Hoover, Shuler offer suggestions to WCU officials

what if all the discussion about comparison focused on the So Con rather than ASU? how sad we can not think beyond Boone. ASU forgot about us a long time ago and focus is on the SoCon championships etc.
They own the jug... and don;t care much about what WCU does.]
let's think about all of the Southern Conference and how we stack there. remember when the coach keep his job if the team beat ASU.... and the big banner on the AD building beat ASU. we need to get over using asu as the benchmark for success.

Jimmy wrote:

Ok, a few things here.
One - Hoover most likely spoke to someone else in the athletic dept...and the article states that Chip Smith had tried to call Hoover, but hadn't been able to get ahold of him. Obviously, Chip Smith isn't ignoring Hoover. Also, Hoover says that a search firm is a bad choice...well, every major college that has gotten a great coach lately has used a search firm. UNC, UF, Alabama, Michigan, Arkansas...all of these places have used search firms, and all of these places have gotten great coaches.
Recruiting is not being impacted by us not having a staff right now. Don't forget that we're in the middle of the recruiting "dead period" right now, and so the coaches can't even communicate with the high school students.
Lastly, everyone keeps talking about Bardo and Smith not giving enough resources to the football/baseball/etc teams. I've got a news flash for everyone : WCU only has about 8,000 students. ASU has 16,000!!! Obviously ASU has tons more money to throw around, so they're always going to out-spend us. Until WCU's enrollment grows, they're not going to be able to compete financially. How to grow enrollment? By expanding the University...which seems an awful lot like what Bardo is doing now.....hrmmmm.....

Wake Forest has 6400 give or take 50 or so and they seem to do right well and they are playing at a higher level. So no excuses for WCU with the enrollment figures. They won't fly. The deal is you have folks there who don't really support football and would just as soon see it gone. I see the same future for WCU football as ETSU football. Gone! And ETSU had 12,000+/- students when football bit the dust.

You're an idiot if you compare WFU to WCU. WFU is a private institution with an enormous amount of money, so the comparison is completely incorrect.

And football will not dissappear at WCU at any point. Regardless of what you think about the administration they still are putting a lot into that football team and know how vital it is to the success of the University.

Plus, Bardo knows that if he takes away football, he takes away the main performing venue for his marching band, which is the big calling card for the University. At least that's one this WCU has that ASU never will - a good band.

Jimmy wrote:

You're an idiot if you compare WFU to WCU. WFU is a private institution with an enormous amount of money, so the comparison is completely incorrect.
And football will not dissappear at WCU at any point. Regardless of what you think about the administration they still are putting a lot into that football team and know how vital it is to the success of the University.
Plus, Bardo knows that if he takes away football, he takes away the main performing venue for his marching band, which is the big calling card for the University. At least that's one this WCU has that ASU never will - a good band.

That's what they said at ETSU as well. No, not an Idiot, just one who has watched programs come and go. WCU is one that is going. Marching bands don't bring in the money and don't mean diddle. A losing football team does not either.

There are too many in the administration who on the surface are talking football but underneath the plan is there to dump it. Same thing happened at ETSU. Nobody expected it until it was announced. Alumni at ETSU tried to get football back but the administration turned it down. Now contributions are so far down they are begging for nickles and dimes.I get a letter a week from them begging for money, offering interest free credit cards etc. The only thing keeping them from packing the suitcase, like the student body (Suitcase U as it has been called) and folding is the Med school. Of course football at ETSU and WCU as well was and is medicore at best except for a couple of years. All the signs are there. You can ignore them if you wish. Copy and paste this post and go back and read it in a year or two.

ASU doesn't need a band to take away the ineptness of a failed football program. Little tiny Elon has a football team that shames WCU in every way and no band to speak of. Yea, I know excuse of private school with lots of money. That dog won't hunt and you know it.

Hate to pull the rug out from under you but WCU football is not long for this world.I hate it because I use to go to a lot of Cat games with many of the folks I know who graduated from there. Several of them see the handwriting on the wall just as I do. We had a long discussion on the subject just this fall. It's time to get out the mourning shawl.

Hmmm-Jimmy-
1)I don't think people (Hoover included) have a problem with the search firm. It's that they enlisted one a month into it. A lack of a plan or a lack of understanding/vision of how big/detailed the job hunt was going to be became clear and people don't like that. Hoover's comment about the search firm was long after they SHOULD have enlisted one.
2)Recruiting IS being impacted in a big way right now. The dead period is there to give recruits some peace over the holidays. It gives them a chance to sort through things and narrow their choice or even make a decision. Not having a staff eliminates WCU from the thought process of many of these youngsters.
3)You are correct in stating that enrollment drives a public institution's budget. However, a HUGE piece at any division 1 program must be fundraising with prominent alumni and boosters. Yes, we will probably always be chasing App because not only do they have a larger enrollment, but their donors are happy because of a winning football program. It does not have to be football that makes a group of donors happy. It could be a sport like baseball that gives the alumni base pride. Bardo was shocked four years ago when baseball received a 6-figure donation. He just doesn't understand how to maximize what he has in athletics there at WCU. There is quite a bit more to it than just driving enrollment. Look at ECU. They have had a huge enrollment for quite some time. But we must start somewhere, and yes, Bardo is doing a fine job in growing the university. It would just appear that concern about leadership is warranted when a search firm is enlisted so late in the process. When people question the leadership, it will be difficult to a)sell the university to future students b)convince alumni and fans to donate. If those are the 2 primary ways to increase the budgets and resources there, we could be in a downward spiral at this point. Bardo and Smith will have to make a splash here with a hire to revive the donors and help the perception of their poor leadership.

All I can do is suggest the perfect fit - Todd Berry.

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