You've got to watch Addazio's C21 talk

In April, Addazio took part in BC's Agape Latte series that is part of the school's Church in the 21st Century movement. He touches on all sorts of issues of his faith and how faith and Catholicism is so intertwined into the Boston College community. But that's not what makes the lecture a must see.

What I found fascinating starts a little after the 11:00 mark. For the first time Addazio confirms that he was scheduled to interview at BC until his knee infection kept him from getting to Boston. As we know, Gene promoted Spaz and wasted everyone's time for the next four seasons. Spaz taking over always seemed fait accompli, but Addazio's missed interview will remain a big "what if" moment for BC fans. If he got the job then, Addazio probably keeps Tuggle at QB and runs a spread offense from Day 1. Our offensive line probably would have maintained its tradition of excellence. I think it is safe to say recruiting would have been better. I don't know what we would have done on Defense. Even if Addazio had wowed Gene in a face-to-face interview, I bet keeping Spaz would have been a condition of the job. Think of how differently things would be now if we were in Year 5 of Addazio and not coming off back to back losing seasons. Addazio might not turn out to be our savior now, but I think he would have outperformed Spaz.

So enjoy the lecture. Addazio is good in this setting and you can see how his personality connects with people. Even if you are not interested in his faith, the football aspects and the BC aspects are still worth your time.

What would Spaz need to do to hold on?

I've been speculating about new coaches all summer, but what if Spaz actually pulls through? Crystal Ball Run thinks it could happen. Ultimately it will come down to our record. In my opinion, this is how it would play out. Let me know your thoughts in the comments.

4-8 or worse...
Spaz is gone. Back to back 8 loss seasons would be too much. The diehards are already calling for his head. Another embarrassing and hard to watch season would kill goodwill among the casual BC fans.

8-4 or better...
Spaz is safe. We have the talent and the schedule to be this good. I don't think it will happen, but if it does we will see Year 5 of the Spaz era.

6 or 7 wins...
Spaz "retires." He gets his money. He gets to go out with a winning record. He saves face. This is probably the best outcome for everyone.

5-7...
This is the unknown in my opinion. I could see the powers that be wanting to keep him one more year. Especially if we end on a high note.

Coaches to Watch this fall Part 3: Current Defensive Coordinators

Since everyone has Spaz on the Hotseat List, now is as good a time as any to look at future BC head coaching candidates. Unlike our past profile series, the timing and style on these posts will be a little different. Instead of being weeks or days away from a potential change, we have the benefit of a whole season to evaluate these guys. Some stocks will rise, while others will fall and it will make our usual scoreboard watching that much more interesting.

BC has turned to college coordinators in the past to step up as Head Coach. While there is risk with any hire, the nice thing about a rising coordinator is that they've usually proven themselves adapt at one phase of the game and you have the chance to hire the next great football mind. Plus most coordinators come in hungry and hard working, looking to make the most of their first chance as a head coach. Because Spaz is a a defensive coach, I am sure BC fans will want a replacement with an offensive background, but that doesn't mean we should overlook these guys.

Pat Narduzzi
Defensive Coordinator, Michigan State
Until Bruce Feldman dropped his name as a Spaz replacement, I don't think many BC fans were even thinking about Narduzzi. On paper he's a very solid candidate. He's got BCS experience at Michigan State. The Spartans love him and recently gave him a huge raise. While they haven't been elite, I like what Michigan State has done under Dantonio (and Narduzzi). They overachieve given their talent base and work hard on the recruting front. Because of his stops in Cincinnati and growing up in northeast Ohio, Narduzzi has ties to our important midwest recruiting territories. What I like most about him as a candidate is his time at Rhode Island. I don't think our new head coach needs ties to BC, but I do think it helps if he comes in with an understanding of what BC is and can be. If you've coached at URI, you know what New England football is like. You know about the difference in fan interest and the space crunch BC is under. And you'll know that BC can be successful with the right coaching.
What to Watch for in 2012: How high Narduzzi's profile rises. He interviewed for head coaching jobs last year. If Michigan State continues to improve and Narduzzi earns more accolades, other schools will have interest.

