Sokaitis draws nearly all public attention at forums
Published Thursday, June 26, 2008
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Stumble It!The 20-or-so chairs in the Nanook Lounge were filled quickly when Al Sokaitis was the center of a June 18 public forum as the search for the Alaska Nanooks women’s basketball head coach began.
A total of two non-UAF employees attended the four other candidates’ forums. One showed up for University of Portland assistant coach Sean Kelly, and the other met with former University of Nevada assistant Darryl Smith.
University of Alaska Fairbanks athletic director Forrest Karr said the women’s basketball forums were held becuase of the broad input his department received from public forums during the Nanooks’ search for a hockey coach earlier this year.
“We wanted to provide that same opportunity for the women’s basketball coaching search,” he said.
Assistant athletic director Pamela Hubbard was disheartened by the turnout for the final four candidates, saying she thinks the large turnout for Sokaitis was made up of supporters instead of inquiring minds.
“It was a rah-rah session,” she said. “The other four they just didn’t really know. ... I’m kind of afraid of the comments that I see in the News-Miner (letters to the editor and online comments) that say ‘Coach Sokaitis is your guy. You don’t need to go anywhere else.’”
A decision on who will be the next women’s basketball coach is expected in about a week, Hubbard said.
Contact staff writer Joshua Armstrong at 459-7583.
Community Discussion
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"I’m kind of afraid of the comments that I see in the News-Miner (letters to the editor and online comments) that say ‘Coach Sokaitis is your guy. You don’t need to go anywhere else.’”
As a university official in charge of the selection process it is important to remember that these very public opinions that you are "afraid of" are what you have asked for by providing these forums. Whether you agree with them or not...as an official directly involved in the search process, you should probably keep your thoughts to yourself and in the confines of the selection committee.
I agree w/oldcuss and it sounds like the assistant AD has already made up her mind. She and her boss should be more careful about what question they ask. Regardless I believe Coach S is the best candidate for this job, he knows the Ak hoop landscape and is a proven winner.
The community had also already made up their mind with the blind support of the local guy and not bothering to find out about what else was out there. Support for Al seems base on the old adage that the devil you know is better then the devil you don't know. Athletics at the U needs new blood to stay competitive so far away.
So let me get this straight. . . You hold public forums and then get upset that one person outdraws all the others and you're "afraid" that the group was made up of supporters.
Is the University Athletic Department "afraid" that the local community will tell them something they don't want to hear? Al Sokaitis left a lot of friends and supporters in this community and many of them believe he can still be an asset to our program. I'm sure many people remember the unprecedented success he brought to the men's program at UAF and feel that he can reproduce that in the women's program. We know Al, we don't know these guys from Portland and Nevada.
If you are interested in the public's opinion Miss Hubbard then listen when it is given. If you are "afraid" of it then don't ask.
I can understand her concern that only TWO people showed up to the remaining four public forums. No one even showed up to find out anything about those coaches to form an opinion. So is their support for Sokaitis even valid if they don't even know what the competition can offer?
I think if the other candidates had lived in this community before they would have their best friends there supporting them also. Alvin had his chance and walked to a place where he walked again. Maybe he has no place else to go except where he has business ties.
Now the community is going to pick the coach what a crock, the UAF needs a new direction and they need not be swayed by a cheering section. Did the community pick Alvin when he applied for the men's position. I want to apply for a job at UAF and bring all my friends and my supporters to seal the position for me. That will be easy.
Um while I agree with what your saying Sourdoughjoe... just thought you should know it's Albert... not Alvin.
Oh and I COMPLETELY agree with you KDUB. I think what Miss Hubbard was trying to say is she was bothered by the fact that people did not show up to the other forums like they showed up for Sokaitis. For some odd reason people in this community love him. He's done great things on the court but personally he is not who I want to see at the helm of Lady Nanooks basketball.
There are better candidates out there.
It's not that the community is choosing who will be the next coach, but one of the things the athletic dept. probably wants is to have a coach that will be an asset to the university and the community, and with public forums they can see how someone interacts in a community setting as well as an 'interview' setting, and also how the community responds to them.
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