The only reason to say we “don’t know” the official reason Shaver was fired is if we don’t believe what the AD told us. She said (in so many words) that she thinks she can find and hire a better coach than Tony Shaver. Makes sense to me. The harder part will be doing it.

The last time WM arguably hired two good men’s basketball coaches in a row, if ever, was before I was born. So I’ll believe it when I see it.

(03-24-2019 03:32 PM)billymac Wrote:  So, it has been about 10 days since the announcement that set, the generally placid, world of W&M Men's Basketball on its collective ear. I was, as were most W&M alumni and fans, taken by complete surprise both by the suddenness of the announcement and the complete lack of clarity on the "why" of it all.

What I immediately realized, after signing in to this board last Wednesday, was just how deep the emotions brought out by this decision were and how quickly rational thought and honest debate had been pretty much completely tossed out the window by many posters. To support my point, in the first 10 days since the announcement, there have been 26 separate threads started (this is officially #27), comprising close to 100 pages of comments (that's a good size small novel) on this one topic.

Because of the general tone of the comments and the obvious deepness of the emotions involved, I just decided to remove myself from the discussion, for a while, so as not to say something, in the heat of the moment, that, looking back later, I might regret and just wait till things cooled down a bit.

Having kept an eye on the situation, it is apparent that most posters have gotten a chance to catch their breath and have found a bit of calm. It appears that many people have come to the same conclusion as I have over this week. That is:

WE DON'T KNOW MUCH.


The lid on the information on this decision is about as tight as the top on a new jar of pickles. So far, no one on either side of the issue is talking (that, in itself, surprises me, as usually, in my two decades as a reporter, there is always someone who wants to talk on any story.)
During the week that I decided not to comment, publicly, I did spend time contacting many of my former colleagues in the media, to see what they were hearing. Truth is, they didn't know anything either. That is why the editorial pieces by David Teel and Paul Woody (both of whom I admire, greatly) were just repetition of the info from the original press release, because, other than David coming up with Tony's contract, nothing else has shaken loose.

The only thing that I was able to find out, that wasn't already common knowledge at the time, was that the blowback/negative feedback was TREMENDOUSLY higher than the administration had anticipated. It wasn't just W&M alumni and fans, but also basketball reporters, coaches and other industry people, all shocked by the decision. From what I have gathered, they had anticipated some negative reaction, figuring as much as 60%-40% negative. What they got was much, MUCH higher.

What concerned me about how this board responded, wasn't the negative response, Tony is a beloved coach, but how 100 pages of content could be produced with no real information or facts to base those comments on, many of a very unflattering nature.


As far as I have been able to compile, here is what we know (and it isn't a long list):

Samantha Huge dismissed Tony Shaver as Head Coach of the Tribe on March 13th.
Tony's current contract had approximately 4 years remaining to run and could be renewed automatically.
The College owes Tony 1.7 million in Buyout dollars.
4 Top players have filed for entry into the NCAA Transfer Portal.
The players were made aware of the move before the announcement.
Jon Holmes has been retained as interim Coach.
Cam Brown has, to date, not requested to reopen his recruitment.

That is, pretty much, all the hard facts that we have.

Okay, so we also know that WHENEVER the Facts find the light of day, It will show that the reason that Tony was let go will NOT be that he is a WHITE MALE! Holy crap...


Everything else is pure speculation until someone makes an announcement or statement to provide us a little more enlightenment.



Now, what we DON'T KNOW is a completely different ballgame.

We don't know why, officially, Tony was let go.
We don't know why it was done when it was. Was there a reason for the quick hook at the conclusion of the season.
We don't know what would have caused an early employment Review.
We don't know why Tony wasn't allowed to coach the team he had built for 2020.
We don't know if players were truly at odds with their head coach.
We don't know if there was dissension on the team.
We don't know if some players were considering a transfer if nothing was done.
We don't know if any of the four star players will actually go through with their transfer.
We don't know if a new coach had been previously pinpointed.
We don't know if said coach might have gotten cold feet after seeing the huge negative response.
We don't know if the salary to pay the next coach is actually going to be $700,000.
We don't know if a handful of big donors had anything to do with the decision.
We don't know if this was all Huge's decision or if it involved other elements that have yet to be revealed.


