Tommy Amaker came to Ann Arbor in 2001 from Seton Hall....there was much promise and hope for the Michigan basketball program after being mired by allegations, violations, and sanctions....
Amaker was a young refreshing leader with a good pedigree from Duke's Coach K....during Amaker's six years as head coach, he ran a clean program.....he seemed like a nice person who cared about his players....he helped stabilize the basketball program and brought it back to respectability.....but in the end, he could not win on a consistent basis to lead Michigan back into the NCAA tournament or to a Big Ten title....
In 6 years he posted a 109-83 record and 3 NIT bids including the 2004 NIT championship....
However, when you are the head basketball coach of a program the size of Michigan’s you are hired to win Big Ten and NCAA titles, not NIT banners....
People within the coaching brethren will bemoan the fact that Amaker was a good man who did all the right things, but ultimately was fired because he could not win....
Right or wrong, that is the nature of the beast....
The time was right for Michigan to move in another direction....the athletic department has been more than patient with Amaker....as Michigan received annual invitations to the NIT, their Big Ten opponents continued to move forward.....
During the last 6 years Illinois came close to a perfect season and lost in the title game....Michigan State made another Final Four appearance....Wisconsin rose to number 1 in the nation....and even hated rival Ohio State has become a national power in basketball as they somehow snatched Greg Oden from the state of Indiana to help the Buckeyes win back-to-back Big Ten titles and possibly a national title....
During the last six years, even the Purdue basketball program fell to the basketball dungeon only to rise again within 2 years.....In 2005 the Boilermakers finished 7-21 and was 10th in the Big Ten under legendary head coach Gene Keady....in just 2 short seasons, new head coach Matt Painter has the Boilermakers back in the Big Dance as they will play defending champion Florida on Sunday in the tournament's second round....
The time was right for Michigan to make the move because too many teams have passed them by over the last six years....it is now time for Michigan to put the pedal to the metal.....
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Some people are speculating that Tubby Smith might be a good candidate to replace Amaker if Kentucky lets him go. I think the Wolverines should jump at the opportunity if they get the chance.
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