Jeff Teague has taken the NBA Playoffs by storm.

A non-factor in the Atlanta Hawks series win against the Orlando Magic, Teague, a second-year guard out of Wake Forest has taken his game to another level against the top-seeded Chicago Bulls.

Teague is averaging 17 points, 4.4 assists and is shooting 55.9 percent from the field in the first five games against the Bulls’ highly regarded defense.

For most, Teague’s coming out party has come out of nowhere.

That’s not quite the case for Southern Illinois University Carbondale head coach Chris Lowery.

Lowery recruited the 6-foot-2-inch guard coming out of Indianapolis, and nearly had him according to Jeff Goodman of FOX Sports:

Imagine Jeff Teague playing at Southern Illinois. It nearly happened.

Teague was one of those late-bloomers. There were always one or two guys that came out of nowhere at the ABCD Camp in New Jersey – and Teague was one of those guys a few years back.

“I was about to commit to Southern Illinois before ABCD Camp,” Teague said. “But my dad talked to me about it and convinced me to wait.”

Teague, who would eventually commit to Wake Forest, would be a junior had he stuck around in college.

But considering the questions SIU will have in its backcourt coming into the 2011-12 season, there’s no doubt Teague would look good in Saluki maroon.

I guess you’d have to credit Lowery for having an eye on this kid, planting the seed early and nearly getting him on campus.

Of course, there’s no such thing as “almost” as far as recruiting goes. Only horseshoes and hand grenades, if I recall correctly.

Still, that might be the most frustrating thing about SIU’s recent downfall.

It’s not as if talented players aren’t coming through the doors of the SIU Arena.

And it’s not as if Lowery doesn’t have an eye for quality ball players.

It’s just another reminder that the inability to get them on campus and keep them for four years is the root of what has plagued the Saluki men’s basketball program.

As a Bulls fan, Teague is making my head hurt with the way he has been able to easily attack the basket. And because he was this close to being a Saluki, it hurts that much more.

Unfortunately, our attempts at global domination have fallen short. Way short. Then both of us grew up, took big boy jobs and scrapped the world domination via sports blog chit-chat.

And while Hartwig has retired from the blogosphere, I’m still chugging along. As is this blog.

With that being said, I’d like to say thanks to this blog’s fanbase. I appreciate you all the same, but bless the Saluki fans for really putting me on the map and trusting me as a source for analysis and news.

I’d also like to give a shoutout to the contributors we’ve had over the years.

Johnny Sole. Jon Iaccino. Stile Smith. Brian Feldt. Jeff Engelhardt. Mike Carter.

Here’s hoping I didn’t forget anyone.

(Though I probably did.)

So, how will we celebrate another year of this blog’s existence?

Well, if it was up to me…

And if you’re note already doing so, follow this fine blog’s editor on Twitter @lcm1986.

Sources have indicated that Troy Long and/or Mykel Cleveland will be leaving Carbondale to make room for Lindsay.

Southern Illinois had no scholarships available prior to this week.

In Tom Weber’s most recent DawgBlog, he all but sets in stone that both Long and Cleveland won’t be suiting up in maroon and white next season.

“Lowery said Lindsay is a good enough ball handler that he can play all three guard spots, and he will push the team’s three incumbents — Kendal Brown-Surles, Justin Bocot and Diamond Taylor — for playing time.”

No mention of Long.

No mention of Cleveland.

Last year’s JUCO transfers were two of the most frustrating Salukis to watch last season.

Cleveland, because of his struggles in grasping the motion offense. Long, because of his inability to sink perimeter shots at the rate he did while starring at Southeastern Illinois College.

Things got really complicated for Long and Cleveland after the incident that involved teammates Davante Drinkard, Gene Teague, Brooke LeMar’s Ford Mustang and an Airsoft rifle.

Cleveland, Long and Teague served suspensions.

Teague has already left the team and is searching for a new basketball home.

The most frustrating part of what will likely be two names to add to the list of dearly departed is that the potential of adding two JUCOs to this roster handcuffs the Salukis’ plans for their 2012 recruiting class.

