli could not expect a job offer anywhere close to the pay or prestige of the Loyola job. Sub-Division I programs hire Nebraska assistants. If Spinelli wanted a head coaching job next year, he might apply at schools with "Wesleyan" in their names, or at high-powered jucos. You don't get a head coaching job at a school in one of the top 15 conferences coming from Nebraska via Loyola.
Nvertheless, Spinelli has great appeal in addition to proven success. During his time at Loyola, the Ramblers had a winning record-- the only person to be able to claim that for nearly 20 years. Spinelli was credited with developing the game plan for defeating an 18-3 Butler Sweet 16 team by double digits in 2003, and defeating a 23-3 Butler team in 2002. Loyola’s three league tournament wins in the past 12 seasons came with Spinelli on the sidelines. Having worked at Loyola for two years, he knows what he’s getting into, and he knows how to overcome the barriers that others have failed to clear.
There is a lot of disagreement about whether Coach Farmer should be released. If charm and graciousness won games, Coach Farmer would be undefeated. But that's not what wins games, as evidenced by Coach Farmer's 69-98 record in five plus seasons at Loyola. Yet another 20-loss season with the present talent on the team is completely unacceptable.
A lot of Loyola fans suggest that former assistant coach and Rogers Park resident Doug Bruno would be the best candidate for the position. I think Doug Bruno is a basketball genius, a great guy, and as genuinely pro-Loyola as an employee of DePaul could possibly be. But I don’t think he should be offered the job for several reasons…
Bruno would have been the best candidate when Loyola was performing coaching searches in 1989, 1994, and 1998. But not now. This is not the same university that Bruno left in the 1980s by any stretch of the imagination.
In my conversations with Coach Bruno, I’ve realized that there is a lot of leftover baggage that he still caries from his separation with Loyola. It’s not his fault; he was wronged. But Loyola has no time to waste on apologies, mea culpas, and settling scores. The only people left from those days are Carolyn O’Connell and Tom Hitcho.
I’m in favor of a job offer to Scott Spinelli for a number of reasons:
- He’s had proven success at Loyola under current financial and administrative conditions.
- I think he cares about Loyola and likes Chicago.
- His success has continued as an assistant at Nebraska.
- He is a young coach that could rebuild the program for the long term.
- Most of the next year’s players will be his recruits, eliminating awkward adjustments.
- I do not believe he will ever quit on the team or the team will ever quit on him.
For those that suggest that Spinelli is either unqualified or somehow not right for the position, I’ll say this: you’re nuts. He’s been the best recruiter we’ve had since the mid-1980s, he’s won here under difficult circumstances, and he’s been instantly successful at lager programs. This is the best opportunity Loyola has had to lock in a proven winner on a Loyola pay scale since Jerry Lyne took over for George Ireland in 1975.