Eustachy takes over a veteran team in Fort Collins
Two days ago, it was officially announced that the Colorado State men’s basketball program has a new head coach, and his name is Larry Eustachy. That name may have instantly rung a bell for anyone who has followed college basketball pretty closely for the past 15 years. Eustachy has definitely had some success throughout his coaching career, but it’s the controversy roughly a decade ago that made him more noteworthy than he would have normally been. This hire comes just a few weeks after coach Tim Miles left for Nebraska, which was right after CSU made an appearance in the 2012 NCAA tournament. Needless to say, new Athletic Director Jack Graham has had his hands full. The school is pushing hard for a new on-campus football stadium, he had to find a new basketball coach, and recently 3 football players beat up some freshmen at a house party. How’s that for getting your feet wet in a new job?
So who is Larry Eustachy? Well, as far as his coaching career, he has done pretty well. He has been at 4 schools over the course of over 20 years, and turned around those teams and made each better. Most recently, he took Southern Mississippi to last months NCAA tournament, where he spent 9 years as head man of the Golden Eagles. Prior to that is where things got sticky. Eustachy was the head coach at Iowa State from 1998-2003, where his Cyclones made an Elite 8 appearance, and one year won a school record 32 games. He was also named AP national coach of the year in 2000, and was having a ton of success. Then came the spring of 2003, when pictures surfaced of Eustachy at a college party at the University of Missouri, just hours after Iowa State lost to Missouri. Several pictures showed Eustachy drinking with and kissing college girls. Around this time, there were reports that the same thing went on after a game at Kansas State as well. Once this stuff hit the news, a grease fire began and it was not a good situation for Mr. Eustachy. About a week later, he resigned and entered alcohol rehab. He then took a year off from coaching, and was hired at Southern Mississippi in 2004.
Is the hire of Larry Eustachy at Colorado State a good one? I think so. He has done a good job and been clean for almost a decade. He has also proven he can win at various places. At CSU, he instantly begins coaching a team that returns most of the core group of players who won 20 games last season. A lot of CSU alums were worried that the team may falter after Tim Miles left for Nebraska. I wouldn’t worry, 2012-2013 could potentially be an even better year, as another trip to March Madness should be in the cards.
Denver Sports by J Simp
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