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Monday, January 7, 2008

Keegan

Keegan: Stability welcome at KU

By Tom Keegan

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'Hawks handle Boston College

On Saturday, the Jayhawk men's basketball team remained perfect after a 85-60 beating of Boston College.

Red uniforms remain undefeated

Before KU's 24-21 Orange Bowl victory over Virgina Tech, head coach Mark Mangino decided to have the team wear their undefeated red uniforms.

From now until election day, the political buzzword "change" will bombard our senses. For the next 10 months, candidates will jockey for position to try to make more vague promises of "change" than the competition.

Hillary Clinton placed first in the change count among the 10 candidates who debated Saturday night in New Hampshire on ABC. She used it 21 times. John McCain used it in the most humorous manner, mockingly calling Mitt Romney the candidate for change, a barb at Romney's penchant for flip-flopping.

Meanwhile, in the theater of athletics, where the central figures are not counting on the audience to declare the winner, but are battling for objective victories announced by the scoreboard, the last thing Kansas University needs in its two high-profile sports is change.

Kansas can't execute the double-whammy Florida did the previous school year, winning a national title in football and basketball and defeating Ohio State in the title game both times. The Jayhawks are in contention to come close. When the final Associated Press college football poll is released, Kansas will finish somewhere from No. 2 to No. 7.

The Jayhawks will rank no lower than third in the college basketball poll to be released today.

Combined, the teams are a remarkable 26-1, the only loss coming in football against Missouri in Arrowhead Stadium. The life of a fan of KU athletics is a happy one, especially considering there is no reason to believe the school is in any danger of losing either one of its coaches.

Consensus national football Coach of the Year Mark Mangino is looking forward to the opening of the new state-of-the-art football-only complex, which is sure to upgrade recruiting a notch.

Bill Self, who will deserve national Coach of the Year honors as well if his team stays on course, has the look of a man content to stay in Lawrence for a long, long time. Sure, it's easy to see why T. Boone Pickens, the gazillionaire behind Oklahoma State leading the charge in the facilities arms race going on in the Big 12, would want Self to replace Sean Sutton and resurrect the Cowboys' basketball program.

It's not as easy to envision Self returning to his alma mater to take over the basketball program as predecessor Roy Williams did. That's no statement on the comparative loyalty of the two elite college basketball coaches, rather on the comparative appeal of the North Carolina and Oklahoma State jobs. It's much easier to recruit to Michael Jordan's alma mater than to Stillwater. Plus, Williams and athletic director Al Bohl were at odds. The relationship between Perkins and Self is a strong one. Neither man tries to tell the other how to do his job. Perkins knows he has one of the nation's top basketball coaches.

The Perkins-Mangino relationship has developed into a strong one as well, largely for the same reason. Perkins knows Mangino heads one of the nation's top coaching staffs, lets him direct it his way and loosens the purse strings for all of them.

If all the talk of "change" grows tiresome during the sometimes compelling, other times frustrating campaign season, recline your chair, watch a replay of a KU football or basketball game and enjoy the stability.

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Comments

jaybate (anonymous) says...

Haiku for Tom's Forecast

Tom predicts stasis
Unforeseen consequences
Don't get too comfy

Note: This haiku is written in the interest of providing proof o my willingness to write short.

January 7, 2008 at 3:40 a.m. ( | suggest removal )

APDJayhawk (anonymous) says...

Jaybate is posting at 3:40am...so it's a 24-hour fast food establishment...tool

January 7, 2008 at 3:46 a.m. ( | suggest removal )

Solomon (anonymous) says...

If Self is, indeed, less likely than RW to leave for his alma mater, I contend it is a statement on the comparative loyalty. Roy always had divided loyalties, and it showed. HCBS doesn't seem to have that problem. The evidence is found in how the two contend with meeting their alma maters on the court.

RW would wring his hands and complain about how hard it was to compete against NC. This would go on for days, ad nauseum.

Self, on the other hand, approaches the game as a game to be won with little or no emotional wreckage.

January 7, 2008 at 6:48 a.m. ( | suggest removal )

yates33333 (anonymous) says...

While keeping Self is crucial, the coach to worry about losing is Mangino.

January 7, 2008 at 6:56 a.m. ( | suggest removal )

vmwskywalk (anonymous) says...

I can tell you with absolute certainty, that should either coach go somewhere else, they would never be as appreciated as they are at KU.

January 7, 2008 at 10:16 a.m. ( | suggest removal )

JNgohawks (anonymous) says...

good point vmwskywalk, and it is not like they aren't well payed. Mangino just got a hefty raise as I recall

January 7, 2008 at 10:55 a.m. ( | suggest removal )

KEITHMILES05 (anonymous) says...

As it stands now Mangino made more than Self last year due to bonsues.

January 7, 2008 at 11:09 a.m. ( | suggest removal )

seattlehawk_78 (anonymous) says...

I feel pretty good about both coaches but it would be naÃive to think that either of them would never leave the hill. I think if Self really wanted the OSU job he would have stayed at Illinois and waited for Eddie Sutton to leave. The only thing that could motivate him to return to his alma mater would be a boatload of money, which apparently they have.

Mark was COY and his name was never mentioned as a candidate for any of the vacancies. This is his program, he built it and even in a down year his job is still secure. If he leaves for a higher profile program he will be under a lot more stress and scrutiny. However, he is from Pennsylvania and I believe there is some family connection to Penn State. It looks as if Joe Paterno won't be forced to retire until he dies. I'm curious if the Penn State job is one that appeals to him.

January 7, 2008 at 11:31 a.m. ( | suggest removal )

walkdog262 (anonymous) says...