I think you get the point here, it's tough to throw someone, anyone, under the bus, call people names, fall into character assassination, spread rumors or repeat speculation, with no facts, with hope that repeating it often enough will make it true, until we get more real information.


I would just ask that we continue to discuss info that comes out, including hearsay, but unless we have actual facts to back up the info, let's not be too quick to just bury someone, on this board or in the Administration. As I said, sometimes you find out that it is tough to undo some detrimental statements after they are out there and the truth later proves it wrong.


I apologize for this ongoing rant. This board is still my favorite place on the internet, one I visit several times a day. It is my go to place for discussing my favorite topic, W&M Sports. I just don't want to see it get torn apart by pure emotion taking over for common sense.


I will leave you with these words of wisdom I got from a mentor, relating to posting on any medium, texts, twitter, Instagram, email, boards or any other manner.

Always read your post 3 times before posting.

The 1st re-read, check your spelling. It does no good to call someone an Idiot, if you spell idiot incorrectly. It sort of lets people know who may be the true idiot.
The 2nd re-read, check your content. The worst thing about the internet/twitter is that there is no good way to show emotion, vocal inflection. It is a fact that your brain moves MUCH more rapidly than your fingers, so make sure you actually said what you thought you said, before posting. You may find that an extra adjective/adverb might more clearly say the thought you were trying to deliver.
The 3rd re-read, decide if it really needs to be posted. Writing out a post allows you to vent your feelings and have your say, but after you are done, ask yourself, do I really need to say this? Do I feel better after writing it out and don't need to castigate the original offender or is the world going to be a better place after reading this post. Sometimes just saying nothing is the best answer.



That's it. I'm done. Let's hope for a successful conclusion to this "recent unpleasantness" and that our beloved program won't be set back by this move (I don't know if I can keep myself healthy that long...). Hopefully, the new coach will be a fantastic add to our Tribe Family.

Go Tribe!

I appreciate the post but the fact of the matter is we do know that 1) players were not at odds with the staff 2) there was no dissension on the team, there was simply no obvious leader as there has been in years past. 3) only pierce was considering transferring prior to the firing and the firing made it a virtual lock that he will be leaving

(03-24-2019 05:57 PM)Mrs. Got Ribe Wrote:  I am recovering from back surgery and finally feel ready to weigh in on this. I intended to begin a new thread and title it One Tribe. One Family. But after seeing billymac’s latest post, it made sense not to start thread #28.

------------------

One Tribe. One Family. This is more than just a slogan to me…it is the way I live my Tribe life. I have worn the bracelet since Lt. Todd Weaver ’08 lost his life in Afghanistan and the SAAC set up a scholarship in his name. And, I am not taking it off now.

I understand the reactions of many fans right now. This was a surprise to almost everyone on the outside, and quite a few on the inside. As Tribe Club chair, I had slight advance knowledge of this. But, we can’t forget that there have been rumblings and rumors about whether Coach Shaver was on the hot seat previous to March 13. So while it is a shock, it wasn’t out of the blue.

Long time readers of this forum will know my opinion of Coach Shaver. What he did for W&M Basketball is worthy of laud and adoration. He resurrected our basketball program and made us relevant again. He is a heckuva nice guy, and he showed loyalty to W&M when others may have looked for greener pastures. He loves this school. I will also say, however, that he has been less enthused than he was five years ago for Mr. Ribe and me to push the program to new heights. Now this could be a reflection on me, not Tony. All I know is that Mr. Ribe and I have not been in a position to impact the basketball program as much lately as we were at first. Many of us wanted to form a basketball booster club. I finally gave up on that idea when it became clear that I wanted it more than the coaching staff did.

In a previous post, Mr. Ribe made reference to what we observed during the season from our seats. He was not speaking of Tony’s actions toward players during the games. He was speaking to many of the players’ disregard for their coaches. No good will come from rehashing it here, but maybe there is something to the rumors of team discord and player/coach chemistry--maybe enough to lead several players to consider leaving, even before March 13.

