Mark Phelps had his five seasons.
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| Mark Phelps |
He lost more games than he won.
He's gone.
Athletic director Sandy Hatfield Clubb announced the firing of Drake's basketball coach this afternoon--about a year after she fired Amy Stephens, Drake's women's coach.
Don't forget, Hatfield Clubb has her own legacy to think about at Drake.
"Mark Phelps is a man of great integrity and honor," Hatfield Clubb said in an e-mail sent to me by Ty Patton, Drake's assistant athletic director for communications..
Patton sent an earlier e-mail that said there would be a 3:30 p.m. press conference at Drake.
That's where Hatfield Clubb's announcement about the firing of Phelps was made.
I was taking my 2-mile walk, followed by a trip to Hy-Vee for the 99-cent milk that was on sale from 4 to 8 p.m.
So I didn't make it to the press conference.
Hell, I've got priorities, too.
No matter.
The firing of Phelps comes as no great surprise to me.
Shocking it isn't.
Phelps had a 77-86 overall record and was only 37-53 in Missouri Valley Conference games.
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| Sandy Hatfield Clubb |
Attendance at the Knapp Center was deteriorating.
It was definitely time for a change.
"[Phelps]' high standards and values have been an asset to our student-athletes and the program," Hatfield Clubb said. "However, after a comprehensive evaluation of the program, we have made the decision not to retain Mark as head basketball coach for a sixth season at Drake University."
In recent years, Drake has taken on the label of being a "brain school."
But a guy has to win more than he loses, even at brain schools.
At least the brain school in Des Moines.
Phelps' records in 2012-2013 were 15-17 overall and 7-11 in the Valley in the season that ended last week in the league tournament at St. Louis.
“A decision like this is never easy,” Hatfield Clubb said.
“However, we believe a change in leadership is necessary to create a sustained level of competitive excellence. Drake basketball is important to our students, faculty, staff, alumni and supporters, and we will continue to invest significantly in the program and have high standards for its success.”
Drake has never been an easy place to win, although the late Maury John made it look simple when his teams from the 1968-69 seasons through 1970-71 went to three consecutive NCAA tournaments.
The 1968-69 team went 28-6 and finished third in the NCAA Final Four at Louisville, Ky.
Phelps has been Drake's coach since April 21, 2008. He had been an assistant coach and associate head coach at Arizona State and North Carolina State.
He had a tough act to follow at Drake.
Keno Davis, in his only season as coach, had a 28-5 record and took Drake to the NCAA tourament.
It was Tom Davis, who preceded his son Keno as Drake's coach, who called the Bulldogs' job the most difficult in the Missouri Valley Conference.
Tom Davis had been the winningest coach in history at Iowa before taking on the rebuilding job at Drake.
Phelps had a 17-16 record in his first season, and his program never caught fire.
The best player he had at Drake, Rayvonte Rice, transferred to Illinois after last season.
Just before this season began, I predicted Phelps would have a better team without Rice because, to Rice, Drake was more about him than the team.
Unfortunately for Phelps, Drake wasn't better without Rice. He didn't have enough talent on his team, or didn't coach well enough, to finish the season with more victories than losses.
Just before this season began, I predicted Phelps would have a better team without Rice because, to Rice, Drake was more about him than the team.
Unfortunately for Phelps, Drake wasn't better without Rice. He didn't have enough talent on his team, or didn't coach well enough, to finish the season with more victories than losses.
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A transcript of quotes from today's Drake press conference e-mailed to Ron Maly by Ty Patton, Drake's assistant athletic director for communictions:
Drake Director of Athletics Sandy Hatfield Clubb
Opening statement:
“Following a comprehensive review of the Drake
men’s basketball program the university has made a decision to not
retain head coach Mark Phelps as our basketball coach.”
“Drake University is grateful for his commitment to
the program. He has a strong work ethic and is a man of integrity.
Nobody worked harder the last five years. He’s brought high standards
and personal values to this program. A decision
like this is never easy, but I believe a change in leadership is what
is needed in order to create a sustained level of competitive excellence
for Drake University.”