I think coaches are starting to realize that with big-name programs come big-time hassles. You think Tubby Smith isn't happier now that he's out of Kentucky? I know coaches have bigger egos than anyone on the planet, but many are smart enough to know they have a good thing going. Mangino can stay at KU and be worshipped from now on, and Lew Perkins will give him as much $$$$ as it takes. Leaving would be purely an ego move, and I don't think he's that type. I agree that Penn State seems the only place he'd likely go, and Paterno could live to be 105 for all we know.

January 7, 2008 at 12:06 p.m. ( | suggest removal )

BannerforKirk (anonymous) says...

Jaybate - Very nice work. Nice to see the Haiku used and to see you go short.

Keegan - The political comparison is way too contrived. Just stick to sports, please. And can we not have stories that lead to posts and posts about RW? I know why he was included here, but every RW mention around here leads to pages of crap.

Losing Self would be a tragedy as far as I'm concerned. Mangino would be a tough loss too, but he's built the program to a point where someone else could probably take over and continue to do good things - he's done the seriously heavy lifting already. Self, on the other hand, is, imho, clearly one of the top 5 coaches in college basketball.

January 7, 2008 at 12:50 p.m. ( | suggest removal )

jross1972 (Joe Ross) says...

I like Keegan, and I know a lot of posters here are kind of critical of the authors. So at the risk of sounding hypocritical, I have to admit I agree with the sentiment of the haiku: if you get too comfortable, danger is in the forecast.

Great article apart from the last line though.

Borrow Mangino's Mantra: keep sawin' wood.

January 7, 2008 at 1:17 p.m. ( | suggest removal )

seattlehawk_78 (anonymous) says...

Kirk, I love your high praise for Self but imho it would be more difficult to replace Mangino. I think KU will always be able to attract high profile basketball coaches. However, football on the hill has historically been a stepping stone or burial ground for coaches. We may have gotten lucky with Mark. He is in his early 50's and perhaps he is ready to settle.

January 7, 2008 at 2:33 p.m. ( | suggest removal )

seattlehawk_78 (anonymous) says...

BTW, we play Florida International on August 30th. Why is this game not listed under the Next Game banner?

January 7, 2008 at 2:35 p.m. ( | suggest removal )

jross1972 (Joe Ross) says...

seattlehawk...

there are only a handful of guys with the combination of talent, charisma, and recruiting ability to fit at head coach at Kansas. Perhaps Billy Donovon, perhaps Ben Howland. Rick Pitino and John Calipari may fit the bill. Outside of that youre into a bunch of "maybe's". Mark Few, Tom Crean, and so on...

Finding a head coach at Kansas in the basketball program is NOT an easy thing to do. Youre picking a person to follow in the footsteps of Phog Allen, James Naismith, Larry Brown, Roy Williams, Bill Self...
WOW

January 7, 2008 at 2:43 p.m. ( | suggest removal )

blk99stang (anonymous) says...

i agree about not getting too comfortable. Let us not forget that before Bill signed his contract, he asked for it to contain a clause that would allow him to leave for Ok State should that position come open. Naturally KU denied this to him but it is scary that he even mentioned it. I think now that he has been here several years, he is more comfortable than he thought he would be though.

January 7, 2008 at 9:17 p.m. ( | suggest removal )

NavyHawk (anonymous) says...

We are blessed to have two of the best college coaches in Bill Self and Mark Mangino. Even though KU is an elite school in basketball and has the potential to be an elite football school, it is never certain that either coach won't leave to follow his dream or the money.

In the case of Bill Self, as Keegan points out, T. Boone Pickens is spending a potload of money at his alma mater, and could conceivably offer Coach Self more money than he could turn down. It is his alma mater too, and although arguably not in the same recruiting league as KU, does have a legacy going back to legendary coach, Hank Iba.

Sensibly, Bill would stay at KU, knowing he has a far better chance of winning the NC as well as having a home for the rest of his career. But if he chooses to follow his heart, he may leave to try and resurrect the OSU program. Also, he may be feeling the pressure from well-to-do KU alums for losing to the B-schools his first two years, but I think that should be lessening due to his current success. Lose early in the NCAA this year and he's gone to OSU next year, that's my prediction.

January 8, 2008 at 12:02 a.m. ( | suggest removal )

tdub (anonymous) says...

Notice how all the "Self-haters" have vanished with the early success of the team? Amazing how a horrible coach can become good so fast...

The head men aren't leaving, but losing offensive coordinator Warinner seems likely down the road. He is young and ambitious, and engineered and excecuted quite the offensive turnaround this year. The key will be to promote within to keep this studly spread offense in place.

January 8, 2008 at 1:06 a.m. ( | suggest removal )

actorman (anonymous) says...

"Also, he may be feeling the pressure from well-to-do KU alums for losing to the B-schools his first two years, ..."

Not to quibble or anything, but the B-school losses were in Self's second and third years, not his first two years. In his first year he came within an OT loss to GT of making the Final Four. I'd say with two Elite 8's in four years he's still in pretty good shape.

I agree with tdub about Warinner. Hopefully he'll be here at least another couple of years, but if KU keeps looking this good on offense it can't be too long before he gets a head coaching job.

January 8, 2008 at 5:04 a.m. ( | suggest removal )

jpstrayer (anonymous) says...

I feel, if Coach Self were to leave, it wouldn't be to OSU, but rather the NBA....talk about boat loads of money, the NBA has it.

January 8, 2008 at 8:39 a.m. ( | suggest removal )

NavyHawk (anonymous) says...

Sorry, actorman you're right. My mistake.

January 8, 2008 at 3:28 p.m. ( | suggest removal )