Isiah Thomas is back in the spotlight.
But this time, he is not the subject of an extensive sexual harassment trial. The former point guard is actually being praised this time around.
On Wednesday, Thomas accepted the head coaching job at Florida International.
Who? Is that the team Buffalo beat by 14 points back in December?
But this move, in my mind, impresses me. Even after the meltdown that occurred while he was in New York, Thomas could have nabbed a job anywhere.
So why would he want to takeover a college basketball team in a mid-major conference - especially one that has not had a winning season since the '99-2000 season?
The answer is simple; Isiah Thomas likes a challenge. Instead of taking over teams that have the parts in place, Thomas rectifies squads that have not experienced success in a while.
He took over the Toronto Raptors and built them from the ground up. Thomas then gained control of an Indiana Pacers team that was going through a rebuilding process. Once he got Indiana back to a powerful level, the great point guard took over a New York team that was unfixable.
Thomas does not like to do things the easy way. He follows the adage, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it."
Now the leader of FIU, Thomas seems to be in a giving mood. He agreed to give his first-year salary to the Panthers' athletic program.
Publicity stunt? Probably. After all, the Knicks still owe Thomas $12 million after they fired him with two years remaining on his contract.
But he is doing a service to a program that probably has never generated much cash flow during a time when no one is making money.
Plus, he will most certainly jumpstart a basketball program in desperate need of a turnaround.
With 10 years of failure, the Panthers' basketball program was in need of a figure to put their program on the map. FIU averaged 681 fans per home game last season at FIU Arena. You can't possibly have worse support.
Fans will be turning out now just to get a glimpse of the former great. People won't just look at FIU as the team that has lost 20 games in three straight seasons; they will see a team on an upward trend with a leader that.
FIU will get even better after Thomas makes an impact recruiting. How many kids would pass up a chance to learn from one of the NBA's all-time greats? Thomas will have no problem out-recruiting other Sunbelt programs, and Thomas could also steal some studs from bigger programs.
Most people are looking out for their own benefits. There are not many people like Thomas that will get their hands dirty to repair something that appears to be unfixable.
This just shows Thomas' sincere personality and the love he possesses for the game of basketball. As he said, he's willing to pay the price to get FIU's basketball program on the right track.
If only more people had this attitude.
Photo: Breadchastick / Wikimedia Commons
