I'm telling you he was hired to counter the APR problem. UConn hoped that it would be enough to get the NCAA to back off. But even if it wasn't, his supposed "expertise" in this area would be useful to help with the PR on the issue, UConn could say "We take this issue very seriously. So seriously, in fact, that we hired the guy who got an award from the NCAA for his work turning the Buffalo APR problems completely around." It wasn't because he had played football at Michigan, or had whatever modest B-10 connections you might get as an assistant AD at a major program, or because he had hired Turner Gill at UB. Do you seriously think he was hired because of the grand job he did turning Buffalo into a national power? It wasn't because he was a "rock star." It was because of 3 letters, R, P, and A. This from a very good source who had input into the selection. Believe it or don't believe it.
Uh, as I said before, Geno will win championships whether Warde is here, in Buffalo, in Ann Arbor, selling ice cream in Bayonne New Jersey, sitting under an umbrella in the Bahamas. Doesn't matter. And its not like UConn field hockey is some slouch program. You might not be aware of it, but they are a national power. They have 2 previous national championships. They have been to the NCAA tournament 24 times in the past 25 years, been to 11 final fours, most recently in 2011 and the championship game 5 times. They won more Big East titles than any team in the history of that league. The head coach is the all-time leader in career victories in NCAA field hockey. and the all time leader among active coaches in number of games coached. In other words, they are pretty good and have a pretty good coach as well. So I'd be a little hesitant to give Warde lots of credit for the job he did in getting that national championship. I guess maybe he gets credit for not screwing it up. That's about all, though.
Here's the thing, though. There are more tv sets in Connecticut than Louisville, KY. And by quite a lot.#30 market vs #50. And we're only measuring Hartford-New Haven. And that, not NJ, was our competition. But that's ok. Let's pretend it was us or Rutgers for the Big, not us vs. Louisville for the ACC slot.
That's your excuse? Please. this guy was brought in for public relations purposes and public relations purposes only. It happens. Sometimes those guys work out. I remember an old Boston politician telling me that Jim Curley used to fill every 3rd job based strictly on merit. That way he knew roughly 2/3 of his staff would be competent and he could count on 2/3 to campaign for him come election time. His view was that just because you got hired for your political connections didn't mean you were incompetent and roughly 50% of the political hires turned out pretty competent. Some became competent over time. Warde was a "political hire" who wasn't up to the job. He was hired to fix the basketball APR problem, or more accurately to give the impression that it was being fixed.
Art, I'm going to use your excuse for Pasqualoni, OK? He was only the Coach for 2 seasons when his team got beat by Towson. He should have done better.
Well, if we had rehashed those old grudges, then there would have been sarcastic comments made in response. And I, for one, think we as a community are better than that. Let's rise above and enjoy an elevated, enlightened discourse based on calm reason and no made up evidence that supports our previously held beliefs.
Took an Athletic Department that was in the highest level and now isn't? Are you nut...you are either a friend, relative or former neighbor of that idiot former AD Jeff Hathaway who put us where we are today. If you can't admit we are where we are because of that a s s h a t then I don't know what to tell you!
