Fr. Wild's Thoughts on MU BBall

[GGGG]

This is the guy who let our name be changed to the Gold on his watch!  He should not be afforded any slack.

He's raised a ton of money...applications are way up...basketball has turned around...new buildings are going up all over campus...

The misstep with the nickname pales in comparison.

[Tugg Speedman]

I'm pretty sure that basketball operations at MU funded itself through donations and sales and other revenue before September 2008 and will after September 2008.

The English Department? Not so sure. For both before September 2008 and after.

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/news/story?id=3897386

Last month, The Associated Press reported Stanford University projects a $5 million shortfall over the next three years and is considering reducing its staff. At Indiana, athletic director Fred Glass has reduced ticket costs for balcony seating to $5, hoping to improve slipping attendance.

---

You win and you're ok.  You lose and even "storied programs" like Indiana have to give tickets away at $5/piece.  They cannot pay for Crean at these prices.  But no worries, everyone still has a bull market mentality that rich people are throwing money at universities.  Truth is university giving is down by 50% since September.  Trustees are in shock and are hoping giving will return so nothing has changed.  When they understand it will not, then they will be massive cuts.

308 D1 college programs now.  In two years this will be less than 200.  Further, watch for high priced coaches to get fired just because they lose, arenas are empty and state taxpayers have no tolerance to pay them.

Again, the world has changed in September.  A lot of people still don't understand.  Revisit this thread in a year or 18 months and you will understand.

Father Wild might get it.   The head of most state schools do not.  Certainly not the head of Kentucky or Indiana.  If Calipari does not win and fill that arena, not only does Calipari go, so does the AD and the president of the university.  Their boss will demand it ... Kentucky taxpayers (again Calipari wins and fills the arena and ticket demand keeps prices up then everything is ok).  Ditto Crean.

[StillAWarrior]

Maybe this is just a case of poor wording. Technically, DJ was injured during the BET. That's just not when he was first injured. Maybe "still injured" would have prevented such a rant.

I really respect Fr. Wild and appreciate everything he has done for the University and the basketball program, but I think the entire sentence suggests that this was a factual error, and not just a case of poor wording (my opinion only, you may disagree): 

"The men's basketball team advanced to the second round of the NCAA tournament, playing extraordinarily well with an altered starting lineup due to the loss of guard Dominic James, who was injured during the Big East tournament."

That said, so what.  It's a minor mistake and unimportant.  Certainly no reason to suggest that Fr. Wild doesn't know what's going on with the basketball program when he clearly does -- and has played a very large role in the success of the program.

He checked his watch...get over it.

[4everwarriors]

I thought we owe all our good basketball fortunes to Tom Crean.

[Warriors4ever]

My guess is that the word "tournament" was used instead of the word "season", which would have been accurate.  Should have been caught in editing but wasn't.  Don't make a bigger deal out of it than it is. 

[Chicago_inferiority_complexes]

308 D1 college programs now.  In two years this will be less than 200.  Further, watch for high priced coaches to get fired just because they lose, arenas are empty and state taxpayers have no tolerance to pay them.

Again, the world has changed in September.  A lot of people still don't understand.  Revisit this thread in a year or 18 months and you will understand.

Father Wild might get it.   The head of most state schools do not.  Certainly not the head of Kentucky or Indiana.  If Calipari does not win and fill that arena, not only does Calipari go, so does the AD and the president of the university.  Their boss will demand it ... Kentucky taxpayers (again Calipari wins and fills the arena and ticket demand keeps prices up then everything is ok).  Ditto Crean.

I think you're proving my point: athletic programs are run much more like businesses than any other aspect of universities. When they are able to fund themselves through donations and program revenue, they stay in business. When they don't, their "investors" (taxpayers, whoever) are not going to foot the bill for their losses and will demand cuts. In the meantime, the vast vast majority of programs bring in both enough revenue to fund themselves and enough "hidden" revenue (increase in donations to the university, increased/better applications etc) to be a net benefit for a school.

[Tugg Speedman]

I think you're proving my point: athletic programs are run much more like businesses than any other aspect of universities. When they are able to fund themselves through donations and program revenue, they stay in business. When they don't, their "investors" (taxpayers, whoever) are not going to foot the bill for their losses and will demand cuts. In the meantime, the vast vast majority of programs bring in both enough revenue to fund themselves and enough "hidden" revenue (increase in donations to the university, increased/better applications etc) to be a net benefit for a school.

Yes, but all this is changing.  The "hidden revenues" are down 50%.  Ticket prices are going to get cut (unless you have a season like MU just completed).  Taxpayers were uninterested in state expenditures.  Now that many states are trying to jack income taxes way up, they care and they now demand cuts.  In most states the football or basketball coach is the highest paid state employee and unless he is winning, the TAXPAYER is going to demand he get fired ... a new twist many don't get yet.


Yes basketball is run like a business and in a year we will find that this "business" is losing in many places and in many ways.  It is losing now (post September) but we don't want to accept that reality.  We want to beleive everything is going to return to "normal (pre-September) When we undertand it will not (in a year), the knives will be out and many changes will occur.

[wermarquette]

Father Wild must REALLY watch a lot of men's bball  "Dominic James, who was injured during the Big East Tournament", Seriously? Great fact checking dept. we have there up on the third floor of the AMU

This is the same guy who looked at his watch when my brother and I asked him to take a pic with my niece(a future MU Alum).  MU basketball fan my ass.

He didn't say that James GOT injured during the tournament. He only said that he WAS injured during the tournament, which is correct.