We always show up when craziness ensues. Yesterday, head coach Mike Adras resigned as head man of Northern Arizona. The Lumberjacks were off to a 2-7 start after a 49-40 loss to Pepperdine, dropping Adras’ career record to 193-170. That’s not too bad of a record. He was 99-83 in 13 seasons of Big Sky play and his team was a tournament semifinalist last season.
Now in most coaching situations where a team goes through a bad season or has a bad start, one wonders how exactly this resignation came to be. Was it a “I’ll get out before they ax me” decision by Adras? Was it a “resign or you’re fired” call by the AD, Jim Fallis? Those seem to be the only options, whether logically or illogically.
The biggest grumbling from NAU supporters and/or followers of the Big Sky in the ensuing 24 hours seems to be Fallis’ replacement choice. Longtime NAU employee Dave Brown, a 70-year-old who was the director of NAU’s Walkup Skydome and previously coached the NAU women’s team from 1983 to 1990.He has also served as the interim athletic director and a broadcaster for NAU. A lot of the details, what there are of them are in this story. Particularly intriguing is this: “Brown was chosen over Adras’ three assistants because of the staff’s structure. There wasn’t a clear assistant head coach among Quintin Grogan, Will Hensley and Jay Collins, who shared some of the same duties.” That’s semi-baffling. Choosing someone as a head coach – even interim – because he’s always been available to help out the school over any of three people who know the players and have interacted with them on a day-to-day basis? That’s … absurd.
Another gem in the piece: “Brown had not seen a men’s practice this year prior to Friday. He has only watched the Lumberjacks while providing color commentary during game broadcasts this season. He plans to make some changes with how the squad plays over the remainder of their schedule, but nothing too radical to begin with.” Again, you picked him for what reason? The season’s tanked already can be the only thinking Fallis and Co. have. Just doesn’t make sense from any perspective otherwise.
Adras took over for Ben Howland in 1999 as Howland moved on to bigger and better things. Thirteen years later, he leaves. We’re not really sure why. Brown doesn’t look like a long-term replacement option by any stretch of the imagination, but the season has yet to be played out completely.
