Columnist Steve Carp: Fraschilla leveraged out of job

Steve Carp

Thursday, May 14, 1998 | 9:40 a.m.

FRAN FRASCHILLA was living his dream. He was coaching the basketball team at St. John's University, the kingpin of New York City college programs.

Today, he is unemployed.

What did Fraschilla do to get canned? He is coming off a 22-10 season and an NCAA Tournament appearance. He was getting players and the city excited about the Red Storm again.

Fraschilla's mistake was he played a dangerous game, and lost.

It's called leveraging and it is one of college sports' favorite pastimes. You're a coach who's making pretty good money and enjoying a modicum of success. Suddenly, you think the whole world wants and needs you. And once you go somewhere for an interview, you put the move on your current employer.

"Hey, State U. is offering me seven years at $400,000 per. I really want to stay here, but geez, that offer is so impressive ... Now what are you going to do about it?"

Most schools feel the pressure and they cave in, the way UNLV did when volleyball coach Deitre Collins threatened to bolt to Iowa a few months ago, or when Rebels basketball aide Glynn Cyprien was halfway to Nebraska a couple of weeks ago.

In Cyp's case, it wasn't just about money. He is an important part of what the Rebels are doing. But money entered into it and UNLV had no choice but to match Nebraska's offer.

Fraschilla, on the other hand, was looking to renegotiate his four-year deal with St. John's, which had two more years to go at $450,000 per. He figured he was in a position of strength.

Word has it he was working both sides of the street, campaigning for the Arizona State job while at the same time trying to enhance his deal with St. John's. He was interested in Michigan and Texas, too. But none of those schools offered him the job, and he really had nothing to leverage with.

Unlike Jerry Green, who was ready to come to UNLV back in 1995 before he pulled the gun and held it to Oregon's head, Fraschilla had no bullets.

St. John's athletic director Ed Manetta knew the gun was empty. So he called Fraschilla's bluff and then some.

So now there's an opening at a top-notch program. The rumor mill already is churning. Tom Penders, the former Texas coach who at one time coached in New York at Fordham, has been mentioned. Rick Majerus will probably get a mention. So will Kansas assistant Matt Doherty, who is from Long Island.

And you can bet one more name will be added to the mix -- William Christopher Bayno.

Bayno isn't going to pursue St. John's. But if St. John's pursues Bayno, the UNLV coach said he'd probably have to listen. He fits the profile of what the Johnnies need -- a young, aggressive person with head coaching experience and success, who can recruit the East Coast and understands the pressures of the job.

But unless the offer from St. John's is so overwhelming that he'd be foolish not to bolt, you can count on Bayno being on the sidelines at the Thomas & Mack come November. He won't try and leverage UNLV.

He's not going to play the game when it's possible to lose.