Sports

Former Seton Hall coach Gonzalez in bust for shoplifting

Bobby Gonzalez would tell anyone who would listen, and even those who wouldn’t, that at the age of 18 he vowed to one day become a coach in the Big East.

And he fulfilled the vow, landing the Seton Hall job and implementing a fast paced and frenetic style. Unfortunately, Gonzalez could never differentiate between life on the court and life off it.

This ultimately cost Gonzalez his dream job. Some three months after he was fired in March, the 47-year-old Gonzalez was arrested on June 29 and charged with shoplifting and criminal mischief for taking a satchel valued at $1,395 from a Polo Ralph Lauren store in Short Hills, N.J.

According to report released by the Millburn, N.J., police, Gonzalez removed the security device on the satchel and left the store. Gonzalez left the satchel at Joe’s American Bar and Grill, where a manager returned it, with damage on the bag in the area of the sensor.

The charge is punishable by up to five years in prison. Gonzalez’s attorney, Gerald Krovatin, who did not immediately return a call from The Post, told the Associated Press that it was a case of miscommunication and Gonzalez would plead not guilty.

Gonzalez has been mired in one case of miscommunication after another, forcing him to face a crisis most men don’t confront until much later in life: What happens when the magic carpet ride ends too soon?

The early returns strongly suggest that Gonzalez is not handling his termination well. He is locked in a contentious legal battle with Seton Hall over his firing which occurred the day after the season ended in an embarrassing loss to Texas Tech in the NIT. One of team’s stars, Herb Pope, who was shot multiple times before enrolling at Seton Hall, punched an opposing player in the groin — twice.

At the recent NBA Draft, Gonzalez was nearly apoplectic when no pass to get in was waiting for him. And yesterday brought news of the arrest.

We’ll give Gonzalez the benefit of the doubt. Maybe he walked out of the store and forgot he was carrying the darn thing. Maybe he left his wallet in the car. Maybe he thought the bag was free with purchase of a lot of cologne. Who knows?

What appears to be clear is that Gonzalez is in need of help. He torched his professional life. Although Lord knows there is always some foolhardy athletic director who thinks he can manage a guy whose life has been marked by miscommunications, another head coaching job in a major conference seems unlikely for Gonzalez.

Whether Gonzalez finds another job in coaching or becomes a luggage salesman, he is not going to be successful in the long run unless he learns to harness himself. Not acknowledging that would be the real crime.

lenn.robbins@nypost.com