With the reinstatement of his continuing contract, SIUC men’s basketball coach Rich Herrin is relieved of some of the pressure that a one-year deal would have given him this basketball season. But the reinstated contract comes as a major surprise.

Only four months ago, SIUC Athletic Director Jim Hart stunned everyone by announcing that Herrin’s continuing contract would be changed to one effectively ending July 31, 1998. A continuing contract allows Herrin’s position to be automatically renewed unless the University decides otherwise, and Herrin had enjoyed this loose coaching arrangement for 13 years. Restructuring Herrin’s three-year rollover contract basically foreshadowed a death knell for Herrin’s coaching career at SIUC.

And Herrin was only notified of the change by a press release that Hart had released to the media. This impersonal action done for a man who had compiled a 211-159 record while guiding the basketball Salukis to three straight trips to the NCAA Tournament only placed a cloud of uncertainty around SIUC’s basketball program.

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Monday, Hart announced that Herrin’s former contract had been magically restored because of recent talks between the two. What did they talk about? Everyone knows that the Salukis’ last two seasons have been extremely disappointing with records of 13-17 in 1996-97 and 11-18 in 1995-96. Herrin also has been unable to recruit top talent that would translate into success for the basketball program.

But all that the public has been told is that the two have agreed that things need to get better for the Salukis Hart would not elaborate on what better really means.

So what are Hart and Herrin going to do to improve the program? And is that key to why Herrin may be sticking around for a while? It would be nice to know this information, as the Salukis’ home-opener tonight kicks off such an anticipated season. Give us some real answers fans deserve to know the truth.