(12-25-2010 06:22 PM)KennesawBasketball Wrote: Coach Ingle is probably the reason that we are a Division I university right now
As much as I personally respect the guy, I think that's an awfully bold statement that takes a lot away from the other athletic programs that have won D-II national championships at KSU, like softball and baseball, as well as the programs that are having D-I success already (like cross country and women's soccer). In fact, five programs have already won A-Sun conference championships (six, if you count indoor & outdoor track as separate sports).
The university had to become D-I simply to remain competitive for student admissions, as it became the third-largest university in Georgia, and as Atlanta continues to explode population-wise. I sincerely doubt that the the Board of Regents or the University leadership put much stock, one way or the other, in any one coach or athletic program.
Sure, men's basketball would be the likely candidate to generate positive cash flow, but that will only happen with a winning program. So although Coach Ingle will certainly get the benefit of the doubt given his D-II championship and his university tenure, the University will be counting on this program to start showing success.
Any coach should be giving an awfully long leash during the painful transitional period, where all programs are essentially crippled, but the training wheels should be coming off at this point.
If I were Coach Ingle, I'd be more than a bit nervous, as the old guard (Dr. Siegel and Dr. Waples) has changed. Fair or unfair, c'est la vie.
In sports, as is often the case in life, wins are the ultimate measuring stick.