Four finalists are posted on collegeAD, anyone know who they're? Meaning anyone, have a subscription?

Joe Manhertz - Western NY guy that is currently AD of an A10 school. I wonder why he would wanna leave his home turf of western NY for a lateral move https://gobonnies.com/staff-directory/joe-manhertz/211

Michael Oblinger - Northeast guy with a current role heavily involved in raising donations. This would be a promotion for him
https://uconnhuskies.com/staff-directory...linger/254

Adam Walker - Midwestern guy who also shows a lot of experience in raising funds. Also cites a lot of experience in dealing with NIL
https://gotigersgo.com/staff-directory/d...-walker/27

Tiffany Tucker - Internal candidate from Virginiabwith a lot of noted administrative experience. Seems to be highly thought of but no cited fundraising experience
https://uncwsports.com/staff-directory/t...tucker/210

My gut

1. Walker from Memphis - NIL and fundraising experience. Memphis has a strong basketball history so he knows the importance of basketball. Candidate looking for an opportunity at a promotion. Has a doctorate for whatever that's worth.

2. Oblinger from UConn - Experience in fundraising at a basketball school. Looking for a promotion and a chance to show he can run the show.

3. Tucker from UNCW - Would be fantastic on the administrative side but not sure how the fundraising would go which is what we need the most. Well liked and would do a good job but would she meet our greatest need?

4. Manhertz from St. Bony - Need more info. I don't get why he would want to leave a school doing well in their main sport and his home turf unless it's for the money. And I just don't see anyone coming here for the money. To me potential red flag as to his true interest though I could be way off base. He may just wanna live in a warmer climate.

(02-17-2023 07:50 PM)solohawks Wrote:  Joe Manhertz - Western NY guy that is currently AD of an A10 school. I wonder why he would wanna leave his home turf of western NY for a lateral move https://gobonnies.com/staff-directory/joe-manhertz/211

Michael Oblinger - Northeast guy with a current role heavily involved in raising donations. This would be a promotion for him
https://uconnhuskies.com/staff-directory...linger/254

Adam Walker - Midwestern guy who also shows a lot of experience in raising funds. Also cites a lot of experience in dealing with NIL
https://gotigersgo.com/staff-directory/d...-walker/27

Tiffany Tucker - Internal candidate from Virginiabwith a lot of noted administrative experience. Seems to be highly thought of but no cited fundraising experience
https://uncwsports.com/staff-directory/t...tucker/210

My gut

1. Walker from Memphis - NIL and fundraising experience. Memphis has a strong basketball history so he knows the importance of basketball. Candidate looking for an opportunity at a promotion. Has a doctorate for whatever that's worth.

2. Oblinger from UConn - Experience in fundraising at a basketball school. Looking for a promotion and a chance to show he can run the show.

3. Tucker from UNCW - Would be fantastic on the administrative side but not sure how the fundraising would go which is what we need the most. Well liked and would do a good job but would she meet our greatest need?

4. Manhertz from St. Bony - Need more info. I don't get why he would want to leave a school doing well in their main sport and his home turf unless it's for the money. And I just don't see anyone coming here for the money. To me potential red flag as to his true interest though I could be way off base. He may just wanna live in a warmer climate.

Joe Manhertz was an Associate Director of Athletics at Duke. He was distinctly involved in fundraising per his bio at St Bonnies.

Having a Doctorate mentions absolutely nothing for an AD. Fundraising is the key and having a Doctorate doesn’t teach you to be a fundraiser at all.

I would prefer someone youngish with a desire to advance to a bigger school, who is not satisfied with status quo.

(02-17-2023 08:57 PM)Seahawk2010 Wrote:  Having a Doctorate mentions absolutely nothing for an AD. Fundraising is the key and having a Doctorate doesn’t teach you to be a fundraiser at all.

So, a masters degree in sports management doesn't help in any way?

(02-17-2023 09:11 PM)SEA33HAWK Wrote:  

(02-17-2023 08:57 PM)Seahawk2010 Wrote:  Having a Doctorate mentions absolutely nothing for an AD. Fundraising is the key and having a Doctorate doesn’t teach you to be a fundraiser at all.

So, a masters degree in sports management doesn't help in any way?

Truthfully no. But in todays world having a Masters Degree is a prerequisite for an AD job.

