|
Post by rgs318 on Dec 10, 2021 21:51:29 GMT -5
That is good to hear, hoops.
|
|
|
Post by bikeman on Dec 11, 2021 8:05:28 GMT -5
Mr. Hughes please fix the basketball program. It's a major embarrassment to the school. I don't know what can be done. That's why I didn't get hired and you did.
|
|
|
Post by Pakachoag Phreek on Dec 11, 2021 8:24:56 GMT -5
Looking at the ages of Kit Hughes' kids, and having his and his wife's family in Massachusetts, I think its reasonable to assume he will not be someone who jets out to Omaha or Colorado Springs or similar pastures after two or three years at HC.
|
|
|
Post by sader1970 on Dec 11, 2021 9:01:49 GMT -5
And now his kids are a LOT closer to Grandma and Grandpa. Don't discount the significance of this move back to Massachusetts.
|
|
|
Post by HC92 on Dec 11, 2021 10:48:37 GMT -5
Wishing him well. Seems very authentic as mentioned earlier and seems to have his priorities in order. Whether that translates to more consistent winning across our 27 sports, we’ll find out soon enough.
|
|
|
Post by timholycross on Dec 11, 2021 18:43:24 GMT -5
Lots of holes in the dike, so to speak. No one can fix them all. But a good chunk of them, let's hope so.
|
|
|
Post by longsuffering on Dec 11, 2021 21:09:06 GMT -5
Lots of holes in the dike, so to speak. No one can fix them all. But a good chunk of them, let's hope so. What if it comes down to being able to afford to re-sign Chesney but not if Nelson is replaced after (or during) this season. Which would you choose as the number one priority?
|
|
|
Post by sader1970 on Dec 11, 2021 21:47:12 GMT -5
Interesting that you posted this LS as I just posted this on the Siena Game Day thread:
|
|
|
Post by longsuffering on Dec 11, 2021 22:59:08 GMT -5
Interesting that you posted this LS as I just posted this on the Siena Game Day thread: #1 The psychic wound of losing Chesney over a few hundred thousand for the life of his contract is more painful than rolling the dice to see if the BB team and coaches will actually improve if they have enough time together. My assumption includes only deferring a basketball coaching change for one year, if still necessary, but keeping Chesney for a multi year extension.
|
|
|
Post by HC92 on Dec 12, 2021 8:38:44 GMT -5
I reject the premise of the question as we have the funds to do both if we want to. But, clearly keeping Chesney has to be first on the list.
|
|
|
Post by longsuffering on Dec 12, 2021 10:30:00 GMT -5
The school has the funds, but it was shocking to learn that when HC needed extra money to move up to Hockey East for the women, it funded those new women's hockey scholarships (no scholarships for D-3 hockey) by cancelling scholarships in other sports, not taking money from outside the athletic budget. At least as I understood a recent post from P.P. I believe.
So that appears to be the precedent.
|
|
|
Post by sader1970 on Dec 12, 2021 11:16:44 GMT -5
While I appreciate that even though you rejected the premise, 92, you still answered the question. 😊
First, it was intended as theoretical as Holy Cross doesn’t need a “Go Fund Me” under any circumstances.
While HC could probably fund both, my strong suspicion is TPTB will do the former and not the latter. They are a lot slower on the trigger than I would be.
Here’s my summary of the situation:
1. These are Nelson’s players- no more “poor him, he has lousy players from his predecessor,”
2. He had a perfectly dreadful first year (excuse: Carmody’s kids)
3. He had a bad but slightly better 1/2 season in his second year (excuse: Covid; “my guys are inexperienced and I still got a bunch of Carmody’s lousy players;” we got the toughest module of teams to play)
4. Year 3 and we can’t beat anyone OOC except D3 teams and lose by large margins to boot (excuse: still trying to come up with one but how about we are still inexperienced and we are the only team that has had injuries- everyone else is always healthy when they play us)
I would feel badly for Nelson as he’s the perfect example of the Peter Principle. But I don’t because while I got paid a good buck after decades in insurance, this guy is probably making more than I did and he’s younger than my kids. Get a good financial advisor and take a job at a D2 or D3 team and learn how to be a head coach. Though right now D3 Nichols would probably beat his guys and wouldn’t want him.
