I thought she’d wait until Nate graduates, but I guess not. Wish him the best of luck.

(03-13-2019 03:04 PM)Tribe2011 Wrote:  First off, this is an incredibly sad moment. I don’t think you possibly could have had a better person to represent William and Mary than Tony Shaver, who’s done everything the right way and acted with absolute class. Not many like him in college sports (or in life), and I’m sure every single one of us (and a lot of people in the basketball community outside of Williamsburg) badly wanted him to be the one that takes us to the tourney. And on top of being an outstanding individual, he has greatly overachieved the expectations and level of resources he’s been provided, while also remaining loyal to WM and not leaving for greener pastures when he could have. In fact, the very reason that a coach could get fired at WM after winning double-digit conference games six years in a row is solely because of what Shaver has done here.

So thank you coach, for everything.

For the basketball angle – this is an enormously risky move, and one that I think has much greater potential to backfire badly than pay off. And it absolutely must be accompanied by a much greater investment in the program, or it makes no sense whatsoever. I can’t imagine we would get a better coach (or even one nearly as good) at the level we were paying Shaver and investing in the program.

And doing it when we’ve got basically the entire team coming back next year is baffling. We may have had the best team of Shaver’s tenure on the court next year, and to switch everything up for that year rather than let Shaver coach it out is risky to say the least. If we had had another year like this one next year, or even just fallen short of a conference title at all, I could have seen moving on at that point. But this year doesn’t make much sense.

So essentially this is an inflection point. If we’re going to finally support the basketball team and make the athletic investment we should have years ago (instead of throwing away money at a football program living in the past that few younger than 60 care about), then there’s a chance this takes us to the next level. If we see more of the same support, then this will be a disaster and is completely non-sensical.

This is what you get when you hire an AD that wants to put his or her personal accomplishments against what is best for the school and team. Tony has been a class act and has done more for this program over the long run than any coach I have had the pleasure of knowingi personally think graduation rate should out weigh any won lost record. After all these are "student" athletics!!! Sounds like to me she is building a resume to further her own agenda!!! I may be wrong, but I doubt it!!

Coach Shaver thanks for all you have done for Tribe MBB. You are a class person who did it right and represented W&M with class. Sorry you will not have a chance next year to coach the "special team" you have assembled and hopefully the players will stay together for next season in our quest for the NCAA.

(03-13-2019 03:18 PM)Biggjohn43 Wrote:  

(03-13-2019 03:04 PM)Tribe2011 Wrote:  First off, this is an incredibly sad moment. I don’t think you possibly could have had a better person to represent William and Mary than Tony Shaver, who’s done everything the right way and acted with absolute class. Not many like him in college sports (or in life), and I’m sure every single one of us (and a lot of people in the basketball community outside of Williamsburg) badly wanted him to be the one that takes us to the tourney. And on top of being an outstanding individual, he has greatly overachieved the expectations and level of resources he’s been provided, while also remaining loyal to WM and not leaving for greener pastures when he could have. In fact, the very reason that a coach could get fired at WM after winning double-digit conference games six years in a row is solely because of what Shaver has done here.

So thank you coach, for everything.

For the basketball angle – this is an enormously risky move, and one that I think has much greater potential to backfire badly than pay off. And it absolutely must be accompanied by a much greater investment in the program, or it makes no sense whatsoever. I can’t imagine we would get a better coach (or even one nearly as good) at the level we were paying Shaver and investing in the program.

And doing it when we’ve got basically the entire team coming back next year is baffling. We may have had the best team of Shaver’s tenure on the court next year, and to switch everything up for that year rather than let Shaver coach it out is risky to say the least. If we had had another year like this one next year, or even just fallen short of a conference title at all, I could have seen moving on at that point. But this year doesn’t make much sense.

