Tommy Amaker, his camp, know what's best for Tommy Amaker
by Nick Fasulo on Apr 12, 2011 8:05 PM EDT
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PrintIf this was a blind resume comparison like we see during the Bubble Watch portion of the college basketball season, an Ivy League head coach who just led his team to their first ever first place finish being courted by an ACC program would naturally signal that a coaching change would soon ensue.
But in this case it's not that simple, and the fact that Tommy Amaker spurned the University of Miami for its still vacant head basketball coach position signals that Amaker has a good head on his shoulders.
Aptly distinguishing Harvard as a "great institution," Amaker formally declined an offer this afternoon to coach the Hurricanes for roughly $1.2 million over the next five seasons. This, in short, is the right decision, and not a missed opportunity. Because of "The "U's" athletic department and its fans non commitment to basketball, a move to South Beach would have brought ominous clouds and an inevitable resignation in two to three years.
After leaving Duke as a player and assistant for Coach K, Amaker left for Seton Hall and then Ann Arbor, leading us all to believe he would spread the gospel of his mentor and be build a once proud Michigan Wolverines program. Instead he went 108-84 (43-53 in the Big Ten) and never even sniffed the NCAA Tournament [although it should be noted that Michigan did win the NIT in 2004 and finished as its runner up in 2006].
That experince probably humbled Amaker, and knowing he can leave a real legacy at a school that loves to love people that leave legacies speaks volumes as to how far he's come as a head coach.
In just four years in Cambridge, Amaker has etched the program's two winningest seasons in its thick history books, and returning in 2011-2012 is the entire rotation from this season, including the Ivy League POY Keith Wright.
The Crimson will be the favorites to win the league next season, and once they likely cruise into their first NCAA Tournament next spring, maybe then can their head coach re-assess the coaching landscape and see what better offers come his way.
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Amaker is in a great situation
like Shaka Smart or Brad Stevens, though Harvard isn’t as prestigious of a coaching job.
For the Crimson, all Amaker needs to do is get them to Top 3 conference finishes each and every year, and hopefully make some noise in the dance when they win the Ivy League title. He also can take solace in developing players over four years because the conference doesn’t give athletic scholarships (so the one and dones aren’t gonna come anyway), and the fact that he’s a Duke alum will help the players handle the rigors of playing D-I basketball at a top academic institution which Harvard is. Life’s good for him and getting fired from Michigan may have been a blessing in disguise.
After developing the Harvard program to a good degree of success, he can then take a solid gig at a stable program when one’s available if he wants to leave.
Great Decision
Tommy Amaker has made a great decision to stay at Harvard where he has an opportunity to do something very special. With his entire team returning, Princeton transitioning to a new coach, and interest in the basketball program at Harvard at an all-time high, Coach Amaker has a very realistic chance to improve on Harvard’s two best seasons ever. And life in Cambridge at a world class university speaks for it self. My thoughts on Coach Amaker’s time at Harvard is expressed at http://hubpages.com/hub/Harvard-Mens-Basketball
For now, the Big Time and Bright Lights can wait. Opportunities will continue to present themselves to Coach Amaker and I’m confident that he will weigh each one carefully as he has with Miami.
Safe to say that Jeremy Lin has developed quite nicely
under his watch, though he hasn’t had much time in the NBA yet. He had a nationally ranked class too I believe, though most of those guys individually aren’t blue chips. If a couple of these guys get drafted after their senior years after an NCAA run, that will pay dividends to Amaker for any future job he takes.
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