Using an Executive Search firm is not a big deal

BC engaged Collegiate Sports Associates' founder Todd Turner to run the Executive Search for our new Athletic Director. This sparked some indignation from some BC fans. Most were upset at the notion that the firm that employs Brad Bates is involved, but others view the whole exercise as a waste of money. I think the whole kerfuffle is silly.

1. COVID-19 makes a search that much harder and an Executive Search firm fills in some gaps. These firms can do a lot of the due diligence on candidates that BC doesn't have the time or resources to perform under current circumstances. Because of travel challenges and budget issues, BC can't do a private jet tour meeting all the potential folks interested in the job. The candidate pool will have to be funneled down via calls/zooms and past relationships. That's what CSA/Turner will do.

2. All the big College Sports Search firms are conflicted in one way or another. For better or worse, College Sports is a small, fraternal business. You don't want to work with a company that employs Brad Bates? Fine, the next in line is one that employs Gene DeFilippo. Or maybe we should use the one that UCLA just used to hire away our AD! Or the one that gave us an AD who left after three years. There is no ideal. But Turner has lots of ACC connections and Bates can add background to the BC position that not many can.

3. This is different from the football search. Jarmond proudly replaced Addazio without using a search firm. It was a shroud move. However, it was a different circumstance from this search. Jarmond had a long time to research candidates before the season even began. Plus he was looking from a much more narrow pool of eligible candidates. Father Leahy and the Board shouldn't be expected to know all the mid-level ADs around the country or people from the sports or business world who might be a good fit. There are hundreds of potential candidates. Jarmond only had to research a few dozen and even then probably had four or five that he really liked.

4. The money is not wasteful. I don't know the specifics of the Turner deal, but assume at a minimum that BC will be paying over six figures for their services. It is likely much higher than that. But given the Athletic Department money at stake, this is not a waste. The new AD will have to make the call on millions of dollars of spending (and likely spending cuts). He or she will be critical to the University's future marketing and growth plan. The money spent on the search can be justified, especially if it is done in a professional manner.

5. BC makes the final decision, not the search firm. There is a perception that Brad Bates used a search firm for the Jim Christian search and that the firm basically picked BC's coach. You can debate if that is a fair recollection, but I don't think it would ever apply to anything Father Leahy signs off on. Whoever Turner identifies as the ideal candidate, it won't just be rubber stamped by Leahy. That's just not the way he has worked with our last AD searches. So don't worry about the firms influence. This will be Leahy and the Board's call.

Hiring in general is a bit of a crap shoot. If the search firm improves your odds that much more, it is worth it. BC fans should not focus on the firm. They should focus on who we hire.

Bates officially out

The long-discussed and often rumored situation with Brad Bates is finally official. He will step down this summer when his contract ends. Per the BC release, he will go into consulting. I will have much more on this in the coming days, but Bates' tenure will go down as a failure. While he avoided scandal, his inability to adapt to the BC culture or establish a clear one of his own, his failure to raise significant money and his curious and questionable hiring decisions have led to this moment.

BC has a lot of options going forward. And while this is just officially news now, many of the candidates and players have known this was coming. It will be interesting to see who emerges. My guess is that BC will hire someone with clear ties to the school and a clear track record raising money.

Best of luck to Brad Bates. He seemed like a nice guy. Just the wrong one for this job. 

Is this guy going to get Brad Bates a new job?

This is Todd Turner. He runs a college search firm that places high level athletic personnel, including Athletic Directors. He was also the Athletic Director at Vanderbilt when Brad Bates was there. If you read between the lines, it appears he's helping out his former protege again.

This summer when Turner ran the Athletic Director search for Missouri, he presented Bates as a candidate. Now Blauds is reporting that Bates is in the mix for the San Diego State opening. Guess who is running their search? Yep, it is Todd Turner. (The fact that San Diego State only has an opening because Turner landed their old AD at Mizzou is an entirely different topic altogether.)

Bates could have spun taking the Mizzou job as a step up. It is an SEC school, a flagship state university and more money. San Diego State -- even with BC's current issues -- would be a step back. It is not a Power 5 school and not as big a department. But for Bates it might seem like a nice landing spot given his contract situation. What happens to Bates if BC doesn't extend him and San Diego State doesn't hire him? No big deal. Turner will just float his name for the next search he runs.