Mark Stoops
Defensive Coordinator, Florida State
Normally I would worry about the fit of a guy like Stoops. He's coming from a football factory. His last name brings some good and bad baggage. But I do think there are some strong pluses in his candidacy at BC. Like Narduzzi, Stoops has deep ties to the Ohio Catholic high school circuit. He also has a good understanding of the ACC landscape after stops in Miami and Florida State. His FSU defenses still begin with the 4-3, so he could take our current roster and install his own system. Although the Stoops name isn't a household name in Boston, his track record, name and personality would be an easy sell to the BC faithful.
What to Watch for in 2012: How Florida State handles their expectations. If this is the year they finally return to being "Florida State" Stoops will get much of the credit and be a hot name. Even if they are good, not great, he's still viable at BC.

Manny Diaz
Defensive Coordinator, Texas
Due to his unusual path into coaching and his sudden rise, Diaz is a very hot name among coordinators. Aside from his time coaching at other ACC schools, there's not much tying him to BC. But I think his ability to recruit, his Xs and Os and the ability to be the face of the program deserve consideration. Diaz is young, but serving as a coordinator at Texas is a good proving ground. Mack Brown is in CEO mode, so his coordinators do much of the heavy lifting. It's great preparation for making the jump to head coach.
What to Watch for in 2012: TOB's potential retirement. Diaz is one of the names on many NC State wish lists. If TOB steps down, some in their fan base will make a big push for Diaz to return to Raleigh.

Bob Diaco
Defensive Coordinator, Notre Dame
Diaco is one of the most relentless recruiters in college football. If he took over at BC, I think we could upgrade our talent quickly. The New Jersey native has plenty of ACC experience and has recruited at schools with academic restrictions. I don't love his scheme (3-4) and have a few concerns about his defenses being good but never dominant. But he would be a very good fit at BC and worth the risk.
What to Watch for in 2012: An Irish implosion. Although his seat is not as hot as Spaz's, Kelly needs to win this year. If he's fired, we can't hire his fired defensive coordinator. The perception would be terrible among fans and recruits.

Keep fighting the good fight Lax diehards!

AJ's tweet brought the following comments on BC's Facebook page to my attention. After BC posted an update on the new field, Gene and Spaz's critics took to Facebook to vent. The usual complaints about both guys, tailgating and the state of the program filled the discussion. But what stood out to me was one simple comment from Connor Wilson: "bring back lacrosse."  I don't share the BC Lax community's mission, but I respect their passion. Lacrosse is never coming back, but that doesn't mean BC shouldn't hear about it every day.

Will BC be one of the more desirable open jobs this season?

While finding the right coach is never easy, timing may help if BC makes a change this offseason. Due to recent coaching changes at other schools, very few elite jobs will be open this fall. For the first time in a long time, BC may be able to bring in an established name.

The supply and demand dynamic of college coaching is fairly unique. If you consider college and NFL assistants, there are literally more than 1,000 qualified coaches for 120 positions. And if you narrow the scope even further, there are only 60 jobs among the five power conferences. The industry is full of hyper-competitive guys looking to get their shot. That is why you still see people risk taking career killing jobs (like Al Golden going to Temple). Everybody wants a chance to be in charge. But if a school like BC doesn't want to take a flyer on an unproven or lessor known assistant, they usually have to wait in line. Because once a good coach gets a good job, he's not going to move unless the next job is clearly better. That pecking order comes into play when BC is looking for a coach at the same time as a power program.

Look at last season as an example. Both Ohio State and Penn State filled openings. Pretty good Pac 12 jobs at UCLA, Arizona and Arizona State all made new hires. UNC -- despite unresolved NCAA issues -- snagged an experienced coach. Plus there were a half a dozen other BCS conference openings filled this past offseason. If BC had made a change then, we probably would have competed for many of those same candidates and lost out.

But the mass changes the past two college football offseasons has created a new hiring cycle. Fewer elite football schools will be making a change this year. Look at the Hot Seat Ranking. What potentially open job is that much better than BC? Tennessee for certain. Maybe Cal. Texas Tech, Oregon State and Indiana may offer more money, but I think we offer a better "fit" for some coaches.

We feel the need to apologize for what BC is as a football school, but a shrewd coach will know what it can be. They see that TOB and Jags won at BC and know that it doesn't take a rocket scientist to win here. Heck, even Spaz has two winning seasons and is over .500 for his career. BC offers low expectations in a low pressure media environment. While not sitting in Florida or Texas, BC has access to decent recruiting territories. You can get enough talent to compete in the ACC. Recruiting is more restrictive than it might be at most BCS schools, but there is a flipside benefit to that. BC kids in general are coachable and hard working. Stanford and Baylor are the most recent examples that with the right guy leading the charge, you can sell academics and recruiting successfully.

