Barone to be reassigned
Feb 16, 1998 | Men's Basketball
February 16, 1998
Texas A&M head basketball coach Tony Barone will be reassigned at the end of the 1997-98 season, athletic director Wally Groff said Monday. Groff said he hopes to hire a new head coach by June 1 and will form a Search Committee to help identify prospective candidates. Barone said he will not have any comment "until the appropriate time."
Groff released the followed statement on Monday: "After extended conversations with coach Tony Barone, it is with regret that I announced today that effective at the end of this season, Coach Barone, in his seventh year at Texas A&M, will be reassigned to the position of Special Assistant to the Athletic Director. One of my main concerns about the program is based on a lack of wins. As Texas A&M embarks on a new era of basketball in the 1998-99 season by opening the new Reed Arena, the time has come to revitalize the program and proceed in a different direction. "
Tony Barone was hired on April 10, 1991, shortly after the Texas A&M basketball program was placed on probation by the NCAA. The previous coaching staffs left a program with few people, many of whom were unprepared academically for Texas A&M. I am extremely pleased with the emphasis Tony placed on academics. He recruited not only quality players but competent students with respectable character. I am also pleased with Tony's ability to react to criticism and respond accordingly. "Some fans have expressed concern that Tony was promised a new arena when he was hired by Texas A&M. After seven years, I am sorry that Tony will not have the opportunity to coach at Reed Arena. If the unfortunate construction accident had not taken place on the job site in October 1996, Tony would have been afforded the opportunity to open Reed Arena this year. "
Off the court, Tony has been conscientious in involving his student-athletes in projects in the local and campus communities. He has changed the course of academics for the men's basketball team. I have no doubt that Tony and his family dedicated their lives to the success of the Texas A&M men's basketball program. These issues have made my decision difficult and I have not taken my responsibility lightly in making the decision. "
I will be forming a search committee to work with me to develop criteria for hiring a new coach. The committee will be charged to research candidates for the position. It is my intention that this hire reflect Texas A&M's commitment to the men's basketball program. I will ask the committee to recommend a minimum of three candidates to me for interviews. My hopes are that a replacement can be named as soon as possible but not later than June 1."
