by MoValley John » May 24th, 2011, 12:02 pm
I'm not so sure that Jacobson turned the job down. It seems that a&m had their guy before they met with Jacobson. Also, the money would be great, but I'm not convinced that a&m is a very good b-12 job.
Marshall will leave Wichita State, we all know that, but Wichita State has made it a very difficult decision for 3G to make. With his pay, he is set to stay until the perfect job comes along. This is exactly Wichita State doing everything in their power to stay competitive. Marshall hasn't won a regular season or Valley tourney yet, but he has them on the cusp, finishing second two years in a row. His time will come and that time will be sooner than they ever sniff fifth or sixth.
As for SIU, Lowery turned into a bomb, but from what they knew at the time, they did all they could to keep things rolling in Carbondale. Unfortunately, they don't have the deep pockets that Creighton and Wichita State do and appear to be stuck with him until his contract runs out. That said, the Salukis have pride, good fans and they will be back.
Money doesn't fix everything but it sure helps. Reinventing the wheel everytime you have success really makes things difficult. UNI has been very lucky so far, but at the same time, that could change quickly. Missouri State lost Cuonzo at the first offer out of town. if a team could spend money to keep a good coach just a few years longer, it sure helps the long-term success of a team.
The more well-paid coaches in the Valley makes the Valley a better conference. It raises the Valley's profile and helps recruiting into the Valley for every team. The Valley will always be a Mid-Major per se, but the Valley has the opportunity to firmly plant itself as the best darned Mid-Major out there. But to do that, it takes sustained success, which begins with individual programs with sustained success led by coaches that don't bolt at the first offer.
