'It has immense resources to offer as a state’s flagship school

[ktuck911]

Where is Jones rumored to be going?

ESPN speculated that he'd end up back at Hawaii...

 

[freescooter]

The goal should be complete and utter domination of the conference by leveraging our supposed "immense resources".

7-8 wins ain't gonna cut. We need double digits and basketball scores and players that every kid in New England knows. Leave no doubt.

The last thing we need is a return to the risk averse Edsall days where we played to not lose.

I actually agree with this completely. Only caution is that it will take a few years to get to that point. We want people to talk about UConn the way they talk about Boise in the MW. Always ranked. Dominate the conference (though this one is better than theirs), play for the conference title virtually every season and win it mostly.

 

[ZooCougar]

I actually agree with this completely. Only caution is that it will take a few years to get to that point. We want people to talk about UConn the way they talk about Boise in the MW. Always ranked. Dominate the conference (though this one is better than theirs), play for the conference title virtually every season and win it mostly.

I think we can have a winning season, next season.

 

[junglehusky]

IN front of our half filled 25,000 seat stadium we are going nowhere even if we are 20-0. Get used to the AAC.

As a hypothetical, you are correct. But if we get 20 wins in a row, with the likes of BYU, Boise, Tennessee on the schedule, we will be ranked, and we will fill the Rent pretty well. Now if UConn demonstrates that level of success, it doesn't guarantee a ticket to the ACC or B1G. But it is pretty much a requirement to getting an invitation, and it is good for UConn as a university regardless of conference affiliation, so it's something to shoot for if we can.

 

[freescooter]

I think we can have a winning season, next season.

I think it is possible too, but might be dependent on the coach. A guy like Lembo in my estimation will have us competitive quickly. In large measure that's been his MO. Clawson has taken longer, more of a rebuild the program from the ground up type of guy, I think. He has been successful over the long run, too. Narduzzi, who knows? He has not been a head coach so its hard to say what his approach will be. But my view is that UConn can't go 5 years without a bowl, so whoever comes in has a year to turn things around.

The other point, I guess, and I assume you get this, is that having a winning season next year doesn't equal getting to where we want the program going. It is a first step. That's all. We need to keep going forward from there.

 

[ruskin]

Not really. He was a complete c67Ksu^&ker. And he had the personality of a broken surfboard. His 1980s era Penn State Offense set the conditions for this fiasco. Nice leaving us January when our idiot AD who couldn't find a football coach in a stadium if his life depended on it so that he ended up hiring two retread hacks who almost destroyed UConn Football.

Apologist.

Edsall responsibility for this fiasco: .005 percent

JH responsibility: 59.995

Phil Austin for no oversight of JH: 10

McHugh for forcing P on JH: 30

If Edsall had been properly managed by his AD he wouldn't have been such a d*ck. The way he left was unseemly but JH more or less dared him to leave and RE took him up on the offer. Then the real -train started when McHugh got involved in the hiring process and rolled the impotent JH.

Water under the bridge now I hope. Hoping by Wednesday we'll be toasting Warde/SH here.

 

[ZooCougar]

Edsall responsibility for this fiasco: .005 percent

JH responsibility: 59.995

Phil Austin for no oversight of JH: 10

McHugh for forcing P on JH: 30

If Edsall had been properly managed by his AD he wouldn't have been such a d*ck. The way he left was unseemly but JH more or less dared him to leave and RE took him up on the offer. Then the real -train started when McHugh got involved in the hiring process and rolled the impotent JH.

Water under the bridge now I hope. Hoping by Wednesday we'll be toasting Warde/SH here.

Chances that you will still find a way bitch: 100%

 

[ruskin]

Chances that you will still find a way bitch: 100%

'spain -- Word missing there? 'to' bitch, perhaps?

 

[ZooCougar]

'spain -- Word missing there? 'to' bitch, perhaps?

Lol.

 

[rich1122]

As a hypothetical, you are correct. But if we get 20 wins in a row, with the likes of BYU, Boise, Tennessee on the schedule, we will be ranked, and we will fill the Rent pretty well. Now if UConn demonstrates that level of success, it doesn't guarantee a ticket to the ACC or B1G. But it is pretty much a requirement to getting an invitation, and it is good for UConn as a university regardless of conference affiliation, so it's something to shoot for if we can.[/quote


Unless we get something close to the MI game on a routine basis, who will take us? Take it from a guy who has been to every game. This last week people left early when WE were ii the lead. I mean if we think that we are going to the Bg1G with our fan base you are kidding yourself. Ohio State ain't com'n.

I hope that I am wrong. Fairfield City I apologize. I could not help myself.

 

[rich1122]

Unless we get something close to the MI game on a routine basis, who will take us? Take it from a guy who has been to every game. This last week people left early when WE were ii the lead. I mean if we think that we are going to the Bg1G with our fan base you are kidding yourself. Ohio State ain't com'n.

I hope that I am wrong. Fairfield City I apologize. I could not help myself.

 

[FfldCntyFan]

No need to apologize but the incessant whining that occurs at times (TDH on a high powered passing attack, your comments on our 40k seat stadium being a 25k seat stadium) do reach the point of overkill.

We do need a bigger & better fan base if we are to get where we want to be. In our favor is the fact that with all of the crap we've been dealt and the negligence (pissing away a decade of positive achievements) of our former AD, we still have a decent turnout (just shy of 25k under the conditions we dealt with a week ago is not all that bad in the scheme of things).

