Sign of Change? - Um ...

[brasssbonanzaa]

Why oh why they added a hockey team, and why oh why they are thinking of lacrosse, that is anyone's guess, because they are crazy for doing it.

They didn't "add" a hockey team. They took one that was a money pit, made an initial investment to upgrade it, got into the best conference in the nation, and positioned it to be at least revenue neutral, and more likely revenue positive for the long term. All major Hockey East programs at least revenue neutral, most are revenue positive.

 

[UConnNick]

It is probably fair to talk about some parts of the equation because her guess isn't any better than ours.

How much do they lose in ticket revenue? How much do they lose in donations? How much does it impact the other sport's revenues?

Why are they paying so many athletic directors? Why are there three SIDs?

There probably isn't an outcome that doesn't end in sports being dropped in the fairly near future.

Not making this move increases the chances that the sport that is dropped is football.

The calls to drop football are going to become very loud and it keeps getting harder to come with a coherent reason why they aren't right.

What's the endgame? You still have to fire him and it's still 3.4 million until calendar 2018. Are we going to sit here next year waiting to see if we can afford to fire him because revenues are even lower and you have to consider the same cuts?

I think there will be considerable statewide political opposition to dropping the football program. That would turn Rentschler into a 90 million $$$ +++ white elephant.

 

[RSTuthill]

They didn't "add" a hockey team. They took one that was a money pit, made an initial investment to upgrade it, got into the best conference in the nation, and positioned it to be at least revenue neutral, and more likely revenue positive for the long term. All major Hockey East programs at least revenue neutral, most are revenue positive.

Thank you. You beat me to it. When UConn gets close enough to contend for a HE title and an NCAA berth. It will be a real money earner.

 

[UConnNick]

Despite the potential for men's hockey to eventually become a black ink sport, it still required putting money into the program, particularly the upgrade from non-scholarship to scholarship. I think Warde Manuel was behind the move. He's a Big 10 guy and he knew they were looking to form a hockey league, hoping it would make UConn a more attractive candidate for addition to that conference.

 

[upstater]

For me it's unfathomable. But I guess my perspective is distorted by my fan goggles. Save a couple of million over the short term, which makes the bean counters happy, and set the most important athletic program back by, who knows, possibly decades, with the specter of having the rest of the AD dragged down with it. Is this that pivotal a moment? I am an amateur observer to be sure, but this feels like the most significant moment in UConn athletics since at least the first men's BB NC in '99. So I guess I have to hang my hat on unlikely miracles for the foreseeable future. In 2010 I hoped that I might get to see UConn football challenge for a national championship in my lifetime. That hope is all but gone with this current decision by the administration.

You're forgetting though that they already project to lose $35m-$38m a year.

That's the context around any decision.

In other words, you should be very scared that they are in such a corner that they can't budge. This is major. Their backs are up against the wall. This is desperation.

 

[upstater]

They didn't "add" a hockey team. They took one that was a money pit, made an initial investment to upgrade it, got into the best conference in the nation, and positioned it to be at least revenue neutral, and more likely revenue positive for the long term. All major Hockey East programs at least revenue neutral, most are revenue positive.

You're forgetting the ancillary costs. The double scholarships for the women. The same arguments are made about football being in the black, but very school that jumps from 1-AA goes from a 7-digit athletic budget into the $25-30m range.

 

[HuskyHawk]

Newsflash, Hawk: He can't coach defense either.

He did at Norte Dame. I think he can, but not when he's consumed by a failing offense, which never lets the D rest. His adjustment moving Summers to safety after the first half against Syracuse was astute. I think the D just gave up over the last few games.

 

[UConnNick]

You're forgetting though that they already project to lose $35m-$38m a year.

That's the context around any decision.

In other words, you should be very scared that they are in such a corner that they can't budge. This is major. Their backs are up against the wall. This is desperation.

OK, accepting this premise as correct, why would you then create a new position for a recruiting coodinator, when any assistant coach already on staff and being paid normally handles that responsibility? You just effectively added another few hundred thousand to the football payroll when you go out and hire somebody to replace Verducci, while you're still paying him as well. If money is that tight, why are we throwing good money after bad? Why don't they just fire Verducci and eliminate his salary?

The decision making process is totally nuts, which makes it look like nobody knows WTF they're doing.

 

[UConnJim]

OK, accepting this premise as correct, why would you then create a new position for a recruiting coodinator, when any assistant coach already on staff and being paid normally handles that responsibility? You just effectively added another few hundred thousand to the football payroll when you go out and hire somebody to replace Verducci, while you're still paying him as well. If money is that tight, why are we throwing good money after bad? Why don't they just fire Verducci and eliminate his salary?

The decision making process is totally nuts, which makes it look like nobody knows WTF they're doing.

Verducci, like all assistant coaches, are under contract and the contracts are usually 1 or 2 year contracts. Thus, he gets paid until his contract runs out. He will not be at UConn next year and he is probably looking for a new job right now.

 

[upstater]

OK, accepting this premise as correct, why would you then create a new position for a recruiting coodinator, when any assistant coach already on staff and being paid normally handles that responsibility? You just effectively added another few hundred thousand to the football payroll when you go out and hire somebody to replace Verducci, while you're still paying him as well. If money is that tight, why are we throwing good money after bad? Why don't they just fire Verducci and eliminate his salary?

The decision making process is totally nuts, which makes it look like nobody knows WTF they're doing.

Are you saying the coaches do not have guaranteed contracts? I would assume they do, no?

 

[UConnNick]

Are you saying the coaches do not have guaranteed contracts? I would assume they do, no?

Even so, assistants don't generally have multi-year contracts, because they'd still have to be paid after the HC that hired them gets fired, and the new coach wants to hire his own assistants. So maybe Verducci's contract is up at the end of this season or lasts for another. The point is you're paying two coaches to do what one normally does for some length of time, depending on when you can get rid of him without having to pay him anymore.

 

[Oregon Owl]

3.7 million = 5% of AD budget; .03% of total 2017 university budget for all campuses (excluding UConn health).

.03%. Really? I understand things are tight for UConn and the State, but seriously, this is so clearly a penny-wise pound-foolish move that I can only conclude that A) collectively the Administration are just morons, or B) they really give 2 schitts about playing a major role in College athletics. To my admittedly novice eye there seems to be a least a possibility of 3.7 million dollars worth of wiggle room there, and that's without even TRYING to raise some additional cash from donors. Can somebody smarter than me about the inner workings of large public organizations please explain how the money is an insurmountable issue?

It seems as though they're not even trying. And that's a serious charge.

EDIT: Laziness is another possibility, but that seems implausible.

In a large university there are separate departments and they all have budgets they have to stick to. That means that money is not fungible. The only exception is privately raised cash. Donors will have to buy out that contract.

 

[Alum86]

He did at Norte Dame. I think he can, but not when he's consumed by a failing offense, which never lets the D rest. His adjustment moving Summers to safety after the first half against Syracuse was astute. I think the D just gave up over the last few games.

He lost the team. Just like Dracula 3 yrs ago. Anothef reason he should be canned, that and lying about Shireffs