For a brief moment, I’m going to be a hypocrite. I am going to tell you that, right now, amidst the excitement of an already-promising 2012-13 college basketball season, that we needn’t focus on the situation that currently surrounds men’s basketball coach Frank Haith. I am going to tell you that we don’t need to talk about it.
And then, for this brief moment, I am going to talk about it.
Earlier this week, a CBSSports.com article reported that Haith was being charged by the NCAA for “unethical conduct and failure to promote an atmosphere of compliance” stemming from his time coaching at Miami.
The reaction and statements since have turned into a cluster of ambiguity and wordplay that, in the end, all spells out the same thing — no one is allowed to say anything right now. And the buck should stop there. Until something actually happens, the focus should remain on this basketball season. Everyone should view Haith as the leader of the team, not the guy who might be in trouble. All of the cloudiness, confusion and gray area in this situation is a telling sign that we don’t need to react or analyze or debate. The reason for that is simple — there’s nothing to react to, analyze or debate yet.
Now here’s the part where I get a little hypocritical because I, like any Tigers fan, have a reaction. It’s a very grounded and open-minded one. At least, that’s what I’m aiming for.
The thing we have to be careful about is we really don’t know to what degree, if any at all, Haith was actually involved. Do take that with a grain of salt. I certainly don’t want to give him, or any coach who may be facing some sort of “allegations” a free pass (and definitely won’t if he actually proven to have an intricate role). But jumping to any sort of conclusion at this point would be both premature and juvenile.
The fact is, we don’t know the facts. When you don’t know the facts, the truly legitimate facts specifically provided by those in charge of the investigation, you don’t have anything to stand on. With all the anonymously cited “sources” there’s no cold, hard truths to distinguish from rumor. In time we’ll know, but it isn’t guaranteed Missouri will suffer a blow.
When the dust settles and we hear a verdict, it doesn’t necessarily mean that A) Haith was entirely at fault or B) any repercussions would lead to Haith’s dismissal. And even if he is dismissed from the university, MU will not suffer any punishment from the NCAA. So until we know anything, it’s better to remain optimistic. And on the court, the Tigers are absolutely giving us a good reason to stay positive with a No. 22 ranking and a 14-4 record.
Haith means too much to this program and the success it’s currently having. Any other theories and analysis of the situation — if there even is a situation — I really think should be left for another day. For now, it is better to focus on the game.
There is the “worst-case scenario” looming on the horizon that hopefully never comes to fruition — that the NCAA finds grounds to punish, and coach Haith’s career in Columbia ends. But that is neither here nor now. We still have half of a season to play. Mizzou is facing the heart of the conference schedule, its inaugural in the Southeastern Conference, and appears poised to make a long run in the NCAA tournament.
This is a time when players, coaches and fans alike should focus on the game. As we know all too well in sports, distractions can be a team’s undoing. So for right now, the best thing to do is to ignore the background noise.