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Post by Glory Days on Apr 14, 2009 19:51:19 GMT -5
April 14, 2009, 6:45 PM ET Anderson inks 7-year deal with MizzouCOLUMBIA, Mo. -- Mike Anderson has signed a seven-year deal to remain Missouri's men's basketball coach. The third-year coach, who led the Tigers to a school-record 31 wins and snapped a five-year NCAA tournament drought, signed the new contract along with university officials Monday. The school released copies Tuesday. "It gives us a certain level of confidence," athletic director Mike Alden said, referring to the long-term deals signed by both Anderson and football coach Gary Pinkel, who got his own hefty raise after a breakout 2007 season and now earns $1.85 million a year. "We have two of the best coaches in the country." The contract pays Anderson a base annual salary of $1.35 million. That's a $500,000 yearly increase from his previous deal, signed when he was hired in 2006 to replace the ousted Quin Snyder. Various incentives could boost his annual pay to as much as $2.1 million. But Anderson would reach that top amount only by winning a national title. Anderson will earn an extra $200,000 annually in deferred income if he stays for at least four years, with another deferred payment after seven years. If he leaves for another job, Anderson or his new employer would have to pay Missouri as much as $550,000. If the school fires Anderson, he would receive anywhere from $500,000 in 2016 to $1.35 million if he is terminated next year. That sliding scale represents a reduction in the previous contract's severance package, which guaranteed Anderson $500,000 for each remaining year of the contract -- a provision that raised the ire of several members of the university's Board of Curators three years ago. Anderson will also receive an extra $121,0334 to disburse to his three assistant coaches and two other staff members. Those five employees now earn a combined salary of $478,686. The revised deal makes Anderson the third-highest paid coach in the Big 12 Conference, behind only Bill Self of Kansas and Texas' Rick Barnes. Anderson and Missouri agreed to a new deal just days after the Tigers' surprising NCAA run ended with a narrow loss to top-seeded Connecticut in the West Regional final. He turned down an offer to coach at Georgia for more than $2 million annually and had also been mentioned for the coaching vacancy at Memphis -- a team Missouri defeated in the NCAA tournament's third round. Soon after publicly distributing the new contract, Alden joined Anderson and his team on a charter bus headed to Jefferson City, where state lawmakers were scheduled to honor the Big 12 tournament champions. Then it was on to dinner with Gov. Jay Nixon, an avid basketball fan, at the Governor's Mansion. sports.espn.go.com/ncb/news/story?id=4068711
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Post by Glory Days on Apr 14, 2009 19:54:16 GMT -5
April 14, 2009, 7:53 PM ET Isiah accepts FIU coaching jobMIAMI -- While growing up in Serbia, Florida International forward Nikola Gacesa often heard his father talk about the way Isiah Thomas played basketball. "He is a big fan," Gacesa said. Gacesa will soon have his own stories to tell: Thomas is back in coaching, accepting an offer from FIU to revive his career and their program. Ending a whirlwind courtship, Thomas and FIU agreed on a five-year contract Tuesday -- an out-of-nowhere deal that gives the former Knicks coach and president a chance to restore the reputation he built as a Hall of Fame player and tarnished through a series of embarrassments in New York. "I'm committed to growing something here, and strongly believe that over time, we'll put a team on the floor that everyone at FIU can be proud of," Thomas said. Thomas helped the Detroit Pistons win two NBA championships as one of the all-time great point guards, then coached the Indiana Pacers before taking over in New York, where an array of problems marred his tenure. Nonetheless, FIU moved quickly to lock up its top choice for the job. "I know he is a good person," FIU athletic director Pete Garcia said. "Isiah is going to give our fans and alumni a lot of reasons to be excited." In New York, Thomas endured legal and personal troubles off the court, and more losses than wins on it. His Knicks were 23-59 last season, prompting a firing many fans had long awaited. The Knicks never won a playoff game in his tenure as president or coach, and many of his moves -- like acquiring Stephon Marbury -- didn't work out as planned. Marbury, whose time with the Knicks also was rocky, offered little reaction over Thomas' new job. "Good for him," Marbury said before his Boston Celtics played the Philadelphia 76ers. Knicks president Donnie Walsh, who fired Thomas, wished him luck at FIU. "I think it's a great thing for him and it's kind of what I wanted for him from the day I let him go," Walsh said. It was more than losses that doomed Thomas in New York. In 2007, a jury ordered