So essentially this is an inflection point. If we’re going to finally support the basketball team and make the athletic investment we should have years ago (instead of throwing away money at a football program living in the past that few younger than 60 care about), then there’s a chance this takes us to the next level. If we see more of the same support, then this will be a disaster and is completely non-sensical.

This is what you get when you hire an AD that wants to put his or her personal accomplishments against what is best for the school and team. Tony has been a class act and has done more for this program over the long run than any coach I have had the pleasure of knowingi personally think graduation rate should out weigh any won lost record. After all these are "student" athletics!!! Sounds like to me she is building a resume to further her own agenda!!! I may be wrong, but I doubt it!!

This is stupid. While it's risky and I'm not confident it pays off, I have no doubt that Huge is doing what she thinks is best for the program. Even by your own logic your point doesn't make sense as nothing is going to further Huge's resume more than WM earning its first ever tourney bid on her watch.

Let's take time to appreciate coach Shaver, and not use this move as an opportunity to bring the knives out for Huge (as I suspect some on here have been waiting for any chance to do so driven by reasons apart from her performance or record...).

Ya think the same thing happened to Laycock, except he took the poison pill of retirement? Eerily similar.

First, the Delaware people think our AD was a disaster at Delaware. That is always in the back of my mind.

Second, I don't like the way Tony was treated. This will always leave a sour taste in my mouth, and March 2020 is now a "Tony would have won it" asterisk / lost opportunity, regardless of outcome.

Third, gutsy move to put a solid program at risk after years of wandering in the desert. Moving all the chips to the center of the table to get to the Dance at the potential cost of destruction of the program. This disturbs me the most- this fixation on making the Dance- at what cost to the program.

Having said this, this is definitely not business as usual at W&M, and as one who wants W&M in the ACC/MAC/American, and not the Patriot, I will keep an open mind.

So, if this means we're ramping it up, and going big-time in hoops, can't argue against it ... except if Shaver had had the benefit of the "ramping up" over the past 15 years, he would have gotten even better results. Who can ever forget the "pass the hat" campaign to fund the foreign trip after the prior AD couldn't find the funds.

So, the new AD now has her people as the head coaches of the two most important programs at the College. So be it.

On a more relevant note for purposes of this Board, I no longer have to defend Tony. Some of you got what you wanted. For all of our sakes, I hope you were right on, and I was dead wrong.

Why not use this tread to say positive things about Tony and start a new tread "Search for New MBB Coach" to address all these related issues?

Well, that's the end of my giving several thousand dollars to the athletic department each year. I hope she knows that I'm not the only one.

With the release stating Tony was "not retained", it implies his contract was up at the end of this year. Anybody know if that was the case?

100% negative reaction across twitter.

From an outside perspective, Coach Shaver was an outstanding representative of your school and a positive for the conference as a whole. If I’m ranking out my favorite CAA coaches since my familiarity with the league in 2002, he’s near the top of the list and easily in my top 5. He may not have taken the Tribe to the big moment, but he’s definitely responsible, IMO, for putting you all squarely in position to achieve that goal in the near future. I think it’s a sad day for the entire conference to see Coach Shaver go. Complete class act.

Wishing him and the Tribe the best of luck in his future and yours landing someone to fill his shoes and get you to the dance.


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I know people are smarting right now. Best thing to do is give it some time and see who we bring in. I like Tony and was all for keeping him around. My love for William and Mary and the basketball program isn't dependant on him though. I like Huge and the things she's trying to accomplish. I'm very interested in the direction she envisions the program going. My hope is that we retain the athletes we have and find a new steward to continue the journey that Tony started.

My son is a W&M senior student-athlete ... a two-time all CAA athlete and a many-time Commissioner's Academic Honor Roll student. My wife and I were both D1 student-athletes in college and I worked part of my career in Sports Information at an in-state D1 college. Since our son has been at W&M we've been Tribe basketball season ticket holders for the past four years.
So what I'm about to say is based on up-close, first-hand experience with both Tribe Athletics and college sports in general. And I say this with more objectivity than most people ...

