WITHOUT HEADLINES


The dismissal of Jim O’Brien from Ohio State was lead material. Last season the Larry Eustachy-Iowa State saga was well publicized. Unfortunately in recent years the off-season has opened the revolving door for coaches, but it’s only the high-profile changes that get the attention.

And that fact provides a curtain that many administrators hide behind at the mid-major level.

At the end of the day, winning is what counts most. You can be a great human being, you can graduate your players and never have NCAA sanctions levied against you, but if you don’t win you are gone.

So when you do all of the above and produce results on the court, you should still have a job, right?

Not necessarily.

This past season, the worst kept secret in the Hudson Valley (New York) was that Magarity's job was very much in jeopardy. Consequently, those who followed closely were not stunned, but rather disgusted, when Marist College ended it’s 18-year relationship with Magarity.

But what has gone unnoticed by many is the lack of internal support for the Marist head man.

Being just a stone's throw from the Marist campus gives you some pretty good insight into the coach-administration relationship. Over the past five seasons Magarity has averaged 16 wins per, which is nothing less than impressive for a mid-major program competing with high-resource schools like Fairfield, Iona, Manhattan and Siena.

What's most curious is that during that same five-year span there has never been one positive quote in the Poughkeepsie Journal from Marist Athletics Director Tim Murray. He hasn't been openly vicious, but he hasn't exactly been committed to high praise.

Even commentary resembling a positive tone has more often than not been followed by that all-too-familiar and unpopular word, "but."

Dave has done a nice job, "but."

It was a nice win, "but."

The program is headed in the right direction, "but."

There is a reason that schools like Iona, Manhattan and Siena have been pipelines out of the MAAC to bigger things for coaches. The commitment and resources at those three institutions far exceed those at Marist and the other six MAAC programs.

Marist shouldn't be punished for not having the same financial commitment as another conference school, "but" they should also not hold Magarity to a standard higher than their own.

If you give someone a dollar and send them out for coffee occasionally they are going to return with a bad cup. You gave him a buck so you should only expect a good cup of java, "but" you should not expect a Latte.

Poughkeepsie, NY hasn't had the excitement of March Madness since 1987, which was Magarity's second season at the helm. "But" in eighteen seasons Marist has come very close to winning either the Northeast Conference or MAAC and getting an NCAA invite.

And consider this point. Vermont's Tom Brennan was hired at the same time Magarity was hired and in seventeen-plus seasons the Catamounts have been to two NCAA tournament. And prior to arrival of Taylor Coppenrath, Vermont had never won as many as 16 games in their 100-year history.

Brennan, like Magarity, is an excellent coach. "But" unlike the folks in Poughkeepsie, the people in Burlington, VT have been patient and committed to the long-term process.

Still many will argue that facts. Marist has not gotten to the NCAAs since 1987. They have had some good teams, "but."

Lost in translation is the understanding that conference tournaments are the NCAA tournament for mid-major programs.

When was the last time that Bob Huggins and Cincinnati advanced past the first weekend of the NCAA tourney? And Huggins is one of the top ten coaches in America. Nobody in Cincinnati is saying he is a great coach, "but."

Has Huggins not done a great job?

Until 1997 Lute Olson had enjoyed tremendous success, all be it without the ultimate prize.

Was anyone in the greater Tucson area chirping?

The pursuit of the Sweet 16, Final Four and NCAA championship for coaches like Huggins and Olson is equivalent to coaches like Brennan and Magarity getting through their respective conference tournaments.

If Tom Brennan had the great administrative support that Magarity has, Vermont would still be in search of its' first-ever NCAA bid and Brennan would have been banished from coaching a decade ago.

Yes it is true that Magarity had not gotten to postseason lately, "but" winning 16 a season, for five seasons, is arguably on-par with five consecutive postseason appearances for an Fairfield, Iona, Manhattan or Siena.

Marist College is an excellent institution, "but" it will never be able to consistently compete with Fairfield, Iona, Manhattan and Siena on hardwood.

Magarity had one year remaining on his contract, "but" he will not be back in Poughkeepsie, despite being just two seasons removed from a MAAC regular season title.

That’s worth repeating. Two years ago the Red Foxes were the MAAC regular season champions (co-champs with Rider). And three years ago Magarity was named conference Coach of the Year.

What have you done for me lately?

The rhetoric of that press conference to announce the decision was more predictable than Magarity’s future. "We thank Dave for his eighteen seasons at Marist. He made a great impact on this program, "but."

Enter Matt Brady (St. Joseph’s) who will have a talented young group, including Jared Jordan. And when Marist makes noise in the near future, the administration will have a look of genius.

It’s an old story and one that happens all too often at the smaller schools.