Knicks owner Madison Square Garden to pay $11.6 million to a former team executive who alleged she was sexually harassed by Thomas, who continually maintained his innocence and was never found personally liable. This past October, there was more drama. Officers responded to Thomas' New York-area home after a 911 call reported someone had overdosed on sleeping pills. According to police reports, officers found a man passed out and gave him oxygen until an ambulance arrived. Authorities never publicly identified Thomas as the victim, but a person familiar with the case confirmed to the AP that it was Thomas. Still, Thomas' hiring at FIU quickly became a galvanizing story in South Florida. "This is bigger than basketball and bigger than athletics," said FIU president Modesto A. Maidique. "Having a nationally recognized coach like Isiah at FIU will have a positive impact on our university as a whole, helping us achieve additional national exposure." With Thomas -- whose career record in the NBA was 187-223 (including three playoff seasons with the Pacers) -- on board, national exposure is certain. "It's a testament to the direction of FIU athletics," Golden Panthers football coach Mario Cristobal said. "It's a great thing. There's tremendous amounts of excitement here." Thomas will face some immediate challenges: FIU went 13-20 this past season, its third 20-loss campaign in four years, and has not posted a winning record since 1999-2000. He'll need to move quickly on filling some roster slots, since the spring signing period for Division I players starts Wednesday. "If you really think about it, some of these kids that are coming out of AAU that are going to go to college for one year, that's a pretty good sell," Walsh said. "'Come down to Miami, spend a year with me.' I think he's positioned to do well with recruiting there." Miami Heat center Jermaine O'Neal, who played for Thomas at Indiana, said the coach deserved a new opportunity. "He's a motivator and a teacher and he has some skills that really fit the college level," O'Neal said. "He can take people and make them feel like they have a chance to be anything they want in life." Thomas replaces Sergio Rouco, who was reassigned Monday after posting a losing record in each of his five seasons as coach. Thomas' hiring brings another coach with strong New York ties to the Sun Belt Conference's schools in South Florida: Former St. John's coach Mike Jarvis just completed his first year at Florida Atlantic, about an hour north of FIU in Boca Raton. "I think it is a great day for the league, to be very honest with you," Jarvis said. "Anything that will help bring real media attention to the league, it helps. It helps with recruiting, it helps with perceptions that people have." Wood Selig, the athletic director at Western Kentucky, said he was "shocked." "It is quite a coup for FIU," Selig said. Thomas spent his entire NBA playing career with the Pistons, appeared in 11 All-Star games and was the MVP of the 1990 NBA finals, when Detroit won its second straight title. His new players, Gacesa said, couldn't be more thrilled. "It's an incredible feeling," Gacesa said. "I think we're still realizing how big this is for us. We still don't realize how big this is, how much knowledge and skills he can offer us and how much he can help us take this school to another level, take this school to where we are supposed to be." sports.espn.go.com/ncb/news/story?id=4067233
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Post by Sixth Man on Apr 16, 2009 18:58:01 GMT -5
April 16, 2009 Dollar replaces Callero as coachSEATTLE -- Seattle University has hired Washington assistant Cameron Dollar as its new men's basketball coach. The school announced Thursday that Dollar will replace Joe Callero, who left earlier this month to take over at Cal Poly. The Redhawks are in the second year of a five-year transition to Division I. Last year, playing a mixed schedule against Division I, Division II and other lower division teams, the Redhawks went 21-8. Dollar's hiring was first reported by The Seattle Times in Thursday's editions, citing unnamed sources. Next season, Seattle will have to play a full Division I schedule as part of its five-year transition, and it will be Dollar's task to lead Seattle through those challenges and make the small Jesuit school attractive to a conference. Athletic director Bill Hogan said last week that he wanted a coach who would help the program grow, but also be a leader in finding the needed conference affiliation. "The great thing about Cameron is he's got great support in the community," Callero said by phone Thursday morning. "There is going to be those days he's going to shake his head, but overall, if he looks at it from a three- to five-year perspective and can come out of the storm in a good position the program will have taken a positive step." Seattle will not be eligible to play in the NCAA tournament until the 2012-13 season, but could compete in other