[quote=“s9er, post:59, topic:30865”][quote=“NJNiner12, post:58, topic:30865”][quote=“NinerAlum18, post:57, topic:30865”][quote=“NJNiner12, post:56, topic:30865”][quote=“NinerAlum18, post:55, topic:30865”]I am going to send an email probably tonight or tomorrow. I think as a student I come from a different perspective with the student subsidies directly affecting me(and any other students who post on here).
I hope that they’d listen to a student seeing that I will send it from my UNCC email, I have no issues with hiding my identity. I’m just going to ask some simple questions and see if I get a response. I’m probably too young to be at the level of frustration some of you are at, but in nearly three years here it’s getting pretty high.[/quote]
I hope you have been donating while at school, because if not Phil won’t care at all.[/quote]
I think by $25K in loans is good enough for now.[/quote]
Believe me I agree with you. I e-mailed him about 1 month after I graduated and he pretty much spoke down to me and lectured me for not donating.[/quote]
I’d have asked if the 3000K plus you spent in student fees were going to show any results anytime soon.[/quote]
This. Don’t take any BS off that dude or anyone in the AD. We have all found being civil with them about the issue didn’t work and now it time to really hurt some feelings.
Chancellor Dubois,
I know you have many items of importance on your plate at any given moment. Taking the time to respond to my email is very much appreciated.
I wish neither us had the need for frustration regarding the performance of the Men’s Basketball program, however seeing leadership acknowledge, and share this dissatisfaction is of value. As they say, the first step in solving a problem is to recognize that it does exist.
I want to make sure my initial email wasn’t misunderstood. Regarding the conference move, I wasn’t questioning the move to CUSA 2.0 (and certainly didn’t disparage the A10). I did not, nor will I harp on the “good old days” of CUSA 1.0, that league is history and there is no need reminiscing about its merits. The same can be said for the A10, it was a very good basketball league, but a league that offered us no future. While I’m not at all pleased with playing in the 23[sup]rd[/sup] best basketball league in America, CUSA was absolutely the best conference to accommodate a fledgling football program. The purpose of quoting Ms. Rose from a 2009 interview was to illustrate our move to the A10 seemed to catch both the coaching staff and the Athletic Department flat footed. My point being, we once again seemed unprepared to hit the ground running in a new league, failing to capitalize on lessons learned from our 2005 move. Being a middle of the pack performer in this league is quite candidly the lowest point this program has seen since the early 1980’s. Without a hint of modesty, this is a league we should finish in the upper echelon year in and year out… Enough about yesterday, let’s look at tomorrow.
To answer your question back to me “what the elements of a strategic plan for this turnaround might be”, I submit the following:
[ul][li]Define success. State, and promote the goals for the Men’s basketball program (all the programs for that matter). I vividly recall those standards being articulated at the end of the 2009 season as the rationale for a coaching change. I also remember those same goals being restated (substituting “NCAA’s” with “post season”) by Judy Rose in a season ending coaches show. It’s hard to manage to a standard if there is no standard. In the same vein it’s hard for fans to manage expectations when we are unaware of what our intended destination is. [/li]
[li]Promote and maintain accountability for results. If we continue to fall short of those goals, what are we doing to rectify? Changing coaches is the low hanging fruit; accountability must be at all levels. Is the job of the Athletic Department to have a budget for a solid CUSA team, or should it desire to field a nationally relevant program? Knowing what it takes to be a legitimate player is something “fans” and donors alike should all know. What is the goal from a monetary standpoint? Where do we stand reaching that goal? Communication is paramount. [/li]
[li]Promote the brand in the city of Charlotte. To say our media presence in the city is underwhelming would be kind. [/li]
[li]Have a publicly accessible 5 or 10 Year Plan for athletics. Based on the superior work done surrounding the University’s Master Plan, this should be layup from a design perspective. However, back to my earlier comment. What do we want to become? Supporters want to know where we are going, and what it going to take to get us there. [/li]
[li]The plan is to see football stadium expansion by 20XX, The plan is to have baseball/softball hitting facilities by 20XX. And it’s going to cost us $X.XX to get there. Those are just a couple of examples. Watching a school like Coastal Carolina go for it and find success is cause for envy. [/li]
[li]Former league mate ECU, made every public statements regarding their desire for upward conference mobility, actively campaigning for the Big12 (we can argue the intelligence of actively campaigning for one league while still fairly new in the AAC), it was a terrific jolt for their fan base as it showed they weren’t satisfied with status quo. Are we positioning ourselves for proactive growth? Aspirational goals are not a bad thing for a frustrated and dwindling fan base. Again, what do we want to be as a program? [/li]
[li]Make the plan the focal point of who we want to be. Like all donors, I received an “annual report”. Obviously, recognizing efforts and success of the past year is important. However (I openly acknowledge I’m beating dead horse at this juncture) knowing where the desired finish line gives purpose to those running the race. I’m sure we have many of these same discussions, have many of these same goals, and have many of these same standards. What I’m not sure of is where they are found. [/li][/ul] http://jmusports.com/news/2015/3/19/Athletics_0319155842.aspx http://www.gousfbulls.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=7700&ATCLID=210963706 and these plans do generate news http://web.tampabay.com/sports/college/usf-five-year-plan-includes-looking-at-football-stadium-conferenc http://grfx.cstv.com/photos/schools/ohio/genrel/auto_pdf/StrategicPlan-Final.pdf
I want to emphasize my comments, though tinted by frustration, are made with the hopes of seeing the Athletic Department get back to a position of national prominence. This University has made such massive strides over the past decade; I think an athletics program of equal stature is something we’d all like to see. Again, thank you for your time and I hope my future emails are all congratulatory in nature.
