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On the Prowl: Seeing and Raising
Southern Illinois has sent a clear message to its boosters, fans, and to the rest of the Valley and possibly even the nation: "We are here to stay, and we are willing to pay." Coach Chris Lowery went from 250,000 a year to 750,000 a year in the matter of one really great season, forever making Southern Illinois University a destination school for aspiring coaches.
Still, the raise remains controversial for a school that is experiencing some financial difficulties anyway. Paying a basketball coach 750k when there has been numerous complaints about making athletics too much of a priority seems like a nervy move. In the face of this, I would like to be one of the peoplewho say this to Chris Lowery:
"Bravo, sir. I hope you make the Final Four next year."
I'll give you several reasons why. First, all of this is coming on the heels of Dana Altman making a move to Arkansas. All this despite that fact that Creighton was paying Altman even more than Southern Illinois was willing to pay its coach. Creighton has vastly superior facilities, more season ticket holders, and a bevy of law school grads who can pony up the dough, which they did. Altman still left. Chris Lowery, on the other hand, took a different approach. With several Big Ten schools, Vanderbilt and who knows, maybe even Arkansas playing footsie with the good SIU alumnus, Lowery made a move that many bristled at and announced publicly that he was looking for at least a doubling of salary at his alma mater if he were to stay. Considering what Lowery has done at that school, I don't think asking for 500,000 a year is all that much, really (remember when UNI was willing to pay Coach Mac 325,000 a year for a slightly lesser resume?), and Lowery was at least sending a hidden message when he was telling his AD "I want to stay here." SIU then responded with even more than the 500,000 he originally suggested and as a result, Chris Lowery has become entrenched at SIU. He got what he wanted, and trust me when I say this: the Egyptian Dogs are no flash in the pan and will continue to be just as good.
What this essentially does (besides further advance my theory that Jim Belushi is secretly pumping A LOT of money into Southern Illinois' athletic department) is show the rest of the nation that something that use to hold the Valley back is slowly becoming a thing of the past. The best programs in the MVC are willing to pay the kind of money that good, nationally-known coaches get. As far as this Altman thing goes, that sort of thing happens even at the highest level, what with guys like Bill Self and Roy Williams doing what they did. Don't blame Altman. Good, wealthy programs lose big coaches too. All this really means is that SIU is willing to become one of those programs. If there's one thing donors and alumni love, it's a great athletic department. As far as SIU's financial situation goes? Sometimes the best way to put out forest fire is to just let it burn itself out. Maybe that's what the Dawgs are doing here.
Southern Illinois has sent a clear message to its boosters, fans, and to the rest of the Valley and possibly even the nation: "We are here to stay, and we are willing to pay." Coach Chris Lowery went from 250,000 a year to 750,000 a year in the matter of one really great season, forever making Southern Illinois University a destination school for aspiring coaches.
Still, the raise remains controversial for a school that is experiencing some financial difficulties anyway. Paying a basketball coach 750k when there has been numerous complaints about making athletics too much of a priority seems like a nervy move. In the face of this, I would like to be one of the peoplewho say this to Chris Lowery:
"Bravo, sir. I hope you make the Final Four next year."
I'll give you several reasons why. First, all of this is coming on the heels of Dana Altman making a move to Arkansas. All this despite that fact that Creighton was paying Altman even more than Southern Illinois was willing to pay its coach. Creighton has vastly superior facilities, more season ticket holders, and a bevy of law school grads who can pony up the dough, which they did. Altman still left. Chris Lowery, on the other hand, took a different approach. With several Big Ten schools, Vanderbilt and who knows, maybe even Arkansas playing footsie with the good SIU alumnus, Lowery made a move that many bristled at and announced publicly that he was looking for at least a doubling of salary at his alma mater if he were to stay. Considering what Lowery has done at that school, I don't think asking for 500,000 a year is all that much, really (remember when UNI was willing to pay Coach Mac 325,000 a year for a slightly lesser resume?), and Lowery was at least sending a hidden message when he was telling his AD "I want to stay here." SIU then responded with even more than the 500,000 he originally suggested and as a result, Chris Lowery has become entrenched at SIU. He got what he wanted, and trust me when I say this: the Egyptian Dogs are no flash in the pan and will continue to be just as good.
What this essentially does (besides further advance my theory that Jim Belushi is secretly pumping A LOT of money into Southern Illinois' athletic department) is show the rest of the nation that something that use to hold the Valley back is slowly becoming a thing of the past. The best programs in the MVC are willing to pay the kind of money that good, nationally-known coaches get. As far as this Altman thing goes, that sort of thing happens even at the highest level, what with guys like Bill Self and Roy Williams doing what they did. Don't blame Altman. Good, wealthy programs lose big coaches too. All this really means is that SIU is willing to become one of those programs. If there's one thing donors and alumni love, it's a great athletic department. As far as SIU's financial situation goes? Sometimes the best way to put out forest fire is to just let it burn itself out. Maybe that's what the Dawgs are doing here.
