Isiah Thomas named head coach at Florida International University

[909]

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/news/story?id=4067233

Just as the topic says. FIU went 13-20 last season and plays in the Sun Belt Conference. We call a move like this a what the fuck.

 

[King Kamala]

Yeah, really. Maybe it's a chance to rehabilitate his rep after that weird overdose incident, the run with The Knicks, destroying the CBA, well I could probably go on but I won't for brevity sake.

 

[HarleyQuinn]

Maybe he sees it as an easier challenge to turn them around into winners in 2-3 years than at a slightly bigger name college? Then he can tout how he turned a college basketball program around in a short time and you know a bigger name school would pay money for the name and the chance at a similar turnaround for their program.

 

[Smartly Pretty]

I can see him having an OK time recruiting high profile Florida point guards. He might have difficulty, however, recruiting basketball players who a)like winning b)don't like losing c)don't like million dollar sexual harassment suits d)want to play for a coach who is good at their job e)watched the knicks the last couple years. If there's any positive in this for FIU, it's that you can't trade away 1st round draft picks in college.

 

[Psycho Penguin]

He is friends with higher ups in the program. I'm expecting this to not work out, but it can't be any worse than the Knicks job he did, and it is a chance to rehabilitate his reputation a little bit.

 

[teke184]

I'm pretty sure Zeke is considered to be a competent, though not great, basketball coach. If he were a great coach, he could have won games with that shitty roster he put together, like Mike D'Antoni has done. (Granted, D'Antoni has a better roster, but Zeke was the fucking GM for years before he was forced to coach the roster he put together.)

It's still a major WTF, though, considering that he's a divisive figure to say the least

 

[naiwf]

I say it'll be two years before he's fired or the program ends up on probation.

 

[teke184]

I say it'll be two years before he's fired or the program ends up on probation.

I'll raise you and say that it will be one year before the team's stats girl sues the university for sexual harassment.

 

[Danville_Wrestling]

That'll be interesting going to some WKU games next year at Diddle Arena and seeing Isiah coach.

 

[Czech]

That's seriously what it's called? I didn't know WKU was a Catholic school.

 

[Brooklyn Zoo]

He'll be good at recruiting. Isiah has like a cult leader type of vibe. His problem was finding complimentary players.

 

[still fly]

Zeke is going to be there for two seasons tops, get FIU to the NIT or something, and go save face in the NBA as the GM of the Grizzlies. FIU will then be placed on probation for various violations.

 

[Danville_Wrestling]

That's seriously what it's called? I didn't know WKU was a Catholic school.

Well the arena is named after coach E.A. Diddle, whose likeness is on a statue in front of the building. It's a nice facility and I graduated from there. I think the full name is E.A. Diddle Arena, but most of the students just call it Diddle Arena.

 

[naiwf]

Apparently he's going to donate his salary back for the first year. This guy's post playing career has been terrible.

 

[Zetterberg is God]

This has already started off well as the guy introducing him at the press conference called him Isiah Thompson.