What’s in a name?
If you’re Andy Bedard, approximately a week’s worth of aggravation.
Bedard walked away from the men’s basketball head coaching position at Saint Joseph’s College on Wednesday, mere days after he accepted the post and unwittingly stepped into a hurricane.
The school’s press release that announced Bedard’s surprising but not shocking decision did a credible job spinning it as the case of guy who decided he’d jumped into waters that crested about five feet over his head.
Just as likely, Bedard probably decided there was no sense in sticking around where he wasn’t wanted.
Ultimately, that will be Saint Joseph’s loss.
Let’s just say it’s doubtful anybody in Standish organized a parade to welcome the Rumford native to town. Heck, Bedard didn’t even encounter much that resembled a welcome mat.
Bedard initially won the job over two of departing coach Rick Simonds’ former assistants, Rob Sanicola and Brent Cook.
In terms of experience, the Las Vegas line would have said pick ’em. Bedard spent two non-consecutive years as one of John Giannini’s assistants at the University of Maine, an NCAA Division I program where he spent his final two years of collegiate playing eligibility as an all-America East performer. Sanicola, who inherited the position after Bedard issued his statement of “no, thanks,” served four years aside Simonds at his alma mater, the equivalent of a Division III institution.
Not much to choose from there.
The 26-year-old Bedard was clearly the celebrity candidate, though.
With apologies to Deering’s Nik Caner-Medley, Bedard was Maine’s most dominant high school player in his lifetime not named Cindy Blodgett. Bedard gets the nod because he absolutely electrified the Augusta Civic Center and Bangor Auditorium in his three tournaments with Mountain Valley High School, leading the Falcons to a Class B championship in 1994 before enjoying a successful season at prep giant Maine Central Institute in Pittsfield.
St. Joe’s went with a name instead of promoting from within, which rankled some. Travis Seaver, who played for Simonds, Sanicola and Cook and was on the selection committee, spoke publicly about his objections to the decision.
To steal a phrase from my five-year-old, “Duhhhhhhhhh!”
Naturally, Seaver wanted one of his friends to get the promotion. That shouldn’t shock anyone, and his frustration is understandable. If you’ve spent any time in the work force at all, you’ve experienced a similar situation.
Maybe you’ve witnessed classic nepotism. Perhaps you’ve been the applicant in a job search that smacked of obligation or borderline fraudulence at least once.
Most of the time, the new guy gets at least a brief honeymoon to prove he belongs. Sadly, this dissension manifested itself as the first item waiting on Bedard’s desk.
Given time and an equitable amount of breathing room, Bedard would have proven himself the best candidate. True, not every great player makes a great coach, but there is something about Bedard’s drive and tireless work ethic that would have rubbed off on his players.
Knowing Bedard, he wasn’t the most charismatic of the three interviewees. He’s never been a post-game extrovert. Bedard is overly qualified in at least one respect: He never met a coaching cliché he didn’t like and couldn’t use with a straight face.
His name alone, however, would have accomplished exactly what it set out to do. It would have helped St. Joe’s attract the stellar Maine players who have seemed to gravitate to Colby, Husson and the University of Maine at Farmington. Although the Monks are perennially one of the best small-college programs in New England, the center of their recruiting base clearly is south of the Piscataqua River Bridge.
For now, the 6-foot-1 guard with the unlimited range, incredible vertical leap and lack of coaching and diplomatic experience will take his star power somewhere else.
History probably will state that Andy Bedard gave up on Saint Joseph’s College.
Read between the lines, though, and you might conclude it was the other way around.
Kalle Oakes is sports editor. He can be reached by e-mail at koakes@sunjournal.com.
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