Looking at Bates' football hires while at Miami (OH)

Hiring is tough in any profession. It is even tougher in sports because your hires are so public, as are the results. Even the best Athletic Directors like Louisville Tom Jurich or Florida's Jeremy Foley get it wrong sometimes. Also you can have a good process and hire the wrong coach or have a bad process and luck into a great coach (think of Jerry York at BC). But if you are repeatedly making bad hires, you probably shouldn't be the one making more hires. That brings me to Brad Bates.

Bates has done many things as an Athletic Directer at Miami of Ohio and Boston College. He's also hired dozens of coaches and even more staffers. But his challenges with finding good football coaches remains disconcerting. Addazio still may turn things around, but given track records, I don't know if I trust Brad Bates to handle the football hiring and firing.

We all know about Addazio, so let's look at the three coaches he hired at Miami of Ohio. The MAC school had a great history of developing coaches and winning football. It had even been nicknamed the "Cradle of Coaches." Sid Gillman, Woody Hayes, Ara Parseghian, and Bo Schembechler all coached there. That history creates great opportunities for an AD. Many young assistants would gladly jump at the chance to learn in the place that molded all those previous legends. In fact, the two head coaches prior to Bates' arrival were Randy Walker and Hoeppner. Both left Miami of Ohio with winning records and both got hired away by Big Ten schools where they continued their successes. (Both also died at their next stops, which is an unfortunate coincidence.) Being the AD at Miami of Ohio would seemingly be a dream. Any time you had a football opening, you could tap some of the best and brightest assistants around.

Now I don't know all the politics or issues involved with each decision. Nor do I know exactly how much autonomy Bates had each time, but from afar it seems like he followed the young up and comer model. Also note the win percentages of Walker (.621) and Hoeppner (.657) before Bates' series of coaches took over.

Shane Montgomery -- Four Seaons: 17-31. .357 win percentage
What happened: This seemed like the classic case of hiring the guy who is there in an effort to keep the good times rolling. Montgomery had been a critical part of Hoeppner's staff and credited with developing Ben Roethlisberger as a first round pick. Bates hired him right before their Bowl game when Hoeppner was out the door to Indiana. Miami's own recap of the situation even speaks to it being a surprise move:

In an unprecedented move, Miami University Director of Athletics Brad Bates made a locker room announcement in front of a national television audience prior to the playing of the 2004 Independence Bowl, naming then-offensive coordinator Shane Montgomery head coach of Miami's venerable football program.

Whether he was too young or it came too soon or the challenge of finding another Big Ben, Montgomery had one winning season and three losing ones. He is now as assistant at Youngstown State.

Mike Haywood -- Two Seasons: 10-15. .400 win percentage
What happened: I don't know where to start with the Mike Haywood situation. You could almost call it a successful hire with a major, major asterisks. Following firing Montgomery, Bates hired Haywood from Notre Dame where he served as Charlie Weis' OC. Prior to being on Weis' staff, Haywood was on Mack Brown's at Texas. He was considered one of the next big things. On paper, he was perfect for Miami of Ohio. His first season was terrible (1-11), but his second season saw a huge turnaround (9-4). Haywood leveraged that success into the job at Pitt. As you might know, he never coached a game at Pitt. From the ESPN article:

Pittsburgh fired football coach Mike Haywood on Saturday, saying he could not continue in the job he held for only 2½ weeks because of his arrest on a domestic violence charge.
Haywood was released Saturday from St. Joseph County Jail in Indiana on $1,000 cash bond, said an officer at the jail who declined to give her name, after the charge was upgraded from a misdemeanor to felony domestic battery in the presence of a minor.

Bates is professionally lucky that Haywood's arrest came only two weeks after he left Miami. I don't know if Bates gets the BC job, if that happened on his watch. I know an AD can't monitor the behavior of all his employees 24/7, but it speaks to the need for due diligence in the process. An AD needs to ask all the tough questions and turn over every rock. For better or worse the football coach is often the face of the university. The only defense Bates has of this hire is that Pitt made the same mistakes. Even with the off-the-field issues, Haywood left Miami with a losing record.

