TW:Sutton still appears in WSU mix

[MajorMike]

Sutton still appears in WSU mix

By MIKE BROWN World Sports Writer
4/11/2007

According to press outlets, ORU coach is likely candidate.

Speculation grew Tuesday that Oral Roberts head basketball coach Scott Sutton would be the next head coach at Wichita State.

But WSU athletic director Jim Schaus told the Wichita Eagle Tuesday, "there's no individual that has been targeted."

It seems likely that Schuas put Sutton's name on his list after he knew Mark Turgeon would be leaving WSU to become Billy Gillispie's Texas A&M successor.

On Tuesday, Turgeon was named as A&M's head coach and Schaus met with the media a few minutes later to discuss the WSU coaching search.

"That search actually started several days ago. I had a few days head notice that I believed that this was a possibility and have worked very diligently to position our program to be able to hit the ground running," Schaus said.

He said the process has gotten complicated by the number of "top (coaching) names" who have phoned from all over the country to recommend candidates.

"I believe we can do this search probably in approximately a week," he said.

On Monday, CBS Sportsline named Sutton, 36, as a likely candidate. Reports started circulating out of Wichita that he was the overwhelming choice.

"With the great job (Sutton)'s done, you would think his name would come up in relation to any job within the region," said Barry Hinson, Missouri State head coach and ORU's coach before Sutton succeeded him eight years ago.

"I would be surprised . . . if Sutton isn't one of the coaches Schaus will consider," Wichita Eagle columnist Bob Lutz wrote Tuesday morning.

Sutton was seen in his office until about noon Tuesday. He has not returned calls placed to his cell phone by the Tulsa World in two days.

WSU fans are excited by a coach who is 2-0 in his career against the Shockers, beat third-ranked Kansas during the 2006-07 season and took ORU to back-to-back NCAA Tournaments.

"Anybody who can beat KU is OK with me," a fan posted on the ShockerNet message board.

[MajorMike]

Staying home


By MIKE BROWN World Sports Writer
4/12/2007


Scott Sutton pulls out of Wichita State consideration to remain at ORU


Loyalty to Golden Eagles leads to decision to pass on Shockers

Scott Sutton made his decision somewhere between his living room and the front seat of his car Wednesday morning.

He and wife Kim had scheduled an afternoon visit to the Wichita State University campus. But Sutton changed his mind and cancelled the trip.

Sutton realized how much he loved the city of Tulsa, and his job as head basketball coach at Oral Roberts University.

And so he pulled his name out of consideration for WSU's coaching vacancy and notified athletic directors at both schools around noon.

"We love working at ORU. This is a situation where we felt comfortable and we are at peace with our decision," said Sutton, second-winningest coach in school history with a 144-102 mark in eight seasons.

Sources said WSU officials wanted Sutton to interview Thursday in Dallas and were prepared to offer him the job if all went well at the interview.

But Sutton said he wouldn't consider taking the job without first visiting the campus. So a Wednesday trip to Wichita was scheduled.

He and his wife discussed it Tuesday night and again Wednesday morning.

"We agreed we owed it to ourselves and to the (coaching staff) to go and listen. But we just decided that it wasn't the right time," Sutton said.

He turned down an opportunity to likely double his salary and recruit to a stronger conference.

WSU's conference, the Missouri Valley, is rated as the nation's sixth-strongest by College RPI.com. ORU's Mid-Continent Conference is No. 22.

"For a lot of coaches, it probably would have been a no-brainer. But I'm probably a little different from a lot of coaches," Sutton said.

"You can't put a price tag on happiness. I've said that a lot of times. I owe a lot to ORU and Tulsa is one of the best places there is to live.

"Those things are important to me. My goals may change next year or five years from now, but my passion right now is with Oral Roberts University. I want to make this program the best I can make it."

Sutton couldn't walk away from the men who gave him the job in the first place.

"A lot of people don't realize how special it is to work for guys like (ORU president) Richard Roberts and (athletic director) Mike Carter. I have a lot of loyalty toward them.

"Who knows where I'd be right now if they hadn't shown a lot of confidence in a young coach with not much coaching experience and entrusted me with the program eight years ago? I might be a head coach right now, but who knows?"

Said Carter: "We're obviously thrilled that Scott has decided to remain at ORU. He's a big part of our athletic family, and we look forward to watching our men's basketball program continue to grow under his leadership and guidance."

Sutton had emerged as a leading candidate to replace Mark Turgeon, who left WSU after seven seasons to become Texas A&M's head coach.

