Appreciation in word, not deed

By Barry Jacobs
Apr 15, 2009

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Lee Fowler, the administrators he consulted at N.C. State, and the enabling business-as-usual types in the media got it wrong, wrong, wrong. There was only one conscionable way to show appropriate respect for the contributions made by Kay Yow, who put 34 years of her soul and very big heart into building and sustaining the Wolfpack women’s basketball program and those who participated in it.

N.C. State went in a different direction.

The obvious choice was to elevate Stephanie Glance, Yow’s longtime assistant, as her coaching successor. Glance worked alongside the much-lauded Yow through the Hall of Famer’s final battles on and off the court. Then she led a group of traumatized youngsters in the aftermath of their coach’s Jan. 24 death due to breast cancer.

There can be little doubt Glance earned an opportunity to carry on Yow’s work, or that the deceased coach, her players and family wanted her to get the job. "I just felt like, if she wanted to hire somebody as a head coach, that should have been done," Ronnie Yow, Kay’s brother, told Ken Medlin of WRAL.

Instead, Kellie Harper was hired away from Western Carolina to replace Yow. She comes to Raleigh with a handsome coaching resume and an even more impressive pedigree as a product of Pat Summitt’s Tennessee program. But, through no fault of her own, Harper’s arrival marks less a new beginning than a bitter ending, the betrayal of a legacy you can bet N.C. State will exploit to its advantage for years to come.

N.C. State’s failure to give Glance a chance will be portrayed as what's best for the future competitiveness and prowess of the women’s program. Harper has head coaching experience, while Glance does not, even if she shared the reins with Yow. Sentiment cannot dictate business decisions, the argument goes, and the choice of a coach for a high-profile team is very much a matter of dollars and sense.

That’s the sort of pernicious hogwash cited by Kentucky several weeks ago when it hired John Calipari as its head basketball coach for $31.65 million over eight years, pay even a Wall Street executive could live with.

Commenting on a similar contract Alabama proferred in early 2007 to land Nick Saban, UK athletics director Mitch Barnhart unabashedly lauded bloated coaching salaries as necessary tools for promoting victory and earnings. “I know they’ve had obviously some really strong success on the football field, and off the field it has helped solidify the brand of Alabama football,” Barnhart told AP. “From a revenue perspective, from a brand perspective, from recognition, it has certainly had an impact in those areas of bringing them back to the forefront of where they want to be.”

What those values have to do with higher education outside the confines of a business or marketing classroom -- or a campaign to boost a university endowment -- is anybody’s guess.

Yet even in business terms, the argument for sideline continuity was strong at N.C. State. Just ask Dino Gaudio, elevated to men’s basketball head coach at Wake Forest after the abrupt death of Skip Prosser in July 2007. “In unique cases like this, sometimes the best business is keeping things intact,” Gaudio said in a phone interview before the identity of Yow’s successor was known.

“Huge adversity, the staff and the kids have all gone through that together,” said Gaudio, who won 41 games in his first two years as head coach of the Demon Deacons. “There’s a unique understanding of what has occurred, everybody’s involvement with Coach Yow. It really ties everyone together.

“I think when you’re also dealing with someone as revered as she was – and I went through this with Skip – I always wanted him to be remembered. I always enjoy speaking about him, his contributions to the program. I never, ever felt threatened by that. All of a sudden, a new coach comes in and you have a chance of breaking all those ties.”

To his credit, Ron Wellman, the Wake AD, apparently understood those dynamics. Confronted with Prosser’s sudden death, he opted for continuity and cohesion. So far the results have been impressive; that Gaudio’s second season at the helm ended with a whimper rather than the expected bang is no tragedy.

Fowler and others in the Wolfpack's braintrust clearly have a different set of priorities than those demonstrated by Wellman in strikingly similar circumstances. Genuine loyalty and appreciation, and the best possible chance to assist the healing of those close to the long-sacrificing Yow, are apparently not as high on the list at N.C. State.

Most Recent Comments

RE: Appreciation in word, not deed

Even for a tarheel guy, this is a bit of a stretch, Barry.

Yow and Gaudio's situations were "strikingly" similar? Really??? I'll give you that both were great human beings and are greatly missed by their communities, but the similarities pretty much end there.

Prosser had assembled an OUTSTANDING 2008 recruiting class before he passed, highlighted by Al-Farouq Aminu, Tony Woods, and Ty Walker. Many outlets ranked it as the No. 1 class in the country. Wellman knew that if he didn't keep some continuity in the program, he'd likely lose said recruits and severely handicap the team.

Because of Yow's condition, NC State was severely limited from a recruiting standpoint. Was State's incoming class serviceable? Sure. Was it a Wake-like slam-dunk class? Absolutely not. This right off the bat is a huge difference in the two situations.

Other distinctions between Gaudio and Glance: Unlike Glance, Dino already HAD head-coaching experience on the collegiate level. Second, he was young and energetic. He immediately injected new life into Wake's program. Glance is a wonderful woman, but Stateâ��s program has been teetering on mediocrity and desolation for some time now. It desperately needed a push in a new direction.

I had the pleasure of meeting Coach Yow and Coach Glance at several basketball games (that's the wonderful thing about women's b-ball -- coaches hang around and actually talk to fans after the game). Both are fantastic, heartwarming individuals. With that said, I commend Fowler on making a tough choice based on objection rather than sentimentalities. Time will tell if hiring Harper was the right choice (on paper, it appears to be an outstanding hire). But I'm positive staying with status quo wasn't the way to go.

RE: Appreciation in word, not deed

With all due respect, the AD has to hire who he thinks will take this program forward. It amazes me how these Duke/UNC fans always have an "opinion" about who State hires. Worry about your "own house"!

RE: Appreciation in word, not deed

Thank you, Barry, for that fine article. The truth of the matter is that Lee Fowler is not thinking about the team, he is only thinking about himself. It is all about Lee. There is actually a website called "fireleefowler.com". Guess that says what people think. Lee does not like competing with the legacy of Jim Valvano and Kay Yow. I really think he has made a big mistake this time and hopefully the administration will see it and get rid of him before he tears apart the rest of the athletics department. Women's basketball may be small to him but it is a big part of NC State and he is going to see that in the the next year.

RE: Appreciation in word, not deed

Good article, Barry. The circumstances at Wake and NC State differ in that NC State had plenty of time to consider a new Head Coach as Coach Yow was gravely ill for some time. Wake had no warning at all in dealing with their tragic loss of Coach Prosser. As a fan of college ball, I'm disappointed that Coach Yow's wishes weren't honored, but I have to believe Fowler had his reasons. I wish the Pack program luck and I hope the players can put the past behind them and move on towards a successful future.

RE: Appreciation in word, not deed

Just worry about UNC and Duke like you normally do Barry.

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Barry Jacobs