With Cleveland and Long coming off the books next year, Lowery, Brad Korn and new assistants Ron Smith and Anthony Stewart could have really built strong ties en route to rebuilding the program from the ground up with freshman recruits in 2012, rather than patching together holes and hoping for the best.

Then again, we’re probably not even having this conversation had Lowery been able to retain previous recruiting classes — especially prominent members of the backcourt.

This somewhat tempers how much we at TBDS look forward to the 2011-12 basketball season.

But new blood, including the likable Treg Setty, the high-energy play of Dantiel Daniels and the potential scoring ability of Josh Swan gives us hope that better days are on the horizon.

Make sure to wake us up when Desmar Jackson can throw on a jersey, though.

Tease.

The phrase that paid throughout last season was “glimmer of hope” as the Salukis were battered during a 13-19 season, but had moments that made you scratch your head and wonder why it couldn’t put it all together for 40 minutes.

Southern played 15 good minutes against Purdue, holding the nationally ranked Boilermakers without a made field goal for the game’s first 10 minutes before imploding in the second half.

Wins against defending Missouri Valley Conference champion Northern Iowa at home and against eventual MVC runner-up Wichita State raised eyebrows as well. But nothing resembling momentum resulted afterward.

The biggest head-scratcher of the season came at Arch Madness when the Salukis led for all but the waning moments as Southern Illinois fell to regular season conference champion Missouri State.

So, why will next year be different?

Well, who’s to say that things will change at SIU next season.

Roster turnover has been a menace to deal with in Carbondale and will be that once again as Jordan Myers asked for and was granted his release and Gene Teague wants out and is in the process of getting out of his scholarship, per Todd Hefferman of The Southern.

The scary thing is that the problems with the Saluki basketball program mimic the university’s problems as a whole.

Questionable leadership at the top, coupled with dwindling retention rates have teamed to give the alma mater a black eye.

Carlton Fay joined Bryan Mullins and Tony Boyle as the only recruits under head coach Chris Lowery to reach the finish line and graduate wearing the maroon and white. Considering that Fay never reached a NCAA Tournament unlike his former teammates and fellow graduates, the Hennepin, Ill., native should be commended for gutting it out for four years.

As for the rest of the rest of the recruits, well, it’s as pretty as a pig in slop.

Nick Rogers, Josh Tabb and Drew Barham verballed but never came to the university.

Jordan Armstrong didn’t have the skillset to compete in The Valley and Christian Cornelius was hamstrung by the injury bug, leading to their departures.

Lowery and Brandon Wood were at odds after the attempt to redshirt him after an injury didn’t fly with certain people and Joshua Bone saw the likelihood of decreased minutes with the signings of Kevin Dillard, Ryan Hare and Torres Roundtree.

Anthony Booker and Kevin Dillard tired of Lowery’s antics after two years, while Booker’s former high school teammate Torres Roundtree left midway through his freshman year before seeing time at two other schools before disappearing into the abyss.

Ryan Hare couldn’t keep his fists to himself and Nick Evans — do we really have to go there?

Next year’s team will feature only four returning players who were recruited to come to SIU as freshmen: Kendal Brown-Surles, Diamond Taylor, Davante Drinkard and Justin Bocot — the lone senior.

Hence, the importance of this recruiting class.

I try my hardest not to get to caught up in freshmen recruiting classes, especially after being burned believing that Anthony Booker could be among the best Salukis to ever put on the uniform and going on record saying so at the Daily Egyptian.

(Look up the archives. On second thought, maybe you shouldn’t.)

Harry Whitt and Antonio Bryer are upside guys who will probably get redshirted, so we’ll put them on the sidelines for the purposes of this piece.

The biggest impact players of this class will likely be forwards Treg Setty and Dantiel Daniels, as the two provide a glimmer of hope (see, there’s that phrase again) for Saluki fans to think that there is a light at the end of the tunnel.

Setty can talk the talk, and if you follow him on Twitter like I do, you know what I’m talking about.

