I was younger. I was a pretty hot commodity.” So hot that His Airness came calling. In 2000, Michael Jordan was two years removed from winning the sixth and final championship of his 13 season career with the Chicago Bulls. He had been hired by Wizards owner, Abe Pollin, as the president of basketball operations, and one of Jordan’s first tasks was to find a head coach to replace Gar Heard. Jarvis coached Jordan in the 1981 high school McDonald’s AllAmerican Game, before he was an NBA superstar, before he was a global icon. And now it was Jordan offering Jarvis the opportunity to return to Washington, D.C., this time as an NBA coach with the chance to revitalize a struggling pro franchise, like he did in college with Boston University and George Washington. A chance to climb the ladder, to the highest mountain in his profession. And early. But Jarvis said no. In three years he was jobless, his name sullied and tarnished. Instead of coaching in the NBA’s Eastern Conference against superstar pros, Jarvis stuck around to coach a 14-15 St. John’s team in the Big East the year after. In retrospect, he doesn’t regret the decision. His eyes do not drift or dart as he looks me in the face and bluntly gives his reasoning. “Not too many people, I don’t think, would have said no to Michael Jordan,” Jarvis says. “But it wasn’t the right time.” But why? “I didn’t leave because I wanted to honor my commitment,” Jarvis says firmly. “I had to finish what I had started there. So I turned it down.” Jordan ended up giving the job to another college coach, University of Miami’s Leonard Hamilton, who was fired after one season and a 1963 record. Could Jarvis have done a
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better job? He’ll never know. What if things didn’t go awry at St. John’s? Jarvis never won an NCAA tournament game again after returning. Chants of “Fire Jarvis” serenaded him in his final year at St. John’s. The school fired him in 2003 after allegations of a player getting paid, another smoking marijuana and one even being charged with sexual assault, according to the NY Daily News. It was the first time in the history of Big East basketball that a coach was fired mid-season. The swirl of controversy is what led him to want to “get out of New York and get away from all the crazy newspaper writers,” Jarvis says as he shakes his head. Funny that he does what everyone does when they drop out from elsewhere in the country — he moved to Florida. After a brief stint with ESPN, Jarvis accepted the job at FAU in 2008, and despite winning a regular season conference championship two seasons ago, he hasn’t even made it back to the NCAA Tournament. He doesn’t want anyone’s pity though. “I have no regrets,” Jarvis says. “I think I’m right where the good Lord wants me to be, you know? And heaven knows we’ve got enough work to get done here.” As he heads up to the register to pay, a waitress excitedly stops him, telling Jarvis his face is on a bus. “You know I was sitting outside and the bus went by. I said oh my God, the coach is on the bus,” she says. “It’s a pretty neat picture.” “Oh really?” Jarvis asks. “Haven’t seen it.” “It passed by all the time,” a male employee says. “Big!” “Big!” Jarvis repeats as he lets out a laugh. “Don’t let your head get that big
now,” the man says. “No it won’t,” Jarvis playfully answers. “Trust me.” *** Jarvis can be mistaken for a grumpy man during games. On gameday you’ll see him on the Burrow sidelines in his trademark sweater vest, barking orders to his team and badgering the refs. No smiles, no laughter. Strictly business. Off the court, though, there’s a different side to Jarvis: jovial. After the home opener Nov. 19 against George Mason, an overtime win, he catches a glimpse of me in my charcoal fedora on the way out of the media room. “You gotta stop wearing those hats, babe. I used to wear those all the time when I was your age,” he says pointing to his head. “How do you think I got bald?” Jarvis departs the Burrow, waving goodbye to the press. He’s relaxed,
“I have no regrets.” confident and content— not a care in the world. *** However, there are times where Jarvis is not so calm. Times where his raging temper can get out of hand. Three years ago against LouisianaMonroe at the Burrow, he got four technicals, an ejection and an escorted trip to the lockers by FAU police. Afterward, he was shocked at the whirlwind created with his tirade. "I can't even really describe it," Jarvis said to the Palm Beach Post.