Team UConn

[Ha Who]

Herbst is the most overbashed person at UConn. It's pathetic. She's done a good service to the university. Is it really her fault we aren't in in a P5? Did she cause BC to block us from the ACC? Or prevent the Big 10 and Big 12 from expanding again?

Or lead the lawsuit?

 

[August_West]

I’ll give her at least that much credit.

Also she's cougariffic

 

[huskyinfl]

If you really care if the school is ranked 35th or 20th in some dopey system that is easily gamed you’ve got way too much of your self-esteem tied up in what the faculty to student ratio is long after you’ve graduated.

This man is not the president of the Whitmer fan club.

 

[noeynox]

Truth be told, Ollie was a much worse hire than Diaco. Much worse. Diaco was a DC at one of the top football programs in history, and the DC-to-head coach career path is common. The guy looked the part, he said all the right things, he was the right age, and he was being hired for a program that had only been D-1 for a decade, had been ranked in the top 20 once, and was coming off 3 or 4 putrid years. Not a terrible hire by any stretch, and my recollection of the board was that we were all pretty happy with the hire. Sure, retrospectively, we got Diacoed and red-pantsed. But at the time, solid hire.
Ollie, on the other hand, was taking over THE hottest team in the country. 2 years removed from Kemba's NC, 3 titles in 13 years, replacing a HOF coach, receiving a team with a lot of talent . . . and all he had done to earn it was what? Played in NBA? Assisted for 3 years at UConn? That's it? Assistant for 3 years to hired as HC at top Blue Blood program? Unheard of.
Retrospectively, Ollie was a horrible hire. At the time of the hire, Ollie was a horrible hire, objectively, and many who were happy with the hire were happy because they let their emotions run away. Guy had no track record, had very little experience coaching at any level, and was half-nelsoned upon the program by a HOF coach who, as it turned out, wasn't a great judge of coaching talent. If Ollie had not been a UConn alum or had been hired out of another program, we'd all have thought the AD had lost his mind. If you're being honest.
The only defense of the Ollie hire - and I'm super glad it's available to his defenders - is that he won** a national championship. That's it. That's the only defense.


**With Calhoun's guys, trained under Calhoun, with Calhoun and Miller still in the picture.

Only won a national title. It was him on the sidelines out coaching Izzo and Donovan, pushing all the right buttons. Say whatever about Ollie, he's already accomplished more than Diaco ever will as a coach. Broyles award < a national title. Diaco is a total fraud in every sense of the coaching term.

 

[8893]

Also she's cougariffic

I’m among those who thinks she gets bashed too much and has done a reasonably good job all things considered, but I think she is wayyy overrated on this score. I just don’t see it.

 

[Stainmaster]

Only won a national title. It was him on the sidelines out coaching Izzo and Donovan, pushing all the right buttons. Say whatever about Ollie, he's already accomplished more than Diaco ever will as a coach. Broyles award < a national title. Diaco is a total fraud in every sense of the coaching term.

Diaco’s high-water mark was around equivalent to Ollie’s ‘16-17 season.

 

[whaler11]

This man is not the president of the Whitmer fan club.

Says Florida Directional School Guy.

Crowned by @Palatine

Eat it.

 

[EdgewoodNHV]

Herbst has been terrible for athletics. If you want to argue otherwise knock your socks off. Nostical only likes her because she stops at his tailgate at Rentschler.

I think the jury may still be out on this one. I hope so at least. Manuel was obviously not great for UConn. PP, Diaco, Ollie (though the AD had little choice in the matter, as I see it).

But if AD Dave's hires pan out, then that's on Herbst, too. If Edsall can bring the football program back to respectability, and Hurley becomes a great UConn coach and brings the program back to its former glory, then you would certainly have to give her credit for that as well.

So far, though, I'd agree with you. UConn Athletics have certainly seen better days.

 

[HuskyHawk]

Don’t disagree with any of that. Herbst has been great for the academic side of things. Being almost a quarter of a century removed from graduating it doesn’t really impact me. I couldn’t care less what other people think of my education.

