"The Bucking Bronco"
Last December, after my first few posts, I reached out to Coach Keating to get his perspective on the many topics we, as season ticket holders and fans, have for years been wondering about and for which we have received little or no communication.
Being uninitiated in the media "rules of engagement", I sent Coach an email and he promptly responded. We met in his office on December 19th. During the interview, Coach Keating suggested we meet again to go into more depth - but - as this conversation took place before I was banished into the realm of "uncredentialed media" - the subject of a prior post - follow up's will most likely not be happening.
Our conversation was open, direct, and revealing. What follows is Part 1 of 3 posts about the interview.
Part 1: Back to the Future - The first 6 years
Part 2: Kerry's Keys to Success - Recruiting & Scheduling, X's & O's
Part 3: Coach's Goals 2014 - 2017
Fasten your seat belts. It's going to be a wild and bumpy ride, but when we get to Part 3, I hope you'll have a clear vista from which you can view Santa Clara Men's Basketball under Coach Keating's tenure.
At the outset, let me say, Coach Keating has SO MUCH to say - but seems to lack the outlets to share HIS voice. Radio, TV, Print, Web, SCU Men's Basketball and Coach just don't get much "ink". To get "ink" you need to make noise - either good or bad noise - and we've had only a little of both - winning the CIT and CBI and the Kevin Foster debacle.
The arrival of Coach Keating at Santa Clara was a big event. I mean, we just don't change Men's Basketball Coaches, let alone do it a way that seemed so nuclear. As fans, we were both outraged - but intrigued....This MUST mean we're stepping up to compete for WCC titles.
No one in their right mind would oust a popular coach unless you're raising the bar. Right?
As Season Ticket holders and fans our expectations got a little radioactive as well.
Ask Coach Keating what is his most important measurement: it's ALL about the kids, a resolute commitment to the kids and their parents. They will graduate, they will be challenged in the classroom and on the court, and learn accountability to the team and others that will serve them forever as adults.
The W's are important, but secondary.
You can see the level of disconnect with our expectations is seismic....
Upon Kerry's hiring, no SCU official came forth publicly to declare higher expectations. No newspaper headlines: "Santa Clara's hiring of Coach Kerry Keating signals ambition to return to national prominence". Fact is, the only real change was the coach.
Our expectations, six years later, are still there.
His SCU career record through this past season is 114-121 overall and 39 -67 in WCC play.
Adding fuel to this fire, is that other WCC teams outside of the "big 3" are getting better as witnessed by the weirdness of who beat who last season.
When I asked specifically "so let me make sure I understand, if we have a 100% graduation rate and we finish the season 50/50 wins and losses, the university' is OK?"
Basically, yes.
Would he have liked to have won more, of course. BUT, he points out that even after the two seasons without key players, (2009-10, 2011-12) he has the third most wins in the two seasons after, (2010-11, 2012-13) other than Randy Bennett and Mark Few; winning both the CIT (2011) and CBI (2013) post season tournaments.
He says, with conviction, that overcoming the "0-fer" conference season of 2011-2012 and the bounce back, was his best learning experience; in that we not only kept all of our players, but we won 26 games and the CBI the next year. He feels we were 2 wins away from an
at-large NCAA berth.
It feels like the fish story - the big one that got away....And IMHO, it is these things that DRIVE Coach Keating. The "burn" is there. There's a fire inside that is raging for success, recognition, and to be "the one" to bring SCU not only back to the NCAA tourney, but prominence and respect....He's wearing out court-side scorer's table legs in his quest.
And there is HIS disconnect. A "big" program Coach in what is today at SCU, a "small" program reality. You get the picture in his Tweets and #hashtags. He sees the possibilities, but hasn't the means to deliver. He's driving a Prius against the Gonzaga, BYU Ferrari's. Even Niki Lauda wouldn't stand a chance. He needs to "get the guy we're not supposed to get" - through another "Nashlike" video on YouTube to "jump shift" the reality.
My hope, come June, we can trade in the Prius for a Tesla...I'd like to see if he's our driver.
As season ticket holders and fans it's been like the movie "Ground Hog Day". And we want the time loop to end...
