Author Archives: Kent Sterling

Top seven reasons coaching Butler basketball is a top 10 job – in my world

Chris Holtmann made the right call for he and his family, but I would leave Butler for a precious few coaching jobs (Ohio State would not be among them).

I would never write (or think) that Chris Holtmann made a mistake leaving Butler University to become the head basketball coach at Ohio State.

But it’s a move I would not have made because being paid a staggering amount of money to coach basketball would be enough.  I would not see greater value in being offered an even more staggering amount of money.

All of us have a unique set of priorities, and mine do not reflect a preoccupation with sick wealth.  I’m not averse to making a significant amount of cash, but quality of life is not driven by a quantity of cash – once I’m already earning more than $1-million per year. Continue reading →

Punch lines about former Colts GM Ryan Grigson being hired by the Cleveland Browns should stop

Ryan Grigson might not have been a great GM, but he shouldn’t be a punchline.

I get it.  Former Colts general manager Ryan Grigson was hired by the Cleveland Browns, and isn’t that funny.

Grigson’s reign as the head of the Colts ended after the 2016 season when it became clear to owner Jim Irsay that Grisgon’s drafts from 2013-2016 eroded the quality of the defense to the point where that unit made it impossible for the Colts to compete successfully in the woeful AFC South.

He will be forever remembered in Indy for pulling the trigger on a trade that virtually everyone in the city was on board with at the time – a first round pick in the 2014 draft went to the Browns for running back Trent Richardson, who was the third overall pick in the 2012 draft.

That trade was a disaster for both teams.  The Colts said adios to Trent after the following season, and the Browns traded the Colts pick to move up and take Johnny Manziel.  This trade will stand the test of time the best-ever example of a lose-lose deal in sports history. Continue reading →

Eight reasons for Paul George to choose to stay in Indy with Pacers rather than to bounce to LA

Pacers fans are going to be okay no matter what Paul George decides, but going to LA might be a huge mistake.

Paul George has a decision to make.  Stay in Indianapolis to continue to earn sick cash with the Pacers or bounce to Los Angeles, Miami, or another NBA outpost for slightly less.

The Pacers have an opportunity to benefit regardless of what George believes is best.

If George wants out, adios muchacho!  Don’t let the door hit you on the ass.  If George wants to stay to become the next Reggie Miller who spends his entire career in Indy, glad to have you.  Hoosiers like those who enjoy our unique hospitality.

And make no mistake – Indy has advantages over a lot of cities – Los Angeles in particular.  People from California tend to look at Indy as though it’s a replicant of every midwestern city.  I can assure you, that is not the case.  I’ve lived in four midwestern cities, and this is the friendliest and most accommodating place in America.

I’m agnostic about George staying or going.  He can do what he likes.  The Pacers will either retool or rebuild, and GM Kevin Pritchard can make either work.  The point is that I’m not trying to talk George into staying.  I just want him to see Indy for what it is – a great city to be drafted into, and a poor one to leave. Continue reading →

Big cuts at ESPN – those who got fired might be the lucky ones

Good people got fired today by ESPN – a company that appeared poised for nothing but sustained growth just a few short years ago.

Getting the ax, or being told your role will be significantly reduced, is never pleasant, and we wish nothing but the best for pros like Paul Kuharsky, Eamonn Brennan, Ed Werder, and many others who are already looking for what’s next in their careers.

The people I save my deepest empathy for are the middle managers whose primary responsibility has evolved from driving a staff to excellence to motivating fewer to do more while earning less.

Been there – done that.  And it isn’t fun.

When efficiency becomes the highest priority for a media outlet, middle management becomes a purgatory from which there is no escape – other than being downsized yourself – or walking out in disgust on your own. Continue reading →

Lance Stephenson lights the fire that burned the @Pacers last night

Lance Stephenson can be a force for good – or not. Guess what he was last night.

