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RESTORING PRIDE IN POCATELLO


Success should not always be measured simply by wins and losses. The dramatic improvement of a situation should be deemed a successful tenure. Such is the legacy that Doug Oliver leaves behind at Idaho State.

On January 18 Doug Oliver announced that this would be his final season as the Bengals head coach, after eight seasons. The nineteenth head coach in school history, Oliver ranks fifth all-time in wins and had gotten off to a great start this season (6-1), but he decided it was time to move on.

“After thirty-two years of coaching it was time,” said Oliver. “I thought it was important to make the announcement (in January) so that the search process can begin. It was time for a new voice and a new direction for the program and it was time for the players to focus just on basketball and not the unfair pressures weighing on them.”

Oliver was referring to rumors surrounding the team of Oliver’s imminent departure. Rumors that were unsubstantiated, but -- nevertheless -- had an adverse effect on the team’s performance. That’s ironic, because Oliver inherited a program loaded with issues. Serious issues.

When Oliver was named head coach in 1998 the program was in the midst of two scandals. A shoplifting incident involving five players was still under investigation and another player was entangled in a drug-related incident.

Not exactly the best of times in Pocatello, ID.

But rather then wipe his hands of the situations, Oliver worked through the problems and watched as many of those involved went on to have success on and off the court, in particular Stephen Brown.

Unfortunately the shoplifting incident highlighted Brown’s first three seasons. But after a lot of hard work and patience, Brown flourished in his senior season. Brown earned Big Sky honorable mention and led all seniors (in the country) in three-point field goal percentage.

It would have much easier to get rid of the problem, but Oliver thought otherwise, explaining that they are kids and kids sometimes make mistakes. But there was much then the issue of youth to deal with. ISU had a brutal schedule (already etched in stone) and it didn’t have a true home court.

In his first two seasons the Bengals bounced back and forth between Holt Arena and Reed Gym. With everything else going on, not having a home court was the exclamation point.

Given the circumstances and a 14-39 mark over his first two seasons, it’s easy to understand why nobody paid any attention to what was being done at Idaho State. Not the scandals, but the process of rebuilding that Oliver had undertaken.

Just two years removed from the tabloid blitz, there wasn’t much reason to think that ISU would be a major factor in the Big Sky. By seasons end Oliver had won as many games in one season as he had in his first two. The 14-14 mark was a major step forward for a program that was a couple steps away from extinction. No longer on the endangered species list, the Bengals finished 10-6 in the Big Sky, which is still tied for the most conference wins in 28 years.

Stories of theft and drugs were replaced with headlines of wins at Montana and Montana State. Not a big deal? ISU was the first Big Sky team to ever sweep Montana-Montana State road trip by winning both games in overtime. Not bad for a program that previously got press via the police blotter.

Two years later Oliver guided ISU to the first winning season under his watch. The Bengals went 15-14, finished third in the league and hosted and won a conference tournament game.

But there weren’t as many wins in the seasons that followed.

“We have been able to do some good things with the program,” Oliver said. “But we lost more then we won and that can wear you down after a while.”

Understandable, but the current program resembles the inherited program only in name.

The 3,400-seat Reed Gymnasium has become a legitimate home court advantage. The list of all-conference performers is impressive and the number of in-state recruits continues to grow.

And most importantly, the program is respectable again.

“Doug Oliver has coached with class and dignity,” said athletics director Paul A. Bubb. “He has run his program in a first class manner.”

But it will not be his program next season.

It’s unclear what the future holds for Doug Oliver, but it is clear what he has done for Idaho State University. Words like class, dignity and integrity didn’t exactly define the program when he arrived.

He never got any votes for the Wooden Award and he never notched a win over a Top 25 team. He never took a team to the NCAA tournament and the national media never wooed him.

Does that mean he was not a highly successful coach?

Oliver himself answered that question at the press conference in January. Recognizing the tense atmosphere surrounding the announcement, Oliver opened with a keen observation. “There are more people here now than when I was hired.”

And everybody smiled.

Oliver made people take notice; even it was only in Pocatello. Eight years ago nobody cared. Success should never be measured strictly by wins and losses.