Moving forward, I don’t have much inside knowledge at this point. What I do know has mostly been stated here on this board. (There is no lump sum buyout. Tony will receive his base salary on a normal pay schedule. There is some dispute between his agent and Tribe Athletics regarding “base salary.”) I am glad to try to get answers for you on anything that I can. But, as she did with the football hire, Samantha is holding this very close to the vest. I do not know anything of the rumored $700k coaching salary.

My thoughts at this point:

Samantha had been evaluating the basketball program for two years and made a decision based on that evaluation. I am certain that Coach Shaver was not let go because we lost to Delaware on March 10.

There is no coach-in-waiting and Samantha is committed to making the right choice, much as she was in football.

There has been a change in attitude in Tribe Athletics. Mediocrity is no longer okay, and the Woody Allen rule no longer applies. If you’re a coach, you sure as hell better not say that winning isn’t important, or even conjecture that winning can’t happen. Instead, you better have a plan on how you can win.

Samantha Huge is a steward of William & Mary Athletics, and she is making decisions based on what she thinks is best for Tribe Athletics. We can agree or disagree with those decisions, but the conspiracy theories of her only being concerned with furthering her name just don’t make sense. I don’t see how firing Tony at this point plays into a sinister plan to set her up for a P5 job. She is walking a very high wire, a wire that could snap at any moment. If that happens, she isn’t set up to go anywhere. The safe move would have been to keep Tony, play out next year, and see where we are after that. Instead, she made a move that she felt was in the best interest of our student-athletes, the basketball program, and the College of William & Mary.

Before Samantha was hired, we were at a point of complacency in the entire athletic department. You don’t have to look much further than Tony’s contract to see that: an automatic extension for a better than .500 conference record. If our president and BOV had wanted to continue in that same vein of comfort and complacency, we would have hired TD-2, but we did not. We hired Samantha Huge, and I am willing to give her a chance to do her job.

Now, those of you who are long-time members of this forum also know that I had my differences with Terry Driscoll (just as I have had some differences with Samantha). There were times when I was at complete odds with Terry and the decisions he made. At times, we even had philosophical differences on the potential of Tribe Athletics. But, I continued to support Tribe Athletics, and I never once questioned Terry’s motives or his allegiance to the College.

As One Tribe. One Family, we have a storm to weather, and I have no idea what the other side looks like. I just know that we must weather it together, and that we must remain Tribe Strong.

There were no issues with the team and the coaching staff. Only pierce was considering transfer and the firing made it even more likely that he follows through. None of the players disregarded the coaches and the instances you are likely referring to are Knight walking of the court with his head down--which is just his attitude when things go negatively on the court, has been for 3 years.

And the points about Shaver make no sense. Please just look at the last 5 years and how this team has always been at the top of the conference with a chance to make noise in March. You lose Cohn and there will clearly be a leadership gap which is what we saw this year and is literally the cause for every so called "reason" posters have had for the firing. It shocks me to hear how this team is now considered mediocre. Top 4 every year is not mediocre. This team is top 4 every year and in the championship game or semis frequently as well with a championship game at the best odds preseason its been in a while for next year prior to the firing. This coaching staff has recruited NBA level talent in Thornton, Knight, potentially Pierce and Audige with Dixon and Burchfield getting opportunities in the G league, Tarpey winning France championships and this IS JUST IN THE LAST 5 YEARS, because the staff found their stride and were consistently excellent in their recruiting. Just take a look at who is coming calling after Pierce, Audige, Milon, and Owens. Pierce, Audige, and Owens were recruited here and now all these power 5 teams want a piece of what this coaching staff saw above anyone else. This staff has begun to take advantage of the transfer market, bringing in Milon and Van Vliet. This coaching staff did not plateau, it was still improving at an incredibly discounted price and the inability to see that is astounding.

I agree that the athletic department in general could have been seen as stagnant but the MBB team does not fall in that category.

(03-24-2019 05:57 PM)Mrs. Got Ribe Wrote:  As Tribe Club chair, I had slight advance knowledge of this.

I am certain that Coach Shaver was not let go because we lost to Delaware on March 10.

