The fact that Wake Forest's Ron Wellman has a reputation as a patient athletic director is an indication that an opportunity to make a quick upgrade probably factored into Wednesday's firing of Dino Gaudio as the school's men's basketball coach.
In three seasons, Gaudio was 61-31 overall, 27-21 against ACC competition. An 0-3 record in the league tournament and a couple of one-sided NCAA tournament losses, one to Cleveland State, no doubt undermined his future.
But even after the 84-69 embarrassment against Cleveland State and a 75-64 ACC tournament loss to Maryland in 2009, Wellman and the school extended 53-year-old Gaudio's contract through the 2013-14 season.
That extension is evidence that Gaudio began the 2009-10 campaign thinking he would get the benefit of the doubt if the team struggled.
But much has changed in college basketball, especially the ACC. Recently, Boston College fired Al Skinner and replaced him with Steve Donahue, whose Cornell team made an NCAA tournament splash.
Clemson's Oliver Purnell bolted for DePaul. Virginia's hiring of Tony Bennett a year ago appears to have strengthened that program.
Having lost confidence in Gaudio, Wellman obviously felt that waiting another season to make a change would be more expensive than standing pat.
The hottest coach in the country right now is Butler's Brad Stevens, the 33-year-old hit of the Final Four.
At Butler, Stevens is making approximately $400,000 annually.
With two small children, Stevens almost has to listen to offers from schools willing to pay in the $2 million range, particularly since there's a possibility his star player, forward Gordon Hayward, could turn pro. Oregon already is on the Stevens trail. Any school with an opening would be wise to at least give the guy a phone call.
There are other coaches who might be in the mood to move.
Minnesota's Tubby Smith, who won a national championship at Kentucky, almost certainly would listen to an ACC school. He played college ball at High Point, remember.
Baylor's Scott Drew and Texas A&M's Mark Turgeon have made progress at schools located squarely in the middle of a football-first state.
But Wellman would be doing his school a disservice if he didn't court Stevens before moving down his checklist.
At the Final Four, Duke's Mike Krzyzewski was asked what Stevens should say when other schools come calling.
Krzyzewski advised staying at Butler but prefaced it by saying Butler should increase Stevens' salary and that all coaches should think first of their families and concentrate on long-term goals.
Lots of folks in Indianapolis believe Stevens' long-term goal is the job at Indiana. The Hoosiers turned to Marquette's Tom Crean when Kelvin Sampson was dismissed in 2008.
Historically, Wake has been a good job, not a great one. But it's also arguable that the Deacons have never made a great hire. Wellman gave himself that chance Wednesday.