postseason tournaments such as the NIT. Dollar has been one of Lorenzo Romar's top assistants at Washington since the pair arrived in 2002. Before that, he was on Romar's staff at Saint Louis. Dollar spent one season as head coach at Southern California College in 1998-99 when, at 22, he was the youngest college coach in the nation. Dollar previously was a candidate for jobs at Sacramento State and Long Beach State, and had informal talks with Portland State last week about its opening that was eventually filled by assistant Tyler Gerving. Before entering coaching, Dollar was a four-year standout at UCLA, and started the 1995 national championship game when the Bruins beat Arkansas 89-78. That game was played at the Kingdome. sports.espn.go.com/ncb/news/story?id=4073875
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Post by Jazzfan on Apr 18, 2009 17:18:28 GMT -5
Controversy follows Isiah to FIU04/18/09 Amid reports some Florida International female faculty members are bothered by the hiring of Isiah Thomas, the new FIU coach obliviously ignored the issue of his sexual harassment trial when asked how he could convince parents to send their sons to the university. "The way I've conducted myself over my playing career and life, I don't think I'll have a problem with that," Thomas said in a Miami radio interview with Dan LeBatard. "Some parents have even named their sons after me." Thomas, who left his untitled role with the Knicks on Tuesday to join the college ranks, continued to flaunt his enormous ego when he was asked how he took the university president introducing him as "Isiah Thompson," comparing it to the presidential inauguration. "I kind of took it in stride," Thomas said. "When President Obama was being inaugurated, the justice, he made a mistake, too." www.fannation.com/truth_and_rumors/view/99670-controversy-follows-isiah-to-fiu?eref=fromSI
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Post by OG Raiderfan on Apr 28, 2009 19:27:53 GMT -5
Marshall gets extension after .500 yearApril 27, 2009 WICHITA, Kan. -- Wichita State coach Gregg Marshall has agreed to a one-year contract extension. Athletic director Eric Sexton announced in a release Monday that Marshall's contract has been extended through April 15, 2015. The Shockers went 17-17 last season, an improvement from their 11-20 record in Marshall's first year. sports.espn.go.com/ncb/news/story?id=4106075
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Post by Raider Grad on Apr 29, 2009 19:22:02 GMT -5
April 29, 2009 Peterson returns to Appalachian StateBOONE, N.C. -- Buzz Peterson has changed his mind and is returning for a second stint coaching Appalachian State's men's basketball team. The school announced on Wednesday that Peterson has accepted the job, three weeks after initially turning it down. He'll replace Houston Fancher, who was fired last month. Peterson went 79-39 in four seasons at Appalachian State between 1996 and 2000. Peterson is best known for being Michael Jordan's college roommate at North Carolina. He was fired by Tennessee in 2005 in his only major coaching job. Peterson later coached at Coastal Carolina before Jordan hired him in 2007 to be director of player personnel with the Charlotte Bobcats. The Mountaineers went 13-18 last season. Their last NCAA tournament appearance came under Peterson in 2000. sports.espn.go.com/ncb/news/story?id=4111020
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Post by Raider Rowdies on May 12, 2009 19:34:10 GMT -5
May 12, 2009 Utes' Boylen rewarded with new dealSALT LAKE CITY -- Utah has rewarded basketball coach Jim Boylen with a raise and new contract after just two years on the job. Utah announced Tuesday that Boylen has signed a five-year deal that will pay him $850,000 annually with potential for $1 million with incentives. Boylen has gone 42-25 in two seasons at Utah. The Utes tied for the Mountain West Conference regular season championship and won the league tournament this spring, reaching the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2005. "When I took this job, I promised conference championships, national rankings, NCAA tournament invitations and a return to national prominence," Boylen said in a release. "We are on our way." Although Boylen had three years remaining on his original contract, which paid him $575,000 a year, athletic director Chris Hill said he wanted to retain Boylen with the new deal, which keeps him in Utah through 2014. "We are excited about the direction our basketball program is going under Jim and are confident that the best is yet to come," Hill said. "Jim has shown a great deal of commitment and loyalty to this program and university." sports.espn.go.com/ncb/news/story?id=4161791
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Post by Jazzfan on May 13, 2009 19:29:18 GMT -5
