Breaking News: Isiah Thomas Accepts FIU Job
Well this escalated quickly. Last night I saw the crawl along the bottom of ESPN that said “Florida International University trying to hire Isiah Thomas as head coach,” and immediately hit the crew with a “WTF?” email. I thought it was kind of funny, at best a stunt by FIU to at least show potential recruits that they’re trying to do big things in the college basketball world.
And then this hit a few minutes ago:
Former New York Knicks coach Isiah Thomas has accepted Florida International’s offer to coach its basketball team, a source close to the situation told ESPN.com’s Andy Katz.
An official announcement is expected later Tuesday. Thomas’ representative was in South Florida to finalize the deal, the source said.
A source said Thomas was intrigued by FIU’s location in South Florida, its growing football program and its over 30,000 students. The source said Thomas was looking for a fresh place to start and that, despite other previous NBA and college opportunities, this is the one that finally piqued Thomas’ interest.
Florida International coach Sergio Rouco was fired Monday, and sources confirm that FIU athletic director Pete Garcia made calls within the conference recently to check on the viability of hiring Thomas. The Sun Belt has recently become a second-chance destination. Florida Atlantic hired former St. John’s coach Mike Jarvis and Arkansas State hired former LSU coach John Brady.
It’s actually not THAT bad of an idea. To quote SMACK this morning:
Speaking of bad coaching, Florida International University is reportedly talking to Isiah Thomas about becoming the program’s next head coach. That’s actually not a bad move for Zeke. He’d be in his element on the recruiting/scouting trail, using his charm and stature to convince not-quite All-American high schoolers to come to FIU, and he’d have automatic authority amongst the youngsters and in a place without high expectations. No one’s ever said Isiah doesn’t know the game and doesn’t know talent; he just needs to be kept far, far away from things like salary caps and semi-attractive female employees. So maybe going to a college campus in Florida isn’t the best idea after all …
Source: ESPN.com
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April 14th, 2009 at 10:31 am
KnicksFan84 says:
Goodluck to Zeke, hope he does well. We will miss his scouting abilities in NY. See a Knickfan not taking a shot…
April 14th, 2009 at 10:50 am
J says:
this is crazy…im from NYC…go to school at FIU…
I HATEEEEE isiah for what he did to the knicks
April 14th, 2009 at 11:13 am
Shrink This says:
The sexual harrassment laws must be lax in florida.
April 14th, 2009 at 11:31 am
Ashlov says:
I grew up just down the road from FIU’s campus. Great location, lots of hot Cuban girls, and a shot at redemption. I’m not crazy about Zeke, but I like it for the school.
April 14th, 2009 at 11:41 am
Michorizo says:
And if Zeke ever OD’s again he can just blame it on one of the kids on his team and not his own kid. Life is about to get a whole lot simpler for Isiah.
April 14th, 2009 at 1:07 pm
POPPI GEE says:
LOL Zeke about to get fresh meat to harrass lol.
April 14th, 2009 at 1:32 pm
Balla says:
I went to this school from 2000-05…they seemed to be trying to make some serious moves.
a. Chris Brown and Tpain Kiss Kiss video was shot there (the arena and campus).
b. Sean Taylor funeral was there (the arena)
c. I’ve seen a few FIBA games on tv from there (arena)
d. That football fight with UM (I swear that was encouraged by the FIU coaches to get the school some publicity)
There last winning season was when Carlos Arroyo and Raja Bell were there together a few years ago. I went to a game in February at FIU and out of the 200 people in the stands I saw Antoine Walker sitting there looking pitiful.
April 14th, 2009 at 1:42 pm
Dukesman2000 says:
It might work for him. He’ll be coaching young players who are trying to make it rich as oppose to spoiled rich brats he was coaching in the NBA. I am not absolving Isaiah from any wrong doing but it’s a do-over and I hope it works out for him.
April 14th, 2009 at 2:30 pm
Joe Popcorn says:
Isiah Thomas, I hope he gets back on track and leads FIU to the Final Four. But still, his strength is being an AWESOME draft picker with like, david Lee and N8 and Chandler and Frye and everyone, EVERYONE ELSE.
April 14th, 2009 at 2:57 pm
bsteezy3 says:
Yeah I know that there will be many Isiah jokes, but let’s not forget that he is one of the greatest point guards in NBA history, and he has plenty of experience at the highest level. (I’m not saying it was a successful experience…) Why wouldn’t a college that’s trying to establish a basketball image, hire someone like him? You will see that a lot of former NBA coaches that go to college usually do well there… As a Florida native, GET IT DONE ISIAH!!
April 14th, 2009 at 2:57 pm
bsteezy3 says:
Yeah I know that there will be many Isiah jokes, but let’s not forget that he is one of the greatest point guards in NBA history, and he has plenty of experience at the highest level. (I’m not saying it was a successful experience…) Why wouldn’t a college that’s trying to establish a basketball image, hire someone like him? You will see that a lot of former NBA coaches that go to college usually do well there… As a Florida native, GET IT DONE ISIAH!!
April 14th, 2009 at 3:49 pm
g$ says:
Get X.Henry to play there, Zeke.
April 14th, 2009 at 6:52 pm
the cynic says:
can somebody post betting odds on what the first controversy will be?
April 15th, 2009 at 10:23 am
flprof says:
RE #13, the first controversy: easy–his salary, at a moment when FIU academic mission is in terminal meltdown due to a budget crisis.