Some Guy: UConn close to signing Hurley

[intlzncster]

Not until we win another. Hopefully sooner rather than later ....

Fair point.

 

[tcf15]

 

[whaler11]

Yes that helps. And, people who take jobs like this by nature are extremely confident people so it is hard maybe for a "regular guy" like me to understand how they think. But man inheriting a program that has been in the basement for years, with no players on next year's roster, that has to compete in the ACC and trying to build it back up is the work of someone who really believes in themselves. And I truly hope whoever does it, manages just that. It would be a great story if nothing else.

You get 8 figures guaranteed.

Worst case: you fail and leave your family generational money.

 

[JimHurley]

I have personally seen the guys come to the rec center and take an L to randoms

They don’t try. In the rec, I’ve guarded Jalen and it’s not hard. I know if he went full force I wouldn’t stand a chance. They play to joke around and have fun.

 

[brasssbonanzaa]

This News 12 guy likes his own tweets, his info is worthless.

 

[Austin316]

So much news!

 

[BlueMAB]

Guess I will have to go back and root for St Johns now.

You have no idea how much you'll be missed. I'm personally shocked that you're actually a St. John's fan. If this doesn't happen, would you still be willing to leave here and never come back? Asking for a friend.

If Xavier has surpassed us in terms of brand and pedigree, then the damage KO did to this program was worse than imagined.

Or the kid has an established relationship with a good coach and staff who is coming off a #1 seed in the tournament.

 

[Towney007]

URI doesn't have that kind of money. They just don't. They're stretched to the max as is.

 

[FDNY99]

URI doesn't have that kind of money. They just don't. They're stretched to the max as is.

Their fan base seems to think that this will be a bunt to keep him.....one of the things it seems he wants is charter flights .... it will be interesting to see if they can find the $$. I doubt they will.

 

[whaler11]

Their fan base seems to think that this will be a bunt to keep him.....one of the things it seems he wants is charter flights .... it will be interesting to see if they can find the $$. I doubt they will.

Next Bonanza won’t be good enough and he’ll be demanding Ponderosa.

Nobody with any competitive spirit would stay at URI rather than go to UConn or Pitt or anywhere else.

If he threatened to stay at URI as a ploy I’d start calling the next names on my list.

 

[andy34]

This seems correct to me. I expect Hurley to inform the URI brass tomorrow in person that he'll be taking the UConn job.

 

[Towney007]

Their fan base seems to think that this will be a bunt to keep him.....one of the things it seems he wants is charter flights .... it will be interesting to see if they can find the $$. I doubt they will.

$15 million is what they've raised since 2007.

On Thor Bjorn's bio:


Rhode Island’s external revenue efforts have reached unprecedented heights under Bjorn. He rebuilt and reenergized the business development and corporate partnership office. In 2013, he orchestrated the partnership between URI and Nelligan Sports. The following year, after industry leader Learfield Sports acquired NSM in 2014, Bjorn ushered in Rhody Sports Properties - the dedicated corporate sales and athletics sponsorship unit through Learfield Sports.

In total, Bjorn has been directly responsible for securing more than $15 million from external and internal sources for facility enhancements. These projects include over $500,000 for renovations to the men’s and women’s basketball office suites, $300,000 for the men’s basketball locker room, $500,000 for construction of eight new varsity tennis courts, $300,000 for tennis pavilion, $500,000 for new indoor batting barn used by baseball and softball, $1 million for Meade Stadium bleachers and press box renovation, $1.3 million for new baseball playing surface (FieldTurf), $1 million of resurfacing indoor track with state-of-the-art Mondo surface, soccer practice facility, $200,000 to renovate volleyball and women’s soccer locker rooms.

He helped cultivate the first-ever $1 million dollar gift in Rhody athletics history in November, 2007. That gift helped to transform Bill Beck Field - home of the highly successful URI baseball program - into one of the top facilities in the Northeast. Upgrades included a new synthetic surface installed in the infield, a sod and sprinkler system in the outfield, and an indoor training facility that can be used by the baseball and softball teams.

 

[Towney007]

Their major 'investment' in basketball has been $800,000.

$800,000 dollars.

 

[Towney007]

They started selling sponsorships in 2014.

