The End of an Era

For as long as I have been a fan of OSU basketball, a Sutton has been at the helm of the team. Now, that's no longer the case.

For the first time in 18 years, someone else will be leading the Cowboys next season, and I don't know what to think. Actually, I do have one thought about this. I think that Sean Sutton should have been given one more year as the Cowboys' head coach. He was only there for two brief years during a time where there were a lot of changes in the makeup of the team. Two years is not enough time for a new head coach starting his career. And his record isn't any worse than the first few years for a lot of the big name coaches out there.

In college basketball, players come and go, but coaches are pretty constant. In fact, I think most people invest more in a coach because they never know if the players they like might only stay at the school one year and a maximum of four. And that's why people get so upset when their coach is forced to resign or skips out early on a contract.

I've never rooted for a Sutton-less Cowboys. There's no question that I'll still support OSU since it's my alma mater, but I really wonder if I'll have the passion for OSU basketball that I once had. Not only was Eddie Sutton the coach of the Cowboys when I started avidly following them in high school (back in 1992 or around there), Sean was one of the coaches I could always count on when I needed to interview someone about an upcoming game while working for the O'Colly. I really wanted him to succeed as OSU's head coach (I remember talking to him back in the mid-90s about eventually taking over when Eddie retired), but I don't think he was given an adequate chance.

Despite all that I've written here, I'm really at a loss for words. I guess I'll have to wait and see who OSU hires as its next basketball coach, and then I'll go from there. However, I do wish Sean as well as next year's Cowboy team all the best.

And if you want more information about what's going on, go here.