On the court, he’s proven he can walk the walk by averaging 22 points and 9 rebounds for a team that won its district title despite a slew of injuries. Setty seems to have the mental make-up of a player who can carry the load like that and play several positions for a SIU squad that will likely be playing mix-and-match with line-ups throughout the season.

Daniels is a guy we were given a heads up about two seasons ago as a 6-6 forward who was described as a “monster” on the boards. He averaged more than 11 rebounds per game to go along with 21 points. Daniels has been described as a Randal Falker-esque talent because of his skillset, non-stop motor and commitment to the tasks at hand.

At this point, what might be more important than the cold-hard numbers Daniels and Setty put up as freshman is the concept of keeping each of those players at SIU for four years, allowing their respective games to develop and watching the team grow with a pair of talented freshmen who seem to be focused on what they can do at SIU and not already looking at what they might be able to accomplish at the next level.

Combo guard Josh Swan, who verballed over the weekend, could be an x-factor as he could be the scoring guard the Salukis need. At 6-2, he’s got a size advantage over KBS that could get him the playing time to be the scorer he expects and the coaching staff wants  him to be.

The downfall of Southern Illinois’ basketball program has been player retention and development. And much of the player development issues arise when the talent doesn’t make it through four years of hard work on the hardwood.

While I won’t go on a limb and predict a worst-to-first turnaround next season, the gradual process of rebuilding what was the premier program in The Valley begins with recruiting talented players who want to be there, keeping them and developing their skills over a four (or five) year period.

And as it stands, that job falls directly on the shoulders of Mr. Lowery, who noted that things are a bit more difficult with his back against the wall but is not deterred by the challenge.

Here’s hoping he’s not just up for the challenge, but conquers it as well.

Smith’s bio was already up at siusalukis.com shortly after the tweet. Also, noticeably missing are the bios of former assistants Lance Irvin and Marcus Belcher. So, I guess it’s safe to assume that the other assistant to take the fall for this season’s disappointing campaign is Belcher — not Brad Korn as had been a hot rumor down south.

So, who is Ron Smith?

Smith is a Benton, Ill., native, meaning he brings a lot of local ties and local flavor back to the Southern Illinois coaching staff having already served on Rich Herrin’s staff at Benton High School and at SIU once upon a time.

The Salukis will need someone who can reach out to the community considering the disconnect between the fans and the team as Southern struggles to win games and fill seats.

(Not that an assistant coach is going to help fill seats, but southern Illinoisans might be more responsive knowing one of “their own” is coming home.)

Smith brings a lot of midwest ties and experience having coached at Northern Iowa and Iowa State under Greg McDermott — who is now at Creighton. And having coached Lowery back in the day, maybe Smith can provide the voice of reason for Lowery. One might call it a yin to Lowery’s yang.

We got a chance to catch up with one of our good friends from back in our Harrisburg days, Erik Griffin, who played for Herrin and Smith in the early 1990s. The Lady Bulldogs’ JV coach had nothing but kind words for his former coach.

“Coach Smith was an important part of rebuilding the program in the late 80′s and early 90′s and I am confident that he will help Coach Lowery accomplish the same thing,” Griffin said.

As for Irvin, his run as Lowery’s right-hand-man comes to a tumultuous end.

We profiled Irvin back when we were a start-up at SIU with a rather in-depth Q & A session that you can read here. We exchanged text messages with Irvin shortly after the Weber tweet and Irvin seemed unsure about his future with the Salukis upon hearing the news.

Hours later, the writing was on the wall.

It’s hard to make anything out of text messages, but Irvin seemed a bit bothered about being let go by SIU — not that I blame him for being upset. He refused further comment, and as of this point, has also declined to comment to The Southern’s Todd Hefferman.

Irvin had just finished his third year as a Saluki assistant and had been promoted with the title of Associate Head Coach after the 2008-09 season. He came on board when Jack Owens left to take a job with Matt Painter and the Purdue Boilermakers.

He has quite the background as an assistant. He’s worked under seven different high-profile coaches including DePaul’s Joey Meyer and Missouri’s Quin Snyder, among others.

