2008 Woodie Awards
Falling back into failure?
Issue date: 2/12/07 Section: Opinion
- Page 1 of 1
An interim coach has recently been appointed to help restore the men's basketball program that was terminated early this season due to an excess of academic ineligibilities. Russ Marcinek has been hired for a five-month period with the possibility of continuing to serve on the men's coaching staff next season.
Although an interim coach is greatly needed, the athletic department may be falling back into the situation that encouraged the failure in the first place.
There are a few areas of concern facing the new coach and the upcoming season.
First of all, Marcinek has only coached high school teams. With no experience coaching at the collegiate level, he has some catching up to do. It is one thing to serve as an assistant coach at the collegiate level and gain familiarity of the position through hands-on experience, but it's a whole other story skipping from a high school position as head coach to the head coach of a college team.
Not to mention the fact that he will have to rebuild a program that has been nationally renowned as a failure.
One of the major issues discussed after the season cancellation was the fact that PUC is the only university in the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference without a full-time head coach. It makes sense that a college coach would need to spend as much time on campus as possible if any type of academic monitoring is hoped to take place. Since academic monitoring is evidently a necessity on campus then we should strive for a coach that can dedicate a career to the university.
Marcinek began coaching in 1963. Granted that gives him many years of experience with an established technique and the ability to catch flaws, it also means that he is a weathered veteran of the courts. Being an older gentleman, Marcinek might not be able to keep up with the team or last as long career-wise as a younger man half his age could.
Marcinek could very well be the best coach PUC has ever seen but nobody will know that until next season. The university needs to consider who or what will benefit the athletic program in the long run. It's crucial that the athletic department thinks long and hard on whom they appoint as head coach because if another disaster occurs within the program PUC basketball could be over for good.
Although an interim coach is greatly needed, the athletic department may be falling back into the situation that encouraged the failure in the first place.
There are a few areas of concern facing the new coach and the upcoming season.
First of all, Marcinek has only coached high school teams. With no experience coaching at the collegiate level, he has some catching up to do. It is one thing to serve as an assistant coach at the collegiate level and gain familiarity of the position through hands-on experience, but it's a whole other story skipping from a high school position as head coach to the head coach of a college team.
Not to mention the fact that he will have to rebuild a program that has been nationally renowned as a failure.
One of the major issues discussed after the season cancellation was the fact that PUC is the only university in the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference without a full-time head coach. It makes sense that a college coach would need to spend as much time on campus as possible if any type of academic monitoring is hoped to take place. Since academic monitoring is evidently a necessity on campus then we should strive for a coach that can dedicate a career to the university.
Marcinek began coaching in 1963. Granted that gives him many years of experience with an established technique and the ability to catch flaws, it also means that he is a weathered veteran of the courts. Being an older gentleman, Marcinek might not be able to keep up with the team or last as long career-wise as a younger man half his age could.
Marcinek could very well be the best coach PUC has ever seen but nobody will know that until next season. The university needs to consider who or what will benefit the athletic program in the long run. It's crucial that the athletic department thinks long and hard on whom they appoint as head coach because if another disaster occurs within the program PUC basketball could be over for good.
Viewing Comments 1 - 1 of 1
Brad
posted 2/12/07 @ 12:32 AM CST
Why so negative, Chronicle? At least give the guy a chance. The school's task force assigned to solving our athletic problems has barely even taken shape yet. (Continued…)
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