DeLeone implies UConn couldn't recruit Walker, Matakevich b/c grades

[politics]

So programming killer GDL is on the pregame show w/Bob Joyce (btw Bob who's on next week, Jeff Hathaway?). .. . When Bob brought up Walker and Matakevich he went out of his way to say "I tried to recruit those guys to but we don't have enough time to talk about that. Give me an hour and half." Couldn't have been clearer he was referring to grads.

I don't care if UConn's standards were as stringent as MIT's. GDL and his compadre were the death penalty for this program and would have been even if UConn had North Carolina style admittance rules.

God that was brutal to listen to that guy. How does he stay employed?

 

[J187Money]

God that was brutal to listen to that guy. How does he stay employed?

By destroying our defense?

 

[politics]

By destroying our defense?

gonna bet that is being done on a few higher levels than GDL. Can we hire Ruhle?

 

[Oxford Bob]

It's a very telling statement. If we have to continue to recruit Patriot League players like we have been, and other schools in the league have the "if he can breath on his own, he's admitted" philosophy. We won't be able to compete.

 

[J187Money]

He can't get all of the blame for what happened here and get none of the credit there.

 

[politics]

He can't get all of the blame for what happened here and get none of the credit there.

yes, he can get all the blame b/c he was enabled by PP. Just like PP, he's a decent position coach but shouldn't be anywhere near a headset when it comes to calling plays.

 

[NEforceUConn]

If we didn't have the overall support to recruit and offer Matakevich then something is wrong.

I am not familiar that familiar with Walker or the story around him.








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[papreps]

gonna bet that is being done on a few higher levels than GDL. Can we hire Ruhle?

err, no.

 

[NavinRJohnson]

I said some pointed words to GDL tonight as he came out of the tunnel. The idiot pointed and said something back to me. I felt good afterwords.

Then the game started. Puke

 

[hardcorehusky]

Years ago I was talking to PP at an alumni kickoff event and brought up Montrelle Dobbs - a rb from Ansonia who went to Temple. He couldn't get into UCONN but got into Temple. Same with Temple Back up QB Logan Marchi. This was a bone of contention for RE as well as PP and maybe even the BD.

Notre Dame had this problem for years and so did Duke, and many of the academic schools in Big Conferences. This is a killer for a football program. UCONN has to decide at the uppermost levels(Susan and Benedict) if the philosophy of not bending for athletics is part of the problem in football.

 

[whaler11]

Years ago I was talking to PP at an alumni kickoff event and brought up Montrelle Dobbs - a rb from Ansonia who went to Temple. He couldn't get into UCONN but got into Temple. Same with Temple Back up QB Logan Marchi. This was a bone of contention for RE as well as PP and maybe even the BD.

Notre Dame had this problem for years and so did Duke, and many of the academic schools in Big Conferences. This is a killer for a football program. UCONN has to decide at the uppermost levels(Susan and Benedict) if the philosophy of not bending for athletics is part of the problem in football.

Ding ding ding. It's been clear for a while that the football program can't get players into the school. You may as well not have a program if you aren't willing to admit football players.

 

[Palatine]

If we didn't have the overall support to recruit and offer Matakevich then something is wrong.

I am not familiar that familiar with Walker or the story around him.

He was nothing special coming out of high school. Very slow. We had better LBs. He developed because he played all games his freshmen season which wouldn't have happened at UConn.

 

[Tdaley]

If we didn't have the overall support to recruit and offer Matakevich then something is wrong.

I am not familiar that familiar with Walker or the story around him.

Its my understanding that Matakevich did have the grades to get into UConn. He may have been in the partial qualifier category. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't believe Temple was in the AAC or our former BIG East when recruited Matakevich and as such they could accept a partial qualifier back then. That would have been 6 years ago. If I'm not correct then one wonders how Matakevich could get into Temple and not into UConn. Remember when Edsall was here there were grumblings from him about UConn admissions standards compared to other schools. GDL may not be all that wrong on this point






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[Tdaley]

I meant he did not have the grades to get into UConn.

 

[Chief00]

Years ago I was talking to PP at an alumni kickoff event and brought up Montrelle Dobbs - a rb from Ansonia who went to Temple. He couldn't get into UCONN but got into Temple. Same with Temple Back up QB Logan Marchi. This was a bone of contention for RE as well as PP and maybe even the BD.

Notre Dame had this problem for years and so did Duke, and many of the academic schools in Big Conferences. This is a killer for a football program. UCONN has to decide at the uppermost levels(Susan and Benedict) if the philosophy of not bending for athletics is part of the problem in football.

Quite frankly, I agree and have been preaching this for years. We need some majors developed that these guys can walk through and get a piece of paper in 4 or 5 years later called a diploma.

