OT: URI head coaching search

[polycom]

Where are the URI fans saying UConn was a lateral move? We paid a first year HC double that.

 

[tcf15]

Any word on if Brendan Adams was granted his release from URI

 

[djct1999]

Where are the URI fans saying UConn was a lateral move? We paid a first year HC double that.

read their message board.

 

[TJT]

We can also demean the absurd notion that URI passed on Dooley straight up for Cox. Dooley is clearing double what Cox is getting at URI.

Dooley's deal with ECU wasn't finalized until Wednesday morning. That was also the time URI was letting candidates know that they had not been chosen for the position. Coincidence? FWIW, Lebo is reported to have been only making 500k at ECU last year. It is thought Dooley will make more. Given URI paid its coach last year double what ECU did, I can't imagine the ECU job is now suddenly going to double what URI pays.

It certainly looks to me like Dooley waited until he was out of the running at Rhode Island before putting ink to a contract with ECU. The local newspaper for FGCU seems to back up this thinking:

Still, interest in Dooley was big as it had been through most of his FGCU tenure. He was on the list of most speculators concerning the current Rhode Island opening. In fact, some sources said Dave Hart, the former ECU athletic director brought in solely for the ECU men's basketball hire, waited on Dooley to see if he could get the more lucrative Rhode Island job. If true, he apparently could not. ​

Naples News Link:
College basketball: FGCU men's coach Joe Dooley reportedly takes East Carolina job

 

[HuskyHawk]

Current UConn page lists K Freeman in the same role as director of basketball administration. Meaning there is probably an assistant slot still open.
UCONNHUSKIES.COM Official Men's Basketball Roster :: University Of Connecticut Official Athletic Site University Of Connecticut Official Athletic Site - Men's Basketball

 

[2Infinity]

For a program that was suggesting they were taking a giant step forward this off season in continuing to grow the program, it seems they are falling well short of that. IIRC, here's what was being mentioned/promised just a couple weeks ago.

1) They were willing to retain their elite coach by offering to increase his annual salary from $1.1M to $2M.
2) They were going to increase the salaries of their assistant coaches significantly.
3) They were going to build a new basketball-only practice facility, which would be ready in two years.
4) They were going to begin taking charter flights to ALL away games instead of just a few.

Fast forward to today and here's what they've actually contractually agreed to.

1) They've hired a new head coach, with no head coaching experience at the D-I level, to an annual salary of $700K.
2) They've increased the assistant coaches salary pool by a TOTAL of $25K.
3) They've made NO commitment to build a new basketball-only practice facility.
4) They've made NO commitment to increase the number of future charter flights to away games.

In summary, the university's total "investment" to continue "growing" it's program will result in a $375K DECREASE of funds expended annually and NO commitment to any significant changes or enhancements to the program which were previously mentioned. It's interesting that the administration managed to appease their fan base, current players & recruits by selecting the coach they all wanted. He just happened to be the least expensive choice in terms of annual salary and the university also managed to save his buyout cost ($150K) as well. This seems like a win-win solution...at least in the short-term. It probably won't be long though before the fans, players & recruits start asking where are all of those program enhancements??

 

[StunningSteve]

FWIW, Lebo is reported to have been only making 500k at ECU last year. It is thought Dooley will make more. Given URI paid its coach last year double what ECU did, I can't imagine the ECU job is now suddenly going to double what URI pays.

FWIW, Jeff Lebo's BASE was 500k. He was making around double that much (with other obligations, such as the coaches show)...

"ECU was paying Lebo abase salary of $500,000 and a total package of just shy of $1 million per season at the end of his tenure"

Source: Seth Greenberg thinks ECU can be a 'good job' for candidates

What did Cox get at URI?

 

[2Infinity]

FWIW, Jeff Lebo's BASE was 500k. He was making around double that much (with other obligations, such as the coaches show)...

"ECU was paying Lebo abase salary of $500,000 and a total package of just shy of $1 million per season at the end of his tenure"

Source: Seth Greenberg thinks ECU can be a 'good job' for candidates

What did Cox get at URI?

Cox is receiving a total, from all sources, of $700K at URI

 

[auggie22]

Dooley's deal with ECU wasn't finalized until Wednesday morning. That was also the time URI was letting candidates know that they had not been chosen for the position. Coincidence? FWIW, Lebo is reported to have been only making 500k at ECU last year. It is thought Dooley will make more. Given URI paid its coach last year double what ECU did, I can't imagine the ECU job is now suddenly going to double what URI pays.

