"Man Bites Dog" is Real News

The teaser headline in the upper right hand corner of the News Journal did its job. "Delaware Basketball Shocked," it read. Now this HAD to be real news. I tore open the paper to get to the sports page.

"We Won't Get Fooled Again." Last night, the Delaware men's basketball team lost to the bottom-dwelling James Madison squad that got a chance to do some bottom-feeding on the sinking Hens. This hardly qualifies as a "shock." Shock would be when they WIN a big game.

Delaware President David Roselle and athletic director Edgar Johnson have to suck it up, admit to their mistake, and fire David Henderson as the school's mens basketball coach. The former Dukee assistant and player hasn't delivered the goods in his six seasons as coach. Blame the refs, blame the tough competition, blame the lack of fan support, blame it on the Bossa Nova. The program needs a transfusion before the loyal 1500 or so remaining fans turn in their season tickets next year to pay for their rising electric bills. And Roselle and Johnson should avoid whisking away an assistant from an elite program like Duke for Henderson's successor. The Duke program recruits itself, as do many programs like Roselle's beloved Kentucky. Delaware needs a hungry young coach not associated with a name program who'll be willing to put in the time to recruit, teach, and sell the program. If they opt for another Henderson-type, we'll be likely singing, "Meet the new boss, same as the old boss."