The drawbacks to BC...we know them already: facilities, potentially meddlesome AD, smaller fanbase, obstacles to elite recruits, and money. Even though I think BC would pay more for an established name, we are never going to have the highest paid coach in the ACC. Rarely will our coach be in the top half of ACC salaries.

But none of those issues are insurmountable. If a coach wins, better facilities and money will come (see Coughlin, see TOB). Gene's reputation is for being Coach Flip, but I think a rough season from Spaz will neuter some of his power related to football. An established coach will demand more freedom.

Then there is the stepping stone issue. Once a guy wins at BC either other people come calling or the place starts to feel small. That's not going to change. What I hope does change is BC's approach. Let a new guy come in and win. We don't need a lifer or the next TOB. Just leave BC in a better place, give us some exciting football and keep close ties after you're gone. Call it the Tom Coughlin model.

BC makes change with Women's Lax

Laxpower reported that BC has fired Women's Lacrosse coach Bowen Holden. I know very little about Women's Lacrosse so I cannot judge much about Holden's skills or coaching. Although she had a winning record, the team struggled in ACC play.

Like other BC coaching mistakes, Holden was very young and had no prior head coaching experience. I know BC doesn't have big athletic budgets, but there is no reason we cannot find more experienced candidates for our openings. The idea to catch the next great coach before anyone else involves a lot of risk. BC shouldn't have to take that risk. We can bring great coaches to BC.

Feldman on Spaz and other links

Bruce Feldman's Friday Mailbag had a few different BC angles this week. Feldman considers Spaz -- along with Mack Brown -- to have the hottest seats in college football. The less obvious tie to BC comes via Feldman's lead on San Jose State Coach Mike MacIntyre. Bruce predicts MacIntyre will be one of the hot names on the coaching front next year. Could he be a candidate at BC? I don't know, but his past relationship with John DeFilippo won't hurt his chances.

The Orlando Sentinel is the latest publication to think BC will struggle this year. They ranked us 94th overall.

BC target and NJ running back Gerald Towns-Owens already has offers from BC and Rutgers.

In honor of Mother's Day, ESPN posted a feature on Mark Herzlich and his mother.

Spaz & Gene: perfecting pettiness

Spaz and Gene deserve each other. The BC community deserves better. I would say the Montel Harris story broke the camel's back, but the camel gave up long ago. We like to joke about Spaz's game management skills, but his people skills are the real problem. He's run off loyal long-time staffers and thrown multiple players under the bus. It was so predictable that he would run off at least one formerly loyal role model player, that Eagle Outsider posters created a pool about the topic back in March. This is supposed to the head coach that values loyalty. But loyalty is subjective. If Spaz was so loyal wouldn't he have followed TOB to NC State? Wouldn't he have been loyal to Jags? Or was his loyalty really just to Gene (which is all that mattered to Gene)? Montel kept our offense afloat during Spaz's first two winning seasons and what did he get for it? An overworked bum knee and a kissoff from BC.

We like to think that BC is better than this. We're not. Spaz's mismanagement is not all that different from his boss's. Instead of being straight forward or better yet taking the high road, Gene can't let anything happen without getting the last word. The list of smear victims is long. Tom O'Brien, Jeff Jagodzinski, Al Skinner, Steve Lively, Cathy Inglese, Mik Aoki, Kevin Rogers, Ryan Day, Gary Tranquill, and Dana Bible have all been on the receiving end of whisper campaigns from BC. Gene can disavow this because it is rarely a direct, on the record quote to the media, but it does come from friendly media and message board posters. I know from experience that BC keeps close tabs on every story, every rumor and every leak. If Gene didn't approve of the smearing he could have it shutdown. When you fire someone or they leave, why can't we just let it go? Take the high road and move on. By making everything personal -- whether it is UConn, Lively or Spaz -- you lose sight of what makes the most sense for Boston College. In 99% of cases in business and in life taking the high road is the better move.

It had long been rumored that Montel Harris wasn't going to subject his knee to another season under Spaz. If that was the case, why not talk to him? Agree to a mutual release, watch him graduate and let him play somewhere else. Instead you have the school's all-time leading rusher and a guy who will graduate in days, being "dismissed from the team." Is Spaz that worried about Montel lighting it up at another school, that he feels he needs the upperhand?