Up Next: Kerry Keating Interview - Part 2: The Keys to Success
Being uninitiated in the media "rules of engagement", I sent Coach an email and he promptly responded. We met in his office on December 19th. During the interview, Coach Keating suggested we meet again to go into more depth - but - as this conversation took place before I was banished into the realm of "uncredentialed media" - the subject of a prior post - follow up's will most likely not be happening.
Our conversation was open, direct, and revealing. What follows is Part 1 of 3 posts about the interview.
Part 1: Back to the Future - The first 6 years
Part 2: Kerry's Keys to Success - Recruiting & Scheduling, X's & O's
Part 3: Coach's Goals 2014 - 2017
Fasten your seat belts. It's going to be a wild and bumpy ride, but when we get to Part 3, I hope you'll have a clear vista from which you can view Santa Clara Men's Basketball under Coach Keating's tenure.
At the outset, let me say, Coach Keating has SO MUCH to say - but seems to lack the outlets to share HIS voice. Radio, TV, Print, Web, SCU Men's Basketball and Coach just don't get much "ink". To get "ink" you need to make noise - either good or bad noise - and we've had only a little of both - winning the CIT and CBI and the Kevin Foster debacle.
The arrival of Coach Keating at Santa Clara was a big event. I mean, we just don't change Men's Basketball Coaches, let alone do it a way that seemed so nuclear. As fans, we were both outraged - but intrigued....This MUST mean we're stepping up to compete for WCC titles.
No one in their right mind would oust a popular coach unless you're raising the bar. Right?
As Season Ticket holders and fans our expectations got a little radioactive as well.
Ask Coach Keating what is his most important measurement: it's ALL about the kids, a resolute commitment to the kids and their parents. They will graduate, they will be challenged in the classroom and on the court, and learn accountability to the team and others that will serve them forever as adults.
The W's are important, but secondary.
You can see the level of disconnect with our expectations is seismic....
Upon Kerry's hiring, no SCU official came forth publicly to declare higher expectations. No newspaper headlines: "Santa Clara's hiring of Coach Kerry Keating signals ambition to return to national prominence". Fact is, the only real change was the coach.
Our expectations, six years later, are still there.
His SCU career record through this past season is 114-121 overall and 39 -67 in WCC play.
Adding fuel to this fire, is that other WCC teams outside of the "big 3" are getting better as witnessed by the weirdness of who beat who last season.
When I asked specifically "so let me make sure I understand, if we have a 100% graduation rate and we finish the season 50/50 wins and losses, the university' is OK?"
Basically, yes.
Would he have liked to have won more, of course. BUT, he points out that even after the two seasons without key players, (2009-10, 2011-12) he has the third most wins in the two seasons after, (2010-11, 2012-13) other than Randy Bennett and Mark Few; winning both the CIT (2011) and CBI (2013) post season tournaments.
He says, with conviction, that overcoming the "0-fer" conference season of 2011-2012 and the bounce back, was his best learning experience; in that we not only kept all of our players, but we won 26 games and the CBI the next year. He feels we were 2 wins away from an
at-large NCAA berth.
It feels like the fish story - the big one that got away....And IMHO, it is these things that DRIVE Coach Keating. The "burn" is there. There's a fire inside that is raging for success, recognition, and to be "the one" to bring SCU not only back to the NCAA tourney, but prominence and respect....He's wearing out court-side scorer's table legs in his quest.
And there is HIS disconnect. A "big" program Coach in what is today at SCU, a "small" program reality. You get the picture in his Tweets and #hashtags. He sees the possibilities, but hasn't the means to deliver. He's driving a Prius against the Gonzaga, BYU Ferrari's. Even Niki Lauda wouldn't stand a chance. He needs to "get the guy we're not supposed to get" - through another "Nashlike" video on YouTube to "jump shift" the reality.
My hope, come June, we can trade in the Prius for a Tesla...I'd like to see if he's our driver.
As season ticket holders and fans it's been like the movie "Ground Hog Day". And we want the time loop to end...
Up Next: Kerry Keating Interview - Part 2: The Keys to Success
