Is this valid?

[ZooCougar]

Assumption: Connecticut, regardless of the declining state of it's current conference affiliation will contiue to look stronger and more appealing as long as we continue to maintain the organizational commitment to excellence in the areas of Academics and Athletics. The degraded state of the Big East will only accentuate that fact.

If this is true then we should just continue to plow forward.

But we cannot accept anything less than the best in any area. Particularly football and academics.

 

[uconnbaseball]

Absolutely awful point. Couldn't disagree more.

 

[ZooCougar]

Absolutely awful point. Couldn't disagree more.

It's not a point I am making. It's a point that seems to be made here quite often. I am running it through the sanity check,

Please expound on why you could not disagree more.

 

[uconnbaseball]

I'm being sarcastic. I don't see how anyone could disagree with that.​

"Assumption: Connecticut, regardless of the declining state of it's current conference affiliation will continue to look stronger and more appealing as long as we continue to maintain the organizational commitment to excellence in the areas of Academics and Athletics. The degraded state of the Big East will only accentuate that fact.​

Agreed, from an academic and all-sports perspective. Not sure our football will look any better than the likes of SDSU, Cincy, and other rising programs under Paul Pasqualoni though, and football drives the bus athletically. Hopefully our fans show up at the games next year; we really need that Michigan game to be played at The Rent to sell season tickets.

If this is true then we should just continue to plow forward.

But we cannot accept anything less than the best in any area. Particularly football and academics.​

This triggered the sarcastic response. I mean, duh. How can any rational person disagree with this rah-rah sentiment?​

 

[ZooCougar]

I'm being sarcastic. I don't see how anyone could disagree with that.​

"Assumption: Connecticut, regardless of the declining state of it's current conference affiliation will continue to look stronger and more appealing as long as we continue to maintain the organizational commitment to excellence in the areas of Academics and Athletics. The degraded state of the Big East will only accentuate that fact.​

Agreed, from an academic and all-sports perspective. Not sure our football will look any better than the likes of SDSU, Cincy, and other rising programs under Paul Pasqualoni though, and football drives the bus athletically. Hopefully our fans show up at the games next year; we really need that Michigan game to be played at The Rent to sell season tickets.​

​

If this is true then we should just continue to plow forward.​

​

But we cannot accept anything less than the best in any area. Particularly football and academics.​

This triggered the sarcastic response. I mean, duh. How can any rational person disagree with this rah-rah sentiment?​

Because I think that in the area of football, the school has been slacking. It started under Hathaway and Warde has been ponderous and passive in dealing with Pasqualoni.

Academics and the growth in research appears to be going swimmingly. But I think we have a bunch of lightweights in the Athletic Department.

 

[uconnbaseball]

Because I think that in the area of football, the school has been slacking. It started under Hathaway and Warde has been ponderous and passive in dealing with Pasqualoni.

Academics and the growth in research appears to be going swimmingly. But I think we have a bunch of lightweights in the Athletic Department.

You are preaching to the choir. About 90% of this board believes P&D should be fired, and Manuel should be on a short leash. The lack of buzz about UConn football is very sad, and we really need a "face" for the football program right now.

Yes, the administration needs to commit to football. Perkins did a great job leading our program in its early days and the facilities were a good idea by whoever conceived them (was that Hathaway?) , but we have done little to nothing to improve our gridiron standing the past five or so years.

 

[ZooCougar]

You are preaching to the choir. About 90% of this board believes P&D should be fired, and Manuel should be on a short leash. The lack of buzz about UConn football is very sad, and we really need a "face" for the football program right now.

Yes, the administration needs to commit to football. Perkins did a great job leading our program in its early days and the facilities were a good idea by whoever conceived them (was that Hathaway?) , but we have done little to nothing to improve our gridiron standing the past five or so years.

90% are for axing P and D. But we are still seeing too much excuse making for Warde and Herbst. I've never seen so much cult worship for two people that have delivered very little in the area of Athletics.