Spaz is a lame duck. I have little faith that he can win enough to keep his job. He'll leave the program in much worse shape than he found it. The question now becomes does Gene get to hire his replacement. My fear is that Gene will repeat the same mistakes, hire a bad coach and continue to alienate our fans and players.

Montel Harris kicked off of team

Spaz kicked the school's all-time leading rusher off the team. This is actually not a surprise as there has been rumored discontent between the two sides for some time. Spaz's quote:

"Montel Harris has been permanently dismissed from our football team due to a repeated violation of team rules," Spaziani said. "We are grateful for his contributions the past four seasons and will support him in completing his degree requirements and in his future pursuits."

There are two sides to every story, but is anyone stepping back to look at the big picture? Even if Montel was a problem to the extent he had to be dismissed but allowed to remain in school, why did it get to this point?

He was a really fun guy to watch play and exceeded all expectations while he was on campus. Because of his lingering knee injury, I don't know what the future holds. I wish him the best of luck. The Spaz tenure can't end soon enough.

Others mentioning Football's "malaise"

In digging into UMass's football potential, Presnap Read captured the feeling that most of us share: "malaise." If the New York Times writers have a good feel for the mood of BC fans, why doesn't our Athletic Department?

Boston College is suffering from a deep-seeded malaise; the Eagles have seen their win total drop in each of the last four years, bottoming out with a four-win finish a year ago. The program lacks direction: Frank Spaziani is the favorite son of the administration, but he has painfully mishandled the program since inheriting a strong foundation in 2009.

B.C. hasn’t been this devoid of hope entering a season since the mid-1990s — before Tom O’Brien rebuilt the program, the Eagles spent three years scuffling under Dan Henning. That situation has one major parallel with the Eagles’ current issues: Henning replaced Tom Coughlin, theoretically taking control of a team on the rise, but like Spaziani, he failed to match his predecessor’s success.

As in 1997, when the university replaced Henning with O’Brien, the Eagles might need to make a drastic change in order to regain its footing in the A.C.C. Someone like O’Brien, who altered the entire culture of the program, would constitute a drastic change — especially after Spaziani, who seems befuddled by the program’s steep decline over the last 36 months.

Using terms and words like "befuddled" and "mishandled" is never a good sign. I appreciate that Presnap also points the blame at Spaz and not Jags.

While there were other factors in the attendance issues for the Spring Game, the black eye it is bringing to the program doesn't help perception.

I would say that BC needs to do something, but if you are reading this blog you already know.

Coaches with baggage

Let's assume BC football struggles this year and makes a coaching change in the offseason. We will look at numerous coaching candidates, but consider if you would want either of these two guys.

Coach A: Has been an offensive coordinator of elite offenses in the Big East, SEC and Big Ten. Has recruited the midwest including a focus on Cincinnati. Is 46, married father of three and a devout Catholic. Played QB at a Division II Catholic College. Is the son of a coach and his brother is a high profile coach. Has a stint in the NFL. Although his brother is known as a jerk, he is well liked by recruits and coaches. He has never been a head coach and never worked at a school like BC.

Coach B: Proven winner at multiple stops at the college level. Former Coughlin staffer. Runs explosive offenses and has a reputation for getting the most out of his talent. Is difficult to work for and with and has been fired. His reputation is tarnished, but if hired would certainly need to prove himself and rebuild his image at BC. Would probably win big at his next stop.

I don't think either of these coaches would be hired by BC. The problem is they are both Petrinos.

Paul Petrino took a job at Illinois to build a profile that was separate from his successful older brother. His name was hot when the Illini started strong in 2011. But as Zook's final season started falling apart, Petrino the younger fell off of people's short list. Looking for a safe landing he returned to his brother's staff. I don't know Paul personally, but from people who do know him, his reputation is that he is the anti-Bobby. He's personable and well liked. He's big on facing the music and working well with his superiors. The Catholic stuff is second-hand but fits with his father's profile too (Bobby Sr still attends Mass four times a week). In the past Petrino could have been a great sell from BC: "he's got Bobby's Xs and Os but loves BC and is here to stay." Now the association with his brother will be a negative and probably too much for BC. When Paul does get his chance he is going to have to answer questions about his brother. Other coaches will use it against him too. If his last name was Smith, BC would probably roll the dice post-Spaz. Now I don't see it happening. There are enough blank slates with upside, that I don't think Gene or BC would want to touch Paul.