Samantha Huge is completely over-the-top, off-the-deep-end ambitious and totally trying to make a name for HERSELF. She does not have the long-term best interest of William & Mary in her heart. Her goal is to personally move up the Athletic Director Ladder, raise her profile nationally and get a job at a Power 5 Conference school. (ACC, SEC, Big 10, etc.) The best way for her to do that is to make this big, splashy firing of Tony Shaver ... then make an equally splashy hiring of a new coach ... and have Tribe men's basketball qualify for the NCAA tournament. That will rise her stock to the highest level and at that point, she will position herself for that Power 5 Conference AD job she is dreaming about day and night.

Over the past two years that Samantha Huge has been the AD, I've had many, many conversations with Tribe student-athletes in many different sports. Informally at cookouts, tailgates and W&M social events. Most all of the student-athletes I've spoken with have had very negative things to say about Huge. They do not like the direction the athletic department is heading. These are smart, savvy kids, who "get it" and they can see right through her -- and see her blinding ambition.

So, from someone with a broad perspective, I can say that I believe Samantha Huge has made a terrible, self-serving decision. One that is in HER best interest, not the best interest of William & Mary.

(03-13-2019 03:13 PM)TribePride52 Wrote:  

(03-13-2019 02:58 PM)Tribe1693 Wrote:  Hope all you Huge fans can explain/defend this one.

I was warned by a friend who is a Delaware Alum and donor about what a disaster she is. I have bitten my lip long enough. I'm done with her. How many coaches have been let go, left, or "retired" in just two short years as well as other athletic department staff?

All because she fired a coach that hadnt led the team to the tournament in 16 years? Get a grip. She has done great things for WM, and all because she does one thing you don’t like doesn’t mean you should attack her for it.

Tribe1693 is right on with his criticism. I also have bit my lip and, while I have not posted many or any overt anti-Huge posts, I also know that you can read all my posts and not find one that said anything positive about her. I think her total intent from day one is to leave her stamp on the program. Hiring new coaches for the marquee sports is one way to do that. Those coaches could be hanging around for years after she leaves -- that is her mark on the program.

"She has done great things for WM"? Name one. John Daly "retired" after the first losing season in women's soccer in 34 years. Julie Shackford replaced him -- and had a losing season. The women's tennis coach, and his top assistant, both left and the program was totally without a coach for a couple of months. Now Shaver, who has done more positive things for the basketball program than anyone else since the 1960s. Who will be next, Ed Swanson?

Huge has not led us to any unprecedented heights in winning, either. During her watch we have won in men's cross country, men and women's swimming, men's soccer, and field hockey. Well, guess what? We were winning in all of those sports (except field hockey) prior to her getting here, too. She can't claim credit for the success of any of the sports. She wants to be able to claim credit for an NCAA appearance next year --- which many of us think was going to happen anyway. All of the credit for that team should go to Tony. My heart breaks for him, this lost opportunity, and how he was treated ("will not be retained").

THANKS Tony! Thanks for all you have done for W&M, and for doing it with class!

It wouldn't surprise me if Nathan leaves. I don't know how close he and Tony are, but why hang around here breaking in a new coach. Find a destination that will improve your prodigious skills and go there. I hope Nathan stays but I wouldn't be surprised if he goes.

We owe Tony Shaver a lot. I’m skeptical of this decision at this time. Unless ... Jimmy Moran is coming home.

Tony--I am one of the many, many people to whom you showed personal kindness during your time at William and Mary. You didn't have to, but you did. You helped make my college experience special. And you made William and Mary basketball fun to watch, for once, in its whole sorry history.

