What to make of Joe's search, Buzz's buyout and Dave Rose
Published: 3/25/2011 1:19 AM
Last Modified: 3/25/2011 1:24 AM
Day 10 of "Joe Versus the Coach Search" was interesting. Let's recap before we get any deeper into Day 11...
Quote of the Day I: "Some of our candidates are perhaps not going to be available until certain points of time."
-- a predictably evasive Joe Castiglione to the Tulsa World (hey now!) when asked for a progress report
You probably read that quote and thought, No, he's talking about ONE of our candidates, not some. He's talking about Buzz Williams, the Marquette coach who still has a job to do in the Sweet 16.
OK. Maybe.
Or maybe Castiglione is talking about Dave Rose, the coach whose BYU Cougars were still alive when Joe C answered the question. Or Chris Mooney or Shaka Smart, the mid-major wiz kids also coaching in the Sweet 16. Or Brad Stevens (yeah, right). Or Tad Boyle or Gregg Marshall, who will be coaching in the NIT semifinals next week.
I don't know. Castiglione has mastered the art of talking a lot but saying a little. It's a job requirement. Maybe he's just talking to talk.
Quote of the Day II: "Very much so. People should take him at his word."
-- Marquette AD Steve Cottingham, when asked by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel if he believed Williams was staying at Marquette
Now that's interesting.
According to Todd Rosiak's story in the Journal Sentinel, Williams' latest quote about all of the job speculation is: "I want the focus to be on our team. Yeah, there's people trying to get to me, but I'm going to participate in any of that. It's not right by our institution, our players or our coaches. I will address it when the season is over."
Could that be construed as Williams' "word?" Or does Cottingham equate his coach's "word" to his coach's contract.
Back to Rosiak's story: "Williams' contract with MU is a six-year rollover that's paying him $1.6 million this season. That figure will jump to more than $1.7 million later this year."
Interesting figures, but not the Number of the Day. This is: 3,800,000.
That, according to Rosiak, is Williams' Marquette buyout.
And that could be a deal-breaker, for Castiglione or any other AD feeling a Buzz.
Remember earlier this week when I blogged that A Guy Who Hears Things heard Williams' buyout totaled seven figures? It sure as fish wasn't $3.8 million. Cut that number in half and you're closer.
Let's redo the math from that blog: $3.8 million (the revised buyout figure) + $2 million (a safe minimum of Williams' would-be salary at OU) + $2 million (money still owed former coach Jeff Capel) = $7.8 million.
Seven point eight million.
Look, I'm on board that this is an enormous hire for Castiglione. It would be terribly risky to bring back an up-and-comer for $650,000 like he did five years ago. Not with the shape the program is in. Not after admitting his mid-major mistake by firing Capel. Not with all of that future money (i.e. new TV network) at stake.
But $7.8 million?
I was talking with a comrade tonight, and it came up that ADs at football schools don't mind waving cash at basketball coaches.
Rick Barnes makes $2.2 million at Texas. Ohio State's Thad Matta tops Barnes at $2.5 million. Florida's Billy Donovan tops both at $3.3 million.
Alabama hired Anthony Grant for over $1.8 million. Oregon, that burgeoning football power, hired Dana Altman for $1.8 million. Bruce Pearl was at $1.9 million at Tennessee before imploding.
Basketball is a little bigger business that I thought. (Yeah, I'm the dolt who blogged that college hoops was a break-even industry, and as a result implied that Joe C couldn't afford to cut Capel loose... less than a week before Joe C, in fact, cut Capel loose.)
But, again, $7.8 million?
Suggestion of the Day: Just to be safe, keep your eye on Rose over the weekend. He's not getting near the play Williams is around here. But then, he doesn't come at near the cost.
-- Guerin Emig
Written by
Guerin Emig
Sports Writer
