Ackerman - Show Her The Door!

[Chief00]

If no action is taken, this will be yet another example of Val Ackerman being an incompetent and powerless Commissioner. While coaching and recruiting for PC the last month there was some indirect (and that's assuming the best) contact /understanding with Georgetown. Recruiting and portal have already been impacted. They could have played each other just 10 days ago in the Big East Tournament. All kinds of crazy potential conflicts.

Ackerman is perhaps the worse sports commissioner in the country, what she has allowed to take place this year. I won’t cover today the officiating issues that get to the very heart of the integrity of the game. I have previously covered them. But, personal grudges and retribution should not be allowed to take place in any conference’s officiating. It took place in UConn games this season.

Val, is a total disaster and should be shown the door.

 

[HuskyFich]

It seems the integrity issues involved in this has been exacerbated by allowing players to transfer intra-conference. All of a sudden, the complete shifting of rosters and coaches has the potential to be viewed much more “viciously.” Cooley can have whatever reasons he wants to leave. It’s hard for us to fathom because our program is one of the few “final steps” for coaches in CBB…not many better school options out there for them. Georgetown also can be a final stop. I don’t think providence is.

Providence couldn’t offer enough to keep him.
Tough, but reality.

 

[businesslawyer]

If no action is taken, this will be yet another example of Val Ackerman being an incompetent and powerless Commissioner. While coaching and recruiting for PC the last month there was some indirect (and that's assuming the best) contact /understanding with Georgetown. Recruiting and portal have already been impacted. They could have played each other just 10 days ago in the Big East Tournament. All kinds of crazy potential conflicts.

I do get it, East Greenwich, RI is not exactly a diverse community and I can't blame any black person for not wanting to live there - but doing this within your own conference, during the season is just crazy.

Ackerman is perhaps the worse sports commissioner in the country, what she has allowed to take place this year. I won’t cover today the officiating issues that get to the very heart of the integrity of the game. I have previously covered them. But, personal grudges and retribution should not be allowed to take place in any conference’s officiating. It took place in UConn games this season.

Val, is a total disaster and should be shown the door.

Chief: the 1960s called — they want their outrage back. We live in a world where college football coaches routinely actually switch jobs — not have discussions but switch schools — before their seasons are over. One in which players, in the middle of the season, decide the joy and responsibility of playing no longer outweigh the risk of injury and quit before their seasons are over. And you have this outrage not for the coaches who quit on their team, not on the schools who hire them while they are still coaching, and not for the players who quit on their teams because they don’t care enough, but for a single conference commissioner who doesn’t stop a coach not from quitting on their team but for talking about and planning for their next job AFTER the season is over?

 

[CTBasketball]

She told Reed and deGoia to knock it off and stop in February, they told her to pound sand and continued poaching Cooley behind the scenes. She really has no power, she works for the league and the league presidents.

I’d say she’s doing fine. This puts us in a better position TV-contract wise. Rejuvenated St John’s, Georgetown, and 3 teams in the Sweet 16? Win.

It just so happens Providence was the sacrificial lamb.

 

[Chief00]

It seems the integrity issues involved in this has been exacerbated by allowing players to transfer intra-conference. All of a sudden, the complete shifting of rosters and coaches has the potential to be viewed much more “viciously.” Cooley can have whatever reasons he wants to leave. It’s hard for us to fathom because our program is one of the few “final steps” for coaches in CBB…not many better school options out there for them. Georgetown also can be a final stop. I don’t think providence is.

Providence couldn’t offer enough to keep him.
Tough, but reality.

I am an Arrogant UConn Fan (lol) and all for coaches moving on for better opportunities/change of living scenery but this is way too close to the conference tournament and the real estate papers were signed before it. Not a good look or reality.

 

[Chief00]

She told Reed and deGoia to knock it off and stop in February, they told her to pound sand and continued poaching Cooley behind the scenes. She really has no power, she works for the league and the league presidents.

I’d say she’s doing fine. This puts us in a better position TV-contract wise. Rejuvenated St John’s, Georgetown, and 3 teams in the Sweet 16? Win.

It just so happens Providence was the sacrificial lamb.

My guess is Dave Gavitt would have never allowed this to happen. That’s called leadership. Did you see the officiating in our conference games this season? Doing “fine”?
Ackerman reminds me of Hathaway. A decent “assistant” paper pusher, schedule maker, etc. But, zero strategic thinking and leadership skills. So never elevate to lead role, be it AD or Commissioner.

 

[CTBasketball]

Did you see the officiating in our conference games this season? Doing “fine”?

Yes I’ll double down. Results matter more. I’d rather have 3 teams in the Sweet 16 than 1 team.

Officiating can be fixed, I’m not worried about that. She’s not in her position strictly for officiating. She needs to grease palms and get us money.

 

[bendm]

Chief woke up madder than Mike Aresco today

 

[JB75]

I mean, I was shocked when I heard cooley was leaving providence - number one - then double shocked when I heard there’s chatter about it as we head toward the postseason - then triple shocked when I heard it was Georgetown - three things that don’t add up

 

[Chief00]

Yes I’ll double down. Results matter more. I’d rather have 3 teams in the Sweet 16 than 1 team.

