The news of Matt Clement's hiring as Butler's boys basketball coach traveled fast.

It made the The Associated Press sports wire and earned a mention on ESPN Radio's SportsCenter.

Hiring a hometown professional baseball player who has no experience as a high-school coach is an interesting move.

But is it the right move?

Time will tell.

Any new coach deserves a fair chance and Clement is one of the most recognizable and successful athletic performers in this town's history.

The negatives surrounding the Clement hiring are two-fold. No. 1, he doesn't have any varsity basketball coaching experience.

But he does know the game. Clement is a basketball junkie and X's and O's shouldn't be a problem. Sitting at courtside directing a bunch of high school players for the first time? That could be a problem.

No. 2, the timing of Joe Lewandowski's dismissal remains odd. Butler's head coaching position didn't open until late April, a good two months after the season ended.

What took so long? The only thing that happened differently during that two-month stretch was Clement's retirement from baseball.

The day Lewandowski learned his basketball job was being opened, he figured Clement would get the job.

The day former Tornado coach Gene Rodgers learned his basketball job was being opened, he figured Lewandowski would get the job.

Now that's interesting.

Here are the positives surrounding the Clement hiring:

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No. 1 — His reputation as a man of character with a belief in work ethic and fair play is stellar. Any parent should feel comfortable placing his or her son under Clement's watch.•

No. 2 — Clement knows what it takes to become a successful young athlete. He turned himself from a non-starter as a junior into an all-WPIAL point guard as a senior. He parlayed 18 innings of high school pitching into 87 major league victories. Need any more be said?•

No. 3 — He will have the players' attention. They will listen to Clement as if he was the Pied Piper. He commands that kind of respect.•

No. 4 — Clement has a passion for winning. The upside of having no coaching experience is having no coachspeak. He plans to win now. He's not afraid to say it. He's not afraid to put his reputation behind it.•

No. 5 — He has a passion for the program. Clement doesn't need this. He doesn't need to hold himself up to public and media scrutiny anymore. He could have quietly ridden off into the sunset, enjoy time with his wife, raise his youngsters in his hometown and rest on his laurels.Nope. Not doing that.Clement wants this. He believes he can turn the program around. He's certainly not doing it for the money.Butler basketball is the only coaching job he wants. If he wins, he might be in that gym for 20 years.If he loses, he might go the way of Garry Cathell and Lewandowski. Good men, bad records, out the door.I'm rooting for Clement to succeed. The rest of the community should do likewise.