If BC is going to roll the dice on a Petrino it would probably be with Bobby. Now let me clearly say that I don't think Gene or Father Leahy would touch Bobby Petrino with a ten-foot pole. The only way Petrino would get involved with BC is if the season gets so bad and Gene and Leahy are somewhat removed from the hiring process. BC wouldn't be a bad place for him to rehab his image. He knows he could win in the ACC and do it without media scrutiny. I have no idea what is going on with the Petrino's marriage or family, but Boston and a school like BC would be an extreme change of scenery from Arkansas. It might work. And as far as BC's reputation being sullied by association with a job-hopping, jerky philanderer, if framed correctly, BC could claim that we are a forgiving community and that we are helping Petrino rebuild his career as he rebuilds BC football.

In an ideal situation, I would like the next BC football coach to be a perfect guy, with the experience, track record and personality to win big at BC. I don't know if that guy exists. We might not need to take a chance with a Petrino, but we should consider guys with issues. A coach looking to build or rebuild his reputation while rebuilding our program is not a bad trade off.

What to make of the Erik Johnson hire

Erik Johnson is the new Women's Basketball Coach. Congratulations to him and welcome back to Boston College. I know very little about Johnson. Based on his resume and his head coaching track record, Johnson was as good a candidate as anyone. It's not like he has big shoes to fill and the program has no where to go but up. But the Johnson hire probably felt very familiar to critics of Gene D. Obviously there are exceptions to these cases, but they do form a pattern.

1. Hiring former BC Assistants that he already knew. Johnson is just the latest. Spaz, Jags, Aoki, and Gambino were all BC assistants under Gene. Donahue was one of the few finalists in the last basketball search that didn't have a BC connection.

I want guys who know BC as head coaches. There are enough quirks to our school and programs that familiarity helps any learning curve. But Gene's reliance on his network means many good candidates don't get consideration. Cynics would also wonder if these coaches are hired because they are willing to kiss Gene's ring.

2. Gene is more willing to share responsibility when it comes to sports other than football. Gene credited Steve Donahue for assisting in the process. When he hired Crawley he also leaned on basketball guys he knew to asses her ability. I know he seeks feedback and recommendations on the football searches, but ultimately he is making the call and taking responsibility for what happens on the football field. In the other sports he either doesn't have the connections or doesn't trust himself to make a solid pick. In general I am glad he asked for Donahue for feedback.

3. Money is not an issue. We always hear how tight the purse strings are at BC, yet here we are handing out another big contract. BC only seems to go cheap when it can be used as a crutch to neutralize candidates that might be a threat to Gene's power.

I know when we make our next football change, Gene will want to hire someone he knows. But if he knows that we know his M.O., maybe there is a chance for him to make a great hire.

The ideal base for any BC recruiting class

Injuries have left our DT position very thin. Our Spring Game roster at running back led to Finch carrying the ball on seemingly every running play. All of this makes me question why we didn't sign a Defensive Tackle and why we scrambled to find one running back well after Signing Day. Things should never be this bad.

Roster balance will always be a challenge to college coaches. Injures and transfers lead to the premature end of many college careers. But a good, well-organized coach should be able to manage some of that attrition through solid recruiting. In an ideal world you would take a predetermined base of players at various postitions annually. Then -- depending on your forecasted need -- you would use your extra scholarships to supplement your base.

If you plan to recruit 15 players each year as part of your base that commits a program to 75 scholarships over a five year cycle. Conservatively assume that 10% of those commits will not play five years. That leaves the cycle with 68 scholarships. BCS programs allow for 85 scholarships. If BC used the 15 scholarship base, at any one time they would still have 17 more scholarships to spread out based on need, transfers or rewarding walk-ons.

If 15 is the base number, how should that 15 be dispersed. These are my suggestions:
Quarterback -- 1
Running back -- 1
Wide Receiver -- 1
Tight End -- 1
Offensive Line -- 3
Defensive Tackle -- 1
Defensive End -- 1
Linebacker -- 3
Defensive Back -- 3

Explanation: Taking a QB every year makes sense. It allows for redshirting and for being pretty straight forward in the recruiting process: "You're going to be our only QB recruit this year!" Running back is similar to QB. However, a difference is that some of the other recruits can be switched to running back if needed (DB, LB, etc). In most high school programs your best athletes have played running back or QB. So if you ever need to switch someone to either of those positions odds are he would have some basic familiarity from playing the position in his younger days.

