A disastrous year for the Kansas University women’s basketball team presents a difficult situation for KU officials.

Kansas University and KU Athletic Department officials face a difficult decision about the coaching position for the school’s women’s basketball team.

The Jayhawks have just finished a season with a 0-16 record against Big 12 Conference teams, and they claim to have had an average attendance in Allen Fieldhouse of 1,800. Attendance at the last game of the season was reported to be 850. At the KU-Kansas State University women’s basketball game in Allen Fieldhouse, attendance was reported to be more than 11,000, with 10,000 supposedly being KSU fans.

Much has been made about the tight fiscal situation in the athletic department. Football pays for the majority of the so-called Olympic sports (swimming, golf, tennis, volleyball, women’s basketball, softball, men’s baseball), and one of the reasons former KU football coach Terry Allen was fired was poor attendance at football games. KU’s recent record in football was reflected in poor ticket sales, almost at the bottom of the conference. New KU Athletic Director Al Bohl realized he needed a new coach to instill enthusiasm in the football program, do a better job of recruiting and entice fans to be ticketholders.

Money calls the shots in most every move at the KU Athletic Department, as it does at most NCAA Division I schools.

Money and gender equity were given as the principal reasons the men’s swimming and tennis teams were eliminated last year. This move caused all kinds of negative alumni reaction.

The women’s basketball program is the biggest money loser at KU, losing $1 million or more in each of the past few years. Women’s basketball is a money loser at most schools, but perhaps not as big as it has been at KU, which has had poor attendance figures for many years. The success and popularity of women’s basketball at Kansas State has placed added pressure on KU.

What is Bohl to do? He has placed high priority on improving the athletics department’s fiscal health. Women’s basketball is a money loser. This year, the team lost all 16 conference games, the first such record in Big 12 history. The KU women’s basketball coach makes the same salary as KU men’s coach, Roy Williams, and the new football coach. Fringe benefits are far greater for the men’s coaches, but the base salaries are the same.

What action would Bohl take if his football or basketball coach posted a record of zero wins in conference play and was next to the bottom in conference attendance? Most likely there would be some serious discussions, and alumni would demand a coaching change. It’s also likely private financial support for the athletics department, as well as for the university, would suffer major declines.

In past years, there has been talk about replacing the women’s basketball coach, but due to various concerns about what such action might trigger, any change in coaching was shelved.

But what’s the situation today? There are no easy answers. The women’s basketball coach has been the coach for 29 years  many with a winning record, some poor and the disaster this year. Are KU officials likely to let her remain in her position and wait until her contract runs out in a couple of years and thereby avoid some potential headaches? Or will they elect to bring in a new coach to produce more wins and generate more cash from increased ticket sales? Again, there are no easy answers or guaranteed results.