Dakich - Jay Wright interview

[olehead]

Watched the Nova - Temple game and found Dan Dakich's reference to his podcast interview with Jay Wright very interesting. Coach Wright speaking to the success of the program told Dakich once the Big East disbanded, Nova athletics had a decision to make, and they decided to go all in w/ basketball.

I get the distinctions, UConn big state school, Nova, small private, and certainly different forces were at work at the time of the disbandment of the Big East comparatively speaking. With that said, Nova football, an old UConn Yankee Conference rival, has been in recent history a relatively strong FCS program. They have sent players to the league, Howie Long (I believe) and Bryan Westbrook. Nova understood, however, that its identity is heavily invested in Basketball. Going all in w/ basketball and joining the NBE proved to be a power move for the Nova faithful. Makes you wonder what the possibilities could have been had we gone all in.

 

[intlzncster]

Watched the Nova - Temple game and found Dan Dakich's reference to his podcast interview with Jay Wright very interesting. Coach Wright speaking to the success of the program told Dakich once the Big East disbanded, Nova athletics had a decision to make, and they decided to go all in w/ basketball.

I get the distinctions, UConn big state school, Nova, small private, and certainly different forces were at work at the time of the disbandment of the Big East comparatively speaking. With that said, Nova football, an old UConn Yankee Conference rival, has been in recent history a relatively strong FCS program. They have sent players to the league, Howie Long (I believe) and Bryan Westbrook. Nova understood, however, that its identity is heavily invested in Basketball. Going all in w/ basketball and joining the NBE proved to be a power move for the Nova faithful. Makes you wonder what the possibilities could have been had we gone all in.

It's worked so far, but will it be so 10-15 years from now? That might be when the real shifts are going to occur.

 

[awfuldan]

Jay Wright, Nova HC

Link to the interview here

 

[upstater]

Watched the Nova - Temple game and found Dan Dakich's reference to his podcast interview with Jay Wright very interesting. Coach Wright speaking to the success of the program told Dakich once the Big East disbanded, Nova athletics had a decision to make, and they decided to go all in w/ basketball.

I get the distinctions, UConn big state school, Nova, small private, and certainly different forces were at work at the time of the disbandment of the Big East comparatively speaking. With that said, Nova football, an old UConn Yankee Conference rival, has been in recent history a relatively strong FCS program. They have sent players to the league, Howie Long (I believe) and Bryan Westbrook. Nova understood, however, that its identity is heavily invested in Basketball. Going all in w/ basketball and joining the NBE proved to be a power move for the Nova faithful. Makes you wonder what the possibilities could have been had we gone all in.

We did go all in.

Nova tried to go all in with us in football, but they were REJECTED.

 

[Penfield]

Watched the Nova - Temple game and found Dan Dakich's reference to his podcast interview with Jay Wright very interesting. Coach Wright speaking to the success of the program told Dakich once the Big East disbanded, Nova athletics had a decision to make, and they decided to go all in w/ basketball.

This is some real revisionist history. As I remember it, when Syracuse & Pitt announced that they were leaving the conference Villanova pitched the Big East that they could upgrade football and join as a full memeber. They had proposed playing at an MLS stadium until they could secure access to a larger stadium such as Lincoln Financial (I think they wanted to share access with Temple). Well they didn't make the cut. The conference decided to go in a separate direction and shortly after the conference disintegrated.

Their decision was nothing like ours. We already had a D1 football team and a stadium. Would the AAC even have taken Nova if they had asked? Did they ask and get turned down?

In a way our hand was forced to keep doing the football thing and their hand was forced to give up their hopes of BCS football.

If people think joining the Big East would magically solve all our problems I really would have to disagree with that

 

[Mots010]

Nova is good because they have a good coach that has been there a long time. It's as simple as that. Wright was making final fours in the old big east, and continues to do so in the new one.

 

[Penfield]

Nova is good because they have a good coach that has been there a long time. It's as simple as that. Wright was making final fours in the old big east, and continues to do so in the new one.

That doesn't fit the narrative. All Big East teams are good because they focus on basketball and play a tournament at MSG. St John's is dominating

 

[superjohn]

It's worked so far, but will it be so 10-15 years from now? That might be when the real shifts are going to occur.

Football might not even be around then.

 

[ZenConn]

Nova is good because they have a good coach that has been there a long time. It's as simple as that. Wright was making final fours in the old big east, and continues to do so in the new one.

