Clickclack

2 minutes ago, McFan said:

I know this thread is supposed to be about the new coaching search but it's become the "we love Will Brown" or at least "Will Brown was our best option" thread.  Look if his contract wasn't up I get it but are/were all of you okay w/ the direction of the program.  In a very low level conference we've been mediocre lately.  Our recruits (true recruits not the transfers that came in this year) have been somewhere between non contributors to inconsistent at best.  Rizzuto was the only "recruit" to do much of anything this year.  And last year people were wondering if he was a D1 player.  The style of play until late in the season this year is at times unwatchable.  Look at the lack of interest in game threads on this board and attendance figures.  If you're winning you deal w/ that style but when you aren't (and I mean really winning) that style is awful to watch.  

Now, is Will Brown solely responsible for all of those things?  Of course not.  Will his supporters on this board continue to point out how others were at fault?  Of course.  Are there excuses, both valid and not?  Yup.  But at a point in time when his contract is up I just don't see pounding the table saying getting rid of him is indefensible.  You can hate Benson and still understand this decision.  You can think Will Brown is a great guy that did tremendous things in his time at UA and still understand this decision.   To me there just isn't enough evidence over the last handful of years to justify giving him another contract.  If he had time left on his contract it's a different discussion.  

Thank you, why is it not OK as fans to not be satisfied with a bad 3 years? It's not like the product has been good and change was made with years left. 

2 minutes ago, cwdickens said:

I have to same conclusion that you arrived at .... all do respect ... I do not understand where you are coming from  ... no search firm .... is Vic and Benson reading all those letters of interest and resumes.... Is seeking any guidance from UAlbany HR....Is there a committee approach?   Yes, people are still upset.... what do you expect "cool our heels" ... do you expect  us to "shut-up and go away"....nearly 20 years with Will... no it will not be easy....with a 2 million sports budget gap ... likely growing .... what did you expect Benson to say about the salary...once again the forum is the place to agree to disagree

It's your right to disagree, I'm not trying to shut you or anyone else up. I guess it's your right NOT to take him at his word that a) is not using a search firm and b) comp level will stay the same or relatively close. If you insist that the above to items are him lying, that's your prerogative and hey, we'll see once the hire is made over time we'll be able to confirm if he was or wasn't. 

20 minutes ago, Eli said:

I bet King Benson is very happy now. Completely gutted our entire basketball program in a matter of days. Lost the HC, lost/losing our top players, etc. lol. What a joke. #FIREBENSON

 

This is expected...

I don't understand a few posts here, respectfully. 

- The speculation is/was that Benson is throwing a bone to a search firm, thus greasing the skids to his next job via said search firm. He comes out and says no search firm is being used and people are upset? This is the right move to not get into bed with a search firm. 

- Speculation is/was that Brown was let go so they can save money, pay someone half the salary. Benson comes out and says they are hiring someone at comparable comp level and people are upset? This should in theory mean a candidate that is NOT a cheap-ass cop-out move. 

These two things are PRECISELY what we should want to hear. Can someone explain where the approach as we know it to date is not a good one? I don't get it! Or is this a case of people still upset that the change was made?

19 hours ago, Dane96 said:

So how does Lou Jordan fit that bill.  UMass is meh. 

Lou can petition all he want's for the job, there is no indication he's even being looked at. You don't let go of Brown and then hire Lou. If that's the play, Benson should be fired on the spot. 

1 minute ago, Eli said:

Considering we haven't played in like 450 days, I think we did pretty well all things considered. I'm pretty happy with our showing. We could have folded at the half after that disastrous end to the first half but the guys regrouped and did their job.

Way to go boys!

Yeah this was ballsy....unh very undisciplined...

This punter is bad...or am I crazy? Kid massive struggles all game.

Wow that was nerve wrecking...lol 

Escaped huge win

This is a disaster...

Been snapping high all game...sure enough it was only a matter of time.

39 minutes ago, Eli said:

NCAA gave everyone a waiver because some schools didn't play, some only had like 10 games, etc. so everyone gets an extra year.

Yep, he would have 1 but because of the one year granted it's 2. Additionally, he's a grad transfer meaning he has his undergrad so he can potentially go for his masters and take 2 years to get it. Dude killed in the classroom clearly so now the world is his oyster. Live your best life, young buck! 

40 minutes ago, Don Nichols said:

If you are a player with more than a year of eligibility and you have no idea who the new coach will be, you should put your name in the portal.  You can always remove yourself.  If the AD has not come in and said everyone’s scholarship will be renewed, do not assume you will have one. The first move of new coaches is to recruit back all the players from the team if they want them.  They come in knowing that’s part of the deal. 

Yep...that's why I expect many more entrances into the transfer portal and this is expected. Kids need to protect themselves and their future.

1 minute ago, UA'08 said:

Please do share how this weeeeeeeeeeeee should be interpreted 
 

Who cares, it's a feelings place, let everyone feel and get into their emotions! 

