DiMauro: “The ‘new’ Big East: Is that all there is?“

[freescooter]

Hurley is as far from a hot seat as a Stark sitting on the throne in the North. He has made the team much better each of the three years he has been here. He has a recipe that the Athletic Department believes in == recruit well and play hard. Even if he was Jim Calhoun, he will have years where the team isn’t as good as the year before. Next year may be one of them.

Saying that not making a “tournament run” next year puts him on the hot seat is just dumb.

Not getting to the tournament next year is completely unacceptable. He won’t be fired if it happens, but there will be pressure except from the 8th grade cheer squad that posts here.

 

[willie99]

This line tells you all you need to know about the story and the writer:

“Football's newly relegated status as an independent gives it a 2021 home schedule with Holy Cross, Yale, Wyoming and Middle Tennessee, among others.”

Among others is Purdue.

The only reason you would skip mentioning the Big Ten team by name when it is shorter than the words you are replacing naming it with is if you are a complete hack ignoring facts that don’t fit your agenda.

that's the norm for the media

I'll be surprised when they stop lying and actually talk about the nuances of the truth

 

[businesslawyer]

Not getting to the tournament next year is completely unacceptable. He won’t be fired if it happens, but there will be pressure except from the 8th grade cheer squad that posts here.

LOL. There won't be any pressure on him from his employer. What idiots on a message board say is of little consequence in real life.

Basketball teams don't get better year after year in straight lines. If idiots on message boards want to fire coaches who don't achieve high enough goals fast enough, that is their prerogative. You are absolutely entitled to your opinion. But, like mine, it's irrelevant to his relationship with his employer. He didn't just get an extension because the school thought that every single year would be better than the one before it.

 

[freescooter]

I am not going to take a shot at any of the media since they are my friends and some of them I learned a ton from. I also don't know what's behind the scenes driving this. Mike is someone I admire.

But, Tournament success can't be the measure of success. If Hurley gets a 3 seed and goes 24-4 next year and they get bounced in the first round was the season a failure? No. That's ridiculous IMO.

In same vein, if he goes 18-15 and gets to the second round or Sweet 16, which season would you rather take? I would take the 24-4 team TBH. Tournament success is fleeting.

I think we expect UConn to be a 20-win team and in the top 3 of the Big East. March success is too random. As Jim Calhoun said the day after winning the title...i am just as good a coach on Sunday as I was on Tuesday (or something like that as I remember reading).

No no no no. The regular season means nothing in modern college basketball.

LOL. There won't be any pressure on him from his employer. What idiots on a message board say is of little consequence in real life.

Basketball teams don't get better year after year in straight lines. If idiots on message boards want to fire coaches who don't achieve high enough goals fast enough, that is their prerogative. You are absolutely entitled to your opinion. But, like mine, it's irrelevant to his relationship with his employer. He didn't just get an extension because the school thought that every single year would be better than the one before it.

Hogwash. Not getting to the Tournsment next year will bring pressure. From the fans and because of that through the administration. There will be increased pressure to make it in 2023. And failing that he could be gone. It isn’t 1965 anymore. Yes it isn’t a straight line but you can’t struggle for more than a year especially if you are UConn.

 

[businesslawyer]

No no no no. The regular season means nothing in modern college basketball.

Hogwash. Not getting to the Tournsment next year will bring pressure. From the fans and because of that through the administration. There will be increased pressure to make it in 2023. And failing that he could be gone. It isn’t 1965 anymore. Yes it isn’t a straight line but you can’t struggle for more than a year especially if you are UConn.

You can't struggle for more than a year? If struggling means not continually getting better, he hasn't come near struggling yet. So your chest thumping hot seat language means that any coach who goes backwards two straight years has to go, and thus Hurley, not having gone backward, is in trouble because any coach would be? Great logic. Great writing.

 

[Chief00]

I know there’s a lot of circumstances involved, most of which I don’t want to cover, but the reality is when you have a rare talent like Bouknight, you have to channel/refine him and convert the talent into meaningful results for the time you have him. That largely did not happen. I don’t blame Hurley for much of that, but at the end of the day the great coaches manage those situations/ players to the program’s benefit. I recognize it wasn’t for lack of effort on Dan’s part and he tried various things. The best that can happen now is to say we produced a lottery pick, but are we really sure that’s definitely going to happen now? Time will tell. What a shame because both coach and player in their hearts wanted another year. I sense if that happened the final chapter would be very different for both of them, in a good way.