Irvin’s strong recruiting ties to Chicago and the area’s talented AAU system made him an ideal candidate at the time as he was a key cog in making SIU a presence in the Chicagoland region.

As for the coach swap, it surely raises a few eyebrows.

Take what Lowery said about Irvin in what was the coach’s profile on the athletics website:

Lance is more than a recruiter. He’s more than a guy who is out there talking about Saluki Basketball to recruits. He understands relationships. He’s great with our players, after I get on them. He is able to reel them back in and get them to continue to do what we need them to do. He has an opportunity to really take off in this profession.

So at what point did Irvin lose touch with the players? Or did he?

Certainly now is not the ideal time to cut ties with a popular coach among current and former Salukis, especially not after courageously fighting off leukemia.

No matter what the future holds for Coach Irvin, we wish him the best of luck and are certain he’ll land on his feet somewhere.

As for the hire of Smith, Lowery dishes some more intriguing quotes:

“Ron understands this region, he understands our culture, and he understands our league,” said Lowery. “He’s going to be consistently upbeat about the future of our program and our kids. Everybody will feel it. He doesn’t allow people around him to feel sorry for themselves or negative.”

It sounds as if Smith is expected to be the reincarnation of ex-Saluki assistant Rodney Watson.

As for Smith, who organized foreign tours for college all-stars last year, it sounds like the prodigal son returning home.

“I got the sense there was a need here, and Chris desired to have me come and help him, which is very flattering,” he explained. “The time and the place is all right. I have a passion for Chris to be successful.”

Getting Smith seems like a good hire to bridge the gap at SIU. Though, to be completely honest, we can’t get over how Irvin seemed to be caught off-guard by the news of today’s announcement.

Maybe that dark cloud hovering above Carbondale isn’t gone quite yet.

Head coach Chris Lowery and Director of Athletics Mario Moccia held a press conference to discuss the future of Saluki basketball and some of the forthcoming changes.

The lead here is the dismissal of at least one assistant on Lowery’s staff. Sources have indicated to TBDS that two SIU assistants will be out the door as Lowery will enter his eighth year as head coach with a pair of fresh faces joining him on the bench.

There was a lot said by very important people in regard to what is on the horizon for SIU basketball. We whittle down from the massive amount of quotables to bring you the best of the best.

After the jump, of course.

1. “We are going to make some changes in the coaching staff, although I am not going to discuss the specifics at this time, the personnel changes, because the I’s aren’t dotted, the T’s aren’t crossed, and I think that it would be inappropriate at this juncture to get into any more specifics than what I just did. ” — Mario Moccia

Several readers, friends and contacts immediately texted me asking why Southern couldn’t make the announcement now. Clearly, it’s a legal issue. Firing without due cause would not just be bad business, but also poor form. The Salukis can’t really afford any more bad press as it currently stands. And considering that the staff has alumni in Brad Korn and Marcus Belcher, along with Lance Irvin — who is battling cancer — it’s likely that some sort of negotiated buyouts are on deck.

2. “I completely understand that the program begins and ends with me.” — Chris Lowery

This is one of Lowery’s go-to statements when he talks about the state of SIU basketball. As the head coach, it’s a no-brainer. What Lowery really needs to understand is that he is the face of the program, especially after the mass exodus that has occurred under his watch. When Southern was at its peak, the headliners included Bryan Mullins, Jamaal Tatum, Randal Falker, Matt Shaw, Kent Williams, Roland Roberts — you get the point.

When things were going well, coaches deflected credit to the guys on the hardwood. When that goes off track, it goes back to the coach. As it well should. Maybe now, Lowery will understand what he needs to do to get SIU back to prominence now that his back is firmly pressed up against the wall.

3. “I apologize to our fans, our alumni [and] our students.” — Chris Lowert

Yay! An apology. This is one of those things that will likely get overlooked, but Lowery knows that the top supporters of Saluki athletics aren’t nationally based media outlets, not corporate regional sponsors, but the southern Illinois community, the current students and faculty, and the alumni who continue to show support.

