KB 118-60 and counting

[Longhorn]

Kenny Brooks...can we give it up to the man? His W-L record to date is 118-60 in 6 years. That's an average record of 19.7 wins and 10 losses per year.

By year his records have been:

17-12
13-18 (the year Meredith and crew began play as freshmen)
18-11 (the year TY first played as a freshman)
24-7 WNIT
27-6 NCAA
20-8 (the year Dawn Evans first played as a freshman) (Postseason?)

Warms my heart. 8) Wendy and ODU will have their hands full in the coming years.

[Duke Dawg]

and a win this week locks up a 3rd straight postseason berth as 2nd place in conferences now automatically gets a bid to the expanded 48-team WNIT.

Goes without saying that behind Matthews, I think Kenny is our best coach at the school right now.

Mick has to be #1 since he delivered a title, stadium expansion and alot of $$$ donations for the school. Going to be hard to dislodge him from top spot.

[Dukeman1]

Kenny has done an outstanding job.

Does anyone know if we have we settled the lawsuit that was brought against us by the coach before Brooks? As i recall he had tremendous success prior to some skirmishes with the administration.

[Dukeman1]

Former basketball coach suing JMU
Bud Childers seeking $2 million for breach of contract, wrongful termination
by Drew Wilson/ senior writer



Former women's basketball coach Bud Childers is suing JMU for $2 million, according to a lawsuit filed last Wednesday in the Rockingham County Circuit Court.

The lawsuit states that Childers is "bringing this action to recover damages relating to the [school's] breach of contract, wrongful termination and tortuous conduct" after JMU "engaged in a surreptitious scheme" to remove Childers from his job.

Childers is seeking $1 million in compensatory damages and $1 million in punitive damages after JMU allegedly forced him to resign in the middle of his contract.

Childers, now an assistant women's basketball coach at the University of Southern Mississippi, declined to comment on his lawsuit when he was reached by phone at his office Friday.

A call seeking comment from Childers' attorney, J. Burns Earle III of Harrisonburg, was not returned.

Athletic Director Jeff Bourne was not available for comment. Calls seeking comment from JMU President Linwood Rose were deferred to Hilton.

The Childers ordeal began when he attempted to return to his job Feb. 3 after missing nearly two months. Childers took a medical leave of absence Dec. 6, 2002, to correct intestinal and digestive-tract problems that the suit said interfered with his coaching duties.

When he returned Feb. 3, Childers spoke briefly to the Dukes' team captains, then-seniors Nadine Morgan, Jess Cichowicz and Shanna Price. He said he had hoped to speak to the entire team, but the team members conducted their own meeting in the locker room, lasting until after Childers had left to do his regularly scheduled radio show at Chili's Grill & Bar restaurant at 6:30 p.m. that night.

The suit states that the school allowed Childers to resume his duties for one day, and he performed his radio show that day as well. "By allowing the plaintiff to perform his radio show, the defendant (JMU) held the plaintiff out to the public as the head women's basketball coach," the suit said. "The next day, the defendant refused to permit him to return to his position as head basketball coach."

The suit then states that JMU asked Childers to resign and "made various offers to settle their obligations to the plaintiff under contract. The defendant's actions subjected the plaintiff to even more public humiliation and ridicule."

Childers resigned Feb. 5, despite having three years left on his contract, which would pay him an annual base salary of $111,800, plus incentives. Childers had signed a new five-year contract extension following the Dukes' final four appearance in the 2001 Women's National Invitation Tournament. He led the Dukes to an 87-65 record in six seasons as coach. Childers resigned after he had reevaluated his condition upon returning to the team and determined he was not able to fulfill his full coaching responsibilities, according to a Feb. 5 press release.

However, Childers' statement in the Feb. 5 press release was not the only reason for his decision to step down. During Childers' absence, the players had grown accustomed to the coaching style of then-interim coach Kenny Brooks, who later was named the women's basketball coach following the season.

Brooks also declined to discuss the issue. "It's a personnel issue, so I can't comment," he said.

Childers' suit also claims that, "by spreading, inciting and allowing the unrefuted false rumors to spread throughout the community, [JMU] has so stigmatized [Childers'] personal and professional reputation that [he] can no longer earn the standard of living in the only profession for which he is trained, thereby depriving [him] of his freedom to take advantage of other employment opportunities in his profession while also being denied any income from his agreement, which was terminated."

Hilton said JMU would be represented by a person from the attorney general's office in Richmond, since JMU is a state university. Once the suit is served, the school will have 21 days to respond and a trial date will be set.

[dunkanddukin]

What possible relevance does that have in a thread offering some praise for a successful coach presumably doing things the right way? :?

Why sh!t on every thread offering something positive?

[dukaholic]

Goes without saying that behind Matthews, I think Kenny is our best coach at the school right now.

I'd give a vote to Antoinette Lucas of the Field Hockey team. But WBB is a bigger sport, so maybe that should be weighted.