Cottingham out as AD?

[4everwarriors]

The craziest thing of all is .. no one on the outside really knows why Cottingham is no longer our AD.  

He just isn't.  Move along, nothing to see here.

Ahoya mobile shoutin' down I-43 just a little too fast this morning.

[Blackhat]

I hate to go all Deep Throat like I'm 4ever when he was towel boy at old Turner Hall Gymnasium.....but my source is lock tight.

[T-Bone]

I hate to go all Deep Throat like I'm 4ever when he was towel boy at old Turner Hall Gymnasium.....but my source is lock tight.

Deep Throat actually revealed information. 

Why bother saying you know something, when you aren't going to say anything?  You know how people on message boards react.

[Blackhat]

Here is my biggest concern, which addresses what we might be looking for.

The Big EAST is not a very stable league.  Will it blow up with the football members leaving?  Will it add more members?  How will the TV contracts play in all of this?  

I'd like to know that the AD has a plan.  Maybe that the AD has some relationships with the right people.  The politics and power will be huge.

Maybe Broeker is the right guy.  But with all those issues looming, MU does nothing but benefit itself to listen to other candidates and see who might have the best approach.

Cottingham negotiated MU's contract with the Big East....my biggest fear is MU hires an AD who does not have the intricate knowledge or smarts to position MU advantageously that Cottingham possessed.    

[Clam Crowder]

Any outsider looking in can see why any conference would want a program like Marquette for basketball alone...I don't think the negotiating should be praised all that highly and also highly doubt that Cottingham was behind the negotiations all on his own. In addition he had no prior experience as an AD...I understand you may have personal connections, but from a basketball viewpoint alone, he was not a great hire in the first place. Let's not fool ourselves here basketball is Marquette Athletics...if that program did not exist, what else would people know Marquette for? I doubt they would say "oh you have a great women's soccer team!". I doubt that Marquette makes am AD hire that will endanger their position in the Big East, the Big East will crumble and the basketball only schools will be kicked out no matter who our athletic director is.

[ringout]

Any outsider looking in can see why any conference would want a program like Marquette for basketball alone...I don't think the negotiating should be praised all that highly and also highly doubt that Cottingham was behind the negotiations all on his own. In addition he had no prior experience as an AD...I understand you may have personal connections, but from a basketball viewpoint alone, he was not a great hire in the first place. Let's not fool ourselves here basketball is Marquette Athletics...if that program did not exist, what else would people know Marquette for? I doubt they would say "oh you have a great women's soccer team!". I doubt that Marquette makes am AD hire that will endanger their position in the Big East, the Big East will crumble and the basketball only schools will be kicked out no matter who our athletic director is.

Make sure you stay in that box Hags.  Don't pick an AD from anywhere except the AD box.  

From all we have to measure, SC did a good (short time in the job precludes great rating) job.  There is a strong trend toward hiring lawyers (yuck, Sorry HouWarrior) as AD, because of their negotiating skills.  They don't do it alone.  Input on strategy from other stakeholders is very important.  Not going to find a lot of lawyers with AD experience yet.  


Some of the best business moves I've made are out of the box.    You should try it.

[brewcity77]

Any outsider looking in can see why any conference would want a program like Marquette for basketball alone...I don't think the negotiating should be praised all that highly and also highly doubt that Cottingham was behind the negotiations all on his own.

I'd love to agree, but I think it's more any insider looking out can see why a conference would want us. We can look at other programs and say why we'd be a better choice, but to the outsider, are we really? We're in a middle-sized media market, we have a total student base of less than 12,000, and don't exactly have a huge alumni base.

Yes, we have a successful basketball program, our alumni have proven to be generous donors, we're still in a market that serves over 1 million people (including surrounding communities), and we have a number of other successful programs while continuing to grow our athletic brand, but what we see looking out isn't necessarily the same as what others see looking in.

If the Big East splits, we will end up in a mid-major, basketball-only conference. It may end up being a basketball powerhouse conference, similar to how CUSA was, getting 6 bids and having teams capable of earning #1 seeds and making Final Fours, but there is no way we will be in a BCS-level conference. Cottingham did a great job by getting us into the Big East, and whomever follows him will likely have to do a similar job to get us into as good a conference as possible if the Big East does collapse or split. Like Cottingham, they likely won't do it alone, but I'm really hoping for someone with both a law and PR background to navigate what will likely be troubled waters.

[Pakuni]

If the Big East splits, we will end up in a mid-major, basketball-only conference. It may end up being a basketball powerhouse conference, similar to how CUSA was, getting 6 bids and having teams capable of earning #1 seeds and making Final Fours, but there is no way we will be in a BCS-level conference. Cottingham did a great job by getting us into the Big East, and whomever follows him will likely have to do a similar job to get us into as good a conference as possible if the Big East does collapse or split. Like Cottingham, they likely won't do it alone, but I'm really hoping for someone with both a law and PR background to navigate what will likely be troubled waters.

