The Pirates lost an entire generation of fans, and, yet, they fill the place up again.  It can be done if done smartly. The administration is on its way out.  Change is comming.  For better or worse?  Yet to be determined.  

Thinking outside the box: why does Duquesne even need an AD?  In the day, Red ran his own world.  What does an AD actually do?  Schedule?  Meet and greet?  Divide the pie?  Point:  no need to rush into hiring an AD.  It'll wait a year or three.   In the meantime, send someone down to the Fairmont Hotel and ask Thomas Tull if he'd like to run Duquesne Sports - along with his hundred other busnesses.  Legendary Basketball.  For that matter, Thomas might even buy Duquesne.

Levon's view is a good one and one that I've seen elsewhere up for consideration.   I don't know why Quin. spends so much more on athletics (someone said it was because of hockey) but regardless it wouldn't suprise me if GA decided this was a better opportunity rather than being forced out.  If that's the case what does that say about DU?

And Levon's take on the overall administrative view is one I agree with.

In the case of the Pirates, as Mike noted, they were able to put in a whole new administrative team that supposedly is allowed to run things as they see fit within their spheres with little micromanaging by Nutting.  I'd like to see an athletic dept. that is run by the AD with little micromanaging by the President (but with the AD reporting directly to the president and not someone lower) that keeps the best of what we have in personnel.  I'd like to see an AD that can establish better relationships with alumni and donors.  Depending on who they keep they don't have to be an expert on sports or basketball in particular - that's for the coaches they hire to do (though that knowledge will help) but need to get the positive things out to the public.  There needs to be a face of DU athletics - someone who is out there getting our brand known (as I believe ED said in another thread).  For that matter, that's what a new President needs to do too. 

I would hate to see DU just hire an administrator as AD.  We've had that before.  Time to make the Duquesne name, image, symbols, etc. known for the many positive things we do as a university - that's the new President's job but can be helped greatly by an AD that can do that with the department as well.

And I would agree that now is a good time for Ferry to be visible and positive as the only true image of DU athletics that is out there (maybe something Dan Burt can do as well).

Mulder, I think the current situation HAS been one in which the AD had a lot of latitude and the President didn't micro-manage.  Many believe that if he did micro-manage or was more in tune of what was going on that he wouldn't have been swayed by the Amodios desire to fire RE.  However that would have created its own set of issues.  The structure that is in place now will probably stay the same, but the New President will have his/her own style in terms of how he/she wants to see Athletics run.  Everyone on this board wants the best person for the job.  I am sure that in your line of work - either past or current you know that various opinions make hiring a difficult task.  The bottom line, (and I am not saying anything that is intellectual here or you all don't know) if the coach of the sport wins (basketball, oh, what other sports did Amodio leave??? and others) than the AD can focus on the bigger picture.

Last edited by FAM (6/15/2015 12:31 pm)

levon1975 wrote:

Mulder wrote:

Levon's view is a good one and one that I've seen elsewhere up for consideration.   I don't know why Quin. spends so much more on athletics (someone said it was because of hockey) but regardless it wouldn't suprise me if GA decided this was a better opportunity rather than being forced out.  If that's the case what does that say about DU?

And Levon's take on the overall administrative view is one I agree with.

In the case of the Pirates, as Mike noted, they were able to put in a whole new administrative team that supposedly is allowed to run things as they see fit within their spheres with little micromanaging by Nutting.  I'd like to see an athletic dept. that is run by the AD with little micromanaging by the President (but with the AD reporting directly to the president and not someone lower) that keeps the best of what we have in personnel.  I'd like to see an AD that can establish better relationships with alumni and donors.  Depending on who they keep they don't have to be an expert on sports or basketball in particular - that's for the coaches they hire to do (though that knowledge will help) but need to get the positive things out to the public.  There needs to be a face of DU athletics - someone who is out there getting our brand known (as I believe ED said in another thread).  For that matter, that's what a new President needs to do too. 

I would hate to see DU just hire an administrator as AD.  We've had that before.  Time to make the Duquesne name, image, symbols, etc. known for the many positive things we do as a university - that's the new President's job but can be helped greatly by an AD that can do that with the department as well.

And I would agree that now is a good time for Ferry to be visible and positive as the only true image of DU athletics that is out there (maybe something Dan Burt can do as well).

I agree with your wish list for the qualities needed in the new AD Mulder, but I still wonder whether Duquense really wants an AD with those promotional talents, or just a caretaker to push paper and fulfill the basic requirements of the job.  Do they want to grow the brand and possibly invest in the opportunity to make money on the program, increase the public exposure of the university, potentially increase applicants etc?  In light of my original post, I don't think that is the vision for the University.  I get the sense that they have an elitest outlook in relation to basketball, and  don't want to dirty their hands by getting too deeply involved in big time basketball.  When I see outstanding Universities like Harvard, Butler, Notre Dame, and Georgetown investing in basketball, why does Duquesne seem to feel it is beneath them to do so?
 

Levon - couldn't have said it any better.  I believe the attitude at various levels for decades has been benign neglect at best.  But I believe that can change.  The new president and board have to understand that it is just plain embarrassing to be a top university that somehow can't solve this problem with all the resources and knowledge it has. 

It's not a factor anymore of whether we fit the A10 and should drop down (no! - that says "we aren't good enough to make it work") or can't afford to spend money on men's basketball (shortsighted as you note with the likes of ND and Georgetown and let's add Marquette, Gonzaga, Villanova and Dayton among others who use it as PR).  People outside the school look at the image you project and the insiders need to get out and hear what outsiders think and what friends, outsiders and non-DU fans tell us all the time - good school, lousy basketball team.  Instead, it could be great school with great programs and, by the way, a successful Division 1 men's and women's basketball program. 

Need someone as AD who can jumpstart the public relations effort while ensuring that the basketball programs are in good hands and sustainable just like these other schools are doing.  If we don't know how to do that, what else don't we know how to do? - that question illustrates the image we project right now.   We have an excellent opportunity to change that with the next 2 hires.  Take it Duquesne and run with it like those of us here know you can do because this opportunity doesn't come around often.

Last edited by Mulder (6/16/2015 9:26 am)

I'm on board Mulder and CLK, perhaps now is the time to get a group of concerned alums together to meet with the President on these issues.  I met with a few others late last BB season, including a former player, but the feeling at that time was that we would need to go through the AD first, and that would not have been the ideal scenario.  I believe now would be a much better opportunity.

I hear that a meeting was held only for high rollers with Coach Ferry last night.  I'm not sure what was discussed because I don't fit into that category.  I'm not complaining, just reporting what I've heard from a few sources. I know its important to cater to those who bankroll the program.  An influx of some big time cash would be nice.  I know its got to be a tough sell for Duquesne but frankly any school that has a big time program also has a mega bucks donor that they can go to for large sums of money.  Louisville has KFC, OK State has T.Boone Pickens, Wichita St, has the Koch Brothers, and there are many more that were chronicled in an article I read several months ago.  If you want success you need to find a sugar daddy!