Dakich has no regrets
Posted: Thu Feb 09, 2006 7:02 am
Lead story on ESPN is about the West Virginia basketball team. Andy Katz has a sidebar about Dakich in the article:
Dakich has no regrets
Dan Dakich doesn't regret leaving West Virginia days after accepting the job four years ago.
In fact, he's one of the Mountaineers' biggest fans.
In one of the stranger recent coaching moves, Dakich accepted the job at West Virginia only to return to Bowling Green after the news conference announcing him as the Mountaineers' new head coach.
"I made a decision based on what was there," said Dakich, who added there was more to the potential fear of NCAA sanctions at the time with the end of the Gale Catlett era. "I said at the time that this [was] the best move for me and for West Virginia and everybody involved."
Why?
"Because all that had happened [at WVU] and based on my life and the way I live it," said Dakich, clearly focusing on the culture that existed under the previous staff. Ultimately, the Mountaineers never received any NCAA sanctions. "I just felt like it wasn't something that was going to be in the best interests for me and for West Virginia, and obviously it worked out well for West Virginia."
The Mountaineers reached the Elite Eight last season under John Beilein, who left his post at Richmond to take the WVU job once Dakich resigned and returned to Bowling Green. Dakich was coming off his best season at BGSU, with a 24-9 record and an NIT berth in 2001-02, when he landed the Mountaineers' job. Since then, he has gone 13-16, 14-17 and 18-11, never finishing higher than third in the MAC. The Falcons currently are in last place in the MAC East at 5-7 (9-13 overall).
"They've done a great job there," Dakich said of Beilein and his staff. "John Beilein should be commended for a wonderful job. They're fun to watch. I root for them. I like the way they play. They play hard, guys like Mike Gansey and Kevin Pittsnogle. "It worked out fine for me," Dakich said. "I'd rather be in the Elite Eight and things like that, but I don't have any regrets. I live my life based on being able to say, 'This is how you do things honestly, not based on money.' I do what I think is right and that's what I did. I don't have any regrets."
-- Andy Katz
Dakich has no regrets
Dan Dakich doesn't regret leaving West Virginia days after accepting the job four years ago.
In fact, he's one of the Mountaineers' biggest fans.
In one of the stranger recent coaching moves, Dakich accepted the job at West Virginia only to return to Bowling Green after the news conference announcing him as the Mountaineers' new head coach.
"I made a decision based on what was there," said Dakich, who added there was more to the potential fear of NCAA sanctions at the time with the end of the Gale Catlett era. "I said at the time that this [was] the best move for me and for West Virginia and everybody involved."
Why?
"Because all that had happened [at WVU] and based on my life and the way I live it," said Dakich, clearly focusing on the culture that existed under the previous staff. Ultimately, the Mountaineers never received any NCAA sanctions. "I just felt like it wasn't something that was going to be in the best interests for me and for West Virginia, and obviously it worked out well for West Virginia."
The Mountaineers reached the Elite Eight last season under John Beilein, who left his post at Richmond to take the WVU job once Dakich resigned and returned to Bowling Green. Dakich was coming off his best season at BGSU, with a 24-9 record and an NIT berth in 2001-02, when he landed the Mountaineers' job. Since then, he has gone 13-16, 14-17 and 18-11, never finishing higher than third in the MAC. The Falcons currently are in last place in the MAC East at 5-7 (9-13 overall).
"They've done a great job there," Dakich said of Beilein and his staff. "John Beilein should be commended for a wonderful job. They're fun to watch. I root for them. I like the way they play. They play hard, guys like Mike Gansey and Kevin Pittsnogle. "It worked out fine for me," Dakich said. "I'd rather be in the Elite Eight and things like that, but I don't have any regrets. I live my life based on being able to say, 'This is how you do things honestly, not based on money.' I do what I think is right and that's what I did. I don't have any regrets."
-- Andy Katz