 

[BigErnMcCracken]

 

[BigErnMcCracken]

Look at what Mick has done at UCLA in two years. They were on a three year downward spiral. Juzang was a great pickup and carried them in the tournament. Our transfers? Not so much.

UCLA was pretty unremarkable for most of the season, including their conference tournament. They had a nice run in the tournament which is fantastic but it's revisionist history to pretend that everyone was thrilled with Mick Cronin prior to about 2 weeks ago.

 

[freescooter]

You can't struggle for more than a year? If struggling means not continually getting better, he hasn't come near struggling yet. So your chest thumping hot seat language means that any coach who goes backwards two straight years has to go, and thus Hurley, not having gone backward, is in trouble because any coach would be? Great logic. Great writing.

Well, yes, actually. In fact I’ll go a step further and say if he continually gets bounced in the first weekend he will be gone pretty quickly. Look there is a big difference between UHart and UConn. If you are a power program the regular season matters only to the extent that it positions you for the tournament. And once you get there you have to make noise on a regular basis. Not every year, and you don’t need to go to the Final Four, but you can’t be one and done every. year either. Can you have a bad year here or there? Sure. Can you have 2 in a row? Maybe, but I then the seat will be open flame.

Hurley is trending right at this point. But there is no way you can say that if we spend the next 2 years playing in the NIT. It is the reality of big time college basketball. And basketball isn’t like football where you can argue you need x years to bring in your recruits. With the 1-drones and now the new transfer rule, it is more of a win now proposition. And there is one final reality. A couple of losing seasons in a row will result in crowds of 6500. And no move to a new league to bring them back is on the horizon.

 

[HuskyHawk]

I really don’t understand why Connecticut papers employ guys who hate UConn to write about UConn. It’s a failure. I know DiMauro simply isnt good enough for the Boston papers but maybe he could go to Worcester or something. No paper in CT should employ avowed BC or Syracuse guys to cover UConn. Let him write about the Red Sox and Patriots.

Jacobs whining about the national guys on Twitter when he should look in the mirror. I want critical and objective reporting. But these guys confuse that with stirring up controversy and the result is too often just garbage designed to get clicks. The whole financial paradigm of modern newspapers is so broken that the result is too often trash. There is a reason why The Athletic is now the best in the business.

2020-21 was a messed up year. Not much went according to plan for anything, including UConn basketball. At least they played some games and won more than they lost. Remember when we weren’t sure they’d play? I criticize Dan for some things, but everybody gets a Mulligan from last year. Had fans been in the stands and every game played, it might have been very different.

 

[Blue Idiaco]

The Big East has one of the strongest crops of recruits coming in next year out of any league in Division 1. If you want to chat garbage, do it somewhere else. Otherwise, learn before you talk.

Wake me up when there's more than two NBA-caliber players in the conference and more than one team that is favored to make the second round of the tournament. it won't be next year.

 

[CL82]

I really don’t understand why Connecticut papers employ guys who hate UConn to write about UConn. It’s a failure. I know DiMauro simply isnt good enough for the Boston papers but maybe he could go to Worcester or something. No paper in CT should employ avowed BC or Syracuse guys to cover UConn. Let him write about the Red Sox and Patriots.

Jacobs whining about the national guys on Twitter when he should look in the mirror. I want critical and objective reporting. But these guys confuse that with stirring up controversy and the result is too often just garbage designed to get clicks. The whole financial paradigm of modern newspapers is so broken that the result is too often trash. There is a reason why The Athletic is now the best in the business.

2020-21 was a messed up year. Not much went according to plan for anything, including UConn basketball. At least they played some games and won more than they lost. Remember when we weren’t sure they’d play? I criticize Dan for some things, but everybody gets a Mulligan from last year. Had fans been in the stands and every game played, it might have been very different.