Wide Receiver is probably under represented in the base. But my feeling is that it can be over recruited when needed with the extra scholarships. Obviously if BC ever moved away from pro-style to a more pass happy spread, I think BC would need two WRs every year.

Although I allocated a certain number for DE, TE and LB, there are many situations where they could overlap or move players around. We've seen players before who were recruited to play one position (Brad Newman) but had enough athleticism to move around to others. Dan Williams is another guy who played LB, DE and FB.

Considering I started this post because of our depleted DT situation, it might seem that taking one DT every year is not enough. But if you offset it by taking three offensive linemen each year, someone from the offensive side will be available at DT.

None of this is rocket science. Most programs manage to it. That's what makes our inability to manage to need that much more confounding. Am I missing something here? Does anyone not think we should bring in one DT or one QB every year? If you would structure the recruiting base differently, leave your suggestions below. You never know if Spaz might read it and have a eureka moment.

Bad blood with UConn spills over into basketball transfers

Eric Hoffes is reporting that UConn will not allow Alex Oriakhi to transfer to BC. Unfortunately there is little BC or Oriakhi can do about it. I've been told the interest was mutual, and Oriakhi liked the idea of playing close to home in the ACC and on a team that needed a big man. Unless public pressure forces UConn to change its stance, he will move on to some other opportunity. What's curious about the whole thing is that he is still available to major programs like North Carolina and Kentucky. UConn doesn't seem bothered by the rich getting richer. But a school like BC -- which just finished last in the ACC -- is not allowed.

We know the history, but clearly the UConn leadership doesn't believe in bridge building or looking out for a player's best interest. The only reason Oriakhi is immediately available is because of UConn's violations. They flaunted the rules. But they are taking the players down with them by limiting his choices.

For any wondering, this is not about Steve Donahue. For all I know he has a good working relationship with Jim Calhoun. This is more about the BC-UConn pissing match.

The mistake UConn leaders are making is that this sort of move won't be forgotten. When Gene is retired and an expanded ACC comes up for proposal, do they think we will be supporting them or Rutgers? This will not end well but UConn has never been one to see the big picture.

Saints' penalties means higher profile for Carmichael, Jr.

The NFL suspended Sean Payton for a year. As far fetched as it seems, this move has major implications on BC. In Payton's absence, BC grad Pete Carmichael, Jr. will take on a much higher profile role with the team. Currently the offensive coordinator, Carmichael is likely to take on the play calling duties and could also be named the interim head coach. The higher profile is a great career news for the well-liked Carmichael, but probably means he won't be on the shortlist if we make a coaching change next season. Carmichael's path from this new opportunity will be a head coach in the NFL. If he can keep the Saints competitive in 2012, he'll be at the top of the list for most NFL teams hiring for the 2013 season. Even if he struggles, the money the Saints will pay him next year will probably be more than he would make as BC's head coach. Add in the recruiting timeline and the NFL season's length and there are now just too many obstacles for a Carmichael-BC deal.

Despite his popularity among the die hard BC fans, Carmichael might have been a moot point anyway. Gene has said he wouldn't go the NFL route again.

Best of luck to Pete regardless of his future in college of the NFL. If anyone can handle this sort of mess, it is a BC guy.

Potential replacements for Crawley

I am sure Gene has a few potential names lined up for the women's basketball opening. These are a few that I've already heard mentioned.

Jen Rizzotti; Head Coach, University of Hartford
Rizzotti's name was mentioned when Inglese was fired. At the time she was pregnant, so that may have been a factor in her not wanting to make a move then. She's experienced and she's worked in New England. The only drawback might be the UConn connection.

Kelly Greenberg; Head Coach, Boston University
Knows the area. Has recruited at an Ivy League school earlier in her career. She also worked at Holy Cross.

Kenny Brooks; Head Coach, James Madison
A couple of Crawley's BC players actually transferred to James Madison and found success there. He's been a head coach for many years and won consistently.

Crawley's tenure ends for a variety of reasons and what it means

Sylvia Crawley resigned this afternoon as head coach of the BC women's basketball team. The official release from the school listed "health reasons" as the basis for her decision. As in the past, the school then felt the need to explain that these health issues are "non-life-threatening, treatable condition..." I hate being the constant cynic, but I think the change was made because Crawley wasn't a very good coach. A 67-63 record (20-38 ACC) capped off by this year's 7-23 season was enough to do anyone in.