I remember when we filled the stadium regularly and at that time I felt that we hadn't done a damned thing to cultivate a fan base (JH's negligence). With success and the correct leadership, we could double what we had then (to use a marketing term we've barely penetrated the part of the state where I live), which would make us a nice fit in any conference. Someone's going to need to convince me that we tried (really tried) and failed before I believe we can't do it. Without trying at all we were well on our way half a decade ago.

 

[ruskin]

Apparently one of the immense resources is the ability to borrow corporate jets at moment's notice. Life in the Big Time.

 

[Stinger92860]

Unless we get something close to the MI game on a routine basis, who will take us? Take it from a guy who has been to every game. This last week people left early when WE were ii the lead. I mean if we think that we are going to the Bg1G with our fan base you are kidding yourself. Ohio State ain't com'n.

I hope that I am wrong. Fairfield City I apologize. I could not help myself.

Find help quickly.

 

[J187Money]

Unless we get something close to the MI game on a routine basis, who will take us? Take it from a guy who has been to every game. This last week people left early when WE were ii the lead. I mean if we think that we are going to the Bg1G with our fan base you are kidding yourself. Ohio State ain't com'n. I hope that I am wrong. Fairfield City I apologize. I could not help myself.

That's easy. Play Michigan every week. Or some other B1G opponent.

They leave FSU games at halftime also.

 

[Dooley]

Our stadium would be full with a B1G conference schedule. I have no doubt in my mind of that. What I doubt is whether or not we can fill our stadium ever again with these garbage AAC teams like Memphis, Tulane, SMU, etc coming in.

 

[gars44]

I think the underrated challenge with the job is the expectations of the fanbase. It's certainly a job with a lot of potential but when you've got almost no natural recruiting grounds, locally have to compete with Big 10 and ACC programs for players and very little tradition to sell - the definition of short and medium term success needs to be calibrated correctly.

Winning 7-8 games a year consistently and growing from there is success. Expecting anyone to make UConn nationally relevant in the near term is ridiculous.

Winning 7-8 games a year will get us into a p5 conference. I'd say it would be a huge success. A fantastic, maybe unbelievable, success. Long time ago I made the same comment if TJW could get to 4 wins.

 

[gars44]

I think to a large extent you guys are undervaluing this job. It isn't USC but if you look at what it brings to the table it is pretty damned good. Facilities are among the top 10 in the country. Fan base is not bad and even in a bad year our worst attended game will be better than a typical game at most AAC, MAC and Sunbelt schools and if the new coach starts to turn the corner, 35,000 will be standard, with a few sell outs for important or big games. And while there are expectations, the fans won't shoot your dog or picket your house if you don't win. And this is an athletic Department that has historically been very supportive of its coaches and given them what they need to succeed. You don't win national championships in multiple sports without that. Just since 2000 UConn has won national championships in mens and womens basketball, mens soccer, and now field hockey and has produced multiple Olympians in track and field and swimming. This has been a very supportive athletic department and university for athletics and that makes it a pretty attractive place for a coach.

Very nicely said, Free, but here is this: The football powerhouses and their followings do one h_1L of a lot more for their football players, and their football coaches, and football boosters, than Uconn has ever imagined or even thought of doing. And they exist in better climes, or have better "traditions," than Uconn can offer. I don't think we are ready to stomach what it takes to succeed right now. If we can hang with it for a few years, enough people will come to realize that you get dirty when you play football. This ain't contract bridge.

 

[ktuck911]

Now I get why we're interested in Clawson. He can turn programs around. Impressive performance against NIU. Wow

 

[gars44]

Our stadium would be full with a B1G conference schedule. I have no doubt in my mind of that.

I have doubt of that. If this was a losing program, going 3-9, 4-8, each year, maybe getting to 5-7 every now and again; our stadium would look just like it does now. Nobody likes a loser. Nobody goes to game to watch a loser. The Michigan State Uconn 59-6 slaughter would not fill the house. If we win in this AAC conference, they will come.

 

[gars44]

That's easy. Play Michigan every week. Or some other B1G opponent.

They leave FSU games at halftime also.

After the first Michigan game, the novelty is gone. It's just not fun to watch your team get demolished week after week. People find a new team when that happens. The B1G means nothing to this program if we can't figure out a way to win in the AAC.

 

[Dooley]

I have doubt of that. If this was a losing program, going 3-9, 4-8, each year, maybe getting to 5-7 every now and again; our stadium would look just like it does now. Nobody likes a loser. Nobody goes to game to watch a loser. The Michigan State Uconn 59-6 slaughter would not fill the house. If we win in this AAC conference, they will come.

I disagree. UCONN fans are interested in watching the games against the "names", no matter how many times it happens. Take a look at basketball attendance throughout the season as a barometer. You also underestimate the strong traveling fan bases of some of the B1G schools. Granted, Purdue or Minnesota likely wouldn't bring more than 5K to our house, but Penn State, Michigan, MSU, OSU, Nebraska, Wisconsin and in good years, Rutty definitely would.

 

[gars44]

I disagree. UCONN fans are interested in watching the games against the "names", no matter how many times it happens. Take a look at basketball attendance throughout the season as a barometer. You also underestimate the strong traveling fan bases of some of the B1G schools. Granted, Purdue or Minnesota likely wouldn't bring more than 5K to our house, but Penn State, Michigan, MSU, OSU, Nebraska, Wisconsin and in good years, Rutty definitely would.

The way you know that's not true is, look at the bottom of the B1G attendance, Indiana, Purdue, Illinois. It's not good. When the novelty wears off, no one goes to watch a loser. Hopefully, I'm right about winning in the AAC. Very hopefully, because if I'm wrong than last one out turn out the lights.