Bone signs seven-year contract with Washington StateMay 13, 2009 CBSSports.com wire reports SPOKANE, Wash -- New Washington State coach Ken Bone signed a seven-year contract with starting pay of $650,000 per year, plus incentives. The contract was released Wednesday after the Associated Press requested it under the state's open records laws. Bone, who replaced Tony Bennett in April, will be paid a base salary of $200,000. Supplemental income will add $450,000 the first year, $550,000 the second and $650,000 the third. Additional raises would be negotiated after that, according to the contract. The contract also includes various incentive payments tied to winning and academic performance by the players. They include $100,000 for a national championship, and $50,000 for getting one of the major coach of the year awards. Bennett, who coached Washington State to the postseason in all three years he was there, took over at Virginia. He won numerous coach of the year awards after his first season at Washington State. Bennett was paid some $1 million a year when he left. Bone, who took Portland State to consecutive NCAA tournaments and had a 77-49 record there over four seasons, also received a one-time payment of $74,000 to pay his buyout from Portland State. His package also includes a country club membership, 14 tickets to each home game, tickets to Washington State football games and costs for bringing his wife on road trips. If Bone leaves early, his buyout clause starts at $500,000, and drops to $300,000 in the final years. Washington State is losing four seniors from a team that went 17-16 last season, including leading scorers Taylor Rochestie and Aron Baynes, as well as part-time starters Caleb Forrest and Daven Harmeling. Only two upperclassmen return next season along with Klay Thompson and DeAngelo Casto, who both were selected for the all-Pac-10 freshman team. www.cbssports.com/collegebasketball/story/11743328
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Post by Raider Rowdies on May 15, 2009 19:38:51 GMT -5
May 15, 2009 Illini's Weber may get 50 percent raise CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (AP) -- University of Illinois trustees will consider giving basketball coach Bruce Weber a 50 percent raise and contract extension when they meet next week. Chancellor Richard Herman is recommending Weber's pay package be increased from $1 million to $1.25 million effective immediately and then to $1.5 million in January. If trustees agree when they meet Thursday in Chicago, Weber's contract also would be extended from 2012 through April 2015. The Illini were 24-10 this season and finished second in the Big Ten before losing in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. Weber has coached at Illinois for six seasons. His teams have been to the tournament five times. sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2009/basketball/ncaa/05/15/illini.ap/index.html
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Post by OG Raiderfan on May 18, 2009 18:23:39 GMT -5
Looks like I picked the wrong week to take a vacationMay 18, 2009 By Gary Parrish Among the questions I routinely get -- in addition to those about whether I think it's appropriate to compare a high school basketball player to a supermodel with herpes -- is one where folks want to know what I do during the offseason. Will the latest allegation prompt a press conference with Tim Floyd and O.J. Mayo? Probably not. (AP) My answer, always, is that I write about college basketball, point being that this is a 12-month-a-year job despite the actual season lasting only five months. Sure, some months are busier than others. (March comes to mind.) But even in slow months, it's difficult to unplug like I did last week to attend a wedding at the beach, because developments arise each time, leaving me tempted to put down the Newcastle and chime in. For the sake of my family, I resisted during this vacation. But now that I'm back in front of a computer, I figured a decent way to start the week is to revisit last week and address some of the things that happened while I was busy learning that spray-on sunscreen is cleaner (but less effective) than its lotion counterpart. For instance ... The allegations against Tim Floyd It seems far-fetched that a high-major Division I coach (Tim Floyd) would make a cash payment to a runner (Rodney Guillory) connected to a prospect (O.J. Mayo) in the middle of the day in Beverly Hills. But I still don't doubt that it happened, if only because I tend to believe people who have no reason to lie, and Louis Johnson, at this point, has no reason to lie. In fact, he has reasons not to lie given that lies could land him in jail. So put me down as somebody who assumes Johnson is telling the truth, although it'll probably mean little in regards to Floyd and his problems with the NCAA. According to Johnson, only three people witnessed this alleged deal -- specifically Floyd, Guillory and Johnson himself. Clearly, Floyd will never admit to it; I can't imagine Guillory will either, and there is likely no paper trail given that we're dealing with cash. All of which means this charge is and will probably forever be based on nothing more than Johnson's word, and there's no way the NCAA will use a one-sourced story lacking physical evidence to hammer Floyd, particularly when the lone source is a man with a criminal past who supposedly came clean last year to Outside the Lines but failed to mention a cash payment by Floyd in those interviews. That's plenty enough for any good defense attorney to discount the latest allegation. So while I don't doubt Johnson's story, I do doubt the NCAA will use it, meaning Floyd's reputation is probably scarred, but this specific incident won't cost him his job. At best, it'll make him more careful going forward. www.cbssports.com/collegebasketball/story/11758110