 Don Treadwell -- Three Seasons: 8-21. .275 win percentage
What happened: Treadwell was Bates' last football hire before coming to BC. The former TOB assistant came back to his Alma mater after a successful run as Offensive Coordinator at Michigan State. Even going back to his BC days, Treadwell always participated in different programs and workshops designed for black assistants to become head coaches. Getting the Miami job seemed like the next step and a good hire on paper. It didn't work out. His first two seasons saw identical 4-8 records and then, after he started 0-5 in Year 3, they fired him.

I don't know all the challenges at Miami or each coach's issues -- other than not winning enough. Maybe Bates was just unlucky or maybe he can't see that subjective "it" that happens when you put the right guy in the right place at the right time. Since Bates has been gone, Miami's latest football coach Chuck Martin has failed to turn things around. (Martin is now 5-25 at Miami.) Maybe -- like BC -- they need to address why they continue to struggle given their rich history. But every AD is going to face institutional challenges. The good ones work around those challenges and find the right coach.

BC announces series with Mizzou

A week after the ACC finally clarified its future scheduling format, BC made a move to bolster its own future schedule. Brad Bates scheduled a home and home series with Mizzou. The games will take place in 2021 (at Alumni) and 2024 (in Columbia). While this might be the least exciting potential SEC opponent, this is still a great move and hopefully a sign of things to come.

Considering the ACC and SEC are sticking with eight games while the Big XII, Big Ten and Pac 12 play nine conference games, I think there will be plenty of SEC teams in BC's future. Teams from both conferences will be looking for decent non-conference, Power 5 matchups and both sides will have plenty of openings. We are unlikely to see Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, or South Carolina, since all already have permanent non-conference Power 5 opponents. However, nearly all the other SEC teams are options. If I were Brad Bates, I would schedule Alabama now. There is no way that Saban is still coaching there in 2025 and beyond. Hell, it is highly unlikely that Bates will be BC's AD in 2025. Might as well look like you've done something big -- schedule the nation's best program -- and leave some other BC administration and coaching staff to actually play the games.

As for Missouri, who knows what they will be like when we play them. They are not good now, but have had plenty of recent success. Traditionally they are a mediocre major conference program. They are the type of team we traditionally can and should compete with. I've never been to a game in Columbia, so I don't know if it will be an exciting trip. Their gameday reputation doesn't come with the expectations of LSU or Ole Miss. But the game matters more than the destination.

Now that the Power 5 aspect of our schedule is filling up, I hope Bates improves the other slots. All FCS opponents should be based in New England or Catholic. That is the only way to generate interest (and justify) those opponents. As soon as Holy Cross is at its full compliment of scholarships, they should be our FCS opponent four out of five years. As for the mid-majors, it is all about our alumni and recruiting. Find programs where we can recruit in their backyard (like Ohio) or where we have local fans (California). 

I know smart scheduling helps build a program. We are pretty close to that now with regards to future Power 5s. Now we just need smart football coaching. 

How many Clemson fans were at Alumni?

BC listed Friday's game as a sellout. The stadium didn't look completely full, but something was noticeable: all the orange.

More orange than maroon and gold tonight. Pathetic crowd and mostly Clemson @bcatleagle pic.twitter.com/bQXOMdWxDB

— Chris Eidt (@cjeidt) October 7, 2016

@bcatleagle pic.twitter.com/7mFEbt8brN

— PanickyFloyd (@PanickyFloyd) October 8, 2016

Clemson fans are known for travelling and I don't begrudge them. They're great people and I've always enjoyed interacting with them. This is also not the first time they've traveled in droves to Alumni. What made this trip different is that they were not limited to the traditional "visitors" sections (Lower East corner on the Beacon St. side, small section of north endzone, and upperdeck endzone). This time they were everywhere. The Tiger fans were sitting in BC fans' seats. This meant that BC fans either resold their tickets like never before, or the season ticket base has dwindled much more than BC has let on and BC sold all those traditional "BC" seats.

I understand why Clemson fans wanted to be there. Boston is a great trip and the team is in the middle of a great run. What Brad Bates and BC should worry about is why didn't more BC fans want to be there. We've been big underdogs at home before (think back to some of those Miami games or during the Spaz years). But big name opponents still brought out BC fans. Now they either don't care or are so turned off by the gameday experience and product on the field that they would rather stay home.

The remaining home games are such that I don't think you'll see visitors take over Alumni again this year. I just hope BC fans start to show up.

