Outside the Lines: Title IX and coaching

[cardfan]

http://espn.go.com/video/clip?id=8052151&categoryid=2378529

 

[speedoo]

Tara wants Wolff to fail, huh. Well, I strongly disagree. Sherri Coale's reaction is far superior... Women need to prepare themselves better to be able to compete with guys like Kurt Miller. I guess Tara thinks more men are being hired because WCBB is an old boys' club, perhaps. I think more men are being hired because not enough women have prepared themselves to be good D1 coaches.

 

[cardfan]

Tara said she was incredulous that a Director of Operations was hired to coach the women's team, and didn't even mention that the Director was for a men's or women's team. The interview with the AD came across that Wolff got the job because he liked how he carried himself, and had a daughter who played for bball at UConn. Seems very much like a good old boy hire. The AD never said anything about Wolffe having experience coaching Div. I women's bball, which is exactly why Tara was incredulous because she knows many women coaches who are better qualified AND apply for jobs.

 

[cardfan]

Tara wants Wolff to fail, huh. Well, I strongly disagree. Sherri Coale's reaction is far superior... Women need to prepare themselves better to be able to compete with guys like Kurt Miller. I guess Tara thinks more men are being hired because WCBB is an old boys' club, perhaps. I think more men are being hired because not enough women have prepared themselves to be good D1 coaches.

How was Wolff prepared to be a Div 1 women's bball coach??

 

[speedoo]

How was Wolff prepared to be a Div 1 women's bball coach??

I have nothing to add to what the AD said in the interview. His coaching experience at BU has to be a consideration. Just because he has not coached women should not disqualify him.

So do you want him to fail as well?

 

[cardfan]

I have nothing to add to what the AD said in the interview. His coaching experience at BU has to be a consideration. Just because he has not coached women should not disqualify him.

So do you want him to fail as well?

That's the whole pt. There is a good ole boys network of some ADs who think give women's coaching jobs to men simply because they coached men. While I agree the sport of bball is not gender specific (I don't believe it's girls bball), but I do think men coaches have an advantage, which the data showed.

Why shouldn't the men be held to the same standards you are requiring for the women, to be better coaches at Div 1 level? There are a lot of young coaches who are cutting their teeth as assistants, why should a man get a head job over them simply because he coached men yrs ago?

As Tara said, the men have two chances, whereas the women have one. She was more upset that he was Director of Operations and not even a coach.

 

[speedoo]

That's the whole pt. There is a good ole boys network of some ADs who think give women's coaching jobs to men simply because they coached men. While I agree the sport of bball is not gender specific (I don't believe it's girls bball), but I do think men coaches have an advantage, which the data showed.

Why shouldn't the men be held to the same standards you are requiring for the women, to be better coaches at Div 1 level? There are a lot of young coaches who are cutting their teeth as assistants, why should a man get a head job over them simply because he coached men yrs ago?

As Tara said, the men have two chances, whereas the women have one. She was more upset that he was Director of Operations and not even a coach.

You give no proof, nor does Tara, of this old boys network. And you keep saying he was not a coach but that is incorrect, he has head coaching experience. You can question the Wolff hire, but that proves nothing because it's only one hire. Tara was wrong to say she wanted him to fail, period.

 

[cardfan]

There are more hires like it, which coaches in the profession, especially at Tara's level, know about. I never said he didn't have experience coaching, but only men. If he was such as great coach, then why was his last job a DBO for the men's team? I'm sure there are more women coaches who were offended by that.

The AD, and others like him don't value coaching women enough by simply giving the guy the job because he coached guys (at some point in his life) when they are women coaches who are qualified, and I'm sure who applied. I saw it first hand when I coached 20 years ago (when men started to leave coaching men for women), so I'm speaking from experience.

 

[diggerfoot]

I understand your concern, cardfan, but I don't think you are making your case very well, perhaps because of the piecemeal replies. Allow me to give an attempt here.

First of all, Wolff brings three pluses to the job: previous head coaching experience with men; a daughter he helped form into one of the best players in high school; and employment with the VT athletic department. The trouble is, those are all teensy-weensy pluses for a women's head coaching spot at a major university. It's like the AD may be wishfully hoping that all three little pluses (one related to coaching, one related to women, one related to the university) synergize to create a whole much greater than the sum of the parts. Indeed they could (but apparently haven't), but that seems incredibly dubious to be the best bet hire available.

You would have to know who the pool of applicants were, or if there were any. If there weren't any because the AD just ran with what was at hand then I think the AD can be faulted mightily on this. I suppose there could have been other applicants and Wolff's little pluses were the best; that seems unlikely but not automatically impossible as the tenor of your post suggests.

 

[cardfan]

I understand your concern, cardfan, but I don't think you are making your case very well, perhaps because of the piecemeal replies. Allow me to give an attempt here.

First of all, Wolff brings three pluses to the job: previous head coaching experience with men; a daughter he helped form into one of the best players in high school; and employment with the VT athletic department. The trouble is, those are all teensy-weensy pluses for a women's head coaching spot at a major university. It's like the AD may be wishfully hoping that all three little pluses (one related to coaching, one related to women, one related to the university) synergize to create a whole much greater than the sum of the parts. Indeed they could (but apparently haven't), but that seems incredibly dubious to be the best bet hire available.

You would have to know who the pool of applicants were, or if there were any. If there weren't any because the AD just ran with what was at hand then I think the AD can be faulted mightily on this. I suppose there could have been other applicants and Wolff's little pluses were the best; that seems unlikely but not automatically impossible as the tenor of your post suggests.

My piecemeal reply, getting a Div 1 job without having ANY experience coaching women is not right, imho.

 

[KnightBridgeAZ]

The data does show that men have an advantage in getting these jobs, and to deny it is foolish.

While I didn't like what Tara said (wishing to fail) I didn't like Kurt Miller much, since he makes it sound like white males are at a disadvantage. They aren't, except that there are a few schools that are now deliberately trying to hire females to be PC, which I don't like much either.

What several folks said, which is what I agree to, is hire the best person, male or female, for the job. Part of what is happening is that, in some cases, that may be a man, because of women who were not given opportunities at preparetory jobs either.

In a separate piece, it was pointed out that by hiring men, universities often perceive they are by-stepping sexuality issues and hiring someone who will fit in better with the MBB and FB coaches.