Repole
- Thread starter GardenCity62
- Start date
[quote="austour" post=398276][quote="redmen4life" post=398253][quote="Mike Zaun" post=398252]UCLA does not suck. They have a great coach in Cronin and they've been to Sweet 16 3x since 2013.[/quote]
since 2003, they've had 4 coaches.
their attendance has been brutal.
all that UA and donor money hasn't translated to consistent success....[/quote]
I understand you are holding UCLA to a far different standard than you would St Johns, but they've only missed 4 dances since Howland's 2nd year. Both Alford and Howland made the Sweet 16 or further 3 times.
Their lack of consistent success is exactly the kind of consistent success that most STJ fans would love to see.
PS only 3 coaches since 2003. 10 years with Howland, 6 years with Alford and now Cronin entering his 2nd.[/quote]
As true as that is, it is also true that UCLA has been a major disappointment to UCLA fans for decades and the ROI just isn't there. I do agree that Cronin was a great pick and I was surprised they went with him. But put in contrast to the resources and massive cash (and most favored nation status from the NCAA) put into the program and it is like buying a one-off Lamborghini and it drives like a really nice, factory Toyota Camry.
since 2003, they've had 4 coaches.
their attendance has been brutal.
all that UA and donor money hasn't translated to consistent success....[/quote]
I understand you are holding UCLA to a far different standard than you would St Johns, but they've only missed 4 dances since Howland's 2nd year. Both Alford and Howland made the Sweet 16 or further 3 times.
Their lack of consistent success is exactly the kind of consistent success that most STJ fans would love to see.
PS only 3 coaches since 2003. 10 years with Howland, 6 years with Alford and now Cronin entering his 2nd.[/quote]
As true as that is, it is also true that UCLA has been a major disappointment to UCLA fans for decades and the ROI just isn't there. I do agree that Cronin was a great pick and I was surprised they went with him. But put in contrast to the resources and massive cash (and most favored nation status from the NCAA) put into the program and it is like buying a one-off Lamborghini and it drives like a really nice, factory Toyota Camry.
Last edited:
JohnnyFever
Active member
I think many SJ fans are scared of radical changes. But there's a significant portion like myself who think we should take more chances. If I'm in charge, I keep Repole's money flowing and give in to lots of demands. We need the money...badly. I use it to rebuild CA or at least put real seats in. The locker rooms in CA are embarrassing. No real concessions. This stuff doesn't get fixed magically...it takes money. I also would've hired Pitino as the major splash. Don't get me wrong, I'm willing to give CMA time and I like the recent get of Pinzon and all, but Pitino would've been the safest choice if we wanted to go big time again. Of course in a perfect world money isn't everything...but in college hoops it really matters.
Some interesting talk here.
I tend to agree with those who think CMA wouldn’t be here without the rant. It just seemed like there were a lot of people stopping Cragg from doing his job and interfering with the process and the Repole rant exposed a lot.
Because of this it is hard for me to view him as some sort of villainous figure
Maybe his intentions were self serving at times but he indirectly helped this program from making what could’ve been a bad hire.
I tend to agree with those who think CMA wouldn’t be here without the rant. It just seemed like there were a lot of people stopping Cragg from doing his job and interfering with the process and the Repole rant exposed a lot.
Because of this it is hard for me to view him as some sort of villainous figure
Maybe his intentions were self serving at times but he indirectly helped this program from making what could’ve been a bad hire.
Last edited:
L J S A
Well-known member
Regarding Repole, I'm not sure what the real figure he was dangling was, but I think $10 million should be what gets you welcomed to the table and allowed to bring a list of names for consideration. Those names need to seriously be considered, though -- don't blow smoke up the donor's ass.
You don't let anyone handpick the coach for under $100 million. Although maybe that's less for a non-football school. $50 million, maybe? The school obviously shouldn't cede power for relative peanuts. But at the same time, if I'm giving $100 million to St. John's I want to be able to pick the coach.
Of course I would have said Pitino, so I would have been rejected or had half the board hating me.
Repole's choice screwed us over anyway.
You don't let anyone handpick the coach for under $100 million. Although maybe that's less for a non-football school. $50 million, maybe? The school obviously shouldn't cede power for relative peanuts. But at the same time, if I'm giving $100 million to St. John's I want to be able to pick the coach.