There is no coach-in-waiting and Samantha is committed to making the right choice, much as she was in football.

Instead, you better have a plan on how you can win.

First off, I echo Blow Gym rat in offering wishes for a speedy recovery.

I have been grappling with what is the nicest way to make this next comment. I have decided to present it this way: If I was the Tribe Club Chair and I was given advance knowledge of this (even if slight) then I not only would have given Huge an earful of my own opinion but I think that I would have enough feel for the pulse of the Tribe Club constituency to be able to voice what is obviously the majority opinion on this subject. It definitely sounds from your post that you didn't argue much against it and, it seems, actually agreed with it. I am extremely disappointed that the Tribe Club, en masse, lost that chance for their voice to be heard.

Many of us have commented that if Huge did make this decision earlier (and I definitely believe that she did) BUT that she did not have a replacement already lined up ---- then that is folly and irresponsible (you don't just sell your house without knowing where you will go next). Last Tuesday I was listening to Bob Black (UR announcer) on the radio and he was saying that during his many years of working with the previous AD (I think his name was Jim Miller, but the name doesn't matter) that the AD always had a list in his wallet. It was a list of football and basketball coaches that the AD was interested in just in case he had a sudden need for one. Bob Black then went on to say that he assumes every AD has such a list. He even mentioned a bunch of state-wide ADs, by name, who needed such a list right now. I found it very interesting and telling that he did NOT mention Huge's name as one of those ADs who would be wise enough to be using a list right now. (Not well respected in the media).

Lastly, you used this line to describe the new attitude in the athletic department: "Instead, you better have a plan on how you can win." Well, it does not look like, so far, that Huge has a plan on how she can win this one --- but she better get a winning plan pretty quick, methinks, before a whole bunch more of us follow Blow Gym rat out the door.

Guesses as to what % of Tribe Club donations is represented by active voices on this message board?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

(03-25-2019 08:32 AM)ColonelEbirt Wrote:  Guesses as to what % of Tribe Club donations is represented by active voices on this message board?

Probably a very low percentage of donations but a reasonably higher percentage of members. I'm in the camp that believes that even the low givers -- who give all they can afford to give -- nevertheless have voices that deserve and need to be heard. I will be interested to hear not only the total dollar count for One Tribe Day but also the entire count of donors.

Not to donate will ensure that eventually we'll have bad teams in every sport. Why take it out on our great student-athletes who will be the ones to suffer?

(03-25-2019 11:35 AM)bubbadog57 Wrote:  Not to donate will ensure that eventually we'll have bad teams in every sport. Why take it out on our great student-athletes who will be the ones to suffer?

Many college and universities allow for donations to be earmarked for certain uses i.e. certain sports as opposed to the generic "athletic department". Without any knowledge of "One Tribe Day" or other giving days, you can still likely do both, donate and not give into the frustrations you are all dealing with currently. Or maybe I really have no clue, and W&M only allows donations to the athletic department and you have to blindly have faith in how they use those funds.

(03-24-2019 11:30 PM)Zorch Wrote:  Last Tuesday I was listening to Bob Black (UR announcer) on the radio and he was saying that during his many years of working with the previous AD (I think his name was Jim Miller, but the name doesn't matter) that the AD always had a list in his wallet. It was a list of football and basketball coaches that the AD was interested in just in case he had a sudden need for one.

The only list Miller had in his wallet was what he needed from the ABC store that week. That man, drunk at UR's homecoming game, turned off the City Stadium lights on JMU's marching band postgame show in 2006. He is a drunken ass & may he rot with age.

(03-24-2019 03:32 PM)billymac Wrote:  The only thing that I was able to find out, that wasn't already common knowledge at the time, was that the blowback/negative feedback was TREMENDOUSLY higher than the administration had anticipated. It wasn't just W&M alumni and fans, but also basketball reporters, coaches and other industry people, all shocked by the decision. From what I have gathered, they had anticipated some negative reaction, figuring as much as 60%-40% negative. What they got was much, MUCH higher.

Thanks for this Billy.