4 minutes ago, Dane Pound said:

The guys you want to stay will leave and the guys you might want to leave are going to stay. We've all seen this movie before.

People we may want to stay will have options...

Based on scuttlebutt, it appears the departure will be swift and many...hang on to something.

I'll there will be someone hired in the next 3 or 4 weeks at most, maybe even sooner. You're getting your ass handed to you as an AD by fans and local pundits, the quicker you get a new face out there and a new face of the program the better it will be for Benson. One thing that could delay it is the state review of the new contract. 

1 minute ago, UA'08 said:

I’m not disagreeing with that at all. I’m all for discussing separately the examples of how he’s done a $iena job and they should definitely be highlighted.
 

Brown re-upped for 5 years under Benson so I wouldn’t necessarily say he never stood a chance. Odds were against him, but it’s not that he didn’t have a chance.

Benson upped that contracted through girded teeth, will was coming of back to back to back...lol. This change has been years in the making. 

3 minutes ago, UA'08 said:

And if Benson had a change of heart and decided to resign him the narrative is completely changed. It would be perfectly fine for Brown to accept a new contract and we’d hear no complaints from you.
 

Benson being a terrible AD (whether true or not) should have been a completely different topic on its own unrelated to whether Brown was brought back or not.

I don't see how you can separate the two considering Will never really had a chance. Come hell or high water, Benson was moving on. Let's not pretend that isn't the case. 

12 minutes ago, cwdickens said:

The number will be much higher with him leaving.....underperforming players may stick it out in hopes....

That's probably true and understandable but over the last 3 years, 10 players have left. That's huge turnover for a program trying to establish some consistency. 

Over the last 5 years, 17 players left with eligibility remaining, plus the two famous grad transfers so total of 17 or 19 depending on how you want to look at it. I've been pretty vocal about this issue for years. 

2 minutes ago, MRSGDG said:

Regardless if someone had a coach/fan/donor relationship, there are people that have Benson/fan/donor relationships that have be scorched over the years. I think you keep missing that part. But again whatever I'm over trying justify facts. 

I'm not missing that part AT ALL, in fact I edited my above post as I missed it in my original reply. I'm in COMPLETE agreement with you on the premeditated nature of the change regardless of outcome this season which is patently unfair. Furthermore, I'm in complete agreement with your criticism of Mark Benson, COMPLETE! I want to be VERY clear about that. 

16 minutes ago, MRSGDG said:

I'm sure there has to be some relief to longer have to deal with the BS of Benson, etc. That has to be somewhat a weird/good feeling, but I wouldn't take that this is the outcome that was wanted. As other have posted his father was clearly stating he was "loyal" on Twitter. He wanted to stay, Benson just made it difficult along the way.  And I agree with you, he will land on his feet for a new adventure, but again I wouldn't take that as he is okay about it. And I know everyone can have their own opinion. I get not all of us have the personal facts so it is what it is on this board, based on what you want to believe or not. That's why I don't post on this board so much. The conjecturing gets old. But I do get that's the point on online forums, to shoot the $iena and guess at what is going on. Sometimes people are right and other times wrong, but that's the point of the board. 👍 

I'm not suggesting that he left voluntarily, or if given the choice he wouldn't have stayed. That is not my contention, I think the reality of what happened is pretty well out there at this point. My only point is, especially as new opportunities open up for him, it's not the end of the world. I'll add one more thing, that yes, there are people who as you put it "guess at what is goin on" I would content there's a blend of that some truth, some conjecture from everyone here, but there are more than one or two people here who also have/had personal relationships over the years with the people involved in this saga. I would venture to say that there are buckets of water being carried here and everyone has their own biases, both ways. Different fans/posters having different runways for how much mediocrity or losing they are willing to deal with. Those that have had a more personal relationship with the staff are more lenient than those that don't have a personal relationship. Due to circumstances as they have unfolded, some long seated and very personal relationships are being severed in the context of coach/fan and some of that pain is palpable. It's understandable, it will take time. 

As Coach Brown moves on, the attention should turn even more towards the administrator, Mark Benson and how he runs this entire athletic department. If he wasn't under a microscope before, he should be now. 

5 minutes ago, MRSGDG said:

It was "mutual" in the UA Press Release of course his letter has to sound content and nice. He has never been someone to throw people under the bus, plus he is on a job hunt. 

While I understand your sentiment and recognize the reality, my opinion is unchanged from what read and private conversation. Will has put up with a lot of BS, I keep having this nagging thought that he may not be as broken up about it as people think. He'll land on his feet and take on the next challenge. Obviously it's always hard to move on after that many years and uncertainty of where things will go from here but, how do I put this delicately, there will be some release in not having to deal with some of the clown-show. 

VC reporting that William Kondrat is transferring out. Will be interesting to see how many players will leave. This one was probably easy to call considering he was a walkon.