UConn AD stares down future in American

[Adios]

We are in trouble if you are counting on the fanbase. I know several football season ticket holders who say this year will be the last. I know money is tight but Herbst must slash football/basketball prices to have a full stadium/arena. While I applaud many of her moves, I do not thinks she understands the despair of the fans. I saw our conference USA affiliation coming years ago and I now see embarrassing empty seats.

I think she does. She did write a "letter of encouragement" where she said we are "winners who like to win", something like that. We'll have to wait and see how they react to this new conference affiliation next year. Regardless of who we play, I enjoy going to games.

We're in a state of 3 million people. We need approximately 1% of the population to show up every Saturday.

 

[UConnDan97]

Do the research... a "No comment" is one of the Top 10 Don'ts when dealing with the media. (http://policelink.monster.com/training/articles/2588-from-the-thin-blue-line-no-comment).

Read the question and the answer - not the ESPiN -

Question - "Are the Huskies done looking for a landing spot in one of the so-called five power conferences, or is the school a member of the new American Athletic Conference just until something better comes along?"

Answer - "I've been done," Manuel said. "If my focus is always looking outside this organization and what we're doing, we're not going to maintain the success that we've had." He then goes onto to say - “My concern is the stability of UConn, and what we do at UConn. We’re going to compete for national championships.”

No where does he say "UConn is Content". He says they are looking towards the future. Public begging did not work - why continue? What goes on behind scenes is going on behind scene.

I'm not going to change anyone's mind here... just pointing out a different perspective.

Why don't I offer a different perspective on this. I don't advocate for begging, and it irritated the hell out of me when Herbst and Malloy seemed to be doing it. But I would have wanted Warde to do something a little more like this:

Question - "Are the Huskies done looking for a landing spot in one of the so-called five power conferences, or is the school a member of the new American Athletic Conference just until something better comes along?"

Answer - "UConn is committed to competing at the highest level, regardless of conference affiliation. We are excited about our new conference mates and what they bring to the table, and we are also looking for opportunities to play against some of the best teams around the country. We've recently added non-conference games against Boise State and BYU in football, which we are very excited about, and I'm constantly looking for more opportunities to showcase the University of Connecticut on a national stage.”

Not really that hard to say. It doesn't say you love your situation. It doesn't say you've stopped looking. It doesn't say you are disloyal to your current conference mates. In other words, you can make a no-comment statement without saying the words, "No comment"....

 

[TRest]

Why don't I offer a different perspective on this. I don't advocate for begging, and it irritated the hell out of me when Herbst and Malloy seemed to be doing it. But I would have wanted Warde to do something a little more like this:

Question - "Are the Huskies done looking for a landing spot in one of the so-called five power conferences, or is the school a member of the new American Athletic Conference just until something better comes along?"

Answer - "UConn is committed to competing at the highest level, regardless of conference affiliation. We are excited about our new conference mates and what they bring to the table, and we are also looking for opportunities to play against some of the best teams around the country. We've recently added non-conference games against Boise State and BYU in football, which we are very excited about, and I'm constantly looking for more opportunities to showcase the University of Connecticut on a national stage.”

Not really that hard to say. It doesn't say you love your situation. It doesn't say you've stopped looking. It doesn't say you are disloyal to your current conference mates. In other words, you can make a no-comment statement without saying the words, "No comment"....

What does "I've been done" even mean?

 

[Ha Who]

I think she does. She did write a "letter of encouragement" where she said we are "winners who like to win", something like that. We'll have to wait and see how they react to this new conference affiliation next year. Regardless of who we play, I enjoy going to games.

We're in a state of 3 million people. We need approximately 1% of the population to show up every Saturday.

How do you fill all the seats? Slash the prices. If we do not, the seats will be empty. Sorry to burst anybody's bubble, just I have followed UConn since my Dad took me to a UMass game as a little kid (Dr J was incredible) and my instincts have been pretty good from my thoughts on Perno, my excitement with The Big East (despite UConn being at the bottom), etc. I even watched the song time passages when this new network came along and would play that song prior to a UConn baseball game. Yes, the predecessor to that four letter network taking our tax credits and not helping UConn. Sorry for the rant, cheaper than therapy.

 

[junglehusky]

What does "I've been done" even mean?

