UConn names Warde Manuel new AD

[Nostical]

Nelson, I couldn't disagree more with your comments. Ms. Herbst is the most savvy and effective President we've ever had. She sizes up a problem, engages the experts, evaluates the choices, and.... pulls the trigger. She has uber brains and guts, and on campus everyone knows who's the boss. I heard from a connected source that one of the reasons Pendergast was not promoted was a perception he'd be inclined to go along with Calhoun's opinion on succession. There is no way her choice for AD will merely rubber stamp Jim Calhoun's choice for his replacement. In fact, I see very little chance for Kevin Ollie to take over the front porch program of this University. Herbst has grand designs on making UConn greater than her predecessors ever envisioned and building the endowment to unprecedented heights. As I've said before, she looks at UConn's future and sees Michigan. How interesting that Warde Manuel has Michigan ties. I have absolute confidence in Herbst. Palatine is right, she's been pitch perfect.

 

[Excalibur]

Hathaway was once the #2 guy at UConn. How did that work? Yet you seemed to think a UConn connection was important. Hathaway only lasted as long as he did because there was no President. No, the former pres. loved him. It was no tremendous insight to see that he had to go considering that all three major program coaches hated him (although Geno later changed his mind and decided he was BFF's with Hathaway after not speaking to him for years).

I think the athletic department has gone through a catastrophic few months, all of which seemed avoidable, and Herbst hasn't had an answer for any of it. When a Top 60 university in the wealthiest state in the country, coming off a national championship and BCS bowl bid, gets passed over in expansion for two has been programs in two has been cities, someone is not doing their job in selling. The selling, if any, was done for years before the ACC opened things up again. Once they decided to expand, nobody knew anything until the invites were almost out. When the Director of the NCAA makes up a penalty for UConn's basketball program to be in violation of, and she can't get it reversed, someone is not doing their job in selling. Yep, all on her. Nothing to do with the fact that Emmert has an axe to grind, and the NCAA feels it would look foolish if they accepted UConn's appeal. David Boies couldn't have won that appeal.

Maybe Manuel is the next Tom Jurich and will change the future of UConn athletics. He doesn't have the resume or the track record, but if you guys feel so sure about it, good for you. Yep, everybody's sure. Just keep making shit up, it's worked so well for you in the past.

Every hire is a crapshoot to some extent. Given available options, I think the probability of success is high.

 

[jorge34]

Hathaway was once the #2 guy at UConn. How did that work? Hathaway only lasted as long as he did because there was no President. It was no tremendous insight to see that he had to go considering that all three major program coaches hated him (although Geno later changed his mind and decided he was BFF's with Hathaway after not speaking to him for years).

I think the athletic department has gone through a catastrophic few months, all of which seemed avoidable, and Herbst hasn't had an answer for any of it. When a Top 60 university in the wealthiest state in the country, coming off a national championship and BCS bowl bid, gets passed over in expansion for two has been programs in two has been cities, someone is not doing their job in selling. When the Director of the NCAA makes up a penalty for UConn's basketball program to be in violation of, and she can't get it reversed, someone is not doing their job in selling.

Maybe Manuel is the next Tom Jurich and will change the future of UConn athletics. He doesn't have the resume or the track record, but if you guys feel so sure about it, good for you.

Considering how young he is, I think he has a heck of a resume.

 

[CTMike]

Herbst is nice and smart and trying really hard, and is in way over her head. The fact that she couldn't attract someone higher profile than the AD of Buffalo fits right in with her inability to get past freaking BCU's objections to UConn in the ACC, or the fact that UConn was the first major program to be hit with a postseason ban off a retroactive rule change in NCAA history. She has absolutely no political pull nationally. She strikes me as the kind of person everyone wants to succeed, but just isn't getting it done. I don't have a sense on the academic side or the fundraising side as to how she is doing, but I expect it will be similar to her failings on the athletic side. It is not a lack of effort, it is a lack of ability.

We should have just kept a proven fundraiser like Pendergast. Manuel is not higher profile than Pendergast, doesn't have a national rolodex of his own, has no evidence of accomplishing anything innovative at Buffalo, and comes from a MAC school. I am sure he is a smart guy. So are a lot of other people. Manuel has no connection to UConn, which means if he is remotely successful, he will likely leave for a higher profile job. His hiring of Quinn at Buffalo was uninspiring and looking like a failure, and the basketball program has never even made the NIT. UConn could be replacing all three major program coaches in the next 5-7 years. In thinking about Manuel, I think he is not only a step down from Pendergast, but from Hathaway too.

I am as pessimistic about the direction of UConn's athletic program as I have ever been, in a large part because of Herbst. Manuel's hiring will accomplish little for UConn.

You had been so quiet of late, and then BLAMMO... full on nelsonmuntz, no holds barred, hyperbole and negativity. On those criteria, you certainly hit a home run.

 

[nelsonmuntz]

Nelson, I couldn't disagree more with your comments. Ms. Herbst is the most savvy and effective President we've ever had. She sizes up a problem, engages the experts, evaluates the choices, and.... pulls the trigger. She has uber brains and guts, and on campus everyone knows who's the boss. I heard from a connected source that one of the reasons Pendergast was not promoted was a perception he'd be inclined to go along with Calhoun's opinion on succession. There is no way her choice for AD will merely rubber stamp Jim Calhoun's choice for his replacement. In fact, I see very little chance for Kevin Ollie to take over the front porch program of this University. Herbst has grand designs on making UConn greater than her predecessors ever envisioned and building the endowment to unprecedented heights. As I've said before, she looks at UConn's future and sees Michigan. How interesting that Warde Manuel has Michigan ties. I have absolute confidence in Herbst. Palatine is right, she's been pitch perfect.

Maybe we will hire Buffalo's HC to succeed Calhoun since everyone likes the AD hiring so much. All the best stuff comes from the MAC.

 

[ruskin]

yeah, we're idiots for hiring anyone from the MAC. Urban Meyer, Bo Schembechler, Woody Hayes, Ara Parseghian never did amount to much. Other MAC losers here

 

[CTMike]

Maybe we will hire Buffalo's HC to succeed Calhoun since everyone likes the AD hiring so much. All the best stuff comes from the MAC.

The amount of ignorance to just chalk it up to "a MAC hire" is astounding. When I first heard the hire... yeah, I was like "who?!"... but I quickly smartened up when you read his resume, consider his experience at Georgia Tech and especially Michigan, but most of all - the reactions and comments of his peers.

It must be really exhausting to be so negative all the time.

 

[sledog]

$450K my!

 

[husky8273]

Very positive article on Warde's tenure at UB in the Buffalo News - http://www.buffalonews.com/sports/columns/bob-dicesare/article730625.ece

 

[willie99]

Another great Palatine post with lots of conclusions and opinion and no supporting evidence.

seriously? like you make substantive arguments?

his post cited reading his resume, and yours is about anger and hatred or something about the MAC

zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz