I got to see John Chaney speak at the Pioneer Awards ceremony at the NABJ convention in Philly this weekend. He’s one of those cats you absolutely have to check out, partially because there’s no telling where he’s going to go with it.
This isn’t a Calipari reference. In fact, I don’t even think of that readily when thinking of Chaney, if only because his other accomplishments are so towering and his intentions are so good. Now, if we wanna talk about John Chaney going crazy, I think of four words: SEND IN THE GOON!
Anyway, there he was in front of everyone, sharing the stage with Tina Sloan Greene, who won three national titles coaching women’s lacrosse at Temple (don’t worry, I wasn’t up on her, either). He’d clearly gained a little weight, though it was pretty clear he hadn’t bought any new shirts. Or ties, for that matter, seeing how familiar that red tie was. He had a goatee we never saw him with on the bench. He was just an old man who dropped by to pick up an award, with a lot to say.
I don’t think I heard Chaney say anything earth-shattering or new. It was a fairly standard admonition of the world to do more to take care of its young people, to be concerned with educating kids. I’ve always said America’s greatest betrayal to its young is the state of its public schools, and it’s the dead-up truth. We could talk about funding and everything else, but we can go right to athletics. We’re watching high school games pop up on television left and right, a clear sign that the real purpose of high school sports — to give everyone a chance to compete and to cultivate school spirit — has been disregarded in the name of 20 prospects per sport NATIONWIDE. Really, that’s about all anyone wants to see on television. 20 kids, at most.
I wish good luck to any coach worried more about kids than winning and publicity under those circumstances. And it has always been my take that, if you’re working with anyone under 18 and you’re not in it for them, you probably shouldn’t be allowed around those kids. Straight up.
That was the thought that stuck with me listening to Chaney. Sure, he’s abrasive. He has referred to himself as “the black Bob Knight,” a statement I hope isn’t really true. As mentioned above, he threatened to kill Calipari. But you can’t question his heart. His game was clearly the kids, and he managed to win with one top-flight recruit ever (Mark Macon, though he nearly pulled Rasheed Wallace). He’s not corporate.
And the sad part? What room is there for John Chaney in the modern landscape, with the incentive structures as they are? We all praise him, but where’s the next one coming from? Where’s the next John Chaney gonna get a job?
Of course, Chaney offered some off colored stuff — “I would say what I said about [Arthur Ashe], but he’s dead” — but that didn’t really matter. It was him, looking like just another old head, picking up a prestigious award like it was another day at the office. And when given a platform, he talked about what mattered to him: the kids.
Kinda wish we could say the same about more people on more levels.