The unofficial online home for fans of the Kent State University Golden Flashes. Part of Collegiate Sports Nation (CSN).

The coaches hold all the cards. If they do poorly, the school is bound to honor the contract. If they do well and have the opportunity to take a better, or at least a higher paying, job, the coach just gets the new school to utilize the coach's buy-out clause. That's just the way it is, and it isn't going to change. I'm no expert in contract law, but I believe there is no way to force a person to obligate a contract, even without a buy-out clause. The only remedy for the school would be civil procedures resulting in monetary penalties. Anyway, very few, if any, up-and-coming coaches would ever sign a contract, or more typically a contract extension, without provision(s) for legally getting out of it. If a mid-major, such as Kent, doesn't want to deal with such situations, and still have a quality coach, the only option I see is to hire an older coach that isn't going anywhere, that wants to retire from the school, such as Charlie Coles at Miami.

Kent 76 Wrote:The coaches hold all the cards. If they do poorly, the school is bound to honor the contract.

Tell that to Stan Heath!

Ploish Hammer is 100% right! Some of the talk on this board about JC is simply ridiculous...

I attended our men's basketball banguet last night. This isn't news but just to confirm: IMO, Jim Christian is a smart, classy and caring man. He loves these kids and is very appreciative of the opportunity that KSU has provided him. Like nearly every KSU coach hired by Laing, they all deeply respect and appreciate the enviroment that Laing and KSU provides to them. For JC, KSU is friendly, it's caring and it's relatively low pressure (and you get 250K a year!)

JC's career has taken off here in Kent. He's a big fish in a small pond. He married a local girl with deep family roots here. JC wasn't making squat in basketball prior to getting the KSU job. If JC doesn't get the assistant job at KSU and the 2002 team doesn't make the Elite 8, Stan Heath doesn't go to Arkansas and JC would likey still be an assistant coach making 60K. He knows and appreciates all this.

The above being said, if the right job comes along, I'm sure he'd take it just as any same person would. He's not desperate to leave KSU as some apparently think. Why not just leave it at that...If KSU wins, our coaches will always be in demand. As Polish Hammer stated, do you want the alternative?

J-BIDDY Wrote:

Kent 76 Wrote:The coaches hold all the cards. If they do poorly, the school is bound to honor the contract.

Tell that to Stan Heath!

Yeah, but Heath is getting paid by two schools; USF and he's getting 300k per year for the next 3 years by Arkansas

BlueFlash Wrote:

J-BIDDY Wrote:

Kent 76 Wrote:The coaches hold all the cards. If they do poorly, the school is bound to honor the contract.

Tell that to Stan Heath!

Yeah, but Heath is getting paid by two schools; USF and he's getting 300k per year for the next 3 years by Arkansas

True that, so I guess it is not all that bad! lol!

It's interesting how the college coaches seem to be in a much better position then the pro coaches. Pro coaches get fired in mid season and very seldom leave a team to go elsewhere except when it comes time to retire. I suppose that might be supply and demand at work. There are only 30 pro jobs so if you have one you want to hold onto it. Also because there are only 30 coaches needed the owners have the ability to shop more than the coaches. Too bad Mike Brown doesn't go after the Kansas St. job.

Flash Freak Wrote:Ploish Hammer is 100% right! Some of the talk on this board about JC is simply ridiculous...

I attended our men's basketball banguet last night. This isn't news but just to confirm: IMO, Jim Christian is a smart, classy and caring man. He loves these kids and is very appreciative of the opportunity that KSU has provided him. Like nearly every KSU coach hired by Laing, they all deeply respect and appreciate the enviroment that Laing and KSU provides to them. For JC, KSU is friendly, it's caring and it's relatively low pressure (and you get 250K a year!)

JC's career has taken off here in Kent. He's a big fish in a small pond. He married a local girl with deep family roots here. JC wasn't making squat in basketball prior to getting the KSU job. If JC doesn't get the assistant job at KSU and the 2002 team doesn't make the Elite 8, Stan Heath doesn't go to Arkansas and JC would likey still be an assistant coach making 60K. He knows and appreciates all this.

The above being said, if the right job comes along, I'm sure he'd take it just as any same person would. He's not desperate to leave KSU as some apparently think. Why not just leave it at that...If KSU wins, our coaches will always be in demand. As Polish Hammer stated, do you want the alternative?

......i know jc walks on water and some of the chapters in the bible are about him,but i dont know of one person on this posts that questions jc's ability as a coach or his love for the school or the kids ,the only question peaple want awnsered is , MR. JC are you still looking for a job for the 2007 - 2008 season ?..... should be a verry easy awnser yes or no ...now i ask you...is that ridiculous talk? i dont think so ,is just a simple question that should have a simple awnser... ;-)

J-Biddy, sorry I wasn't more clear. A school CAN remove a coach from his duties while a contract is still in force, but they still have to pay him whatever is still remaining on the contract. Now, if that coach should take another job, especially one paying at least as much, that I don't know. I suppose it would depend on what the contract said.

Oldfan1, I doubt Christian is on the phone day and night desperately trying to get out of Kent. In fact, I'm sure he's not. On the other hand, I would assume he's still willing to consider offers to apply for other jobs.

Any one who looks for a job and announces to his organization, when that organization wants him to stay, that he's looking is too dumb to be our coach. J.C.'s been called many things, but dumb never one of them. Honestly, these threads are getting as tiresome as Brandon Parks and more minutes.

