Southern Illinoise University Athletics
The beginning of a new era of Saluki Basketball
10/02/2013 | 12:00:00 | DawgTracker
March 28, 2012
By Tom Weber
SIUSalukis.com
CARBONDALE, IL - 1. Today marked the end of one era (Bruce Weber, Matt Painter, Chris Lowery) and the beginning of another (Barry Hinson) for Saluki Basketball. Hinson is a known quantity -- a safe, solid hire with a nine-year track record as head coach at Missouri State. In his press conference, he came across as likable and passionate. He will run a clean program, and his players will graduate.
2. The expectations for Hinson will be higher at Southern Illinois than they were at Missouri State. Southern has a much stronger basketball tradition and a more demanding fan base. The previous era set the standard with six-straight NCAA Tournaments and two Sweet 16s that will be the benchmark for head coaches henceforth at SIU.
3. Hinson inherits a roster with four returning starters and 11 returning players. There are also three newcomers (Desmar Jackson, Bobo Drummond and Travis Wilkins) who have impressive credentials. Based on his phone call to Drummond, it appears the freshman point guard is on board. He has yet to speak with Wilkins. On paper, it looks like there is potential for a quick turnaround.
4. Often when there is a coaching change, there is turnover in personnel, and one of Hinson's top priorities will be to evaluate the current roster and determine who intends to stay in the fold. I listened to his meeting with the team today. He was forceful and direct, and he had the players' attention.
5. There was a media report that Southern offered the job to Bruce Weber last week. In fact, AD Mario Moccia had numerous conversations with Weber up until Monday, and those exchanges never led to an official offer. Ultimately, Weber was not interested in returning to Southern.
6. The search committee helped winnow the pool of finalists to five, but the final decision rested with Moccia. Four of the finalists met with Chancellor Rita Cheng (Weber did not).
7. Moccia received strong recommendations on Hinson from Bill Self and Doug Elgin. Hinson is said to have "knocked it out of the park" on his interview with the search committee. One person who was present for the interview told me that he wanted very much not to like Hinson, but was won over by his performance in the interview.
8. USI head coach and former Saluki assistant Rodney Watson was among the five finalists. I spoke to him today and he said, "God must have had other plans for me," and he wishes nothing but the best for SIU and its new coach. Watson remains a class act. He was in good spirits as the Screaming Eagles just received a verbal commitment from a highly touted 6-11 post player.
9. Hinson met with support staff, including the assistant coaches today. He is heading to the Final Four tonight to fulfill his duties as director of operations for Kansas, but you can expect he will be looking to fill his staff quickly.
10. Overall, Hinson made a solid first impression on those he met today. One thing that struck me was when I overheard him tell someone how much he hated the feeling of being fired at Missouri State, and how hard he would work to make sure that didn't happen to him a second time. Coaching is an unforgiving profession. Hinson has received a rare second chance, and he's determined to make the best of it.