Some people accept apologies in the form of cash. Personally, I’ll accept mine with a winning product on the court.

4. “There are a lot of places where there are fickle fans. This isn’t one of them.” — Mario Moccia

If you think the Saluki AD hasn’t heard your voiced concerns, you’re mistaken. Moccia’s read through thousands of e-mails, many of which probably called for Lowery’s ouster. Despite a vocal group that has called for a regime change, Moccia knows many of those fans will support the maroon and white through thick and thin.

The brief shoutout was a testament to the power of SIU fans and an acknowledgment from Moccia that your voices are being heard.

5. “I’ve got to be the head recruiter again.” — Chris Lowery

Upon first listen, I believed this was Lowery throwing his assistants under the bus. And it very well could be. Momma always told me to go with my gut instinct. However, a deeper analysis makes me think that Lowery knows that everything falls on him  as the head of this program.

More than 24 hours later, I think of it in the same light when Chicago Bears head coach Lovie Smith brought in offensive coordinator Mike Martz into his office, put his foot down and demanded a change in the offense noting that everybody’s job was on the line and it all fell on the head coach to make sure change happened.

Lowery needs to live and die with his decisions. If there’s a split decision on a prospect, he needs to make a definitive decision and not lay it at the feet of an assistant.

Plain. And. Simple.

6. “There’s some selling to do with the fan base. This situation … not as bad as 1981.” — Mike Reis

The Voice of the Salukis made a guest spot on KMOX last night with Dan McLaughlin and yours truly listened intently. (Hat tip: to @bartonlorimor, who was driving through Missouri and caught the teaser on his drive to see his lovely fiancée. You can read his excellent blog here.)

Reis is the all-knowing of Saluki athletics. Though “some selling to do with the fan base” might be selling it short. Southern Illinois’ attendance hit an unprecedented low in the modern era of Saluki hoops. And that’s a bad sign considering the fact that Saluki Way helped usher in a new era of facilities that should have piqued the interest of season ticket holders.

Instead, SIU’s poor play has chased away the ticket buyers. Couple that with a rough economic stretch over the past few years and constricted budgets due to limited resources in the 618 area code and paying big bucks for a floundering product isn’t attractive.

7. “Southern got good because of players. Southern went bad because of players. It is. It was. It always will be about recruiting.” — Mike Reis

Easy enough, no? This was the most obvious statement Reis could have made, but it’s worth repeating. However, what Reis probably should have mentioned is retention. As a university, Southern Illinois’ retention rates are flat out ugly. Unfortunately, that also applies to the basketball team as well.

Yes, player transfers are an epidemic. Many student-athletes are treating their collegiate experience like a pick-up game. If things aren’t going well, rather than fight through it and make the necessary changes to adapt and advance in life, it’s all too common to see kids ask for a do-over and transfer schools.

What they’ll learn sooner or later is that the grass isn’t greener on the other side.

Still, Southern Illinois isn’t likely having these kinds of problems if the players that were recruited to the school were properly developed and retained.

8. “I think he’s frequently mistaken for not being as concerned about the situation as he really is.” — Mike Reis

This is a nod to Lowery’s flirtations with other schools, right? When Lowery was a hot coaching prospect, schools came out of the woodwork and fans felt Lowery was going to betray his alma mater. One school famously sent a private jet with representatives to Lowery’s home to meet with the head coach, unbeknownst to the Saluki head coach.

Despite interest from Big Ten, Big 12 and SEC schools, Lowery stood his ground and remained with the Salukis.

But because of said interest, there was a belief that Lowery didn’t always have his heart in Carbondale. However, get him on or off the record, Lowery will insist that he never had eyes for another school despite numerous reports of the contrary.

9. “I see a guy who is concerned about the situation and is hell bent on getting it fixed.” — Mike Reis

Reis sees the stubbornness in Lowery. Sometimes, stubborn could be a good thing as it will take a persistent effort from Lowery, his staff and the athletic department to turn things around at SIU.

“Hell bent” is a good term to use. While rumors about his future ran rampant throughout the state, Lowery operated under the guise of business as usual, beating down the recruiting trails as he normally would this time of year.

