Interim coaches don't get two-year deals -- except at Binghamton
Whatever the label "interim coach" typically means, Binghamton University has just redefined it.
The school has agreed to a two-year contract extension with coach Mark Macon, but it isn't ready to remove his interim tag just yet. Macon took over coaching duties on an interim basis in October after head coach Kevin Broadus was placed on leave in the wake of an NCAA recruiting violation and State University of New York's investigation into the men's basketball program.
"I'm happy and sad -- glad I can be here for the kids and sad about what else is going on," Macon told The Press & Sun-Bulletin. "This doesn't change how I feel about Broadus, I would love to have him back.
"I was surprised that (the extension) was two years. I wasn't looking at anything. I was just hoping that they brought Broadus back and things would get settled."
Macon's situation is especially unusual because there probably haven't been too many interim coaches signed to multi-year deals. Even Arizona, which essentially spent three years with interim coaches before hiring Sean Miller last spring, never had any of them remain for more than one year.
It's obvious that this is an attempt by Binghamton to provide some stability to its chaotic basketball program, but the truth is that Macon will be handicapped in recruiting until the interim tag is removed. Not many kids will choose an uncertain situation over a stable one, especially when the uncertainty surrounds the head coach.
