Sunday, April 09, 2017

Smoke signals on new AD

There is a rumor going around the BC Message boards that that new AD is Memphis' Tom Bowen. I have heard it will be offered to someone else. But the point of this post is that we are all waiting and it appears the decision is coming soon. This is what I do know:

-- The Parker group and the small team of BC people have completed their interviews and made a recommendation to Father Leahy.
-- While the leading candidate's name has been mentioned, most of the finalists have not been named publicly.
-- The decision is all Leahy's and no one knows which way it will go. There has been a lot of talk and speculation about Leahy's future (I've been part of the gossip too) but those closest to him during this process see no signs that he is nearing his own retirement. This is not a situation where he will hire an AD and then walk into the sunset. Father Leahy plans on working with this AD in the years to come.
-- Many of the leading candidates brought up BC's commitment to athletics. Not just the head coaching, but some of the smaller details that hamstring our players and coaches. If we hire someone who did not challenge BC's current approach, then we are in long-term trouble.

The timing remains weird. It would make sense for BC to announce this week, yet Holy Week shortens the work week at BC.

I can't report when this will all be over. Other than the details listed above, no one knows anything. It is all in Father Leahy's hands and he is not telling anyone.

24 comments:

mod34b said...

Lots of smoke

Napolean Bonaparte said...

Hiring is always a calculated risk - I just hope that its not someone most of us will shake our heads about coming out of the box as has been the norm. What are the odds that we'll be surprised with someone painfully competent with a proven track record of successful coaching hires?

Max said...

Slim and none for a decent hire that would help BC out of it current swamp.

I don't understand why BC does grow a pair and do things right

Geezer eagle said...

Less than fifty-fifty. They are looking at an AD from Memphis? MEMPHIS?

mod34b said...

Georgia, even worse the Memphis guy is an ND grad -- who per wiki initially sought to become a R.C. priest. Jesuits will love that.... Memphis guy actually seems decent.... but for the ND thing.... which should DQ him...

knucklehead said...

All the ND/ priest information aside. He managed a department that had successful/competitive basketball and football programs. If he hired Fuentes then he knows how to hire coaches. Fuentes is the best coach in the country you haven't heard of yet. VT is a top 15 team annually, again, with him(Same thing with Pastner).

Bring in the Memphis guy.

Napolean Bonaparte said...

Well - I guess all we can do is wait and listen to Mr. Buddles:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J6nhSDAKRj8

Boston said...

Unfortunately, Bowen didn't hire Justin Fuente. Bowen was hired as AD shortly after Fuente was hired. He did hire Fuente's replacement, Mike Norvell, a highly regarded OC at ASU. He didn't hire Pastner either but did hire Tubby Smith away from Texas Tech where he was reigning Big XII Coach of the Year. He also hired Mike McIntyre when he was AD at San Jose State. I'd say he's done pretty well at hiring coaches. The guy is an accomplished fundraiser too. I'd be pretty happy if Bowen wound up being the choice.


downtown_resident said...

Regarding Bowen:

Good:

-led fundraising for a men's basketball practice facility at Memphis and an indoor practice facility for football.
-hired Mike McIntyre as football coach at San Jose State. He did well at SJSU and got Colorado to the Pac-12 title game last year.

Bad:
-let Josh Pastner walk out the door at Memphis, on his way to ACC Coach of the Year honors this season at Georgia Tech. In fact, my understanding is he paid him $1.2M to leave.
-hired Tubby Smith as men's basketball coach to replace Pastner. In one season Tubby has apparently cratered the program, alienating an assistant coach and father of two of the team's best players, all of whom are leaving. They also have another brother who is a top recruit and won't come to Memphis. The team will have only three returnees next year.
-hired Dick Tomey as football coach at SJSU in 2005. Tomey was a retread at the time and ended up 25-35 with the Spartans.

TBD:
-hired Mike Norvell as football coach. Norvell is just one year into the job. He was disliked by much of the ASU fan base, but that could be just another example of the truism that every team's fan base hates its OC, as the ASU offense was usually very productive under Norvell.
-also note that he did not hire Justin Fuente.

I don't care:
-that he went to ND. These guys are all highly paid professionals who want to enhance their own resumes and are going to want to succeed wherever they are working. For example, Alabama's new AD, Greg Byrne, became a star leading the Arizona athletic program. He's a graduate of ASU.

On balance, I'd have some concern about this pick. He doesn't have a very promising track record of hirings, and the Tubby Smith pick at Memphis seems like it's going to go south very fast. On the other hand, he's coming from an athletics-first type school in Memphis, and while he obviously needs to grasp the big picture at BC, perhaps his outsider's perspective can help him challenge the malaise that has recently surrounded BC sports by convincing Father Leahy and the BOT to better support athletics.

@timstwrt said...

If you've heard someone else's name, why aren't you mentioning it?

Geezer eagle said...

Well written opinion piece, Downtown.

JERZeagle said...

AJ TURNER LEAVING

TC FOR AD

ADDAZIO FOR AD

JIM CHRISTIAN FOR AD

Hario said...

lord turner -- how did batesy get away with giving christian a 1 year extension

EL MIZ said...

Christian's recruiting, by year:

2014 - diallo (transfer)
2015 - turner (transfer), milon (transfer), sbt (transfer), meznieks (not ACC caliber, should transfer), JROB
2016 - graves (transfer), sagay, popovic, bowman
2017 - kraljevic

so after 4 offseasons with all the scholarship horsepowder a coach could possibly have, Christian has seen 5 players transfer and will go into next season with a grand total of five scholarship players (assuming my math is right - robinson, bowman, sagay, popovic, kral). an unparalleled and unmitigated disaster. the fact that Christian got extended after the school's worst season gets more hilarious by the day.

what are the odds this is only the first of several this offseason? who would want to play for this coach and school?

JERZeagle said...

El Miz. There is only one thing you can say: TC FOR AD

EL MIZ said...

JERZ - assuming TC is "Tom Coughlin", why is that the only thing i can say? doesn't make any sense to me - Coughlin just accepted a cushy gig in Jacksonville and has no experience in an athletic department. he has not expressed, as far as i know, any interest in being an AD. what am i missing?

canttakeit said...

Sorry but i have heard all season that Robinson is going too. Add Mezniek and they can play pickup in the plex for practice

canttakeit said...

Nobody wants the ad job because of Lahey. He should appoint himself.

CT said...

The 11:01 post is a fail. But great effort.

Turner's transfer means more symbolically than in production. Though he was pretty inconsistent and prone to disappear for stretches, this is telling. Sad stuff.

canttakeit said...

Sagay is a walk on (preferred) might as well give him a scholarship he will probably be playing 30 minutes a game

JERZeagle said...

El miz! I just meant it as, bc sports is so hilarious right now, that in general, the only thing I have to say on the matter is something even more preposterous: "TC FOR AD"

Unknown said...

Sagay is not a walk on

Bravesbill said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
knucklehead said...

The "11:01 comment is a fail," is a douche comment.