Ryan Keith and Travis Akin

The SIUC basketball program closed one chapter and opened another Friday morning.

One basketball team started all over, while the other made little more than a change in priority on the bench.

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The men’s basketball team bid farewell to coach Rich Herrin, who handed in his resignation after 13 years at the helm of the Saluki program. The move was a difficult one for all involved and especially for Herrin, who rebuilt a shoddy program in 1985 and turned it into one of the best in the Missouri Valley Conference.

Rich Herrin meant a lot to Southern Illinois and the Saluki basketball program. His many records both at the high school and college level have ensured that his legacy will not be forgotten. But the team’s mediocre play and dwindling attendance over the past three seasons gave Athletic Director Jim Hart enough reason to decide the team should go in a different direction.

In this case, the end result was the right move, although the means to the end were far from ideal. Herrin’s future was surrounded in controversy and debate since last June, when Hart decided to restructure Herrin’s contract. But instead of resolving the issue in private, both sides saw the debate out into the public, creating a messy scene in which Hart asked for Herrin’s resignation. The Benton native reluctantly handed it in Friday morning.

The University owes a great deal to Rich Herrin, for he was the one to put the fans in the seats and put the Salukis on the map. But now that he is gone, the next few months become critical for the team’s success in the future.

The building blocks are there for a solid campaign in 1998-99. Senior guard Monte Jenkins has shown he can dominate on the offensive end when he wants to. Junior forward Chris Thunell is the reigning Newcomer of the Year in the MVC after transferring from Florida International and sitting out last season. Junior forward Derrick Tilmon improved and gained confidence each game after coming back from a foot injury that hobbled him for more than a month.

The most disappointing aspect of Herrin’s resignation is not the choice to let him go, but the timing of the decision. It comes at the most important recruiting time of the year. The national letter of intent signing period began Wednesday. The Salukis do expect to sign some players, but it will be difficult to convince recruits SIUC is the best place for them without a head coach in place.

Despite the awkward timing of the decision, Hart should be given some credit for choosing to make the move now rather than in the next two weeks or two months. Following a swift but effective national search, the new coach will still have time to implement his system and work with the players through the summer and into next fall.

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The Saluki program must take the next step in finding a coach who can take the team back to the NCAA Tournament. Rich Herrin left the program in much better shape than it was when he came here 13 years ago, but there is still much work to be done before a return to the past glory days of Saluki basketball can be reclaimed.

On the women’s side, the hiring of associate head coach Julie Beck as Cindy Scotts’ replacement means a smooth transition for the players.

It will still be difficult for the players to learn Beck’s philosophy as she develops the program. But the players already know her and respect her, which will make it easier to adjust to a new coach.

Beck has been with the program for 17 years and has been the chief recruiter for the program. Most of the players on the team are at SIUC because Beck brought them here.

This is a unique situation in collegiate basketball. Most new head coaches inherit a team with players they have not recruited and end up having to spend several seasons building a program.

But Beck will be able to jump in and have some early success because she brought the players to SIUC and helped build the current program.

Beck also has an advantage in that virtually all of the players from last season are returning. Theia Hudson, Beth Hasheider and Branda Anderson are the only seniors leaving the team.

The five freshmen who stepped up last season should be able to take leadership roles. Tiffany Traylor already has demonstrated she can run the point and will only get better. She can dismantle just about any press with her speed and agility. Courtney Smith will only get better because she is more accustomed to the more up-tempo offense that Traylor will run next season.

Terica Hathaway can shoot and drive and score over anybody when she sets her mind to do it. She saw limited play because of an injury, but next season she will be a key factor for the team.

On the defensive end, Kristine Abramowski and Maria Niebrugge can get the Salukis back into a game by generating forced turnovers.

Beck has a group of talented players already in place and she will be getting three more players when Tiffany Green, a 5-foot-8 guard from Melrose Park, Leah Holcomb, a 6-foot-3 center from Henderson, Tenn., and Kim Holloway, a 5-foot-7 guard from Montgomery, Ala., join the team next season.

Beck has the talent and the desire to win. She knows the program and she knows the players. She has their support and she has the support of the administration.

The fact that Beck was hired just one week after head coach Cindy Scott resigned is a tremendous confidence booster for Beck as she begins to make plans for the next season. It indicates that the administration has no reservations about the decision to hire her as coach.

All of the elements are in place for a good season. The talent is there. The desire is there. The rest is in Beck’s hands.