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From mlive.com/broncos...

In his two-year deal, Bates’ annual salary will increase from $110,000 to $120,000, with an additional $100,000 for multimedia rights and speaking opportunities to a total of $220,000, making him the lowest-paid coach in the Mid-American Conference.

My thoughts...

A joke, Bates and his family have put WMU first. Bates has been at WMU for 15 years. Bates deserves better.

Kathy, shame on you.

The fact that the WMU press release openly noted how much money the university would save like it’s a positive thing was the most disgraceful part. Maybe more disgraceful than admitting a national search didn’t happen in an age when technology can keep not just national but global operations going.

As an alum, I’m beyond embarrassed right now by the university and how they handled this situation.

And I feel the most bad for Clayton. None of this is his fault and he deserves better.

Probably due to the huge reduction in payouts from
the NCAA and projected losses in state tax revenues
alumni giving, etc. All because of the economic impact of the coronavirus. I'm sure this is not the only time we'll see lowered Coaching salaries, along
with restructuring if not elimination of Athletic Departments for some schools.

Meh - if we gave him or Bronkema or Vanderwal or you name it & made them the highest paid coach in the MAC, y'all would be complaining we're overspending.

Did he get a raise? If yes, then 'he doesn't deserve better' till he earns it, eh? He could've declined the offer, he could've asked for a bigger raise. No shame on the school for 'not giving him what he deserves.'

Even a football season is somewhat questionable at this point. If it's cancelled, no $1.2 million check from Notre Dame for our athletic department coffers.

The entire country changed radically during the week of March 8th, on par with 9/11, we've got to keep that in mind. The decisions regarding coaching targets, salaries and contracts made behind closed doors in February were likely altered significantly in March.

I guarantee all mid-majors, especially those in the MAC, will be adjusting spending down in the future unless this crisis magically disappears in the next couple months.

Bates just landed a $220,000 gig while millions of service level and blue-collar workers are heading to the unemployment line. It's not pre-COVID head coach money, but let's at least keep some perspective here.

There are far bigger fish to fry right now than being upset about how much Bates will be earning the next couple years.

I just don't understand some people. Our nation is in crisis right now and people are worried about the national search not being good enough or not paying the new coach enough. Maybe this was an easy hire or maybe it was the best hire considering all that is going on right now.

What if WMU hired somebody from the outside and half of the team transferred and now they have 7 guys on the roster but can't really recruit with everything that is going on in our world right now. What would the team look like then? Was WMU really supposed to break the bank on a new coach when President Trump had to sign a 6.2 trillion dollar stimulus bill on Friday to try and keep our country afloat?

Maybe for once some of you can stop for a minute just assuming the worst. Maybe this will work out great. I know that is what I am hoping for.

Go Broncos!!

(03-29-2020 01:07 PM)WMUPorter Wrote:  I just don't understand some people. Our nation is in crisis right now and people are worried about the national search not being good enough or not paying the new coach enough. Maybe this was an easy hire or maybe it was the best hire considering all that is going on right now.

What if WMU hired somebody from the outside and half of the team transferred and now they have 7 guys on the roster but can't really recruit with everything that is going on in our world right now. What would the team look like then? Was WMU really supposed to break the bank on a new coach when President Trump had to sign a 6.2 trillion dollar stimulus bill on Friday to try and keep our country afloat?

Maybe for once some of you can stop for a minute just assuming the worst. Maybe this will work out great. I know that is what I am hoping for.

Go Broncos!!

It wasn’t. There are dozens of coaching searches happening right now across the country that have been unimpeded by the use of technology. For example, UIC just hired Luke Yaklich, a riser in the coaching ranks. He was an external hire. WMU fans/alums completely have the right to complain that the AD doesn’t know how to use basic technology, and then publicly uses it as an excuse for her shortcomings.

It wasn't about technology, it was about salary/budget.

Yaklich was making $350K at his previous gig, so figure UIC will be paying higher than that. WMU obviously changed its mind about spending $400K+ right now. It's a different world than even a few weeks ago.

Does UIC also have pricey football and hockey programs to fund?

You act as if EMU, of all places, would've been a big spender if Murphy were let go last month. You guys would've went bargain-basement as well until we more fully understood the impact of the worst national health crisis in a century.

The question is: was WMU 'no external hires' an athletic department decision, or a school-wide decision? If school-wide our AD's hands were tied & UIC obviously didn't have the same obstacle.

