Oregon State interim coach Kevin Mouton has worked relentlessly for six years with his best friend -- former Beavers head coach Jay John -- right up until the end.
On Sunday, John was relieved of his coaching duties, and Mouton took over for the remainder of the season. Mouton's relationship with John goes back more than 20 years when Mouton played for the University of Oregon and John was an assistant. They met again when Mouton transferred to Jamestown Community College in New York before they coached coached together at Butler under Barry Collier, who is now the Bulldogs' athletic director.
I worked with Mouton for two years at the University of Nebraska, and he was a pleasure to work with and learn from. Kevin is a hard worker that has great people skills, and he built strong relationships with our players and recruits. In addition, he has a very good feel for the game. When I spoke with Kevin this week, he was very concerned for John in that he cares about how his friend adjusts to a tough situation. He also wants to put the Oregon State players in a position to be successful in their remaining 12 regular-season games (starting tonight against USC in Corvallis) and in the Pac-10 tournament.
This will not be Mouton's first time as the decision maker. In 2004-05, when John was sidelined with an illness, Mouton stepped in and guided the Beavers to a 22-point home victory over Arizona State.
Mouton said practice has been good the last couple of days, and he thinks the players are in a good frame of mind and ready to compete. I know from being on the sideline with him that he will coach with his heart and hold players accountable on and off the court. Playing time will be rewarded to the players that put forth great effort, and he will be fair -- but tough.
When Mouton left Nebraska to join John at Oregon State, I was disappointed but understood their strong ties. During his six years at OSU, Kevin had other opportunities presented to him but promised John that he would stay and help turn things around. Not many assistant coaches would have kept their word in the what-have-you-done-for-me-lately profession of coaching, but Mouton stayed the course.
John is one of the good guys in the coaching profession, and he will bounce back. But I am extremely excited for Mouton that Oregon State athletic director Bob De Carolis has given this loyal and highly qualified assistant an opportunity.
Purdue growing up fast
Purdue head coach Matt Painter has one of the youngest teams in the country. Currently at 14-5 overall (5-1 in the Big Ten), Painter's young Boilers are playing with great confidence.
With a team that has only one senior (guard Tarrance Crump, 17 minutes a game), Painter depends on talented youth to get the job done. Purdue's top seven includes two sophomores (Keaton Grant and guard Chris Kramer) and four freshmen from the state of Indiana (Robbie Hummel, E'Twaun Moore, Scott Martin and 6'10 JaJuan Johnson ). Juco transfer Nemanja Calasan rounds out the rotation.
As a former coach, I commend Painter because to mesh youth, a junior college player and inexperienced players into a winning combination is not an easy task. These players have been accustomed to "being the man" on their high school, AAU and junior college teams, and now they have to work harder than they have in their life for the good of the team. It can be a hard sell, but Painter seems to have excellent team chemistry.
The four freshmen combined for 29 points, 13 rebounds, 10 assists and five steals in the win over Illinois on Jan. 19. Critics might point out that Purdue's wins have come against the bottom half of the conference, and that is why it is off to a good start. But to win Big Ten games and depend on youth and inexperience is extremely difficult. As I said in my Big Ten preconference report, with five of its top six scorers newcomers, Purdue will be solid this season, and dangerous next year.
Painter is definitely ahead of schedule.