"I've always said it would take a special situation for me to even show interest in another school. Obviously I was interested (in WSU), because it is (within three hours of) Tulsa, close to our families and it's a great job. They have great fan support and a great athletic director (Jim Schaus). I had other opportunities this spring and I didn't even bother with them."

ORU is coming off back-to-back NCAA Tournament trips and Sutton feels the program can go even higher. He loses seniors Caleb Green and Ken Tutt, but will sign as many as four recruits in the coming days to go with two he signed in November.

"With the recruits we'll bring in this year, we can continue to build this pro gram and take it to another level. Ken and Caleb were so important to our success . . . but because of the success we've had, I think we can continue to recruit at an even higher level."

[50 cent]

Sucks for them. I know from reading their board that a lot of them wanted Sutton.

[MajorMike]

Friday, Apr 13, 2007

Bob Lutz

There's more than one Sutton out there
When the notion was first suggested to me -- would Wichita State be interested in hiring Eddie Sutton as its basketball coach? --my reaction was immediate.

No way.

Sutton is too old, at 71. His resignation at Oklahoma State following the 2005-06 season was mandated by a drunk driving incident. He had that run-in with the NCAA when he was the coach at Kentucky.

But with time to think -- and considering that Wichita State's search for a new coach might not be going as swimmingly as athletic director Jim Schaus would like -- I have reconsidered my stance.

If Schaus can't find a suitable up-and-comer in the next few days, he should give strong consideration to Sutton, whose son, Scott, took his name out of WSU consideration Wednesday.

"I was disappointed with Scott," Eddie Sutton said. "Wichita State is a really good job. There's great fan support, a nice arena, a nice city."

So, Eddie, what about you?

Sutton was flattered by the suggestion, but slow to give it credence.

"Jim's not going to hire me," he said. "He'll go after a younger coach, and that's what it should be. I could coach probably four years, but I don't know if I'll go beyond that."

Four years? Wouldn't that be enough, especially if he could bring along an assistant to groom for the Wichita State job when he retires?

Pressed, Sutton said he would be interested in Wichita State if Wichita State is interested in him.

"If they called I would certainly visit with them," he said.

Sutton still has a hunger to coach. Spending a year removed from the game, watching his oldest son, Sean, coach Oklahoma State, was much more difficult than being in charge.

"The toughest thing I've done," Eddie said. "I've been nothing but a head coach for 47 years. When you're a coach, you have an impact on the way the game goes."

Sutton misses that impact.

He said a friend and Division I athletic director, whom he would not name, has already told him he can have a job when the current coach leaves, likely in a year.

Sutton wants to repair his legacy, damaged by his decision to buy a bottle of liquor to alleviate back pain, then getting behind the wheel of his car.

"I'm not satisfied with the way I left it," he said. "That's one reason I want to go back, for sure. I want to show people that I have my life straightened out."

But is that enough?

Does Sutton still have the energy and vitality to run a program like the one at Wichita State, where sellouts are common and expectations are high?

"I feel better now than I have at any time in the last five years," he said. "I had that back problem and I could hardly get off the bench."

Sutton underwent back surgery last spring and daily injections to make his bones stronger. The spring is back in his step and he insists he could coach for a few years with a high level of energy.

"I can coach as well as I ever have," Sutton said. "The one thing I've missed most -- and there are some things you don't miss -- is that daily association you had with the student-athletes, the players. And the coaching staff. I miss the fellowship."

Sutton knows there will always be questions about his past and has confronted his demons by speaking openly about addiction. He addresses groups all over the country.

"I talk to a lot of college kids about drugs, alcohol and especially gambling because that goes on so much in schools," Sutton said. "I don't drink anymore. But on that day I suc bed to temptation and I went down and bought a bottle. I made a horrible mistake and I want to get it corrected."

Even so, there are logical questions.

Could Sutton stand up to the daily rigors of coaching Division I basketball?

Would he be able to work as hard as a younger coach?

Is this about his legacy? Or is it about him wanting to put everything he has into coaching?

Sutton is two wins shy of 800 for his career. He has had one losing season in 37 years of coaching at Creighton, Arkansas, Kentucky and Oklahoma State. He has taken all four schools to the NCAA Tournament and reached the Final Four three times.

And he insists he's not finished. At least he doesn't want to be.

Wichita State continues to court the coaches who could be something special.

There's an old guy out there who already is.

Eagle sports columnist Bob Lutz co-hosts "Sports Daily" from 9-11 a.m. weekdays on KFH, 1240-AM and 98.7-FM. Reach him at 316-268-6597 or [email protected].

[K-State Spur]

Sweet - a Bob Lutz article, I golf with that guy.

He's off on this one though...

[K-State Spur]

Starting to look like Greg Marshall to WuShock.