UConn President Says No Plans To Lobby Big 12

[ElGuapo]

UConn President Says No Plans To Lobby Big 12

 

[ElGuapo]

Could this typo about supporting "out" athletes be a nod to BYU's troubles?

"I know people roll their eyes at this, but this is supposed to be fun. You know the athletes are in it because they enjoy it. The fans go because they want to support out athletes and they enjoy it. So everyone, including presidents and deans and faculty, need to step back and remember why we are in it."

I kid, I kid... Or do I?

 

[MattMang23]

"The Big 12 just has to take their time, make their decisions and they will. And whatever happens, we continue to try to win. To make sure our student athletes are having a great experience, academically and socially."

"We are UConn and we are champions. We have unbelievably great … sports that are just the envy of presidents across the country … and our great compelling fan base, the UConn Nation, is there for us no matter what happens."

Ah, an early rendition of the winning winners who like to win speech.

 

[TRest]

"The Big 12 just has to take their time, make their decisions and they will. And whatever happens, we continue to try to win. To make sure our student athletes are having a great experience, academically and socially."

"We are UConn and we are champions. We have unbelievably great … sports that are just the envy of presidents across the country … and our great compelling fan base, the UConn Nation, is there for us no matter what happens."

Ah, an early rendition of the winning winners who like to win speech.

Yeah, let's go have fun in the CAA. It's the unwillingness to address our tenuous position in the national landscape that drove me nuts when we got passed over the last time. Most of our competitors have taken on facility upgrades with the express purpose to make themselves more attractive in the next round of realignment. We seem to be resting on our laurels. And I know the difference between perception and reality, just do something different to change the perception.

 

[sportsart]

To those who wish UConn did more public pleading. I'm sure the presidents of the Big 12 are meeting and asking "OK, so who has pleaded and begged the most? Great....if the others can't bother to grovel and kiss our a.s.s then they're out."

Enough already. UConn has a storied athletic history, with great academics that everyone in the Big 12 already knows about. The schools that are begging are trying to paint a picture that is not really what they are.

By the way...thanks for ANOTHER thread.

 

[SirHypeAlot]

probably not the approach I would take

 

[Stainmaster]

 

[Penfield]

Yeah, let's go have fun in the CAA. It's the unwillingness to address our tenuous position in the national landscape that drove me nuts when we got passed over the last time. Most of our competitors have taken on facility upgrades with the express purpose to make themselves more attractive in the next round of realignment. We seem to be resting on our laurels. And I know the difference between perception and reality, just do something different to change the perception.

Yeah we haven't upgraded our facilities (Burton, Worth) or shown our commitment to top level athletics (Hockey East) at all.

 

[UConnTrumbull]

Oooof now we're using the "sports are about having fun" excuse? That does not sound good at all. Suzie has some balls of steel but if things go sour she will look really naive in a few weeks/months.

 

[whaler11]

She want want to reconsider that 'UConn Nation' will be there if the Big 12 expands without them.

 

[whaler11]

What she isn't getting - is that she is talking to us too. So while selling yourself to the Big 12 may not matter - the perception that you are trying matters to the fans.

These fans also see that the approach hasn't changed and you are the outside looking in. If the approach doesn't work this time she and the university are going to get skewered - and they will deserve it.

The having fun comment is completely tone deaf.

 

[DarthGrumpy]

1) Grovelling is something that U Texas actually like, it inflates their ego, just ask Houston.

2) And UConn hired Traghese as an external resource so that UConn itself would not have to do any grovelling and if there is groveling, it falls outside of public information requests. Personally, I would grovel for a B1G invite

 

[EdgewoodNHV]

She want want to reconsider that 'UConn Nation' will be there if the Big 12 expands without them.

You hear that, Herbst? Whaler's loyalty is conditional upon your performance rating. Oh, sure, you might think it's unfair to judge you based on things out of your control, like the past failures of former Athletic Directors or the thousands of miles of distance from the B12, but none of that matters -- what matters is that our continued fandom is contingent upon your success. We will hold this program hostage! That's how good of fans we are.

