Coach Couch ditches the kilt

KYLE SCHECK
PHOTOGRAPHER

JON BEERBOWER
STAFF WRITER

4/1/2024

Last Thursday, shocking news swept the campus when 2023 MIAA Coach of the Year winner Jason Couch,better known as Coach Couch around campus, announced he was taking over the same position at the rivaling school, Albion College. 

While it seems illogical for such a successful coach to make a complete 180 in ideals and coach a rival team, it has been done multiple times in sports history. This NFL off-season saw multiple occasions of players doing this. 

Aaron Jones, former running back (RB) of the Green Bay Packers, was cut quite unfairly when RB, Josh Jacobs, was brought into the team. He, in turn, signed for the rival Minnesota Vikings, eerily similar to Hall of Fame quaterback, Brett Farve, who made the same move to his rivals 15 years ago. 

Additionally, Nick Saban, after crossing the MSU faithful, ran away from the BIG Ten and into the SEC with LSU, where he coached for four years, even winning a National Championship. After the aforementioned NFL stint, everyone wants to forget he joined Alabama as their head coach, and we all know how that went for the rest of college football. 

We reached out to Coach Saban for a comment about Coach Couch switching sides. For some reason, he did not answer. At this point, we should all just be happy for the championships he brought us and that he didn’t go to Olivet (cough, cough Hargraves…).

On the topic of sports, earlier this month, the campus was taken by surprise when Scots’ Basketball Coach Mike Fitzpatrick turned down a bid to play in the National Invitational Tournament (NIT) after being snubbed from the field of 68 in the NCAA’s March Madness tournament.

The Scots, who were 11-15 this season, felt like quality losses to Central Michigan and SVSU were enough to slide into the first four. The Scots’ season was still good enough for them to finish above Saint John’s and Indiana State in the committee’s final brackets.

Back to the NIT decline: it has been the theme in the last few years for schools to feel disrespected by the committee because they are not being included in the 68–team tournament.

With that being said, the decline by Fitzpatrick is huge. The only other notable decline besides the Scots this season was sent in by the UCLA Bruins, who only two years ago went on a run as a 10 seed, losing to Gonzaga in the National Championship.

Once, a decline was the Indiana University (IU) Hoosiers, who normally decline to play postseason basketball by the end of the January’s, with the statement that “Assembly Hall is iconic. You’ve [got to] be careful not to devalue it,” said IU’s Athletic Director in 2017.

Iconic arena or not, the Hoosiers should be focusing on beating Purdue. IU is 5-15 in the last 10 years against their “rival,” if you can even call it that. Zach Edey will be in their nightmares for the next decade after averaging a whopping 45 minutes a game at the free-throw line against them and everyone else. Edey will likely not be drafted, though, due to his lack of any basketball skills outside the paint.

Rumor is, Fitzpatrick will be in West Lafayette looking to bring over the two-time Naismith Player of the Year, Caitlin Clark, for a fifth year on the Scots’ team. Hopefully, that will be enough to make the postseason next year. 

Move over Caitlin Clark, this year’s MIAA leading women’s basketball scorer, Taylor Sas, who averaged 17+ points per game, has been linked with the Detroit Pistons as they look to secure the first overall pick once again in the NBA Draft. Sas’ offensive output would be the 2nd best on the team, behind Cade Cunningham.

Happy April Fools’ Day!