04-27-2006, 02:16 PM
by Dave Hickman
http://www.wvgazette.com/section/Sports/2006042648
MORGANTOWN ? So John Beilein isn?t going to be the next basketball coach at North Carolina State, huh? Whodathunkit?
Certainly not the media in North Carolina.
Or West Virginia.
Or virtually everywhere else where he was penciled in for the job. Right up until the time early Wednesday evening when Beilein issued a statement that put the matter to rest, he seemed almost certain to be on his way out.
But no sooner had Beilein said he was staying put when the next logical issues were raised: Was he really that close to leaving and, if so, when will he be close again?
If Beilein was, indeed, thisclose to jumping the West Virginia ship, then the second question is a fair one.
And every indication is that even if he was never as close to leaving as the situation was portrayed, then he was at the least certainly interested in the job.
So, in other words, what West Virginia fans want to know is if Beilein will become the WVU version of Bobby Petrino.
The Louisville football coach has regularly angered Cardinals fans by floating his name out there for every good job that comes along. Will Beilein also do that?
For now, the question goes to the back burner. Beilein took care of that at about 6:30 p.m. Wednesday when he issued this through the WVU sports information office:
?It has never been my philosophy to comment on job openings at other schools, but the speculation [Wednesday] about me accepting another head coaching job is erroneous.
?I am flattered by the interest and recognition that the basketball program has received. West Virginia University and the people of West Virginia have been great to me and my family. I will be the basketball coach at West Virginia next season and I look forward to continued success.??
The bottom line there is that Beilein said that reports that he had taken the N.C. State job were wrong and that he would return to West Virginia for a fifth season. What he didn?t say was that he was never interested in the job, which at least on some level indicates that he probably was. He could have said the same thing Monday when he made a public appearance in Charleston, but he didn?t.
So if Beilein was interested in the N.C. State job and N.C. State was interested in him, where was the breakdown? Certainly it wasn?t salary because N.C. State is apparently prepared to pay at least double the $700,000-plus that Beilein makes now.
It would have taken even more to hire Rick Barnes or John Calipari, and it was offered. It would have taken at least that much to hire Steve Lavin, and it was apparently offered to him, too.
All three begged out.
No, salary doesn?t seem to be an issue with Beilein, which gives him a big gold star in that department. The guy is already getting rich as a basketball coach and becoming filthy rich doesn?t seem to be a high priority. Good for him. And good for West Virginia, too, which will never be able to pay a basketball coach $1.5 million.
The best guess about what the sticking point was between the two parties is that albatross of a buyout hanging over his head.
The $3 million Beilein would have owed West Virginia for skipping out on the final six years of his current contract is no small matter for either Beilein or a school that wants him. Yes, there are schools out there that can afford the sticker price. But that might not be all there is to it.
Think about it for a moment. I?m no lawyer, but something was pointed out to me by a reader a few weeks back.
If another school pays that $3 million to buy Beilein out of a personal-services contract, isn?t that $3 million of income for Beilein, who would then owe taxes of up to 40 percent on that amount?
And if there is more money coming to help out with those taxes, isn?t that also taxable?
In the end, not only would Beilein be paying a considerable portion of his raise for every dollar contributed toward the buyout, but the buyout figure for another school would now be closer to $5 million than to $3 million unless it expects Beilein to shoulder the financial burden.
Now we?re talking about real money.
The good news for West Virginia fans, of course, is that for at least a few more years that buyout, which decrease by only $500,000 per year if Beilein never signs another extension, is going to continue to be a hefty one.
The bad news is that his contract hasn?t yet been extended this year. It?s hard to say why it hasn?t because neither Beilein nor West Virginia athletic director Ed Pastilong will talk about it.
?From time to time and when it is appropriate, there are and will be discussions with regards to amendments to contracts and rollovers to contracts,?? was all that Pastilong was willing to say Wednesday night. ?That is standard and that?s something that is good for both parties.??
It would be really good for West Virginia because if Beilein agrees to the rollover that would put his contract back up to seven years ? and does so without renegotiating the $500,000 per year buyout clause ? then it means he is serious about staying at West Virginia for a long time. If the buyout was the problem with N.C. State, then he?s seen first hand what an obstacle it is to moving.
If he?s not willing to roll over the same contract with the same buyout, then perhaps that should send a signal that sooner, rather than later, someone will succeed in luring him away and West Virginia will be coach-hunting again.
