College Coaches Staying Put Was The Right Call

This is the time of year when college coaches gather around and play the game of musical chairs to see who will be the next coach where. We have already seen it with Billy Gillespie being replaced by John Calipari. But one coach, at least, seems to have bucked the trend.

Mike Anderson agreed to a new extended contract at Missouri, keeping him a Tiger for the next seven years and ending rumors that he would jump ship to coach Memphis.

And signing that contract may have been the best decision Anderson has made all year (and this from a coach who took his team to the elite and an impressive win over that same Memphis team).

In his time with Missouri, Anderson has transformed the Tigers from a mid level contender in the Big 12 to conference front-runner, with a flashy style and up pace game plan that he perfected at UAB. With all that going for him, why would he even consider Memphis?

Granted Memphis is one of the premier programs in college basketball, but that is because of the success that Calipari had. Anderson is doing to Missouri what Calipari did for Memphis. Building a strong, lasting program from the ground up.

Anderson's style of play (Missouri scored 102 points in the elite eight game against Memphis) is sure to attract top-level recruits who will excel in his fast breaking system. Add to it the national television exposure recruits will get when Missouri travels to the likes of Oklahoma, Kansas and Texas. Conference USA simply cannot contend with the Big 12 for that kind of exposure.

So with all that in place for Anderson, signing a contract extension was a no-brainer and a win for college basketball as Missouri will remain a contender with their fun to watch style for years to come.

Another Easy Call

Yesterday Seth Davis, of Sports Illustrated, reported that Rick Pitino will not leave his Louisville job to be a candidate to take over a much in disarray Arizona team.

Davis gave the article the correct amount of attention: 2 paragraphs, because reporting the Pitino is not going anywhere is kind of like reporting the sun came up this morning.

The real question that needs to be answered is why was this even a rumor in the first place. Moving from Louisville to Arizona is by no means a step up. Granted Lute Olsen did turn Arizona into a national player but the Cardinal have just as much prestige and heritage as the Wildcats.

So with that said, why would Pitino even consider moving from NCAA Basketball's premier league, the Big East, to the fifth best league in the PAC-10?

The answer is that he never did and this rumor was just someone's far flung imagination.