Herbst has been terrible for athletics. If you want to argue otherwise knock your socks off. Nostical only likes her because she stops at his tailgate at Rentschler.

I’m not fully 30 years removed from graduating, plus my relevant degree came after from a different school. So it doesn’t affect me either.

Herbst has had no material impact on athletics. The negative events affecting UConn were all beyond her control. She couldn’t do anything about them. JC retiring, realignment, neither were things she could affect. We did build a new facility for football and basketball on her watch, and hockey upgraded to Hockey East. So among the things she could affect, she’s been positive. I think the Diaco hire was essentialy unlucky. The Ollie hire unwise. That happens. But both were Warde’s issues, not hers.

 

[8893]

I’m not fully 30 years removed from graduating, plus my relevant degree came after from a different school. So it doesn’t affect me either.

Herbst has had no material impact on athletics. The negative events affecting UConn were all beyond her control. She couldn’t do anything about them. JC retiring, realignment, neither were things she could affect. We did build a new facility for football and basketball on her watch, and hockey upgraded to Hockey East. So among the things she could affect, she’s been positive. I think the Diaco hire was essentialy unlucky. The Ollie hire unwise. That happens. But both were Warde’s issues, not hers.

Fair enough, but Warde was her issue, and he was no rock star, despite her billing him as such. He was just a rock.

 

[CL82]

You've been reading my stuff all these years and as you sit there right now you actually think that the reason that I change handles frequently is because of the perception of me? Lol

I'll bite. Why do you change handles/personas so often?

 

[whaler11]

Yeah the person who hires the athletic director and signs the contracts that gave the last two jokers 17 million worth of buy outs on paper has no influence over athletics.

 

[intlzncster]

[sarcasm alert] Herbst and WM should have sprung for the coke hookers and bribes needed to outbid Jurich to ensure we got the ACC bid.

Not far off. No sarc. I think Jurich's willingness to beg, borrow, and steal to get into the ACC is a big part of what got them in. I don't think our team was ready to play in the mud.

 

[noeynox]

I’m not fully 30 years removed from graduating, plus my relevant degree came after from a different school. So it doesn’t affect me either.

Herbst has had no material impact on athletics. The negative events affecting UConn were all beyond her control. She couldn’t do anything about them. JC retiring, realignment, neither were things she could affect. We did build a new facility for football and basketball on her watch, and hockey upgraded to Hockey East. So among the things she could affect, she’s been positive. I think the Diaco hire was essentialy unlucky. The Ollie hire unwise. That happens. But both were Warde’s issues, not hers.

Which facility for football?

 

[Rocktheworld]

I’m among those who thinks she gets bashed too much and has done a reasonably good job all things considered, but I think she is wayyy overrated on this score. I just don’t see it.

Overrated? Shouldn’t even be rated.

Gotta feel kinda bad for dudes getting tingly over her

 

[Muddler]

I care only because I want UConn to be well thought of. I don’t want it to be a place about which people say... “0h, you went to UConn” with the implied “I’m sorry”. I want to be proud of it. I wouldn’t be proud of going to Memphis or Louisville no matter what their sports teams do.

But all of that misses the point. The President’s job is to care about academics, and research and money and marketing and everything else. Athletics is, a portion of the marketing. Nothing more. It keeps alumni engaged and can be attractive to some prospective students. It also helps get your name out. But the President doesn’t and shouldn’t focus much of her attention on it.

Really? You think the 20-30 million that Pitt earns being in the ACC doesn't matter? You think UConn could use that cash now? How much is now being spent to keep the athletic department afloat, that could be spent on academics?

 

[Muddler]

I’m not fully 30 years removed from graduating, plus my relevant degree came after from a different school. So it doesn’t affect me either.

Herbst has had no material impact on athletics. The negative events affecting UConn were all beyond her control. She couldn’t do anything about them. JC retiring, realignment, neither were things she could affect. We did build a new facility for football and basketball on her watch, and hockey upgraded to Hockey East. So among the things she could affect, she’s been positive. I think the Diaco hire was essentialy unlucky. The Ollie hire unwise. That happens. But both were Warde’s issues, not hers.