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Post by Raider Grad on May 21, 2009 19:27:57 GMT -5
May 21, 2009 Weber gets 50 percent raise, extensionCHICAGO -- Illinois basketball coach Bruce Weber is getting a big raise after his team's surprising turnaround last season. University trustees voted Thursday to raise Weber's pay by 50 percent and extend his contract by three years, through April 2015. Weber's pay will increase immediately from $1 million to $1.25 million a year. Starting in January, Weber will be paid $1.5 million a year. The Illini were 24-10 and finished second in the Big Ten before losing in the first round of the NCAA tournament. They weren't expected to do that well a year after finishing 16-19. Weber has coached at Illinois for six seasons. His teams have been to the tournament five times. sports.espn.go.com/ncb/news/story?id=4195678
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Post by Jazzfan on May 22, 2009 23:35:20 GMT -5
Friday May 22, 2009 Villanova coach Wright not interested in 76ers job PHILADELPHIA (AP) -- Villanova coach Jay Wright says he talked to the Philadelphia 76ers about the head coaching job but is staying with the Wildcats. Wright said Friday that he met last week with Sixers president Ed Stefanski to discuss the NBA job. He says he called Stefanski after that and asked to be removed from consideration. Wright says he's flattered that he was considered. But he says he loves Villanova and that's where he wants to coach. Villanova advanced to the Final Four this past season, losing to eventual national champion North Carolina in the semifinals. sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2009/basketball/ncaa/05/22/jay.wright.sixers.ap/index.html
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Post by Jazzfan on Jun 5, 2009 19:44:20 GMT -5
June 5, 2009 School audit: Campbell cashed checksMARTIN, Tenn. -- Tennessee-Martin says head basketball coach Bret Campbell has resigned after an internal audit found he violated school policies by cashing checks for summer basketball camps. In an announcement Friday, athletics director Phil Dane said the basketball program that Campbell led to its first Ohio Valley Conference championship and NIT tournament appearance is in compliance with NCAA rules. The university audit dated Wednesday said Campbell cashed or deposited a total of $21,145 into his personal account, which should have been deposited into university accounts. The audit said he paid for the camp's expenses and officials in cash from the deposited checks. Campbell said "mistakes that were made" and decided to resign. sports.espn.go.com/ncb/news/story?id=4234851
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Post by Jazzfan on Jun 5, 2009 19:45:56 GMT -5
June 5, 2009 Green fired after 26 years at FDUHACKENSACK, N.J. -- Tom Green has been fired as the basketball coach at Fairleigh Dickinson after leading the Knights to 407 wins and four NCAA tournament appearances in a 26-year tenure. He guided the Knights to 17 winning seasons, but they won just 15 games the past two seasons and had three straight losing seasons. "We are so grateful to Coach Green for all that he has been able to do in his time at Fairleigh Dickinson," athletic director David Langford said in a statement released late on Thursday. "He has given a great deal to this university and department and we look forward to building on the legacy that he founded." Green did not immediately return a telephone call left at his home. The firing comes more than three months after Fairleigh Dickinson finished its season. Langford told ESPN.com Friday that the school had no choice but to wait to fire Green in June, with the fiscal year at the university beginning July 1. Langford said that he had come to the conclusion there needed to be a change months ago. Langford said that he would hire an interim coach from within the staff for the 2009-10 season, then conduct a national search after the season. When asked why he dismissed Green so late into the spring, Langford said, "It's not unprecedented." However, he did agree that it is not the norm to make a move this late into the school year. Langford declined to say how many years Green had left on his contract and whether there was a settlement. FDU is a private institution. Green leaves as the all-time leader in wins at Fairleigh Dickinson (407-351) as well as in Northeast Conference history (263-189). He also led the Knights to two NIT appearances, five regular-season NEC titles and four conference tournament titles. Fairleigh Dickinson won two ECAC Metro Championships before appearing in nine NEC Championship games and reaching the NEC Tournament 17 out of the 20 years in which it has been a member. sports.espn.go.com/ncb/news/story?id=4234726