Of course I would have said Pitino, so I would have been rejected or had half the board hating me.
Repole's choice screwed us over anyway.
[quote="L J S A" post=398305]Regarding Repole, I'm not sure what the real figure he was dangling was, but I think $10 million should be what gets you welcomed to the table and allowed to bring a list of names for consideration. Those names need to seriously be considered, though -- don't blow smoke up the donor's ass.
You don't let anyone handpick the coach for under $100 million. Although maybe that's less for a non-football school. $50 million, maybe? The school obviously shouldn't cede power for relative peanuts. But at the same time, if I'm giving $100 million to St. John's I want to be able to pick the coach.
Of course I would have said Pitino, so I would have been rejected or had half the board hating me.
Repole's choice screwed us over anyway.[/quote]
Repole is a highly intelligent and extremely competent and successful businessman. The SJU administration has proven to be extremely incompetent when it comes to running the basketball program. No way in hell Repole-especially with his passion for our program-was handing over that kind of hard earned money without having a say in what was being done with it. Nor do I blame him.
You don't let anyone handpick the coach for under $100 million. Although maybe that's less for a non-football school. $50 million, maybe? The school obviously shouldn't cede power for relative peanuts. But at the same time, if I'm giving $100 million to St. John's I want to be able to pick the coach.
Of course I would have said Pitino, so I would have been rejected or had half the board hating me.
Repole's choice screwed us over anyway.[/quote]
Repole is a highly intelligent and extremely competent and successful businessman. The SJU administration has proven to be extremely incompetent when it comes to running the basketball program. No way in hell Repole-especially with his passion for our program-was handing over that kind of hard earned money without having a say in what was being done with it. Nor do I blame him.
Last edited:
[quote="Paul Massell" post=398281][quote="austour" post=398276][quote="redmen4life" post=398253][quote="Mike Zaun" post=398252]UCLA does not suck. They have a great coach in Cronin and they've been to Sweet 16 3x since 2013.[/quote]
since 2003, they've had 4 coaches.
their attendance has been brutal.
all that UA and donor money hasn't translated to consistent success....[/quote]
I understand you are holding UCLA to a far different standard than you would St Johns, but they've only missed 4 dances since Howland's 2nd year. Both Alford and Howland made the Sweet 16 or further 3 times.
Their lack of consistent success is exactly the kind of consistent success that most STJ fans would love to see.
PS only 3 coaches since 2003. 10 years with Howland, 6 years with Alford and now Cronin entering his 2nd.[/quote]
As true as that is, it is also true that UCLA has been a major disappointment to UCLA fans for decades and the ROI just isn't there. I do agree that Cronin was a great pick and I was surprised they went with him. But put in contrast to the resources and massive cash (and most favored nation status from the NCAA) put into the program and it is like buying a one-off Lamborghini and it drives like a really nice, factory Toyota Camry.[/quote]
Yeah, but you and I both know lots of UCLA alum/fans. They're delusional. They think it's still Sam Gilbert days over there. The only time UCLA was in a relatively bad place (relative to the last 30 years of STJ fandom) was the Farmer/Hazzard years. Though it could be said that had they not fired Lavin they might have gone back down there, and Alford, even for his 3 Sweet 16s, really was neither a good fit nor good coach. But as I said, UCLA is held to a higher standard.
since 2003, they've had 4 coaches.
their attendance has been brutal.
all that UA and donor money hasn't translated to consistent success....[/quote]
I understand you are holding UCLA to a far different standard than you would St Johns, but they've only missed 4 dances since Howland's 2nd year. Both Alford and Howland made the Sweet 16 or further 3 times.
Their lack of consistent success is exactly the kind of consistent success that most STJ fans would love to see.
PS only 3 coaches since 2003. 10 years with Howland, 6 years with Alford and now Cronin entering his 2nd.[/quote]
As true as that is, it is also true that UCLA has been a major disappointment to UCLA fans for decades and the ROI just isn't there. I do agree that Cronin was a great pick and I was surprised they went with him. But put in contrast to the resources and massive cash (and most favored nation status from the NCAA) put into the program and it is like buying a one-off Lamborghini and it drives like a really nice, factory Toyota Camry.[/quote]
Yeah, but you and I both know lots of UCLA alum/fans. They're delusional. They think it's still Sam Gilbert days over there. The only time UCLA was in a relatively bad place (relative to the last 30 years of STJ fandom) was the Farmer/Hazzard years. Though it could be said that had they not fired Lavin they might have gone back down there, and Alford, even for his 3 Sweet 16s, really was neither a good fit nor good coach. But as I said, UCLA is held to a higher standard.
