MAHANOY CITY - Mike Rhoades' dream has finally come true - he's an NCAA Division I men's basketball head coach after accepting the job at Rice University earlier this week.
Wednesday, Rhoades took a flight to Houston with his wife, Jodie, and their three children, Logan, 10, Porter, 8, and Chase, 5. The Owls will formally introduce him at a press conference this afternoon.
"This has been a dream of ours since I can remember," said Mary Edith (Holland) Rhoades, Mike's mother and a former educator in the Mahanoy Area School District.
"Big Jim (the late state Sen. James J. Rhoades), myself and Mike, we would all talk about him becoming a head basketball coach at a major school," Mary Edith said, referring to her husband and Mike's father.
"It was always about timing and the right place for Mike,'' she added. "After they (the Owls) called him over the weekend, he asked what I thought about him going to Rice. I said, 'Look, this is something that you need to discuss with your wife. I'm here to support you whatever you decide.' "
Mike, 40, made his decision late Monday evening, according to Jim Rhoades, Mike's older brother and his No. 1 fan.
"All I can tell you is I'm the president of the Mike Rhoades Fan Club," Jim said giddily. "In all seriousness, this has been a dream come true for our entire family.
"We knew for a long time that Mike had aspirations to be a head coach at a Division I school some day and he came close a few times. We thought he was going to be appointed to the Navy job before (Ed) DeChellis got the job. He interviewed well at Princeton, but they hired a Princeton guy, and he met with Siena people."
Rice has all the right pieces to fit Mike Rhoades. It's got high academic standards. It's a program that has had little success, last making the NCAA Tournament in 1970, long before its new head coach was born.
"Mike is not afraid of a challenge; in fact, none of my children are," his mother said. "Jimmy has his master's degree as an engineer. My daughter, Ali (Hobbs), is completing her doctoral degree in education at Penn State. So all of the children have worked extremely hard to reach their goals and that I can say very proudly as a parent. My husband would be just so thrilled."
Added Mike's sister, Ali: "There has never been a person more focused than Mike. Somebody once said to him when he was in seventh or eight grade that he needed to put the basketball down because 'you're never going to make a living with a basketball.'
"Look at how that turned out!"
One guy thrilled about Mike's first Division I head coaching job is his uncle, Mickey Holland, who just retired as Mahanoy Area's head boys' basketball coach after 33 years at the helm.
"Mike has that Coal Region work ethic," Holland said. "Our team is coming off a great season (and) we wanted to get to the state championship (game). ... The reason we were so successful was our kids had a work ethic about them.
"When Mike played for me, he had that work ethic, too,'' Holland added. "He wanted to be the best at the sport and he was one of the best (Mahanoy Area) has ever produced. He's proven himself as a head coach (at Division III Randolph-Macon) and as an assistant coach (at Virginia Commonwealth). Now he will take a major step and he will find a way to succeed."
Rhoades won't let Rice's high academic standards faze him, those who know him best said. He was at Randolph-Macon, where academic standards are very high. Fellow Mahanoy Area graduate Tom Scheeler played for Rhoades at the Ashland, Va., school. Scheeler graduated with a degree in biology.
"Mike knows what it's all about because he had to recruit kids who were an academic fit at Randolph-Macon, as well as at VCU," Jim Rhoades said. "I know him. He hit the ground running and I can guarantee you he's recruiting as we speak."
In addition to Rice, North Carolina-Wilmington had shown an interest in hiring Mike Rhoades as its head coach, but Rice made the strongest overture.
"(Rice) was in contact with my brother for a while," Jim Rhoades said. "They met with him during the season and after (VCU) lost their last game (to Stephen F. Austin in the NCAA Tournament) last week. They really made a strong bid to have him be their coach."
Rice had scouts at most of VCU's games over the past several weeks, watching Mike Rhoades' in-game approach and his sideline demeanor, both of which obviously left a lasting impression.
VCU head coach Shaka Smart encouraged Mike Rhoades to take a serious look at Rice and consider taking the job, according to Jim Rhoades. Wednesday, Smart publicly said that Rice made "a phenomenal hire.''
"Shaka and my brother spoke a lot about the (Rice) job," Jim Rhoades said. "Shaka really felt that it was a great opportunity for Mike. This couldn't come at a better time. We've always said that timing was a factor in reaching his goal and his dream."
Jim Rhoades said his younger brother will have complete control of the program, from naming his assistant coaches to making sure that things are done the right way.
Mike Rhoades is expected to get a five-year contract, national and Houston media outlets reported Wednesday.
"I have no idea what type of salary they're going to give (Mike),'' Jim Rhoades said. "I can say this: He's going to get five years to prove himself and he said he wants some of the money that will be offered to him to filter down to his assistant coaches. He wants his assistant coaches to be taken care of (monetarily). He believes in that strongly."
Mike Rhoades also believed that he would be a head coach at a major Division I program some day.
Look at how that turned out.
"All our lives our colors have been black and gold," Mike's mother said. "First it was Mahanoy Area. Then when Mike went to Randolph-Macon, their colors were black and gold and VCU's the same (colors) too. Now, we have to switch to blue and white.
"And we're now Owls."