Greenberg Departure Comes at Right Time

Finally, Seth Greenberg is gone. This was going to happen eventually, although most in the Long Beach State athletic administration offices didn’t figure Greenberg would take off now.

Not after signing a new, and significantly improved, contract in the 1994-95 season. Not after skillfully, and methodically, building possibly the Big West Conference’s most talented team. Not after assuring many of the incoming players, among the best recruits in 49er history, that their development was his primary concern.

The mood around Long Beach? Actually, it’s not as bad as you might think.

School officials, boosters, professors and several players--especially the players--said they are happy to see Greenberg leave. They said they feel Greenberg held them hostage mentally during the last two seasons as he pursued other jobs.

This time, though, even Greenberg’s loyalist Long Beach allies admitted he had to go.

“The day [he accepted the South Florida job], we got a lot of calls asking if Seth needed a ride to the airport,” joked 49er interim Athletic Director Bill Shumard, one of Greenberg’s best friends.

Said Scott Cathcart, assistant athletic director for media relations: “We would have had to repair his reputation with the campus and the community if he stayed, and quite honestly, I don’t think we could have done it again.”

Greenberg kept 49er spin doctors hopping.

His reputation needed some repairing last season when he showed interest in the Nevada Las Vegas job. This, of course, was after former Long Beach Athletic Director Dave O’Brien renegotiated the coach’s contract because it looked as if Greenberg might take off for USC.

It was one in a series of correct decisions by O’Brien. Greenberg, after all, did lead Long Beach to two NCAA tournament appearances, and its first in 16 seasons. Give the guy his due: Greenberg is about business, and Long Beach was better off for the association.

O’Brien, recently hired as athletic director at Temple, knew Greenberg wouldn’t make Long Beach his home for good. O’Brien hired Greenberg, at the time a third-year Long Beach assistant, before the 1990-91 season, and together they restored basketball success to a school that hadn’t had much since the late 1960s and early ‘70s.

However, O’Brien, who successfully fought to keep Greenberg from being fired after his 11-17 rookie season, also often lost patience with the ambitious coach. Greenberg always did have his eyes on the door, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing.

In the coaching business, you’re often only a couple of bad seasons away from the unemployment line.

Greenberg isn’t pleased that he has been labeled as having a “wandering eye.” Besides, he put in his time, he said.

“People forget, I was at Long Beach for nine years,” a miffed Greenberg said. “They got their money’s worth.”

But what Greenberg refuses to admit is that toward the end, his comments seemed disingenuous and transparent. Sources said he talked about making Long Beach the dominant program in the Big West while lobbying hard for the South Florida job.

The hoops world is small, and word gets around.

“I heard about this during the Big West tournament,” said Gaynell Cotton, mother of standout 49er guard James. “Seth told us that he wasn’t sure what he was going to do, but he would tell us first if he was leaving. He still hasn’t called.”

Likewise, center Ike Nwankwo isn’t pleased with Greenberg. Nwankwo transferred to Long Beach from UCLA last semester partly because he said Greenberg promised to work with him individually.

“I don’t feel like I was stabbed in the back, but I do feel kind of betrayed,” Nwankwo said. “In life, you have to take the opportunities when they come, but I was looking forward to working with him.”

Shumard understands. He hopes to have a new coach in place within three weeks, but realizes the wounds from Greenberg’s sudden departure won’t heal nearly as quickly.

“This is an unfortunate part of the atmosphere of college sports,” Shumard said. “Coaches make huge decisions in a very short time span, and sometimes they have drastic effects on many other people’s lives.

“It’s what we’re going through now, but we’re certainly not unique.”

The next few weeks will be the most pivotal in Long Beach athletic history. Men’s basketball is the 49ers’ lone revenue-producing sport, and the strength of the athletic department is tied to that of its top program.

Many players and their parents want lead assistant Clyde Vaughan, the 49ers’ national recruiter, to be hired. Vaughan is hard working and respected by his peers, but lacks head coaching experience.

The Cottons and players will meet with Long Beach President Robert Maxson to push for Vaughan. Shumard and Maxson have some work to do. All that’s at stake is the survival of an athletic department.