Does the University of Memphis necessarily have to hire a black basketball coach?
by Dennis Freeland his being Memphis, the subject had to come up. Does the University of Memphis have to hire an African-American head coach to replace Larry Finch? Evidently athletic director R.C. Johnson and school president V. Lane Rawlins believe they do. After rejections from Tulsa’s Steve Robinson and Colorado’s Ricardo Patton, two young black coaches, the university has turned its attention to University of New Orleans head coach Tic Price, also an African American. This may be penitence for having fired local hero Larry Finch, but it appears university officials have misread public sentiment. The outrage over Finch’s firing is not racial. Finch always had as much, if not more, support from white fans as blacks. Even after it became apparent that Finch needed more fans in the stands to save his job, the black community didn’t buy more tickets. And the crowd that ringed the arena floor hoping to shake Finch’s hand before the Cincinnati game was predominantly white. So who will th
