Thanks to that blasted NBA lockout, Isiah Thomas, the scary spooky boogeyman of the New York Knicks, that thing you just can’t kill, hasn’t been in the news much of late. (Other than to hang out with LeBron and Wade for charity, of course.) And now college basketball has begun again, meaning Isiah Thomas, “The Isiah Thomas” (as we suspect his business card reads), has to, again, go forth with the dirty little business of coaching a basketball team. Yep, Isiah Thomas is still Florida International’s coach. That’s still happening.
To remind you, since taking over the job of Florida International coach before the 2009–10 season, Isiah and all his Isiah goodness led the Golden Panthers to a 19-44 record. The good news is that Florida International hasn’t been sued for anything.
So, how is Florida International supposed to do this year? We checked in with the 2011–12 Blue Ribbon Basketball Yearbook. Here are some selective quotes:
- “Hall of Fame point guard Isiah Thomas is suddenly being hassled by the turnover — from his players and on his roster.”
- “A .500 season in the [Sun Belt] conference would be a sign of progress.”
- “Anything less will undoubtedly have some starting to get edgy about the turnover.”
The magazine then goes on to pick FIU fifth in the Sun Belt Conference East Division, behind South Alabama and Western Kentucky, but ahead of Troy, so there’s that. Ken Pomeroy had FIU No. 298 in his ranking coming into the season, which is 41 spots behind Fordham. So Year Three of the Isiah Regime is going great!
Thing is, though … last night, Florida International notched its biggest win of the Isiah Era, beating George Mason (and new coach Paul Hewitt) 79-76 in overtime. George Mason went to the NCAA Tournament last season and was ranked No. 67. So it was a legitimate win for Isiah, which is always surprising. If you want to watch Isiah in action tonight, FIU plays Virginia Tech at 6 p.m. on ESPNU tonight. If you need your “Boo the Television That Has Isiah on It” fix, here’s your chance to scratch the itch.