Larry Brown, who guided Kansas University to a national basketball championship this year, is moving back to the National Basketball Assn. as head coach of the San Antonio Spurs.
The offical announcement came from the university this morning after nearly a week of speculation that Brown would take a lucrative offer from the Spurs. The San Antonio job reportedly will make Brown the highest paid coach in the NBA, with a five-year contract worth $3.5 million or more. At KU, Brown would have been paid $85,000 in the coming fiscal year.
A statement released this morning by KU’s athletic office said:
“Larry Brown has informed Kansas athletic director Bob Frederick that he is resigning as the Jayhawks’ head basketball coach to accept the same position with the San Antonio Spurs of the National Basketball Assn.”
Brown would not comment to a Journal-World reporter this morning, but in the press statment he said: “Kansas has been a very special place to me and it was a very difficult decision to leave. I can’t believe that any college coach in the country has a better situation than I did at KU, and I’m grateful to Bob Frederick and the chancellor for that. The offer at San Antonio was simply a once-in-a lifetime opportunity which I couldn’t turn down.”
The Spurs announced at noon that they would hold a press conference later this afternoon. Calls to the NBA team were put on hold with a radio recording of Brown accepting the offer blaring in the background.
Brown’s decision to leave comes two months after he turned down an offer to return to UCLA as head basketball coach.
The UCLA offer came shortly after Brown completed his fifth season with Kansas, taking the Jayhawks to the national championship. Kansas finished the season at 27-11 and defeated Oklahoma 83-79 in Kansas City to win the national title.
While at KU, Brown compiled a 135-44 record (.750), which included berths in the 1986 and 1988 Final Fours. He was the sixth coach in the 90 years of the Jayhawk men’s basketball program . His combined collegiate mark, including two years at UCLA (1979-80 and 1980-81) is 177-61 (.740).
“After I made the decision not to go to UCLA and stay at Kansas, I had no intention to consider any other jobs. But the San Antonio situation presented itself and I didn’t think it would be fair to my family not to consider it,” Brown said in a press statement. “I love Lawrence (Kansas), the people and everything they did for me. It will always be special to me.”
In today’s press statement, Frederick said, “Larry Brown has given so much in so many ways to the community, the university and the state of Kansas. We will be especially grateful for his significant contributions to the Jayhawk basketball tradition. He has returned us to the top, and we will be able to attract a new coach from among the very best because of that. We all salute Larry and wish him the very best in San Antonio. He will be missed, but not forgotten.”
Chancellor Gene Budig, also quoted in the press release, said: “The University of Kansas is a special place with the richest of tradition in college basketball. Our head basketball position is one of the most attractive collegiate jobs in America. We are in a place to attract another exceptional coach, and that is exactly what we’ll do. Like so many others, I appreciate what Larry Brown has achieved at KU during his five years. I wish him continued success. We will miss him.”
Associate athletic director Floyd Temple added: “I’m happy the guy gave us five great years. You can’t fault anyone for that.”
Milt Newton, an instrumental member of last season’s championship team and 1988-89 co-captain, said this morning, he hated to see Brown go.
“All the guys are going to miss him,” Newton said. “I know I will. I’ve grown really close to him.
“I think it would be a big loss to the team. We all know his style, and with a new coach that would be a big change in style of play.”
Brown returns to the professional ranks, where he spent five years as a player and nine years as a head coach. He came to Kansas in 1983 after two years with the NBA’s New Jersey Nets. Prior to that, he spent five years as head coach of the Denver Nuggets and two with the Carolina Cougars.
The 48-year-old Brown’s record as a winner — he hasn’t had a team finish below .500 in 16 years as a head coach — helped persuade Spurs owner Red McCombs to offer him a contract that reportedly pays more than $600,000 a year for five years and allows him to name or become his own general manager.
The Jayhawks’ hunt for a new coach will begin with the immediate formation of a search committee.
Newton said the team will assume a business-as-usual attitude until a successor is found.
“We still have to look forward as a team,” he said. “We still have to work out. I’ve been appointed a captain for next year, so I’ve got to keep the guys together.”
He said he expects no transfers because of Brown’s departure.
“Not at all,” he said, “none that I know of. All the guys really love KU. We’ve got it good here. We have a great program. I don’t see any reason to (leave).”
Freeman West, a junior college transfer from Paris (Texas) Junior College and one of five recruits for next year, told the J-W that he’s one player who will be happy to stick with KU.
“They’re going to bring in a great coach,” West said. “Playing for coach Brown would have been great, but we’ve still got a good team coming back.
“Some of the players — me and Milt and Kevin (Pritchard) — were playing a little ball outside last night. Afterward we talked and we just said that no matter what happened we all had to stick together.Whoever they bring in, it’s going to be a great coach, and we’re still playing for the University of Kansas.”
Scooter Barry, co-captain along with Newton, wanted to receive official word from Brown, but when told of his departrue, said:
“If that’s true and that’s what coach feels is in his best interest, I have to support him. He’s got to take care of himself. It’ll be an awkward situation having to adjust to a new coach coming in, but there’s not much I can do about it. I think the feeling of the guys is you feel kind of helpless.”
“I feel like things will be different. I don’t feel letdown. He’s done an unbelievable job here as far as getting the program where it’s at and taking us to the Final Four two out of three years and winning the national championship. That’s the only thing that helps me understand his position as far as wanting to move on.
“If his decision is to leave and if he feels it’s best for him, I don’t think he’ll get anything but support from the players. But I’ll be a senior next year, and for the younger kids it might be a little more of a letdown. It could cause (some players to leave). Players who made a decision to come because of coach Brown might change their mind. I’ve played for him for three years and I redshirted for one and you get kind of a family feeling so I’m sure if he does leave we’re going to miss him.”
Laird Noller, a KU Athletic Corporation member, said Brown “has been a great coach for Kansas. I wish him well.”
Noller said he did not know if KU made a counteroffer to keep Brown.