IS TCU a good fit?
By Jonas FortuneAlthough I heard TCU rumors while I was still in Omaha, it wasn't exactly the school I imagined Christian would be heading to. I guess Daily Kent Stater Assistant Sports Editor Joe Harrington's column didn't appeal to him.
While I can understand why Jim Christian jumped ship, it still leaves me scratching my head.
He will be paid better, deal with better facilities and be able to get to the NCAA tournament easier (The Mountain West can get two, three and sometimes four bids in the dance).
Yet, will he be able to win? The Horned Frogs have never been known for basketball and gave its last coach six years to prove his worth and he did little. Christian will also have to deal with recruiting in a much tougher basketball area that Kansas, Texas, Baylor, Texas A&M, Texas Tech and any other southern midwest team that has a better reputation has already sifted through. Its not impossible to win, but it seems an odd choice for an East coast guy. Another concern I have about Christian's choice also has to deal with recruiting.
The administration at TCU has preached about his program building ability and how he has developed players at Kent State yet when I look at his body of work I notice teams that were heavy on JUCO kids that were simply plugged in (Jae Youngblood, Omni Smith, AL Fisher, Haminn Quaintance, Rashad Woods and Julian Sullinger just to name a few) instead of four year players that were developed. Sure you can win faster with JUCOs, but Christian openly admits he never even saw Fisher or Smith play, he got lucky. Christian took over the Flashes the year after the Elite Eight run and has maintained the program. he didn't develop it, he simply kept it going. If he were as good at developing programs as TCU may think; Parks, Knight and McKee would have seen the court much more the past few seasons.
(On a side note, where does giving Parks and Knight a cup of coffee this season leave the team for the upcoming season at the forward positions? Not that either are great players, but both could be serviceable with more experience.)
Perhaps Christian developed a win now attitude to earn his way out of Kent and maybe he will actually settle down and develop players now. I guess time will tell on the truth of that.
When I look at Christian's decision to leave I feel as if he rushed out of here when a better job could have still been out there. Who knows what jobs will open up when Indiana fills its position. I am sure it will open another mid-major job. The same thing can be said with the Providence job. Yet, Christian is obviously more plugged in than I am about that.
Although I do wonder what Gary Watters thought when he jetted to Rutgers after building the Kent State program and was quickly shoved out the door after just a few seasons. He now coaches at Cleveland State. Or Stan Heath's thoughts as he parlayed the Elite Eight run (his only season at the helm of KSU) into a terrific job at Arkansas. A job he lasted at for just four years (Although he did have a winning record at 82-71). Heath is now at South Florida in rebuilding mode.
Last year Christian's resume was good enough for him to be in the running for nearly $900,000 a year to coach Utah (a job he barely missed out on). Does an even better season and another bad tournament loss, drop him to a fledgling program that he must rebuild? It almost seems like he was just desparate to get away from Kent State and the one-bid Mid-American Conference and we all know desparation is a stinky cologne.
I would love to hear what everyone thinks about the move. In fact, I have had some pretty good talks with a handful of other Kent beat writers throughout the day who have differing opinions on the matter. It is all pretty interesting banter.
I have really looked at it both ways. I can see how the move is beneficial for him as far as furthering his career (although I think he could of got a better job with a better chance to win) amd I can also see how it could be considered career suicide (Has TCU ever produced anything other than Ladainian Tomlinson?) So let me know what you think in the comments section.
Either way, I wish Jim the best and hope he can turn around the fledgling Frogs. Thanks for a good six years.
…. For anyone who missed the press conference, Christian said that he hopes his top assistant (Geno Ford) gets the Kent State job and he would like to bring atleast one assistant with him (presumably Eric Haut, but time will tell).
March 30th, 2008 at 2:11 am
We all knew it was coming sooner or later…I can't say I think it's a great move in terms of career, but an increase in salary can't hurt. If he can build TCU into a contender in the MWC then he can definitely "move up" to a big-time program. The MWC may be a two-four bid league, but it is essentially just a step above the MAC in terms of quality and competition. Look at what UNLV and BYU did this season and have done recently…it isn't much. It's not "mid-major" but it's not big-time like the Pac-10, Big East, or ACC either. It IS a much less risky move for TCU than Arkansas made in hiring Heath with one year of head-coaching and zero years actually building a team. If KSU had lost in the opening round in 2002 I doubt anyone would've even looked at Heath.
