Is it Time For Warde To Go?

[cohenzone]

That's a fair point and I can only imagine what was discussed, if anything, regarding CR. Winning this season was critical for a lot of reasons, and we failed spectacularly.

What do you mean by "winning this season?" If you mean win more than last year, that's one thing (and even then maybe a pipe dream). If you mean having a winning season, maybe it would have been nice, but even a bigger stretch, and really damaged, or it looks that way, when Cochran went down right off the bat and double down when Jones bit the dust on D. Last year's performance was certainly no predictor of success this year, not even the likely fool's gold of winning the last three against teams as bad as we were.

I think the bigger problem wasn't exactly Ws and Ls but the totally confused execution (more precisely, lack of execution) on both sides of the ball. Some of that can be attributed to the skill of the players, but the quirkiness of the on-field choices is the scary part of what the future holds. I thought the team looked fairly representative against the two relative heavyweights in the early part of the schedule, but aside from the flukey UCF game (I froze out there to the sweet end) , those games were the high point. The mess on O, partially because of generally lousy line play, was pretty much a consequence of the apparent no rhyme or reason QB subbing as well as the changing use of RBs over the course of the season, although sort of settling on Johnson seems like a supportable decision. I agree that there is no choice but to give Diaco another year. If the field play is not improved to something resembling a well-coached team, even putting the record aside, I wouldn't allow a third year and do what needs to be done with the remainder of his contract. Win or lose, it is supposed to be sort of entertaining, not like going to have a tooth pulled. I also would not quite throw WM under the bus for the hire. It was pretty well acclaimed at the time, but when an assistant is hired for the first HC gig, the results are unpredictable. Happy Holidays.

 

[BoatShow]

If Warde wasn't on the phone with BIG XII the second TCU and Baylor got left out of the P4 then yes, he is useless.

 

[FfldCntyFan]

What we need to do is to go back to FCS. We won't get people to play here. We will never be in a power conference and we might ruin our basketball teams if we don't get into the Big East. I was a supporter of UConn going D1A, but we can't play with the big boys.
Besides, we can start a men's and women's lacrosse team and win national championships quicker...

We'll ruin our basketball teams more quickly if we drop football back to FCS.

 

[noeynox]

We'll ruin our basketball teams more quickly if we drop football back to FCS.

A lot of the poeple that repeat that are people who are not in the stadium.

 

[HuskyDogArt]

We need to figure out what we need do to to improve our FB. Ward needs to get proactive with athletics, including tell season tickets holders that next year BD will have better coaches.

 

[CL82]

I'm about to say something extremely controversial that I know full well I am going to be lambasted over by several Yarders, but here goes anyways...

If we want out of the AAC and into a Power conference, then football needs to improve ASAP. To improve ASAP, we need to throw more money at it (not less). With the limited revenue stream we have in the next few years, we need to figure out a way to cut funding for some other programs and pour into football. In my opinion, we are throwing way too much money at WBB. Yes, it's nice that they consistently win. But let's be honest, in the CR world, WBB is a novelty item that is neither necessary to have or be good at. As we continue to throw more money at WBB than football, this season is a perfect example of what we can all expect.

Kevin Ollie makes $3M/yr. Geno makes around $2M/yr. Diaco makes $1.5M/yr. This is exactly why I said last season, during our coach search, that we need to be willing to go into the $2-$3M/yr range on our next football coach. SMU just agreed to pay Chad Morris $2M/yr. Now, I understand that a coaches salary is no guarantee on results. But you can bet your bottom dollar that SMU is going to throw more money at football than women's basketball next season and in every single season afterward. And watch, SMU will probably win more games than UCONN next season.

I know that most WBB don't understand that football drives the CR bus. Most WBB fans are fans because we win every game by 50+ points and, for the most part, women's basketball isn't associated with the slime that comes from other school's men's hoops and football programs around the country. But to get out of the AAC, we must be willing to cut a little funding on WBB to pour more into football OR we must be willing to cap WBB funding where it is right now for the next several years while significantly upping the football budget.

So go ahead, take your shots at me. I'm tough, I can take it. I'm not saying that we should drop women's basketball nor am I rooting for our women to lose. I know that the state just all went ga-ga over the dual championships last spring. But we've now done that twice and we're no closer to a P5 invite than we were since the first time we won both the MBB and WBB championships . The only sport that matters to get us out of the AAC is football. Until we're willing to pour much more money into football that women's basketball, we are going to be a bottom-feeder school in a crappy conference arguing whether or not to go Independent or drop the sport altogether. I'm not ready to pull the plug on football for at least 10 years and neither should anyone else. In fact, I'd want just the opposite. We need to invest MORE money into football...even if it comes at a cost of other programs.