Look, she is doing a good job on the Academic side of things. But we've gone through two realignment episodes with her. In the first one she looked foolish and undiginified in the futile begging. This time around the school was invisible and impotent. Where was the bite? We were smoked in the media with no allies, and no apparent effort to influence perception. Supposedly she beefed up the University PR dept., but I guess they suck at doing their jobs.

I don't think she has equipped herself adequately.

It's not like we can fire them, I would rather have underperforming leadership than no leadership. Hopefully they will learn from getting totally outmanuevered.

They need to be sufficiently pressurized. I don't see Manuel executing anything with any sort of urgency. I see an AD that wants to go through the motions as if everything was just fine.

He had an opportunity to send that message by firing Pasqualoni. The buyout was never an issue. He passed on this. This athletics department is not headed in the right direction.

 

[uconNYC]

I think Academics will take care of itself. SH seems very committed to taking UConn to the next level Academically and she is very proactive on that front. Furthermore the exploding costs of tuition will see more and more top high school students within the state choose UConn over many of the overpriced private colleges that kids used to select over UConn in the past.

Basketball should be fine. It is easy to put together a top class national schedule (see Memphis, Xavier, Temple) and you only need to recruit a few dominant players to be successful. UConn's cache as a traditional power will be around for years to come because we'll still have a ton of talent in the NBA (Gay, Kemba, Drummond, etc.) and this generation of sports reporters will always perceive UConn as a basketball power. Also there will always be fan and media pressure for UConn to excel in hoops as we've tasted so much success over the last few years. If KO turns out to be a great coach - we are really set as I just don't see him going anywhere else.

That brings us to Football. This is absolutely key if UConn wants to remain THE prominent candidate for future conference expansion/realignment. UConn has to be a consistent winner in football. That means at least 9 wins every year. I think we have a strong enough fanbase (and tailgating culture) where as long as we are winning, even if its against poor competition, fans will show up. A few of the things we must do to ensure the success of the football program include:

1) Attract and retain dynamic coaches with competitive pay and support.

2) Develop a very strong OOC schedule by leveraging our basketball programs to help lure Big 5 schools. We also have to be willing to play 1 and dones and neutral site games. Hopefully we can establish rivalry games with one of RU, SU or BC.

3) Continually enhance the GameDay experience. Make UConn football a must see event. Keep adding amenities inside and outside the stadium. Figure out ways to keep fans entertained before, during and after the games.

4) Market the football program across the state and "make it easy" to be a UConn fan. All games need to be on TV and Radio. Merchandise should be available at stores across the state and in and around the stadium on game days. The UConn football online ecosystem - social media, forums, blogs, websites, need to be supported as much as possible.

 

[ZooCougar]

Great post. All of the football related stuff besides winning should be easy.

9 wins a year are a must! Better to have 10 and 11. Leave no doubt. Is Paul Pasqualoni, the guy to do this? Nope.

 

[chiller99]

In the Northeast college football has never been a big deal.Too much over kill with Giants ,Pats Jets,to compete.Another way of looking at it is follow the route that a coach like Calhoun scratched and clawed on to make all sports successful.Some coaches to anchor the programs,that are in for the long haul and who have a habit of winning not surviving.There are a lot of good thoughts hear that fall on vacant powerless ears.Maybe its time to engage the same power and enthusiasm that brought Calhoun to comment about the site to the attention of WM to begin with

 

[RedStickHusky]

I dunno, it's not like we can dial up a numbr of wins and get there by wanting to. I mean we scheduled western mich with an expectation of beating them. what i think we need to do in football is to scheduleAND PLAY like we think we're good.. Right now we play like we think we suck.. That being said, I think realignment prospects are not directly tied to short term performance metrics although I'll concede they are a factor.

 

[upstater]

The question is, how long can UConn bleed financially while supporting its athletics programs, especially football?

The answer is: find a sugar daddy like Boise, Maryland and Oregon quickly.

 

[SubbaBub]

The question is, how long can UConn bleed financially while supporting its athletics programs, especially football?

The answer is: find a sugar daddy like Boise, Maryland and Oregon quickly.

There is a very short time window on remaining relevant. Mess it up and UConn will just another program that was good a long time ago. This applies to all sports whether the BB fans acknowledge it or not. Rely on the new conference or fail to be pro-actively aggressive and it's over.

