THIS IS AN OP-ED ARTICLE WRITTEN BY VAUGHN WILSON, HIS VIEWS AND OPINIONS ARE NOT INTENDED TO REPRESENT THOSE OF THE HBCU GAMEDAY BRAND AS A WHOLE.
This story was updated 8/9/24 at 8:00PM with information provided to the author after the initial writing of the article.
The Florida A&M University Board of Trustees approved a one-year contract for new men’s basketball coach Patrick Crarey II. Introduced to the world on April 17th by former FAMU President Dr. Larry Robinson and Vice President and Director of Athletics Tiffani-Dawn Sykes, Crarey had an energetic introduction.
For many in the Rattler nation, it was a welcomed sight. A young energetic coach who has a track record of success. Since the departure of head basketball coach Mike Gillespie, FAMU men’s basketball has struggled mightily, winning no conference championship since Gillespie’s squad took the MEAC title in 2007. FAMU has actually failed to reach .500 since Gillespie’s exit from FAMU.
Curiously, Crarey’s resume has several similarities to Gillespie’s. Both have a history of winning at lower-resourced institutions before taking over at FAMU. Crarey, who came highly recommended to FAMU through several sources, set lofty goals for improving the Rattlers.
He raised eyebrows in the Spring by being accused of replacing all players from last year’s squad. After the negative reaction of the accusation, the actual result is four scholarship players returning and six players entering the portal before he was announced as the head coach. Emotions from the notion of the entire team being replaced was met with pushback. It became a PR nightmare as the method by which it occurred was questioned. It was at that time that FAMU Board of Trustees members began questioning the move. While the FAMU BOT has no authority to manage the day-to-day operations of the university, it is within its power to act on such a decision in a different manner.
All multi-year contracts must be approved by the FAMU BOT. With the dissatisfaction the board expressed to Sykes for being blindsided by the mass player dismissal, the board used their authority to refuse to accept the three-year deal Sykes put before them for Crarey. On Aug. 8, they ratified a one-year deal for Crarey.
In basketball terms, this is difficult to operate under. Crarey will get questions abound this season as he tries to recruit during the normal cycle of the year. Recruits will be hesitant to commit to a coach who is not even guaranteed to be around for the next season. While the BOT has exercised its authority, in athletic terms it is a risky roll of the dice.
If Patrick Crarey II has a successful season, he will be offered other positions. Suppose he is able to turn around a program that has struggled to reach the upper echelon of the conference for nearly two decades. In that case, he will be offered substantially more that the $150,000 annual salary offered by FAMU. A departure of Crarey after rebuilding the team would be both embarrassing and another major setback.
Offering a one-year contract is shooting yourself in the foot regarding Division-I athletics. It shows zero commitment to the coach. It throws up red flags for possible recruits. It’s virtually the equivalent of telling someone you love them, but only hugging them with one arm.