Diaco speaks during Huskies/Louiville bball game

[tiger8mush]

A friend is at the game and snapped this pic of Diaco during halftime. I asked him to sum up his speech ...

It was all rah rah "best team in the country" stuff. Promised pizza for students during Friday pep rallies and team entrance through the student section on gameday

 

[weyuo]

Very cool. Too bad the football coaches didn't gang tackle that ref and offer him a pair of glasses.

 

[rich1122]

I was there. He tried to generate enthusiasm. Give him credit. He sees his job as both to coach and sell the program. Something we have never had before.

 

[SAMCRO]

I was there. He tried to generate enthusiasm. Give him credit. He sees his job as both to coach and sell the program. Something we have never had before.

Rich, what was the general reaction from the crowd?

 

[Uconnalliance]

Should of made him the honorary coach after Ollie got sent to the showers

 

[rich1122]

Rich, what was the general reaction from the crowd?

Let's put it this way. It was mostly students and they were ravenous, being away from school for a month. Ted's etc. had lines out the door. But overall it was pretty good. He mentioned the brand of football, Huskies walks on campus I think, the free pizza and then did a kind of cheer where he invoked each side of the arena to say UCONN (one side) Huskies (the other).

It was a good atmosphere and he was well received. Glad that he showed up. Good PR for the program.

 

[SAMCRO]

Thanks. Glad it was responded to, especially w/ recruits in the building.

 

[MattMang23]

Yeah it was a good attempt at building enthusiasm. Not everyone participated, though. There were plenty of the wealthy, sit-on-our-hands-and-never-cheer types who decided chanting was beneath them.

I snapped this one of Coach D, too, although I might have been so drunk I took it sideways:

 

[SubbaBub]

Here's an idea. The early bus to the rent and the bus back to campus 15 minutes after the game are free.

I'm not sure what time the team bus leaves campus, but a student bus caravan following the team buses might be cool.

 

[microfich]

He came off as a salesman who wants us to think he genuinely loves the product he sells. I'm buying. The guy is 'Jerry McGuire.'

He's the coach but when he pointed back and forth student-right for "UCONN!" and student-left for "COUNTRY!", I wanted to hear "HUSKIES!" instead of "COUNTRY!"

The thought in our section was "Can you imagine Pasqualoni doing this?" LOL

 

[UCFBfan]

He sees his job as both to coach and sell the program. Something we have never had before.

Something this program desperately needs. After the last three sub-par seasons, being crapped on in CR, and being faced with an uphill battle with garnering interest in a schedule full of "University of who?", we need someone who is going to sell the $%^t out of this program. Hopefully he can cash in and fulfill the winning side as well.

 

[CTHUSKY74]

I was there and it was a great atmosphere. I absolutely think that what Diaco showed is part of what we need. A great energy and PR guy to sell the program. He has the resume to show he can coach. He's said to be a great 'details' guy which is essential after seeing what someone who didn't manage every little detail and didn't handle delegation and accountability well did to the program (PP not RE). We'll see about that on game day. He's said to be a great recruiter. We'll see about that on National Signing Day. It's a major job especially now to get the talent to sign with us. If he is what he's purported to be, we'll get our share of the talent. I don't want to drink the koolaid like I do every off-season and think that everything will be fixed because we made some positive changes in the staff. I'm ready to support Bob as I do every coach that's been here, and the team as I always have, but I am not deluding myself as to the job that needs to be done. The one thing that gives me hope is that I always believed that our staff was being outcoached and that we had players who could have been used to better advantage. Other opposing staffs seemed to have done that. I hope the guys that we brought in can not only recruit more top level talent, but also I really hope that they can coach-up the existing talent and find the best contributing roles for them. Also, I sincerely hope that this staff will base the schemes not only on how they want to play but also on what the current roster can do well. I'm excited to see what this staff can pull off. Recruiting is first- let's see some unexpected signings.

 

[brasssbonanzaa]

An add-on to this, my seat at the game was up in the corner section where the players and coaches were sitting. Coach Jesus was sitting directly next to me on the other aisle seat - he couldn't have been less interested in being there at all. Did not stand once, did not clap once, barely spoke to anyone - including the players he was sitting with, remained sitting and not clapping when everyone else in the whole building was standing and cheering for any reason - even when the rest of the team did! I ended up changing seats for the second half, but I would not be shocked at all if he left early. I understand he may not be a basketball fan and new to campus, but as a director of player development, or whatever he is, and as a coach of a program, can't you set a bit of an example for your players and show pride in your own school and be engaged in the athletics program? This guy couldn't have cared any less about being at the biggest sporting event on campus this year. Only one game and I don't know him personally at all, but that was a horrendous example of player development.