Sent from my MB860 using Tapatalk 2

 

[RegisteredUconn]

9 wins a year are a must! Better to have 10 and 11. Leave no doubt. Is Paul Pasqualoni, the guy to do this? Nope.

The single most important, proactive thing UConn can do right now to protect its investment in athletics as a vital ingredient in attaining and securing leadership status as a nationally recognized and respected university is to absolutely DOMINATE any football schedule we undertake between today and and the day the B1G announces we've accepted their invitation to become members. Failing to achieve dominance in some aggregation of lessers will call into question our commitment. Questions about our commitment lessen our desirability.

The single most important thing we need to do to navigate the path to dominance is to hire outstanding coaches. Susan/Warde -- spend the money. Spend it now. It will be cheap in the long run.

 

[upstater]

I agree and disagree. Actually I'm going to quibble. I agree that UConn can easily mess this up and not return to its current level. But as for relevancy, the school has in-built facilities, natural advantages as a big state school, academics, proximity to NYC, etc. It will always have a draw, even if it falls to Arkansas and Oklahoma status (i.e. two state schools that have lost what they once had in basketball, but which are still very relevant).

It is insanely hard to imagine this school winning 3 national championships over 12 years again. There's a reason only one school has done it recently. It's because it is insanely hard. UConn fans should continue to support this school despite lowered expectations, and the expectations are not lowered because UConn is inferior or not as ambitious, but because those expectations are pie-in-the-sky.

Because of NYC and because of the wealth in the state, I expect UConn to weather the storm much better than Arkansas and Oklahoma have, and with some good luck it ends up in the ACC as one of the bball behemoths alongside Duke.

There is a very short time window on remaining relevant. Mess it up and UConn will just another program that was good a long time ago. This applies to all sports whether the BB fans acknowledge it or not. Rely on the new conference or fail to be pro-actively aggressive and it's over.

Sent from my MB860 using Tapatalk 2

 

[thatguyed]

Because I think that in the area of football, the school has been slacking. It started under Hathaway and Warde has been ponderous and passive in dealing with Pasqualoni.

Academics and the growth in research appears to be going swimmingly. But I think we have a bunch of lightweights in the Athletic Department.

Kinda tough to think of WM as a "lightweight".

 

[UC990411]

May be time to get rid of that Sun Beast thing. It was funny for a while, now it's just constant reminder for where we're headed

 

[gars44]

Because I think that in the area of football, the school has been slacking. It started under Hathaway and Warde has been ponderous and passive in dealing with Pasqualoni.

Academics and the growth in research appears to be going swimmingly. But I think we have a bunch of lightweights in the Athletic Department.

Don't agree about the lightweights in the athletic department. I think almost any AD would do just what WM is doing. Even Jurich stuck with Krags for 4 years. Or was it 3? But not 2. As to the whole Virgin Islands thing, red herring. Made no difference. FSU did not want addition of Uconn. They might have been OK if our program looked promising, and Kragthorpe was still at Ville. But LV rising and we look anemic. We would have looked just an anemic the last two with Edsall. Maybe another win here or there, maybe not.

 

[pinotbear]

May be time to get rid of that Sun Beast thing. It was funny for a while, now it's just constant reminder for where we're headed

I'm still holding out for the Conference of Misfit Toys: we can be the Charlie in the Box.

 

[gars44]

But to answer your questions, yes, very valid. Spend the money. We have spent too much already not to keep going. Kind of like the "money pit." Can't stop now.

 

[RegisteredUconn]

But to answer your questions, yes, very valid. Spend the money. We have spent too much already not to keep going. Kind of like the "money pit." Can't stop now.

Can't base future expenditures on sunk costs. If we commit to being (among) the best we will recoup the investment.

 

[ZooCougar]

Don't agree about the lightweights in the athletic department. I think almost any AD would do just what WM is doing. Even Jurich stuck with Krags for 4 years. Or was it 3? But not 2. As to the whole Virgin Islands thing, red herring. Made no difference. FSU did not want addition of Uconn. They might have been OK if our program looked promising, and Kragthorpe was still at Ville. But LV rising and we look anemic. We would have looked just an anemic the last two with Edsall. Maybe another win here or there, maybe not.

