PORT ARTHUR — Editor’s note: The following column from the Best of West collection was originally published in the April 3, 1986 Port Arthur News.

Near as I’ve been able to determine, nobody in the Lamar University men’s athletic department resigned Wednesday. But, since tack coach Sonny Jolly and tennis coach Ron Westbrooks are the only ones who haven’t fled or been fired since September, perhaps that’s not really news.

Lamar is believed to be working on the all-time NCAA record for coaching turnover in one season. Football coach Ken Stephens was fired in December, golf coach Greg Grost resigned in January, baseball coach Jim Gilligan said he’d had enough in March and basketball coach Pat Foster wasn’t April fooling when he dropped the bomb Tuesday.

It is probably only coincidence all the chaos has taken place under the regime of Dr. Billy Franklin. Just because Dr. Billy insists he’ll continue providing a $600,000 life support system to a comatose football program, thus draining life from other sports, doesn’t prove beyond reasonable doubt he’s in over his head.

Neither, apparently, does the hiring of a new head football coach (Ray Alborn) with a 13-53 record.

Franklin could provide the smoking gun, however, with his handling of the search to replace Foster. If he bungles this one, and I don’t doubt for a second the potential is there, kiss the athletic program at Lamar good-bye. A poor choice for basketball followed by a couple of losing seasons and the Montagne Center will be as empty as Cardinal Stadium.

Financial fallout, in fact, could occur as early as next season. It’s renewal time on basketball season ticket options. The biennial options are a prime source of revenue for Lamar. Ticket holders are making it perfectly clear their decision on whether to renew will be heavily influenced by what they see in Foster’s successor.

Admittedly, it’s going to be difficult for Franklin to screw up hiring a replacement for Foster. The job, at this point, is still a good one, still a hot item in basketball circles. Jolly, who doubles as athletic director, said he received at least 25 calls about the position Wednesday. That many more will probably call today.

Some of the names are pretty impressive. Former Houston Rocket coach Del Harris, former Nebraska coach Moe Iba and former Wichita State coach Gene Smithson, all of whom are out of work at the present time, were among the first to throw their hat in the ring.

San Jacinto Junior College’s highly successful Ronnie Arrow is interested. So is Lincoln’s James Gamble, a man who deserves utmost consideration not only for his coaching ability but for the probability he could bring a genuine blue chip player in Anthony Allen.

Because Lamar is Lamar, all the impressive resumes rolling in don’t necessarily mean a prudent selection will be made. Before the petty politics of Loser U run their course, anything could happen. Franklin may finally decide he wants to bring in the coach from Texas A&I. Rice’s Tommy Suitts has a career record — 56-87 — similar to Alborn’s, so he could at least be a finalist.

Franklin is already off on the wrong foot by assembling an unwieldy 10-person search committee. Why not just appoint all of Jefferson County, or solicit suggestions on this weekend’s election ballot? Lamar, obviously, wasn’t paying much attention to the fiasco created at the University of Houston with a 12-person search committee to find a successor to basketball coach Guy Lewis.

It took UH only 70 days. Strike one, Dr. Billy.

LU’s original plan not only included a 10-person search committee, it didn’t include the only man on campus who knows enough about basketball to provide intelligent input. Jack Martin, who won 334 games in 25 years as Lamar’s first basketball coach, was somehow overlooked. Strike two, Dr. Billy.   

Martin served on the committee that brought Foster in as Billy Tubbs’ replacement, religiously attends Lamar games and stays abreast of basketball trends. Apparently he’s overqualified to help in such an important matter, and, since it was I who pointed out the stupidity of such an oversight to regents chairman H.D. Pate, he probably won’t be added.

Then there’s the matter of a time frame. Dr. Billy said he didn’t expect to name a coach before the April 9 basketball signing date. I’ve been told the search is expected to take three weeks. What a crock. Foster signed a contract with Lamar six days after Tubbs headed for Oklahoma.

We’re not searching for Judge Crater, missing parts to the Challenger or the lost city of Atlantis here. This is not like the excruciating process of hiring a football coach at Lamar. Qualified basketball coaches are all over the place. Qualified coaches who don’t know what a cuckoo’s next they’re trying to get inside.

Time is extremely critical because of recruiting. If Lamar hires the right guy, and does it quick enough, perhaps he can still salvage a player or two. Without some immediate help, the outlook for next season is not good. With Greg Anderson out of eligibility, Anthony Todd having dropped out of school and James Gulley somewhat of a question mark, the Cardinals could get caught without an inside player.

Come on Dr. Billy, cut through the crap and the politics, let Jack Martin pick out three guys, get a recommendation from Foster and bring them in to interview Monday. Hire somebody that night, call a press conference so you can get in front of the TV cameras, then let the man go to work.

A lot is at stake here. If basketball falters, it might become impossible to keep financing football. And that most assuredly would be the third strike against you.

Sports editor Bob West can be e-mailed at rdwest@usa.net.