Mike Anthony: UConn President Susan Herbst Understood Importance Of Athletics-Academics Partnership

[huskymedic]

>>Look, I don't expect everybody to follow every twist and turn in this,” Herbst said of an effort to get UConn into a Power Five conference. “But one thing I can assure [fans]: me and the athletic directors we’ve had here have worked on this constantly, all the time, behind the scenes, in front of the scenes and around. If people think our situation has something to do with lack of trying, that would not be accurate. This stuff is very complicated. It is very sensitive. It's a lot of relationships. Nobody was asleep at the wheel. It's a structural problem.”<<

>>There are several projects still taking shape, such as the resurrection of the football program. There remains a portion of the public that suggests FBS football is a dream UConn should stop chasing, that the logical move is to lower the program to the FCS level.

“I don’t know why you'd do that,” Herbst said. “We've invested a lot in it. We like it. It's fun. We were there before. If we filled it before when the program was younger and the university was not as far along on so many other fronts, we can do it again. I fully expect, within the decade, if we do the right things, if we support Randy [Edsall] and give him a chance, I hope that we'll have to build that extra seating that we have room for [at Rentschler Field].<<

 

[Chin Diesel]

Sounds like the engineers explaining the Tacoma Narrows Bridge collapse.

Results, not excuses.

 

[CL82]

Sounds like the engineers explaining the Tacoma Narrows Bridge collapse.

Results, not excuses.

Meh, more like the difficulties in constructing it's replacement. There's a lot that isn't in UConn's control. If ESPN had funded the systematic dismantling of the Big East, we on the inside looking out right now and not worried about justifying our addition to another conference.

In my view, UConn had a series of events that led to our current situation:

1) Late start to 1A football
2) Failure to accept Penn State to the Big East
3) ESPN deciding to fund the consolidation of 1A football
4) Departure of Miami, BC and West Virginia
5) BCU deciding to protect its "turf" by blackballing us.
6) FSU's push back against the ACC basketball powers to demand a football school.
7) BYU gay policy scandal exploding just as the Big 12 considering expansion.​

You change any of those and things could be different for UConn. None of them are Herbst's fault and none of them are things that she could have changed.

 

[RSTuthill]

This time around it is much much harder for Edsall to produce results. The target audience has experienced success and now demands it. UConn is no longer playing in a league that is at the highest level. Think Wolfpack vs. Huskies Hockey. There is a reason that UConn outdraws the Wolfpack.

 

[buddy]

"The Power 5 pursuit has been a battle lost." That statement from Mike Anthony seems like the game is over. As far as the rest of the article, I do believe there was a chance when Warde was there and someone did drop the ball. I also don't think he was such a great hire, as his legacy will be defined, as her legacy is defined, as far as athletics is concerned, as failure to get UConn P5 status.

 

[HuskyHawk]

Meh, more like the difficulties in constructing it's replacement. There's a lot that isn't in UConn's control. If ESPN had funded the systematic dismantling of the Big East, we on the inside looking out right now and not worried about justifying our addition to another conference.

In my view, UConn had a series of events that led to our current situation:

1) Late start to 1A football
2) Failure to accept Penn State to the Big East
3) ESPN deciding to fund the consolidation of 1A football
4) Departure of Miami, BC and West Virginia
5) BCU deciding to protect its "turf" by blackballing us.
6) FSU's push back against the ACC basketball powers to demand a football school.
7) BYU gay policy scandal exploding just as the Big 12 considering expansion.​

You change any of those and things could be different for UConn. None of them are Herbst's fault and none of them are things that she could have changed.

Those things happened, although I'm not sold that #3 was thing as opposed to a combination of things.

But Susan isn't wrong in what she said. Anybody who thinks she was just asleep at the wheel or that she and Warde are to blame for UConn not being P5 is just chasing a delusion. The biggest mistakes on that list are #1 and #2....by a huge margin. That's what landed us where we are. Keep moving forward from here.

 

[UConnNick]

Her comments about expanding the seating capacity at Rentschler are telling. She just doesn't get it.

We could go 12-0 in the AAC and play in a NY6 bowl and it's still not going to be nearly enough to warrant an expansion of the FB stadium. You still have a steady diet of Tulane, Tulsa, E. Carolina and SMU coming to play there every season. Change that and we can expand, in fact, we'd have to if we make it into a P5.

 

[noeynox]

She's not wrong, but were all judged on results. Only 3 schools, went from BCS status to the outside looking in. Only one of those was an original member of the Big East although as she said, we were late to the football party. It's pretty impressive to be sitting here.

The fans have resigned themselves to this not happening and it has led to apathy. I hope she's right and they can pack the stadium again, but I'm not hopeful with Edsall publicly talking about how it's more difficult to recruit this time around. Getting back to 8-4, while it would be great for us diehards, isn't getting you noticed or talked about.

 

[UConnNick]

All of the excuses for where we currently are get old and tired. You can tell just from the defensive nature of her remarks regarding what went on during the Warde Manuel tenure that it's a sore subject for her. We did everything we could do rings hollow when you look at how Loserville got out in front, took off the gloves and got down and dirty in a mud pit. We chose to take the high road instead of hammering Loserville on every front.