We just invested $1.5B into expanding research facilities in large part to enhance our AAU profile. That's GREAT. But we could be the Emory University of the northeast and be no closer to a B1G invite unless UCONN football can beat CFB dregs like Army, SMU, USF, Tulane, etc and get to bowl games. Jim Delany won't be able to justify adding UCONN to the football docket to his millions of B1G fans who are already concerned about the strength of the football conference, especially after yesterday's absolute embarrassment.

I think the question is "cut what." Geno's salary? Dailey's? I don't think that there's a lot of wasted expense in the program.

You would be in hotter water if you said KML looks fat. I'm pretty sure women's basketball is self-funded, so it isn't taking money that would otherwise be available to football. I agree that women's basketball has less relevance to conference realignment than men's lacrosse.

I know the woman's team used to be revenue positive. I'm not sure that that is still the case. Regarding the second point, I think you are wrong. First, they fulfill Title IX requirements. Moving men's lacrosse from a club sport would just create the need for reciprocal scholarships anyway. I think it easy to underestimate the impact of the woman's program (easy to overstate, as well, I suppose.) It does continue the narrative of UConn as a successful championship winning school and it would provide content to B1G. That has CR value, less value than being AAU or a successful football program, but value nonetheless.

In answer to the OP's question, it is not time for Warde to go. Even if BD craps the bed, the decision to hire him wasn't a head scratcher like FUHCPP.

 

[uconnfan68]

I'm about to say something extremely controversial that I know full well I am going to be lambasted over by several Yarders, but here goes anyways...

If we want out of the AAC and into a Power conference, then football needs to improve ASAP. To improve ASAP, we need to throw more money at it (not less). With the limited revenue stream we have in the next few years, we need to figure out a way to cut funding for some other programs and pour into football. In my opinion, we are throwing way too much money at WBB. Yes, it's nice that they consistently win. But let's be honest, in the CR world, WBB is a novelty item that is neither necessary to have or be good at. As we continue to throw more money at WBB than football, this season is a perfect example of what we can all expect.

Kevin Ollie makes $3M/yr. Geno makes around $2M/yr. Diaco makes $1.5M/yr. This is exactly why I said last season, during our coach search, that we need to be willing to go into the $2-$3M/yr range on our next football coach. SMU just agreed to pay Chad Morris $2M/yr. Now, I understand that a coaches salary is no guarantee on results. But you can bet your bottom dollar that SMU is going to throw more money at football than women's basketball next season and in every single season afterward. And watch, SMU will probably win more games than UCONN next season.

I know that most WBB don't understand that football drives the CR bus. Most WBB fans are fans because we win every game by 50+ points and, for the most part, women's basketball isn't associated with the slime that comes from other school's men's hoops and football programs around the country. But to get out of the AAC, we must be willing to cut a little funding on WBB to pour more into football OR we must be willing to cap WBB funding where it is right now for the next several years while significantly upping the football budget.

So go ahead, take your shots at me. I'm tough, I can take it. I'm not saying that we should drop women's basketball nor am I rooting for our women to lose. I know that the state just all went ga-ga over the dual championships last spring. But we've now done that twice and we're no closer to a P5 invite than we were since the first time we won both the MBB and WBB championships . The only sport that matters to get us out of the AAC is football. Until we're willing to pour much more money into football that women's basketball, we are going to be a bottom-feeder school in a crappy conference arguing whether or not to go Independent or drop the sport altogether. I'm not ready to pull the plug on football for at least 10 years and neither should anyone else. In fact, I'd want just the opposite. We need to invest MORE money into football...even if it comes at a cost of other programs.

We just invested $1.5B into expanding research facilities in large part to enhance our AAU profile. That's GREAT. But we could be the Emory University of the northeast and be no closer to a B1G invite unless UCONN football can beat CFB dregs like Army, SMU, USF, Tulane, etc and get to bowl games. Jim Delany won't be able to justify adding UCONN to the football docket to his millions of B1G fans who are already concerned about the strength of the football conference, especially after yesterday's absolute embarrassment.

Not for nothing, but why not cut MBB too? It's not like our 4 NCs in 15 years did a thing for us. Yes, that's how stupid your argument is.

 

[Waquoit]

IEven if BD craps the bed, the decision to hire him wasn't a head scratcher like FUHCPP.

A bad hire is a bad hire. Warde waited too long to can P and when he finally did he picked Lyle Lanley. Double fail.

 

[TRest]

I think the question is "cut what." Geno's salary? Dailey's? I don't think that there's a lot of wasted expense in the program.

