Alan Dell/REPORTER on the Bulls

[Brad]

Heath would be a good fit at South Florida

Alan Dell

The University of South Florida men's basketball team needs a coach that will take the bull by the horns and run with it without looking back.

Since firing Robert McCullum this month, USF athletic director Doug Woolard has been on a relentless pursuit to try to find a suitable replacement, but he hasn't been reckless.

He has talked to more than a few coaches -- including Winthrop's Gregg Marshall, who told him he didn't want the Bulls' job -- and only he knows how many others have received an offer to coach the team.

A few others have taken themselves out of the running, although they may have never been in it.

A successful high school basketball coach for 13 years, Woolard knows the value of patience. College coaches safe in their job a short time ago, now find themselves out of work.

One of the most recent to join the unemployment line is Stan Heath, a young, bright, energetic coach, who was let go by Arkansas despite back-to-back 20-plus win seasons.

The 42-year-old didn't just win. He cleaned up the mess that fell into his lap when the controversial Nolan Richardson was fired in 2002.

He and Woolard met this week in Atlanta and plan to talk again. If USF is serious about being a contender in the Big East, the athletic director should do everything he can to land Heath.

Before coaching at Arkansas, Heath coached one season at Kent State (2001-02), where he led the Golden Flashes to a Mid-American Conference record 30 wins and the Elite Eight, the first time a MAC school had made it that far since 1964.

Heath was an assistant to Tom Izzo at Michigan State when the Spartans went to three straight Final Fours and won the national championship in 2000.

He reportedly made $773,000 at Arkansas, more than three times what McCullum earned. If Woolard can come close to matching Heath's previous salary, USF fans will know he is serious about competing in the Big East Conference and perhaps some donors will feel a little more charitable.

The new USF coach needs to be more than an Xs and Os guy. He has to sell the program, fill seats, convince donors their money won't be wasted and get the Bulls to New York for the conference tournament as soon as possible. He also needs an unlimited supply of energy.

Some people might say the USF men's basketball program is a burial ground. The team doesn't fly charter, it doesn't have an adequate practice facility, and the USF recruiting budget is below Big East standards.

All of that has to intrigue a new coach rather than discourage him. The empty seats in the Sun Dome have to look like treasure chests waiting to be filled.

Above all, the new coach has to see apathy as a temporary state of mind rather than an excuse for failure. And it would be nice if he could convince Woolard it's time the basketball team traveled by charter. It might be the quickest way a new coach can reach his destination. He needs a commitment from the school.

Link

[Brad]

For showing that issues can be addressed accurately and without being a *****, Alan Dell jumps to the top of the top of the list of reporters to read.

[Held_AccountaBull]

great story

[JoeBulls]

was a well written article.

very down the middle.

And maybe woolard will hear him on the "fly charter" comment.

[USFan]

Good article...

[CyberBull]

Alan Dell has recently also teamed up with USF's Rivals site to provide even more professional grade online Bulls coverage. Plenty of top notch USF websites nowadays, as long as you stay away from a particular beat writer's blog.

[bullwark]

After that article, I'm sold on Heath and Dell.

[TakeItOrLeavitt]

I'll stick with Auman.

[E.T.]

Heath would be a good fit at South Florida

Alan Dell

...

He reportedly made $773,000 at Arkansas, more than three times what McCullum earned. [highlight]If Woolard can come close to matching Heath's previous salary, USF fans will know he is serious about competing in the Big East Conference and perhaps some donors will feel a little more charitable.[/highlight]

The new USF coach needs to be more than an Xs and Os guy. He has to sell the program, fill seats, convince donors their money won't be wasted and get the Bulls to New York for the conference tournament as soon as possible. He also needs an unlimited supply of energy.

Some people might say the USF men's basketball program is a burial ground. The team doesn't fly charter, it doesn't have an adequate practice facility, [highlight]and the USF recruiting budget is below Big East standards[/highlight].

[highlight]All of that has to intrigue a new coach rather than discourage him. The empty seats in the Sun Dome have to look like treasure chests waiting to be filled.[/highlight]

Above all, the new coach has to see apathy as a temporary state of mind rather than an excuse for failure. And it would be nice if he could convince Woolard it's time the basketball team traveled by charter. It might be the quickest way a new coach can reach his destination. [highlight]He needs a commitment from the school. [/highlight]

Link

The budget is largely dictated by the fans/donors ... the basketball programs needs comittments from donors.

[Mama_Bull]

Besides having a good grasp on the problems attendant with the basketball team, he also is a good writer.  I like his style.