Well having watched them in action this fall I don't see how you can say that.

Kragthorpe was a close personal friend of Jurich, that bought him some time. Louisville was not in the same dire straits that we find ourselves in now.

We're not at a crossroads with football. We may be at the edge of cliff, or we may be hanging on to a rope that is about to snap. That's how bad Pasquloni is.

Louisville's situation three years ago is not the same as ours now. And it was probably a mistake to hang on to Kragthorpe for as long as they did.

 

[upstater]

Don't agree about the lightweights in the athletic department. I think almost any AD would do just what WM is doing. Even Jurich stuck with Krags for 4 years. Or was it 3? But not 2. As to the whole Virgin Islands thing, red herring. Made no difference. FSU did not want addition of Uconn. They might have been OK if our program looked promising, and Kragthorpe was still at Ville. But LV rising and we look anemic. We would have looked just an anemic the last two with Edsall. Maybe another win here or there, maybe not.

I'm with you on the first part, but not on the second. I agree our football program was not an asset in all this, but I think FSU well realizes that Louisville is a mirage. A very weak schedule, blown out by a cruddy Cuse team, loses at home to a weak UConn team, about to get blown out of the water by Florida in a bowl. I think FSU is under no illusions. Instead, they used Ville as a pawn, a cudgel, in its war with UNC and Tobacco Road. Anyone who pays attention to public pronouncements from those schools must realize it's 10x nastier on the inside.

 

[ZooCougar]

I'm with you on the first part, but not on the second. I agree our football program was not an asset in all this, but I think FSU well realizes that Louisville is a mirage. A very weak schedule, blown out by a cruddy Cuse team, loses at home to a weak UConn team, about to get blown out of the water by Florida in a bowl. I think FSU is under no illusions. Instead, they used Ville as a pawn, a cudgel, in its war with UNC and Tobacco Road. Anyone who pays attention to public pronouncements from those schools must realize it's 10x nastier on the inside.

I dismiss any assertion that Louisville's invite was some sort of foregone conclusion. It's not like Herbst and Manuel woke up one day last month and realized that they needed FSU and Clemson's votes.

We should have been networking and feeling these schools out since last fall.

When it counted, Herbst and Manuel failed. That's simply undeniable.

Red Herring? Pffffffffffft. If it was so not a big deal, and Louisville was in anyways, then why did Jurich stay home instead of going to Atlantis as planned?

Come on guys. Quit apologizing for failure.

 

[uconnbaseball]

90% are for axing P and D. But we are still seeing too much excuse making for Warde and Herbst. I've never seen so much cult worship for two people that have delivered very little in the area of Athletics.

Look, she is doing a good job on the Academic side of things. But we've gone through two realignment episodes with her. In the first one she looked foolish and undiginified in the futile begging. This time around the school was invisible and impotent. Where was the bite? We were smoked in the media with no allies, and no apparent effort to influence perception. Supposedly she beefed up the University PR dept., but I guess they suck at doing their jobs.

I don't think she has equipped herself adequately.

It's not like we can fire them, I would rather have underperforming leadership than no leadership. Hopefully they will learn from getting totally outmanuevered.

They need to be sufficiently pressurized. I don't see Manuel executing anything with any sort of urgency. I see an AD that wants to go through the motions as if everything was just fine.

He had an opportunity to send that message by firing Pasqualoni. The buyout was never an issue. He passed on this. This athletics department is not headed in the right direction.

To be fair, a lot of this cult worship appeared before they even started doing their jobs. Admittedly, it has proven to be undeserved so far, at least in Manual's case. This respect has quickly waned as they failed to get us into the ACC when the situation couldn't have been more favorable to us.

I would fire Manual immediately if it meant hiring a competent AD. Unfortunately, if he was Herbst's #1 target, I would hate to see her back-up plans.

My question is, how do we put pressure on Manual to do his job correctly? I understand that empty seats at The Rent will do the job, but I don't want to give up on the kids playing their hearts out onto the field.