Today brought a nice round of applause in the press for departing Colorado coach Ceal Barry, the winningest coach in CU history.
At her press conference yesterday, Barry explained that she got tired of recruiting. Part of that had to do with how the all-powerful Colorado Hoopsters program had shunned her program.
"I want to be sensitive to Rick Lopez's family. Let me say that at the outset," she said. "The best girls in the state from 1995-2005 played for the Colorado Hoopsters. Rick never told them not to go to CU. But he did encourage them to believe they were a cut above if they went to college out of state.... That was the beginning of the end for me."
Barry hung on to her integrity, but in the world of big-time recruiting -- sausage factory, used car sales, and all that -- integrity can be a drawback.
The most touching eulogy comes from Mechelle Voepel, who laments that Barry "had to deal with the utter stench of Rick Lopez and his 'system' in her backyard the last several years." In an apparent shot at Geno and others, Voepel says that "Barry's not good at holding her nose the way some college coaches are."
Of course, not all of Barry's recent problems were recruiting related. Over the past five years, nine players have left the Buffs program. Although she became gentler as she got older, she was still known as a tough, "old school" coach. Barry also struggled to build a fan base; the Buffs were drawing fewer than 2,000 fans per game this year.
Recent problems aside, Barry leaves Colorado with an admirable record: 509 wins and 12 NCAA tournament appearances in 26 years. She won't be forgotten.
UPDATE: a reader asks why I single Geno out by saying "Geno and others." I was more trying to read Mechelle's mind than express my own. Maybe I'm off base either way.
Coach Barry herself has mentioned Strother specifically as a "huge loss." But I suppose you could just as easily mention the Waner sisters, Katy Flecky, or Jamie Carey, so you could just as easily assume that Voepel is talking about Coach G, Muffet, or TV as coaches who are willing to hold their noses.
At her press conference yesterday, Barry explained that she got tired of recruiting. Part of that had to do with how the all-powerful Colorado Hoopsters program had shunned her program.
"I want to be sensitive to Rick Lopez's family. Let me say that at the outset," she said. "The best girls in the state from 1995-2005 played for the Colorado Hoopsters. Rick never told them not to go to CU. But he did encourage them to believe they were a cut above if they went to college out of state.... That was the beginning of the end for me."
Barry hung on to her integrity, but in the world of big-time recruiting -- sausage factory, used car sales, and all that -- integrity can be a drawback.
The most touching eulogy comes from Mechelle Voepel, who laments that Barry "had to deal with the utter stench of Rick Lopez and his 'system' in her backyard the last several years." In an apparent shot at Geno and others, Voepel says that "Barry's not good at holding her nose the way some college coaches are."
Of course, not all of Barry's recent problems were recruiting related. Over the past five years, nine players have left the Buffs program. Although she became gentler as she got older, she was still known as a tough, "old school" coach. Barry also struggled to build a fan base; the Buffs were drawing fewer than 2,000 fans per game this year.
Recent problems aside, Barry leaves Colorado with an admirable record: 509 wins and 12 NCAA tournament appearances in 26 years. She won't be forgotten.
UPDATE: a reader asks why I single Geno out by saying "Geno and others." I was more trying to read Mechelle's mind than express my own. Maybe I'm off base either way.
Coach Barry herself has mentioned Strother specifically as a "huge loss." But I suppose you could just as easily mention the Waner sisters, Katy Flecky, or Jamie Carey, so you could just as easily assume that Voepel is talking about Coach G, Muffet, or TV as coaches who are willing to hold their noses.
posted by Ted at 2:06 PM
