Reversing the Course

Part two of a three-part feature: In aftermath of NCAA Tournament appearance, Patrick Chambers accepts offer he can’t refuse from Penn State

On the heels of an appearance in the Big Dance and with a new contract in place, the offseason appeared to be going normally and smoothly enough for Chambers and those surrounding the Boston University program, especially with the annual coaching carousel firmly in check.

Chambers and his wife Courtney even began looking to move out of the house they rented in Brookline in order to buy one for themselves and their two young children, Grace and Ryan.

However, days after Chambers signed the extension, a move took place that went largely unnoticed in the college basketball world at the time, but it proved to be one that brought the Patrick Chambers Era at BU to a premature close. Billy Lange, who had been among those who recommended Chambers to be Villanova University’s director of basketball operations in 2004, opted to leave his head coaching position at the United States Naval Academy to accept Chambers’ old position at Villanova as associate head coach.

A bigger collective shockwave came weeks later on May 23, as it was formally announced that the opening at Navy left by Lange would be filled by Penn State head coach Ed DeChellis. It was a hire that left many wondering why a Big Ten head coach would leave for a pay cut at a Patriot League school, let alone one with the strict academic and admissions standards of Navy. Many in the national media speculated that DeChellis left because he was likely to be ousted the following season, a reality compounded by what many perceived to be an overall lack of institutional support for the men’s basketball program at the football-crazed school.

Regardless of DeChellis’ motives for departing his alma mater, his move to Navy left an open seat for an aspiring coach looking to break into the coaching ranks in one of college basketball’s most prestigious and competitive conferences.
Names began to surface for the position, ranging from the likes of Duquesne University’s Ron Everhart and University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee coach Ron Jeter to coaching icons like Bob Knight and Larry Brown. But through it all, one name seemed to gain momentum as the search carried on for weeks – Chambers.

The perpetual energy and enthusiasm of the young coach, combined with his deep recruiting connections in nearby Philadelphia were enticing and bordered on ideal for many Nittany Lion faithful – and ultimately for university and athletic department officials.

Exactly one week after DeChellis unexpectedly left, Chambers said that he was contacted by the school late on the night of May 30. A series of interviews followed and towards the end of the week, the writing wasn’t necessarily on the wall, but it was certainly on the verge of being drafted and etched.

Penn State had zeroed in on their man, and that man was Chambers.

A tweet from CBS and MSG Network college basketball insider Jon Rothstein on June 2 said that Chambers was likely going to be named the next Penn State head coach and from there, other reports followed, all of them indicating much of the same.

As many candidates do when they know they’re not going to get offered the job, Everhart pulled his name from the search on Thursday, with Jeter following suit on Friday.

As Friday dawned, Chambers was officially offered the position and was set to accept it, but before he did so, he had to break the news to his players.

Sitting from Chambers’ position, the move made enough sense. It was a chance to coach in the Big Ten Conference, his salary would be nearly tripled (his base salary at BU was about $250,000 a year) and perhaps most importantly, it was effectively a move back home, only a couple hours away from his native Philadelphia.

But while most everyone understands that college basketball, despite the NCAA’s moniker as a “non-profit,” is a business above all and that Chambers was acting in his own best interest, it is not so cut-and-dry, so logical and sensible to those with whom he was the closest — his very own players.

“I did it a little differently – I talked to some individually, one in a big group,” Chambers said of his announcement. “Regardless of what is printed and what is said, it was the hardest thing I’ve ever done.

“I really do care about those kids. They sacrificed and they gave it up, and I think about them all the time.”

Among those that Chambers cared about and left behind was senior forward/center Patrick Hazel, who will now be playing for his fourth head coach in his four years of college eligibility.

There was also senior forward Jake O’Brien, who Chambers convinced to stay at BU after O’Brien was on the verge of transferring after Wolff was fired and Chambers was brought aboard. With the announced hire of Boston College associate head coach Joe Jones on June 22, O’Brien and senior center Jeff Pelage will now be playing for their third coach in their time on Commonwealth Avenue.

Lastly, there was Chambers’ banner recruiting class, one that featured sophomore standouts like guard D.J. Irving, forward Dom Morris, guard/forward Travis Robinson and guard Mike Terry, among others. While the team that Chambers inherited at BU was comprised largely of Wolff’s recruits, this was the class in which Chambers was to make his mark at BU, a class that fittingly featured six players from the Philadelphia-area. Most of all, it was the class that would leave a lasting impression and help forge BU’s path to one day become an elite mid-major basketball program.

Over a year removed from Chambers sitting in the respective players’ living rooms and assuring the players and their families that his program above all others in the country was the right choice, he was gone, leaving behind the young players who were left to see who fate would choose as the man to coach them for the majority of their college careers.

But while he cared immensely for his players at BU, the opportunity that Penn State presented was ultimately too much to turn down.

“It’s the Big Ten – it’s one of, if not the best, league in the country,” Chambers said. “It’s got a great reputation, it’s got the Big Ten Network, it’s got football, it’s a BCS school. There’s a solid foundation.

“My two brothers went to Penn State, my nephew’s a walk-on at Penn State, so there were a lot of variables.”