this is what i hold out hope for. that he is a connection we need to make the move that we didn't have before. but they make no hint of it, or atleast i didn't see it. he was at buffalo while all other important bcs stuff was happening, so how connected is he i guess is the question??? i hope he does well but i'm not exactly soldright now and no, being on the womens dinner conf board for sports doesn't help just like uconn girls bball isn't a piece of the puzzle for conf expansion. FOOTBALL AND BCS are the key terms i want to hear about.Now the B1G looks more like a possibility down the road. Can only hope.
Could it be as bad as hiring a basketball coach from Northeastern? sarcasm offum
Could it be as bad as hiring a basketball coach from Northeastern? sarcasm off
Dan, I'm not too worried about the AD's connections to other conferences or TV. He probably already has some of those connections but being a (more than) competent AD with communication skills I would imagine he can build those relationships as our needs dictate. (Look at all the committees he's been on). The AD's aren't the captains on conference alignment, the presidents are and I think not only did we get a great one in Herbst but she comes with those connections, and we know she was working the phone lines back in the fall. Main thing is, can those two work together like Woodward and Bernstein, Batman and Robin, peanut butter and jelly?
Dan, based on all the committees he's on as well as the complimentary quotes from AD's, President, and coach of B1G and ACC schools, I'd say he already has those relationships, and they're pretty good relationships at that. None of this guarantees UConn will receive an immediate invite to the ACC or B1G of course, but it sounds like the guy is held in high regard.i respect that. but my thing is my thing is uconn is late to the party, we know that after getting JH out of here. so a guy having to build relationships takes time. I was looking for a guy/gal with relationships already had becuase the big east is falling apart quick as were seeing the past week. how much time do we really have?
Absent the baggage and Hathaway's worminess (sic), Manuel also appears to have "Lew Perkins' size-ability". Time to put his former DE-size in high gear.Dan, based on all the committees he's on as well as the complimentary quotes from AD's, President, and coach of B1G and ACC schools, I'd say he already has those relationships, and they're pretty good relationships at that. None of this guarantees UConn will receive an immediate invite to the ACC or B1G of course, but it sounds like the guy is held in high regard.
Falling apart. We get rid of low life Pitt and Cuse and get Boise, Navy and Memphis for Basketball. I would say that we are far from falling apart.Dan, with the Big East falling apart, this guy definitely has the connections to get Buffalo added to replace them.
No idea how you missed that.
some nice quotes from the article, including several, notable big 10 leaders and a dukie for good measure:
Lloyd Carr, Head Football Coach (1995-2007), Assistant Football Coach (1980-94), University of Michigan“Warde had a very good playing career at Michigan, and he was the type of player that you wanted in your program. He was a very good student, good in the locker room, and was a team player. He then developed an excellent background in athletic administration here at Michigan and then at Buffalo, as he gained experience working in academics, fundraising, and a number of different sports. He is a bright person and an excellent communicator. I think that the coaches and student-athletes at Connecticut will really embrace what he stands for.”
Gene Smith, Director of Athletics, Ohio State University“First of all, Warde and [his wife] Chris are very good people and have a great family. Warde is a leader in our industry, and he understands the challenges that one faces in trying to run a collegiate athletic program. I also think he is going to be a huge asset to the university outside of athletics, as he really understands how all of higher education operates.”
Kevin White, Vice President and Director of Athletics at Duke University,
“Simply said, Warde Manuel represents a brilliant appointment at UConn! Warde has very quickly become one of the most respected leaders within college athletics. He is strong and determined, perhaps humble to a fault, highly empathetic, certainly task-oriented, and inordinately passionate about providing the very best student-athlete experience possible. Above all of that, Warde is a guy that – all day, every day – simply ‘drips with integrity.’ Unequivocally, the Huskies couldn’t have made a better hire!”
Seems like he could have a lot of potential, and his experience is solid. But what numnut decided to release this information on a Sunday night?! Whoever made that decision in the PR department should be fired!
Quite frankly, those are perfect quotes. Very encouraging.Looks like a good hire, not too many people on this board are qualified to give their opinion on what it takes to hire an AD or run a university. This seems like a great hire, a young guy who's going to take Uconn to the next level, it takes a lot of
chuts pa to make a hire like this. Good job Susan!
Read what people in the know are saying:
Kevin White, Vice President and Director of Athletics, Duke University
"Simply said, Warde Manuel represents a brilliant appointment at UConn! Warde has very quickly become one of the most respected leaders within college athletics. He is strong and determined, perhaps humble to a fault, highly empathetic, certainly task-oriented, and inordinately passionate about providing the very best student-athlete experience possible. Above all of that, Warde is a guy that -- all day, every day -- simply `drips with integrity.' Unequivocally, the Huskies couldn't have made a better hire!"
Reggie Witherspoon, Head Men's Basketball Coach, University at Buffalo
"Warde is going to be a great ambassador for the University of Connecticut and he is going to immediately exude energy into the campus. Warde stands firm on academic principals first and foremost and he is also an extremely competitive person who wants to win. The people of Connecticut will be thrilled by him and feel good about being in his presence."
Lloyd Carr, Head Football Coach (1995-2007), Assistant Football Coach (1980-94), University of Michigan
"Warde had a very good playing career at Michigan and he was the type of player that you wanted in your program. He was a very good student, good in the locker room and was a team player. He then developed an excellent background in athletic administration here at Michigan and then at Buffalo, as he gained experience working in academics, fundraising and a number of different sports. He is a bright person and an excellent communicator. I think that the coaches and student-athletes at Connecticut will really embrace what he stands for."
Gene Smith, Director of Athletics, Ohio State University
"First of all, Warde and Chris are very good people and have a great family. Warde is a leader in our industry and he understands the challenges that one faces in trying to run a collegiate athletic program. I also think he is going to be a huge asset to the university outside of athletics as he really understands how all of higher education operates. "
It sounds like a great appointment. He has big school experience at Michigan (including reporting responsibility for their biggest programs, football and basketball) and ultimate bottom line responsibility at Buffalo. Many times the choice is between a 2nd or 3rd guy from a major university or a top guy from a smaller one - in this case UConn gets the benefit of both. Only time will tell, but my gut reaction is that this is a winning move.