Largely agree, except Dan does not need a Mulligan for last year. He had us playing successful basketball and would’ve had a better year but for James‘s injury. We got back to the dance and, as you pointed out, managed to keep playing under very challenging circumstances. Yeah, we didn’t win a national championship, or even a single game in the NCAA’s, but it was a successful season.

Yes, just getting to the NCAA’s isn’t enough in the long term, but there is zero evidence that he’s plateaued there.

 

[HuskyHawk]

Largely agree, except Dan does need a Mulligan for last year. He had us playing successful basketball and would’ve had a better year but for James‘s injury. We got back to the dance and, as you pointed out, managed to keep playing under very challenging circumstances. Yeah, we didn’t win a national championship, or even a single game in the NCAA’s, but it was a successful season.

Yes, just getting to the NCAA’s isn’t enough in the long term, but there is zero evidence that he’s plateaued there.

I agree and that is what I meant. Dan definitely gets a Mulligan, like others should. Even with that it certainly wasn't a bad year, just disappointing.

 

[Waquoit]

Even with that it certainly wasn't a bad year, just disappointing.

Really? From the toilet to the tourney in 3 years with your best player injured during the meat of the season. Tough grader.

 

[Husky25]

I really don’t understand why Connecticut papers employ guys who hate UConn to write about UConn. It’s a failure. I know DiMauro simply isnt good enough for the Boston papers but maybe he could go to Worcester or something. No paper in CT should employ avowed BC or Syracuse guys to cover UConn. Let him write about the Red Sox and Patriots.

DiMauro is a humungous fish in a little pond at The Day. He'd get lost even in Worcester.

 

[HuskyHawk]

Really? From the toilet to the tourney in 3 years with your best player injured during the meat of the season. Tough grader.

It was disappointing in part because Bouk and Jackson got hurt. Because we lost a couple games where we were the better team. Because we stunk it up in our one game in the tournament. Yeah, disappointing. I'm not laying blame. The grade is based on what we could have been.

 

[MU in MKE]

Wake me up when there's more than two NBA-caliber players in the conference and more than one team that is favored to make the second round of the tournament. it won't be next year.

So were you awake last year when BE had the third most players join the NBA?

Seems like an odd take on judging the quality of a conference though... one of the two conferences that had more was the PAC12. Did you see how atrocious they were last year?

 

[cap10dingus]

Like DiMauro or not he always writes controversial takes. Having everyone agree with him is never his goal. I don't know that next year is the NOW year for Hurley but he's not wrong. The days of talking up the 'progress' will be behind us soon. We don't have a ton of results yet but it still is pointing in the right direction!

 

[Vuce]

but he's not wrong.

Yeah he is wrong. Dumb article and he is definitely a bitter and envious bcu alum/fan. Make no mistake he WANTS UConn hoops, hockey and football to fail.

 

[YellowMamba]

Close this thread! That troll does not deserve further attention

 

[August_West]

Its pretty funny that Ive never paid attention to Dimauros twitter before, but now have the last few days. The people who go after him on twitter are seemingly dumber than he is. I mean it's fine to go after the guy , he deserves it, but a lot of the retorts are really cringeworthy that he just swats away like Mutombo.

 

[Northbound]

He's right and wrong:

Right
1) Hurley has got to stop bitching about the dumpster fire that was here after every loss. Stop with the "look at what a great job I'm doing" - it's brutal - everyone gets this. Hell, we've heard it for three years. Perhaps this is just a pet peeve of mind.

Wrong
1) The NBE is infinitely better than the AAC, there's no way about it. His ridiculous comments about Jay Wright/MSG are so mind boggling dumb that even I have a hard time understanding where they come from. It's so over the top speculative that it's like saying if Duke and UNC left the ACC then it might not be as strong of a conference (current season excepted).

Trend line matters and it's going in the right direction

 

[CallMeBruce]

He's right and wrong:

Right
1) Hurley has got to stop bitching about the dumpster fire that was here after every loss. Stop with the "look at what a great job I'm doing" - it's brutal - everyone gets this. Hell, we've heard it for three years. Perhaps this is just a pet peeve of mind.