Christian does know how to see talent and insert it. BUT, like you said, he doesn't have experience building a bad team into a good one, which is what he'll be doing at TCU. Good luck coach Christian!
March 30th, 2008 at 10:46 am
Jim is gone. We now need to look to the future. Mr. Kennedy said we will conduct a nationwide search. He always comes up with good hires, but I hope he looks at the man who sat right next to Christian…Geno Ford! I think he would do a great job. He knows our kids and he knows the conference.
March 30th, 2008 at 1:41 pm
I have another question to add on a purely Kent State level - what happens now to any recruiting that has already taken place?
As for Christian; I think his reasoning is embedded in your column - first, salary; second; multiple bid league; third, facilities. I don't think he necessarily was "bolting" from Kent (after all, he was quoted as insisting that he loves Kent) but I wonder if he was frustrated with the MAC's inability to better itself and thought it was now or never.
March 30th, 2008 at 9:26 pm
Look at TCU's current roster and you will already see many JUCO's (by the way Julian Sullinger is not a JUCU or transfer, and Quintance and Woods are transfers). So a few more will not be a big deal. I would be VERY surprised if Singletary does not follow him really leaving the cupboard bare.
I think that it will be difficult for Christian in that part of the country too. Gary Waters found out how difficult it was to recruit outside his geography and in the shadow of the Big East coaching legends.
I do believe the conference, the facilities, the weather, and quality of fans are HUGE factors beyond the money. Other than 4 or 5 games (bracket buster, Akron, and Ohio) only 2500 fans show up for games. Portage county is depressed and not known for supporting the team.
A five year, $3 million opportunity, even if he fails, on top of what he has made at Kent he last few years, he will be pretty well off financially.
March 30th, 2008 at 10:11 pm
As an Akron Alumni (not KSU) I want to wish Jim Christian the best of luck at TCU in the future. He was a successful coach and one of the best the MAC had. The money, the facilities, and the potential tournament bids are very potent incentives to move on. Kent will continue to be successful, and hopefully Jim can build the same type of team at TCU.
Good Luck Coach Christian!
March 31st, 2008 at 1:31 am
I don't know if Singletary would follow Christian because it would leave him with just one season of playing time (since he would have to sit out next season), plus he would be going from a MAC and NCAA tournament contending team to a MWC doormat and one that will likely take at least take 2 years to build up.
Of note, Laing Kennedy has talked about one of his goals being to build a practice facility similar to what TCU has just built. First, though, the MAC Center needs some more upgrades or a replacement if Kent wants to be able to continue to compete not only in the MAC but also outside of the MAC. I love the MAC Center, but it is currently not at the same level as other D-I arenas (though it is much better than Anderson Arena at BG…soon to be replaced…and the JAR Arena in Akron). Get the donors ready!
April 1st, 2008 at 12:57 pm
JRid,
Singletary is only a sophmore…he has two years left. Second, the MAC has been upgraded…you need to fill it consistently first. Did you know average attendance this past year was under 4000…it holds what 6200?
But a first rate practice facility would help
April 1st, 2008 at 6:23 pm
My concern with Geno Ford would be…What will he do if Ohio University comes calling somewhere down the road? I generally don't think it is a good idea to hire coaches whose alma maters are your league opponents. That is not a knock on Ford and his abilities but a concern I would have no matter who the person involved might be. Every coach's "dream job" should be to be at his own school.
April 1st, 2008 at 9:22 pm
I don't think that's going to be a problem - he's smart enough to know who's signing his paycheck.
If you follow that scenario through, should we have been concerned in the past if we were recruiting the same player as OU? I don't think so….
April 3rd, 2008 at 7:39 am
I hear what your saying but my thought process was more along the lines of Ford bolting for OU after a successful season or two at KSU if their job opens up. If the job in Athens opened up in say 2010 or 2011 don't you think he would listen and consider the move? It is his alma mater, and the people at OU will be able to see him first hand with regularity since he is the head man at another MAC East school.
April 3rd, 2008 at 12:34 pm
It was inevitable the Jim Christian would leave. TCU may be in the same position as Kent. JUCO players may provide them with a quick burst that could allow Christian to develop relationships with Texas and Oklahoma high schools. Two more things about Christian, he needed to develop the bigger, upfront players and he didn't seem to have his two teams prepared for the NCAA tournament.
April 4th, 2008 at 9:22 am
Just to note, Sullinger is a 4 year player, not a JUCO. He went to prep school, but that does not count against eligibility.