Maybe its just the circles I travel in, but from everything I've seen (both online and in daily chats with Tribe fans), that 60-40 negative number is spot on. I think the "Tony stay" camp is just louder because 1) aren't they always? and 2) most of the "Tony leave" camp is unenthused about the timing and buyout.

I'm always curious how this move has struck people outside of this message board.


Sent from my LM-V405 using Tapatalk

(03-25-2019 11:35 AM)bubbadog57 Wrote:  Not to donate will ensure that eventually we'll have bad teams in every sport. Why take it out on our great student-athletes who will be the ones to suffer?

The counter-argument is that to donate will ensure that eventually we’ll have bad teams in every sport because of incompetence at the top. Why make our great student-athletes suffer from incompetence at the top? If the donations stop, changes will be made and our great student-athletes will benefit.

BTW, under Shaver, we had great STUDENT-athletes. Not sure that the change is for the better in this regard.

(03-25-2019 11:44 AM)zablenoise Wrote:  

(03-24-2019 03:32 PM)billymac Wrote:  The only thing that I was able to find out, that wasn't already common knowledge at the time, was that the blowback/negative feedback was TREMENDOUSLY higher than the administration had anticipated. It wasn't just W&M alumni and fans, but also basketball reporters, coaches and other industry people, all shocked by the decision. From what I have gathered, they had anticipated some negative reaction, figuring as much as 60%-40% negative. What they got was much, MUCH higher.

Thanks for this Billy.

Maybe its just the circles I travel in, but from everything I've seen (both online and in daily chats with Tribe fans), that 60-40 negative number is spot on. I think the "Tony stay" camp is just louder because 1) aren't they always? and 2) most of the "Tony leave" camp is unenthused about the timing and buyout.

I'm always curious how this move has struck people outside of this message board.


Sent from my LM-V405 using Tapatalk

Can you clarify what you mean by 60-40 spot-on? Are you saying that's the actual sentiment or that was the administrations expectation?

In conversations I've had with alums, both heavily involved, and more distant, College employees, and simply fans with a local rooting interest the sentiment is literally 100-0 against the decision.

If that wasn't understood to be the sentiment in the community it reflects a deep disconnect with this community of alumni and athletic dept supporters, which will make it impossible for Huge to have any sustained success here.

(03-25-2019 12:50 PM)Tribfan Wrote:  Can you clarify what you mean by 60-40 spot-on? Are you saying that's the actual sentiment or that was the administrations expectation?

In conversations I've had with alums, both heavily involved, and more distant, College employees, and simply fans with a local rooting interest the sentiment is literally 100-0 against the decision.

If that wasn't understood to be the sentiment in the community it reflects a deep disconnect with this community of alumni and athletic dept supporters, which will make it impossible for Huge to have any sustained success here.

I saw a twitter poll from WAVY 10 that was about 55-45 against (not the most robust methodology) and my W&M Sports Fans group chat is split 50-50. But we're all too young to have experienced "the dark times".


Sent from my LM-V405 using Tapatalk

(03-25-2019 01:10 PM)zablenoise Wrote:  

(03-25-2019 12:50 PM)Tribfan Wrote:  Can you clarify what you mean by 60-40 spot-on? Are you saying that's the actual sentiment or that was the administrations expectation?

In conversations I've had with alums, both heavily involved, and more distant, College employees, and simply fans with a local rooting interest the sentiment is literally 100-0 against the decision.

If that wasn't understood to be the sentiment in the community it reflects a deep disconnect with this community of alumni and athletic dept supporters, which will make it impossible for Huge to have any sustained success here.

I saw a twitter poll from WAVY 10 that was about 55-45 against (not the most robust methodology) and my W&M Sports Fans group chat is split 50-50. But we're all too young to have experienced "the dark times".


Sent from my LM-V405 using Tapatalk

Buckle up!

(03-24-2019 05:57 PM)Mrs. Got Ribe Wrote:  I am recovering from back surgery and finally feel ready to weigh in on this. I intended to begin a new thread and title it One Tribe. One Family. But after seeing billymac’s latest post, it made sense not to start thread #28.

------------------

One Tribe. One Family. This is more than just a slogan to me…it is the way I live my Tribe life. I have worn the bracelet since Lt. Todd Weaver ’08 lost his life in Afghanistan and the SAAC set up a scholarship in his name. And, I am not taking it off now.