Officiating can be fixed, I’m not worried about that. She’s not in her position strictly for officiating. She needs to grease palms and get us money.

Agree we need money, with a $40 million AD deficit. Guess she’s not doing so great at that either?
If officiating can be fixed, why didn’t she show some leadership and tell the crew leaders cut the * and go back to calling balls and strikes (basketball fouls).

 

[FfldCntyFan]

No, Gavitt never would have allowed it. Tranghese never would have allowed it and Marinatto never would have allowed it. The thing is (and Marinatto let the cat out of the bag on this) a large part of how each viewed their job as commissioner was to protect PC's interest while also leading the conference.

Yes, it was an underhanded, backstabbing move and it sucks being on the wrong end of something like this. I'm not sure what you believe Ackerman should have done (or even had the authority to do) but to believe this is the first time something like this has happened in college basketball is ridiculously naive.

 

[CL82]

Actually, think Ackerman is a reasonably good commissioner, but our most recent association with one was with Aresco, so my judgment may be off. We are the best of the non-football conferences by a wide margin, and have elevated ourselves to a de facto P6 status, some thing media genius Aresco wanted desperately, but was never able to achieve.

I think allowing transfers between teams is a mistake for conference solidarity. I do think that Dave Gavitt wouldn’t have allowed it. I’m inclined to think that he would not have been happy with the Georgetown poaching of Cooley. He was very big on conference solidarity. (And he always looked after Providence College.)

The officiating thing is a legitimate gripe, but it also was and unforced error by Hurley. I calling someone an clown is rarely going to produce good results. Getting caught, calling someone in clown on TV and was going to produce backlash. The extent of it was extreme, and I agree that the league should’ve stepped in and reviewed the officiating, and taking the instances of more egregious calls, and made the refs justify them. It would have made them be less egregious, but having calls go against Connecticut wasn’t going away. Danny earned that.

Dan is an emotional guy, driven to succeed and hypersensitive to failure. It is part and parcel of what makes him the really good coach that he is, but he needs to get a handle on his emotions during the game. For the most part I think he has, so some good has come out of this seasons, reffing debacle. If he questions the call, rather than the man who made it, he will be fine.

 

[HuskyFich]

The officiating thing is a legitimate gripe, but it also was and unforced error by Hurley. I calling someone an clown is rarely going to produce good results. Getting caught, calling someone in clown on TV and was going to produce backlash. The extent of it was extreme, and I agree that the league should’ve stepped in and reviewed the officiating, and taking the instances of more egregious calls, and made the refs justify them. It would have made them be less egregious, but having calls go against Connecticut wasn’t going away. Danny earned that.

Yes, Danny definitely earned it. But how long does he deserve to be invisibly punished?

Holding the refs truly accountable will never happen. The refs are more protected than the players or the coaches. There's probably good reason for it too, with how tough fans and media can be.

Having said that, I'm oddly pleased with the officiating in the Big East when you look at it in hindsight.
They call the games so tight with so many fouls, that it forced us to become even more locked in mentally on the defensive end. In the out of conference slate we have gotten an extremely favorable whistle(both teams, I don't mean unfairly favorable), and it has allowed us to play much more "bully ball" on the rebounding front, which is our main identity.

It sucks in-season with losses, and the ego's of the refs taking over the games drives me insane...but it prepares us really well for March. Eg: 3 Big East teams in Sweet Sixteen.

We will never have NBA caliber refs, so I highly doubt the issue will ever truly end.

 

[CTBasketball]

Agree we need money, with a $40 million AD deficit. Guess she’s not doing so great at that either?
If officiating can be fixed, why didn’t she show some leadership and tell the crew leaders cut the * and go back to calling balls and strikes (basketball fouls).

Are you referring to UConn’s athletic dept deficit? Unfortunately outside of TV deals, Ackerman has no ability to help us there.

 

[Husky25]

Actually, think Ackerman is a reasonably good commissioner, but our most recent association with one was with Aresco, so my judgment may be off. We are the best of the non-football conferences by a wide margin, and have elevated ourselves to a de facto P6 status, some thing media genius Aresco wanted desperately, but was never able to achieve.

I think allowing transfers between teams is a mistake for conference solidarity. I do think that Dave Gavitt wouldn’t have allowed it. I’m inclined to think that he would not have been happy with the Georgetown poaching of Cooley. He was very big on conference solidarity. (And he always looked after Providence College.)

The officiating thing is a legitimate gripe, but it also was and unforced error by Hurley. I calling someone an clown is rarely going to produce good results. Getting caught, calling someone in clown on TV and was going to produce backlash. The extent of it was extreme, and I agree that the league should’ve stepped in and reviewed the officiating, and taking the instances of more egregious calls, and made the refs justify them. It would have made them be less egregious, but having calls go against Connecticut wasn’t going away. Danny earned that.

