Basketball hire crucial to Byrne's stay at A&M
By JOHN P. LOPEZ
Copyright 2004 Houston Chronicle
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It is all over but the final buzzer for Texas A&M basketball coach Melvin Watkins.
Not only has the decision to fire Watkins been made, but a preliminary list of replacement candidates is being put together informally.
One source said Watkins' fate was sealed in the eyes of Aggies athletic director Bill Byrne as far back as last season's humiliating 97-70 Big 12 Conference tournament loss to Iowa State.
This season's winless Big 12 run, which includes a road loss to tonight's Reed Arena opponent -- probation-stricken Baylor -- only made the decision easier.
And so the saga of the biggest waste of prime, uncultivated basketball soil in Texas, if not the nation, continues.
The Aggies again have failed to find the right guy. For Byrne, the bold AD who likes to talk big and strike big, failure this time is not an option.
The Aggies are losing more than games. They're losing more than some of that famous Aggie pride, despite a sparkling home arena and good talent.
They're losing millions of potential basketball dollars. And they're losing ground to programs with no right being on superior footing.
That's why, for all the shakeups Byrne has done since his arrival in December 2002, his upcoming basketball hire might well be the move that makes the biggest mark on his A&M career.
Hiring football coaches at A&M, after all, never is a problem.
Byrne's decision to hire Dennis Franchione only days after Byrne's arrival was all but made for him by power-wielding alumni. And even if Franchione fails, the biggest names in the game always will line up for Aggies football jobs.
It is in men's basketball where potential gold awaits, and where Byrne will find an answer to the biggest shame in Texas sports, or prove to be just another Wally Groff.
That is to say, fail big when it comes to hoops.
It has been nearly 25 years since anything legitimately resembling an NCAA Tournament team has put on Aggies colors.
Sure, the 1987 Aggies qualified for the Big Dance, but that was just a scrappy eighth-place Southwest Conference team. It got hot in the conference tourney, overachieved for beloved former A&M coach Shelby Metcalf and was quickly excused from the field by Duke.
Not since 1980 has a legit squad come from Aggieland. Since then, the lowlights include Metcalf's ugly breakup with Groff, the former athletic director, and a string of coaches who were little more than a bad cheater, a displaced animated cartoon and a nice guy finishing last.
First, Kermit Davis pulled off the difficult double of shamelessly breaking the rules, yet managing not to win.
Tony Barone's profanity-laced, East Coast-accented sideline tirades followed. It was a cute act, but after about 10 minutes, or roughly a 12-2 run by the opposition, Barone's flaws were exposed.
Now, it is Watkins, a true gentleman, finishing last.
He is the most likable of men and popular within the department. He also could point to several excuses, namely injuries, near misses and lukewarm fan support.
But two things that had nothing to do with luck spelled the end for Watkins.
He came in knowing that recruiting Texas had to be a priority. Yet he couldn't get it done.
He came in knowing he had to get the most out of his players, who today possess much better than 7-16 talent. He couldn't do that, either.
Of the 14 players on the current Aggies roster, only four are listed as hailing from Texas high schools. One of those four is a walk-on. The other is Watkins' son, Marcus.
For a school so large, well-equipped and within a 90-minute drive of the fastest-growing hotbed for basketball talent in the United States -- Houston -- that is inexcusable.
As for his coaching ability, players continue to defend Watkins. But for long stretches in many games, it's clear Watkins cannot get the most from his guys.
No player epitomizes this more than sophomore swingman Antoine Wright, a rare prized recruit in 2001 with NBA-type talent. Wright has shown virtually no improvement since earning consensus Big 12 newcomer awards a season ago.
Watkins is out of time. The clock is running for Byrne.
Names being thrown about for the job include the unlikely -- Gonzaga's Mark Few and Louisville's Rick Pitino.
Candidates also include the intriguing, such as former college and NBA head coach Lon Kruger, former Rockets assistant Jim Boylen, Arizona boy wonder Josh Pastner and Oklahoma State assistant and former Texas Tech coach Jim Dickey. They include the rising stars, such as Texas-El Paso's Billy Gillespie and Texas-Pan Am's Bob Hoffman.
But make no mistake. When the announcement of Watkins' dismissal is made, a committee might be formed and there will be input from all sides.
But as another Aggie source put it, "This is coming down to a committee of one."
This is Byrne's call. And why not? It will be, after all, his legacy.
