This year reminds me of when I was at UMD in the late 90’s. With Maryland Football already circling the toilet in mid-September, my thoughts turn to basketball.
The Maryland Athletic Department released a statement that Gary Williams has received a contract extension through 2013. I can picture athletic director Debbie Yow’s hands shaking and lips quivering as she “congratulated” Williams on the extension. I wonder if Williams waived the contract at her and yelled “FAAAAAAAACE. You lose, I win.”
When combined with Gary’s recent nomination to the school’s board, the extension seems largely symbolic. It ostensibly makes Gary Coach for Life as he will be 68 years old at the end of his contract. The ongoing feud between Williams and Yow has been well documented. This seems less like a vote of confidence and more like a burying of the hatchet.
I am personally biased in favor the idea of making Williams Coach for Life. He literally resurrected the program from the bottom of the ACC to win a national championship. He’s coming off completing one of his best coaching years to date after taking an undermanned squad to the NCAA Tournament. He’s an alumnus. His players love him, and he gets the most out of them every year. Gary checks all the boxes in the Coach for Life criteria checklist. Next step – name the court after him.
-terphed (http://shellgames.wordpress.com/)
Okay, he can be coach for life, I guess. But it would still be great if he could earn it out on the court. And not just in February and March either in some late-season frenzy. The games in December and January (coughMorganStatecough) are important, too.
I think Gary has earned the right to retire as the Maryland head coach at the time of his own choosing. But I don’t think making it all contractual would be the best move. I think he derived some motivation from the wolves at the door last season, not to mention the opportunity to make Yow and co. look like complete idiots.
As for the arena, “Williams Coliseum” certainly has a nicer ring to it than Comcast Center.
It’s a mute point. Gary is now Coach for Life whether you like it or not, so you guys might as well get on board and start liking it. At some point in the not to distant future you’re going to turn on the TV and say, “Man, Gary looks really old.” The guy is in his 60’s, and every year in your sixties ages you like dog years, especially when you’re the head coach of a college basketball team. The age will catch up with him and hurt his coaching abilities, the team will decline, and sometime before his contract is up the writing will be on the wall and he’ll retire. But until then, Gary is a fixture that you can’t remove, so it’s not worth even worrying about it.
As for the court, it’s more likely to be “Gary Williams Court at Comcast Center,” but Williams Coliseum or The Williams Center does have a better ring to it. I’m going to put that in the AD suggestion box.
PS – did I say mute point? I meant moot point.
Terphed, I’m pressing the moot button on you.