You rarely hear them mention that many coaches view contracts as one-sided entities to be abused whenever the next hot job comes along. You rarely hear them mention that, while they can be first wined and dined and wooed away, the players they supposedly recruit in good faith do not have the same freedom if the coach leaves. Why, you don't even hear coaches admit that, if they really are all that sickened by the way the big-time basketball monster has gone out of control, they can always coach at Division II or III levels, and be done with all those angry phone calls from radio listeners or rich alumni. Of course, then they might not be able to make all that extra cash off a summer camp, or find themselves featured on the next ESPN halftime show, or have enough money to build that summer cabin. The world being dominated by the notion of instant gratification, there are certainly times when hatchet-man athletic directors with ridiculous expectations cut loose coaches who deserve better.
Coaches can make big money.
They can make a a big name for themselves. And they are allowed to dominate the college game like no coach is allowed to dominate any other sport. Let' take the case of one coach, Larry Eustachy of Iowa State. Eustachy, largely using his predecessor's players, led the Cyclones on a terrific tournament run to the Elite Eight a year ago. Van De Velde said other schools had contacted Eustachy about coaching jobs and he wanted to make sure Eustachy was satisfied at Iowa State, which is 25-4 and ranked No. 7 this season.