ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Wednesday, February 28, 1996 TAG: 9602280053
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-4 EDITION: METRO
DATELINE: LEXINGTON
SOURCE: DANIEL UTHMAN STAFF WRITER
He has guided VMI to its fifth winning basketball season in the past 55 years, a second-place finish in the Southern Conference and actually has a winning career record with a program where .500 is considered a minor miracle. Those credentials could make Bart Bellairs a hot property in the coaching business.
Bellairs, however, says there is much more to accomplish with the Keydets program, and that is why he is poised to sign a new long-term contract.
``We're still working out the details,'' said Davis Babb, VMI's athletic director. ``I anticipate the process will, hopefully, conclude this week.''
Bellairs is in the second year of a four-year deal. The new contract is said to be six years in length. Bellairs said he is happy with the longevity, but he wants to see resources and support committed to the program that would allow the Keydets to have more seasons like this one.
``I think our goal is to get ourselves in a position where the kids always feel good about their team, no longer the just-get-by attitudes,'' Bellairs said. ``They need to feel like they're real Division I players.''
It's difficult to gauge which has been more frequent this season: VMI victories or rumors of Bellairs' impending departure. Bellairs has done well to suppress them, mainly because he loves his current job.
``I'm very happy here,'' he said. ``It's a compliment to be rumored for jobs. I know the money will be better somewhere else, but that's not the whole equation. No other school can approach me with the quality of kids we have here.''
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