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Editorial 2/23/04

Loyola's Next Head Coach

2/23/04
by John C. Thomas
Something has to be done immediately to leverage Loyola’s excellence as an academic institution. And thankfully for Loyola fans, students, and alumni, the options are encouraging.

IMAGINING SUCCESS

No matter what anyone says, the head coaching job at Loyola is still a prime gig. When Coach Farmer was hired, the salary for the position was elevated to above the Division I median. Just keeping the salary at the level that Larry Farmer has enjoyed over the past six seasons would attract a score of willing, qualified applicants. In addition to having the opportunity to live and work in Chicago (as opposed to sleepy college towns), a new Loyola head coach would have little to lose.

The upside for success at Loyola is tremendous-- anyone that could turn this program around in three or four years would be qualified and highly coveted for coaching positions with seven-digit salaries. Bruce Weber, Stan Heath, Barry Collier, and Bo Ryan are examples of coaches that turned around similar programs in a couple of years and cashed the big check. Next year, expect Manhattan coach Bobby Gonzalez to get a high six-figure gig at a school in a top seven conference. Meanwhile, the downside of failure at Loyola would be minimal because of a history that is likely to divert blame to administration.

Loyola athletics administration should be encouraged to try a completely different approach-- THINK BIG, instead of managing an orderly decline to oblivion. Go hard after Troy Weaver at Syracuse. Sell the position with the upside as a cushy bonus. Make top candidates imagine the luster that would accrue to them for restoring Loyola to excellence-- the allusions to a National Championship and a Hall of Fame coach. Ask applicants to imagine the city of Chicago excited by college basketball for the first time in decades. And having to turn down media requests because of lack of space instead of petty spite Come to think of it, that might be too much to ask.

I VOLUNTEER

Loyola athletics administration has criticized me for being too critical of their efforts. They suggest that this site has worked at cross purposes from their aims. Under unregistered pseudonyms on the messageboard of this site they have called me a “cry-baby,” “freeloader,” “unbalanced,” “a loser,” and someone that really “hates the university.”

I don’t hold any grudges. In fact, I volunteer my services FREE to attract a top candidate to the Loyola head coaching position. I have 13 years of experience in radio, and I will provide narration FREE for an audio-visual presentation to illustrate the excellent opportunity that coaching Loyola can be. I have six years experience in Internet Marketing and content management, and I will provide as much time and effort as needed to land the top candidate to coach Loyola-- FREE. Even though Loyola athletics administration has threatened me with legal action if I use copyrighted pictures on this site, I will offer any of my own pictures FREE to aid in luring a top candidate as head coach of Loyola and urge the Ramblermania photographer Brian M. Payne to do the same.

I don't have any particular expertise in college basketball, other than the fact that I've witnessed more Loyola basketball games in the past eight years than anyone except Tom Hitcho. And yet I'm willing to provide my opinion about potential coaching candidates FREE, with only the best interests of my alma mater as motivation.

All I ask is that we THINK BIG. My reward will be the moment that we make the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1985, and I can be relieved of the discomfort of the deep well of tears of joy that I’ve accumulated over the past decade and a half.