(02-17-2023 09:18 PM)Seahawk2010 Wrote:  

(02-17-2023 09:11 PM)SEA33HAWK Wrote:  

(02-17-2023 08:57 PM)Seahawk2010 Wrote:  Having a Doctorate mentions absolutely nothing for an AD. Fundraising is the key and having a Doctorate doesn’t teach you to be a fundraiser at all.

So, a masters degree in sports management doesn't help in any way?

Truthfully no. But in todays world having a Masters Degree is a prerequisite for an AD job.

It means a lot added to his successes at Duke, Ohio State, St.Bonny and with the NFL Players Assoc.

(02-17-2023 09:24 PM)SEA33HAWK Wrote:  

(02-17-2023 09:18 PM)Seahawk2010 Wrote:  

(02-17-2023 09:11 PM)SEA33HAWK Wrote:  

(02-17-2023 08:57 PM)Seahawk2010 Wrote:  Having a Doctorate mentions absolutely nothing for an AD. Fundraising is the key and having a Doctorate doesn’t teach you to be a fundraiser at all.

So, a masters degree in sports management doesn't help in any way?

Truthfully no. But in todays world having a Masters Degree is a prerequisite for an AD job.

It means a lot added to his successes at Duke, Ohio State, St.Bonny and with the NFL Players Assoc.

And? Manhertz has a Masters Degree. I was referring to the candidate with a Doctorate degree in the previous post. A Doctorate degree doesn’t immediately make you better suited for a college AD job. Experience, personality mean more IMO.

(02-17-2023 09:41 PM)Seahawk2010 Wrote:  

(02-17-2023 09:24 PM)SEA33HAWK Wrote:  

(02-17-2023 09:18 PM)Seahawk2010 Wrote:  

(02-17-2023 09:11 PM)SEA33HAWK Wrote:  

(02-17-2023 08:57 PM)Seahawk2010 Wrote:  Having a Doctorate mentions absolutely nothing for an AD. Fundraising is the key and having a Doctorate doesn’t teach you to be a fundraiser at all.

So, a masters degree in sports management doesn't help in any way?

Truthfully no. But in todays world having a Masters Degree is a prerequisite for an AD job.

It means a lot added to his successes at Duke, Ohio State, St.Bonny and with the NFL Players Assoc.

And? Manhertz has a Masters Degree. I was referring to the candidate with a Doctorate degree in the previous post. A Doctorate degree doesn’t immediately make you better suited for a college AD job. Experience, personality mean more IMO.

What a waste of education if it didn't improve his resume. I worked for a major company for 42 years. I had more experience than most engineers I worked with. Guess who got the promotions and made the big money. I did the proof reading for a chemist with a Doctorate. It might shouldn't be that way, but it is.

(02-17-2023 10:01 PM)SEA33HAWK Wrote:  

(02-17-2023 09:41 PM)Seahawk2010 Wrote:  

(02-17-2023 09:24 PM)SEA33HAWK Wrote:  

(02-17-2023 09:18 PM)Seahawk2010 Wrote:  

(02-17-2023 09:11 PM)SEA33HAWK Wrote:  So, a masters degree in sports management doesn't help in any way?

Truthfully no. But in todays world having a Masters Degree is a prerequisite for an AD job.

It means a lot added to his successes at Duke, Ohio State, St.Bonny and with the NFL Players Assoc.

And? Manhertz has a Masters Degree. I was referring to the candidate with a Doctorate degree in the previous post. A Doctorate degree doesn’t immediately make you better suited for a college AD job. Experience, personality mean more IMO.

What a waste of education if it didn't improve his resume. I worked for a major company for 42 years. I had more experience than most engineers I worked with. Guess who got the promotions and made the big money. I did the proof reading for a chemist with a Doctorate. It might shouldn't be that way, but it is.

Science background vs Athletic Administration is the not same.

St. Bonaventure has around 2400 students including grad students. Being at a larger school means you can have a larger athletic budget while keeping student fees reasonable.

Some of St. Bonaventure's teams suffer from a lack of funds, being in a remote area, and being in the North. Its baseball team was ranked 298 out of 301 teams in the first NET rankings this season.

This is a really big hire. So much is changing so fast in the NIL era that anyone who is not an outside if the box thinker and a natural fundraiser is going to be a real dud. My genuine sense is that a whole lot of D1 schools and conferences are going to be left behind if they just keep doing a version of what they have been doing, and UNCW IS one of them.

