Columnist Steve Addy: By quitting, Badgers’ Bennett found way to delete his own expletives

Steve Addy

Friday, Dec. 8, 2000 | 10:42 a.m.

Steve Addy covers college basketball for the Sun. His column runs on Friday during the season. Reach him at 259-4087 or by e-mail at addy@lasvegassun.com.

When someone as classy and beloved as Dick Bennett leaves college basketball, it makes you want to say, "#@$%&!"

The 57-year-old Wisconsin coach decided last week he'd had enough. He walked away from the Badgers three games into the season, saying he was burned out. He had begun delegating too much, letting details fall through the cracks and allowing losses to eat him up.

"I don't want to go out cynical," he said. "It isn't the defeat that I'm afraid of, but what the defeat can do to you."

But an underreported aspect of Bennett's surprise retirement was that he was increasingly unable to reconcile his devout spiritual beliefs with the motivational aspects of coaching.

Simply put, he starting cussing too much. A well-timed expletive is standard procedure for most coaches, even the buttoned-down Bennett, but he alarmed himself with a tirade two days before he quit. At a Monday night practice, he lashed out angrily at his players.

"I lit into them in a way that was so unlike what I think is appropriate," Bennett said. "I had to come back the next night and tell (my players) that. And that's when I realized (coaching) has gotten the best of me.

"I didn't want to be that kind of person in terms of language, insults and innuendoes."

Motivation is a funny thing. Some coaches swear. Some brandish bullwhips at practice (a laugh riot, that Bobby Knight). Some even drop their pants (Fran Fraschilla will never live that down). The intent is the same: How do I reach my team?

As near as I can tell, UNLV coach Bill Bayno doesn't have a big profanity problem. He is a Christian -- his voice mail message wishes callers "a blessed day" -- but apparently has had no trouble balancing coaching, cussing and Christianity.

"I think about making a conscious effort to not swear as much," Bayno said. "But as long as you care about your players and doing what's best for them, it's really not an issue.

"Religion and Christianity are about how you live your life and what you do to help other people. I think my faith in the Lord helps me be a better person and do my job better."

Bennett decided that was no longer the case for him, so he deleted the expletives the only way he knew how. He walked away.

Good for him, but a #@$%&! shame for college basketball.

"If that was true, I'd be worried, but trust me -- Bobby Knight doesn't want this job," Bayno said. "I don't know where he's going to resurface. It will probably be somewhere in the Midwest.

"But I think any (university) president who hires him is going to face peer pressure from presidents around the country. They feel that (Indiana president Myles Brand) took a stand and did the right thing."

Bayno said he's not offended by such rumors, most of which are birthed on the Internet.

"There's always going to be media speculation," he said. "I'm hearing that Rick Majerus is going to UCLA. But the last time I checked, the UCLA job wasn't available."

After orally committing to UNLV, the 6-foot-7 small forward switched to UConn and he's already starring for the Huskies.

Having missed three games because of an NCAA suspension over -- what else? -- his prep school tuition, Butler has averaged 18.5 points and 8.5 rebounds in four games. He's second in scoring to Albert Mouring (19.4), averaging 2.5 steals, and has almost as many offensive rebounds (16) as defensive (18).

At least Bayno can comfort himself with this thought: Butler probably won't stay at UConn for long. Ready or not, he's almost certain to bolt to the NBA within two years.

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