Selection by stealth

Chinese military strategist Sun Tzu once wrote on the value of secrecy: "O divine art of subtlety and secrecy! Through you we learn to be invisible, through you inaudible and hence we can hold the enemy's fate in our hands." After 2,500 years, this axiom remains true, applying directly to one of the great struggles of our time: the selection of a new IU basketball coach.\nAs you might've heard, we're in the market to replace Mike Davis. And while speculation about his successor abounds, those actually in the know (IU President Adam Herbert and Athletics Director Rick Greenspan) are being bloody quiet about it. As the IDS reported Thursday, the usual suspects in big university decisions -- the trustees, the IU Foundation, the Bloomington Faculty Council, etc. -- are about as informed as we are at the moment. \nBut, you know, that's OK.\n"Secrecy" and "discretion" aren't exactly IDS buzzwords -- all things being equal, we tend to prefer "transparency" and "inclusion." We'd tell you what we had for lunch if we thought you wanted to know (bag of Cheetos, three pints of lager, large gulp of Pepto-Bismol). But, after a confab at the editorial board's château overlooking the majestic Jordan River, we've decided that all things aren't equal in this case.\nFor starters, it's a delicate operation. Good coaches are hard to come by, and in very high demand. At IU, the basketball coach is critical to the whole of University athletics -- men's basketball being the heart that pumps funding through the athletics department's veins. For other schools, the basketball coach might not be as singly essential, but will still be a pillar of their program. In short, we're going to poach a coach -- and, if he's as good as needs be, he'll come from somewhere that really won't want to surrender him. Better, then, to quietly position our pieces -- to be "invisible" and "inaudible" -- until the moment we nick our pick out from under the poor sucker's nose.\nThen there's the question of what all these additional chefs might actually add to the stew -- would bringing the trustees, the alumni, the BFC and so on help the process or needlessly muddle it? We're guessing the latter. Key opinions will come from the players, not professors who shoot hoops on the weekend. Were this a new president or provost, all constituencies, including students, could contribute vital knowledge about what makes for a top candidate -- but, as to what makes for a great basketball coach? Hardly.\nLet's put a little faith in Greenspan's track record. Who'd he get for us last time? Football coach Terry Hoeppner, who -- while not yet getting as many wins as we'd like -- has reinvigorated Hoosier football. Hopefully Greenspan's next pick will be as inspired.\nAlthough if there's one thing to be learned from Davis' tenure, it's that Greenspan had best keep all constituencies in mind if he wants his coach to last longer than six years. We strongly suggest they submit their advice candidly and voluntarily, but they shouldn't demand a physical presence in the discussion.