The Saluki head coach said that he expected everyone that joined him in St. Louis would be returning next season. We’ve heard from several sources that it’s not quite the case as center Gene Teague and forward Jordan Myers could be on their way out. That would make 17 departures from the SIU program.

If there’s any silver lining, the Saluki coaching staff has had its eyes on a play-making point guard and a versatile wing player out of the high school ranks. It doesn’t look as if a quick-fix JUCO raid will be coming to SIU. And that’s a good thing.

One college basketball source told us Wednesday that the only thing that could justify Lowery’s return was the potential influx of fresh blood from the high school ranks, noting that bringing in a new class as talented as the one Southern already has coming on board would be near impossible for a school such as SIU to do.

Here’s hoping Lowery and his staff understands that the team needs to be re-built from the ground up with player development and retention being of utmost importance.

10. “I’m really looking forward to turning it back around, because number one, I want to make the people that are closest to me proud again, and that is obviously my family, my coaching staff, and number one the fans and alumni. This is not a gloom and doom time anymore.” — Chris Lowery

Arguably Lowery’s most humbling statement. He once again goes to the well mentioning the fans and alumni. He also mentions his family, pulling at the heartstrings of whatever support group he’s got left. While Lowery was unfazed by “Fire Lowery” chants that began during Southern’s loss to Purdue, his children sitting in the front row near behind the bench weren’t as stone-faced about it.

Lowery’s children wore uneasy looks as they watched SIU struggle against Matt Painter’s club, all the while, the voices inside the suburban Chicagoland arena grew with angst and anger toward the coach.

While I know many who are in the anti-Lowery camp, I know their beliefs are based on the on the court performance of the Salukis since the team’s NIT bid in 2008. Unfortunately, not everyone falls in that camp. If there’s one request we here at TBDS would like to make, don’t make it a personal vendetta that Lowery is still on board.

/start rant

Sure, you despise what has happened with the program under his watch over the past three years. I do too. And — believe it or not — so does he. My lone hope is that we remember that Lowery isn’t a machine. He isn’t a robot. He has family, feelings and wants to see SIU succeed as much we do.

Saluki Nation is totally better than wishing bad things to happen to the coach or his family.

And while we all don’t agree with the decision that was made on Thursday to retain Lowery for his eighth year, I simply can’t root against my alma mater to fail for the sake of change.

Happy Friday, gang.

/end rant

It is believed at this 2 p.m. press conference that Southern will end much of the speculation that has surrounded the program in the past few weeks and announce Lowery’s return for his eighth season at the helm of SIU hoops.

The good news is that the event will be live streamed via SIUSalukis.com. The bad news is that there is no chance in hell that Boers and Bernstein can do audio drops throughout its entirety.

Lowery has coached the Salukis to four postseason bids with three NCAA Tournament appearances, including a Sweet 16 berth in 2007, to go along with a 2008 spot in the NIT.

Things have gone south for Southern Illinois since the team’s NIT loss at Arizona State.

The Salukis have had four consecutive seasons in which the team has finished below .500 in the Missouri Valley Conference, have seen numerous defections from the program and a handful of incidents that lead to the kind of newspaper headlines no one wants to read.

Southern has played in the MVC Tournament play-in round in each of the past two seasons and had lost four straight Arch Madness games prior to this season’s 57-54 thriller against Illinois State. The win against the Redbirds represents the first postseason win of any kind for SIU since the 2008 NIT opening round victory against Oklahoma State.

Still, the upcoming press conference carries a lot of speculation, including a potential shake-up with the coaching staff.

Stay tuned to TBDS for updates and analysis.

Still, it sure was nice to get a monkey off our back.

Southern Illinois took a trip in the way-back machine, limiting itself to a season-low four turnovers, scoring 14 points of 15 Illinois State giveaways and doing enough on the defensive end to offset the late inefficiencies encountered at the end of the game on offense in a 57-54 win against the Redbirds.