I know the woman's team used to be revenue positive. I'm not sure that that is still the case. Regarding the second point, I think you are wrong. First, they fulfill Title IX requirements. Moving men's lacrosse from a club sport would just create the need for reciprocal scholarships anyway. I think it easy to underestimate the impact of the woman's program (easy to overstate, as well, I suppose.) It does continue the narrative of UConn as a successful championship winning school and it would provide content to B1G. That has CR value, less value than being AAU or a successful football program, but value nonetheless.

In answer to the OP's question, it is not time for Warde to go. Even if BD craps the bed, the decision to hire him wasn't a head scratcher like FUHCPP.

My off-hand point about lacrosse is that it may have been an extra benefit to ACC membership. We will always have women's basketball, just like every single Div 1 school, but having the best program seems to have made little difference than having one of the worst.

 

[sub legacy]

If Warde wasn't on the phone with BIG XII the second TCU and Baylor got left out of the P4 then yes, he is useless.

Even if Warde were on the phone right now, that's still a tough sell to the Big 12. Unless he gets salesman Bob on the other line. With only two spots open, I don't see how they realistically take that chance on UConn football of all teams. There's gotta be a hard pitch to sell to make that happen, especially sooner rather than later.

 

[UConnNick]

What we need to do is to go back to FCS. We won't get people to play here. We will never be in a power conference and we might ruin our basketball teams if we don't get into the Big East. I was a supporter of UConn going D1A, but we can't play with the big boys.
Besides, we can start a men's and women's lacrosse team and win national championships quicker...

That would seal our fate. The big boys will eventually split from the rest of the NCAA membership and form their own association. If you want to continue to compete at the highest levels in all DI sports, you've gotta be with them. Otherwise you end up with the Georgetowns and Villanovas of the world competing for championships at a lesser level because you're never going to beat the big boys. Money for recruiting and everything else would eventually dry up. We are where we are because we were in a major power conference. Without that, you might as well get used to playing for some kind of D-IAA national title in basketball.

In 2002 UCONN was a nowhere destination for college football recruits. Randy Edsall managed to change that perception. It can be done again, but I fear it isn't ever going to happen with Warde Manuel calling the shots.

 

[king conn]

Even if Warde were on the phone right now, that's still a tough sell to the Big 12. Unless he gets salesman Bob on the other line. With only two spots open, I don't see how they realistically take that chance on UConn football of all teams. There's gotta be a hard pitch to sell to make that happen, especially sooner rather than later.

Since selling is his true skill and not coaching, let's put that 1.5 mill to good use.
Maybe he can save our athletic future after all.

 

[noeynox]

Eh, the Big 12 doesn't need a football power. They will have that covered with Baylor, TCU, Texas, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, and KState. What they need is the best two overall athletic programs they could add. I say UConn and BYU.

 

[noeynox]

I don't even think I'm being a homer. Bowlsby keeps talking about programs that add value. Our overall athletic dept has to be one of the only ones that adds any value, as far as teams outside the P5.

 

[Dooley]

Not for nothing, but why not cut MBB too? It's not like our 4 NCs in 15 years did a thing for us. Yes, that's how stupid your argument is.

Never said cut women's basketball. Just said to begin pouring more money into football than it. Until I see a school added under the guise of women's basketball, it should be third sport on the athletic department budget list - behind football and men's basketball. Third on our AD list would still rank funding WAY ahead of over 90% of the NCAA athletic department budgets.

 

[rich1122]

We lost Cochran, ended up playing younger guys. Future will depend on recruiting and progress in year 3. I would expect marginal improvement next year, We have to develop a QB.

 

[bobbyinaz]

I don't even think I'm being a homer. Bowlsby keeps talking about programs that add value. Our overall athletic dept has to be one of the only ones that adds any value, as far as teams outside the P5.

If they decide to expand they will do exactly what the ACC did and contact their TV partners & ask who they should add. FOX & ESPN will tell them who & how many schools to add.

Its really that simple. Bowlsby can talk whatever BS he wants but the bottom line is expansion, if it happens, will continue to be controlled by money

 

[noeynox]

If they decide to expand they will do exactly what the ACC did and contact their TV partners & ask who they should add. FOX & ESPN will tell them who & how many schools to add.

Its really that simple. Bowlsby can talk whatever BS he wants but the bottom line is expansion, if it happens, will continue to be controlled by money

They don't have their own network, and I am not really interested in rehashing the machinations that kept UConn out of the ACC.

 

[bobbyinaz]

They don't have their own network, and I am not really interested in rehashing the machinations that kept UConn out of the ACC.

So you are assuming that the B12 will add UConn just because?

This has nothing to do with a conference network. Their tier 1&2 deals are split between FOX & ESPN.