“We are conducting a national search that will take place immediately.”
What drove the decision?
“We did a comprehensive review of the program. This
is year five, and we determined that in order to achieve the level of
competitive excellence that we desire at Drake that it was time to make a
change.”
Were you concerned about attendance numbers at all?
“We looked very comprehensively at the program and that was certainly one of the factors that we considered.”
What are you looking for in new coach?
“The next coach will be a person of integrity, high
character, someone who has demonstrated a commitment to excellence, who
focuses on player development and somebody who is willing to live the
Bulldog Way at Drake.”
What did you tell Mark [Phelps] and how would you characterize that conversation?
“I met with Mark this afternoon. For Mark this is a
very difficult time. As I mentioned Mark is a man of integrity and that
is exactly how the conversation took place and he acted with the utmost
integrity.”
What is the assistant coaches’ future here at Drake?
“The new head coach will make decisions about the
employment of the assistant coaches. I’ve certainly been in contact with
them and will continue to be. I’ve met with the players already,
earlier today.”
In the new coach are you looking for any sort of Iowa connection?
“Always, that is certainly something you look for.
What are different ways to connect already to Drake University and
certainly through the state of Iowa is one of them, that is always a
factor that we look for and we are looking for the
best fit for Drake University. Someone who has a commitment to the high
academic standards and again the total development of a student
athlete.”
Do you think you made the wrong hire five years ago?
“Absolutely not. He [Mark Phelps] again brought
strength and integrity, terrific recruiting and we’re at a point of
transition now.”
How difficult is the Drake head coaching job?
“This certainly is an equal challenge to other
basketball jobs out there. This is a Division I competitive basketball
program with high expectations and we continue to make very significant
investments in the program. We have over the last
five years and continue to do so. We believe that the investment in the
program mirrors the expectations of the program.”
How concerned are you that players may transfer?
“I just had a meeting with the players. Certainly
this a challenging and difficult time. The players that are here in our
program are Drake students and they are wonderful fit for Drake
University and we’ll continue to pour love and affection
into them as we continue to move forward.”
Do you have a timeline in terms of when and new coach will be hired?
“We’re going to work very aggressively to replace
our men’s head basketball coach. As everybody knows we’re headed right
into March Madness and that creates interesting challenges relative to
availability of people. The timing will be aggressive
and we’ll move forward very quickly.”
Did the achievements of the 2007-2008 team make it difficult for Mark Phelps?
“The 2007-2008 team made it very exciting for Drake
University and certainly brought some excitement to the institution. We
are striving to have that type of excitement at the Knapp Center on a
regular basis.”
How important is it to find a coach that can
work within the framework of the high academic standards that this
school has and also be able to win?
“There are many coaches out there that share the
belief that excellence in the classroom can fall over to excellence in
the basketball court. There are certainly many schools out there that
share our commitment to academics and athletics
and we absolutely believe that we can have both excellence in the
classroom and excellence on the court.”
Are you more inclined to go after a person
who has been a head coach before at the collegiate level or are you ok
with bringing in an assistant from another program?
“There’s always a mix of what you’re looking for,
so I wish I could tell you what was the perfect frame. Somebody who has
been a head coach at any level whether that is high school, junior
college, four-year school, and division one, that
certainly gives you a different frame of reference than it does if they
have only been an assistant coach. You look for the total package so I
anticipate the group that we’re looking at in our final few are going to
have a little bit of mix of experience.”
Are you going to use a selection committee or are you a committee of one on this?
“We’ll have a group that I work with. We don’t, per se, have a committee if you will, but we will have a group.”
As a private school we are not always sure
what you’re paying your basketball coach are you confident that you will
have enough there to hire who you want?
“Absolutely. Certainly those are things that we
evaluate on a regular basis and we believe that we’re in an appropriate
financial position to acquire the coach that will lead the program to
the next level.”
Had you talked to Mark throughout the season
to let him know that this day may have been coming and that something
needed to change?
“He and I talked on a regular basis. We are always
communicating about where we are, what we’re doing. He was certainly
engaged this week as we evaluated the program.”