I understand the reactions of many fans right now. This was a surprise to almost everyone on the outside, and quite a few on the inside. As Tribe Club chair, I had slight advance knowledge of this. But, we can’t forget that there have been rumblings and rumors about whether Coach Shaver was on the hot seat previous to March 13. So while it is a shock, it wasn’t out of the blue.

Long time readers of this forum will know my opinion of Coach Shaver. What he did for W&M Basketball is worthy of laud and adoration. He resurrected our basketball program and made us relevant again. He is a heckuva nice guy, and he showed loyalty to W&M when others may have looked for greener pastures. He loves this school. I will also say, however, that he has been less enthused than he was five years ago for Mr. Ribe and me to push the program to new heights. Now this could be a reflection on me, not Tony. All I know is that Mr. Ribe and I have not been in a position to impact the basketball program as much lately as we were at first. Many of us wanted to form a basketball booster club. I finally gave up on that idea when it became clear that I wanted it more than the coaching staff did.

In a previous post, Mr. Ribe made reference to what we observed during the season from our seats. He was not speaking of Tony’s actions toward players during the games. He was speaking to many of the players’ disregard for their coaches. No good will come from rehashing it here, but maybe there is something to the rumors of team discord and player/coach chemistry--maybe enough to lead several players to consider leaving, even before March 13.

Moving forward, I don’t have much inside knowledge at this point. What I do know has mostly been stated here on this board. (There is no lump sum buyout. Tony will receive his base salary on a normal pay schedule. There is some dispute between his agent and Tribe Athletics regarding “base salary.”) I am glad to try to get answers for you on anything that I can. But, as she did with the football hire, Samantha is holding this very close to the vest. I do not know anything of the rumored $700k coaching salary.

My thoughts at this point:

Samantha had been evaluating the basketball program for two years and made a decision based on that evaluation. I am certain that Coach Shaver was not let go because we lost to Delaware on March 10.

There is no coach-in-waiting and Samantha is committed to making the right choice, much as she was in football.

There has been a change in attitude in Tribe Athletics. Mediocrity is no longer okay, and the Woody Allen rule no longer applies. If you’re a coach, you sure as hell better not say that winning isn’t important, or even conjecture that winning can’t happen. Instead, you better have a plan on how you can win.

Samantha Huge is a steward of William & Mary Athletics, and she is making decisions based on what she thinks is best for Tribe Athletics. We can agree or disagree with those decisions, but the conspiracy theories of her only being concerned with furthering her name just don’t make sense. I don’t see how firing Tony at this point plays into a sinister plan to set her up for a P5 job. She is walking a very high wire, a wire that could snap at any moment. If that happens, she isn’t set up to go anywhere. The safe move would have been to keep Tony, play out next year, and see where we are after that. Instead, she made a move that she felt was in the best interest of our student-athletes, the basketball program, and the College of William & Mary.

Before Samantha was hired, we were at a point of complacency in the entire athletic department. You don’t have to look much further than Tony’s contract to see that: an automatic extension for a better than .500 conference record. If our president and BOV had wanted to continue in that same vein of comfort and complacency, we would have hired TD-2, but we did not. We hired Samantha Huge, and I am willing to give her a chance to do her job.

Now, those of you who are long-time members of this forum also know that I had my differences with Terry Driscoll (just as I have had some differences with Samantha). There were times when I was at complete odds with Terry and the decisions he made. At times, we even had philosophical differences on the potential of Tribe Athletics. But, I continued to support Tribe Athletics, and I never once questioned Terry’s motives or his allegiance to the College.

As One Tribe. One Family, we have a storm to weather, and I have no idea what the other side looks like. I just know that we must weather it together, and that we must remain Tribe Strong.

I'm a new poster to his board so please forgive my questions if they've been answered elsewhere:
1) I'm a member/donor to Tribe Club/W&M AEF but not on the Board. Can someone help me understand its functional role? Presumably its oversight / responsible governance of the donations made and ensuring the athletic department is held accountable for fair / equitable disbursement of those funds. How is this managed by the Board?

