As you know, the beginning of spring also marks the beginning of the real estate market heating up. People start thinking about moving, houses go on the market, and the frenzy begins. I’m talking specifically about college basketball coaches, of course, who are now in the throes of the annual game of musical chairs that is the coaching carousel, where some coaches get forced out, others try to move up, and some feel happy just to stay the same. And, as is the case with all home purchases, it’s all a domino effect. Once one person moves, the whole process revs up.
That is the case for new Iona head coach Tobin Anderson, who just days ago was a first-year head coach at Fairleigh Dickenson in Teaneck, New Jersey. And a year before that, he was the coach of Division II St. Thomas Aquinas in Rockland County, where he spent nine years. That is the life of a college basketball coach. You never know when, or if, opportunity might strike. In Anderson’s case, it struck twice thanks to an unbelievable upset of Purdue in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, which opened a door that otherwise might have stayed shut for some time.
Also helping was Iona’s coach Rick Pitino’s move to St. John’s where he will be charged with resuscitating a basketball program that’s 20 years removed from relevancy. At 70 years old and carrying enough baggage to fill a 747, one assumed Iona might be where Pitino finished his career. But nothing clears the palate of bad behavior like the allure of winning, which is why the Catholic School in Queens leaned on penance and forgiveness in making the hire. They’re not alone in that ethos. The University of Mississippi just hired former Texas head coach Chris Beard, who was fired this season for an alleged domestic dispute – which to be fair was dismissed. No matter how bad it might look at the moment, most college presidents know that the promise of winning will likely erase the stain of bad press.
Anderson and Pitino are the rare coaches that can move jobs without actually having to move houses. For most everyone else, it’s find a new house and perhaps a new school for the kids. There’s currently 42 Division I men’s coaching changes this off-season, and only 18 have been filled so far. Which means that the music is going to keep playing for some time. And while everyone will enter their new jobs with high hopes, it’s likely most of them will find themselves either on the hotseat or looking to move up again in just a few years. Expectations are sky high for any head basketball coach, but particularly in Division I where their program may be the face of the university. It’s one of the few professions where you can almost guarantee that you’ll eventually get fired despite never showing up late or missing a meeting or any of the other reasons we expect people to lose their jobs. And particularly in a university environment where tenure provides a near lifetime of job security, the employment insecurity of a head basketball coach stands in stark contrast. And I know they make a ton of money and I shouldn’t feel bad for them.
I’ll never blame someone like Tobin Anderson for leaving a school that took a shot on him for greener pastures after only one year. It’s part of the social contract of the business. What I am a bit surprised about is that more coaches don’t resist the urge, especially given the odds it will end badly. Why there aren’t more folks like Mark Few, longtime Gonzaga head coach who stuck around for less money but far more security – and one might assume, happiness. Why in landscape of everyone reevaluating the place of work in the larger context of life, more coaches haven’t searched for a bit more than the next rung of the ladder. Why Tobin Anderson didn’t at least consider sticking around Teaneck for a bit longer, where he’d never have to buy dinner again.
I know the answer is simple. Their desire to move up is exactly what makes them win in the first place. For coaches, life is a competition. So the only way to find happiness is to keep moving. I’m sure a psychologist could say it better, but as I once explained to someone, I’m only happy when I’m miserable.
I’m guessing Tobin Anderson is pretty happy right now. I’d just encourage him not to buy a new house.
Keith Strudler is the director of the School of Communication and Media at Montclair State University. You can follow him on twitter at @KeithStrudler
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