We suffer from a myriad of issues. Our facilities are still below average, we haven't hired well, we lack a dynamic, likable head coach (and have since Harrick), we have never won consistently, and our overall investment into the program is still poor. This is a systemic and ongoing athletic department failure.
This time around, we decided that we wanted to hire a "name" to prove our commitment to basketball. We paid above market rate to do so. That is all fine in the abstract. The issue is that we stopped there. Ironically, we could have been better off going cheap on the HC, and invested more into assistant salaries, and the nuts and bolts of a competitive program, like the recruiting budget and player amenities, not only because those alternative investments could have returned us better results, but also because now the high buyout of the HC's contract prevents us from moving on. We are locked into Crean not because he is making progress, or because we believe in him, but because he costs too much to fire. It is so sad.
Until we hire a dynamic, likable coach, who coaches an attractive style of play, AND invest in facilities, recruiting, and the assistant and support staff at the same time, the whole thing is window dressing. We have always approached men's basketball like it is a constant threat to the football program. Like basketball success and investment is robbing Peter to pay Paul. I am all for fiscal responsibility, but you have to make an investment before you can reap rewards. They don't give trophies out to the athletic program with at least two profitable programs every year. Profitability is such a bright line for us. Our athletic program wants the team to exist, stay out of trouble, and pay for at least one or two non-revenue sports. That is it.
As far as a big picture plan goes, we have always assumed we could stumble into the right guy, the lights would come on, and money would begin to flow to allow for greater investments. That is not how it works. We didn't get better at football by accident. We spent more. You have got to spend money to make money.
We are going to have to invest in the program first, recruit and hire the promised one, and then fight like hell to sustain success through one or more hires. Until the AD commits to over-investing in the program in areas other than simply the HC salary, I am kind of over it. We are the Chicago Cubs of college basketball. And our Wrigley Field has no beer, looks like Epcot, and is made of cinder blocks.
