ESPN.com:
To hoops junkies, being a college basketball coach sounds like a dream gig. You immerse yourself in the game you love. You thrive in a position of authority and inherent respect. You define the life trajectory of hundreds of young men. You pack an office with truckloads of knickknacks and memorabilia. You make anywhere from hundreds of thousands to millions of dollars a year.
There's a reason so many young graduate assistants and college-age hopefuls throw themselves at the mercy of the oversaturated coaching job market each and every year. More often than not, it's worth it.
The position isn't all glamour, though. Think of all it requires: long hours. Constant attention. Obsessive study. Subservience to the cynical recruiting landscape. Unceasing Blackberry addiction. The knowledge that, when you really get down to it, your job, your livelihood, your position of prestige -- whatever success you've managed to attain in your professional career -- hinges on the waffling whims of 17-year-old kids. And even if you reach the top of your profession, even if you're Tom Izzo or Mike Krzyzewski or Bob Knight, there's always a thousand driven hopefuls willing to go that extra step to knock you down a peg. The job never gets easier. Quite the opposite, in fact.
Is the dream job worth all that it requires? Most coaches seem to think so. But every so often, someone proves that that's not always the case. Today, that coach is Xavier assistant Pat Kelsey, who told the Sporting News that he's not only decided to step away from his promising gig with the Musketeers, he is leaving the game of basketball entirely.
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