The question in my mind is whether the PTB at UNCW are smart enough/gutsy enough to do something about it.

I think we have a Chancellor who is ready to make athletics a priority and who is looking to bring it to a level to match the ambitions and growth of academics and the rest of the school. We can't have an AD who is just a manager, but who has experience in getting money flowing into athletics and growing recruiting and attendance across the board. This AD is going to be tasked with major renovations/additions to Trask and bringing our baseball field to the level where we can host regional NCAA tournaments. Will also have to navigate the new world of NLI and free flow of athletes who can transfer without penalties.

I really like the UConn guy, Oblinger. His focus and experience is fundraising, basketball and baseball.

"In addition to his strategic leadership responsibilities, Oblinger serves as the sport administrator for Men’s Basketball and Baseball."

"Since his arrival in 2017, Oblinger has designed and implemented a per seat donation system for Men’s and Women’s Basketball, a fundamental shift in the overall annual giving program. Under his supervision, Athletics has raised the highest 3-year fundraising total in history from FY20, FY21, and FY22 totaling $71.4M and has increased the Athletics 3 year giving average to $23.8M, up from $12.4M the 3 previous years.

Oblinger came to UConn from Louisiana State University- Tiger Athletic Foundation (TAF), where he served as the Director of Major Gifts and Annual Fund. He oversaw the daily function of the Tiger Athletic Foundation's major giving efforts, annual fund, and prospect management programs. During his time at LSU, he successfully secured $14M in philanthropic support and a variety of capital projects that included the Football Operations Center, Preservation of Tiger Stadium, The LSU Tennis Complex, and Marucci Performance Center (Baseball)."

I do like Walker from Memphis as well.

(02-18-2023 05:33 AM)70shawk Wrote:  This is a really big hire. So much is changing so fast in the NIL era that anyone who is not an outside if the box thinker and a natural fundraiser is going to be a real dud. My genuine sense is that a whole lot of D1 schools and conferences are going to be left behind if they just keep doing a version of what they have been doing, and UNCW IS one of them.

The question in my mind is whether the PTB at UNCW are smart enough/gutsy enough to do something about it.

There is an NIL program in the works with the help of Brett Blizzard. An AD with NIL knowledge would definitely help speed up the process.

(02-18-2023 01:02 AM)geezerhawkdad Wrote:  St. Bonaventure has around 2400 students including grad students. Being at a larger school means you can have a larger athletic budget while keeping student fees reasonable.

Some of St. Bonaventure's teams suffer from a lack of funds, being in a remote area, and being in the North. Its baseball team was ranked 298 out of 301 teams in the first NET rankings this season.

Also experience at private schools like Duke and St. Bonaventure are not relatable to a public school like UNCW. Not to mention, he just took the AD job for the Bonnies in 2021. Not impressed with such a quick jump out of a position like that.

(02-18-2023 08:42 AM)82hawk Wrote:  

(02-18-2023 01:02 AM)geezerhawkdad Wrote:  St. Bonaventure has around 2400 students including grad students. Being at a larger school means you can have a larger athletic budget while keeping student fees reasonable.

Some of St. Bonaventure's teams suffer from a lack of funds, being in a remote area, and being in the North. Its baseball team was ranked 298 out of 301 teams in the first NET rankings this season.

Also experience at private schools like Duke and St. Bonaventure are not relatable to a public school like UNCW. Not to mention, he just took the AD job for the Bonnies in 2021. Not impressed with such a quick jump out of a position like that.

Exactly my red flag too

Mike Oblinger it is! Seems like a solid hire coming from a strong basketball school.

I agree. Strong fundraising background coming from a school with a strong basketball culture.

At first glance this feels like a good move

(02-20-2023 11:10 AM)solohawks Wrote:  I agree. Strong fundraising background coming from a school with a strong basketball culture.

At first glance this feels like a good move

Like the saying goes "you don't know what you don't know". Bringing in someone who is intimately involved in a high level basketball program at a school whose primart sporrt is basketball is invaluable. It means he knows what goes into recruiting, fundraising, marketing and all aspects of a high level program. We gained that kind of perspective and intimate knowledge when Keatts came in from Louisville. If we're looking to take it to the next level in athletics, we needed someone from the next level and this sure seems like the right pick.