Friday, January 09, 2009

Duke wise to pluck talented 49ers coach

The announcement Friday that Jamie Green has resigned as men's golf coach at Charlotte to become the new men's golf coach at Duke shouldn’t have come as a great surprise.

Green has been too successful with the Charlotte program not to have drawn the attention of other programs. College golf coaches aren't as famous or as well paid as football and basketball coaches, but the system works the same way. If you're good enough, other programs will want to hire you.

And Duke made a wise choice in hiring Green, who coached the 49ers to consecutive top-10 finishes in the NCAA tournament in 2007 and 2008.

In five years, Green took a Charlotte program that had never made an impact on the national stage and he turned it into a contender. Some of the talent he inherited. Some he recruited. All of it he nurtured.

It's a stinging loss for the Charlotte program. Athletics director Judy Rose had worked to secure Green's future at the school with a contract extension and program enhancements. Green, in a statement, said the decision to leave Charlotte was the toughest of his coaching career.

But when Duke - with its national stature, its Rees Jones-redesigned golf course and its extensive resources - calls, you listen. And, in Green's case, you move.

There may be hurt feelings for a while but, when the emotion subsides, there should be an appreciation at Charlotte for what Green accomplished with the program.

And there should be a goal of finding the right person to sustain the program Green transformed.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

if Judy can get rid of the midget and hire a real baskeball coach our school may be looking up! I cetainly hope Judy is not around to make the football coach decision. And by the way...has anyone ever seen Judy and County Commission Ciar Jennifer Roberts together....hum?

Anonymous said...

That's a ridiculous,unwarranted comment. Judy has done a great job. She hired Jamie, didn't she?

Anonymous said...

Ron Green is spot on in his words here....this is exactly how the system works...if you do a great job like Jamie Green did, you gain respect, get attention, and eventually are lured away. Simple math. To the first commenter goes a friendly "Wake up, Buddy". Remember, it takes no talent to throw someone under a bus.
And a chip on your shoulder is ALWAYS an unattractive feature.