June 17, 2004

GUZZO'S GONE, BUT A NEW COACH ISN'T ALL ODU NEEDS

Old Dominion University, for whatever reason, is moving to emphasize wrestling within its athletic program, which bucks the national trend to trim or cut wrestling altogether.

Steve Martin, a tireless, wildly successful coach from a legendary wrestling family, has been hired, albeit with little college experience. Competitive pay for assistant coaches is promised. Renovated facilities are planned. A spike in camp attendance and profit is anticipated. A surge into the top 25 nationally is desired.

This is good news for wrestling people in a strong wrestling area who'd love to see college wrestling here thrive.

A question now is whether baseball people in a strong baseball area can expect the same.

ODU is searching for a coach to replace Tony Guzzo, the Norfolk native popular in the local baseball community. Guzzo, to the dismay of his many fans, was dismissed after this past season, although he'd known for weeks that his time in his dream job was over.

Guzzo was at ODU for 10 seasons and spoke often of wanting to coach the Monarchs for five more. He wanted to re-establish their name and reach the College World Series, though ODU has been to the NCAA tournament just three times since 1995.

It wasn't going to happen, though, under the malaise that had settled over the program. It's a funk that Guzzo's supporters say was a direct result of the handcuffs placed on the coach.

Guzzo didn't return requests to talk about this, and a spokesman said Jim Jarrett, ODU's athletic director, is out of the office this week.

But at the least, a clear, wrestling-like rededication of resources toward baseball - perhaps a kind of big-splash hire - couldn't hurt ODU's rejuvenation efforts.

Sadly, Guzzo's tenure lapsed into too much of a he-said, she-said situation. Guzzo, friends insist, was required to spend too much time raising funds - although fund raising is a critical part of the coaching business today.

And yet, once when a particularly significant gift rolled in, Guzzo's friends say Jarrett redirected half of it from baseball and into other areas.

Guzzo's recruiting, they say, also suffered because his staff was ever changing for financial reasons. Assistants in nonrevenue sports historically make little but are supplemented by camp profits.

The profile of ODU's camps, however, has waned in a glutted marketplace. The fizz has even seeped from ODU's biggest fund-raiser, its annual winter clinic.

Camps were once ODU's introduction to some of its best recruits. Lately, though, ODU has had to rely on overlooked gems such as Justin Verlander, the second pick in the draft, or late-bloomers such as Donnie Smith, another draftee, to try to compete in a demanding conference.

Ultimately, a coach answers for a program's failings. Probably there is blame on both sides. The fact remains that Guzzo has been forced to move out, and ODU to consider how best to move on.

Certainly, the names already being floated among ODU's following are intriguing:

Would ODU, riding its Martin hire, dare lure another high school coach from Great Bridge? Wiley Lee, a former Monarch, runs an outstanding program there that's won a state title.

Nick Boothe? He's another ex-Monarch - married to ODU hall of famer Yogi Hightower - who keeps Virginia Wesleyan nationally ranked in Division III.

Chris Finwood? The top assistant at Auburn, which also needs a head coach, is from Hampton, assisted at Virginia Commonwealth and was head coach at VMI.

Finwood's name was first on many lips after Guzzo was fired. Reached this week, Finwood said only that he's interested and anticipates interviewing for the job.

What remains to be seen is how, if at all, that job changes.