However I fear that the “other factors” being alluded to are Judy’s ability to keep the whales happy (aka cruises on the Ramblin Rose). What we are hearing though is that this group is played out.
So the decision to replace Judy, in addition to being focused on the issues S mentioned, represents not just the opportunity, but the dire need to retool the approach of the AD to more wide reaching support base requiring a much more public persona and clear, concise and ever present brand.
I just don’t see a lame duck Chancellor having any interest in tackling that challenge at all, especially in the midst of a capital campaign.
I’d encourage your efforts though, simply to surface these issues ahead of the change that will eventually come (but not soon enough).
Why don’t we all just respond saying that Judy needs to be replaced. That her approach has gone stale and we have been on a downward spiral for the last decade. Yes, we thank her for football but that should not equal a free pass until retirement.
[quote=“NinerAdvocate, post:67, topic:30865”]S9er’s email is well executed.
However I fear that the “other factors” being alluded to are Judy’s ability to keep the whales happy (aka cruises on the Ramblin Rose). What we are hearing though is that this group is played out.
So the decision to replace Judy, in addition to being focused on the issues S mentioned, represents not just the opportunity, but the dire need to retool the approach of the AD to more wide reaching support base requiring a much more public persona and clear, concise and ever present brand.
I just don’t see a lame duck Chancellor having any interest in tackling that challenge at all, especially in the midst of a capital campaign.
I’d encourage your efforts though, simply to surface these issues ahead of the change that will eventually come (but not soon enough).[/quote]
I think you’re right on all points. Shouldn’t keep us from voicing justified complaints though. If they wanna ride out their tenure, we should continue to let them know how they’re letting the fans/school down.
[size=9pt]The reply I received from Judy. Not sure yet how/if I will respond. Kudos to her for replying, in any event.[/size]
[size=9pt] [/size]
[size=9pt]Job,[/size]
[size=9pt] [/size]
[size=9pt]I do appreciate you reaching out to us as someone who has been active in your support of the 49ers. There are no magical solutions to the issues you raise, but you can 100% feel confident that our desire to get men's basketball back into the conversation nationally is a priority for all of us. No one is excited that we have been absent from the national scene for an extended period of time, but it is our responsibility to attempt to do get back there.[/size]
[size=9pt] [/size]
[size=9pt]Coach Price is a highly competitive individual that takes a lack of success like all of us do - poorly. He and his staff are working diligently on getting the talent infusion needed to return us to being a contender in Conference USA. He has seen the league now for two years, and understands the adjustments necessary to take the next steps. That said, he came into a situation where players exercised their option to leave during a coaching transition and had to retool the roster quickly just to field a team. His late foray into recruiting the 2015 class netted Jon Davis, Andrien White and Joe Uchebo - guys that we could all agree are the caliber needed to move forward in our league. We simply need more of those caliber players and that is squarely what is at the forefront of this off-season.[/size]
[size=9pt] [/size]
[size=9pt]That said, we will be launching a newsletter soon that will reach out to our fan base and allow them to better see what is happening in the department. [/size]
[size=9pt] [/size]
[size=9pt]JR[/size]
Listen, say three years from now Judy and Phil retire and we are the 2 time defending CUSA mens basketball Champions and have won 2 consecutive Bowls… I’d happily watch that presser and when they got to the point where they said all of the people on NN.N can kiss their asses, I’d gladly pucker up.
