Mitch Barnhart Press Conference Quotes
March 13, 2000
CORVALLIS, Ore. - Comments from Oregon State University Athletic Director Mitch Barnhart regarding the men's basketball program and the dismissal of Head Coach Eddie Payne and his staff.
Q. What were the factors in your decision to dismiss the staff?
A. "I don't think there was a final factor in all of this. These kinds of things are part of the sports business today. Every program at OSU is evaluated every day, including the competitiveness. We have to continue to get better competitively, and this is a tough conference to do that, and I recognize that. However, we need to be a part of that competitiveness, and we need to be able to participate in postseason play on a regular basis - this institution deserves that. We have got to focus on getting to postseason play, our players deserve that, and this institution is accustomed to playing in postseason. The other factor is that we have two programs that provide most of the revenue for this athletic program - the way this athletic department is funded is very dependent on football and men's basketball being successful. We have to make sure that football and men's basketball continues to be solid for us and we don't lose track of that. One other factor is we need to continue to recruit student-athletes who have a chance to compete in postseason and move this program forward."
Q. Given the fact that you made this decision after the last game of the season, it almost seems that you may have made up your mind before the final contest?
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A. "That's not the case at all. I wanted to play the season out and see where
we stood. I had high hopes we could finish strong and earn a trip to the NIT.
I was hopeful a trip to postseason and a solid recruiting year could get some
momentum going, but it became apparent over the last week of the season that
postseason play wasn't going to happen. This university pays me to prepare for
moments when things may not be perfect, so I would be foolish if I didn't
prepare for the best and worst case scenarios."
Q. If this team would have qualified for the NIT would you be looking at things differently?
A. "Absolutely. If you can build some momentum into the next season you have to look at that, but we didn't qualify for postseason play. We had a majority of the team returning that tasted some success last season, but this year they just couldn't get it done. That effects you in a majority of different ways, it effects you at the gate, in the competitiveness, how you are viewed in recruiting, and in a variety of other ways."
Q. Talk about the hiring process and who might be some potential candidates.
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A. "I'm not going to talk about who were are looking at right now. A preference
would be that they would have head coaching experience, but it's not a
necessity. I'm looking for someone who can go out and recruit players to
Oregon State University, and maybe have some knowledge and understanding of the
Pacific Northwest, I think that's important. It's not a prerequisite to be
knowledgeable of the Northwest, but it certainly is a preference. I'm going to
meet some members of my staff and put together an agenda - I hope to have this
done very, very quickly. The longer this process goes the more it effects our
ability to recruit."
Q. When would you like to have someone in place?
A. "You hate to set deadlines for the fear something doesn't work out, but I would like to have someone in place within the next two weeks. I want to move fairly quickly."
Q. Do you have any candidates of interest?
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A. "We are interested in all candidates, it's an open process. This is a Pac-10
job, and a number of people have called already this morning about the position.
I'm encouraged by the response of the people who are interested in the job. I
would hope we can move quickly and find the right person for Oregon State
University, and the right person for the student-athletes we have in the
program."
Q. What are the realistic goals for Oregon State basketball?
A. "We should always be pointing toward postseason play. Oregon State University should have its share of competing in the NCAA Tournament on a regular basis of some sort - I don't know if that is once every two years or what, but I think we should be able to participate in postseason play. We need to point toward playing in the NCAA or NIT every year. I don't think it's asking too much to make a run at the Pac-10 championship, and I know this is a tough conference. This is a very competitive conference, but we can certainly have our moments where we make runs at the title. I would be disappointed if our players and coaches didn't set the goal to win the Pac-10 title every year. That should be the first goal every year, and if you fall short of that goal hopefully you still have the opportunity for postseason action.
Q. What are some of the other qualities you will look for in a coach?
A. "I've already stated some of the qualities, but some of the other things would include someone who can understand the makeup of this team. I would like to have someone who would have a style of play that would be exciting to our fans, and I would hope we would have someone who would continue to use defensive pressure. I guess you want the whole package when you're an athletic director - which is the ultimate goal. We have to find somebody who fits Oregon State University and who will make this program better."