The opening round win gives SIU means the following:

• Snaps four-game losing streak at Arch Madness.
• First MVC Tournament game win since 2007′s semi-final win against Bradley.
• First postseason win of any kind since defeating Oklahoma State in the 2008 NIT opener at SIU Arena.

So what do the Salukis receive as a parting gift? A shot at Missouri State — the MVC regular season champion Missouri State.

The Bears boast Coach of the Year Cuonzo Martin and a roster that has beaten SIU by an average of 15 points per game in two previous meetings.

One down, three to go.

Sure as heck beats the alternative.

Unless you’ve been living under a rock, TBDS alluded to a potential buyout being in the works at Southern Illinois University Carbondale to free itself from the next three years of Chris Lowery’s contract.

Lowery, who will make $750,000 over the next three seasons, has no early-out clause and if the university were to let him go, would be responsible for the remaining $2.25 million.

I would like to use this blog post for an update and some clarification.

Ready?

Let’s go for a spin, shall we?

Let’s begin with some clarifications, starting with the concept of a buyout — which is being tossed around a bit casually in this ordeal.

Buyouts usually involve a negotiation in which two sides meet a middle ground where the employer doesn’t have to pay the full amount of a previously agreed upon contract and the employee doesn’t walk away empty handed.

If SIU ends up coughing up $2.25 million in this case, then it’s really not a buyout in the truest definition of the word.

And really, the last thing the big wigs at Southern want to do is pay a coach to come in and resurrect a program while paying another coach just to go away. So yes, the university would prefer a buyout so it doesn’t have to dole out upward of $2 million to make one of its favorite sons go away.

Our good friend Barton Lorimor noticed a disconnect between our sources after Todd Hefferman’s piece in The Southern Illinoisan referred to a potential buyout backed by corporate donors.

So how did that happen? Simple. Because one clearly exists.

In November 2010, Chancellor Rita Cheng announced that 3,900 employees would take four furlough days, which would save $550,000 per day and total $2 million to help bridge the budgetary gaps.

Good luck crying poor and telling the professors that they can’t get paid unless they take mandatory unpaid days only to turn around one year later to hand out more than $2 million to tell the school’s underachieving basketball coach to take a hike.

Enter the aforementioned corporate buyout.

Because the only way for SIU to free itself from the shackles of the $2.25 million burden is to hope some big-money players *cough*Greg*cough*Cook*cough* pony up some dough for the cause.

Now, credit the athletics end for doing its job by denying all rumors and attempting to nip it in the bud as the Salukis enter the MVC Tournament in St. Louis.

It’s tough for Southern’s cash-strapped athletic that is inching toward clearing the debt incurred by the work of previous regimes to push for a buyout. So kudos to them for deferring the buyout talk to the other side of campus.

For those too lazy to click a link, remember we said the following:

On Thursday, three sources told The Big Dead Sidebar that the university was preparing a buyout for head coach Chris Lowery in the $2 million range.

Rumors stemmed from the university end — and that was made clear with Chancellor Cheng’s comments to Hef:

“Obviously, changes are going to be made. We have a problem, and we have to address it,” Cheng said.

I’ll be honest. Upon reading that quote, a certain Tupac Song came to mind.

But we’ll get to that later.

Part two of our Saturday statement:

Those rumors were quickly shot down by several members of the Saluki Athletic department with one source calling the rumors “ludicrous.”

Notice that we were the first to say that the denials came from the SIU Athletic Department. And that makes sense based on what we referred to a few paragraphs above in regard to the department’s own fair share of money woes.

In the end, nothing is happening until the season ends — which is fine.

But remember this. For SIU to draw up a buyout and for Lowery to accept it are two different things. Two years ago, DePaul attempted to do a similar thing with Jerry Wainwright.

The Blue Demons brass offered Wainwright a buyout, to which he cackled and rolled up some kush politely said no thanks. In turn, DePaul made a statement by firing all of Wainwright’s assistants — including his son — without even running it by the Blue Demons head coach.

Wainwright instantly became a lame duck and is no longer coaching the Big East bottom-feeders.

