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Articles
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Will he be around in 2005? By Malamute, 26 June 2004
A number of factors will determine Gilbertson’s fate, some of which he can control, others of which he cannot. Unfortunately for Gilbertson, Todd Turner, the new AD, doesn’t owe Gibly one scintilla of loyalty. He can jettison Gilbertson at any time and people will understand. Turner can always say something to the effect, “I wanted my own man.” Although Turner didn’t hire him, it doesn’t mean their fate is not intertwined. In part, Turner’s performance will be measured by Gilberton’s performance on the gridiron (think donors), by their collective energy in raising funds, and by the number of fans attending the games — that is, the amount money in the bank at season’s end. And Gilbertson is not being paid $870K to play golf with Turner over at Broadmore, or wherever on Friday afternoons. (Didn't bay-area writer Glenn Dickie say that Gilby, when coaching at Cal, played golf on the Friday before a game?) Turner may not have been a member of the North Carolina golf team, but he’s close enough to scratch to give Gilby a stroke or two. Both of them need to forgo golf for a while, unless they’re wooing donors. If their cultivating donors, they need to shank a few irons, block a few shots, and cut down on their waggles — the last to expedite play — and run like hell to the bank after drinks. Don’t misunderstand me; scratch golfers need needling. I think Turner is an excellent choice for athletic director. The UW search committee did itself proud, considering the changing landscape of big-time college sports, and the Turner persona fits this new paradigm perfectly. With a questionable offense, defense will factor into Gilby’s survival. Hence, Gilby’s job rests partly on the shoulders of the defensive coaches at Washington. Also, the forthcoming NCAA sanctions/report may affect his longevity at the UW, depending on the outcome of the gambling investigation inspired by Ikaika Malloe, which I really doubt has been fully quiesced. Depending on the state of these variables along with other factors unknown to us fans, Gilbertson could be toast at season’s end. If he should be fortunate enough to last into next season, his continuing performance will be measured by the quality of this next recruiting class. Fans are anticipating a solid class, not one highlighted by symbolic, five-star recruits, who don’t show up to play a down for the Dawgs. Husky fans, whether computer literate or not, want recruits who are real hardware and software — not ones who turn into vaporware. Gilbertson needs to mend the fence around the state that Rick Neuheisel constructed. He needs to reopen the Hawaiian pipeline. As a fan that ascribes to the KISS theory — star-laden rankings are beyond me — I want to see at least 14 players from TNT’s venerable Western 100 sign letters of intent with the UW in 2005. That is not an unreasonable goal; fourteen players are the benchmark Neuheisel set in 2003. Oregon reached that number this year. A mix of seven in-state and seven out-of-state products would be fine — or something close to that. USC recruited 22 from that list in 2003. Without Keauntea Bankhead (SAT/ACT?) and Matt Tuiasosopo (baseball?), Washington’s remaining five from the 2004 list renders it eighth in the conference in that metric. Only lowly Arizona and woeful Stanford will trail the Dawgs if Matt Tui and Bankhead fail to take their dips in Frosh Pond. And when they fail to land an in-state phenom, Gilby and his recruiting coordinator need to admit they screwed up rather than badmouth the kid. I found the sour grapes served at the last recruiting banquet bitter to swallow. Sour grapes are a loser’s lament. On the subject of punishing all the players for one player’s laziness, Gilbertson says: "When one person loafs, everybody works." I hope that includes the coaches, too. On the lighter side, I want a coach who will pound his chest at season’s end and recite the fourth quatrain — dedicated to Mike Price — of the Pac-10 coaches’ manual. Zapped with X’s and O’s Richard Linde (a.k.a., Malamute) can be reached at malamute@4malamute.com |
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Not
only a rebuilding year, it’s a survival year for
Keith Gilbertson. For the sake of continuity in the program, it’s important that
he survive the season and continue to coach the Huskies in 2005.