How safe is Addazio?

After last week, it didn't take long for some BC fans to build FireDaz.com. At this point I am not onboard with a coaching change and think that Addazio is relatively safe. Unless we go winless in the ACC again, I don't see Brad Bates making a change. 

Some frustrated BC fans will claim that the money owed to Addazio makes him too expensive to fire. That's not the issue. BC has to view the contract as a sunk cost and every miserable season that he is kept on would lead to lost Football revenue, harder fundraising and fewer applications. It becomes too expensive to keep losing, despite what he might still be owed. 

But money won't be the primary factor. I think it is more about Bates' power or lack there of. Because it was his first and most high-profile move, Bates is tied to Addazio. And he hasn't accomplished enough at BC to be viewed as anything other than the guy who hired Addazio and Christian. Bates benefits by giving Addazio more time. If, and only if, Addazio turns things around, will Bates earn back the trust with fans and BC leadership. If Addazio continues to struggle, no one around BC will want Bates searching for another coach.

If Addazio can't win more this year, I think it will be Bates who is fired (or not renewed, however you want to view it). It would then be up to Bates replacement to evaluate Addazio after five years and set the new direction for BC Football. 

So get used to Addazio. I think he's going to be around another year or longer.

Bates needs to step up on ACC's Championship Game change

(I thought about avoiding this subject because the HB2 issue is bound to stir up both sides. But my point in this post is about BC AD Brad Bates.)

The ACC announced they will move the ACC Championship Game from Charlotte to another location outside the state. The Conference is following the NCAA's decision to move championships due to the state's HB2 law limiting civil rights protections for LGBT individuals. Speculation is that in the short term the game will move to Orlando. I think the move from Charlotte is a missed opportunity. Instead of going to another city where people really won't care about the ACC Championship Game, the ACC should use this change to move the games on campus. Who is the man to lead the on campus movement? Brad Bates!

While the on campus game has been used by other conferences and considered by the ACC, I know it is unlikely to happen now. Some location will make it financially worthwile and the ACC will continue to play a neutral game...and half the stadium will be empty. That is why I prefer an on campus game. If any ACC team hosted a Championship on campus it would sell out. Even at Alumni. It would look good on TV and the crowd would be a factor. Is the little extra money from a host city worth an inferior TV product and memorable setting? With so many ACC tickets unsold or given away, I think financially a home game could come close to the gate revenue in Charlotte.

If Brad Bates were a good politician, he could move the conversation that way. Because BC is a non-factor this year, his opinions wouldn't be based on benefiting his team this season. However, establishing an on campus precedent could benefit BC down the road. Our fanbase is never going to travel en-mass to an ACC Championship Game. Having it in Alumni would be different. It could potentially be the biggest moment in BC Football history. Even if this is a fool's errand, I would still like to hear that Bates is trying something among his fellow ADs. He's never listed as one of the influencers or leaders.

This is all wishful thinking on my part. The game is going to Florida and no one will really care, including BC's Athletic Department.

Christian's extension doesn't really matter

BC upset a few fans when word leaked out that the school extended Jim Christian's contract one more year. The angry fans questioned extending a guy coming off a terrible season. The apologists said that the extension is needed for recruiting purposes. My reaction is that none of it matters.

The contract is just money. If you are a fan or donor, you could argue that it is "your money" paying the salary, but that is not really how it works. TV and shoes drive a lot of Christian's deal. It certainly isn't ticket sales. By 2020 -- when the deal ends -- we will know if Christian is capable of rebuilding this wreck or if he's a bum. If he's capable, the extension is a bargain. If he's a bum, it is just the cost of doing business. 

The contract extension is really just another turning point for Brad Bates. He's really on the line for this. If Christian flames out, it is Bates who will be answering questions...and it will probably be someone else making the next hire.

I would have preferred that BC took a stand and let Christian coach without the extension, but I am not losing sleep over any of it. BC's leaders only take stands when it fits their agendas. Right now they want Christian to succeed, so they are going through the usual motions. Let's hope it pays off. 