Hypothetically, SIU could do the same to Lowery in the event a buyout is drawn up and rejected. Though it might not be in good taste to do it (under the cloak of darkness, no less) to two cancer survivors and a once-popular member of the 2002 Sweet 16 team.

(Please note that Lowery has made it perfectly clear to us in the past and as recently as this November that he has no desire to coach any other program and is intent on turning the program around sooner, rather than later.)

Southern Illinois radio guy Mike Murphy has reportedly already gone on record saying that there’s a big announcement coming to Saluki athletics Monday after the conclusion of Arch Madness. The popular belief is that it will be announced that Lowery’s days as SIU’s head coach are over.

Though sources warn us that Monday’s announcement could be a dreaded vote of confidence.

And if that’s the case, there might be a minor mutiny among members of Saluki Nation.

Hey, when we promise Tupac, we deliver.

Can’t say that about any other SIU-heavy sports blog, can ya?

Now, in the third year of Cuonzo Martin’s tenure in Springfield, Mo., the Bears have captured the school’s first MVC regular season title after defeating Wichita State on Saturday afternoon.

So, is a worst-to-first turnaround in The Valley impossible? No. The Bears proved today that recruiting and developing a well-disciplined team isn’t as difficult as one would be led to believe.

After three NCAA Tournaments and a bid in the NIT, Southern Illinois University Carbondale is faced with a similar up-hill climb. The Salukis are on the bottom floor of a rebuilding project that began last spring with the departures of Kevin Dillard and Anthony Booker — two key cogs in what was supposed to be the best recruiting class in team history.

Operating under the that getting back to basics would spark a revival in Carbondale, the Salukis never got off the ground running. SIU lost in its home opener, a nationally televised overtime loss to Northeastern in what turned out to be a sign of what was to come this season for SIU.

The Salukis finished their season with a 12-18 record overall, 5-13 in conference play and with a woeful 244 RPI.

SIU hit rock bottom hard this season with one academically ineligible recruit who never made it to campus (Ernest “Stretch” Watson), three players arrested and suspended due to a shooting incident on campus (Gene Teague, Troy Long & Mykel Cleveland) and five conference losses of 14 points or more.

Even then, Southern still isn’t out of the woods quite yet.

On Thursday, three sources told The Big Dead Sidebar that the university was preparing a buyout for head coach Chris Lowery in the $2 million range. Those rumors were quickly shot down by several members of the Saluki Athletic department with one source calling the rumors “ludicrous.”

Still, where there’s smoke there’s fire. And beyond that lies a really good poll question.

Should the Saluki Athletic Department consider buying out its head coach?

Like any decision, this comes with is fair share of pros and cons.

We’ll throw out a few for you, our wonderful readers, and let you discuss the rest among yourselves.

Pros

• Buying out Lowery removes the dark cloud that has hovered over the team for the past few years which has stemmed from a drop in the standings and a mass exodus of players.
• A change at the top could be refreshing to players who have struggled under Lowery’s demanding coaching style.
• A different voice of leadership could be attractive to incoming players, provided the system they thought they were coming into isn’t drastically overhauled.

Cons

• SIU’s rebuilding stages could take a hit in losing talented incoming freshmen Treg Setty and Dantiel Daniels, who are expected to be the cornerstones and building blocks of the next generation of Salukis. Both Setty and Daniels could play vital roles for the 2011-12 Salukis and each could find themselves in starting roles as freshmen.
• A mishandling of the process could lead to a strained relationship between the university and a man who was at one time one of the school’s most popular alums.
• A full buyout of Lowery’s $2.25 million salary would be a crippling blow to an athletic department that has slowly dug its way out of debt.

It’s been difficult to watch SIU fall on hard times since the team’s magical run to the 2007 Sweet 16 where the Salukis were two bad calls away from beating the almighty Kansas Jayhawks.

But it’s been equally as difficult to watch the fan base turn on Lowery so quickly.

It’s hard to believe that the kid who was so beloved after sinking a buzzer-beating dagger to beat Southwest Missouri State in the Arch Madness title game has turned into one of the most reviled figures in the southern Illinois region.