In between his NITs and not making out of the first weekend multiple times, Wright made 1 Final Four in the old Big East and 1 Elite Eight and 1 Sweet Sixteen in the old Big East.

 

[Mots010]

In between his NITs and not making out of the first weekend multiple times, Wright made 1 Final Four in the old Big East and 1 Elite Eight and 1 Sweet Sixteen in the old Big East.

He started in 2001, and made the tourney every year from 2005-2017, missing the post season once in 2012. He's a good coach and that's why Nova is good at basketball right now. I'd sign up for that stretch for Uconn's next 12 years in a heartbeat.

 

[Waquoit]

Dakich still thinks Wilbekin is better than Bazz.

 

[FfldCntyFan]

He started in 2001, and made the tourney every year from 2005-2017, missing the post season once in 2012. He's a good coach and that's why Nova is good at basketball right now. I'd sign up for that stretch for Uconn's next 12 years in a heartbeat.

So if we brought in someone new this upcoming spring, you wouldn't have a problem with him not getting to the tournament until his fourth year?

 

[Paesano]

He started in 2001, and made the tourney every year from 2005-2017, missing the post season once in 2012. He's a good coach and that's why Nova is good at basketball right now. I'd sign up for that stretch for Uconn's next 12 years in a heartbeat.

Huh, imagine that. And, as much as I can recall, after his first few years, none of his teams looked clueless and devoid of leadership.

 

[FfldCntyFan]

The comment "all in for basketball" needs context.

Many may have forgotten that during the final few years of the football included BE, Nova was floated as a football add (to balance adding TCU). The feasibility study was funded by the BE (Marinatto's grand plan) and ended up being little more than a contribution to Novel's athletic department as they were never serious about upgrading football (their stadium plan was a 20k MLS stadium).

Going "all in" merely meant giving up the charade that they might upgrade.

 

[Paesano]

So if we brought in someone new this upcoming spring, you wouldn't have a problem with him not getting to the tournament until his fourth year?

I don't think we will make the tournament over the next four years anyway so, yeah.

 

[FfldCntyFan]

I don't think we will make the tournament over the next four years anyway so, yeah.

You would really give a new coach a four year free pass? I'll believe that when I see it.

 

[Paesano]

You would really give a new coach a four year free pass? I'll believe that when I see it.

Given where we are now? Yeah. If they came in after Calhoun, no.

 

[Husky25]

Nova is good because they have a good coach that has been there a long time. It's as simple as that. Wright was making final fours in the old big east, and continues to do so in the new one.

Wright was coach of a single Final 4 team in the old Big East. Nova went 25 years between them.

 

[Robertelamin]

The comment "all in for basketball" needs context.

Many may have forgotten that during the final few years of the football included BE, Nova was floated as a football add (to balance adding TCU). The feasibility study was funded by the BE (Marinatto's grand plan) and ended up being little more than a contribution to Novel's athletic department as they were never serious about upgrading football (their stadium plan was a 20k MLS stadium).

"All in for basketball" is definitely a weird spin on what happened since they are just maintaining the status quo. The only difference is they have a few different schools in their conference.

 

[TyroneShoo]

In between his NITs and not making out of the first weekend multiple times, Wright made 1 Final Four in the old Big East and 1 Elite Eight and 1 Sweet Sixteen in the old Big East.

In between his NITs and not making out of the first weekend multiple times, Wright made 1 Final Four in the old Big East and 1 Elite Eight and 1 Sweet Sixteen in the old Big East.

He did made 4 sweet 16s between 05-09

 

[superjohn]

So if we brought in someone new this upcoming spring, you wouldn't have a problem with him not getting to the tournament until his fourth year?

Lappas>Ollie

 

[ZenConn]

He did made 4 sweet 16s between 05-09

Ah yes. Thanks for the correction.

 

[Paesano]

Lappas>Ollie

Ouch. I wouldn't go THAT far. Lappas was looking pretty good at one point at Nova. But then the wheels came off and he was exposed. Amazing what Kerry Kittles and Tim Thomas can do for a coach's image. Hmmmmmm.

Shazzam! I mean, Shabazz!!!

 

[HuskyHawk]

When we will stop with this ridiculous notion that joining the Big East is a cure for UConn? Or that UConn isn't "all in" on basketball. We are every bit as committed to basketball as Villanova. But they have Jay Wright, and we have the artist formerly known as Kevin Ollie. Now, should the real Kevin Ollie decide to occupy his body, that would help. Until then we have this impostor.

 

[August_West]

Lappas>Ollie