ACC AD Musical Chairs

Do you remember Mike Bobinski? His name was floated for the BC opening when we hired Bates. Since then, he left Xavier to take over Georgia Tech. Wednesday, word got out that he's leaving Tech after just a few years to become Athletic Director at Purdue. This is important for BC since Bobinski was one of the big proponents of the ACC playing two Power 5 teams out of conference annually. Aside from the logistical nightmare and questionable business strategy for the new ACC Network, Bobinski's exit probably means the new out of conference mandate is probably dead.

However, Bobinski's departure does raise the issue of Brad Bates' tenure. Bates is a Midwest guy with Big Ten connections. Why wasn't he mentioned for the Purdue job? His name was floated by Blauds for the Mizzou job, yet they went with a less experienced AD. After Michigan passed on bringing Bates back to Ann Arbor, you have to wonder how long Bates will be at BC.

When he was hired, I predicted a short run at BC for Bates. I figured this was his final preparation for the Michigan job and that BC wouldn't mind a short tenure after Gene overstayed his welcome. Now that he's not gaining traction for other openings, I think Bates may be at BC for a while. He's nearing the end of his original deal, so some sort of decision is needed. The conference is more stable, so there are fewer pressing issues there. The major projects remain fundraising and executing the practice facility and the baseball/softball transition. While Bates' hires have left a lot to be desired and his fundraising hasn't generated a massive windfall, there is no pressing reason not to renew him. I imagine a generic announcement and a multi-year extension will come soon. Or maybe BC will wait it out and see how Addazio and Christian do this year. Why not? No one else is coming to take Bates away.

What Syracuse's AD means for BC

Earlier this week, Syracuse hired former ESPN executive John Wildhack as their new Athletic Director. From an ACC and BC perspective, this is good news. Now as we design and negotiate new TV deals, we have a level of expertise unmatched by any other major conference. Wildhack understands ESPN in a way that few could. Hopefully, he also leads the charge in the every evolving ACC Network.

While hiring someone without any previous Athletic Department experience comes with risk, I applaud Syracuse for trying something new. Although non-traditional names were floated after GDF, Brad Bates was a safe and traditional candidate. The jury is still out on his success, but it seems pretty clear he is not going to make any major changes while in charge nor take any big risk. I hope that BC soon reaches a level of stability, so that when it comes time to replace Bates, BC can look beyond the traditional and make a hire like Syracuse just did.

Stanford added to future schedules

The good news is that BC scheduled another Power 5 series. The bad news is that it is more than a decade away. When BC plays Stanford in 2028 and 2029, both schools will be very different and very likely playing under different coaches.

This is a step in the right direction on many fronts. Stanford is a good role model on how an Athletic Department should look. We have legions of fans in California who will jump at the chance to see a game in person. Even with potential coaching changes down the road, adding Stanford helps BC's perception. We can sell this type of scheduling to the media and recruits.

My doubt about the series is still in effect. If the ACC adds a ninth game, this series could be in trouble. If the Power 5 break off, this series could be in jeopardy. Future football coaches and ADs from both schools might not want to play the game.

Brad Bates deserves credit for signing the deal. Now let's hope this one stays and we get more schedule quality in the coming seasons.

Globe's critique of BC hits and misses

The whispered about Boston Globe takedown of BC Sports came out Saturday night. As someone who wants the pressure turned up for this terrible year, I welcome the harsh spotlight. Leahy, Bates and the Board of Trustees are all assigned levels of blame in the article. However, the lengthy post inflates some issues, doesn't provide a clear picture of how we got here, and doesn't point to real solutions.

Race and BC Sports?

I was surprised by how much attention was paid to race in the piece. While BC does currently lack a minority head coach, the school employed two different African-American basketball coaches, an Asian-American baseball coach and has had various racial minority and homosexual staffers on teams and in the administration. While the school can always do better, I don't see the correlation between the current losing and race. Is race and Boston used against BC in recruiting basketball and football? Sure. But so is the cold. So is geography. So are dorm rooms and training tables. Race was used against BC basketball recruits when we had an African-American coach. Other schools will use whatever they can when trying to dissuade a potential student. A good coaching staff can recruit over any obstacles. It just forces them to find their niche.

The role of Leahy, the Board, Gene D and Bates

I don't expect the Globe to get into all the minutia of how we got here, but you have to question their understanding when they quote so heavily from Gene DeFilippo. He screwed things up and poisoned the well with some donors and fans, but he can't be blamed for Addazio and Christian. Those hires were during the Bates era. Both had rebuilds because of Gene's hires, but both hit shocking lows this year. I don't think great coaches would have sunk so low. I expect both to recover and return BC to some relative respectability, but both were exposed this year. They look to be mediocre at best and that goes to the man who hired them.