 

[UCFBfan]

While I don't fully support the idea of lower standards, how does the basketball team swing it? We've pulled in a lot of top recruits lately and there's no way those guys are any higher academically then our football players. So why doesn't it go both ways?

 

[Hoophound]

While I don't fully support the idea of lower standards, how does the basketball team swing it? We've pulled in a lot of top recruits lately and there's no way those guys are any higher academically then our football players. So why doesn't it go both ways?

I'm guessing the high percentage of prep school basketball players helps. These schools prepare them to get into college. Lots of football players are public school kids since so many players are needed to field a team.

 

[FfldCntyFan]

I don't know if grades were specifically the issue with the two kids mentioned in the thread title but I do know this has been an obstacle for UConn football for quite some time. I believe that part of what endeared Bobby D to the school's administration during the hiring process was that ND has higher than normal standards (Lou Holz fought this for years and was allow a stray special case when he was able to convince ND it was necessary to let a certain recruit pass through) and UVA (while I don't know about their football standards) also is as stringent academically as any public university.

GDL, on an intellectual level does know quite a bit about blocking schemes. Where he fell short here was his inability/unwillingness to teach coupled with little authority above him laying down the law on conditioning/strength training. I'm guessing the Rhule is giving GDL less autonomy than P did here and that he is not leaving strength and conditioning to the honor system.

 

[FDNY99]

I said some pointed words to GDL tonight as he came out of the tunnel. The idiot pointed and said something back to me. I felt good afterwords.

Then the game started. Puke

I would have brought a Dasani water bottle cap with me into the game...bought a bottle of water and capped it..then thrown it at his head as hard as I could! duckK that guy and the horse he rode in on!

 

[Chief00]

I'm guessing the high percentage of prep school basketball players helps. These schools prepare them to get into college. Lots of football players are public school kids since so many players are needed to field a team.

That's correct - basketball players tend to be identified earlier and sent the prep route. At UConn there are other factors at play but this will suffice.

 

[NavinRJohnson]

I would have brought a Dasani water bottle cap with me into the game...bought a bottle of water and capped it..then thrown it at his head as hard as I could! duckK that guy and the horse he rode in on!

Another assistant coach came out early and I asked where George was. He smiled and said George is a good man. I told him he wasn't and he is a tyrant. The coach just smiled. Again I felt good about myself for some reason, then the game started.

 

[Dream Jobbed 2.0]

That's correct - basketball players tend to be identified earlier and sent the prep route. At UConn there are other factors at play but this will suffice.

 

[Dayowl87]

So programming killer GDL is on the pregame show w/Bob Joyce (btw Bob who's on next week, Jeff Hathaway?). .. . When Bob brought up Walker and Matakevich he went out of his way to say "I tried to recruit those guys to but we don't have enough time to talk about that. Give me an hour and half." Couldn't have been clearer he was referring to grads.

I don't care if UConn's standards were as stringent as MIT's. GDL and his compadre were the death penalty for this program and would have been even if UConn had North Carolina style admittance rules.

God that was brutal to listen to that guy. How does he stay employed?

This is a ridiculous argument from GDL but I guess it's easier then saying we screwed up. Temple football's GSR for the most recent year is 82, which is a full 10 points higher then UConn's 72. I'm not here to start an argument on academic reputation but rather to debunk a weak excuse from your coaching staff regarding their inability to recruit and develop players on and off the field.

 

[UConnDan97]

This is a ridiculous argument from GDL but I guess it's easier then saying we screwed up. Temple football's GSR for the most recent year is 82, which is a full 10 points higher then UConn's 72. I'm not here to start an argument on academic reputation but rather to debunk a weak excuse from your coaching staff regarding their inability to recruit and develop players on and off the field.

I know I shouldn't feed trolls, but do yourself a favor; look up the name Montrell Dobbs and educate yourself before you come here to spout off on stuff you don't understand...

 

[Devland]

This is a ridiculous argument from GDL but I guess it's easier then saying we screwed up. Temple football's GSR for the most recent year is 82, which is a full 10 points higher then UConn's 72. I'm not here to start an argument on academic reputation but rather to debunk a weak excuse from your coaching staff regarding their inability to recruit and develop players on and off the field.[/QUOTE

First, I can understand why someone from Temple wouldn't want to start an argument on academic reputation on a UConn message board. Second, any data coming from the NCAA is flawed. UConn doesn't have "basket weaving 101" classes like a lot of the other schools do to provide an easy route to graduation for their athletes. This is what hurts them in these type of rankings. Doing things legit has its price in the NCAA. Randy Edsall pretty much said the program could not take the next step because of the academic standards here.