Shocker: Baseball coach bolts OU day of hiring

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http://sports.espn.go.com/ncaa/news/story?id=2105822

 

Stephenson cites scholarship issues as reason

Associated Press

 

NORMAN, Okla. -- Gene Stephenson decided late Monday to remain at Wichita State just hours after he was introduced as the new baseball coach at Oklahoma.

 

In a statement posted on the Wichita State Web site, Stephenson cited "unresolvable" scholarship issues as the reason for his about-face.

 

"We are very appreciative for the opportunity to coach at the University of Oklahoma," Stephenson said. "... We have worked over the years at Wichita State in order to use our scholarships and to plan for the use of our future scholarships.

 

"As we assessed the Oklahoma baseball scholarship situation, we would be too limited in our ability to take the program in the direction that we think it should go."

 

Oklahoma athletic director Joe Castiglione now must restart his coaching search.

 

"Every coaching job, especially in a time of transition, has obstacles," Castiglione said in a statement. "As is the case with any incoming staff member, we disclosed issues we anticipated before the job was accepted. We believed in the decision to hire Gene and would have enjoyed the opportunity to work with him.

 

"This is unfortunate, but we'll move forward to fill our position."

 

Wichita State officials did not immediately return telephone calls seeking comment.

 

Tears filled Stephenson's eyes and he periodically stopped to compose himself at the Monday morning news conference to introduce him as Sooners coach.

 

"I think we took it [Wichita State baseball] as far as we could possibly take it. We want to do that here at the University of Oklahoma," he said earlier in the day.

 

The owner of the highest winning percentage among active NCAA Division I baseball coaches, Stephenson was flanked by pitching coach Brent Kemnitz and assistant coach Jim Thomas, veteran assistants who also were to move from Wichita State to Oklahoma.

 

Stephenson was to replace Sunny Golloway, who took over on an interim basis when Larry Cochell resigned May 1 after using a racial slur during interviews with two ESPN reporters.

 

Stephenson completed his 28th season as head coach at Wichita State in 2005 after leading the Shockers to their 23rd NCAA Tournament appearance. The 51 wins in 2005 marked the 18th time Stephenson led the team to 50 or more wins in a season.

 

His career record of 1,506-489-3 makes him second in career victories to Texas' Augie Garrido (1,542).

 

It's not unprecedented for a college coach to back out of a job after accepting it.

 

Dan Dakich quit his job as West Virginia basketball coach a week after being hired and returned to Bowling Green, in part over a possible NCAA rules violation that he uncovered during a chat with Mountaineers players.

 

In 1999, Jim Harrick took the head basketball job at Georgia. The next day he was back in Rhode Island deciding he wanted to continue coaching the Rams. A day after that he was again coach in Georgia.

 

Bobby Cremins accepted a basketball job at South Carolina -- his alma mater -- in 1993 only to return to Georgia Tech less than a week later. He retired in 2000.