Blossom didn’t pick the right guy and makes Regan’s Kearney pick look like genius.
|
|
|
Post by rgs318 on Dec 12, 2021 11:25:12 GMT -5
You had me up to that last point. I honestly do not believe that anything could mark the Kearney pick look like "genius" in any way.
|
|
|
Post by sader1970 on Dec 12, 2021 12:15:31 GMT -5
Kearney allegedly had a mini-revolution among the players and despite that, he won more games in his first (and only) year than Nelson in 2 (1.5 years plus this season so far) and was fired. Regan really got sold a bill of goods with Sean. From memory, Brey allegedly promised that ND would come to play the Crusaders in Worcester (not sure if it had to be the DCU or maybe even at the Hart) IF DR hired Sean. We did. He was fired. ND never came to Worcester. I have every confidence that with these players that these coaches would have won more games than Nelson: 1. Kearney 2. Brown 3. Carmody 4. Oh, and Raynor! I made the observation yesterday at the game that if Ralph had these guys we'd have beaten Siena by 15 points rather than lose by, what was it? 13? These guys are decent athletes despite the fact as another poster said to me, "they couldn't throw the ball in the ocean if they were standing on the beach" (you know who you are! ) All that against Kearney, if I had a choice, knowing what I know now and speculating on the rest, I'd still take Kearney.
|
|
|
Post by longsuffering on Dec 12, 2021 14:15:46 GMT -5
You raise another concept. Since RP, Sr. we haven't had an AD with the gravitas to successfully handle a situation like the alleged mini revolt against Kearney you mentioned or to know the signs of Kearney/Nelson being a little lost and the skill to help snap them out of it early on by giving them direction and focus.
Not that Perry worked miracles with every coach, but I bet he could be helpful and viewed that as part of his job.
FADMB did play varsity college basketball but he didn't win collegiate national championships in two sports or be a legendary Hall of Fame HS coach before becoming AD at HC.
Today AD is becoming like Hospital Administration. Veteran Physicians used to be the Presidents of hospitals but now it's mostly professionals who advanced through the industry, which like college athletics has become more complicated and litigious.
|
|
|
Post by nycrusader2010 on Dec 12, 2021 14:15:52 GMT -5
Notre Dame would've come to the DCU had the Kearney firing not taken place. That is correct.
|
|
|
Post by longsuffering on Dec 12, 2021 14:23:40 GMT -5
I wonder who the second choice behind Kearney was? I also wish DR hadn't negotiated with Brey and hadn't selected a coach who needed a promised dowry to get the job.
|
|
|
Post by purple1 on Dec 12, 2021 14:32:41 GMT -5
Chesney is the # 1 priority to resign for 3 - 5 years. We can compete at the national level in FCS.....basketball is in a different environment today that does not allow Holy Cross to compete for highly recruited players or pay the out of line salaries to the head coaches of 15 college kids.
|
|
|
Post by sader1970 on Dec 12, 2021 14:42:06 GMT -5
Now, you see, that's why we should have had a search firm like Parker. We'd never get someone like Sean if they were involved. We'd have gotten someone like Brett. [he said, sarcastically, in case Sarasota is lurking] You know, my recollection is that we never heard a whisper of anyone being #2, much less #3, when Sean was being considered. BTW, love the "dowry" comment. Guess we didn't sign a pre-nup with ND.
|
|
|
Post by Xmassader on Dec 12, 2021 21:42:31 GMT -5
Re: Kearney. As sader1970 said, there has never been any word about a second or third choice when Kearney was hired. I think that Regan latched onto him shortly after RW departed and never looked elsewhere. Regan did tell Andy Sachs that he would not be considered for the job because he did not have head coaching experience and, less than two weeks later, hired Kearney (who did not have head coaching experience).
As for the mini-revolt, apparently the players were disgruntled with FHCSK’s decision to play MTM defense rather than the matchup with which they were familiar. Their dissatisfaction came to a head after a blowout home loss to Lehigh (against whom we had an excellent home record-perhaps 1 or 2 previous home losses in 20 yrs. of PL play) at the end of the first half of PL play. IIRC, in the week between the first and second half of the PL schedule (with no mid-week game), the matchup was revived as the primary defense through the efforts of one of the assistants and we thrashed Lafayette in the next game and ended the year with a 4-5 record in the last 9 games (including a first round PL tournament win on the road at Bucknell and. 3 pt. loss to Lafayette in the PL tournament semi-final) after beginning the year 5-17.