You stuck with us, even through many dark years when basketball was an afterthought. The students didn't care, the alumni didn't care, and let's be frank, Tony, the AD didn't seem to care either, did he? You stuck with us even though they never finished your facility, leaving bare concrete steps at the top of the stands, dim lights, a moldy ceiling, and an antiquated scoreboard that kept malfunctioning during games. You stuck with us when your team had to share gym time at the student Rec Center for practices. They served stale popcorn at your games for YEARS and still, you stuck with us. You gave a damn about William and Mary basketball when nobody else did. And you took us to CAA title game after CAA title game with rosters full of kids who wouldn't have gotten a second look from other programs in our league. You won with assistant coaches paid in peanuts, assistant coaches poached by other programs in our league, CAA rivals who could pay them better.

Yeah we never got to the big one. Five years ago, at right about this time, I was down in the dumps for an entire week on account of one thirty second sequence from the pit of basketball hell. It was painful but at least I was feeling SOMETHING, something other than apathy, the only emotion inspired by Tribe basketball in its previous century of futility.

You made Tribe basketball too good for us, and now it seems you've made Tribe basketball too good for you. Wish I could buy you a drink down at Paul's. I'm sure it doesn't feel good to go out this way.

tribal I messaged you

(03-13-2019 03:49 PM)Pete24 Wrote:  My son is a W&M senior student-athlete ... a two-time all CAA athlete and a many-time Commissioner's Academic Honor Roll student. My wife and I were both D1 student-athletes in college and I worked part of my career in Sports Information at an in-state D1 college. Since our son has been at W&M we've been Tribe basketball season ticket holders for the past four years.
So what I'm about to say is based on up-close, first-hand experience with both Tribe Athletics and college sports in general. And I say this with more objectivity than most people ...

Samantha Huge is completely over-the-top, off-the-deep-end ambitious and totally trying to make a name for HERSELF. She does not have the long-term best interest of William & Mary in her heart. Her goal is to personally move up the Athletic Director Ladder, raise her profile nationally and get a job at a Power 5 Conference school. (ACC, SEC, Big 10, etc.) The best way for her to do that is to make this big, splashy firing of Tony Shaver ... then make an equally splashy hiring of a new coach ... and have Tribe men's basketball qualify for the NCAA tournament. That will rise her stock to the highest level and at that point, she will position herself for that Power 5 Conference AD job she is dreaming about day and night.

Over the past two years that Samantha Huge has been the AD, I've had many, many conversations with Tribe student-athletes in many different sports. Informally at cookouts, tailgates and W&M social events. Most all of the student-athletes I've spoken with have had very negative things to say about Huge. They do not like the direction the athletic department is heading. These are smart, savvy kids, who "get it" and they can see right through her -- and see her blinding ambition.

So, from someone with a broad perspective, I can say that I believe Samantha Huge has made a terrible, self-serving decision. One that is in HER best interest, not the best interest of William & Mary.

Respectfully, I disagree with most of this and find your claim to objectivity suspect.

Samantha is certainly aggressive and ambitious, and I find those traits very refreshing in an AD. I have come to know her a little, and I firmly believe that, as she says, she is "falling in love with William and Mary." We can't possibly know all the factors which went into this decision, so I'll judge her on those things we can see: wins, losses, turning the athletic program into a shining beacon for W&M, and producing well-adjusted student athletes who make us all proud.

I do know this wasn't about making the dance in any particular year, because she scolded me once for saying that should be a goal. She said, "Of course, we'll make the tournament one day. The question is what happens next."

With all that said, there is no bigger Tony Shaver fan than me, and I am immensely sad for him and his assistants, all of whom were wonderful to us. In time, I will come to see his tenure here as the great blessing it has been, but now I'm just numb.

That doesn't mean that Samantha was wrong, or that she is evil.

(03-13-2019 04:11 PM)Got Ribe Wrote:  

(03-13-2019 03:49 PM)Pete24 Wrote:  My son is a W&M senior student-athlete ... a two-time all CAA athlete and a many-time Commissioner's Academic Honor Roll student. My wife and I were both D1 student-athletes in college and I worked part of my career in Sports Information at an in-state D1 college. Since our son has been at W&M we've been Tribe basketball season ticket holders for the past four years.
So what I'm about to say is based on up-close, first-hand experience with both Tribe Athletics and college sports in general. And I say this with more objectivity than most people ...

