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With Rick Barnes accepting the job in Tennessee, the Texas Longhorns are in the market for a men's basketball coach. According to some folks, Oklahoma State is on the verge of ousting Travis Ford as its coach. What does this have to do with Virginia Tech basketball? It depends on who you listen to. Some say Buzz is on O.S.U's short list. It becomes a discussion of what is a better coaching job. It becomes a conversation of what is the better conference. As always, it becomes a question of the money.
Oklahoma State is reportedly considering a $9.6 million buyout of Travis Ford's contract http://t.co/njXovtzQ3J pic.twitter.com/r7OFYGJ2Re
— Sports Illustrated (@SInow) March 31, 2015
T. Boone Pickens is the benefactor of all Oklahoma State athletics, but this may too steep even for him. There has been widespread speculation of what Buzz William's exact buyout may or may not be. I have seen a huge window of what Pickens will have to pay to get Buzz. Some say it can be as high as 7 million.
Buzz Williams reportedly has $7 million buyout if he leaves Va. Tech after one season. OSU would already be bleeding cash if it cans Ford.
— Dave Sittler (@DaveSittler) March 31, 2015
That seems like a pretty steep price tag for a coach that finished 11-22. Williams was born in Texas, and received his bachelor's degree at Oklahoma City University. Is moving back "home" enough incentive for Buzz to abandon a rebuilding job only one year in? The Hokie fan base hopes not. The other piece to this story includes the Texas Longhorns. After ousting Rick Barnes, the Longhorns are also in the market for a head coach.
Rick Barnes reportedly out at Texas. We at Marquette thought that was Buzz Williams' job whenever it was going to open up. Is now the time?
— Brad Galli (@BradGalli) March 28, 2015
The Marquette portion of William's resume must speak very loudly. We are talking about a coach who had a .333 winning percentage last season, and a .603 lifetime percentage. Keep in mind that Williams took Marquette to 5 consecutive N.C.A.A. tournaments in his first 5 seasons. His last year at Marquette he was 17-15, before accepting the Tech job. It was a head scratcher why he left Marquette then, will we be the ones left scratching our heads this time?