Alleged Respectability
When CSU Athletic Director John Konstantinos brought Rollie in as head coach in May 1996, He felt that the move gave Cleveland State hoops "instant credibility." As a person who sat in that press conference as Rollie was paraded out, I actually agreed with the hiring of Rollie, and, in fact, was one of the people who hyped Rollie in the beginning.

However, of course, my support, along with the support of others, has waned, Konstantinos still is under the delusion that Rollie, now a 500-game winner in the NCAA ranks, continues to bring respectability to the Viking hoops team.

Note to Konstantinos: Wake up, man!

The Money Issue
Yes, there is a money problem at Cleveland State. There has always been a money problem at Cleveland State. As a public university in Ohio, CSU has been the whipping boy for Governors Voinovich and Taft for years, turning the school into a eternally cash-strapped institution. The $10.5 million the school dumped into programs like PeopleSoft made things even worse.

Enter the problem: To fire Rollie, the school would have to both buy out the remaining years of his contract, then try to get enough money to throw at another coach. And since the athletic department, like many other programs at CSU, is short on money (hence the reason the only time you'll see CSU on TV will be against Detroit on ESPN2), there's no way that the powers that be will ever approve of such a move.

You would think that's the only issue when it comes to money. But you would be wrong. Allegedly, Rollie, with various endorsement deals, also brings money into the school. Of course, the last time anybody heard of this happening was in 1998, when Progressive chair (and alleged pot-head) Peter Lewis dropped $1.5 million on the Athletic Department. Of course, Konstantinos gave Rollie credit (Though Lewis turned around and gave the school down the street, Case Western Reserve, enough loot to build and entire building!).

Konstantinos considers the men's b-ball team a cash cow for the school, though they have lost money just about every year he has been AD, with the possible exception of Rollie's 1996-97 campaign.

CSU Hoops History
If you want the truth, Cleveland State doesn't have the most fluent history of good basketball. As a matter of fact, up until their 1985-86 Sweet Sixteen season, the basketball squad has been the doormat of the NCAA.

During the late 70s and early 80s, it was other sports at the school that were garnering the lion's share of success (Soccer in the late 70s and volleyball in the early 80s). Plus the swim team won a string of crowns during this time, and the wrestling squad does (and still has) enjoys at least one of their wrestlers in the NCAA tournament every year.

There has never been a more blatant abuser of the past than Cleveland State. Even though there have been more recent successes (two conference crowns for the men's swim team, and one each for softball and golf, of all things), it is the hope of another season like '85-'86 (a season that most CSU students don't even remember or even know about!!) that keeps the Athletic Dept. still eager to remain on the Rollie bandwagon.

He May Retire
Plain Dealer columnist Bill Livingston wrote in his column after the Akron win about Rollie's possible future plans. After numerous name-drops, Rollie alluded to the notion that he may be in the market for a retirement spot in Florida with his friends.

And then there's this other strange item: As I was searching for articles on Rollie on Yahoo!, I can across this particular piece, which you can find At This Link. In it, the folks over at Villanova are planning to hold a ceremony on February 9. The ceremony's purpose? To hang a banner in the rafters, much like the retirement of an athlete's number. Now, why on earth would they do that, unless they happen to know something we don't.

No matter the significance of any of this information, Rollie has gotten his 500th win, and he's pushing 70. He may be thinking the same thing as a lot of us. It might be time to go!