by Dennis Freeland
It's a far cry from the public hiring of football coach Rip Scherer in 1995. The search for Larry Finch's replacement is moving along quietly, with no official comment from athletic director R.C. Johnson and almost no leaks from anyone else at the university. Some reporters have taken to following Johnson's every move in their attempts to find out who is on "the list."
According to sources close to the process, Johnson is looking for a coach who will work hard at recruiting and will unify the school's athletic support. Some say Georgia coach Tubby Smith may be Johnson's first choice for the job, but Smith has only been at the SEC school for two years and may have some reservations about leaving so soon. Other sources say Kevin O'Neill, despite his pronouncements to the contrary, is interested in the Memphis job, that in fact, O'Neill may be so unhappy at Tennessee that he may look at several coaching vacancies in the next few weeks. Colorado head coach Ricardo Patton is also still considered a front-runner for the U of M job. Patton has done a great job recruiting players to Boulder, but his top-25 team seems to be running out of gas. The Buffs have been beaten badly in the past few days.
U of M boosters are making sure that money is not an obstacle in the hiring of a new coach. The decision will probably be made around the time of the Final Four, which takes place on the weekend of March 29th.
Meanwhile, athletic officials are taking steps to mend fences with former supporters who have not been coming to basketball games. Several former Tiger Club members have received invitations to attend the Georgetown game Saturday. A letter from associate athletic director Kevin Grothe thanks the former members for their past support and says, "We have missed having you as a member of the Tiger team!"
School officials may soon have to send letters to several high-profile supporters who were close to Finch and are unhappy at the way Finch's firing was handled. Who gets the job next will go a long way in determining how many of the Finch loyalists stick with the program.
Equal Opportunity Coaching
A sportswriter friend e-mailed the following response to last week's column, which urged the U of M to consider successful women coaches such as Pat Summitt and Joye Lee-McNelis to replace Finch. "Could Pat Summitt coach Kevin O'Neill's pants off? I have no doubt. But, and here's the catch, could she recruit Tony Harris? These guys are brought up to think they are the hottest thing going and I doubt even the most straight-laced would allow themselves to be sublimated to a female coach, however outstanding her record. ."
No doubt the ability to recruit teenage boys would be the biggest question facing a woman coaching a men's team. But here's my point: A college basketball coach is, in effect, a high-level manager whose job consists of three components -- sales, instruction, and motivation. Name another business besides college athletics where a woman would be automatically eliminated for a management job with those duties.
It's 1997. The nation has a female secretary of state. Maybe it's time for college basketball to try equal opportunity. It's supposed to be the law.
Lady Tigers Can't Host NCAA Games
Despite a loss to conference rival Louisville last week at the Field House, the Lady Tigers still have a shot at a top-16 seed in the NCAA tournament. In the women's game that means even more than on the men's side, because their tournament allows the top-four seeds in each of its four regions to host first- and second-round games.
Because the NCAA requires at least 4,000 to 5,000 seats with four locker rooms and space for press conferences, the Lady Tigers would have to use the Mid-South Coliseum for the games which will be played March 14-17. Beth Wade, managing director at the Coliseum, says her facility is booked on the 15th and 16th. A Celine Dion concert on the 15th is sold out, and the Memphis RiverKings, the facility's primary tenant, play on the 16th. The Pyramid is hosting the men's tournament that weekend.
It looks like the Lady Tigers will play on the road.
Odds & Ends
The Tiger support group the Rebounders will pay tribute to Coach Larry Finch on Friday, February 28th, with a dinner at the East Memphis Hilton. Cincinnati head coach Bob Huggins will speak. The event is open to the public. Contact Galen Hall at 726-1977 or Mitzy Lyne at the Tiger basketball office, 678-2346, for tickets, which are $22.50 per person with a deadline of Tuesday, February 25th. Finch's contract with the U of M specifies that the coach will receive 125 percent of the difference between his U of M salary and a salary he might receive at another job during the duration of the contract. Some close to the coach think he might spend a year as a part-time scout for the NBA, then look for a head coaching job. Kevin Hunter called last week on his way to an Arena Football League owners' meeting in Los Angeles. Hunter, whose team played in Memphis as the Pharaohs, says he plans on maintaining his home in the Mid-South and will commute to the Northwest. He expressed surprise at the triple-A baseball stadium being built downtown, but wished team owner Dean Jernigan luck. Hunter's team will be called the Forest Dragons in Portland. Ah, Arena Football.