Samantha Huge is completely over-the-top, off-the-deep-end ambitious and totally trying to make a name for HERSELF. She does not have the long-term best interest of William & Mary in her heart. Her goal is to personally move up the Athletic Director Ladder, raise her profile nationally and get a job at a Power 5 Conference school. (ACC, SEC, Big 10, etc.) The best way for her to do that is to make this big, splashy firing of Tony Shaver ... then make an equally splashy hiring of a new coach ... and have Tribe men's basketball qualify for the NCAA tournament. That will rise her stock to the highest level and at that point, she will position herself for that Power 5 Conference AD job she is dreaming about day and night.

Over the past two years that Samantha Huge has been the AD, I've had many, many conversations with Tribe student-athletes in many different sports. Informally at cookouts, tailgates and W&M social events. Most all of the student-athletes I've spoken with have had very negative things to say about Huge. They do not like the direction the athletic department is heading. These are smart, savvy kids, who "get it" and they can see right through her -- and see her blinding ambition.

So, from someone with a broad perspective, I can say that I believe Samantha Huge has made a terrible, self-serving decision. One that is in HER best interest, not the best interest of William & Mary.

Respectfully, I disagree with most of this and find your claim to objectivity suspect.

Samantha is certainly aggressive and ambitious, and I find those traits very refreshing in an AD. I have come to know her a little, and I firmly believe that, as she says, she is "falling in love with William and Mary." We can't possibly know all the factors which went into this decision, so I'll judge her on those things we can see: wins, losses, turning the athletic program into a shining beacon for W&M, and producing well-adjusted student athletes who make us all proud.

I do know this wasn't about making the dance in any particular year, because she scolded me once for saying that should be a goal. She said, "Of course, we'll make the tournament one day. The question is what happens next."

With all that said, there is no bigger Tony Shaver fan than me, and I am immensely sad for him and his assistants, all of whom were wonderful to us. In time, I will come to see his tenure here as the great blessing it has been, but now I'm just numb.

That doesn't mean that Samantha was wrong, or that she is evil.

I just hope that we don't fall into the same category as Drexler was a coupe of years, when there coach was let go and the mass bail out occurred!

I am heartbroken for Tony. I am stunned by the timing. At this moment, those are the only rational and unemotional comments that I can make.

Three thoughts seeping through my general feeling of shock:

1) Thank you Coach Shaver for making me excited to be a W&M basketball fan for the last 5-10 years... something I never felt for even one day during my time on campus.

2) Will any assistant coaches stick around? Gotta assume Austin is out. Holmes and Boatner maybe too - not sure if they’ll want to stay. Will Holmes get a chance as head coach? Probably not splashy enough for Huge, but best chance to retain players. Which leads me to...

3) What are the players thinking right now? How many are we going to lose? Please let us all enjoy the run next year which was (as of 2 hours ago) assuredly going to be one of the most talented squads we’ve seen in the last few decades.


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(03-13-2019 04:11 PM)Got Ribe Wrote:  I do know this wasn't about making the dance in any particular year, because she scolded me once for saying that should be a goal. She said, "Of course, we'll make the tournament one day. The question is what happens next."

That doesn't mean that Samantha was wrong, or that she is evil.

I can't agree with you here.

If this isn't about making the Dance in March, 2020, the timing of this is so bad that it's borderline AD malpractice.

The only ... only ... knock against Tony was the inability to get to the Dance ... and maybe play a little defense! :-)

The only way that I'm staying loyal at this moment, and not going scorched earth, is that the decision was made that 2020 is the year, that Tony was Moses, and that someone else is going to be Joshua in 2020.

Big...big...BIG... gamble ... and admirable if it pans out!