Athletics – Walker Q&A: New era for Cajuns

Joshua Parrott • jparrott@theadvertiser.com • April 4, 2010

As much as UL athletic director David Walker wanted to generate some excitement for the men’s basketball program, he was more focused on hiring a head coach with a track record of success — on and off the court.

Walker believes that he found the perfect coach to lead the Ragin’ Cajuns back to excellence and replace Robert Lee in Bob Marlin, who spent the previous 12 years building the program at Sam Houston State.

Marlin — the second-winningest coach in Southland Conference history — posted a 225-131 record, six 20-win seasons and two NCAA Tournament berths with the Bearkats. He was named the Southland Conference Coach of the Year for the third time this season after Sam Houston won a school-record 25 games and went to the NCAA Tournament.

On Friday, Marlin picked up a huge honor as he was recognized as the Skip Prosser Man of the Year Award for on-court success and moral integrity. He was named the National Junior College Coach of the Year in 1993 after leading Pensacola Junior College to the NJCAA Division I national title.

Marlin, named the 13th men’s basketball coach in UL history, has agreed to a five-year deal with an annual salary package of $275,000. That could increase to more than $300,000 with bonuses.

Walker recently sat down with The Daily Advertiser to talk about his most recent hire, what made the move possible and future expectations.

Question: What are your feelings about hiring coach Marlin after getting a chance to reflect on the move?

Answer: After getting to spend even more time with him, I obviously feel that we absolutely made the right decision. Watching him interact with the fans, our staff and our players was incredible. The feedback we’ve gotten has been phenomenal. We couldn’t be happier.

Q: Why do you think the Cajuns were able to get him despite the fact he was a finalist at Auburn, interviewed at Houston and was considered for openings at UTEP and Boise State?

A: We weren’t the only institution that had identified him, realized his achievements and knew what he could bring to a program. We were very fortunate that we were a little bit ahead of schedule on the search than some of the other schools were so we could go ahead and make an offer. I just felt like if there was going to be any extended time spent with anyone else that they would absolutely have the same impression that we had. It was very critical that we not wait and that we moved forward before anybody was going to get the opportunity to really get to know him.

Q: Previous UL head coach Robert Lee made only $175,000 annually. You mentioned that about one-third of Marlin’s salary increase came from athletic foundation funds. How was that possible?

A: When we started the annual fund and the Ragin’ Cajun Athletic Foundation (last year) we heard from many of our fans that this was one of the big reasons why they wanted to be a part of that. That would allow us to go and attract people like a Bob Marlin. They were willing to help, but they wanted to see results and see the money spent to make an impact on the entire athletic program. With that support we were able to make the commitments you need to bring in this kind of coach.

Q: Outside of the obvious (wins, championships), what do you expect from coach Marlin and his coaching staff?

A: Just in talking with him you quickly realize how hands-on he and his coaching staff were with their players in all facets. They personally did the academic monitoring for their players. They kept up with their academic progress. They really kept up with the lives of their players. We’ve seen what academic struggles can cause in not only a program but in an athletic department. It sounds like a cliché, but it was a critical issue with us that we have somebody that was so hands-on and so driven to make sure that their athletes succeeded in the classroom. Obviously you can have the best academic team in the world, but you still need to win on the court. Bob brings you both of those characteristics.

Q: Home attendance has reached an all-time low in the Cajundome. Do you get the impression that it will improve next season?

A: We’re really expecting an upswing in attendance and in fan support. Just in the past few days we’ve gotten a lot of inquiries into season tickets. As soon as renewals are over we will start to really make a push for season tickets. If we’re able to increase attendance and bring season tickets back up to where it should be, then this investment will have already paid for itself. If you can get the fan support back then obviously the financial support will come with it.

Q: What kind of a statement do you believe the school made in hiring coach Marlin?

A: We just felt like very early on that we were going to define the candidate profile that we wanted. As the search went on, we didn’t want to deviate from it. We felt like that gave us the best chance of being successful, and that was what our fans deserved. Fortunately, (UL president) Dr. (Joseph) Savoie made a very serious commitment to do whatever it took to make these programs successful. We’ve asked our fans to step up their financially and they have done that. It was now time for us to do that.

Q: Any concerns when it comes to scheduling given that coach Marlin has had so much success against non-conference opponents?

A: You look at him and he’s been extremely successful on his home court over the years. That’s part of what it takes to have a successful program. The Sun Belt Conference is making a push for our basketball programs to increase their RPI ratings and play a higher-caliber schedule so at the end of the year you have a chance to get more teams into the NCAA Tournament. I think having a scheduling problem is a good problem to have.