I'm not the only one that thinks MU SUCKS

Snyder's return only delays inevitable at Missouri
Nov. 16, 2005
By Gregg Doyel
CBS SportsLine.com Senior Writer

Missouri should have fired Quin Snyder in March, and I mean that in defense of Snyder.

Quin Snyder's Tigers are already off to an 0-1 start. (Getty Images)
Like Mike Davis at Indiana, who clearly must lead his team into the 2006 NCAA Tournament or start packing his things, Snyder is facing a win-or-else season at Missouri.

No one has come out and said exactly that -- no one who would know, anyway -- but that's the widespread speculation. Quin must win, or Quin is gone.

Even Snyder speculated as much this summer, and then last month he said he suspected that Missouri "might can my ass" -- an outrageously honest thing for a coach to say so close to the early signing period. Within days, point guard Armon Bassett had backed off his commitment to Missouri (and opted for Indiana, of all places).

The only person who knows Snyder's status for sure is Missouri athletics director Mike Alden, and he's not talking. He didn't respond to multiple interview requests from CBS SportsLine.com on the topic. Alden knew what my question was going to be. By refusing to even entertain it, he basically gave away his answer.

Quin must win, or Quin is gone.

Which is ridiculous, because Quin can't win. Not this season. Not with this Missouri team in this Big 12 conference. The Big 12 is awesome, perhaps as awesome as it's ever been. Missouri is young, perhaps as young as it's ever been. That's a bad combination. Losing to Sam Houston State on Monday night was not a fluke. It was an omen.

But there were omens before, if Alden had been paying attention. He should have known in March where Missouri fit into the Big 12's immediate picture. Don't start with Linas Kleiza, either. Kleiza knew in March he was leaving for the NBA. Snyder knew. Alden had to know, and if Alden didn't, shame on him for being unable to see the forest (the Big 12's outlook in 2005-06) or the trees (Kleiza's NBA plan).

Despite its recent mediocrity on the court and an NCAA investigation that ended with three years of NCAA probation, Missouri chose to bring back Snyder for a sixth season. Alden made that announcement in February. He also indicated that Snyder didn't have a lifetime appointment, or even a multiple-year guarantee. To keep his job beyond 2005-06, Snyder needed to win more games. Alden was clear on that.

Nice. You don't walk into a Kia showroom and ask to see a Cadillac. You don't hit the McDonald's drive-through and order filet mignon. And if you're the athletics director at Missouri, you don't look at the current state of your basketball program, and at the current state of the Big 12, and demand immediate and noticeable improvement ... or else.

You fire the coach. You make the move, and you move on. That's what Alden should have done, because it would have been a lot more realistic than expecting tangible improvement on the court this season. Missouri is not Indiana. Snyder is not Mike Davis. If Indiana can't get into the 2006 NCAA Tournament with the talent on hand, Davis doesn't deserve another year in Bloomington.

Indiana basketball isn't the mansion it once was under Bob Knight, but it's still a damn fine house, and it's move-in ready. Missouri is a fixer-upper. Missouri needs time. Whoever the coach is, he needs time.

Another layer to this conversation is the relationship between Snyder and Alden. There isn't one. That's the worst-kept secret in Columbia, Mo. They clash over everything, from the location of Snyder's parking space to the time of daily department meetings.

Their relationship turned during the NCAA investigation. The NCAA went looking for $100 bills but found only nickels and dimes, but it was enough. It was embarrassing, beginning with the Ricky Clemons fiasco that began to unfold in 2003 and had turned Missouri into a punch line by 2004.

Alden could have fired Snyder several times along the way. He didn't, though it's not clear if he was showing strong leadership or weak indecision.

Now, Alden apparently has given Snyder an NCAA-or-else ultimatum. That's not indecision, but it's not leadership, either.

It's a wasted year for everyone involved.