ATHENS, Ga. -- For the second time in less than four years, a coach embarrassed Georgia by accepting a head job, then changing his mind. Only this time, he did another flip-flop.
During an extraordinary 30-hour period, Jim Harrick was introduced as Georgia's basketball coach, decided to remain at Rhode Island because he didn't want to leave two sons, then went squirming back to the Bulldogs.When all was said and done Thursday, then said and done again, Harrick was the new Georgia coach. It's hardly the ideal way to begin rebuilding a program that slumped the last two years under Ron Jirsa.
"I certainly believe some temporary concerns have been raised," university president Michael Adams said at a hastily arranged news conference. "How long-lasting that will be remains to be seen."
On Wednesday, Harrick, a former Utah State assistant and once candidate for the BYU job, was introduced as the new Georgia coach. He'd spent the last two years at Rhode Island, where he led the Rams to consecutive NCAA tournaments. Harrick called his decision a "no-brainer" and spoke of building a top program in the Southeastern Conference.
But Adams, a close friend of Harrick's since they both worked at Pepperdine in the 1980s, noticed later Wednesday that the coach seemed troubled. By Thursday morning, Adams' fears were confirmed when Harrick said he had a change of heart.
In the afternoon, after flying back to Providence and consulting with his family, Harrick changed his mind again, saying he wanted to join the Bulldogs after all. Then it was up to Georgia officials to decide if they wanted Harrick back.
After discussing the situation for just over an hour by telephone, Adams and athletic director Vince Dooley decided to stick with their original choice.
"It was a very emotional decision that involved his family," Dooley said. "If it was any other reason, I would not understand it, and I would have moved in another direction in a hurry."
"Sometimes you get in a no-win situation," Adams said.
Harrick, who was scheduled to meet with his Rhode Island players and hold a news conference to announce his return, didn't attend either. Instead, he released a statement though Georgia expressing regret for his indecision.
"This has been an emotional time, and it's been all about family," Harrick said. "I had to get back to my family and sort things out. Once I did that . . . Georgia is where I want to be; it's where I need to be.
"I hope I haven't offended anyone, but if so, I deeply apologize," he said.
In December 1995, Glen Mason agreed to leave Kansas to become the Georgia football coach. He reconsidered a week later and returned to the Jayhawks on Christmas Day, prompting Dooley to hire his second choice
Jim Donnan led the Bulldogs to consecutive top-15 seasons, while Mason left Kansas in 1996 after a 4-7 finish.
"My mind was already turning on where to go next," Dooley said. "I have experience in things like this."
Amazingly, the series of events occurred on April Fool's Day.
"My late grandmother was married to my grandfather on April Fool's Day," Adams said, managing a smile. "They lived together for 61 years, and she used to say that was the strangest thing that ever happened on April Fool's. I wish she were here, because I topped her today."
Dick Bestwick, associate athletic director, said he contacted another candidate for the job, thought to be Appalachian State's Buzz Peterson. Bestwick stressed that no one else was offered the job while Harrick flip-flopped.
Harrick was admittedly concerned about the state's antinepotism law, which prevented him from bringing along his son, Jim Jr., an assistant on the Rhode Island staff. But the younger Harrick supported his father's decision to come to Georgia all along.
"Jim Jr. called me to tell me that his dad made the wrong decision, and he wanted to talk with him as soon as he landed in Rhode Island," Adams said. "That might have been the decisive factor."