By JOHN P. LOPEZ
Copyright 2004 Houston Chronicle
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
It is all over but the final buzzer for Texas A&M basketball coach Melvin Watkins.
Not only has the decision to fire Watkins been made, but a preliminary list of replacement candidates is being put together informally.
One source said Watkins' fate was sealed in the eyes of Aggies athletic director Bill Byrne as far back as last season's humiliating 97-70 Big 12 Conference tournament loss to Iowa State.
This season's winless Big 12 run, which includes a road loss to tonight's Reed Arena opponent -- probation-stricken Baylor -- only made the decision easier.
And so the saga of the biggest waste of prime, uncultivated basketball soil in Texas, if not the nation, continues.
The Aggies again have failed to find the right guy. For Byrne, the bold AD who likes to talk big and strike big, failure this time is not an option.
The Aggies are losing more than games. They're losing more than some of that famous Aggie pride, despite a sparkling home arena and good talent.
They're losing millions of potential basketball dollars. And they're losing ground to programs with no right being on superior footing.
That's why, for all the shakeups Byrne has done since his arrival in December 2002, his upcoming basketball hire might well be the move that makes the biggest mark on his A&M career.
Hiring football coaches at A&M, after all, never is a problem.
Byrne's decision to hire Dennis Franchione only days after Byrne's arrival was all but made for him by power-wielding alumni. And even if Franchione fails, the biggest names in the game always will line up for Aggies football jobs.
It is in men's basketball where potential gold awaits, and where Byrne will find an answer to the biggest shame in Texas sports, or prove to be just another Wally Groff.
That is to say, fail big when it comes to hoops.
It has been nearly 25 years since anything legitimately resembling an NCAA Tournament team has put on Aggies colors.
Sure, the 1987 Aggies qualified for the Big Dance, but that was just a scrappy eighth-place Southwest Conference team. It got hot in the conference tourney, overachieved for beloved former A&M coach Shelby Metcalf and was quickly excused from the field by Duke.
Not since 1980 has a legit squad come from Aggieland. Since then, the lowlights include Metcalf's ugly breakup with Groff, the former athletic director, and a string of coaches who were little more than a bad cheater, a displaced animated cartoon and a nice guy finishing last.
First, Kermit Davis pulled off the difficult double of shamelessly breaking the rules, yet managing not to win.
Tony Barone's profanity-laced, East Coast-accented sideline tirades followed. It was a cute act, but after about 10 minutes, or roughly a 12-2 run by the opposition, Barone's flaws were exposed.
Now, it is Watkins, a true gentleman, finishing last.
He is the most likable of men and popular within the department. He also could point to several excuses, namely injuries, near misses and lukewarm fan support.
But two things that had nothing to do with luck spelled the end for Watkins.
He came in knowing that recruiting Texas had to be a priority. Yet he couldn't get it done.
He came in knowing he had to get the most out of his players, who today possess much better than 7-16 talent. He couldn't do that, either.
Of the 14 players on the current Aggies roster, only four are listed as hailing from Texas high schools. One of those four is a walk-on. The other is Watkins' son, Marcus.
For a school so large, well-equipped and within a 90-minute drive of the fastest-growing hotbed for basketball talent in the United States -- Houston -- that is inexcusable.
As for his coaching ability, players continue to defend Watkins. But for long stretches in many games, it's clear Watkins cannot get the most from his guys.
No player epitomizes this more than sophomore swingman Antoine Wright, a rare prized recruit in 2001 with NBA-type talent. Wright has shown virtually no improvement since earning consensus Big 12 newcomer awards a season ago.
Watkins is out of time. The clock is running for Byrne.
Names being thrown about for the job include the unlikely -- Gonzaga's Mark Few and Louisville's Rick Pitino.
Candidates also include the intriguing, such as former college and NBA head coach Lon Kruger, former Rockets assistant Jim Boylen, Arizona boy wonder Josh Pastner and Oklahoma State assistant and former Texas Tech coach Jim Dickey. They include the rising stars, such as Texas-El Paso's Billy Gillespie and Texas-Pan Am's Bob Hoffman.
But make no mistake. When the announcement of Watkins' dismissal is made, a committee might be formed and there will be input from all sides.
But as another Aggie source put it, "This is coming down to a committee of one."
This is Byrne's call. And why not? It will be, after all, his legacy.
