Another men’s basketball coach has failed at Drake.

Another sad chapter has been written at a university that’s gone more than 30 years without finding another Maury John.

Kurt Kanaskie made it official today by announcing his resignation after seven consecutive losing seasons with the Bulldogs.

The vultures have been flying over Kanaskie’s program since his 2002-2003 team finished a 10-20 season.

It was just a matter of time before someone pulled the trigger. Maybe it was Kanaskie. Maybe it was someone else.

Whatever, Kanaskie’s lawyers and Drake likely cut a financial deal that made his exit as painless as possible—if there is such a thing.

Let me say right away that Kurt Kanaskie is a fine man who had some fine records before coming to Drake. I wish him the best in whatever he does in the remaining 20 or so years he’ll be working.

Some people told me he had a weak staff. Some said he ran the wrong offenses. Most said he recruited the wrong players. All he had to do was stay inside the borders of Iowa and he might still have a job.

Drake President David Maxwell thanked Kanaskie for his "honorable service" and wished him well in the future. Maxwell stressed that Drake had made a commitment to Kanaskie as recently as the weekend of the Missouri Valley Conference postseason tournament last month that he would continue as the coach.

"We told Kurt then that he was our coach and we looked forward to him continuing," Maxwell said. "We understand and respect his desire to go in another direction."

Clearly, Kanaskie did the right thing in going off into the sunset. A no-win situation had been created. Crowds at Drake games this past season had gotten embarrassingly low, and it would have been next to impossible to sell season tickets next year.

It’s time for a change. Again.

It’s just too bad it didn’t happen a couple of weeks ago. Twenty-seven Division I coaching jobs opened before Drake, and 14 have already been filled. So Drake is already behind in its search for Kanaskie’s replacement.

That, folks, is very sad.

Tom Abatemarco, who succeeded Garner, was run off by his players in less than two seasons. Rudy Washington found that being the head coach at Drake was considerably different than being an assistant at Iowa. He was gone after six seasons.

"I appreciate the opportunity I had to lead the Drake men’s basketball program, and I wish the young men I have been associated with the very best in every opportunity they have in the future," Kanaskie said today.

"Most importantly, my family and I are forever grateful for the friendships we’ve made in this community."

Kanaskie said he’s had discussions with potential employers, but hasn’t made any final decisions.

Kanaskie’s record at Drake was 62-136. At most other Division I schools, he’d have been gone long before now.

As a high-ranking official at Drake told me late in the season, "Bill Knapp didn’t build this arena to have losing teams play in it."

He was talking about the Knapp Center, the 7,002-seat arena that Knapp, the deep-pockets Des Moines guy, had a big hand in financing. Drake has played its home games there since 1992.

There will be plenty of guys interested in the men’s job at Drake, but the women’s job will be easier to fill because, right now, it’s the better of the two programs.

Any prospective men’s coach will be told by others in the business about Drake’s 2.0 grade-point rule for athletes, and how hard it is to succeed because of it.

But there will be no shortage of coaches who inquire about the job. Count on it. There will be young guys interested who want to use Drake as a stepping-stone to bigger jobs—and Drake doesn’t need that. There will be experienced guys who have been winners elsewhere and have fallen on hard times.

People sometimes forget that Dana Altman, who has built Creighton into a mid-major national success story by recruiting high school players from Iowa, was ousted at Kansas State before finding a place he could succeed.

There are other Dana Altmans out there. It’s a matter of finding them.

Did someone mention Jim Harrick’s name?

Shame on you.

Steve Lavin’s?

Shame on you, too.

But, hey, what about Tom Davis?

Maybe ol’ Tom is tired of playing golf every day at Finkbine and staying away from Carver-Hawkeye Arena, where he used to win a lot of games for Iowa and was generally unappreciated.

I’ll bet ol’ Tom could be a big, big winner at the Knapp Center if someone like Dave Blank could talk him into moving 120 miles west.

Hire him for a few seasons and I’ll bet Drake could even end that long losing streak to Iowa.

Might be worth a phone call.

Hell, nothing else has worked since 1988.

And I just now thought of Bobby Hansen. Ex-Dowling star. Ex-Hawkeye star. Ex-NBA player.

He comes across as a guy who wouldn’t mind trying his hand at coaching. He showed interest in the Drake job a few years ago, didn’t he?

Give him a call, Dave. I’ll bet he could recruit.

Meanwhile, adios, Kurt. And good luck.

The Press-Citizen reports that the famous Sam Aiello turned himself into Iowa City police today and was charged with assault causing injury for an April 5 incident at the Sports Column bar.

Aiello, a 6-5, 305-pound first-team offensive tackle on the Hawkeyes’ football team, was suspended by Coach Kirk Ferentz.

The victim of the alleged assault is claiming Aiello poked him in the eye with a pool cue during a scuffle that began at 11 p.m.

"Obviously, I was not pleased to learn of Sam’s involvement in an incident this past weekend," Ferentz said. "Based on the information I currently have, I feel an immediate suspension is merited.

"Earlier this week, I requested that our team be judged on this year’s accomplishments and conduct. Up until last weekend, all of us involved were very proud of the way our team had handled themselves, both on and off the field.

"Team conduct is my responsibility and all of us are committed to making sure the incidents of last weekend are not repeated."

The famous Sam Aiello was in the news in a really famous way in 2001. He was involved in an altercation with Jon Beutjer, his roommate who then was a quarterback on the Hawkeye team.

The incident—which was famous because it happened off the field instead of on it--resulted in Beutjer transferring to Illinois. He is expected to be the starting quarterback when the Fighting Illini play at Iowa next season.

That should make for a very interesting—maybe even famous--afternoon in Kinnick Stadium.

April Calhoun is not nearly as famous as Sam Aiello, and she soon will be less-famous in Iowa City.

Why? Because she’s quitting school and the Hawkeyes’ women’s basketball team.

Calhoun, a 5-8 sophomore guard from New Hope, Minn., said she’s leaving Iowa for the famous "personal reasons."

She was one of three players to start every game for Iowa during its 18-15 season in 2002-2003. She averaged 6.5 points and 3.9 rebounds. She led the team in assists with 153.

"April was a valuable member of our team and we’ll miss her talents on the floor," said Coach Lisa Bluder. "We wish her nothing but the best in the future."

That’s it for now. Stay tuned, though. It’s only Friday. There’s still a long way to go in the weekend on our famous college campuses.