There is no doubt in my mind that Rick Samuels will be leading his 26th consecutive Panther team on the floor for Midnight Madness next season.

Messages to those of you currently reading this:

1. Thank you.

2. I appreciate any comments negative or positive. It’s like voting – do it early and do it often.

However, take a look at the top left of the page; see my face? Memorize it, because I would truly appreciate not hearing about Samuels future with the Eastern men’s basketball program. No more, “Hey! Let’s run Samuels out on a rail!” comments or the popular, “You know a new coach would turn everything around for us.”

This request extends to students, coworkers, faculty, members of athletic administration, booster club representatives and any resident of the surrounding communities.

I’ve heard all the rumors; you’ve heard all the rumors; everyone has heard all the rumors. Want to know what that proves? It proves that Charleston is a small town; that’s it.

This team has three underclassmen that will shine next year in the starting lineup (Bobby Catchings, George Tandy and Bil Duany). Add that youth to the senior leadership of Josh Gomes, and a top three conference finish is highly reasonable.

I may even be in the minority on this opinion.

A consistent coach is what makes this little known program in the middle of nowhere unique.

We value loyalty and a commitment to the Eastern community.

This publication chose Samuels as Person of the Year four years ago, so wouldn’t it be hypocritical for me to ask for his head on a platter now?

Fact: Director of Athletics Rich McDuffie has the final call when it comes to the personnel decisions, and quite bluntly, he’s not stupid.

Why would the Panthers head honcho renew Samuels’ contract after last season’s 6-21 disaster, his career worst season? McDuffie has never acted in a reactionary manner, and he doesn’t run his department as a loose cannon. He does this not because he strives for mediocrity, but because he knows it takes special people to work for him in a less than desirable location for a mid-major program.

He certainly had to be paying close attention to a predicted last-place team nearly double its win total.

Fact: McDuffie doesn’t like to appear as the big, bad wolf that cuts school icons at the knees.

“Rick is one of the truly fine men in college coaching,” Washington State head coach Dick Bennett said.

Bennett is on a long list that would privately call this program a laughingstock if Samuels was told to pack his things.

Fact: McDuffie doesn’t want this to become a renegade program like Cincinnati, Missouri or Murray State.

Samuels graduates his players and runs a clean program away from the wrath of the NCAA and the Illinois legal system.

For those that want Eastern’s all-time record holder for wins on the next train out of town, you are initially assuming that a flock of candidates will line up from here to Effingham in hopes of landing this position.

That is simply not a logical way of looking at the situation.

Name me one legitimate reason why an assistant at a big conference (ACC, Big East, Big Ten, Big 12, Conference USA or SEC) would want this job. Nine times out of 10, a new coach loses. So who wants to leave a high profile job to come here, lose and then get fired? And for that matter, wouldn’t we be starting the process all over again?

“Any parent would be proud to have their son play for (Samuels),” former Illinois and current UNLV head coach Lon Kruger said.

Others that would react negatively would be alumni. We protect our coaches, faculty members and role models at this institution and there’s nothing wrong with that. People appreciate that.

Think long and hard if Eastern’s all-time leading scorer Henry Domercant would come back to Lantz Arena to have his number 44 retired if Samuels was fired. The current answer would be a resounding “No thanks.”

“Well, if we had a new coach we’d put people in the seats.” I’ve heard that verbal garbage for almost three years now. In 2001, the Panthers made it to the NCAA Tournament and; quite frankly, we didn’t draw flies.

Lantz Arena was sold out twice – TWICE! This is, was and always will be an attitude problem of the student body, who generally dislikes our athletic programs. Samuels can’t cure that; nobody can.

Samuels was never, is not currently and should never be considered the curable problem with the Panther program. Players play and win games, and next year’s Eastern roster will do just that unless the Panthers are forced to play for a new man.