2) One of the key reasons Huge was hired was allegedly fundraising acumen. The last major donation I can recall is $4m by the Gerdelman's in 2015 which pre-dates Huge's tenure. Is she responsible for any significant new donors or donations to the department during her tenure? I've seen no such announcements, and it seems 2 years is plenty of time to make a splash in this area if its your calling card.

3) I heard through the grapevine that the next Tribe Club board meeting is canceled. Why?

4) You mention that "mediocrity is no longer ok". When exactly was that the established tagline for W&M athletics? W&M has a rich history of success in many of our sports going back decades. Most recently CAA championships in swimming and cross country, in the recent past CAA champs in soccer, and baseball a year earlier falling in the NCAA regional round. Mens and womens tennis frequently competes at a high level, field hockey is an excellent nationally recognized program. Until recently, football was a perennial IAA/FCS power, as we all know basketball grew into a perennial contender in the CAA by Tony Shaver. Implying that mediocrity was ever ok, is doing a huge disservice to the coaches who win here consistently with worse facilities and smaller budgets than they'd have almost anywhere else. Now that Huge has mortgaged the entire department on $1.7M plus a new coaches salary all the coaches who were already successful now have a more daunting task to likely do it under even more difficult financial conditions.

(03-25-2019 01:10 PM)zablenoise Wrote:  

(03-25-2019 12:50 PM)Tribfan Wrote:  Can you clarify what you mean by 60-40 spot-on? Are you saying that's the actual sentiment or that was the administrations expectation?

In conversations I've had with alums, both heavily involved, and more distant, College employees, and simply fans with a local rooting interest the sentiment is literally 100-0 against the decision.

If that wasn't understood to be the sentiment in the community it reflects a deep disconnect with this community of alumni and athletic dept supporters, which will make it impossible for Huge to have any sustained success here.

I saw a twitter poll from WAVY 10 that was about 55-45 against (not the most robust methodology) and my W&M Sports Fans group chat is split 50-50. But we're all too young to have experienced "the dark times".


Sent from my LM-V405 using Tapatalk

Go it, thanks for clarifying.

(03-25-2019 11:39 AM)dan10 Wrote:  

(03-25-2019 11:35 AM)bubbadog57 Wrote:  Not to donate will ensure that eventually we'll have bad teams in every sport. Why take it out on our great student-athletes who will be the ones to suffer?

Many college and universities allow for donations to be earmarked for certain uses i.e. certain sports as opposed to the generic "athletic department". Without any knowledge of "One Tribe Day" or other giving days, you can still likely do both, donate and not give into the frustrations you are all dealing with currently. Or maybe I really have no clue, and W&M only allows donations to the athletic department and you have to blindly have faith in how they use those funds.

You can earmark funds to only be used for the basketball program.

Nearly all the alums I know have no connection at all with this Board. The reaction on facebook, twitter, Instagram,(i am on none of those, but my family and friends are) has been very very close to 100% negative. All of the media coverage has been negative. No one I have listened to thinks it was a good move for the students either. One person today who has a son considering W&M soccer(not an alum like us) said, it is not a good look. He said this could not be good for the student athletes. His only knowledge of this was the media coverage. He did say that in his experience, kids play for the coach not the school. So, the AD thinks your players aren't good enough. He said parents like stability and this doesn't sound like it is. I tried to encourage him to still give us a fair shot.

(03-25-2019 11:41 AM)HyperDuke Wrote:  

(03-24-2019 11:30 PM)Zorch Wrote:  Last Tuesday I was listening to Bob Black (UR announcer) on the radio and he was saying that during his many years of working with the previous AD (I think his name was Jim Miller, but the name doesn't matter) that the AD always had a list in his wallet. It was a list of football and basketball coaches that the AD was interested in just in case he had a sudden need for one.

The only list Miller had in his wallet was what he needed from the ABC store that week. That man, drunk at UR's homecoming game, turned off the City Stadium lights on JMU's marching band postgame show in 2006. He is a drunken ass & may he rot with age.

Hyper, are you lost again? lol

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk

Thanks Hyper. I need all the laughter i can get.