There has to be more to the story at Old Dominion than what’s currently out there. It simply doesn’t make sense.
Why in the world would Old Dominion fire Blaine Taylor with his record of success at the school? Granted, the Monarchs are having a forgettable season at 2-20, but this season is very much an aberration for the winningest coach in school history. It would be one thing if this was the worst of a steady downward trend over several seasons, but that’s simply not the case.
Tuesday morning, Old Dominion fired Taylor after nearly 12 seasons at the school with 239 wins, four NCAA Tournament appearances and several more in the NIT, CBI and CIT. In 2006, they reached the semifinals of the NIT, and in 2009 they won the CIT. The Monarchs were a model of consistent success during his tenure, usually contending in the Colonial Athletic Association and making the postseason in most of his years at the helm. Because of that, along with their excellent facilities, it was reasonable to think that they will be competitive in Conference USA before too long.
Taylor had a unique aspect to how he managed the personnel on the team in that he used the redshirt very well in his program and was terrific at selling kids on it in an era when many choose a school where they think they can play right away. The results, both team and individual, speak for themselves, and even recently one could look at players like Frank Hassell and Kent Bazemore as prime examples of players who redshirted and went on to become stars for the Monarchs. The players grew as young men off the court and on the court during their time at the school.
Last year, Fairfield head coach Sydney Johnson described Old Dominion as “a mid-major that has a lot of respect and a national name.” That was in a relatively down year, where they won 22 games but made it to a postseason tournament for the eighth year in a row. That gives you a sense of where Taylor brought this proud program in his tenure, and that sentiment is apparently shared widely enough that the Monarchs were able to lure some very good non-conference opponents to the Constant Convocation Center in recent years.
There has to be more to the story behind the school’s firing of Taylor. Not only does it make no sense from a bottom line standpoint, but athletic director Wood Selig admitted that was not the reason for this move in saying, “This decision is not based solely on wins and losses, but on a number of factors by which a head coach is evaluated.” Indeed, it seems this was in the works for some time given that Taylor was not on the CAA teleconference a week earlier (assistant coach Rob Wilkes took his place).
One possibility that will surely be speculated about is something Deadspin talked about on Tuesday. A couple of weeks earlier, Taylor appeared on his Coach’s Show as usual, but didn’t seem like himself. He seemed disinterested and his voice was that of someone who had nothing left in the tank, and a few of his statements didn’t make a lot of sense. Anyone who has interviewed Taylor in the past has seen how he is normally vibrant and full of life, in stark contrast to this radio appearance. In a conference full of coaches that are good interviews, Taylor always stood out and was often one that people would go to in part because of Old Dominion’s success.
Taylor has always been a fun interview because he is very personable and has his own brand of humor. He would always begin his time on the CAA teleconference with, “Good morning everybody!” in the voice of someone who enjoyed the interaction. He would often inject humor via analogies and get a rise out of reporters in doing so, although he also used them to make serious points about his team.
It’s ironic now that Taylor was very reflective of the school’s time in the CAA back in October at Media Day. That day, he was asked ad nauseum about the move to Conference USA after this year, which was to be expected but also not really in his ballpark as that decision was made by Selig. He didn’t take that lightly, noting that during their 22 years in the CAA, they had success, competition and friendships.
Now he won’t get to take Old Dominion into Conference USA, something once thought to be unthinkable.
