Topic: Dan D'Antoni Weekly Press Conference (Pre-SBC Tournament)

[banker]

I never said athletics was #1 numbskull. I said it's important and it is. To stand by and let an old man destroy your basketball program or football program without trying is NOT leadership. You don't think it's important enough to at least try to become a winner in the 2 major sports? Just let a guy that has lost 20 games 2 out of 3 years just keep on wrecking the name of your university? I would think ALL aspects of your university was important. But according to you they can't chew gum and walk at the same time. But thanks for clearing that up for us. Didn't realize they didn't have the time for Marshall basketball or football like they did for Marshall woman's basketball. Or maybe they just like the old man more than they like what's best for Marshall basketball? Losers are always better than winners I guess and maybe in a few years they will get around to having the time to fix it? I mean it's not like we have an AD for sports!!!

No, you said people should reserve judgement on the president of the university simple because what should be a low priority for him isn?t meeting expectation when all the stuff that should be high priorities are doing extremely well.  It?s like being made at Coach Kim because, even though she won the conference, her car needs washed.

[elginherd]

I?m going to go ahead and call this the worst take in the history of Marshall message boards,?likely never to be defeated.

Here?s the thing - it?s Marshall University, a place focused on the higher education of students in the tri-state region and beyond.  It has sports teams that are meant to enhance the college experience for the students and the school should strive to be successful in everything it does, however, the success of athletics should be about number 10 on any top 10 list of things Brad Smith should be worried about on any given day.

Number one is always the quality of education provided by the university followed in some order by fiscal soundness, attracting and hiring quality faculty and staff, growing enrollment, growing the endowment, raising the academic profile of the school, developing new programs to meet changing markets, etc.

Athletics indirectly, and directly, benefits long term from those endeavors, but the point of those endeavors is not to have a better football or basketball team.  A new business school, the cyber security stuff, the top online computer science stuff, are things that benefit the school, the city and the state.  Doubling the endowment, growing enrollment, cutting deficits (while wvu is going the opposite direction in those metrics) is what Brad Smith should be judged on and he is killing it.

Marshall had/has 100s of things that need fixed just to make sure it is even still open in 20 years. That is, and should be, the focus of the President of the university.  If he doesn?t we won?t even have a home town to cheer for.

A-fk-ing-men, banker!

[herd2win]

Some good points but ask Clemson or Alabama what a successful football team did for enrollment and financial contributions to the university.

MUs win over Notre Dame did more for the university's profile than anything else.  Kids want to follow a winner and be part of it.

I have a senior daughter that turned down $35000 a year scholarship to attend a school that had a successful football program because the school that gave her the money was in a great city but did not have a football team.

[herdorbust2]

No, you said people should reserve judgement on the president of the university simple because what should be a low priority for him isn?t meeting expectation when all the stuff that should be high priorities are doing extremely well.  It?s like being made at Coach Kim because, even though she won the conference, her car needs washed.

I never said simply because of basketball. Some of you think Smith walks on water. He may turn out to be the best president we ever had and I hope he does. And I'm positive he has some much more important issues than basketball. But if he can't take the time to say Dan we appreciate everything you have done but we need to go in a different direction and then let Spears do his job, then that is pretty sad. But e can't let football and basketball totally destroy the fanbase if the programs continue to go in the crapper and see where we end up. And don't give me the sellout crap they announced. Capacity is down to 5700 and there were plenty of empty seats even on senior night. Just wait till next year!!!

[carolinaherdfan]

Some good points but ask Clemson or Alabama what a successful football team did for enrollment and financial contributions to the university.

MUs win over Notre Dame did more for the university's profile than anything else.  Kids want to follow a winner and be part of it.

I have a senior daughter that turned down $35000 a year scholarship to attend a school that had a successful football program because the school that gave her the money was in a great city but did not have a football team.

I am proud to be a herd brother with your dear daughter and with you herd2win...
You guys are great herdfans!