Would that type of effort been enough to put us over the top? Probably not, but we'll never know because we didn't even try.

 

[kemba]

I think after getting snubbed for the ACC they have tried as hard as they can an fully understand the importance of going p5.

I do believe before that though they were asleep at the wheel. Some of that wasn't her, I blame Hathaway the most, and it dates back to previous presidents as well. Whether it was the difference between getting in the ACC or not, it's all guessing.

 

[UConnNick]

I think after getting snubbed for the ACC they have tried as hard as they can an fully understand the importance of going p5.

I do believe before that though they were asleep at the wheel. Some of that wasn't her, I blame Hathaway the most, and it dates back to previous presidents as well. Whether it was the difference between getting in the ACC or not, it's all guessing.

I honestly believe, and all their public proclamations during that time seem to confirm it, that Warde and Suzy thought the ACC invite was in the bag. It's all there in the way they talked and acted, or maybe inacted is the better description. I think they both way overestimated the academics vs. athletics argument, thinking our superior academic rep would carry the day. They couldn't have been more wrong.

 

[BlueDogs]

Sounds like the engineers explaining the Tacoma Narrows Bridge collapse.

Results, not excuses.

The first defense to failure - its complicated and you wouldn't get it

 

[CL82]

Those things happened, although I'm not sold that #3 was thing as opposed to a combination of things.

Maybe but if ESPN doesn't foot the bill the dismantling of the Big East never happens. That's why they should never get a dollar of CT taxpayer money again.

 

[CL82]

The first defense to failure - its complicated and you wouldn't get it

Fair point, but scapegoating hasn't solved a problem yet.

 

[BlueDogs]

Fair point, but scapegoating hasn't solved a problem yet.

True

 

[temery]

This is the end of the white guy black guy racial crap. I don't care if you find a picture of Herbst in a white sheet. This isn't the place for this crap. Leave it alone.

 

[MilliniumPrince]

This board....damn!

 

[whaler11]

Not trying might be a better excuse. If you did your best and this is the outcome... yikes.

This stuff is complicated - lol - literally EVERYONE else managed to figure it out. Maybe they are all smarter?

 

[whaler11]

Everything she says about sports reminds me of when leadership at work talks about work-life balance. Just total nonsense that she doesn’t believe in the least.

Why would we stop losing tens of millions on football? It’s fun!!!

Yeah that’s what she wants you to believe while she sticks the next guy with the red ink.

 

[whaler11]

Fair point, but scapegoating hasn't solved a problem yet.

One post after scapegoating ESPN.

 

[CL82]

One post after scapegoating ESPN.

Lol, hardly. But for ESPN's direct funding of the Big East's dismantling it is still alive and well. Can't be a scapegoat for an intended result caused by your own willful actions.

 

[whaler11]

Lol, hardly. But for ESPN's direct funding of the Big East's dismantling it is still alive and well. Can't be a scapegoat for an intended result caused by your own willful actions.

I respectfully disagree. ESPN only got to dismantlin’ because the Big East rejected the 9MM per deal.

Pittsburgh as Benedict Arnold is more culpable than ESPN.

ESPN actually tried to fund the status quo - the Big East members went rogue when they saw the cash on the table if they went turncoat.

Remember Pitt was the chair of the committee negotiating the Big East deal AND negotating their exit with the ACC

ESPN is a giant division of a massive corporation. They are completly reactionary. They couldn’t pull off CR if they tried.

 

[HuskyHawk]

This is the end of the white guy black guy racial crap. I don't care if you find a picture of Herbst in a white sheet. This isn't the place for this crap. Leave it alone.

I must have missed a deleted post. Glad I did in this case.

 

[CL82]

I respectfully disagree. ESPN only got to dismantlin’ because the Big East rejected the 9MM per deal.

Pittsburgh as Benedict Arnold is more culpable than ESPN.

ESPN actually tried to fund the status quo - the Big East members went rogue when they saw the cash on the table if they went turncoat.

Remember Pitt was the chair of the committee negotiating the Big East deal AND negotating their exit with the ACC

ESPN is a giant division of a massive corporation. They are completly reactionary. They couldn’t pull off CR if they tried.

Whaler nothing happens without money. If ESPN doesn't pay the ACC more on a per school basis to pick off Big East schools, their is zero chance the ACC votes to expand. Period.

FWIW the $9M deal wasn't the start of this process, it was toward the end. ESPN was picking winners and loser. Paying the Big East substantially less then the rest of the BCS conferences meant that it would be ripe for raiding. They weren't doing anyone any favors.

 

[noeynox]

Whaler nothing happens without money. If ESPN doesn't pay the ACC more on a per school basis to pick off Big East schools, their is zero chance the ACC votes to expand. Period.

FWIW the $9M deal wasn't the start of this process, it was toward the end. ESPN was picking winners and loser. Paying the Big East substantially less then the rest of the BCS conferences meant that it would be ripe for raiding. They weren't doing anyone any favors.

Had to be difficult assigning fair value overall when half the schools didn't play football. The BB schools were a pain in the neck supposedly.