Painter, Missouri Situation Still Sticky
By Editorial Staff
The Boiling Point: With four days of speculation piling up on Matt Painter’s coaching future, we try to sort through it all for some clarity.
Well, four days after Purdue coach Matt Painter was first linked to the men’s basketball coaching opening at Missouri, Boiler and Tiger fans still don’t know what’s going on. There has been plenty of speculation that has Painter staying in West Lafayette and has him heading to Columbia.
Here are two different sources contradicting each other with their scoops. The first is from a Facebook page of “The Sports Horn,” which is a TV show out of Missouri.
"Source inside Missouri athletic department claims Matt Painter will be named head coach by tuesday. More on this speculation as well as KU’s loss and the Final Four on tomorrow mornings Sports Horn episode!"
The second comes from @ManCaveSports1, which is apparently a sports Web site.
"#Purdue coach Matt Painter will NOT be the next coach at #Mizzou. According to sources in the Purdue Athletic Department."
These two instances of “knowledge” are only a small sampling of what has transpired during the weekend and sent both fan bases into a craze about the future of their basketball programs.
We here at TheBoilingPoints.com aren’t about to throw around knowledge from sources or speculation. What we will relay is the very informed and supported opinion of Brian Neubert of GoldandBlack.com, Rivals’ Purdue affiliated Web Site.
According to Neubert, there are “overwhleming” reasons from multiple people that don’t bode well for Purdue keeping Painter.
"What we’ve found is only more and more suggestions that Mizzou could be on the fast track to making a hire in the short term. A pair of different sources have said Tuesday could be the day. As far as we can tell, Painter is not only the leading candidate; he’s the only candidate. Do the math."
Obviously that doesn’t sound good. Neither did this.
"Purdue is Painter’s alma mater, but at no point in time in his career coaching in West Lafayette has he said or done anything to suggest he’s a lifer here for that simple reason.Speculation might have it that this is all merely a shakedown – I know that term has sinister connotations, but I can’t think of a better one – of Purdue. But if that’s the case, it’s been an unbelievably elaborate and well-choreographed one."
Neubert and GBI always do their work on these things before reporting them, I can assure you that. They aren’t like some sites that take a rumor or ounce of truth and run with it to the bank. If there is an informed voice in this whole thing on Purdue’s side, it’s them. With that said, they have made sure to reiterate nothing has been made final and the situation is fluid.
"There’s just no telling what’s going to happen here, but this does open a door for us to once again get way ahead of ourselves: If Purdue loses Painter, does it then promote associate head coach Paul Lusk, who otherwise would likely be a candidate to replace Martin at Missouri State, or does it go out on the open market, weeks behind the other high-majors who’ve opened, with the game’s hottest young coaches likely now out of its desired price range?On the surface, things do not look or sound promising for Purdue keeping Painter. That’s not to say things can’t change.But until Painter shows up in Columbia, Mo., all of this is just talk, however convincing it may seem. Actions are more powerful than words in cases like this.We should know soon enough."
Not sure if it’s going to be quite soon enough for most fans as most Purdue fans are ready to bail on athletic director Morgan Burke if he doesn’t give Painter a raise. Certainly with former Purdue player and assistant Cuonzo Martin being hired at Tennessee, Burke would have a hard time finding friends if Painter leaves and Martin is no longer an option to replace him.
For those curious, here’s a breakdown of what the coaches in the Big Ten make unofficially.
- Tom Izzo (Michigan State) $2.4 million
- Thad Matta (Ohio State) 2.4 mill
- Tom Crean (Indiana) 2.1 mill
- Tubby Smith (Minnesota) 1.8 mill
- John Beilein (Michigan) 1.6 mill
- Bruce Weber (Illinois) 1.5 mill
- Bo Ryan (Wisconsin) 1.5 mill
- Matt Painter (Purdue) 1.325 mill
- Frank McCaffery (Iowa) 1.1 mill
- Bill Carmody (Northwestern) 1.1 mill
- Ed DeChellis (Penn State) $ 650k
Missouri’s been quite forward about it’s willingness to throw between $2-2.5 million to Painter.
Continue to check back as we will try and sort through truths and non-truths as this process drags on. And when there is news, we will have it.
Original rumors surface
Commentary: Rumors aren’t a bad thing
Mark Montieth mentions Painter isn’t a lifer at Purdue
Post-Dispatch article off base
Painter to meet with Mizzou
Twitter account makes fun of Purdue’s cheapness