'A rookie coach with training wheels.' Local columnist not thrilled with Matt Painter hire
As Purdue basketball gets ready to play in its first Final Four since 1980, and Matt Painter has finally removed that Final Four-sized monkey off his back, we thought it would be fun to see how Painter's hire 20 years was ago was received at the time.
Painter was a 33-year-old with just one year of head coaching experience, albeit an impressive 25-5 season, MVC title and NCAA tournament bid. He'd sit second chair for a season before legendary coach — his coach — Gene Keady would step down after a 25th season in charge. Then it would be Painter's turn.
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It was a succession plan that kept it in the family. But not everyone was thrilled with the hire — which came with the obvious experience question. Lafayette Journal & Courier writer Tom Kubat's column in the newspaper April 10, 2004, called Painter "a rookie head coach with training wheels."
Here's the rest of the column:
(A disclaimer, being a columnist is hard and we have the luxury of hindsight.)
HEADLINE: Premier program deserved big name
I hate to be the one to rain on the parade and spoil the party, but it seems like there’s still something missing.
As both Gene Keady and Morgan Burke admitted Friday, it’s been a strange month. For me, it got even stranger with the official announcement Friday that Matt Painter would become Keady’s successor after next season.
Nothing against Painter.
He may indeed be passionate about the game of basketball, passionate about recruiting, passionate about his admiration of Keady and love for Purdue.
He’s a young, promising coach.
Heck, he may prove to be the second coming of John Wooden.
But it just doesn’t seem like he should be the immediate successor to Keady.
Not a rookie head coach with training wheels.
It’s nice that he’s a former Keady player, and that he’s able to be his coach’s right-hand man for a year.
But somehow I just always figured that when it finally came time for Keady to step down, that his replacement would be a big-name, proven head coach.
“Purdue basketball is the cornerstone of Purdue athletics,” Burke said. “Has been.
“It’s great to get football back to where we needed it and, by golly, you need both those engines to run or the economic model doesn’t work.
“But the reality is this is the program that has been the bellwether for us over the 100-plus year tradition.”
Which is why this should have been a “wow” hiring.
When Louisville forced out Denny Crum, it went out and got Rick Pitino.
When Kansas lost Roy Williams to North Carolina, it lured Bill Self away from Illinois.
Maybe Purdue officials aren’t willing to spend the kind of money it would take to get a big-name head coach.
Maybe Purdue facilities, which need some serious upgrading, would keep some coaches away.
But it just seems, to truly honor what Keady has built in West Lafayette, that his replacement should have been a marquee name.
That his successor should have been someone with a more extensive resume than one season as a head coach.
Burke said Friday that he’s been conducting a coaching search for three years, with a list of potential candidates that once included as many as 25 names.
But in actuality, without an opening to fill the past couple of years, and without knowing back then exactly how long Keady would coach at Purdue, that search was preliminary in nature.
Burke talked to basketball people about potential candidates. He didn’t talk to any coaches, there were no interviews, there were no discussions about money or contracts.
That’s fine. He was doing his homework.
But once Keady called Burke last Friday from San Antonio to inform him that he was turning down the four-year deal from San Francisco to return to Purdue to coach his 25th and final season, then it was time to begin a thorough coaching search.
While it’s nice and neat to have Painter on board a year in advance, it wouldn’t have been disastrous if the succession plan hadn’t fallen into place.
With Painter you get hope and promise.
With Thad Matta (or fill in the blank with your proven, winning coach of choice), you get instant credibility.
It seems people always bring up the Michigan State situation with Tom Izzo successfully taking over as Jud Heathcote, as an example of why it’s important to have a coach in place and ready to go when a change is made.
But for every Michigan State/Tom Izzo success story, there’s a North Carolina/Dean Smith/Bill Guthridge/Matt Doherty fiasco.
Without question, the past couple of years here have been anything but normal for the Purdue men’s basketball program.
Losing seasons and dwindling crowds have led to all kinds of speculation. From heated discussions about whether Keady should go or stay to who should replace him.
The flavor of the week has included Kevin Stallings, Bruce Weber, Steve Lavin, and now, finally, Matt Painter.
Admittedly, Burke has had the Midas touch with his hiring of football coach Joe Tiller and women’s basketball coach Kristy Curry.
He’s either awfully good at this or he’s been very lucky.
Or a little of both.
Let’s hope, whatever it is, that it continues.
It just seems that this hiring should have been a veteran, proven, established, winning coach to build on Keady’s legacy.