Interesting how the "Steve Cottingham got us into the Big East" storyline has developed over the past couple of weeks, especially in light of the fact it was pretty much non existent over the past seven years. Bill Cords (who was AD at the time, not Cottingham), Tom Crean and Dwyane Wade all had far more to do with MU's inclusion in the Big East than Cottingham. Heck Boston College, Miami, Virginia Tech and the ACC had more to do with it. Steve took part in negotiating contracts after MU received an invite, something I imagine any number of capable attorneys could have accomplished. Steve did a good job for MU, and deserves much credit for it. But he didn't get MU into the Big East. 

[Clam Crowder]

I'd love to agree, but I think it's more any insider looking out can see why a conference would want us. We can look at other programs and say why we'd be a better choice, but to the outsider, are we really? We're in a middle-sized media market, we have a total student base of less than 12,000, and don't exactly have a huge alumni base.

You could make the argument that Villanova, Seton Hall, and Providence are in the same boat as us there and they certainly have been a big positive for the Big East due to their basketball programs...In terms of basketball only schools Marquette is cream of the crop, and fit the mold of what the Big East was looking for.

[brewcity77]

You could make the argument that Villanova, Seton Hall, and Providence are in the same boat as us there and they certainly have been a big positive for the Big East due to their basketball programs...In terms of basketball only schools Marquette is cream of the crop, and fit the mold of what the Big East was looking for.

Yes, they are all in a similar boat. It's entirely possible that we'll be competing with them for positioning if the conference splits. I wouldn't want to go up against Villanova's market size or SHU's access to the New York market. And if they have the good leadership that has made them one of the most influential schools in the Big East, Providence will likely be formidable.

The point is that none of these schools are pushovers. You may say we're the cream of the crop, but what if Villanova gets D1 football? What if someone is looking strictly at market size when they compare us to SHU? What if we don't have as good of leadership as Providence does? We will still need good leadership because as much as we feel we have a good product to sell, so do all those other schools.

[Chicago_inferiority_complexes]

Interesting how the "Steve Cottingham got us into the Big East" storyline has developed over the past couple of weeks, especially in light of the fact it was pretty much non existent over the past seven years.

+1

[Clam Crowder]

Yes, they are all in a similar boat. It's entirely possible that we'll be competing with them for positioning if the conference splits. I wouldn't want to go up against Villanova's market size or SHU's access to the New York market. And if they have the good leadership that has made them one of the most influential schools in the Big East, Providence will likely be formidable.

The point is that none of these schools are pushovers. You may say we're the cream of the crop, but what if Villanova gets D1 football? What if someone is looking strictly at market size when they compare us to SHU? What if we don't have as good of leadership as Providence does? We will still need good leadership because as much as we feel we have a good product to sell, so do all those other schools.

Providence had good leadership but recently has been in disarray. Basketball is their go to sport and they have been awful as of late. The hiring of Cooley may change all that, but he is their third coach in only a 6 year span. They also fired their hockey coach, and the AD was under alot of fire. Seton Hall giving the New York Market? That must be a joke...St. John's gives the New York Market, and plays in MSG. They have Rutgers, St. Johns, and SHU all pointed at the New York Market. I think one of the three, Seton Hall, is easily in a worse spot than us. Villanova of course has had great success in basketball and if they add D1 football there is no comparison, but in comparison to Providence and SHU I feel like we should be considered superior in terms of our basketball program alone which is obviously the best "product" our three schools have to offer.

[brewcity77]

Villanova of course has had great success in basketball and if they add D1 football there is no comparison, but in comparison to Providence and SHU I feel like we should be considered superior in terms of our basketball program alone which is obviously the best "product" our three schools have to offer.

And that's the rub of it. You feel that way. I feel that way. But will other conferences? Will outsiders?

Until it comes down to it, we really don't know. Will results on the court be the only thing that matters? Will off-court issues come into it, and will ours get better or worse? Will our geographic location hurt us? All I am really trying to say is we need good leadership to make sure that if push comes to shove, we show our best side.

[Canned Goods n Ammo]

The question you have to ask yourself is this:

Is MU more like Creighton or Villanova?

[Golden Avalanche]

Interesting how the "Steve Cottingham got us into the Big East" storyline has developed over the past couple of weeks, especially in light of the fact it was pretty much non existent over the past seven years. Bill Cords (who was AD at the time, not Cottingham), Tom Crean and Dwyane Wade all had far more to do with MU's inclusion in the Big East than Cottingham. Heck Boston College, Miami, Virginia Tech and the ACC had more to do with it. Steve took part in negotiating contracts after MU received an invite, something I imagine any number of capable attorneys could have accomplished. Steve did a good job for MU, and deserves much credit for it. But he didn't get MU into the Big East. 

+1.

Revisionist history is always amusing.