Monday, December 14, 2015

Good years, and good programs

Like all of us, I am very excited about the year we are having. It is a happy time for Trojan fans. However, I get a little amused as the enthusiasm begins to bring forth comparisons that are totally unwarranted - at this point. We are not Gonzaga or Butler, we are not even Western Kentucky or Davidson - at this point. In order for that to happen, a program has to have sustained success over some considerable period of time, at least to the point that people come to expect them to be good each year. There is a difference between a good season and a good program.

It looks like we hit a home run with Coach Chris Beard, but since he is just beginning his D-1 career, unless he just happens to really love Little Rock and wants to stay here, he is not likely to be here long. It is possible that this could be his only year here if we do really well. So then we have to go through the whole roll of the dice on a new coach all over again, hoping that the next one will turn out as well as the last one. Not many programs at our level are able to get a coach of the quality of Davidson's Bob McKillop to stay for a generation, or to replace a Dan Monson with a Mark Few like Gonzaga did. That does not happen very often, and that is why it is so hard for a team at our level to maintain success. Big money programs can become final destinations for coaches, and if they get there they may stay there. Very few really good coaches will hunker down in a situation like Little Rock.

We are having a good year, but there is a big difference between an outstanding year and an outstanding program.

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