It has been very clear all along that the B12 did not want to expand becuase the member schools did not want to lower their per school payout and their TV partners were not willing to renegotiate.

UConn brings no value to the B12 unless the plan is to add by 4 or more schools. The conference currently has 10 schools, 4 of which are in Texas & 2 that are in Oklahoma. The state of Connecticut might as well be in China in regards to where people in that part of the country think it is.

If the goal of expansion for the B12 is about getting a championship game to eliminate what heppened today to TCU & Baylor they are only going to add 2 schools. They would most likely look to add Cinci & either Memphis or UCF. Those schools give WVU relative close (or closer) rivals, they provide inroads into fertile recruiting areas & they provide decent sized TV markets.

 

[noeynox]

So you are assuming that the B12 will add UConn just because?

This has nothing to do with a conference network. Their tier 1&2 deals are split between FOX & ESPN.

It has been very clear all along that the B12 did not want to expand becuase the member schools did not want to lower their per school payout and their TV partners were not willing to renegotiate.

Never did i say that. UConn was recommended by ESPN to the ACC or do you forget that part. Never did I say that Big 12, would invite UConn just because. You make things up and then proceed to argue a point no one said.

 

[jdb50]

Never said cut women's basketball. Just said to begin pouring more money into football than it. Until I see a school added under the guise of women's basketball, it should be third sport on the athletic department budget list - behind football and men's basketball. Third on our AD list would still rank funding WAY ahead of over 90% of the NCAA athletic department budgets.

While women's hoops is a religion in CT it is filler for ESPN. This would take quite a sales job by Warde and buy in from Geno. Your last sentence makes the best case for this. I can't put this crappy season on Warde. Diaco owns this mess. Once he went into the Army game with a clearly unprepared team and lost all chance at a 6-6 season he was then doomed by having to play Boyle. The best QB on the field was always on the other team which often leads to defeat. Now we know what we have and we'll see if decisions are made accordingly.

 

[bobbyinaz]

Never did i say that. UConn was recommended by ESPN to the ACC or do you forget that part. Never did I say that Big 12, would invite UConn just because. You make things up and then proceed to argue a point no one said.

What did I make up?

You said you're not being a homer but we are the only P5 schools that brings any value to the B12.

My point is that as little a chance as we have at the ACC or B1G we have less of a chance at the B12 adding us

 

[formerlurker]

While women's hoops is a religion in CT it is filler for ESPN. This would take quite a sales job by Warde and buy in from Geno. Your last sentence makes the best case for this. I can't put this crappy season on Warde. Diaco owns this mess. Once he went into the Army game with a clearly unprepared team and lost all chance at a 6-6 season he was then doomed by having to play Boyle. The best QB on the field was always on the other team which often leads to defeat. Now we know what we have and we'll see if decisions are made accordingly.

Spot on, in my opinion. And I'm not a Warde fan but think Diaco deserves to live at least the first 3 years of his deal.

 

[noeynox]

What did I make up?

You said you're not being a homer but we are the only P5 schools that brings any value to the B12.

My point is that as little a chance as we have at the ACC or B1G we have less of a chance at the B12 adding us

Read again,
I don't even think I'm being a homer. Bowlsby keeps talking about programs that add value. Our overall athletic dept has to be one of the only ones that adds any value, as far as teams outside the P5.

I never said we were the only school outside the P5 that brings value. You made that up, and proceeded to extrapolate off of something I never said. And yes outside the P5, with an athletic budget of around 70 million, I think we do offer more than schools that at the moment have better football programs. The Big 12 doesn't need help on the FB side like the ACC did when they added Louisville, so I stand by my previous post. Sorry if that bothers you.

 

[BlueDogs]

I throw out some reality. If there was a choice between funding womans basketball and football (putting aside title IX), there is no choice. Womans basketball is an irrelevancy everywhere except in Patheticut , but the reality is no national sports program can compete long term without a football program thanks to what is happening. For those loving girl hoops, the day will come when cash rich programs burry us and players head for premier conferences. UConn Athletics is living on borrowed time unless football takes off and this only happens by getting into a real conference. The problem with UConn is you have folks from the Fisher Price Bus in charge, and nobody with any serious understanding of college sports dynamics, experience or real relationship networks is in charge. Herbst thinks girls LAX is a great add and girls field hockey matters. It doesn't. We celebrate major Hockey as I great add. The truth is that is an oddball sport that doesn't fit the alignment mode and never will. It is a special case, not the general case. The Warde special project is a study in political correctness instead of correctness. You don't take an AD from a joke school and step him up to lead a major university at a critical point. We are so forward thinking, we are disconnected from the reality - we have positioned ourselves outside the club - like it or not.