It certainly looks to me like Dooley waited until he was out of the running at Rhode Island before putting ink to a contract with ECU. The local newspaper for FGCU seems to back up this thinking:

Still, interest in Dooley was big as it had been through most of his FGCU tenure. He was on the list of most speculators concerning the current Rhode Island opening. In fact, some sources said Dave Hart, the former ECU athletic director brought in solely for the ECU men's basketball hire, waited on Dooley to see if he could get the more lucrative Rhode Island job. If true, he apparently could not. ​

Naples News Link:
College basketball: FGCU men's coach Joe Dooley reportedly takes East Carolina job

I don’t doubt it. But it is pretty clear to me that Dooley was asking for more from URI ... the decision to go with Cox was as much about saving some dollars and limiting their commitments around building the program as it was going with the better coach.

 

[auggie22]

I should point out - I don’t give an S about either ECU or URI ... just calling out the BS that URI said thanks but no thanks to Dooley. Clearly they considered him, and clearly he asked more from URI than what they settled upon with Cox.

 

[MattMang23]

Congratulations to @Dooley on his new position at ECU. It is a wonderful state to live in.

 

[CT Rhody]

I should point out - I don’t give an S about either ECU or URI ... just calling out the BS that URI said thanks but no thanks to Dooley. Clearly they considered him, and clearly he asked more from URI than what they settled upon with Cox.

Stop the uninformed BS. URI passed on Dooley to retain Cox who was the front runner the entire time. As far as the programmatic spending, it will continue to increase as the AD and David Cox sit down and discuss priorities for the program for 18-19 season. The AD said as much today since the funding increase weren’t built into the contract to allow time to discuss David’s program priorities including still building the practice facility within two years.

Also, why pay a head coach more than you have to? Let him prove himself first while you put the savings toward other areas within the program to help facilitate his success. I know common sense isn’t allowed on here but I couldn’t help myself.

 

[auggie22]

Stop the uninformed BS. URI passed on Dooley to retain Cox who was the front runner the entire time. As far as the programmatic spending, it will continue to increase as the AD and David Cox sit down and discuss priorities for the program for 18-19 season. The AD said as much today since the funding increase weren’t built into the contract to allow time to discuss David’s program priorities including still building the practice facility within two years.

Also, why pay a head coach more than you have to? Let him prove himself first while you put the savings toward other areas within the program to help facilitate his success. I know common sense isn’t allowed on here but I couldn’t help myself.

So Dooley was willing to leave 800k per year on the table for the opportunity to be URI’s coach?

 

[Captbluefin]

Stop the uninformed BS. URI passed on Dooley to retain Cox who was the front runner the entire time. As far as the programmatic spending, it will continue to increase as the AD and David Cox sit down and discuss priorities for the program for 18-19 season. The AD said as much today since the funding increase weren’t built into the contract to allow time to discuss David’s program priorities including still building the practice facility within two years.

Also, why pay a head coach more than you have to? Let him prove himself first while you put the savings toward other areas within the program to help facilitate his success. I know common sense isn’t allowed on here but I couldn’t help myself.

Seems like you have the Basketball Program version of “ little man syndrome “ ..

But....But... But.... They are going to address the priorities after the contract. We are getting a savings on a Coach...

URI hired Cox to keep his recruits and save money. Nothing more... Nothing less.. Your AD dropped the ball with Hurley and with the hire...

 

[intlzncster]

URI hired Cox to keep his recruits and save money. Nothing more... Nothing less.. Your AD dropped the ball with Hurley and with the hire...

He didn't drop the ball with Hurley. There's nothing he could do.

Remains to be seen if Cox is the answer.

 

[Guapo]

Stop the uninformed BS. URI passed on Dooley to retain Cox who was the front runner the entire time. As far as the programmatic spending, it will continue to increase as the AD and David Cox sit down and discuss priorities for the program for 18-19 season. The AD said as much today since the funding increase weren’t built into the contract to allow time to discuss David’s program priorities including still building the practice facility within two years.

Also, why pay a head coach more than you have to? Let him prove himself first while you put the savings toward other areas within the program to help facilitate his success. I know common sense isn’t allowed on here but I couldn’t help myself.

Searching for common sense in this post....

I've found nothing.

 

[nomar]

Seems like you have the Basketball Program version of “ little man syndrome “ ..

But....But... But.... They are going to address the priorities after the contract. We are getting a savings on a Coach...

URI hired Cox to keep his recruits and save money. Nothing more... Nothing less.. Your AD dropped the ball with Hurley and with the hire...

I don't Bjorn Borg dropped the ball with Hurley. Hurley had a chance to leave URI for UConn. Nuff said.

 

[Captbluefin]

Bjorn Borg did drop the ball by not giving Hurley his requests and locking him up prior to this season. It is a fact that Hurley had been requesting upgrades in facilities and flights.

If Borg did that stuff earlier considering Hurley’s attachment to RI he very well could still have him. Not a lock but would have had a hell of a lot better chance of retaining him..

