UCI’s Baker Is Dismissed

What had been predicted and expected happened quickly. Less than 24 hours after UC Irvine’s season finale, men’s basketball Coach Rod Baker was told Sunday he would not return.

Athletic Director Dan Guerrero told Baker Sunday morning that his contract would not be renewed. Guerrero also met with Baker’s staff and the team.

Guerrero had said repeatedly he would make a decision at the end of the season, but he moved more quickly than most anticipated.

“I think it was clearly in the best interest of the university, the program and for Rod to minimize the speculation and render a decision as quickly as possible,” Guerrero said.

“My job is to evaluate the overall success of the program, which does include wins and losses, but there are also many things off the court to consider. After assessing our situation, this is not where we believe the program should be after six years.”

Guerrero said the search for a new coach will begin this week. A job announcement will be issued and a search committee likely will be formed. It could be in place before Guerrero leaves for the Big West Conference tournament this week.

Some already have expressed interest in the job. Northern Arizona’s Ben Howland and Cal State Bakersfield’s Pat Douglass recently have made informal inquiries, according to a source. “This position can be a very attractive situation,” Guerrero said. “Clearly individuals have and will continue to express interest.”

The Anteaters lost to Cal Poly San Luis Obispo on Saturday, 84-78, to finish 1-25, a school record for losses. They lost seven games by 30 or more points and attendance at home games was the lowest since the Bren Center opened in 1987.

But this season was not the sole reason for Baker’s departure, merely the last act. Baker had a 52-116 record in six seasons.

“Strictly from a business perspective, the decision was rather evident,” Guerrero said. “On a personal level, it is always a little more difficult. Rod has been a member of the campus community for six years. Those kind of things remain a factor.”

The speed of the decision caught the Irvine players by surprise. They had met with Guerrero for 15 minutes Friday to discuss the situation and express support for Baker.

“I feel a little sad, but, wow, that was fast,” freshman guard Juma Jackson said. “This is what, 17 hours after our last game?”

Said freshman forward Brian Johnson: “We have our last game, go to sleep and wake to a phone call saying our coach is gone. It’s like a soap opera.

“I honestly thought they [Baker and his staff] were going to be back.”

But Baker’s departure had been predicted since last spring, when four players, including two starters, left the program. Baker was named the Big West Conference coach of the year after guiding the Anteaters to a 15-12 record last season, but things deteriorated quickly.

Kevin Simmons and Brian Keefe, both second-team all-conference selections, transferred to Nevada Las Vegas. Clay McKnight, who was on the conference all-freshman team, left and will attend Pacific. Redshirt Tchaka Shipp, a transfer from Seton Hall, was dismissed from school for alleged academic cheating.

Last July, Baker pursued the head coaching position at Maine, but withdrew his name.

Stuck with an inexperienced team, Baker went into the last year of his contract with little hope of success. The Anteaters, stocked with freshmen and walk-ons, lost their first 13 games. They suffered the second-worst defeat in school history on Dec. 15 when they were routed by USC, 107-45, in the Bren Center.

Publicly, Baker maintained that he would be back up.

“We turn out guys who are a credit to the university,” Baker said last week. “We spent a significant amount of time trying to teach life skills. We may do it differently than some other people, but we do it the right way.”

Baker also said he had no immediate plans should his contract not be renewed.

“There will be plenty of time to find something else to do,” Baker said.

Baker, 44, was an assistant coach at Brown, Columbia, St. Joseph’s and Seton Hall. He also spent five seasons as the head coach at Tufts, where he had a 73-51 record.

But Baker made slow headway at Irvine. The Anteaters averaged only four conference victories in Baker’s first four seasons and had extended losing streaks each year--11 games in 1991-1992, eight in 1992-93, seven in 1993-94 and six in 1994-95.

Yet Baker received a two-year contract extension after the 1995 season, partly because of his success in the conference tournament. Irvine reached the Big West title game in 1994 and the semifinals in 1992 and 1995.

The 1995-96 was to be a watershed year for the Anteaters. They had Simmons, a highly touted recruit from New York, and Raimonds Miglinieks, who led the nation in assists last season.

Irvine opened the season with two victories in the Joe Lapchick Tournament, beating St. John’s in the title game. When the Anteaters defeated Long Beach State in overtime, 69-65, on Feb. 12, they were 10-3 in conference and in first place.

They wallowed from there, losing four of their last six regular-season games and finished tied for second place. They were then bounced from the Big West tournament by San Jose State in the first round.

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Rod Baker at Irvine

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SEASON RECORD 1991-92 7-22 1992-93 6-21 1993-94 10-20 1994-95 13-16 1995-96 15-12 1996-97 1-25 Total 52-116

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Key Moments

* Nov. 11, 1991. Irvine defeats San Diego State, 79-64 in Baker’s first game.

* March 13, 1994. Irvine, 7-19 during the regular season, reaches Big West Tournament championship game, then loses to New Mexico State, 70-64.

* March 11, 1995. Irvine, 11-15 during the regular season, reaches Big West Conference semifinals, then loses to Nevada, 88-69.

* Nov. 25, 1995. Irvine defeats St. John’s, 83-77, the biggest victory of Baker’s career.

* April 16, 1996. Sophomore forward Kevin Simmons and sophomore guard Brian Keefe, both second-team all-conference selections, announce they will transfer from Irvine.

* Jan. 4, 1997. The Anteaters finish an 0-9 nonconference season with a 77-44 loss to the University of San Francisco.

* Jan. 23, 1997. Irvine defeats Nevada, 76-74, in overtime to end a school record 16-game losing streak.

* Feb. 27, 1997. Irvine blows a a 12-point, second-half lead and falls to UC Santa Barbara in overtime, 79-71, to set a school single-season record for losses.