Prairie View fires Head Men's Basketball Coach Elwood Plummer


BLUEBENGAL

BLUEBENGAL

Senior Member
Prairie View's head Men's Basketball Coach was fired today.

http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/story.hts/sports/1291202

March 11, 2002, 6:37PM

Veteran Prairie View basketball coach, staff fired
Associated Press

PRAIRIE VIEW -- Prairie View A&M dismissed its long-time basketball coach and his staff today, saying it wanted to move the program in an different direction.

Elwood Plummer spent 18 seasons as coach at Prairie View A&M. The university said it was relieving them of coaching responsibilities immediately.

"Coach Plummer's contract will not be renewed for the 2002-03 season," athletic director Charles McClelland said. "We're looking to move our basketball program in a different direction, and we felt that a change would help facilitate this move. Coach Plummer and his staff have done a good job and we wish them well in their future endeavors."

Plummer is ending his second tenure as the head coach. He has an overall record of 153-377, including a 10-20 record this season and 8-10 mark in the Southwestern Athletic Conference.

The highlight of his tenure was the 1997-98 season, when Plummer guided Prairie View to its first SWAC tournament title and the school's first-ever NCAA Division I tournament appearance despite going only 13-17 overall and 6-10 in conference play. Since then, his teams have gone 29-84.

McClelland said a national search to find a successor would begin immediately.
 



I guess for them it is easier (maybe cheaper) to fire the coach than to up the scholarships.
 
I have been saying it al season, and I think McClelland heard me. I hope he does the same with the women's team. Our kids have talnt, but they seem to play more with instincts than coaching. Hopefully, this will be a good move.
 
I think it will be hard to find a good coach considering the lack of commitment PV show towards their athletic program. I hope I'm wrong.
 
If McClelland is committed to going in a different direction, which I believe he is, then I think he made a good move, a year late, but at least it's a start.
 
Going in a different direction??? Excuse me here, but what the hell good does it do to go in a different direction, if you are going to keep doing things the same old way.(Not putting any money into the program i.e. scholarships) YOU MUST CHANGE THE WAY YOU DO THINGS. I mean if the administration is not committed to the basketball program changing coaches is not going to solve the problem.

IF YOU DO WHAT YOU ALWAYS DID, YOU GONNA GET WHAT YOU ALWAYS GOT. (not good english, but hopefully yall get my point)
 
a National Search?

I applaud the move - should have not been rehired the second time around if you tell me. His current class of players have not progressed like I wanted. We have one of the biggest teams in conference but their weak and underachievers. Greg Burks came into PV weighing 139 lbs. 4-years ago and still weighs the same.

Thing is, what coach would want to come into a situation like ours? You have nothing to work with financially. It's a Catch 22 Situation.

We could end up with some no-name assistant or SU's Tommy Green or TSU's Lacey Applewhite (if he's axed). I have a feeling we're going to the recycling bin though.
 
Originally posted by The Panther Fan
a National Search?

I applaud the move - should have not been rehired the second time around if you tell me.
Click to expand...

I have a question, over there.
 
Courtney would have been my choice also. Wish we would have dumped him last season so we could get that lock on the Houston talent also.

He has TSU headed in the right direction. I hear new names resurfacing everyday.

But I doubt he would come to PV with 3 scholarships.
 
Good Luck Prairie View.

My cousin who played for PV (92 - 94) said they are highly considering a player that played with him. I can't think of his name but when I find out I'll let you know.
 
Plummer knew around mid season he was out the door if he did not win the SWAC Tournament
PV you can only hope that aktins is next with the dumb **** he did with the girl team this year from 16 girls to 7 by mid season
 
Originally posted by jonhandy
Plummer knew around mid season he was out the door if he did not win the SWAC Tournament
PV you can only hope that aktins is next with the dumb **** he did with the girl team this year from 16 girls to 7 by mid season
Click to expand...

The only thing that I don't understand is why wasn't Atkins gone first!
 



Prairie View fires Plummer
1998 Tournament game not enough to save basketball coach
By RICHARD DEAN
Copyright 2002 Houston Chronicle


Winning the Southwestern Athletic Conference basketball tournament in 1998 and qualifying for its only appearance in the NCAA Tournament that year is the highlight of recent Prairie View A&M basketball history.

It has apparently been too long since that happened, at least for the powers that be at the school. Monday morning, athletic director Charles McClelland announced men's basketball coach Elwood Plummer and his staff had been relieved of their duties, effective immediately.

"Looking at the basketball program, we just felt we needed to go in a different direction," McClelland said. "It was not necessarily a scholarship issue. We felt we should have won more than 10 games this season.

"A coaching change right now will help facilitate us to get further along to where we need to be."

Since winning the SWAC tournament in Dallas in '98 and losing to Kansas 110-52 in the first-round of the NCAA Tournament, the Panthers have gone 29-84.

Up until the last couple years, Prairie View A&M had no athletic scholarships because of financial restraints. But of the 15 players on this year's team, the equivalent of three were on athletic scholarship. Counting other financial aid, there are approximately eight scholarship players.

Plummer was told of his dismissal at 11 a.m. Monday in a phone conversation with McClelland.

"He was disappointed," McClelland said. "He said he understood that we just wanted to go in another direction.

"Hopefully, the basketball program will take off. We have a lot of talent on the team."

The Panthers lose only two players from a team that finished 10-20 overall and 8-10 in the SWAC. Kevin Jones, a 6-1 guard, is the lone starter not returning.

Returnees include second-team All-SWAC selection Greg Burks, a 5-8 guard, and 6-11, 350-pound Roderick Riley.

McClelland and Plummer will have a face-to-face meeting today to discuss the firing. Plummer's teaching contract doesn't expire until Aug. 31.

This completes Plummer's second tenure as head coach at Prairie View A&M. In 18 seasons as coach at Prairie View A&M, his overall record was 153-377. In his first stint from 1973-79, he compiled a 78-83 record.

By state law, the job opening must be posted for 10 working days before interviewing begins.

"We're looking at someone with extensive coaching experience who fits in our situation," said McClelland, hired last summer as the school's athletic director. "They must show they can win under adversity and stress discipline."

It looks like the school is searching for another Larry Dorsey. Dorsey, the head football coach who guided the Panthers to three wins this past season in his second year, signed a two-year contract extension last month.

"We got lucky with Larry Dorsey," McClelland said. "We're looking for a similar type of person."

McClelland said the new basketball coach would get a pay increase and that the job would be 100 percent athletics, meaning no teaching will be required.
 
Not my boy Plummer, so it isn?t so. I think that the man just needed more to work with. PV should have sent Coach Plummer to coaching clinics and leadership classes.

Coach just didn?t have the funding nor support from the university to show what he could do with the program.


Oh DAMN!
 
Oooooooooh HAPPY DAY!!!!

Take'em out Charles!!!! That's right!!!! Time for a change!!!!

Thank GOD!!!!!! Track and baseball? You're next!!!! (I KNEW it was coming!)

Discipline! That's what's missing (along w/ $$$$$ support). We're getting there. Slowly but assuredly.
 
8 scholarships. These fools need to go on and give the full rides and stopping pieceing crap together.

We need to get the NAIA coach from Huston Tillotson. He defeated us and he also won his tournament. Thing is his teams probably have more talent than ours and he does not have to worry about academic requirements.
 
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