I interpret (wild-ass guess) it to mean "I / Susan Herbst were on the phone with other AD's and presidents throughout last year's CR but once Louisville got the last raft and the ACC signed the GOR the pieces stopped moving. After that happened we had a couple short conversations with Big12 and Big10 members about where UConn is headed in case they are considering expanding, and we have an idea of the things they are looking for from us in the next 5-10 years in terms of athletics, academics, and infrastructure. But no moves are imminent for the time being, so there haven't been as many phone calls since the winter and I have more pressing issues to attend to like the basketball facility, hiring the hockey coach, evaluating the football staff, making sure the profile will improve over that 5-10 year period."

 

[huskymedic]

Why don't I offer a different perspective on this. I don't advocate for begging, and it irritated the hell out of me when Herbst and Malloy seemed to be doing it. But I would have wanted Warde to do something a little more like this:

Question - "Are the Huskies done looking for a landing spot in one of the so-called five power conferences, or is the school a member of the new American Athletic Conference just until something better comes along?"

Answer - "UConn is committed to competing at the highest level, regardless of conference affiliation. We are excited about our new conference mates and what they bring to the table, and we are also looking for opportunities to play against some of the best teams around the country. We've recently added non-conference games against Boise State and BYU in football, which we are very excited about, and I'm constantly looking for more opportunities to showcase the University of Connecticut on a national stage.”

Not really that hard to say. It doesn't say you love your situation. It doesn't say you've stopped looking. It doesn't say you are disloyal to your current conference mates. In other words, you can make a no-comment statement without saying the words, "No comment"....

... and the last time WM or SH said "we are excited about our new conference mates" they got absolutely shredded here.

I do think that WM attempted to redirect the question to what UConn is doing for the future ("We're going to keep being as aggressive as we can in terms of facilities and growth,") but it could have been deeper as you point out. Unfortunately, we don't have a transcription of the full interview and what was included and what was not included. UConn's talking points need to be rock solid and repetition of the message needs to be beat home over, and over, and over again.

 

[whaler11]

The talking point should be: our student- athletes and fans deserve the best possible conference affiliation we can attain - all our efforts are towards that end.

If Warde is 'done' with conference affiliation he should be 'done' with being employed by the state of Connecticut.

 

[junglehusky]

The talking point should be: our student- athletes and fans deserve the best possible conference affiliation we can attain - all our efforts are towards that end.

If Warde is 'done' with conference affiliation he should be 'done' with being employed by the state of Connecticut.

He's done with it because it's not the AD's job.

 

[ConnHuskBask]

The talking point should be: our student- athletes and fans deserve the best possible conference affiliation we can attain - all our efforts are towards that end.

If Warde is 'done' with conference affiliation he should be 'done' with being employed by the state of Connecticut.

Honestly, HFD for all his craziness, I tend to agree with him more than the everything is fine crowd. Maybe that makes me crazy or a "" like some guys have referred to me on here, but everything out of Storrs just makes me so angry later.

I've felt like they don't care for a long time, and Warde just comes out and confirms that.

I'm pretty beside myself with everything UConn except for Kevin Ollie.

It's no wonder we ended up where we did with these people in charge.

I've said it here before but Warde has no UConn connection, does anyone think he really gives a duck where we play so as long he cashes his $500K a year?

He doesn't care and Herbst is so clueless about athletics it's painful. She's a Duke grad who will be out of Storrs at the first chance she gets.

 

[ConnHuskBask]

He's done with it because it's not the AD's job.

LOL. Tell that to Oliver Luck or Tom Jurich. Two guys that give two sh1ts about their school.

 

[whaler11]

He's done with it because it's not the AD's job.

Well if it's not the AD's job why did he say he was 'done'? If it wasn't his job why was he involved to the point he made a public declaration he was stopping?

 

[whaler11]

Honestly, HFD for all his craziness, I tend to agree with him more than the everything is fine crowd. Maybe that makes me crazy or a "" like some guys have referred to me on here, but everything out of Storrs just makes me so angry later.

I've felt like they don't care for a long time, and Warde just comes out and confirms that.

I'm pretty beside myself with everything UConn except for Kevin Ollie.

It's no wonder we ended up where we did with these people in charge.

