Murphy & Mangurian: Trouble in Paradise?
I’d really like to go at least two weeks without having to
point out the latest egregious mistake and failure in the CU athletics world.
But I just never get the darned chance.
Something is very, very wrong in Head Coach Pete Mangurian’s football office right
now.
And it’s worse than anything that even detractors like me could
have guessed would happen.
Consider the confusing and downright incorrect “information”
we’ve received in just the last few weeks.
First, we were promised Wednesday updates beginning on March
5th. March 5th came and went with no update. So did March
12th.
We were also promised that a full write-up on the incoming
freshman class was coming on or about March 15th.
We were not told that there was to be no spring game this
year, and it took a decent amount of re-clarification to clear up the fact that
this past Saturday’s practice was open and indeed the final session of spring
practice.
The write up about that final practice posted late Saturday provided
absolutely no real information about the scrimmage, the players, or anything
else.
Of course, the March 15th report on the incoming
class did not materialize, but Saturday’s release did promise that report for
sometime next month.
I know there are some defenders of the current regime who
read this blog and think I’ve been too harsh on everyone involved.
Well, apparently I and other haven’t been harsh enough. The
athletic department vis a vis football is now not even able to put out a
coherent stream of information. This is beyond pathetic and inexcusable.
Ineptitude can only explain about 50% of this, so I have to chalk
this up to outright disdain for the fans. And this disdain from the Mangurian
regime has been clear for a long time.
Perhaps this breakdown in official athletic department
communications for football is a result of reports I’m getting of a growing
breach between Mangurian and Athletic Director Dianne Murphy. To put it mildly, the two aren’t getting along.
I’ll be an optimist here and take Murphy’s growing displeasure
with Mangurian as a good sign that maybe even she will soon wake up to her
terrible mistake and let him go sooner rather than later.
CIT Controversy
A few readers have made a good point asking why Columbia is
not spending the money other Ivies are paying to secure a home game in the
upcoming CIT Tournament.
I would bet Columbia simply didn’t want to put up the cash,
even though the money could have been raised very easily and quickly. Perhaps,
the athletic department felt it would be too embarrassing to go publicly hat in
hand to its fans and ask for the money. But being afraid of embarrassment
certainly doesn’t seem to be a problem for a department that’s okay with an
0-10 football team and retaining the head coach of that team to boot!
Another argument I’ve heard is that it’s now spring break
and the students wouldn’t be around for a home game anyway. Well, Brown and
Yale students are on spring break too and their administrations ponied up the
cash. I promise you that if CU had a home game tomorrow night, Levien would
have sold out.
Just days after penning an editorial in the Spectator
thanking the home fans for all their crucial support of the basketball team, it
appears Dianne Murphy and the rest of the administration didn’t see fit to
reward those fans with another home game. Once again, lip service trumps all
for this administration and out student athletes and fans.
19 comments:
Thanks Jake! I totally agree. I mean Spring practice is a critical benchmark for the upcoming season and they are giving us nothing??? Pete finally has an opportunity to boast of off-season highlights in the weight room, classroom, and players getting jobs. We get nothing??? I would like to know what is going on. That the program is going in the right direction, and that he is optimistic about next season. No offense, EVERY other Ivy has posted daily (in-depth) updates on their team’s progress. Conversely, Coach Smith and coach Boretti do a fantastic job about communicating to ex-players, families, and alums/fans. Pete got rid of the JV Team/games and now he doesn’t allow alums to attend a Spring Game? What are we missing???
Last week, in an attempt to get some semblance of answers about the program, I signed up to play in the golf outing. I’m not sure who I’ll be playing with – heads-up ’86-ers, but my hope is to get some actual news about the program. Does it concern anyone else that we hear more from the Nathan’s Hot Dog Committee than we do from Pete? I’m sure the NHDC will be puffing out their chests at the event. I will let you all know if they got the message about the Grey Poupon and sauerkraut. We need them to feel empowered about something .
Here’s a thought? What about we collect funds and sponsor a hole (or something) on behalf of Jake/Blog? Now THAT would be priceless!
I'll disagree ith you, Jake. Paying $35,000 to have a home game for a nothing post season tournament is not something I think should qualify as a wise expenditure.
On the other hand, I have to admit, Don Bosco (which hasn't been mentioned on this site in a looooonnnnnggggg time), regularly spends more than $35,000 to ship its team and football apparatchiks around the country for games.
On to Valparaiso, whatever.
Is the CIT significant?
Not in the grand scheme of things.
Is a 20 win season significant? You bet your ass.
Our home record is 13-3, Valpo's away record is 3-10. Do you think a home game would be better for us?
Is a chance to win the 20th at home in a post-season game significant? In front of a sell-out CU crowd?
Again, you bet your...you know.
This is about spirit and morale and attitude and, well, winning. Maybe we could even get used to it if we got a chance to.
I believe that it is significant! Any post-season play is a huge plus for the Lions (in any sport). To be fair, do we know how much CU gets for playing at Valpo? Maybe we make money by traveling? Would I like the game at home? Absolutely! However, we may make money on it. And where is the second round being played? Do we have an option to host that if we win?
Having a JV squad isn't going to do any good at this point. Having an accessory to a bad program doesn't develop players. There are so many holes in Pete's ship, leaks are springing up all over the place. If there is a rift with the AD then things will only get worse and possibly kill the season.