Brad Bates knew this article was coming and got out in front of it with an email to BC fans and donors. The email didn't reference the Globe, but it did say that he and BC weren't happy with our losing. At this point there is not much Bates can do other than support his guys and hope they succeed. If they don't, Bates won't be hiring their replacements. Bates also needs to double down on fundraising and getting the facilities built. That is where he can make a difference and that is where he has fallen short of the much maligned Gene D.

Unlike many, I don't think Leahy is major issue. He's empowers his ADs and doesn't get in the way. Could he do more? I guess, but I don't want a President who is focused on the Xs and Os of sports or breathing down the AD's neck. Leahy should be raising money and giving the programs the support they need. Where I feel he has lacked is with facilities. That has been somewhat addressed with the recent announcement but it is still late and questionable as to when this whole thing will actually get done. Leahy is nearing retirement, and his replacement will be a big issue. And that issue will fall to the Board.

I don't talk to any Board members on a regular basis, but the general reputation is that they don't care about BC Sports. I hope the recent negative attention forces them to pay more attention. If they don't realize the importance sports played in BC's past and the importance it will serve in the future, they are probably not fit to be on BC's Board.

How to fix things

Winning will fix most of BC's problems. Attendance and fund raising will improve. Morale will improve. Admissions will improve. So that leads back to Bates, Addazio and Christian. As much as I think all three are mediocre, I don't want anyone fired any time soon. It is not that I think they deserve more time, it is more about BC lacking a plan or the vision to boldly replace any of them. For now the best path -- other than a stunning turnaround -- is to hope for marginal improvement to the point where BC can make a less disruptive change. Firing Addazio or Christian now -- while still under the decision making of Bates, Leahy and the current BOT -- would probably lead to more mediocre hires tasked with another disruptive rebuild.

It's over

The worst season in BC Basketball history came to an end Tuesday afternoon with the Eagles lost to Florida State in the ACC Tournament. BC looked good early, but foul trouble, lack of rebounding and some bad D allowed Florida State to pull away. Normally I would say something about the seniors or mention some coaching issues, but come on. What's the point? Christian sort of threw in the towel when Clifford fouled out. Why should we care?

There are rumblings of a Globe story focusing on BC sports coming out this weekend. I don't know how much of the alleged feature will focus on basketball, but this season's failure is not confirmation that BC cannot win. This was always going to be a transition year and a likely low point. Despite early gossip of the team's collective talent, it clearly never came together. Throw in some bad breaks, bad efforts and too much norovirus and you have the Season from Hell.

It will be interesting to see how Christian deals with this collapse. I hope he buckles down, finds more talent and does a better job bringing them together. I don't advocate firing a coach after just two seasons, but this year is a huge warning sign that he might be a terrible fit. Next year needs major progress and improvement.

0-for

BC lost their final regular season basketball game Saturday. That's not really the story. The bigger issue is that the lost completed a winless ACC slate for BC Football and BC basketball this year. Like Football, there is plenty of bad luck and inherited problems to explain the season. But there was also bad coaching.

I don't think we are doomed forever, but I do think that this has exposed Christian. Do elite coaches go winless in conference play? Probably not. He may get us back to respectability, but he's not special. He's not winning it all and probably not winning the ACC. I can say that because a great coach would not have let things get this bad.

The losses are on Christian but having Addazio and Christian fail like this in the same year is on Brad Bates. He hired two mediocre coaches. You can give them friendly schedules, good assistant budgets and more recruiting resources, but you can't coach the game for them. Both of Bates' picks have shown major limitations in how they run their teams and the ACC records echo those limitations.

Bates can't get these teams out of their respective holes. It is too late for that. Both coaches need (and will get) time. And if they don't improve, Bates won't be hiring their replacements.

I think things will get better and will spend the offseason writing about it. I hope the embarrassment of this year creates a stir within BC's Board and Senior leadership. We cannot fire Bates, Addazio and Christian tomorrow, but we can address how we can improve BC sports and what our plan should be if the coaches don't improve.