I've said it here before but Warde has no UConn connection, does anyone think he really gives a where we play so as long he cashes his $500K a year?

He doesn't care and Herbst is so clueless about athletics it's painful. She's a Duke grad who will be out of Storrs at the first chance she gets.

I can't prove it but I fear you are correct.

Athletics aren't part of Herbst's vision for the school and Warde is just an extension who runs a program that values APR over wins and losses.

 

[junglehusky]

I can't prove it but I fear you are correct.

Athletics aren't part of Herbst's vision for the school and Warde is just an extension who runs a program that values APR over wins and losses.

I can't prove it but I hope you're wrong.

 

[Srqhusky]

Are we going to harp on ward because he sees reality. Sorry but the last lifeboat for a long time just left with Louisville and big ten is a pipe dream.

What ward needs to do is get is winning and get fans in the seats so when the next round of conference change occurs we are ready

 

[whaler11]

Are we going to harp on ward because he sees reality. Sorry but the last lifeboat for a long time just left with Louisville and big ten is a pipe dream.

What ward needs to do is get is winning and get fans in the seats so when the next round of conference change occurs we are ready

I've never worked in a FBS athletic department but aside from hiring coaches how do athletic directors win games?

 

[woomba]

I've never worked in a FBS athletic department but aside from hiring coaches how do athletic directors win games?

Mostly recruiting related :

• Facility upgrades to entice highly sought after recruits
• Better marketing of athletic teams (interesting match-ups, alt. uniforms, etc.) which help coaches use as part of their recruiting pitch.

Not sure how well Warde would measure on those metrics though.

 

[Adios]

Not sure if this quote was posted.

“Since the NCAA has been around, since formation of the NCAA, if you look at the history, there’s been realignment of conferences for different reasons. I don’t proclaim to know if it will ever be done again. History will tell me at some point there’s going to be shifts.”

http://mrsec.com/2013/05/uconn-a-d-on-realignment-history-says-there-will-be-more-shifts-eventually/

 

[freescooter]

I can't prove it but I fear you are correct.

Athletics aren't part of Herbst's vision for the school and Warde is just an extension who runs a program that values APR over wins and losses.

I've been saying this for a while now. My impression, and it is a strong one, is that Susan neither understands nor really cares about athletics beyond the point where she doesn't want to be embarrassed by them like she was by the APR thing. Manuel was brought in because under his watch Buffalo went from a program with multiple APR violations to one which got awards for academic performance. Nothing more. When you look at UConn's previous ADs this guy just doesn't measure up even to Hathaway. I think the way they handled Wolf was just another example of the lack of committment. While I personally was happy to see UConn finally crack down on someone, if anyone thinks that would have happened under Calhoun, Hathaway or Lew Perkins and any of the previous presidents of the past 20 years, please contact me about an offer on the Arrigoni Bridge. I don't necessarily think Herbst is anti-athletics, but she is more "Just don't bother me" in her outlook. And that means if we're going to get anywhere we need a Director in the Lew Perkins mold. While Manuel might fit in Lew's old suits, that is about where the comparison ends. He'll be thrilled if UConn gets the APR award rather than any national championships. She will be thrilled if nobody ever mentions athletics to her again.

 

[Drew]

i'm just curious but why is USF never mentioned in realignment? Located in Tampa, on campus stadium, pretty good enrollment size...

 

[CTMike]

Well since this is the Internet where we all spout wild-ass guesses about things I'll throw my 2 cents.

I think that SH and WM do care about athletics, and it is a priority (just not at the expense of APR). For SH, it's one of many priorities, for WM it's his main priority. Nothing too earth shattering there. I just don't subscribe our current place in the world to lack of caring.

From the SH perspective, I think she is smart enough to recognize that there is a direct correlation between Athletics and more money for UConn - something she has stated is a very big priority for her. People who have pride in their school are people that may donate back to that school, and for UConn, athletic success is a big part of that pride.

For WM, I don't think you need to be an alum to care about wanting to be the best. He played at Michigan, worked there- he knows what big time looks like, and that is the goal.

How to get there is the hard part.

Obviously both stepped in and were working with a real hand. Some things were beyond their control (and we debate endlessly where that line is).

