Sunday, July 15, 2007

Observations from above the rim and mid-majors hiring of older coaches


The guys from “Observations From Above the Rim” (a Charlotte Observer sports blog) made an interesting observation concerning mid-major schools hiring older coaches (i.e. CofC hiring Cremins who is 60 and Coastal Carolina hiring Cliff Ellis who is 61) it makes sense to get a coach who knows how to deal with the media (read: media exposure) and who has instant name recognition.


Of course, both points are quite valid, but they did leave out one major point: many coaches leave the “big schools” well before their coaching years are over. Normally this is due to not getting along with the Administration, the Boosters or the Media-especially after hitting a few “bumps in the road”. Having spoken to Coach Cremins on numerous occasions, you could tell that he truly missed the game, the interaction with “kids”, teaching and the thrill that only competition can provide. Coach just turned 60, which might be old for the big programs, but it is young for the rest of us-including mid-majors.

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