Thursday, April 01, 2010
Katz on Skinner
Andy Katz came out to defend Al this morning. This is not surprising given their history and Andy's long-term history with BC. He also is critical of Gene, which might make him persona non grata at the Heights for a while. Although not an alum, I bet Andy feels that he'll be a BC fan long after all the current personalities, including Gene, are gone.
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18 comments:
Sport writers often have quite different perspectives on the same person. Compare:
ESPN's Andy Katz On Skinner's work ethic:
"One thing about Skinner that needs to be defended is his work ethic. He has a tight-knit group of friends and might come across as aloof at times. But if you're allowed in to watch games, to talk hoops, to observe practice as I was at times, then you'll see just how intense he is about the game and how much he is well-versed in all nuances. Skinner does a great job at practice of being the CEO, sitting and standing to observe position, making decisions and passing within his flex offense.
Boston Globe's Bob Ryan on Skinner's work ethic:
"Al is the least-hard-working guy in show business, that in the world of Division 1 college basketball, there is absolutely no one like him? In a world of 24/7/365 basketball zealots, Al is Mr. Casual. Al works Al hours, arriving around noon, playing some pickup ball, and going to a practice that, more than likely, had been planned by an assistant. "
who do you believe? the guy who spends all his time on college basketball and has spent a lot of time around the program over the past few years? or the old rummy who sometimes gets around to covering BC sports when the situation dictates and hasn't been seen in conte forum more than once or twice a year for the past decade?
obviously i think you take both with a grain of salt...but my gut tells me katz is closer to the truth. nothing ryan said offers more insight than what he may have picked up by eavesdropping on some of the fan blogs.
Andy Katz went to Newton South High School.. Being a local guy I think he will continue to cover the program in a positive light. Hopefully he will get along well with whoever the next coach turns out to be.
his dad is also a professor at the law school
I believe Ryan on this one.
Ryan may be a curmudgeon, but Al is a slug.
I think it is pointless to argue about work ethic. Some of the hardest working people I know are merely inefficient and poor delegators. We should only be exploring outcomes, and in Skinner's case, the team is not performing at the level they are capable of and the local alumni are not buying tickets. When you are being paid over $1,000,000, it is not about how hard you work or how nice of a guy you are. Rather, it is about results and Skinner could not deliver the past few years and that is why he is gone.
Gene made the right decision. Every termination is an opportunity for an upgrade so let's hope Gene makes a great hire.
What's done is done. The Herald article said some of the younger players are thinking about transferring but that Jackson is not. Are the recruits solid? Are they waiting to see who gets hired? Have they signed the papers?
I like Andy Katz b/c he always treats BC fairly and actually gives a crap. I don't mind him calling GDF on this one, but how many bball coaches has GDF hired at BC? And football? Nobody knows how Spaz will turn out. I understand football and bball are the revenue sports, but Katz seems to gloss over the fact that the AD is responsible for every sport on campus. It seemed to me to be a knee-jerk column by someone with an affection--and access--to Skinner's inner circle. Fine. But GDF is also respsonsible for a hockey program, among the top 3 in the country, a men's soccer program that has exploded, a baseball team that may have turned the corner, and an overall graduation rate among all sports teams that rivals anywhere else in the country. I just think there's a bigger picture that Katz neglected to consider.
I agree eagleboston, at that pay grade it's all about results. I like Bob Ryan, but I did find the attack on Al's effort a little overboard - obviously it worked well for a good long time - even if it was a lot of delegating. Although Al never had much in-game passion which I think hurt us in the officiating.
Is it too much to hope Pearl is being negotiated with on the QT, and that soon after he is announced as coach in a splash it'll be revealed we're the 12th team in the Big Ten?
Wow, Blist, that would be interesting. I don't think Illinois fans have forgiven Pearl for whistle-blowing on the Fighting Ilini when he was Tom Davis' assistant at Iowa.
Fascinating thread on Eagleoutsider about why Dan Patrick didn't ask Pearl about BC in a recent radio interview but asked about Oregon.
I'm like Fox Mulder here: I want to believe, at least about Pearl. I'm sure Donahue is good - it can;t be easy to drag kids to the middle of NY, even if it is beautiful there. But do you can Al for an Ivy leaguer?
Haynes' performance in the dunk contest reminded me of his BC career. Flashes of athleticism, but lacking real results.
It was good to see him again though, I was pulling for him.
Here's a bad-ish sign... Gene has a short list, and it consists of just the lackluster 4 'o' candidates ..no one else on list.. NO ONE ELSE...boy o boy GDF may be as a bad and pathetic as I feared
From Globe a few hours ago:
"Boston College athletic director Gene DeFilippo interviewed Richmond coach Chris Mooney this morning, which finishes up the first phase of the process to find a replacement for men's basketball coach Al Skinner.
DeFilippo also talked to Cornell coach Steve Donahue and Fairfield coach Ed Cooley on Wednesday and will talk to Northeastern coach Billy Coen on Monday after a three-day break for the Easter weekend holiday.
DeFilippo said all the interviews had gone well and confirmed that he would talk to Coen on Monday. No other potential candidates are now on DeFilippo's list, although that could change."
Well, I still feel an "o" he should interview is Brian Gregory. Izzo disciple, currently coaching at a Catholic school (Dayton), just beat Roy Williams to win the NIT.
Obviously, I want Pearl, but Gregory would also make me very happy.
Pearl said no:
http://www.bostonherald.com/sports/college/basketball/view.bg?articleid=1244246
Back to OOOO.....O NO!
mOOney, cOOley, cOen, dOnahue
Is GDF the least imaginative AD in the land???
Let's hope hte OOOO gambit, is just an opening gambit by a shrwed dude.
Jared Dudley tweeted that he did the Bill Simmons podcast. Keep an eye out for it.
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