Portland State fires coach after costing steepler chance to make nationals

Wonder if he can stay in the business?

Don't schools have NCAA compliance officers? Why were they not fired as well? They should be working with their coaches to make sure all the boxes are checked before the season even begins.

You think it's the responsibility of the compliance officer?

Really??

Portland State pays complete crap. No one good can take that job

I've been coaching college for 20 years, I learned the 14 competitors and "sport sponsorship" in my very first year. It has been the coaches responsibility to meet sport sponsorship rule at every institution I've been at. There really is no excuse the coaching staff can give, and the blame falls squarely on the coaching for this incompetence.

The only other people who could be to blame is the administrator that hired an incompetent person as the head coach.

There is a massive difference between being an "event coach" and being a "head coach." This is an example of why many event coaches should never be a head coach.

Remember, this is the program that gladly brought on Alan Webb, Squigs, and tRg as volunteer coaches. They’re not picky.

The current crop of paid assistants and volunteers is...something. Gut the whole thing and start over!

Calling Chris Reed aka RunningReed, former Seattle Pacific distance coach who's now moving to Portland.

Maybe Matt Barreau, currently at Lewis & Clark, should apply. He seems to d a successful recruiter, which might keep enough guys competing to maintain championship eligibility.

He already coached at PSU back in the aughts. He did relatively well there, but the administration at the time kinda gave him the shaft. I doubt he'd want to go back. If PSU is serious about actually giving a crap about their track/xc program and are ready to invest in building it (which I honestly doubt), they should look to poach John Smith and Mike Wilson from George Fox.

There is definitely a chance that it was not just the coach… for all we know he told compliance/admin we need one more meet and we have to travel to wherever to get that done and admin said sorry bro we don’t have the budget… it could definitely be only his fault but psu seems like a mess so it is likely a joint effort mess.

BTC will probably end up hiring him.

I have never even heard of this Mike Wilson person......so I expect was a post by...Mike Wilson.

Matt, don't post on here about yourself man.

You had to leave PSU because you were sleeping with athletes on the team. Not wise to bring that up stint at PSU before. Plus were just let go from Lewis and Clark amongst shady happenings there as well. Go away now.

I believe that only has to do with athletic programs being in compliance with NCAA rules. Making sure your team qualifies for a championship is strictly on the head coach. Not the NCAA's business.

It was just a matter of time before the PSU ship crashed and burnt down.

The biggest mistake Portland State ever made was letting former coach Josh Seitz leave and attempting to replace him with underqualified coaches. The program needs to be gutted and new staff needs to be hired if they wish to find success again. The first step to this would be hiring a distance coach under the "head coach" position that Hepburn previously had. No noteworthy coach who is half decent is going to consider PSU with the measly assistant coach salary that they are offering. Most of the athletes don't like the new coaches that were hired or the training style, and most of the performances are very reflective of this. This team needs someone who can actually bring the athletes together and give them real training, not a coach who is just a walking training plan with no personality or real coaching insights. Tough spot to be in, wouldn't be surprised if more athletes leave/transfer out in the coming weeks.

Wouldn’t Rhonda take over as head coach and put real estate on the back burner and retain Goetz and really have the shot they wanted at Duke? I believe she would be perfect for that program and can recruit really well. I think it’s meant to be.

I wonder whether he should have been fired for failing to adhere to this rule, one of many in the NCAA, or another disciplinary step taken, such as mandatory education in NCAA rules, a fine or cut in pay (from very little to less). After all, it was a mistake that cost the program only because his athlete was good enough to qualify and ordinarily you get a certain number of disciplinary strikes in your file at universities and a chance to remedy them before you get fired.

Some of the blame falls on the coach but I agree that the athletic department is also to blame here. Having coach at a DI with little to no budget and support, it is a grind trying to get anything done when it feels like the athletic department is working against you.

The reality at programs like PSU is the athletic department is constantly testing how little they can give you while still getting 6 sports out of your program and balance title IX and graduation numbers.

The ADs don’t care about performance, student athlete experience, barely fund medical and equipment.