TU story on Brown Deal

[WCDBvoiceofUA]

"Patterson has yet to show she can recruit on the level that the previous coaches did. It's easy to win with a beast in the middle that was dropped into your lap by the previous administration."

 

Just cause the UA women had no rookies make all-rookie doesn't mean they don't have good recruits. Remember Ayers and Hutch were'nt all rookie.

 

The all important post season victory

[alum73]

Ayers, do we have an Ayers on our team?

[WCDBvoiceofUA]

Ayers left the team before the season and was the leading scorer on the team freshman year

[alumni '92']

In any event it stinks that we have angry letters to the editor after the best Division I season so far. I certainly could unstand them after a 6-23 season but we should be enjoying this offseason and looking forward to next year instead of having a (partly) irritated fan base. - Dane Pound

agree completely ... who knows what the remaining issues are behind closed doors ... WB has been silent publicly on the matter and McElroy has indicated that they are heading in the right direction

"We're working very vigorously in order to get the contract situation extended,"  - McElroy

hopefully there are just a few stumbling points ($ and length) ... the overwhelming consensus here is that he deserves an extension, hope to put this hurdle for the program behind us soon ... lock up WB for the next 5 years, and return to focusing on winning the AE bid in 05-06

[DaneFan2k3]

I can't find fault with one word of that editorial. I think it's probably right on.

 

Just cause the UA women had no rookies make all-rookie doesn't mean they don't have good recruits.

 

I know you watch the games. I have talked with others who agree that there have been some big-time recruiting mistakes on that team. I'm not going to turn it into a women's-bash here. But there are definitely some mistakes there.

 

And your best five players (one since departed) were on the team before you came.

 

That vaunted 2004 post-season victory over Hartford? At least 47 of the 52 points were scored by recruits held over from the Warner era. You mean to tell me Warner was BAD enough a coach that UAlbany wouldn't have won that game with her at the helm? (Or that Patterson is GOOD enough that she made those players do what they did?)

 

Talk to me when she wins another postseason games with her own players.

 

(Now this is not to say the assistants didn't have a big part in the recruiting which I'm sure they did, and at least one coach was on both staffs so he should get some credit here as well. The point is still, Trina was extended early on, while Will has not been extended and is pretty much solely reponsible for the success of his team to date while Trina is only partly responsible, at best. There appears to be a double standard in play, which has not been addressed and is in fact only being fed by the reluctance to sign Will to a new deal.).

[WCDBvoiceofUA]

My main argument is that it is unfair to compare the two situations. Agian I believe it is the post season situation. Coach Patterson has post season victories not only here but at William and Mary where she is that school's all time winningest coach. Will has done a great job however has not won a post season game and is a rookie in D-1 coaching. I think the best coarse of action for Dr. McElroy is a 1 year deal with an option for a second. I would want to see what Coach BRown can do in the tournament before anything long term. On recruiting I think this upcoming class for the women will be very good. Sterling is a tweener who can shoot and has shown great leadership with her team out in California. tanacan a junior national team player for Turkey whose 6'4". I juts think its unfair to belittle any accomplishments made on the women's side just because Coach Brown doesn't have an extension. To me its more of an accomplishement that you won a playoff game with the other coaches recruits due to the fact you want to impliment your system and that you've been able to reach players you never knew before and teach them your style of basketball.

[DaneFan2k3]

I disagree. Winning with another coach's players to me isn't much of an accomplishment, because it's a huge what-if situation. What if Warner hadn't been fired, would the team have still had that level of success? We'll never know, but the players play the games and I feel they would have won that game.

 

Rather than get into a women's bashing again, all I'll say is that the fact that Will even has the men's team in the men's tournament considering the decrepit state of the program he inherited is a huge testament to his skills.

 

The issue not being addressed is, why would one coach be extended for basically winning one tournament game, while the other is not extended for bringing the program back from the brink of disaster? Patterson has done well, there is no doubt, however she got extended very early ... Will has done well, there is no doubt, and has not been extended yet and it's very late.

[alum73]

I havee to disagree somewhat. What someone did in their previous job shouldn't count for anything once they're in their new one. If we had finished at the bottom of the league and won the play in game we'd have a post season victory. But we improved enough to finish 4th in the regular season. Where I think we were predicted to finish 8th? Based on all the opposing coaches opinions that we're the team to beat next year, should be enough to get an extension done.

[Scooby]

People don't write these letters without some motivation. It's obvious to me that he brings out the worst in some people. I don't think this is good for fundraising. Especially if you want to build a new complex. Is he a divider or uniter?

[alum73]

Scooby, what are you trying to say? Who are you talking about?

[DaneFan2k3]

I think he is saying is McElroy what GW Bush says he is (uniter) or what some people think he is (divider). Scooby's point was that people dont just randomly write awful editorials without provocation, and that provocation was McElroy's behavior (or that writer's perception of it).

[Scooby]

Look at the new president. He is everywhere. I think he will be a great uniter on campus. He is a good manager. To get the money you need for these facilities you need to get out and meet the little people. Lee does not come off as a hands on manager. He leads by fear. The writer was dead on. It is all smoke and mirrors.

[GODANESGO]

In defense of McElroy, he is pretty active on campus, at least compared to other UAlbany faculty/staff. He is a member of Omicron Delta Kappa, the National Leadership Honor Society (I was inducted with him ), and has been appropriately involved a lot on campus through that group.

 

Now this is not to comment on his Athletic Department skills and successes (which I happen to think he had done a better job than not), but I just wanted to provide some first hand defense of him on campus.

 

President Hall is a very unique person in terms of overall involvement (just ask all the UAlbany staff who are trying VERY hard to get used to it..lol). It is a different style of leadership (active versus silent) and I have seen both work and both fail equally.

[GreatDanes06]

Hall is all over the place. There was a article in the ASP this week that talks about him going to the bars to meet the students and see how they act. He knew there was underage drinking going on, but he realized it was part of the university life. But hes trying to understand why the students are doing what they are doing...thats a good President in my book

[KingDane]

As part of Albany's national fan base, I'm finding this situation very disconcerting. The 2005-06 season should be approached with nothing but optimism, enthusiasm, and excellent expectations. From where I sit, far away, but successful in my own business, Will Brown is on the verge of accomplishing something that hasn't been approached since the Doc Sauers days. He recruits, he coaches, he motivates, and he's brought the intial spark of national recognition to the program at a D 1 level.

Whatever nonsense is going on regarding his extension is a detraction and a momentum killer. For present fans, and for fans yet to come, these should be the best of times. How many years did we wait to play in Division 1? Now, to be pre-season favorites in a bonafide conference and to have the thrill of it all dampened for seemingly inexplicable reasons - its criminal. I am p.o.'ed