 

[Scrutineer]

Stop the uninformed BS. URI passed on Dooley to retain Cox who was the front runner the entire time. As far as the programmatic spending, it will continue to increase as the AD and David Cox sit down and discuss priorities for the program for 18-19 season. The AD said as much today since the funding increase weren’t built into the contract to allow time to discuss David’s program priorities including still building the practice facility within two years.

Also, why pay a head coach more than you have to? Let him prove himself first while you put the savings toward other areas within the program to help facilitate his success. I know common sense isn’t allowed on here but I couldn’t help myself.

Sounds as if you have all the inside information. Please share with us why the AD would drag out the process for over two and a half weeks if Cox was the guy all along. That may have cost him the point guard who was the second highest rated recruit in the class all you fans were worried might be lost if Cox wasn't hired.
Also, if you've seen the details of the contract, why did Cox accept a paltry additional $25K for his entire coaching staff? Unless that's another test of how frugal he and the school plan to be going forward, it hardly sends the message that they view Cox as a worthy successor to Hurley.
And, according to published reports, there will be no charter flights and no practice facility will be built, just a renovation of some other facility.
It sure sounds as if the Rhode Island University took the cheap way out perhaps, as you say, to test Cox' ability to manage a program, and he wanted it badly enough to take it. Why not, I guess, if he was willing to take a total of $700K while the other reported candidates are being paid much more.
More power to you if he turns out to be a good head coach because you got him cheap. But, if he turns out to be really good you can count on him being out the door fast based on how he's being paid and how few other resources you were willing to provide.

 

[CT Rhody]

Sounds as if you have all the inside information. Please share with us why the AD would drag out the process for over two and a half weeks if Cox was the guy all along. That may have cost him the point guard who was the second highest rated recruit in the class all you fans were worried might be lost if Cox wasn't hired.
Also, if you've seen the details of the contract, why did Cox accept a paltry additional $25K for his entire coaching staff? Unless that's another test of how frugal he and the school plan to be going forward, it hardly sends the message that they view Cox as a worthy successor to Hurley.
And, according to published reports, there will be no charter flights and no practice facility will be built, just a renovation of some other facility.
It sure sounds as if the Rhode Island University took the cheap way out perhaps, as you say, to test Cox' ability to manage a program, and he wanted it badly enough to take it. Why not, I guess, if he was willing to take a total of $700K while the other reported candidates are being paid much more.
More power to you if he turns out to be a good head coach because you got him cheap. But, if he turns out to be really good you can count on him being out the door fast based on how he's being paid and how few other resources you were willing to provide.

I certainly can answe your first question. It took two weeks because as everyone knows who has been following this it’s STATE LAW the position has to be posted for TEN business days. Come on guys keep up.

As for the funding levels, they really didn’t add many details in the contract period so they could sit and allocate the resources according to the coaches priorities for next season. Let David catch his breath a little and think about how to allocate this budget appropriately that puts the program in the best position to succeed.

 

[CT Rhody]

So Dooley was willing to leave 800k per year on the table for the opportunity to be URI’s coach?

If a more experienced coach like Dooley was the choice which he wasnt, URI would of paid his market rate just like they did for David Cox. As everyone knows, they were willing to go ten years two million a year for Dan which caused Uconn to bump there offer up almost another million per year according to reports.

 

[CT Rhody]

Bjorn Borg did drop the ball by not giving Hurley his requests and locking him up prior to this season. It is a fact that Hurley had been requesting upgrades in facilities and flights.

If Borg did that stuff earlier considering Hurley’s attachment to RI he very well could still have him. Not a lock but would have had a hell of a lot better chance of retaining him..

The reality is URI wasn’t in the financial position before this to offer Dan what he wanted. The state doesn’t subsidize the athletics program in Rhode Island like they do in CT at Uconn. Without state subsidies, Uconn wouldn’t have been offer Dan what they did either. Just the financial realities of both states but as we know living here in CT, those subsidies will be drying up after every state budget go around every other year.

 

[mauconnfan]

Who cares about financial realities this is about basketball after all. We got our guy and they got their 2nd choice. Both guys have lots of work to do relative to the dollars being passed their way. Should be interesting for both programs from here on in.

 

[San888]

Cox called this his dream job.....puzzles me as RI really has no history (like UCONN). I find it hard to believe that he grew up watching RI basketball. I know this is an important stepping stone in his career can RI ever accomplish what a program like UCONN has accomplished. We'll see.

 

[intlzncster]

Cox called this his dream job.....puzzles me as RI really has no history (like UCONN). I find it hard to believe that he grew up watching RI basketball. I know this is an important stepping stone in his career can RI ever accomplish what a program like UCONN has accomplished. We'll see.

Dream job = 1st college HC job. Put it this way, if he's successful and gets a high major opportunity in the future, he'll go there.

Now if URI can put together a $20m dollar practice facility and offer $3m+ per, then the calculus might change for coaches.