What I think we, collectively as UConn have been guilty of, is hubris. I think it's been easy to sit back and say "we are great and our value is obvious" when that is not the case to those deciding our fate. If it was, we'd be in a better place by now. We are now in a place where pumping up our virtues publicly and constantly making googly eyes to the B1G or ACC stabs our new home in the back, but saying how much we like the AAC feels like giving up. It makes what SH and WM have to do that much harder (and keeps us all in the dark), because it has to be done privately now. And... Not having that visibility can be interpreted as not caring.

At least... I hope it's not lack of caring.

 

[AZHuskiePop]

Well since this is the Internet where we all spout wild-ass guesses about things I'll throw my 2 cents.

I think that SH and WM do care about athletics, and it is a priority (just not at the expense of APR). For SH, it's one of many priorities, for WM it's his main priority. Nothing too earth shattering there. I just don't subscribe our current place in the world to lack of caring.

From the SH perspective, I think she is smart enough to recognize that there is a direct correlation between Athletics and more money for UConn - something she has stated is a very big priority for her. People who have pride in their school are people that may donate back to that school, and for UConn, athletic success is a big part of that pride.

For WM, I don't think you need to be an alum to care about wanting to be the best. He played at Michigan, worked there- he knows what big time looks like, and that is the goal.

How to get there is the hard part.

Obviously both stepped in and were working with a real hand. Some things were beyond their control (and we debate endlessly where that line is).

What I think we, collectively as UConn have been guilty of, is hubris. I think it's been easy to sit back and say "we are great and our value is obvious" when that is not the case to those deciding our fate. If it was, we'd be in a better place by now. We are now in a place where pumping up our virtues publicly and constantly making googly eyes to the B1G or ACC stabs our new home in the back, but saying how much we like the AAC feels like giving up. It makes what SH and WM have to do that much harder (and keeps us all in the dark), because it has to be done privately now. And... Not having that visibility can be interpreted as not caring.

At least... I hope it's not lack of caring.

I believe your correct. Nothing should be said publically.
Susan's objectives to increase the acedemics should be a priority.
Especially the endowment which is mediocre for the AAC never mind the B1G. Athletic success certainly will help in that regard.
I'm sure she understands that.
The athletic programs regardless of conference have to be viewed as a long term investment to achieve that goal.
Stadium exspansion
PR
and above all on field success.
If the team gets to a decent bowl. Underwrite the cost of getting the most fans there as possible
In the past is was viewed as a moneymaker. That's short term thinking. Its an opportunity to showcase your program and should be viewed as such. Perkins for all his vision though like a whore, exploiting Huskie mania to maximize short term financial gain.
Its time for some strategic long term planning.
The most important thing that the UConn leadership have to understand is that UConn is not just a Campus in a remote corner of a small state. It belongs to all the people of the state.
If that might mean playing a BB game in Bridgeport or runinning camps in Norwich. The best chance for long term success is the Nebraska model. Where almost everyone who lived in that state feel a part of their their school. That's probably not achievable but that should br our model none the less.




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[whaler11]

i'm just curious but why is USF never mentioned in realignment? Located in Tampa, on campus stadium, pretty good enrollment size...

They moved an NFL stadium onto USF's campus?

 

[zls44]

I think it's been easy to sit back and say "we are great and our value is obvious"

The problem is, UConn isn't nearly as valuable as everyone wants to think they are. It sucks, but its the reality.

 

[CTMike]

The problem is, UConn isn't nearly as valuable as everyone wants to think they are. It sucks, but its the reality.

We are in a bit of a weird spot. I believe we are worth well more as an athletic program than some silly $2 mil number or whatever it is in the AAC. But we also aren't in a spot where our addition will add $20 mil to a TV contract. So we have to be very diligent to show all the other ways that we can add value. And we have to continually better ourselves (winning, AAU, research, endowment) to increase our value.

 

[AZHuskiePop]

The problem is, UConn isn't nearly as valuable as everyone wants to think they are. It sucks, but its the reality.

Their are those on this board that overvalue our position. That is a dangereous trait. Undervaluing your worth is just as bad.
The key lies in knowing your strenghts and weaknesses.
Accentuating your strenghts and working to elimate your controllable weaknesses.
The Key question does the state have the market to support a big time conference. I think is yes ie if your Vermont than your wasting your time. Then its a question of realistically appraising the necessary steps to achieve your objective.




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