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Post by Jazzfan on Jun 8, 2009 21:36:37 GMT -5
Following the best not always best way to start a careerJune 8, 2009 By Gary Parrish Eric Maynor is Virginia Commonwealth's all-time leader in points and assists, a once-in-a-decade type of Colonial Athletic Association guard who led the Rams to three consecutive regular-season titles, two NCAA tournament appearances and that etched-in-our-memory victory over Duke in 2007. Now he's gone, off to the NBA as a possible lottery pick. Which means Anthony Grant picked a nice time to leave VCU for Alabama, because trying to keep things going at their current pace sans the best player in school history is never a simple task, particularly in a competitive, (sometimes) one-bid league. "But the fans don't care about that," said first-year VCU coach Shaka Smart. "Their deal is, 'Hey, this guy before you was winning, and we brought you in here to do the same or more.'" Or else. And this is the dichotomy facing Smart and fellow first-time coaches Chris Mack at Xavier and Josh Pastner at Memphis. Sure, they all landed unusually great first jobs, the three best jobs in three quality leagues. But the problem is that winning big is more expected than requested, demanded right from the start. So never mind that Smart is down the school's best player. And that Mack inherited a team losing its top three scorers. And that Pastner lost his top four scorers and nearly an entire recruiting class. In the grand scheme of things, none of that will matter much. Because winning is what happens at VCU, Xavier and Memphis, and if that changes it won't be put on Grant (now at Alabama), Sean Miller (now at Arizona) and John Calipari (now at Kentucky). If it changes, it'll be put on Smart, Mack and Pastner. So good luck, fellas! "The job is tough because I'm following one of the best -- if not the best -- in the entire game, and I'm talking high school, college or pro," Pastner said. "I think Cal is as good as any coach in the game today at any level. So I'm following in those footsteps." Oddly, those footsteps are what allowed Pastner to land the Memphis job after a coaching search that flirted with everybody from Scott Drew to Tim Floyd to Leonard Hamilton to Mike Anderson to Derek Kellogg. Almost to a man, the candidates had concerns about "following Calipari," and it had nothing to do with NCAA allegations. Rather, it was the fact that Calipari routinely lured elite-level prospects from around the country to a Conference USA school. He regularly caused 18,000 fans to pack an off-campus arena for Tuesday night games against SMU and Southern Miss. He made four consecutive Sweet 16s. He won 61 consecutive Conference USA games. He altered reality at Memphis in an unprecedented way. "What Cal did the past four years is not reality," Pastner said. "It's the winningest stretch in the history of college basketball. It's not realistic." Of course it isn't. I know that. Pastner knows that. But do Memphis fans know that? Are they willing to let Pastner grow into the job? Let him lose a league game or four? Let him -- God forbid -- not make the NCAA tournament one season? If so, he'll be fine. If not, he'll be Bruiser Flint, i.e., the last man who replaced Calipari at the collegiate level. Flint, you might remember, was run out of UMass after five seasons despite two NCAA tournament appearances. These days, two NCAA tournament appearances every five years for UMass would get a man a contract extension. But in the years immediately following Calipari, that wasn't good enough. The bar was too high, placed there by a rising star in the business. And though the stakes vary from school to school, this is the one thing Pastner, Smart and Mack now share as they begin their head coaching careers. They have all inherited great first jobs. But a great first job always comes with great demands. For those who capitalize (like Mark Few at Gonzaga and Jamie Dixon at Pittsburgh), it's the best thing in the world. For those who don't (Flint at UMass and Craig Esherick at Georgetown), it's a stressful tenure that defines abilities and limits (or ends) careers. "But I want a job with expectations," Mack said. "I'm a competitive person. I wouldn't have it any other way." And how's it going so far? "Ask me in January," Mack answered with a laugh. "Ask me in January." www.cbssports.com/collegebasketball/story/11834232
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