Boulder
While there’s no telling where Colorado will turn next in its frustrating search for a women’s basketball coach, there’s no doubt who should get the job.
A woman.
The work of replacing CU legend Ceal Barry is far too important to hire a man, especially some guy afraid of commitment.
In the spot where Kevin Borseth of Wisconsin-Green Bay was supposed to be introduced Thursday as coach of the Buffaloes, there instead sat a black telephone, with a voice of a tortured heart emanating from the speaker.
Not a good sign.
Borseth quit on Colorado three hours before he officially said hello.
“It might be a blessing in disguise,’ said Barry, feeling lucky to discover this mistake before it was too late for CU.
From tawdry tales of sex and drugs in football recruiting to the polemic mouth of professor Ward Churchill, this fine university could not have been plagued by a series of more unfortunate events if Lemony Snicket were school president.
For once, the Buffaloes get a second chance to do the right thing.
There could be no stronger way for the athletic department to demonstrate how it empowers women than by hiring one for the most high-profile coaching vacancy that any woman can fill in Colorado.
But ask two powerful people at CU whether it should make a difference whether the next coach is a man or a woman, and the responses are as different as Venus and Mars.
“We want the best coach and the best fit, whether it’s male or female, from college, pro or high school,’ said Mike Bohn, greeted with a fresh crisis to manage a day after being introduced as athletic director.
Bohn said he believes gender should play no significant role in the selection process, saying, “It’s not an issue.’
Typical guy. He does not know what women want. All they want is a chance.
A woman deserves first shot at keeping the legacy of Barry alive.
“Does it matter and should it matter if a women’s basketball team is coached by a woman? Yes and yes,’ Barry said. “It should matter. Because you’re talking about opportunities for women to advance in a competitive career.’
So who’s right in this battle of the sexes?
Speaking as a man fully capable of plopping down on the sofa with the TV remote and belching with the best of them, let me be the first to admit: Guys have had a tough time letting women in the game since the Cro-Mags dragged their clubs from the cave and promised to be home by the time dinner was ready.
Title IX was enacted in 1972 to break down arena doors and level the playing field for female athletes. But nothing changed the face of sports in Colorado more during the last generation than the amazing success of Barry. She made it cool for girls in this state to sweat. Winning is a stronger recruiting tool than any legislation.
It would be a farce to let a man occupy the chair where Barry landed the Buffs a dozen NCAA Tournament bids during her 22 seasons on the CU bench.
As Barry pushed women’s hoops from the back pages of the sports section to live coverage on the 10 o’clock news, an unintended consequence of Title IX eroded female power as the games grew more popular and lucrative.
In 1977, nearly 80 percent of women’s college basketball teams were coached by women. Last year, the number of women in charge of the huddle had dwindled to a fraction more than 60 percent, according to a study conducted for the National Association for Girls and Women in Sports.
Worse, slightly less than half the female athletes in all NCAA sports now play for female coaches.
The leadership positions for women at Colorado are even more scarce.
The Buffaloes employ 11 coaches to manage 17 sports teams. Barry’s retirement leaves Nicole Kenneally in women’s tennis and Anne Kelly in women’s golf as the only women given the ultimate responsibility for CU’s success or failure on the scoreboard.
“You’re talking about giving women who have played the sport at a high level and have been successful coaches an opportunity, where a male coach already has opportunities on his side of the game. So it matters. And it should matter to the university,’ Barry said.
From baseball star Jackie Robinson blasting a home run to Billie Jean King smashing a volley over the tennis net, sports have always been a relatively painless instrument of social change.
Americans can’t help themselves; they like whoever makes them stand up and cheer. Sports heroes serve as tangible inspiration for any kid who dreams of doing something big in life.
“You teach by your actions,’ Barry said. “This is an opportunity you don’t really want to pass up.’
All that’s at stake is a big paycheck and an embattled university’s image.
Staff writer Mark Kiszla can be reached at 303-820-5438 or mkiszla@denverpost.com.