Two rules in life I never break – never invite crazy to the party and never poke the bear.

The Indiana Pacers violated the second of those rules last night because they violated the first on March 30th.

Pacers president Larry Bird invited crazy to the party when he signed Lance Stephenson to rejoin his old team, and ol’ Lance poked the bear last night when he hit a three-pointer with 4:36 remaining in the third quarter to give the Pacers a 20-point lead.

When crazy is shows up at the party, everyone has the best time of their lives while the good part of the kook entertains.  That’s been Lance for the first eight games he was back with the Pacers.  He’s been entertaining, unpredictable, emotional, and compelling.

Then bad Lance finally showed himself last night. Continue reading →

Colts GM Chris Ballard building to a culture will win the Colts a Super Bowl in five years

Chris Ballard seems humble, curious, and eager to establish a culture of accountability with the Colts.

Chris Ballard is going to be successful as the general manager of the Indianapolis Colts.  Really successful.  Championship level successful.

I have no idea what his first draft board looks like or whether he has a secret sauce that allows him to recognize hidden talent others miss. What we are learning about Ballard as he spends more time with the media is that he understands that building culture is the most important point of differentiation separating good and great teams.  He is also very humble.

Check and check.

He seems in many ways to be the polar opposite of the man he replaced.  Another check.

There are two kinds of managers in business and sports – the person who surrounds him or herself with sycophants, and walks into meetings eager to convince everyone he or she is the smartest person in the room.  Then there are those who build a team of smart people who bring challenging ideas into a conference room because they will provide the best results. Continue reading →

Lance Stephenson makes Pacers fun to watch again with predictable passion

Lance is back – and he’s brought a lot a fun with him.

Sometimes the monotony gets to be too much in the NBA.

Eighty-two games with the same steady eddies can make an NBA team appear dull and uninspired.  Through 76 games, the Indiana Pacers were as lifeless as a stagnant pond.

And then Lance Stephenson came home.

A wake up call was provided to the Indiana Pacers last week as the mercurial Lance was signed for the remainder of this season, plus at least two more. Continue reading →

Fred Glass interview revealed some things about IU hoops and class in leadership

Not every day as the athletic director at Indiana is an easy and fun one for Fred Glass.

Firing someone is never easy.  Whether done for financial or qualitative reasons, making the call to fundamentally change the life of a person in your charge – and his or her family – is tough.

It’s not just hard because of the upheaval it causes the person being told to scram.  Termination is the final corrective measure, which means there has been a managerial failure as well.

Indiana Basketball coach Tom Crean was fired a couple of weeks ago.  Archie Miller was hired to be the next coach.  That level of massive change within the athletic department at Indiana takes a toll on the leader of the department.

Click here to follow Kent on Twitter

Below is a text I received from a well-heeled alum of Indiana yesterday after he listened to the Glass interview on my radio show Thursday:

I was thinking about your interview with Fred Glass yesterday.

Your interview simultaneously made me like Glass even more, made me really like Archie Miller, and dislike Tom Crean less. That’s really hard to do.  Crean should send Glass a bottle of scotch, and his brothers in law a cup of hemlock.

Glass gracefully let Crean off the hook for not showing up for his firing, Glass took the heat for the game in Georgia, and didn’t dodge any questions.

I intended none of that when the interview began.  My goal was to ask questions about the firing and subsequent hiring that I felt had not yet been answered in a way that satisfied my curiosity.

Click here for a $1 comprehensive dental exam done by the best dentist in Indiana – Dr. Mike O’Neil at Today’s Dentistry

The result was exactly as described by the alum.  As you read the seemingly endless series of eulogies for Crean that extoll his empathy, decency, and unmatched goodness, take a listen to the guy who sat in the big boy chair where the decision to move forward from mediocrity was made.

https://soundcloud.com/sports1430/ourindianas-ad-fred-glass-opens-up-about-tom-creans-departure-archie-millers-arrival-iubb