Herbst hires Traghese & UConn-Big 12 CR rumors

[ConnHuskBask]

the world does not revolve around your desires for UConn sports.

My mom's been saying that to me and my old man for years!

 

[NYUConn]

He's the reason the old big east imploded. It's fair to say he's not responsible for UConn's fate, but had he listened when BCU lobbied for an all sports BE conference it would still exist with strong members and likely the ND alignment the ACC now has.

Again, as has been mentioned by multiple people, Tranghese's job was not to represent the football schools or the basketball schools, but to represent the entire conference.

For him to "listen when BCU lobbied for an all sports BE conference" would have meant purposefully ignoring the voices of the BBall schools, which encompassed half of the membership.

What you are advocating for was the commissioner of the Big East actively playing a role in destroying the conference that he was hired to oversee.

 

[JSM1970]

Yes, as the CEO of the conference he needed to see its model wasn't viable and make hard decisions. He could have designed it in a way to maximize the alignment and value of both.

Again, imagine if Apple kept focusing its attention 100% on enterprise computing and its OS it would be out of business. That's in effect what he did, he killed it by not changing it.

Again, as has been mentioned by multiple people, Tranghese's job was not to represent the football schools or the basketball schools, but to represent the entire conference.

For him to "listen when BCU lobbied for an all sports BE conference" would have meant purposefully ignoring the voices of the BBall schools, which encompassed half of the membership.

What you are advocating for was the commissioner of the Big East actively playing a role in destroying the conference that he was hired to oversee.

 

[brasssbonanzaa]

There were so many things that occurred after Tranghese was out of the picture, both by subsequent Big East leadership and by UConn administrators/coaches that to place blame on Tranghese is completely misplacing it.

 

[businesslawyer]

My mom's been saying that to me and my old man for years!

On that one point, my spouse may be right.

 

[Husky25]

Are you John Cusack?

Can't Buy Me Love with Patrick Dempsey and the late Amanda Peterson is a better analogy (also Bobby Hinton went to Iowa...Conspiracy Kitty, where are you?)

I believe this movie was also the first to introduced the "slow clap" to the American consciousness.

 

[John]

From Mike DiMauro:

http://www.theday.com/sports-columns/20160107/can-we-fix-our-own-mess-first

The Big 12 may be in play for UConn in the future. Athletic department sources said recently that UConn president Susan Herbst has sought counsel from former Big East commissioner Mike Tranghese. Herbst asked him to use his contacts and expertise to see exactly when and where UConn might fit in conference realignment.

Athletic department sources said that UConn may be on the Big 12’s radar because of its presence in New York, to the degree that the UConn-Texas basketball series may continue in the future at Madison Square Garden and UConn-Texas may play football in the future at Yankee Stadium. What is fact and what is fiction is unclear, but there’s no denying that UConn will be in the conversation, if the Big 12 expands.

We’ll know that much after next Friday at the NCAA Convention in San Antonio. If the NCAA/Power 5 uphold the rule that conferences need 12 schools to hold a league championship football game, the Big 12 might expand. UConn will be a candidate.

isn't that like Michael Corleone hiring Fredo or Carlo for advice?

 

[huskymedic]

... the world does not revolve around your desires for UConn sports.

Por qué?

 

[Husky25]

You are so wrong. Aetna is run by a board who is entrusted, primarily, to make money for shareholders. Tranghese was entrusted, primarily, to work for the benefit of the conference members, a majority of whom were Catholic schools that did not play football.

No matter how many times people here say it does, the world does not revolve around your desires for UConn sports.

 

[NYUConn]

Yes, as the CEO of the conference he needed to see its model wasn't viable and make hard decisions. He could have designed it in a way to maximize the alignment and value of both.

Again, imagine if Apple kept focusing its attention 100% on enterprise computing and its OS it would be out of business. That's in effect what he did, he killed it by not changing it.

Your metaphor actually makes my case perfectly.

Apple - and by extension it's CEO - cannot unilaterally change the direction and core business space in which it operates. Tim Cook has to answer to a board of directors, shareholders etc. etc.

Mike Tranghese - as the CEO of the Big East - could not unilaterally change the basic membership and direction of the conference without the support of his board of directors/shareholders - aka the member schools that vote him into power to begin with.

 

[JSM1970]

He was the head of it and watched it implode and failed to see the emergence of the all sports super conferences, that everyone was saying was happening.

If it wasn't him who was it, just the college presidents? Did he present a plan to them to split the conference up and they all rejected it and he stated if they failed to do it it would be done for them (i.e., Jack Welch's "control your own destiny or someone else will")?

I mean, he is the CEO and Presidents the board in a sense.

Not sure how he wasn't responsible for any of this when he was there through all of it.

There were so many things that occurred after Tranghese was out of the picture, both by subsequent Big East leadership and by UConn administrators/coaches that to place blame on Tranghese is completely misplacing it.

 

[JSM1970]

And he may be especially motivated to assist. In reality of the original BE schools UConn is the only one that's really gotten the short straw. The football members are all in much better situations and the basketball ones are in a very competitive league too.

I met Tranghese a few times at UConn through various sporting events. He is a great dude and your story doesn't shock me in the least.

 

[brasssbonanzaa]

He was the head of it and watched it implode and failed to see the emergence of the all sports super conferences, that everyone was saying was happening.

If it wasn't him who was it, just the college presidents? Did he present a plan to them to split the conference up and they all rejected it and he stated if they failed to do it it would be done for them (i.e., Jack Welch's "control your own destiny or someone else will")?

I mean, he is the CEO and Presidents the board in a sense.