Apparently, some (many?) players went to see Regan after the season and expressed their concern and shortly thereafter HCSK became FHCSK.
|
|
|
Post by longsuffering on Dec 12, 2021 22:50:47 GMT -5
Now, you see, that's why we should have had a search firm like Parker. We'd never get someone like Sean if they were involved. We'd have gotten someone like Brett. [he said, sarcastically, in case Sarasota is lurking] You know, my recollection is that we never heard a whisper of anyone being #2, much less #3, when Sean was being considered. BTW, love the "dowry" comment. Guess we didn't sign a pre-nup with ND. Sean is Brett and Brett is Sean. Paging George Santayana "Those who fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it."
|
|
|
Post by sader1970 on Dec 12, 2021 22:53:40 GMT -5
Further complicating matters for Kearney was that Regan hired him with the proviso that he had to keep 2 (I think that was the number) of Willard's assistants. While I admire that Dick was trying to protect the assistants from being casualties of Willard running to Rick's side, I always thought Sean had at least one hand tied behind his back as he was unable to get his own assistants who would have been loyal to him and perhaps help reinforce his way and style of doing things. Scuttlebutt was the carry over assistants had little to no loyalty to Kearney but rather to Ralph.
|
|
|
Post by longsuffering on Dec 12, 2021 23:06:41 GMT -5
Further complicating matters for Kearney was that Regan hired him with the proviso that he had to keep 2 (I think that was the number) of Willard's assistants. While I admire that Dick was trying to protect the assistants from being casualties of Willard running to Rick's side, I always thought Sean had at least one hand tied behind his back as he was unable to get his own assistants who would have been loyal to him and perhaps help reinforce his way and style of doing things. Scuttlebutt was the carry over assistants had little to no loyalty to Kearney but rather to Ralph. Perhaps the timing of Ralph's departure meant HC was contractually obligated for a year to the two assistants who didn't have another job to go to like Andy Sachs did. I also remember one explanation was that Sean didn't have any of his own people to bring with him as he was a career assistant not a head coach like Milan was when he brought his own crew. The money saving angle seems more realistic.
|
|
|
Post by timholycross on Dec 13, 2021 7:46:24 GMT -5
Kearney allegedly had a mini-revolution among the players and despite that, he won more games in his first (and only) year than Nelson in 2 (1.5 years plus this season so far) and was fired. Regan really got sold a bill of goods with Sean. From memory, Brey allegedly promised that ND would come to play the Crusaders in Worcester (not sure if it had to be the DCU or maybe even at the Hart) IF DR hired Sean. We did. He was fired. ND never came to Worcester. I have every confidence that with these players that these coaches would have won more games than Nelson: 1. Kearney 2. Brown 3. Carmody 4. Oh, and Raynor! I made the observation yesterday at the game that if Ralph had these guys we'd have beaten Siena by 15 points rather than lose by, what was it? 13? These guys are decent athletes despite the fact as another poster said to me, "they couldn't throw the ball in the ocean if they were standing on the beach" (you know who you are! ) All that against Kearney, if I had a choice, knowing what I know now and speculating on the rest, I'd still take Kearney. Good debate topic: Players can't play man to man versus not being taught how to play it correctly. With Kearney, probably the former (because we know they could play RW's defense; and SK reverted to that defense at some point during the season, under duress). With Nelson, probably the latter; but why he doesn't try another scheme is quite puzzling to most people.
|
|
|
Post by timholycross on Dec 13, 2021 7:49:16 GMT -5
You raise another concept. Since RP, Sr. we haven't had an AD with the gravitas to successfully handle a situation like the alleged mini revolt against Kearney you mentioned or to know the signs of Kearney/Nelson being a little lost and the skill to help snap them out of it early on by giving them direction and focus. Not that Perry worked miracles with every coach, but I bet he could be helpful and viewed that as part of his job. FADMB did play varsity college basketball but he didn't win collegiate national championships in two sports or be a legendary Hall of Fame HS coach before becoming AD at HC. Today AD is becoming like Hospital Administration. Veteran Physicians used to be the Presidents of hospitals but now it's mostly professionals who advanced through the industry, which like college athletics has become more complicated and litigious. On the other hand, the perception of many was that Ronnie Sr. would have pulled the trigger on Raynor sooner had Bill not been one of his former players. Didn't happen until ADDR took over. Don't get me wrong, in retrospect, Bill, whatever his coaching faults were; was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time, just like Peter Vaas.
|
|