Noah.Dreams
03-31-2006, 10:38 AM
Can Mike Davis and UAB make things work?
Friday, March 31, 2006 by Kevin Scarbinsky for the Mobile Register
The elephant in the room is Mike Davis.
And not because he played and coached for Alabama.
Because he's by far the biggest name on UAB's small list of candidates to be the school's next basketball coach.
Forget the tired argument that the Birmingham campus shouldn't hire anyone with ties to the Tuscaloosa campus. The people who'll make this hire don't seem to think that way.
When it comes to Davis, they shouldn't worry that he wants the UAB job as a steppingstone to the Alabama job.
If you know Davis, you know the Fayette native wants to come back home and put down roots. His background in this state, especially his ability to recruit here, should be a plus.
He doesn't want to use the UAB job to get a bigger job. He's been there and done that at Indiana. The national spotlight is not for him.
He wants to get the UAB job and keep it for the long term. He wants stability for himself, his family and his next program.
Davis has talked to UAB but has not interviewed with UAB, at least not yet, which makes you wonder what's holding up a get-together with Richard Margison.
Davis is, after all, a free agent.
UAB does want to interview him. UAB also wants to talk to other candidates on a list that insiders believe includes Kermit Davis, Scott Edgar and Florida assistant Anthony Grant.
People who should know say Grant could be the Mike Anderson of four years ago. Change the mentor from Nolan Richardson to Billy Donovan - hey, Florida used to play a lot more up-tempo - and you've got Grant.
He's never been a head coach before, but with the Gators in the Final Four again, he's never been in a better position to get that chance.
Grant could be a reason why UAB is walking the ball up the floor in this process. Is Davis patient enough to wait while UAB interviews other candidates? Or does he believe that, if UAB wants him, it should make him feel wanted? That it should negotiate with him, not interview him?
Remember, this is a man who worked for four different ADs at Indiana. This is a man who, because of his experience there, wants real respect and commitment from his next employer more than he wants dollars and cents.
UAB has to hope this search isn't a repeat of Anderson and Auburn 2004. Anderson wanted the Auburn job then, but he didn't want to play Ed Richardson's game to get it.
Anderson didn't want to be a candidate. He wanted to be the coach.
Because Richardson, as the school president, made the rules, Anderson didn't get to be the Auburn coach.
He didn't win that battle, but two years and one new job later, it's obvious that Anderson has won the war.
If Davis wants the UAB job badly enough, he's going to have to play by the rules set up by Margison and UAB President Carol Garrison. As one very wise former coach said, ``I don't think you can be beyond being interviewed."
Unless, say, your name starts with Coach K.
Friday, March 31, 2006 by Kevin Scarbinsky for the Mobile Register
The elephant in the room is Mike Davis.
And not because he played and coached for Alabama.
Because he's by far the biggest name on UAB's small list of candidates to be the school's next basketball coach.
Forget the tired argument that the Birmingham campus shouldn't hire anyone with ties to the Tuscaloosa campus. The people who'll make this hire don't seem to think that way.
When it comes to Davis, they shouldn't worry that he wants the UAB job as a steppingstone to the Alabama job.
If you know Davis, you know the Fayette native wants to come back home and put down roots. His background in this state, especially his ability to recruit here, should be a plus.
He doesn't want to use the UAB job to get a bigger job. He's been there and done that at Indiana. The national spotlight is not for him.
He wants to get the UAB job and keep it for the long term. He wants stability for himself, his family and his next program.
Davis has talked to UAB but has not interviewed with UAB, at least not yet, which makes you wonder what's holding up a get-together with Richard Margison.
Davis is, after all, a free agent.
UAB does want to interview him. UAB also wants to talk to other candidates on a list that insiders believe includes Kermit Davis, Scott Edgar and Florida assistant Anthony Grant.
People who should know say Grant could be the Mike Anderson of four years ago. Change the mentor from Nolan Richardson to Billy Donovan - hey, Florida used to play a lot more up-tempo - and you've got Grant.
He's never been a head coach before, but with the Gators in the Final Four again, he's never been in a better position to get that chance.
Grant could be a reason why UAB is walking the ball up the floor in this process. Is Davis patient enough to wait while UAB interviews other candidates? Or does he believe that, if UAB wants him, it should make him feel wanted? That it should negotiate with him, not interview him?
Remember, this is a man who worked for four different ADs at Indiana. This is a man who, because of his experience there, wants real respect and commitment from his next employer more than he wants dollars and cents.
UAB has to hope this search isn't a repeat of Anderson and Auburn 2004. Anderson wanted the Auburn job then, but he didn't want to play Ed Richardson's game to get it.
Anderson didn't want to be a candidate. He wanted to be the coach.
Because Richardson, as the school president, made the rules, Anderson didn't get to be the Auburn coach.
He didn't win that battle, but two years and one new job later, it's obvious that Anderson has won the war.
If Davis wants the UAB job badly enough, he's going to have to play by the rules set up by Margison and UAB President Carol Garrison. As one very wise former coach said, ``I don't think you can be beyond being interviewed."
Unless, say, your name starts with Coach K.