Dan is an emotional guy, driven to succeed and hypersensitive to failure. It is part and parcel of what makes him the really good coach that he is, but he needs to get a handle on his emotions during the game. For the most part I think he has, so some good has come out of this seasons, reffing debacle. If he questions the call, rather than the man who made it, he will be fine.

Wait, I thought we were blaming the officiating bias on Bouknight and Gampel Security (which is as ridiculous as "11:11")?

I love that Hurley has brought UConn back to the national consciousness, but make no mistake that, as professional as these people attempt to be, calling a conference official a " clown" will be taken personally.

Emotions may have been high in the heat of the moment, but it is up to Hurley to make amends, if he hasn't already.

 

[Tenspro2002]

The officiating thing is a legitimate gripe, but it also was and unforced error by Hurley. I calling someone an clown is rarely going to produce good results. Getting caught, calling someone in clown on TV and was going to produce backlash. The extent of it was extreme, and I agree that the league should’ve stepped in and reviewed the officiating, and taking the instances of more egregious calls, and made the refs justify them. It would have made them be less egregious, but having calls go against Connecticut wasn’t going away. Danny earned that.

Dan is an emotional guy, driven to succeed and hypersensitive to failure. It is part and parcel of what makes him the really good coach that he is, but he needs to get a handle on his emotions during the game. For the most part I think he has, so some good has come out of this seasons, reffing debacle. If he questions the call, rather than the man who made it, he will be fine.

Uh, no, refs are responsible for upholding their own integrity.

 

[Captbluefin]

“Don’t you let that deal go down”

Wait until that deal goes down….. oh no

 

[MU in MKE]

Val, is a total disaster and should be shown the door.

Only a UConn fan would say this. And that's not a knock on UConn fans, it's just an example of how not being here during the reformation and seeing all that Val has done over the last decade clouds your vision. You were stuck under Aresco and the AAC, so I get it... but this take is completely out of touch.

 

[HuskyHawk]

Only a UConn fan would say this. And that's not a knock on UConn fans, it's just an example of how not being here during the reformation and seeing all that Val has done over the last decade clouds your vision. You were stuck under Aresco and the AAC, so I get it... but this take is completely out of touch.

The truth is in between. Val has been good enough for those teams who joined the Big East or who were happy to see it survive somewhat successfully. UConn is the only member that was part of the old football playing Big East, when the aspirations were higher. Disaster is too strong a word, but she could be better and stronger. The Big East was disrespected by the NCAA committee. It turned a blind eye to what was obvious payback to Hurley and UConn by some game officials. The TV negotiations need to go well.

There's no rule against coaches moving within the league as far as I know, and it would be wrong for her to make one up now and apply it to Cooley. But the league should consider it.

 

[JMick]

Uh, no, refs are responsible for upholding their own integrity.

Any take other than this is wild. The integrity of the game itself is largely enforced by officials. Anything other than upmost professionalism is bad for anyone that enjoys the sport, and letting your personal feud cloud your judgement should get you fired.

 

[Luna]

We will know how good Val is soon enough with our media deal.. the refs are a different story…i hope they are not involved in any of our ncca tournament games…i have never seem so many bias calls against a team in any sport in my life.. like that were called against uconn this year

 

[John]

Only a UConn fan would say this. And that's not a knock on UConn fans, it's just an example of how not being here during the reformation and seeing all that Val has done over the last decade clouds your vision. You were stuck under Aresco and the AAC, so I get it... but this take is completely out of touch.

They kicked us and the remaining football-playing schools out, don't ever forget that.

 

[CL82]

Uh, no, refs are responsible for upholding their own integrity.

Let’s try this experiment: pick someone at random getting their face and yell “you ephing clown” if they knock you on your ass, you can take solace in the fact that they “are responsible for upholding their own integrity.”

Actions have consequences. I’m not defending the refs here, I’m just embracing reality.

 

[80shusky]

Uh, no, refs are responsible for upholding their own integrity.

This 100%. I don't know if some of those heavy whistles had to do with Hurley's antics or not. But if they did, the officials who were responsible should be fired. It is entirely their responsibility to call the games fairly for the players. If they don't for any reason at all, they shouldn't be officiating.

 

[CL82]

Any take other than this is wild. The integrity of the game itself is largely enforced by officials. Anything other than upmost professionalism is bad for anyone that enjoys the sport, and letting your personal feud cloud your judgement should get you fired.

Lol, please. You’ve never heard of make up calls or never had the next call not go your way after a challenge? It happens all the time. In modern basketball, in particular, there’s a foul on every single play. Refs use their judgment what to call and what not to call. There’s a whole world of wiggle room in there.

No, I completely agree that it’s been excessive with Connecticut this year, but Danny’s ephing clown comment was excessive as well. And hindsight being what it is, Ackerman probably should have publicly reprimanded him. That would’ve ended it. That said, the big east refs were excessive in the way they called Connecticut games the rest of the year. Hopefully, Benedict will press Ackerman for a review and an adjustment for next season.