Looking at his resume, I can't say I'd be thrilled if WMU brought in Yaklich. I don't care for P5 assistants. Usually they think the MAC will be a cakewalk, half-ass it, & are then surprised when they put up losing seasons. Bates is at least familiar with the MAC & has been decent in it. The way posters are defending Hawkins in other threads, you'd think promoting from within was a great decision.

Salary, you win the MAC, you get bonuses. Have him earn the salary. If he continues to finish in the cellar, he's on a 2-year deal & you have options to continue the search. Glad we didn't overpay for a P5 assistant who turns out to be a fraud.

My only concern is the salary tells the basketball world we put emphasis on football & hockey, but at same time there's a global crisis right now.

(03-29-2020 02:30 PM)Motown Bronco Wrote:  It wasn't about technology, it was about salary/budget.

Yaklich was making $350K at his previous gig, so figure UIC will be paying higher than that. WMU obviously changed its mind about spending $400K+ right now. It's a different world than even a few weeks ago.

Does UIC also have pricey football and hockey programs to fund?

You act as if EMU, of all places, would've been a big spender if Murphy were let go last month. You guys would've went bargain-basement as well until we more fully understood the impact of the worst national health crisis in a century.

Bingo! Cost is King right now thus Murphy is at EMU and Keno, Montgomery, Kowalcyk and Whitford all are still employed with their MAC West schools as well, despite having poorer career conference records than the departed Hawk. The rationality for this is not due to their coaching performance but rather contract longevity that would require expensive buyouts

Unlike his in-state rivals Hawk recruited four year players, which probably contributed to his demise. That said, the nucleus of Johnson, Flowers, White and Wright is pretty solid and other than Flowers, I could make a compelling case for the others to transfer.

$220K a year with only a two year commitment? Due to coaching stability you might keep the aforementioned four players on your campus? I don't see this as a terrible hire.

(03-29-2020 02:30 PM)Motown Bronco Wrote:  It wasn't about technology, it was about salary/budget.

Yaklich was making $350K at his previous gig, so figure UIC will be paying higher than that. WMU obviously changed its mind about spending $400K+ right now. It's a different world than even a few weeks ago.

Does UIC also have pricey football and hockey programs to fund?

You act as if EMU, of all places, would've been a big spender if Murphy were let go last month. You guys would've went bargain-basement as well until we more fully understood the impact of the worst national health crisis in a century.

EMU isn’t relevant to this conversation. Your own AD blamed the virus for not being able to run an appropriate search. That has everything to do with her personal limitations, particularly when other schools are getting things done.

And don’t tell me you can’t afford a 400K coach when you offered Saddi Washington a week before. And if you can’t afford a 400K coach, you should drop to D2. I’ve said the exact same thing about EMU.

(03-29-2020 02:04 PM)holybovine Wrote:  

(03-29-2020 01:07 PM)WMUPorter Wrote:  I just don't understand some people. Our nation is in crisis right now and people are worried about the national search not being good enough or not paying the new coach enough. Maybe this was an easy hire or maybe it was the best hire considering all that is going on right now.

What if WMU hired somebody from the outside and half of the team transferred and now they have 7 guys on the roster but can't really recruit with everything that is going on in our world right now. What would the team look like then? Was WMU really supposed to break the bank on a new coach when President Trump had to sign a 6.2 trillion dollar stimulus bill on Friday to try and keep our country afloat?

Maybe for once some of you can stop for a minute just assuming the worst. Maybe this will work out great. I know that is what I am hoping for.

Go Broncos!!

It wasn’t. There are dozens of coaching searches happening right now across the country that have been unimpeded by the use of technology. For example, UIC just hired Luke Yaklich, a riser in the coaching ranks. He was an external hire. WMU fans/alums completely have the right to complain that the AD doesn’t know how to use basic technology, and then publicly uses it as an excuse for her shortcomings.

The school is on a hiring freeze. Get lost.

(03-29-2020 06:57 PM)holybovine Wrote:  

(03-29-2020 02:30 PM)Motown Bronco Wrote:  It wasn't about technology, it was about salary/budget.

Yaklich was making $350K at his previous gig, so figure UIC will be paying higher than that. WMU obviously changed its mind about spending $400K+ right now. It's a different world than even a few weeks ago.

Does UIC also have pricey football and hockey programs to fund?

You act as if EMU, of all places, would've been a big spender if Murphy were let go last month. You guys would've went bargain-basement as well until we more fully understood the impact of the worst national health crisis in a century.