None of this is a surprise. I predicted Crawley would be gone in December. Following Cathy Inglese would have been tough for anyone, but Crawley seemed like a bad fit from the start. She's wasn't particularly good at the Xs and Os and her supposed forte -- recruiting -- resulted in highly-rated recruits, but lots of turnover, transfers and losing. She didn't ingrain herself into BC and carried herself at practices and games like she didn't want to be there. I know she has other interests outside of basketball. Maybe she can now focus on them.

Because very few are paying attention, this story won't be a big deal nor will it get the scrutiny it deserves. But our current women's basketball situation was the canary in the coal mine. In 2008 a successful and well-regarded coach was forced out. There was no fireable offense. It was more about power and differing philosophies with her boss. BC filled the role with someone who was not qualified and not cut out to be a head coach in the ACC. Now we have to clean up that mess and are certainly worse off than we were four years ago.

I hope this is a sign that despite public proclamations, Gene is willing to correct his mistakes. Because I can see this football season playing out a lot like this year's women's basketball season.

Lively takes his fight to Facebook

When Jack Dunn rebutted Steve Lively's criticisms of Gene, he included the following:

It has caused a number of people, including several of Steve’s former football teammates, to express concern for him and his judgment.

It seems that there are a growing number of BC Football Alumni supporting Lively's efforts. He has a private, football Alumni group on Facebook that currently has 120 members and growing. Most of the members are players from the '80s and '90s.

Although Facebook groups are a dime a dozen, I think Lively is using the right approach. He's got select membership who understand BC football's history and potential. Ultimately this will come down to wins, losses and money. If Lively's group is organized and well funded, BC will have to listen. I also think that using former players as a sounding board will only help his message. At times his letters have missed their target or got bogged down in personal minutia with Gene. As a group they are much more likely to deliver effective communication.

I don't know if Lively will open the group to non-football players, but even without fans, he has momentum.

Piling on Gene doesn't really matter

Boston Metro produced a long overdue critique of BC's decline in major sports and put most of it at the feet of Athletic Director Gene DeFilippo. I thought the article was a worthy read and quoted the right critics. But for whatever negative attention it brings on Gene, it really won't impact anything. BC made that perfectly clear when they publicly sided with Gene after Steve Lively's second letter.

Regardless of where you stand on who is to blame and if Gene should go, it will all come down to this football season. If Spaz cannot deliver a winning record, I think he will be gone and Gene will either be fired of neutered of power behind the scenes.

Until then, we are in a holding pattern. Crawley is safe. Donahue's staffers are probably safe and Spaz is certainly safe.

If the Metro article does spark a wave of copycat articles and investigations, the only real benefit will be to BC bloggers and disgruntled fans who want to keep the Fire Gene movement fresh in people's heads.

Lessons from SI's expose on UCLA

If you haven't read SI.com's feature on UCLA basketball, check it out. There's a lot in there (much of it is pretty standard college stuff) but my biggest takeaway was how hard it is to maintain success in college sports. UCLA had the right coach in the right program, but as they seemingly moved forward with even better talent, the whole thing unraveled. There are a lot of lessons in their for BC fans, coaches and ADs.

Success breads confidence but also an arrogance. That arrogance leads some to believe that they are always right and "they" are the reason for success. When in reality success in college sports is usually multiple things coming together at once. While football gets the most attention, UCLA's issues can be applied to basketball, football, hockey, etc.

1. Team chemistry matters. I don't think you need a team full of Boy Scouts, but I do think you need some leaders and the guys have to like playing with each other. Too often BC coaches use character as a crutch to excuse mediocre recruiting. Instead of a crutch it should be a guide and a reminder. If you have motivated, hard working leaders, they will raise the effort of the whole team.

2. Personality only gets noticed when you lose. Howland was a genius Xs and Os guy when UCLA was winning. Now that they are losing, he's considered a cold bully. When we talk about head coaches, we all want them to have the personality of Jerry York. The truth is that the head coach's demeanor, interview skills and charm go unnoticed when things are going well. When BC looks for its next coach in any sport, his or her plan for building a champion should be more important than how he or she is at a cocktail party.

3. Things can turn quickly. UCLA went to three-straight Final Fours and then followed that by landing the best recruiting class in the country. Now they are a mess. I don't know if they will fire Howland, but the decline hasn't been managed well. As we watch the football team struggle, we have to acknowledge that things can unravel nearly overnight. Therefore BC's leaders need to be ready to act. You can't let a slide last for three or four years.