[NU Sports] BB Coaching Change? (fwd)

Thu Feb 22 09:23:29 CST 2007

I honestly don't know what the nature of the investments that NU is making
in basketball compared with other BT schools that are enjoying more success
than we have.  So I can't honestly comment that more money is the answer.
I'm sure that Carmody is paid well, but I don't know how that compares to
other coaches.

As Roy has already said, NU is building new facilities so perhaps the
process of investment is already under way.

But as far as the argument is concerned, I think that it comes down to the
head coach being held accountable for the results of the program.  A head
coach that comes in here with the expectation of being successful is going
to evaluate what they need and demand a commitment for those resources
BEFORE they take the job. 

Many on this list have said that Carmody is doing the best with what he has,
but if resources are an issue, he agreed to take the job knowing that he
didn't have access to the same sort of resources available to other BT
programs.  So he and the AD share the blame for a poor result.  Allowing him
to continue under those circumstances is basically saying that we don't
expect that he CAN do any better and we're willing to accept this poor
result as his best effort.  

IMHO, the process of getting a high profile coach in here will resolve all
of the other issues of resource and send the message that NU is willing to
make the investments (whatever they turn out to be) to have a competitive
program sooner rather than later.

Jeff

-----Original Message-----
From: nwu-sports-bounces at tssi.com [mailto:nwu-sports-bounces at tssi.com] On
Behalf Of Arthur Miller
Sent: Thursday, February 22, 2007 9:52 AM
To: nwu-sports at romaine.tssi.com
Subject: RE: [NU Sports] BB Coaching Change? (fwd)

I agree with this person's points entirely.  My position on this is fairly
simple, and it is this:

Football and men's basketball are, for better or worse, a significant
component of the Northwestern "brand" as well as of the student/alumni
experience.  This may be shallow, this may be unjust, but this is THE WAY IT
IS.  The truth is that kids can get a great, world-class education at dozens
of universities these days; if we want our pick of the best students, we
need to offer them a complete student/alumni experience, which in this day
and age has to include competitive football and men's basketball.  Football
is arguably there right now, though perhaps just barely.

Don't get me wrong: I'm very proud of the excellence we have shown in
non-rev sports like lax, softball, wrestling, tennis, and swimming.  But the
ability of these sports to improve the brand and student/alumni experience
is greatly limited compared with MEN'S BASKETBALL.

The Northwestern trustees and administration need to either recognize this
fact and strive to address it as they would any other shortcoming of the
university, or de-emphasize it altogether, opt out of the Big Ten, and join
an athletic conference of more like-minded institutions.  This
"fence-sitting" posture--where we enjoy the financial benefits of being in
the B10 but decline to make the necessary investments to excel--is
hypocritical and unfair to the students, alumni, and the other institutions
in the conference.

-----Original Message-----
From: nwu-sports-bounces at tssi.com [mailto:nwu-sports-bounces at tssi.com] On
Behalf Of Jim Leonard
Sent: Thursday, February 22, 2007 6:37 AM
To: nwu-sports at romaine.tssi.com
Subject: Re: [NU Sports] BB Coaching Change? (fwd)

Everyone,

I received the email below from another NU fan who asked me to post it to
this list for discussion. I think the point is valid. If our trustees were
willing to invest in NU basketball, I think we'd be more competitive. 

Go Cats,
Jim

----- Original Message
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IMO, the root of our problem is a 60 year or so background of
administrations that don't have sufficient interest in basketball. They have
not and will not provide the things a good program needs, like better
facilities and the funds to let a good coach hire top assistants and keep
them.

Academics? No excuse. Duke debunks that. So, does Stanford. And, just the
other day Vanderbilt beat Florida, the national champs! Vanderbilt, no less,
a school with high academic standards. 

As to coaching, no one can convince me, that in the past 60 years or so we
have not had some capable coaches, guys like Tex Winter, and arguably even
our present coach, Bill C. 

Yes, coaching is not the transcendent problem. Rather, I say to myself,
"It's no support, Stupid!" Considering 60 years of basketball obscurity, it
just has to be that! Our administrations just don't want to provide the $
for top notch facilities, competitive wages for assistants, and recruiting.
Over the years, our trustees consistently refuse to provide our coaches the
tools they need to compete. Their interest has been and is more on football
and other sports. Since the 40s (?), for Northwestern, basketball has been
on the back burner.

Bottom line:  The buck stops with the trustees.

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