Not informing anyone of spring practice details or posting wrong info is inexcusable. I find it hard to believe they would categorize all fans/alums/community as the enemy. So either the AD is malfunctioning badly or they have collectively hunkered down in a fit of paranoia. Either way it all reflects poorly on what should be a professional group.
What a waste to throw in the towel. You can't ask the players to pick up the slack and represent the school well if there is such a catastrophic gap in support like they are showing now.
The powers that be on the ivy athletic committee should eject CU from the football conference to send a message.
As I asked yesterday, doesn't it cost quite a bit to fly the whole group to Chicago or Indianapolis, then bus them to Valparaiso, etc.? I get the feeling the Admin is so comfortable with failure, they fear success because you are expected to actually DO something when you're successful.
A CU alum blasted us on the Ivy Sports Board yesterday as "a rump group of alumni" who are upset with the Admin
"primarily" because of last season's football disaster.
As if the previous 60 years we had wild success. He went on to claim that the Admin has invested considerably in football (the Admin or the Alumni?) so what are we complaining about. I guess he's referring to Pete's salary. With so many assistants quitting, they'll save more than that by letting Pete do everything. Couldn't do worse.
Where I live, the college HCs talk themselves blue in the face to the media every day of spring practice, and the players are interviewed too, sometimes during practice not just after. I don't really care about all that, except that we are just asking for a tiny bit of basic info now and then. But all we get is backbiting from our fellow alums.
Costs of travel are at least $5-700 per person so whatever that adds up to is overhead. Maybe 10-15 grand when all is said and done for plane, hotel, bus, meals, expenses. A football road trip is much more expensive if they stay in a hotel but I think they bus in the day of the game usually unless it is impractical to do that. That is too long a travel day to Indiana to pull that off from NYC but you never know.
Right now, the admin. can't even send out coherent info. I wonder if it's safe for our athletes to even go to the airport with these Keystone Cops.
The team arrived in Chicago yesterday, on their way to Indiana. Great picture of a bunch of happy guys at O'Hare on the basketball tweet. What we don't know is whether we had the choice to go home or travel, whether the players had a say in the matter, and whether Coach Smith had the final word. We also seem to be doing a great job with recruiting for basketball's incoming class.
The team arrived in Chicago yesterday, on their way to Indiana. Great picture of a bunch of happy guys at O'Hare on the basketball tweet. What we don't know is whether we had the choice to go home or travel, whether the players had a say in the matter, and whether Coach Smith had the final word. We also seem to be doing a great job with recruiting for basketball's incoming class.
Here's hoping the bball game turns out well for the lads.
As for football, it seems to me the athletic department and football program owes more to the supporters. Their idea of throwing a bone in the form of Pete on social media answering questions is pathetic. It looks like they are hiding and it's beyond the embarrassment stage. Why do supporters financially contribute to the program to get treated in this manner? The end result is everyone looks bad. The alum look like rabble rousers for getting peeved and venting. The players look foolish for being undercoached and underprepared. The prez does not care and no one with any influence has the juice to force change. The AD tried to save face and the coach gets fired and we start all over again.
Al- All of the above is correct. However, I hope that the next coach will bring back the JV program to develop our players. There is tremendous value having such a program - see ALL other Ivies (and I enjoyed watching the games mid week).
We were advised at the end of last year that the key caretakers/stakeholders of the program would give Pete another year and there was (is) nothing that we can do (in spite of all of the evidence to get rid of him AND the record-setting year that he put together). In theory, three wins should not save him, so I feel confident that he is on borrowed time. Inherently, the next question will be "... we knew all of this a year ago, why did we wait?..." Well, I can't explain that, or what the heck the NHDC actually does? If nothing happens next year, then there should be a revolt!
I was advised that Pete has a four year contract and that it is virtually unheard of to eat two years of it. If Pete wins a few games, is competitive in the other games, and the program shows signs of improvement, then we can expect him to stay on.
I really don't like being negative Nelly but it really does look like more of the same without a change of perception on the part of the offensive brain trust, significant upgrades across the board along with a replacement for Marcorus in beast mode. They are going to have a predictable offense. No defense can survive if your O is going 3 and out more often than not.
and i am being devil's advocate with regard to JV. CU cannot afford to divert assets to a JV program. We need to throw the younglings to the wolves and sink or swim, pick your metaphor. We need talent to match up. Other programs can afford a JV because they are 3-4 deep on varsity in some cases.
It doesn't work that way. The only way to really get an O-line ready at the Ivy level is to put them on JV for the first two years with the exception of a player like Jeff Adams, who still played JV in his 1st year.
whaaaat? 2 years JV? I have to disagree. Not this program. I would not expect a lot of freshmen to start on varsity but the program needs help. Without that infusion they are sitting ducks. No way they can improve with what they have.
Not making a comparison with the bigger programs but do any of those divsion I teams have JV? I don't believe they do. FCS JV is pee wee. Embarrassing for a player. I'd quit or transfer if they wanted me to play JV.
cripes, I checked and florida state has a JV team. I don't think that is a feeder system. It is meant for players to have a place to play if they can't make the varsity.
Way past the point of implementing a development program at CU. If they get 50 recruits it is worth a shot. Not now.
Just for giggles, we are 3 1/2 point dogs to Valpo tonite.
Let's hope for the upset that didn't have to happen.
Post a Comment