Time for UM's Martin to show some integrity and just say: "Amaker will be back!"
March 8, 2007
Chicago, IL
Big Ten Tournament
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Sitting in front of me for today’s BTT here in Chicago is UM coach Tommy Amaker. He is the talk of the BTT with nearly every member of the media speculating as to what will happen with him. I think UM should keep him. Now anytime I defend Amaker I get Spartans that thank me and Wolverines who accuse me of only wanting him because I somehow think it helps MSU.
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Neither is true. I am not a duplicitous person. If I don’t feel something is right or if I think a coach should go I would never hesitate to offer my opinion. First and foremost I am about the fans (even Wolverine fans) and in this case I think he should stay.
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Cheating was part of the culture with UM basketball. When I sat down and interviewed legendary MSU head basketball coach Jud Heathcote this year (you can watch the interview by clicking on the Hondo’s House ICON on the right) I asked him about his frustration with the fab five knowing that there had been cheating. In typical Jud fashion and honesty he told me that it had been happening for so long before that, that he didn’t like it but has resigned himself to living with it.
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That was the culture. In comes my friend Amaker with his squeaky clean integrity and his do it by the book conservative style. He has been asked to change a culture and a heritage. Both are not easy to do. He has passed on players he could have gotten if he had cheated and was forced to take players that in most cases he would have never recruited because of the probation had no choice but to take. He has never thrown those players that he never would have wanted under the bus publicly and he has been a great role model for the University.
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With probation having just been lifted the program may still not be bright but the death clouds of probation are over. He has a very good incoming recruiting class coming in. I have spoken with two of the three young men and I know that if he is removed they won’t come her. I believe that you don’t keep or get rid of a coach for those reasons and that is still true, but remember people that this is his first class that comes into Ann Arbor and has no more storms of probation in their vision. They are also the first class that has come that was exactly what Tommy wanted and he didn’t have to “settle†for any of them.
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If you lose to Bob Knight, one thing I can handle is that he doesn’t cheat. Bruce Weber is the same way. I feel the same about Amaker. If I really wanted what was best for MSU more then what was right, I would say get rid of Amaker. I think he can do it in Ann Arbor. However this time my opinion is not for my friend (which he is) this is about what is right. I for one love college basketball and I for one think Tommy Amaker is good for the game.Â
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Think about how many recruits Jud lost and people jumped all over him for, but he lost because people cheated. I for one truly believe that the greatest state in the Union deserves two schools that do it right. Izzo of course does, and so does Amaker. Lay aside the green goggles for a minute and think about the right thing. You can’t fire a coach that kept your program together because you didn’t care how it was run before, without giving him two years without probation to fix it.
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In two years if this team doesn’t make the big dance, then make the change. As for now, not keeping Amaker is wrong and I am a Spartan who truly believes that.
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I can understand a fan base wanting to win. Blame your University then. They allowed the cheating and have done noting to build any facilities for Tommy and he has never pointed a finger at them. UM’s actions say they don’t care about basketball and that helps MSU. Amaker cares about doing things the right way; the real test is whether or not UM does or just talks about it.Â
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By keeping Amaker, UM proves that all of their talk about leaders and best is at least a principle they believe and act by even if I don’t believe they are the leaders and best. If UM lets Amaker go then they prove what Spartan fans have believed for a long time, it is a pile of crap that means nothing.  We shall see.
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