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Northern Kentucky has parted ways with head coach Dave Bezold, sources told ESPN.
— Jeff Borzello (@jeffborzello) March 16, 2015
On the face of it, Larry Davis leaving the Bearcats to become the top man at NKU is a little hard to believe. NKU is still in the process of transitioning to full Division I status, they won't be full members of Division I until the fall of 2016, or after the conclusion of Davis' first year, should he choose to take the job. That is the weird part.
What's not that weird is the money that NKU is pouring into their sports programs. The Norse are not even full members of Division I, yet their annual budget surpasses all but two schools in their conference, the Atlantic Sun. "Dunk City," AKA Florida Gulf Coast, and Kennesaw State are the only schools who spend more on athletics. In addition, NKU has outstanding facilities, especially relative to the rest of the league, and have demonstrated success, albeit at a lower level.
For the Norse, Larry Davis really would be something close to a dream hire. He has name recognition, not just in the Tri-State area, but nationally as well. Davis' profile is going to rise to another level this week as the rest of the nation will finally catch on to what an amazing job he has done with this Bearcats squad in extremely trying circumstances. He would be a splashy hire for the Norse, not just locally but nationally, and he would give their program a level of respect that and credibility that Dave Bezold never could. To quote one of the great poets of our age, Larry Davis would give NKU a credabilaboost.
The question is whether or not NKU is the right job for Larry Davis. In some ways Davis' situation is similar to assistant coach Eddie Gran's with the Bearcat football team. The career goal for both is clear: To become a head coach. But for both guys the pay is high enough, and the exposure is broad enough that they don't really need to leap at the first opportunity that presents itself. They can be a bit more selective, kinda like how the most attractive girl at a bar doesn't need to rush into a decision at 10 PM. She, and they, have the time to make the right decision.