To contact staff writer Dave Hickman, call 348-1734 or send e-mail to http://mailto:dphickman1@aol.com.
http://www.wvgazette.com/section/Sports/2006042648
MORGANTOWN ? So John Beilein isn?t going to be the next basketball coach at North Carolina State, huh? Whodathunkit?
Certainly not the media in North Carolina.
Or West Virginia.
Or virtually everywhere else where he was penciled in for the job. Right up until the time early Wednesday evening when Beilein issued a statement that put the matter to rest, he seemed almost certain to be on his way out.
But no sooner had Beilein said he was staying put when the next logical issues were raised: Was he really that close to leaving and, if so, when will he be close again?
If Beilein was, indeed, thisclose to jumping the West Virginia ship, then the second question is a fair one.
And every indication is that even if he was never as close to leaving as the situation was portrayed, then he was at the least certainly interested in the job.
So, in other words, what West Virginia fans want to know is if Beilein will become the WVU version of Bobby Petrino.
The Louisville football coach has regularly angered Cardinals fans by floating his name out there for every good job that comes along. Will Beilein also do that?
For now, the question goes to the back burner. Beilein took care of that at about 6:30 p.m. Wednesday when he issued this through the WVU sports information office:
?It has never been my philosophy to comment on job openings at other schools, but the speculation [Wednesday] about me accepting another head coaching job is erroneous.
?I am flattered by the interest and recognition that the basketball program has received. West Virginia University and the people of West Virginia have been great to me and my family. I will be the basketball coach at West Virginia next season and I look forward to continued success.??
The bottom line there is that Beilein said that reports that he had taken the N.C. State job were wrong and that he would return to West Virginia for a fifth season. What he didn?t say was that he was never interested in the job, which at least on some level indicates that he probably was. He could have said the same thing Monday when he made a public appearance in Charleston, but he didn?t.
So if Beilein was interested in the N.C. State job and N.C. State was interested in him, where was the breakdown? Certainly it wasn?t salary because N.C. State is apparently prepared to pay at least double the $700,000-plus that Beilein makes now.
It would have taken even more to hire Rick Barnes or John Calipari, and it was offered. It would have taken at least that much to hire Steve Lavin, and it was apparently offered to him, too.
All three begged out.
No, salary doesn?t seem to be an issue with Beilein, which gives him a big gold star in that department. The guy is already getting rich as a basketball coach and becoming filthy rich doesn?t seem to be a high priority. Good for him. And good for West Virginia, too, which will never be able to pay a basketball coach $1.5 million.
The best guess about what the sticking point was between the two parties is that albatross of a buyout hanging over his head.
The $3 million Beilein would have owed West Virginia for skipping out on the final six years of his current contract is no small matter for either Beilein or a school that wants him. Yes, there are schools out there that can afford the sticker price. But that might not be all there is to it.
Think about it for a moment. I?m no lawyer, but something was pointed out to me by a reader a few weeks back.
If another school pays that $3 million to buy Beilein out of a personal-services contract, isn?t that $3 million of income for Beilein, who would then owe taxes of up to 40 percent on that amount?
And if there is more money coming to help out with those taxes, isn?t that also taxable?
In the end, not only would Beilein be paying a considerable portion of his raise for every dollar contributed toward the buyout, but the buyout figure for another school would now be closer to $5 million than to $3 million unless it expects Beilein to shoulder the financial burden.
Now we?re talking about real money.
The good news for West Virginia fans, of course, is that for at least a few more years that buyout, which decrease by only $500,000 per year if Beilein never signs another extension, is going to continue to be a hefty one.
The bad news is that his contract hasn?t yet been extended this year. It?s hard to say why it hasn?t because neither Beilein nor West Virginia athletic director Ed Pastilong will talk about it.
?From time to time and when it is appropriate, there are and will be discussions with regards to amendments to contracts and rollovers to contracts,?? was all that Pastilong was willing to say Wednesday night. ?That is standard and that?s something that is good for both parties.??
It would be really good for West Virginia because if Beilein agrees to the rollover that would put his contract back up to seven years ? and does so without renegotiating the $500,000 per year buyout clause ? then it means he is serious about staying at West Virginia for a long time. If the buyout was the problem with N.C. State, then he?s seen first hand what an obstacle it is to moving.
If he?s not willing to roll over the same contract with the same buyout, then perhaps that should send a signal that sooner, rather than later, someone will succeed in luring him away and West Virginia will be coach-hunting again.
To contact staff writer Dave Hickman, call 348-1734 or send e-mail to http://mailto:dphickman1@aol.com.