Not sure how he wasn't responsible for any of this when he was there through all of it.

He was right there when we let the media misportray our Fiesta Bowl attendance? He was right there when we hired PP? He was right there when we didn't fire PP? He was right there when Jurich outfoxed Warde/Herbst to get into the ACC? He was right there when the Big East didn't push for that Big 12 dissolvement that would've sent teams to the Pac and KU, K-State, Iowa State, and Baylor to the Big East?

 

[J187Money]

Thanks, I didn't know that. I wasn't sure if he was retired and sipping Country Time lemonade on a squeaky rocker from his porch or if he was still "in the game" somehow.

Your sources couldn't help you with that?

Yes, as the CEO of the conference he needed to see its model wasn't viable and make hard decisions. He could have designed it in a way to maximize the alignment and value of both.

Again, imagine if Apple kept focusing its attention 100% on enterprise computing and its OS it would be out of business. That's in effect what he did, he killed it by not changing it.

If the CEO of Apple reported to or was being paid by the heads of its enterprise computing and OS divisions do you think he would have acted the same way? Pun intended - Apples and oranges.

The head of a conference doesn't work for the "conference" as an abstract entity. He works for its members. BTW - the only schools so far that lost are UCONN and Cincy. So he did a bad job how? The majority of the membership ended up just fine. The only reason you think he did a bad job is because UCONN is where it is. If UCONN was in the ACC you would be applauding Tranghese for dragging UCONN along when we moved to FBS.

 

[The Funster]

He's also the same guy that when many were predicting future all sports super conferences he cobbled together some basketball conference that would later splinter.

When he should of been building an all sports conference he was inviting members like DePaul and Marquette. This guy destroyed the Big East and is the reason UConn is languishing in this league. Maybe he learned from all his failures and can assist.

I never said he was a good commissioner. He wasn't. But as Gavitt's right hand man he became one of, if not the most, savvy TV guy in college sports. I think Tranghese's biggest failing was doing anything to keep Gavitt's dream alive even though Gavitt knew it was never going to survive as a hybrid conference.

 

[Fishy]

Tranghese was an excellent commissioner.

Not surprisingly, some people do not seem to understand what his job was and what he had to work with.

 

[brasssbonanzaa]

Tranghese certainly had a few foresight missteps along the way, but none of his errors were anywhere near as egregious, with respect to UConn, as those by Hathaway, PP, and Marinatto & Co. There is also no reason to believe Tranghese wouldn't have acted completely different than Marinatto when Pitt and SU began to leave and then did leave the conference.

 

[Rocktheworld]

I mean P5 is cool and the conference is strong in both sports and we get some good recruiting ground (especially if Cinci is the partner).

But do we really want to be dealing with Big 12 fans?

 

[UConnMike04]

Wow, I'd gladly deal with Big12 fans...

 

[CL82]

I mean P5 is cool and the conference is strong in both sports and we get some good recruiting ground (especially if Cinci is the partner).

But do we really want to be dealing with Big 12 fans?

Yes, please.

 

[brasssbonanzaa]

I mean P5 is cool and the conference is strong in both sports and we get some good recruiting ground (especially if Cinci is the partner).

But do we really want to be dealing with Big 12 fans?

Yes. Especially during basketball season when we'd be able to say, "Get some more banners, then come back and see me."

 

[JSM1970]

If the conference was strong it wouldn't have mattered if UConn had a few bad moves (see BCU, Wake Forest).

My point his lack of execution resulted in the implosion of the old BE, because he refused to change it even though everyone was saying the future was the all sports super conferences.

If he did it right maybe he could gotten PSU to leave the B1G or Maryland to join the BE and strengthened the ND alignment. Instead it was a hodgepodge of teams with no common vision or mission.

I still maintain he is the CEO and how often to CEOs change directions like UTC divesting Sikorsky recently.

Tranghese certainly had a few foresight missteps along the way, but none of his errors were anywhere near as egregious, with respect to UConn, as those by Hathaway, PP, and Marinatto & Co. There is also no reason to believe Tranghese wouldn't have acted completely different than Marinatto when Pitt and SU began to leave and then did leave the conference.

 

[Stinger92860]

Wow, I'd gladly deal with Big12 fans...

It would be my expectation that most b12 fans will spend time busting the chops of Kansas, kstate and Iowa state fans. I see 3 wins right there and hope to pickup one more, if we are looking at 2017.

 

[NYUConn]

If the conference was strong it wouldn't have mattered if UConn had a few bad moves (see BCU, Wake Forest).

My point his lack of execution resulted in the implosion of the old BE, because he refused to change it even though everyone was saying the future was the all sports super conferences.

If he did it right maybe he could gotten PSU to leave the B1G or Maryland to join the BE and strengthened the ND alignment. Instead it was a hodgepodge of teams with no common vision or mission.

I still maintain he is the CEO and how often to CEOs change directions like UTC divesting Sikorsky recently.

HE COULDN'T CHANGE IT.

Are you being purposefully obtuse on this? He works for the member schools, not for the conference as a separate entity. Conference commissioners can negotiate TV deals and sell the conference to prospective members, but he cannot act without the approval of the schools that constitute the existing conference membership - which you seem to refuse to acknowledge included 7 non-football playing Catholic schools.

Also, the CEO of UTC did not unilaterally decide to divest from Sikorsky. That took a board vote.

I truly hope you are not in a position where you manage people daily.

 

[The Viking]

J SM1970, why are you wasting time in this thread talking about his alleged deficiencies that he had as big east commissioner unless you're trying to tie in those deficiencies into his current role as voice for UConn?
Seems like you are wasting space in his thread.