[quote=“s9er, post:72, topic:30865”]Listen, say three years from now Judy and Phil retire and we are the 2 time defending CUSA mens basketball Champions and have won 2 consecutive Bowls… I’d happily watch that presser and when they got to the point where they said all of the people on NN.N can kiss their asses, I’d gladly pucker up.
I don;t care who fixes it… I just want it fixed.[/quote]
You can borrow my chap stick and breath spray after me. For them to prove myself, and the rest of us wrong, would be a great adventure.
[quote=“s9er, post:72, topic:30865”]Listen, say three years from now Judy and Phil retire and we are the 2 time defending CUSA mens basketball Champions and have won 2 consecutive Bowls… I’d happily watch that presser and when they got to the point where they said all of the people on NN.N can kiss their asses, I’d gladly pucker up.
I don;t care who fixes it… I just want it fixed.[/quote]
^^ Agree with this statement, wholeheartedly. Rose and her staff have to be held accountable. When we hear nothing, see nothing, expect nothing, there should be concern as to what’s going on. A newsletter is the first step. But we need to go beyond a newsletter. We need a STRATEGIC PLAN for all sports. Not just an “update.” Whether that be a plan for 3 years, 5 years, or 10 years, the Athletic Department needs to move into the 21st Century and start treating that Department as a business with shareholders.
[quote=“jfickett, post:70, topic:30865”][size=9pt]The reply I received from Judy. Not sure yet how/if I will respond. Kudos to her for replying, in any event.[/size]
[size=9pt]Job,[/size]
[size=9pt]I do appreciate you reaching out to us as someone who has been active in your support of the 49ers. There are no magical solutions to the issues you raise, but you can 100% feel confident that our desire to get men’s basketball back into the conversation nationally is a priority for all of us. No one is excited that we have been absent from the national scene for an extended period of time, but it is our responsibility to attempt to do get back there.[/size]
[size=9pt]Coach Price is a highly competitive individual that takes a lack of success like all of us do - poorly. He and his staff are working diligently on getting the talent infusion needed to return us to being a contender in Conference USA. He has seen the league now for two years, and understands the adjustments necessary to take the next steps. That said, he came into a situation where players exercised their option to leave during a coaching transition and had to retool the roster quickly just to field a team. His late foray into recruiting the 2015 class netted Jon Davis, Andrien White and Joe Uchebo - guys that we could all agree are the caliber needed to move forward in our league. We simply need more of those caliber players and that is squarely what is at the forefront of this off-season.[/size]
[size=9pt]That said, we will be launching a newsletter soon that will reach out to our fan base and allow them to better see what is happening in the department. [/size]
[size=9pt]JR[/size]
[/quote]
If it was me responding to this, I would simply say: (And this is a bit harsh, maybe)
I want more than a newsletter. I want results. I know the obstacles you (Athletic Department) face. You can continue to barrage us with “reasons,” more like excuses, for why the MBB program has fallen so far. But guess what, that happened under your watch. And a decade or more of continual struggles leads me to believe you are not the right person to be forging this turnaround. You’ve had your time. Some great milestones (Football) were achieved. But your time has come and gone. Spare us the excuses and resign. Now.
She’s right that uchebo, Davis, and white are good gets, but uchebo was a rental that fell into our laps because he had nowhere else to go.
The talents of Davis and white are wasted when you pair then with an incomplete roster.
Today, you can pretty much plan on one or two guys transferring, that’s just how things are. That’s why I find it’s solidly unacceptable that we made it through the end of the season with so many open scholarships for next season. We literally have half a team right now. Trying to fill half a team this late in the year is not going to net us the kind of talent needed to get better.
Barring a miracle, next year might be the worst year for us since the 80s.
[quote=“Niner National, post:77, topic:30865”]She’s right that uchebo, Davis, and white are good gets, but uchebo was a rental that fell into our laps because he had nowhere else to go.
The talents of Davis and white are wasted when you pair then with an incomplete roster.
Today, you can pretty much plan on one or two guys transferring, that’s just how things are. That’s why I find it’s solidly unacceptable that we made it through the end of the season with so many open scholarships for next season. We literally have half a team right now. Trying to fill half a team this late in the year is not going to net us the kind of talent needed to get better.
Barring a miracle, next year might be the worst year for us since the 80s.[/quote]