Why don't we spend as much time calling out the "fans" as we do the coaches?

well this is not a job down in the plant where a 2 weeks notice is ok ,there are kids and parents and fans to consider, now ,when is that time when all involved can say ok we know what to count on for next season?...according to some of you the awnser is well, whenever , hey how about november 10 th. ,that be as good as any , tiresome ,well it may be but its an opinion and that is what this posts are all about , are they not? correct me if im wrong.... an employee should tell his employer within a resonable time if they intent to go or stay ,that is all im saying, its only fair for everyone not to be held hostege, the employer needs to pay more if he wants to keep the employee or move on, that is how things work in the the real world..... ;-)

I know for a fact that JC is not looking for a job. He is also an intelligent enough individual to know that in this profession if someone wants to talk you should listen! ;-)

back in a flash Wrote:I know for a fact that JC is not looking for a job. He is also an intelligent enough individual to know that in this profession if someone wants to talk you should listen! ;-)

well thank you .that is a respectable awnser ;-)

When I initiated this threat, it was not intended to be any way derogatory against JC. I was just thinking that if I were another coach recruiting against KSU, you just have to layout the JC news clippings in front of the recruit and say, "If you commit to KSU, the coach who is recruiting you most likely will not be there". The life blood of any program is the recruiting. Unless it is Stan Heath or Bob Huggins, you would expect a new coach to stay a while. Any coach in the MAC that has been there for a few years, and is successful, is looking to depart soon. (C Coles is the exception). For the sake of coaching on the floor, I would take JC without question. For the sake of recruiting and the future of the program, I am not sure. It just makes for interesting discussion and most of you have helped to make it so. Good and happy posting to all Flash Fans.

I think nowadays most high school players with talent are pretty hip, and have head coaches who also know the score. It's just an assumption on my part, but I think recruiting isn't harmed all that much if a coach is honest. I mean, if he tells a potential recruit that, sure, he'll leave if the right situation opens up. I think a HS player in this day and age would know it's pure BS if a young mid-major coach "guarantees" a recruit he won't leave during his four or five years.

I think they come more attached to the assistants anyway and they know if the head coach does move on the assistant could replace him as the head coach anyway which would then be a +.

I don't agree with the premise that J.C. is looking to move "anywhere," so is likely not approaching any recruits with a lack of enthusiasm. To Kent '76 point, the probability of his departure is only a disadvantage if other mid major programs are bastions of coaching stability, which they are not. This season, we learned even high major jobs are vulnerable.

I'll grant J.C. leaving may be a factor in a "tie breaker" sort of situation for a recruit, but presumably a young man would consider a wider range of conditions, such as the success of the program, quality of education and other support, quality of talent on the team, and opinions of the current players. We measure up well on these factors.

Record Courier Article on the chances of Christian job change by someone that has actually talked to him about it

http://www.recordpub.com/news/article/1829521

Thanks for the posting, Reno. Some comments have suggested J.C. as a little less than approachable and connected o a tight inner circle. I am far, far from what anyone would consider an "inner circle" and have only spoken to the man on a handful of occasions. Given very brief interactions, my impression is that he is very proud to be the head coach at Kent State and will generously speak about the program, its prospects and future with anyone who asks. I would not blame him for being a little irritated about all the talk about his bolting when all he's done is show commitment to the program he's building.

GFlash68 Wrote:When I initiated this threat, it was not intended to be any way derogatory against JC. I was just thinking that if I were another coach recruiting against KSU, you just have to layout the JC news clippings in front of the recruit and say, "If you commit to KSU, the coach who is recruiting you most likely will not be there". The life blood of any program is the recruiting. Unless it is Stan Heath or Bob Huggins, you would expect a new coach to stay a while. Any coach in the MAC that has been there for a few years, and is successful, is looking to depart soon. (C Coles is the exception). For the sake of coaching on the floor, I would take JC without question. For the sake of recruiting and the future of the program, I am not sure. It just makes for interesting discussion and most of you have helped to make it so. Good and happy posting to all Flash Fans.

gflash68 yours is the most level headed comment about this subject on this post including olfan's1 crazy stuff ..good job you make lots of sence out of this stuff...

Flash Freak Wrote:Ploish Hammer is 100% right! Some of the talk on this board about JC is simply ridiculous...

I attended our men's basketball banguet last night. This isn't news but just to confirm: IMO, Jim Christian is a smart, classy and caring man. He loves these kids and is very appreciative of the opportunity that KSU has provided him. Like nearly every KSU coach hired by Laing, they all deeply respect and appreciate the enviroment that Laing and KSU provides to them. For JC, KSU is friendly, it's caring and it's relatively low pressure (and you get 250K a year!)

JC's career has taken off here in Kent. He's a big fish in a small pond. He married a local girl with deep family roots here. JC wasn't making squat in basketball prior to getting the KSU job. If JC doesn't get the assistant job at KSU and the 2002 team doesn't make the Elite 8, Stan Heath doesn't go to Arkansas and JC would likey still be an assistant coach making 60K. He knows and appreciates all this.

The above being said, if the right job comes along, I'm sure he'd take it just as any same person would. He's not desperate to leave KSU as some apparently think. Why not just leave it at that...If KSU wins, our coaches will always be in demand. As Polish Hammer stated, do you want the alternative?