Last weekend, Tulane University officials acted out their keenest LSU impersonation by publicly humiliating an active coach in the midst of a tournament matchup with the Houston Cougars.
Men’s basketball coach Ed Conroy was notified last Friday afternoon by some of his own players that rumors of his dismissal were making the rounds on social media circles. Monday morning came and those rumors turned into reality as athletic director Troy Dannen formally announced the firing.
Dannen noted during his press conference that he has “a problem to fix.” While that may be a stunning understatement of the uphill battles plaguing the Green Wave basketball program, Dannen is, at the very least, accurate in one respect.
The onus has now shifted to the administration to fix a program that hasn’t been in working order for over two decades. Not since Perry Clark roamed the Greenie courtside has the University assembled a team that could compete on a national level.
Years ago, small basketball schools like Tulane were not expected to regularly achieve national prominence. Other than basketball-centric universities such as DePaul, Massachusetts and Temple, most mid-major Division 1 programs without the assistance of a generous private endowment — largely supported by behemoth football programs — have not been able to sustain success in the sport.
In the 80s and 90s, schools like Mississippi Valley State, Drexel and Eastern Michigan made sporadic cameos in the NCAA Tournament if only to increase the public’s barroom vernacular of obscure university mascots. Only in the last decade has the success of insurgent mid-major programs like Dayton, St. Joseph’s and Gonzaga more vividly defined Tulane’s regression into obscurity.
There is no doubt that recent downturns in national and local economies have handicapped Tulane’s ability to fund — or even field — a fledgling basketball program. But, if college baseball is any indicator of what amazing things can be done with little to no monetary support — Tulane’s baseball program has survived and thrived while being nestled only 90 miles east of college baseball’s version of the New York Yankees (LSU) — then surely an infusion of talent can help the Green Wave basketball program grow.
Talent begets success and talent starts at the top. The most pressing and desirable talent is the ability to make an inspirational hire. With this next hire, Dannen will likely have to execute the equivalent of a last-second, highly-defended, three-quarter-court’s length shot in order to turn the basketball program around during his tenure.
Hope Tulane hoops goes after Pels asst. coach Robert Pack. NO native & ex-NBA player has developed NBA stars, has deep local ties & is ready
— Marc J. Spears (@MarcJSpears) March 15, 2016
Dannen has already made one big hire since his time in New Orleans began in December of last year. He brought in Willie Fritz recently to lead the school’s football program.
But, the jury will be out until at least October on the value of that personnel move.
Add The Sports Daily to your Google News Feed!