All kidding aside, I have no problem with this statement. We're a long shot here, and she knows it. I don't think #begharder is a real strategy. You present your excellence to the best of your ability and accept that you can't control all of the variables, and remind yourself that what matters most isn't pleasing the Whalers of the world, but making sure you provide a world class athletic and educational experience for these kids.

If you do that, you create excellence, and all the rest follows. We didn't start off as champions of the Big East. We became that because we strive for excellence. And that's what matters. If you do that, the success follows.

 

[pepband99]

What she isn't getting - is that she is talking to us too. So while selling yourself to the Big 12 may not matter - the perception that you are trying matters to the fans.

These fans also see that the approach hasn't changed and you are the outside looking in. If the approach doesn't work this time she and the university are going to get skewered - and they will deserve it.

The having fun comment is completely tonedeaf.

Exactly. Her position here isn't enviable, but she needs to be more cognizant of what the fanbase feels right now.

Playing in the AAC is NOT "fun"

 

[ElGuapo]

Like all of us, I go emotionally back and forth on UConn's ultimate fate based on the daily nonsense posted here from Twitter and Media realignment experts.

The "deafening silence" we are getting from our coaches and administrators is a coded tell that there is a lot going on behind the scenes that we can't and shouldn't hear about right now.
Classic "less is more" approach. They are telling us nothing when there is absolutely so much to tell.
So why wouldn't we shout it from the top of the mountain?
Because we don't need to.

If the decision is truly being made at the school presidential level, the circles that position interact together and the channels that they communicate through are quite exclusive.
There is a reason B12 presidents aren't spouting out nonsense as they ponder their decision.
And ours is acting likewise.

 

[pepband99]

You hear that, Herbst? Whaler's loyalty is conditional upon your performance rating. Oh, sure, you might think it's unfair to judge you based on things out of your control, like the past failures of former Athletic Directors or the thousands of miles of distance from the B12, but none of that matters -- what matters is that our continued fandom is contingent upon your success. We will hold this program hostage! That's how good of fans we are.

All kidding aside, I have no problem with this statement. We're a long shot here, and she knows it. I don't think #begharder is a real strategy. You present your excellence to the best of your ability and accept that you can't control all of the variables, and remind yourself that what matters most isn't pleasing the Whalers of the world, but making sure you provide a world class athletic and educational experience for these kids.

If you do that, you create excellence, and all the rest follows. We didn't start off as champions of the Big East. We became that because we strive for excellence. And that's what matters. If you do that, the success follows.

...but the decks weren't stacked against us back then. We were in a major conference, and the revenue gap wasn't contractually set in stone. The P5 cartel is closing ranks (less OOC games, mandated P5 opponents, etc), and not being in the club will endanger our ongoing success.

 

[whaler11]

You hear that, Herbst? Whaler's loyalty is conditional upon your performance rating. Oh, sure, you might think it's unfair to judge you based on things out of your control, like the past failures of former Athletic Directors or the thousands of miles of distance from the B12, but none of that matters -- what matters is that our continued fandom is contingent upon your success. We will hold this program hostage! That's how good of fans we are.

All kidding aside, I have no problem with this statement. We're a long shot here, and she knows it. I don't think #begharder is a real strategy. You present your excellence to the best of your ability and accept that you can't control all of the variables, and remind yourself that what matters most isn't pleasing the Whalers of the world, but making sure you provide a world class athletic and educational experience for these kids.

If you do that, you create excellence, and all the rest follows. We didn't start off as champions of the Big East. We became that because we strive for excellence. And that's what matters. If you do that, the success follows.

Not mine actually, I'll be there - I can however read the board.

You can look down on them if you like - but they are already walking away in droves...

 

[whaler11]

You hear that, Herbst? Whaler's loyalty is conditional upon your performance rating. Oh, sure, you might think it's unfair to judge you based on things out of your control, like the past failures of former Athletic Directors or the thousands of miles of distance from the B12, but none of that matters -- what matters is that our continued fandom is contingent upon your success. We will hold this program hostage! That's how good of fans we are.