Ignorance is bliss

 

[ConnHuskBask]

To be clear, the majority of the blame for our current predicament goes on Hathaway and the leadership during the 2000s.

We had a basketball program that was arguably the best in the country, a burgeoning FBS program under Edsall and of course Geno and the women.

The best all around all around athletic department in the Big East. The Rent was selling out, Gampel and Civic center rocked and we're smack dab in the middle of NYC and Boston, while owning CT.

We squandered it all.

 

[HuskyHawk]

Ignorance is bliss

There is nothing more ignorant than believing that UConn could have somehow changed those outcomes if only the President “did something”. It’s nonsense.

We could have changed the outcome by starting D1 football 20-30 years sooner. 50 years would be even better. That’s about it.

 

[8893]

To be clear, the majority of the blame for our current predicament goes on Hathaway and the leadership during the 2000s.

We had a basketball program that was arguably the best in the country, a burgeoning FBS program under Edsall and of course Geno and the women.

The best all around all around athletic department in the Big East. The Rent was selling out, Gampel and Civic center rocked and we're smack dab in the middle of NYC and Boston, while owning CT.

We squandered it all.

Which is why firing Hathaway was Herbst’s first priority, and it was the right one. Wish she had done better with the first hire to replace him, but the next one seems much better so far.

 

[ecasadoSBU]

#HotTake I graduated over a decade ago and dont really care about academic rankings. The only connection I have to the school is athletics.

I thought only people from the South were willing to compromise academics for athletic success... I guess not.

You should feel embarrassed to even say such a thing.

UConn is first and foremost an academic institution and it's most valuable asset is the quality of education it provides to it's students. It's not about academic rankings per se, its about the quality (faculty, students, physical plant, etc). Athletics is just a form of entertainment and should never be prioritized ahead of academics.

Susan has been great for the University of Connecticut, that's why she is still there and will probably remain as the prez for a while longer.

 

[HuskyHawk]

Which is why firing Hathaway was Herbst’s first priority, and it was the right one. Wish she had done better with the first hire to replace him, but the next one seems much better so far.

Honestly, Warde was simply an ok hire. But the instincts were correct. She went and got a well reguarded guy with a football background. We can say he wasn’t great here, but Michigan hired him. So he obviously wasn’t a catastrophe. Ollie was forced on him by Calhoun, and Diaco was an unlucky hire. He looked the part until we saw him up close. I refuse to believe that Warde could have altered the ACC Louisville decision.

 

[Muddler]

There is nothing more ignorant than believing that UConn could have somehow changed those outcomes if only the President “did something”. It’s nonsense.

We could have changed the outcome by starting D1 football 20-30 years sooner. 50 years would be even better. That’s about it.

We were better than Pitt in football and basketball. In 2015, Georgia Tech received the lowest payout in the ACC at 22.6 million. Uconn has to subsidize Athletics---quite a big number. How many "research" dollars are now spent paying for flights to Tulsa? But hey, get fired up for Tulane coming to Hartford next year.

 

[fatlucy]

If you really care if the school is ranked 35th or 20th in some dopey system that is easily gamed you’ve got way too much of your self-esteem tied up in what the faculty to student ratio is long after you’ve graduated.

The academic reputation of the school is critical. First of all it’s a huge economic driver for the state an second my kids may be graduating from UCONN in the 6-7 years so ranking and academic excellence mean a hell of a lot.

 

[ConnHuskBask]

I thought only people from the South were willing to compromise academics for athletic success... I guess not.

You should feel embarrassed to even say such a thing.

UConn is first and foremost an academic institution and it's most valuable asset is the quality of education it provides to it's students. It's not about academic rankings per se, its about the quality (faculty, students, physical plant, etc). Athletics is just a form of entertainment and should never be prioritized ahead of academics.

Susan has been great for the University of Connecticut, that's why she is still there and will probably remain as the prez for a while longer.

Brace yourself: I would trade 30 spots in the next US News Ranking for a men's final 4 next year and a trip to Skeeters Pulled Pork St. Petersburg Bowl.