Publication of Willis firing poorly handled

By Staff Editorial     3/20/08 7:00pm

At 6 p.m. last Friday, the athletics department announced to the public that Willis Wilson (Will Rice '82), men's basketball coach for 16 years, would not be retained by the university. (see story, page 1) There were not many people around when the news broke; on campus, people were either gone for the weekend, at Reckling Park watching the baseball game or glued to television screens watching the Houston Rockets going for 21 straight wins. There was no ceremony, no real press conference, no farewell party for the longest tenured coach in Rice history. The news was broken, and then it was gone.We feel this hushed and hurried showing of the door is an insult to one of the most loyal men ever to walk on Rice campus. He was a stellar student athlete and alum, and although he took a great deal of flak for his coaching results, his devotion to his job and players was visible to the entire Rice community. Wilson deserves more than standard treatment for a college coach parting ways with a university. He deserves a chance to be thanked by the students currently attending his alma mater and the fans for whom he loved coaching so much. He deserves more than what he got.

In addition, we feel that the secretive approach also affects the athletics department's rapport with the student body as a whole. Student attendance at athletic events is wanting at Rice, and coaches and players alike have been trying for years to build the relationship with fans necessary to bolster it. Establishing trust is a large part of this process, which is hurt tremendously with the perception that something is amiss in the handling of athletic situations exactly like this. This is something the athletics department should account for, especially when it handles a situation like Wilson's. We hope the administrators think of this in the future.

---

---

---