Delayed reaction on K.O. to USC
i apologize for not getting to this for a few days. i've been messing around with FBC on Twitter and sort of forgot that i hadn't posted anything here on this topic.
generally speaking, my thoughts are this: uhh, no. there is nothing in KO's past history or behavior that would indicate he is a good fit for this job, at this time. first of all, getting a program out of an NCAA mess takes patience. Roy Williams did it at KU, Rick Pitino did it at Kentucky, but all too often (e.g. the six guys who have been at UNLV since Tark the Shark left) it becomes too much for one man to handle. KO's 16 jobs in 31 years aren't a very good indication that he'll stick around to straighten things out.
USC's other problem is that they don't have many players left. currently their best player is UNC transfer Alex Stepheson, and beyond senior guard Dwight Lewis they don't have anyone who's averaged more than 18 mpg.
this article tells some pretty amazing stories about KO from his earlier college jobs, and while Northwestern is mentioned only in passing, the article really brought back memories of watching KO coach at NU. My favorite incident was during a home game. Sean Wink had messed up and it must have been something they'd been working on, because, boy, did it set off KO...
KO: Hey Sean!
[Wink runs down the court, tries to ignore the coach]
KO: Hey Sean!
[still ignoring]
KO: Hey Sean!
[Wink reluctantly looks towards the bench]
KO: Fuck you!
keep in mind this was at home while play was going on, in full view of fans and adminstrators. so no, i do not think KO will have the patience or the mental makeup to walk into a bad situation and make it better. during his tenure at NU, the Northwestern SID told me that KO's career goal was to be an assistant coach in the NBA. I expect he'll be back there before too long.
generally speaking, my thoughts are this: uhh, no. there is nothing in KO's past history or behavior that would indicate he is a good fit for this job, at this time. first of all, getting a program out of an NCAA mess takes patience. Roy Williams did it at KU, Rick Pitino did it at Kentucky, but all too often (e.g. the six guys who have been at UNLV since Tark the Shark left) it becomes too much for one man to handle. KO's 16 jobs in 31 years aren't a very good indication that he'll stick around to straighten things out.
USC's other problem is that they don't have many players left. currently their best player is UNC transfer Alex Stepheson, and beyond senior guard Dwight Lewis they don't have anyone who's averaged more than 18 mpg.
this article tells some pretty amazing stories about KO from his earlier college jobs, and while Northwestern is mentioned only in passing, the article really brought back memories of watching KO coach at NU. My favorite incident was during a home game. Sean Wink had messed up and it must have been something they'd been working on, because, boy, did it set off KO...
KO: Hey Sean!
[Wink runs down the court, tries to ignore the coach]
KO: Hey Sean!
[still ignoring]
KO: Hey Sean!
[Wink reluctantly looks towards the bench]
KO: Fuck you!
keep in mind this was at home while play was going on, in full view of fans and adminstrators. so no, i do not think KO will have the patience or the mental makeup to walk into a bad situation and make it better. during his tenure at NU, the Northwestern SID told me that KO's career goal was to be an assistant coach in the NBA. I expect he'll be back there before too long.
posted by Fire Bill Carmody at
11:10 AM
1 Comments:
USC will accept juco transfers and have academic bball standards at the pac 10 minimum. Also the success of football has raised the athletic dept. profile off the charts which will really help him recruit. I expect him to do well there.
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