 

[nelsonmuntz]

URI doesn't have that kind of money. They just don't. They're stretched to the max as is.

Unlike UConn's athletic program, which is rolling in dough.

 

[Deadrody]

$15 million is what they've raised since 2007.

On Thor Bjorn's bio:

Rhode Island’s external revenue efforts have reached unprecedented heights under Bjorn. He rebuilt and reenergized the business development and corporate partnership office. In 2013, he orchestrated the partnership between URI and Nelligan Sports. The following year, after industry leader Learfield Sports acquired NSM in 2014, Bjorn ushered in Rhody Sports Properties - the dedicated corporate sales and athletics sponsorship unit through Learfield Sports.

In total, Bjorn has been directly responsible for securing more than $15 million from external and internal sources for facility enhancements. These projects include over $500,000 for renovations to the men’s and women’s basketball office suites, $300,000 for the men’s basketball locker room, $500,000 for construction of eight new varsity tennis courts, $300,000 for tennis pavilion, $500,000 for new indoor batting barn used by baseball and softball, $1 million for Meade Stadium bleachers and press box renovation, $1.3 million for new baseball playing surface (FieldTurf), $1 million of resurfacing indoor track with state-of-the-art Mondo surface, soccer practice facility, $200,000 to renovate volleyball and women’s soccer locker rooms.

He helped cultivate the first-ever $1 million dollar gift in Rhody athletics history in November, 2007. That gift helped to transform Bill Beck Field - home of the highly successful URI baseball program - into one of the top facilities in the Northeast. Upgrades included a new synthetic surface installed in the infield, a sod and sprinkler system in the outfield, and an indoor training facility that can be used by the baseball and softball teams.

Indeed. And the rumor on here was UConn already had a donor or donors lined up to pay Ollie's $10M buyout. Now, there's no way to know how true that was / is, but that speaks volumes.

 

[brasssbonanzaa]

I actually met personally with Thorr Bjorn once when I was a student in college and he was an assistant AD at UMass. He was at my school gathering information on how to make the gameday environment at his school less...UMass. Really nice guy actually.

 

[TRest]

Their major 'investment' in basketball has been $800,000.

$800,000 dollars.

We probably pay Chris Dailey that.

 

[Towney007]

My point is - we just spent $10 million on a new *roof* for our basketball arena.

2/3 of what their entire AD has been able to raise in *11 years*.

 

[Towney007]

I actually met personally with Thorr Bjorn once when I was a student in college and he was an assistant AD at UMass. He was at my school gathering information on how to make the gameday environment at his school less...UMass. Really nice guy actually.

I met him at UMass, too.

A very close friend of mine is literally fishing/drinking buddies with him.

Hurley's gone. They don't have a shot to keep him and they've known that for a really long time. Unless their school President literally decides to go nuts in the next 24 hours (who knows, crazy stuff happens) - he's gone.

 

[Towney007]

Here's Rhode Island's revenue:

Rhody ranks 111th in revenues across the country. Like UNH, Rhode Island does not field an FCS football program. URI is the first New England-based program where student fees do not contribute toward athletic department revenue, which has been the case since 2009.

School funding ($20.8 million) makes up most of URI’s revenues. It spent $9.62 million on coaches in 2016 and $8.6 million in scholarships.

In all, URI athletics makes $26.63 million in revenue and spends $26.17 million.

 

[Danzz]

Willard to Pitt, Hurley to Hall, Tom Moore to UConn I’m hearing.

Tom Moore is not getting the HC job at UConn. We are not that desperate.

 

[deedougie]

UConn Zeroing In On Dan Hurley - Courant

 

[FriarJ]

I met him at UMass, too.

A very close friend of mine is literally fishing/drinking buddies with him.

Hurley's gone. They don't have a shot to keep him and they've known that for a really long time. Unless their school President literally decides to go nuts in the next 24 hours (who knows, crazy stuff happens) - he's gone.

I guess they could have Tom Ryan or Alex and Ani step up but I doubt it.

 

[AZHuskiePop]

It's tough. We can assume KO disclosed his recruiting violations strategy to Chief at Blaze Pizza. If Chief gets called as a witness, he either tells the truth and ruins KO while getting sanctions placed on UConn, or commits perjury. I like Chief's strategy of laying low.

I concur the less said by Chief the better .