Wrong
1) The NBE is infinitely better than the AAC, there's no way about it. His ridiculous comments about Jay Wright/MSG are so mind boggling dumb that even I have a hard time understanding where they come from. It's so over the top speculative that it's like saying if Duke and UNC left the ACC then it might not be as strong of a conference (current season excepted).

Trend line matters and it's going in the right direction

He's wrong and wrong. Hurley doesn't do that after every loss. He brought it up a couple of times, and he did it because disingenuous trolls like DiMauro, hacks with an axe to grind, like to pretend he isn't getting the job done because he's not Jim Calhoun.

 

[Northbound]

He's wrong and wrong. Hurley doesn't do that after every loss. He brought it up a couple of times, and he did it because disingenuous trolls like DiMauro, hacks with an axe to grind, like to pretend he isn't getting the job done because he's not Jim Calhoun.

He’s done it for three years more than once a year - but if you feel differently you’re entitled to do so.

If you do it more than once you're just complaining and trying to make yourself look good be it intentionally or not - just fix it.

Nobody that comes to work for me gets to piss and moan about the past and they are making 150-200k. You get paid millions, handle it.

i like Dan Hurley, will he have a lot of success here - jury’s out - trending in the right direction for sure.

 

[Husky25]

Nobody that comes to work for me gets to piss and moan about the past and they are making 150-200k. You get paid millions, handle it.

Great analogy, because that's the exact same thing.

 

[FreeKlaiber]

ive always wondered why, with our rabid fanbase, that we get so many mediocre or bad news reporters....Borges is good, but after that.... remember a guy yrs ago, i think peter abraham, who was great with scoops...now we get Dom "yawn" amore and the like...whoever said that dimauro was skip bayless-ish is accurate

 

[Psolo12]

He’s done it for three years more than once a year - but if you feel differently you’re entitled to do so.

If you do it more than once you're just complaining and trying to make yourself look good be it intentionally or not - just fix it.

Nobody that comes to work for me gets to piss and moan about the past and they are making 150-200k. You get paid millions, handle it.

i like Dan Hurley, will he have a lot of success here - jury’s out - trending in the right direction for sure.

Yeah, because re-building a prestigious basketball program from the ground up is the exact same as whatever the hell job the people that work for you do. If you can listen to Hurley and say he's pissing and moaning you must live a depressing life. The guy has literally said this is his dream job and how thankful he is constantly. Sorry you can't handle his realistic assessment of HIS basketball program.

 

[CallMeBruce]

UCLA was pretty unremarkable for most of the season, including their conference tournament. They had a nice run in the tournament which is fantastic but it's revisionist history to pretend that everyone was thrilled with Mick Cronin prior to about 2 weeks ago.

This is a factor of the weird season, though. With so little inter-conference play, the conference power rankings were largely arbitrary. Once the tournament came around, it became clear that the PAC-12 was probably better than people realized, and the Big 10 was worse than people realized. Reframing UCLA's season that way makes a huge difference, which is one of the big reasons they ended the season at 13 in KP as the PAC went from #6 to #3 in the league power rankings, just a shade behind the Big 12.

 

[jibsey]

Hurley is not to be harassed after 3 years but IMO he doesn't have an endless amount of rope to play with. The biggest thing is to get quality guards to work with. His recruiting has been good..

 

[Dream Jobbed 2.0]

Not for nothing, but every time I've come in contact with him at one of our basketball games he's been incredibly pleasant. That's kind of his shtick though, he waits until you're gone and then sticks it to you...

Not going to defend his comment on Hurley not giving much to the local media, but he and others have kind of dug their own grave with this one - at the same time it's not TOTALLY their fault as Hurley seems to have his guys already that he gives information to (Zagoria) and you can understand why because of the NY/NJ connection. I could go on a MUCH longer rant about Zags than DiMauro.. Zags is an absolute loser in every sense of the word.

My final point is that the NL Day is not a 4th tier paper. They have stayed afloat in a completely dying market when the Bulletin and Courant have jettisoned entire departments one by one. Also, what The Day does for high school sports in Eastern CT is unmatched throughout the rest of the state. The quality and quantity of their high school sports broadcasts trumps everything the rest of the state does for their high schools.

How many high schools are in Eastern CT? Fewer than the city of Hartford