Jimmy Dykes...why?

[LZH]

I am in a Ft. Lauderdale hotel watching ESPN2 this morning and women's bball scrolls across the bottom, and so I wonder - why is JD the coach of the LadyBacks?

I mean, if you have a great gig with ESPN, and are really good at it and are appreciated by pretty much everyone, why would you even take the coaching job?

[biglewhog77]

I guess he wanted a challenge in his life..... Women basketball is a hardest job in basketball the star rating really matters in Women's basketball

[LZH]

I guess he wanted a challenge in his life..... Women basketball is a hardest job in basketball the star rating really matters in Women's basketball

Maybe ESPN told him he could have his job back if things didn't work out...I hope so. I just can't imagine leaving a job like that for a job that you will likely get fired from. And it can't be because of family and travel, because a coach is on the road quite a bit too.

[Dwight_K_Shrute]

Hubris and the old "To spend more time with the family".  Most people get out of college athletics to spend more time with the family.  I think "Why he got in it" is a moot point now.  Better question is how to get him out.

[psycHOGlogist]

I think the shortest answers to the "why" question are a) that Jeff was not super excited about the finalists he had, and he fell for the enthusiasm/"how hard can it be?" argument/snow job that Jimmy threw at him, and b) Jimmy was really tired of the travel all over the country that being a broadcaster required. He thought -- and he may have been right -- that a coach (even one who had to recruit) traveled less and more predictably than a broadcaster. Add to that the "splash" factor (that others have accurately called "winning the press conference"), and I think you have your answer.

A really, truly awful decision by Long, and one he needs to start trying to make up for immediately, imo.

[ricepig]