All kidding aside, I have no problem with this statement. We're a long shot here, and she knows it. I don't think #begharder is a real strategy. You present your excellence to the best of your ability and accept that you can't control all of the variables, and remind yourself that what matters most isn't pleasing the Whalers of the world, but making sure you provide a world class athletic and educational experience for these kids.

If you do that, you create excellence, and all the rest follows. We didn't start off as champions of the Big East. We became that because we strive for excellence. And that's what matters. If you do that, the success follows.

I love that there is never any time when the responsibility falls to Herbst or those after JH.

No one can be held responsible for eternity because... Jeff Hathaway.

 

[CallMeBruce]

Good lord people, read the quotes.

whatever happens, we continue to try to win. To make sure our student athletes are having a great experience, academically and socially.

We are UConn and we are champions.

We have unbelievably great sports that are just the envy of presidents across the country

our great compelling fan base, the UConn Nation, is there for us no matter what happens

Everything in there is a sales pitch to the Big 12, printed publicly and tweeted out. What do you want, for her to start crying on TV?

 

[EdgewoodNHV]

I love that there is never any time when the responsibility falls to Herbst or those after JH.

No one can be held responsible for eternity because... Jeff Hathaway.

You can absolutely hold Herbst responsible for things she can control. Membership to the B12? When we're a thousand miles away? Use your head.

You can blame me for the setting sun but it doesn't make it my fault just cause I was around.

 

[Penfield]

I dont care what Herbst, Malloy, Benedict or any of the coaches have to say prior to the Big 12's announcement. I dont think it means anything right now, and I believe they are taking this seriously and attempting to get us into a better conference. There simply isn't much that they can say and I prefer silence to anything else.

What will matter is what they say after the decision has been made. If we are left behind they have to realize that "we are winners" and "let's have fun" are not going to cut it. If we are left behind people are going to be looking for the nearest life raft off the USS UConn.

 

[ConnHuskBask]

Replace ACC with Big 12, wash, rinse and repeat.

This is maddening. I don't watch UConn sports to see coeds engage in an extracurricular activity. I watch UConn because they are my team, my university and I want to see them compete on the national stage in games that actually matter.

Perception does matter; no matter what anyone says. Instead of the bs we win, we have fun, we like to win, how about actually shaping the public perception as opposed to taking a beating.

From the National media you would be led to believe Houston is a perennial top 10 team, that sells out a brand new stadium and is ready to expand the joint, or that Cincinnati brings a storied football and basketball history and is slughtly behind Ohio State in Ohio.

It's not groveling or begging to just state the facts. We own the 30th biggest media market (23rd if you add fairfield county) as the state U. We are neck and neck with Duke, UK, UNC as the preeminent hoop program of the last 30 years. We have begun to rebuild our football program which won a league with five supposed "P5" programs and the storied Cincinnati program twice in our infancy.

Not to mention we spend the most, we make the most and we our by far the best academic school.

Why can't someone from the university sternly acknowledge that.

Not to drive the Warde donuts narrative (as I'm overall pro WM) but during the ACC expansion when they interviewed him and all he could come up with is " I think we're the best candidate but I'm biased" it drove me insane.

Perception is everything and ours in a few short years is shot with this G5 distinction. Someone needs to step up and get this done.

 

[sportsart]

The 6th Borough campaign was genius and the Texas billboards campaign counts for something right?

 

[Chin Diesel]

I read the article to mean all groveling has been done and a decision has been made about UConn already. Nothing more to do to change the outcome.

So, we're either already 100% in or 100% out. I'm convinced I'm right in my prediction.

 

[TRest]

Yeah we haven't upgraded our facilities (Burton, Worth) or shown our commitment to top level athletics (Hockey East) at all.

Since we lost out to UL? Those were completed or in the works already. HE is meaningless and we are punting on building a new facility on campus for that. And will be financing the upgrades to baseball and softball by holding bake sales, apparently. I am very cynical today.