 

[huskymedic]

An add-on to this, my seat at the game was up in the corner section where the players and coaches were sitting. Coach Jesus was sitting directly next to me on the other aisle seat - he couldn't have been less interested in being there at all. Did not stand once, did not clap once, barely spoke to anyone - including the players he was sitting with, remained sitting and not clapping when everyone else in the whole building was standing and cheering for any reason - even when the rest of the team did! I ended up changing seats for the second half, but I would not be shocked at all if he left early. I understand he may not be a basketball fan and new to campus, but as a director of player development, or whatever he is, and as a coach of a program, can't you set a bit of an example for your players and show pride in your own school and be engaged in the athletics program? This guy couldn't have cared any less about being at the biggest sporting event on campus this year. Only one game and I don't know him personally at all, but that was a horrendous example of player development.

After the week he had... could ya really blame him for being a bit distracted?

 

[brasssbonanzaa]

After the week he had... could ya really blame him for being a bit distracted?

Didn't look distracted at all - was flat out uninterested. You're right, it was a bad week, but he looked like a pouting 12 year old dragged somewhere by his mom. It was blatantly obvious to anyone there he did not want to be there. If he's not interested in supporting his school/employer in an event his whole team shows up to so HE and the rest of his coaching staff can be recognized, this doesn't exactly speak to someone that is in charge of developing players on and off the field.

 

[sdhusky]

Didn't look distracted at all - was flat out uninterested. You're right, it was a bad week, but he looked like a pouting 12 year old dragged somewhere by his mom. It was blatantly obvious to anyone there he did not want to be there. If he's not interested in supporting his school/employer in an event his whole team shows up to so HE and the rest of his coaching staff can be recognized, this doesn't exactly speak to someone that is in charge of developing players on and off the field.

I like the fact that he signed a nice looking prospect more than your whining b statements.

 

[brasssbonanzaa]

I like the fact that he signed a nice looking prospect more than your whining b statements.

Sure, I like that too, I'm only commenting on his personal demeanor that I saw first hand. He literally had just signed a recruit - and the guy was sitting a row behind him - is it too much to ask the guy to show some enthusiasm for the school he just sold to a recruit and not act like a pouting toddler?

I'm not saying fire the guy, but come on dude, set a good example for your team. Hell, interact with the damn football players on your own team you're there with, and are sitting next to you. I was most definitely in earshot of him and could count on my hand the number of times he spoke to the player sitting on the other side of him.

 

[sdhusky]

Sure, I like that too, I'm only commenting on his personal demeanor that I saw first hand. He literally had just signed a recruit - and the guy was sitting a row behind him - is it too much to ask the guy to show some enthusiasm for the school he just sold to a recruit and not act like a pouting toddler?

I'm not saying fire the guy, but come on dude, set a good example for your team. Hell, interact with the damn football players on your own team you're there with, and are sitting next to you. I was most definitely in earshot of him and could count on my hand the number of times he spoke to the player sitting on the other side of him.

I'm assuming he just put in a 100 hour week and give him a pass.

Bottomline, he got a recruit. Success.

 

[Chief00]

Disco Diaco seems to be what most want and he may have some success here. To me it's a little too used car salesman like but if he gets results who cares.

 

[noeynox]

Disco Diaco seems to be what most want and he may have some success here. To me it's a little too used car salesman like but if he gets results who cares.

We need a salesman in the worst way right now. We need a guy that draws attention to the program, and is always pointing out what is so great about our program and university.

 

[Durks07]

Disco Diaco seems to be what most want and he may have some success here. To me it's a little too used car salesman like but if he gets results who cares.

The basketball coach at UK is a pretty unapologetic used car salesman. Seems to be working out ok. If that is the first comparison that I think of when hearing this comment, I consider it a success.

 

[sportsart]

HCBD was actually a car salesman before he started coaching.

The best recruiters can sell water to a drowning man.

 

[rich1122]

This guy. Honestly this guy.

 

[EdgewoodNHV]

I snapped this one of Coach D, too, although I might have been so drunk I took it sideways

Are you still too drunk to figure out how to change it now?

 

[itgoeslike]

There's no pressure on Nick Sabin to be "selly", but UConn Football sure needs it right now. And I think Diaco, with his youth and energy, is a better fit for this program than Narduzzi would have been. It will eventually come down to on-field performance, but it starts with energizing the fan base, donors, players and recruits. In this instance, I thinks it's OK to err towards too much vs. too little. We've already been down the path of too little, and it didn't work out so well.