Historical perspective on BC's terrible year

With only a few games left, expect more and more coverage of our season. The reason: BC's chance to make history. If BC fails to win a conference game, BC will be the first team since the 1976-77 TCU teams. To loss this much, you have to be really bad and really unlucky.

BC's next game is Saturday against a suddenly hot Georgia Tech team.

BC finally announces facilities improvements

The long, long promised sports facilities improvements finally saw the light of day. BC announced a $200 million dollar project for a new recreation center, new baseball/softball complex and the field house a.k.a. the Indoor Practice Facility. The timing off it all is interesting and certainly prompted some cynicism from frustrated fans, but overall this is good news.

The Money
While all the money is yet to be raised, enough of it has been committed to go forward with the projects. That's a big deal since that eliminates one big hurdle.

The Field House
BC was the lone ACC school without an Indoor Practice Facility. Something had to be done and now we have a step forward. Addazio can sell this on the recruiting trail and we can pump it up to the press. The lingering question mark is when the facility will actually break ground. As with all building projects in Boston, this will require plenty of hoops to jump through. The hope is that by going public, having the money and keeping it well within BC's current athletic footprint, it can move fast. Bates is going to owe football fans and recruits a true timeline on this soon.

Baseball has a future
The actual baseball component of this complex was announced years ago, but sat in limbo for a variety of reasons. The good news is that this announcement means the school is committed to having a baseball team for the near future.

The new recreation center
Every BC student of the last 25 years has heard that the Plex is going away. Like the Mods, the old building kept surviving. Now it seems like there is finally the funds and the willingness to modernize the recreational options. This won't impact the major sports, but will improve the day to day of the normal BC student.

Bates still needs a plan for Conte and to show that he can get this from renderings to actual ground breaking, but I am happy that there is finally some progress.

Going right past rock bottom

I had a conflict Sunday night and missed watching the basketball game live. When the night began I really thought I was going to miss my one chance to watch BC win an ACC game this year. I should have known better. BC Basketball embarrassed themselves again, losing to Wake 74-48. I don't know how the players feel, but Christian and Bates should both be worried. Either this team gave up or is very untalented. Neither excuse offers much hope for the future.

Is there a win left on the schedule? I doubt it.

As for how to fix this, (other than finding a miracle recruit), Christian has recruiting specialists, but now he needs to find an assistant coach who can install an offense. BC can't score for long, long stretches. That problem is not going to fix itself.

National Media mocking BC

Wow. College Game Day being vocal about Boston College Bball and Fball. #notgood pic.twitter.com/oopqok3xgM

— NORTHEAST GRIDIRON (@Gridiron_Promo) February 20, 2016

They say that there is no such thing as bad publicity. BC is testing that theory this year. College Gameday took time on their show Saturday to highlight BC's potential embarrassing path. This is why BC's game against Wake is so important. The Deacons are not good and are shorthanded. They remain favored, but BC can win this game. Even if you don't care for Christian or Bates, hope for a win just to avoid more nonsense like this.

Why one ACC win matters

It is only one game, but the difference between 0-18 in ACC play and 1-17 is huge. As of Thursday night, there are only two Power 5 teams who are winless in their respective league play: BC and Rutgers. I don't know or care if Rutgers can pull out a win in the Big Ten. But I do care if BC can. Any BC fan should care. 

There are plenty of excuses for BC's terrible season. Christian dealt with youth and injuries and gaping holes in the roster he inherited. The competitiveness of the conference is also unprecedented. Even Duke is clawing for conference wins. Yet that doesn't let Christian off the hook. Pulling out or even lucking into a win, would be a sign that this team has mental toughness, a smidgen of ACC talent and a coach who can make the right call in a close game. Christian needs to show he can persevere through this low point. 

The other person that needs a basketball win is Brad Bates. Going winless in basketball and football in one year would be a huge black-eye for the program. It would invite the critics and national media to say that BC doesn't belong in the ACC. These are Brad Bates' hand-picked coaches. Both coaches bottoming out at the same time, raises numerous questions about Bates' decisions in hiring and supporting these two coaches. 

I still think BC will pull one out. We've seen how it can happen. We just need a few things to break our way and for Christian to make a few right calls. I worry that if he cannot make the right calls in a close game when we stink, can he make the right calls when we get good again.