Coach Watch Day 66- Post-New Year?s Day Edition

Well, now that June Jones doesn’t have a job to do, we can start watching planes again.  If it isn’t Jones, I assume it has to be a hodgepodge of readily available coaches, former coaches and assistants.  I still have a hard time believing June Jones is leaving Hawaii, but I will put that aside for a moment.

Hawaii got rolled in the Sugar Bowl.  Would it have been cool if Hawaii won and June Jones became the SMU head coach?  Sure.  Does the loss mean anything?  No.  The Hawaii 31 point loss to Georgia wasn’t the biggest blowout of this year’s bowl season and wasn’t even the biggest point disparity of New Year’s Day.  I would have liked to have seen Hawaii be more competitive, but so what?  June Jones did what only Urban Meyer and Chris Petersen have done: taken a non-BCS team to a BCS bowl game.  Heck.  The list of coaches that haven’t taken a team to a BCS bowl game is pretty long and a lot of those coaches have been routed in bowl games, too.

June Jones now appears to be contemplating his future:

http://www.honoluluadvertiser.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080102/NEWS01/801020394

From the above article, there are a few things you should take away.  

First, June Jones’ contract has now expired, which is significant for a couple of reasons.  Coaches in the last year of their contracts is virtually unheard of in college athletics; the mere fact that it has gotten to this point between June Jones and Hawaii should raise questions about the true extent of the relationship between June Jones and his alma matter.  Also, because June Jones is no longer under contract, there is no buyout; June Jones can walk away from Hawaii for nothing.

Second, related to above, Jones and Hawaii haven’t even discussed a contract.  As much as Jones has complained about facilities, commitment, carpet in his office, pay for his assistants, can June Jones effectively negotiate a contract with a state school for both a raise and resolve these other issues?

Third, “Jones has said he will "disappear" for a week to contemplate his future. The team returns to Honolulu this afternoon, and Jones said he will spend time in Kona.”  This is both good and bad.  Bad in that Jones has, apparently, returned to Hawaii.  Logic dictates that June Jones isn’t going to take the SMU job without seeing the facilities.  While it is true Hawaii has played SMU in Ford Stadium while Jones was coach, that was in 2001.  It is good in the sense that he will spend some time away from the team to get this resolved.  The fact that this could also take another week to resolve itself is depressing.