EMU isn’t relevant to this conversation. Your own AD blamed the virus for not being able to run an appropriate search. That has everything to do with her personal limitations, particularly when other schools are getting things done.

And don’t tell me you can’t afford a 400K coach when you offered Saddi Washington a week before. And if you can’t afford a 400K coach, you should drop to D2. I’ve said the exact same thing about EMU.

I'm not completely sure Saddi would've gotten a call if the crisis hit home just a few weeks earlier. You're not fully realizing how radical the country changed in such a short period of time.

It's strange how worked up you are. I wouldn't want another MAC school to make a home-run splash hire in any sport, let alone an in-state MAC West one.

(03-29-2020 07:40 PM)Motown Bronco Wrote:  

(03-29-2020 06:57 PM)holybovine Wrote:  

(03-29-2020 02:30 PM)Motown Bronco Wrote:  It wasn't about technology, it was about salary/budget.

Yaklich was making $350K at his previous gig, so figure UIC will be paying higher than that. WMU obviously changed its mind about spending $400K+ right now. It's a different world than even a few weeks ago.

Does UIC also have pricey football and hockey programs to fund?

You act as if EMU, of all places, would've been a big spender if Murphy were let go last month. You guys would've went bargain-basement as well until we more fully understood the impact of the worst national health crisis in a century.

EMU isn’t relevant to this conversation. Your own AD blamed the virus for not being able to run an appropriate search. That has everything to do with her personal limitations, particularly when other schools are getting things done.

And don’t tell me you can’t afford a 400K coach when you offered Saddi Washington a week before. And if you can’t afford a 400K coach, you should drop to D2. I’ve said the exact same thing about EMU.

I'm not completely sure Saddi would've gotten a call if the crisis hit home just a few weeks earlier. You're not fully realizing how radical the country changed in such a short period of time.

It's strange how worked up you are. I wouldn't want another MAC school to make a home-run splash hire in any sport, let alone an in-state MAC West one.

I want the MAC to be a two-bid league again. The MAC West is a coaching graveyard. Programs only get better with high-quality coaching. MAC basketball is slowly dying, and hires like this are a big reason why.

(03-29-2020 07:58 PM)holybovine Wrote:  I want the MAC to be a two-bid league again. The MAC West is a coaching graveyard. Programs only get better with high-quality coaching. MAC basketball is slowly dying, and hires like this are a big reason why.

Understood. But man, it's hard for me to get too bothered about MAC basketball right now. Other, far more important things out there are "slowly dying" before our eyes.

And who knows if basketball (and football) will even start on time later this year, if this thing doesn't settle down this summer. And if it does, what will even sparser crowds and huge budget pitfalls mean for our league. Things might be worse than whether we're a 2-bid hoops league or not. The bloated B1G can weather this storm, not sure about the MAC.

So I'm not too bothered by the Clayton Bates hiring. Maybe I would've had a different opinion if things in general were different, I dunno. But in my current mindset, it is what it is.

Embarrassing...but fitting for the support the students give the program.

Why didn't we pay Lester $220,000? He probably would have accepted it.

We weren't diving off an economic cliff into a deep recession in 2017. No way Lester gets paid Fleck money if this went down now.

A salary that's last in the MAC ain't a good look, agreed. But the unemployment rate will keep ballooning up to ugly levels rarely seen in our lifetimes. No reason to feel sorry for Bates making 'only' a guaranteed $220,000 amidst this crisis.

If the economy recovers and he does a good job next season, pretty much a sure bet he'll get a huge raise back to "normal."

This was the first major hire in the Montgomery era. Prepare for more cost-saving approaches in the future. He's an economist and is restructuring how the university operates.

What will be really interesting is what happens when Kathy retires.

(03-31-2020 07:58 AM)broncofan1 Wrote:  This was the first major hire in the Montgomery era. Prepare for more cost-saving approaches in the future. He's an economist and is restructuring how the university operates.

What will be really interesting is what happens when Kathy retires.

There is a WMU ( & now State of Michigan) hiring freeze. Covid19 has changed the world

(03-31-2020 08:31 AM)okgc Wrote:  

(03-31-2020 07:58 AM)broncofan1 Wrote:  This was the first major hire in the Montgomery era. Prepare for more cost-saving approaches in the future. He's an economist and is restructuring how the university operates.

What will be really interesting is what happens when Kathy retires.

There is a WMU ( & now State of Michigan) hiring freeze. Covid19 has changed the world

I know.

I honestly don't think the salary would have been different under this president if we weren't in a crisis.