2/21/19

Time running out for SaulBall

Pete Nakos / Assistant Sports Editor

Saul Phillips can’t run from history.

No matter how unfair it may seem or how long it’s been since Ohio has truly been a conference power, the NCAA Tournament banners will still be hanging in The Convo and the fan base will always have high standards. The tradition created by six Mid-American Conference Tournament Championships, 14 regular season titles, the 2012 run to the Sweet Sixteen and countless Convo legends — it’s all inescapable.

After five seasons, it's hard to see how the partnership between Phillips and Ohio can last much longer.

There are two big questions that constantly hover over Ohio basketball: Is Phillips ever going to be the coach that leads Ohio to sustainable success at the top of the MAC again? And is there a better man to do it? After nearly five years, it’s hard to answer the first question. It might be even tougher to answer the second question.

Barring unforeseen events over the next month, this could be a partnership that has run its course. Phillips’ contract is set to expire on May 15. Whether Ohio Athletic Director Jim Schaus cuts ties early is still to be decided, but it’s hard to see Phillips brought back after back-to-back losing seasons, especially without an extension already in place.

That’s the state of Ohio basketball and Phillips: in flux without a clear direction of the future.

“If there’s a snap your finger solution to it, I think I would of told them by now,” Phillips said after Ohio’s fourth straight loss last week. “(My confidence) has to be good. I’m the leader of this team.”

On April 8, 2015, Phillips was introduced as the 18th coach of Ohio basketball.

Ohio head coach Saul Phillips argues with a referee during the second half of the Bobcats' 85-70 win over Akron on Saturday, February 4 at the Convocation Center. (FILE)

Fresh off of an NCAA Tournament upset of Oklahoma, he made the decision to leave North Dakota State after seven seasons and two Summit League Championships.

In his introductory press conference in The Convo, Phillips was a ball of energy. He talked about the reasons why he left Fargo, North Dakota, such as the bigger budget for a coaching staff and the fertile recruiting land of Ohio. The reasons also included a better facility, The Convo, and a strong fan base.

He spoke of how he wanted to put a team on the court that had fun playing the game of basketball and believed in one another.

But above all else, Phillips was blunt. He wanted to be in Athens until his daughter graduates from high school. In 2015, he had no intentions of leaving Southeast Ohio after his first contract.

“I’ve said it before, I’ll say it again,” Phillips said. “I’m going to be here for as long as I can win.”

Near the end of his press conference that day, he said he’s not a Rubik’s Cube, but a simple man who loves basketball.

Yet, his teams haven’t been easy to figure out.

Over five seasons his teams have had turnover and injury problems. He’s had eight players transfer. 2016 Mid-American Conference Player of the Year Antonio Campbell never finished his senior season due to injury. James Gollon has officially medically disqualified himself, he never played a full season as a Bobcat. One of the top 3-point shooters in the country, Jordan Dartis, has undergone multiple hip surgeries and hasn’t played since last season.

As of late, Phillips has had to rely on teams littered with minimal playing experience and loads of youth.

The Bobcats, however, couldn’t build upon two-straight 20-plus win seasons in 2015-16 and 2016-17. Both times, Ohio finished as the No. 2 seed, but the second was a disappointment after Ohio lost Campbell for the season. It was the end of a frustrating season, capped off by Jaaron Simmons’ transfer two months after the end of the season.

Since then, Ohio is 25-30 and 10-20 in MAC play without small forward Kenny Kaminski, Simmons and Campbell. With them, Phillips was 42-23 overall and 21-14 in the MAC.

After last year’s 14-17 output and now in the midst of a six-game losing streak, Ohio seems to be headed toward back-to-back losing seasons for the first time since 2002-03 and 2003-04, when it was coached by Tim O’Shea.

There’s no doubt last year’s team was profoundly unlucky. Without Simmons, Teyvion Kirk was thrusted into a starting point guard role he wasn’t ready for. Dartis missed significant time due to injury and was never his true self. Mike Laster’s shoulder was popping in-and-out almost every game, and Gavin Block’s stamina was at its lowest due to extensive playing time. Put that on top of Ben Vander Plas and Jason Carter missing the year due to injury and the departure of three starters, and it becomes clear that a lot was working against the Bobcats a year ago.

This season, Ohio’s been bad. Its defense is one of the best in the MAC, but the Bobcats’ offense has struggled to average just 60 points in conference play. Their offensive efficiency ranks 315th nationally at .925. Currently, Ohio ranks 200th in NET rankings and 215 in KenPom rankings.

The Bobcats’ nonconference schedule left them with an 8-4 record and feeling relatively excited for conference play. Now, Ohio isn’t just losing. It’s losing in ways that direct contrast to what the program was built on, struggling to score the ball and knock down shots beyond the arc.

Not once in the Phillips era have the Bobcats reached the MAC Championship Game or won the MAC Regular Season title.

Almost five years after the opening press conference, Phillips’ once black hair has a few more touches of gray. There’s no question that his time in Athens has been taxing on the 46-year-old.

The family man who loves to coach the game of basketball may be out of a job in the coming months. He continues to stay positive amidst his team’s losing streak.

Still, it wears on him.

Ohio Mens Basketball Coach Saul Phillips looks up at the scoreboard during Ohio's game against Bowling Green State University on January 30, 2017. The Bobcats lost 66-50. (FILE)

After Ohio’s past two home losses, he’s been stoic and short. Not the cheery and energetic man he was earlier. After the beatdown from rival Akron on The Convo’s 50th birthday celebration, Phillips seemed defeated.

At the start of the season, he wouldn’t comment on contract matters — not to evade questions, but because he doesn’t want to speak about it openly.

That’s continued throughout the season.

If Ohio cuts ties before May 15, it will be contractually responsible to pay Phillips a percentage of $550,000 that’s equal to the number of days remaining in year five divided by the number of days in year five of the contract. He’s the highest paid employee on campus, and his base salary is the second highest of men’s basketball coaches in the conference.

Some players have been asked about it, but none will say if its been talked about among the team. At the same time, none have acted like they didn’t know what was being talked about.

Still, no sides will talk. When contacted for comment or a word of confidence in Phillips, Schaus and the athletic department gave no comment. Phillips won’t talk about it as Ohio enters the last three weeks of play.

Thus, Ohio is at a crossroads.

The further the Bobcats’ favorable history recedes into the past, the more it hangs over the current state of the program. After five years of Phillips, the Bobcats don’t appear to be much closer to recapturing past glory, creating a situation that isn’t sustainable for much longer.

Development by: Ryan Vallette / For The Post