The Mouths That Bore: Coaching Wannabee Gottlieb's Got Gargantuan Gall
Never underestimate the occasional astonishing absence of perspective among TV pundits. Amid the boob tube personality-driven showmanship, PT Barnum continues to chortle, "I was right all along!" about "there's a sucker born every minute."
ESPN's Doug Gottlieb, ranked among the Top 20 analysts by CollegeHoopedia.com, never has coached a game of college basketball - even as an assistant. Yet the legend in his own mind proclaimed he was fit to serve at Kansas State as Frank Martin's successor. The Wildcats weren't suckered, ignoring such ego chicanery and hiring former SIU and Illinois mentor Bruce Weber.
Who does Gottlieb think he is? The collegiate version of Pat Riley? Saying he is "self aware" (a/k/a "full of himself"), Gottlieb must have thought the coaching acumen of his father and brother would rub off on him. Before becoming head coach at Jacksonville and Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Gottlieb's father (Bob) was an assistant at K-State in the early 1970s at a time when the program was in the midst of capturing 11 Big Eight Conference championships in an 18-year span. In a battle of Wildcats, mighty Kentucky was the only school at that point to boast more final Top 20 rankings than KSU.
Gottlieb, a Notre Dame transfer who led the nation in assists in 1998-99 and finished runner-up the next season with Oklahoma State, thought he could assist K-State basically because of the visibility of his mug being on TV. Well, criminals have their head shots at the post office. Would that help them recruit suspect student-athletes? How about throwing his hat in the ring and learning the trade first at Kansas Wesleyan?
The sports TV culture frequently fosters hero worshiped such as ESPN original Keith Olbermann who think the world revolves around them and they develop a sordid sense of "out-of-bounds" entitlement. Gottlieb was no different than Larry "Grandmama" Johnson, who was upset and probably lost "her" wig and outfit when he didn't inherit the UNLV coaching job.
"When you are among the high-flying adored, your view of the world becomes blurred," wrote psychologist Stanley Teitelbaum of the flouting-of-the-law behavior in the book "Sports Heroes, Fallen Idols: How Star Athletes Pursue Self-Destructive Paths and Jeopardize Their Careers."
"Off the field, some act as if they are above the rules of society; hubris and an attitude of entitlement become central to the psyche of many athletes. They may deny that they are vulnerable to reprisals and feel omnipotent and grandiose as well as entitled."
If Gottlieb's resume does eventually enable him to go straight to a DI head coaching assignment, he'll need to also break ground by hiring an assistant devoted exclusively to free-throw shooting. After all, he is a lifetime member on the All-Gang That Can't Shoot Straight Team (abysmal 45.3% mark from the "foul" line with OSU).
Moreover, if Gottlieb is qualified to go straight to accepting the K-State reins in a conference where he previously competed, it seems his ESPN colleagues should be treated in the same fashion. Andy Katz should be next in line for the Fresno State position in his old stomping grounds; Alabama grad Rece Davis should be able to anchor any SEC opening; Doris Burke should become the first full-time female coach of a men's program at her alma mater (Providence) or some other Big East member; Stephen Bardo should have been hired by Illinois (not John Groce); Adrian Branch should be Maryland's coach (not Mark Turgeon); Miles Simon should be at Arizona's helm (not Sean Miller); Sean Farnham should be groomed as Ben Howland's replacement at UCLA; LaPhonso Ellis should be designated as Mike Brey's successor at Notre Dame, and Kara Lawson should be the odds-on favorite to succeed Pat Summitt.
Where does the self-aggrandizement stop? Should former Florida dance-team member Erin Andrews strut her stuff on the Gators' sideline as Billy Donovan's successor? On second thought, maybe Erin can offer more incentive to UF players to win close contests (perhaps a cool Mountain Dew or dance lessons) than Donovan (woeful 62-74 record in games decided by fewer than six points).
In some ways, Gottlieb's gall emanating from the Worldwide Leader is almost as offensive as Dana Jacobson's inebriated onstage anti-Jesus rant at a roast for a couple of her colleagues or Jailin' Rose's "Uncle Tom" denigration of Duke's Dynasty. At least ESPN doesn't have to worry about Gottlieb needing to take a class to work on his self-esteem.