Last edited:
[quote="austour" post=398307][quote="Paul Massell" post=398281][quote="austour" post=398276][quote="redmen4life" post=398253][quote="Mike Zaun" post=398252]UCLA does not suck. They have a great coach in Cronin and they've been to Sweet 16 3x since 2013.[/quote]
since 2003, they've had 4 coaches.
their attendance has been brutal.
all that UA and donor money hasn't translated to consistent success....[/quote]
I understand you are holding UCLA to a far different standard than you would St Johns, but they've only missed 4 dances since Howland's 2nd year. Both Alford and Howland made the Sweet 16 or further 3 times.
Their lack of consistent success is exactly the kind of consistent success that most STJ fans would love to see.
PS only 3 coaches since 2003. 10 years with Howland, 6 years with Alford and now Cronin entering his 2nd.[/quote]
As true as that is, it is also true that UCLA has been a major disappointment to UCLA fans for decades and the ROI just isn't there. I do agree that Cronin was a great pick and I was surprised they went with him. But put in contrast to the resources and massive cash (and most favored nation status from the NCAA) put into the program and it is like buying a one-off Lamborghini and it drives like a really nice, factory Toyota Camry.[/quote]
Yeah, but you and I both know lots of UCLA alum/fans. They're delusional. They think it's still Sam Gilbert days over there. The only time UCLA was in a relatively bad place (relative to the last 30 years of STJ fandom) was the Farmer/Hazzard years. Though it could be said that had they not fired Lavin they might have gone back down there, and Alford, ever for his 3 Sweet 16s, really was neither a good fit nor good coach. But as I said, UCLA is held to a higher standard.[/quote]
The problem with UCLA is not that they've haven't had another Sam Gilbert since the Wooden days, it's that over the years every other top program got their own Sam Gilbert(s).
since 2003, they've had 4 coaches.
their attendance has been brutal.
all that UA and donor money hasn't translated to consistent success....[/quote]
I understand you are holding UCLA to a far different standard than you would St Johns, but they've only missed 4 dances since Howland's 2nd year. Both Alford and Howland made the Sweet 16 or further 3 times.
Their lack of consistent success is exactly the kind of consistent success that most STJ fans would love to see.
PS only 3 coaches since 2003. 10 years with Howland, 6 years with Alford and now Cronin entering his 2nd.[/quote]
As true as that is, it is also true that UCLA has been a major disappointment to UCLA fans for decades and the ROI just isn't there. I do agree that Cronin was a great pick and I was surprised they went with him. But put in contrast to the resources and massive cash (and most favored nation status from the NCAA) put into the program and it is like buying a one-off Lamborghini and it drives like a really nice, factory Toyota Camry.[/quote]
Yeah, but you and I both know lots of UCLA alum/fans. They're delusional. They think it's still Sam Gilbert days over there. The only time UCLA was in a relatively bad place (relative to the last 30 years of STJ fandom) was the Farmer/Hazzard years. Though it could be said that had they not fired Lavin they might have gone back down there, and Alford, ever for his 3 Sweet 16s, really was neither a good fit nor good coach. But as I said, UCLA is held to a higher standard.[/quote]
The problem with UCLA is not that they've haven't had another Sam Gilbert since the Wooden days, it's that over the years every other top program got their own Sam Gilbert(s).
As far as Repole let’s be honest. Most of us if we were self made to that extent would want the same exact influence over the basketball program if we were ever in that position. That’s why I respect even more people like JSJ who donate a hell of a lot lore than us but have a personal desire to see all aspects of the school so well and donate their time too. If I won mega millions I’d seriously donste a big portion to the school for new arena or air conditioning but no way do I have time to do anything else which is why people like JSJ are at the top of my great guy list
Last edited:
[quote="mjmaherjr" post=398311]As far as Repole let’s be honest. Most of us if we were self made to that extent would want the same exact influence over the basketball program if we were ever in that position. That’s why I respect even more people like JSJ who donate a hell of a lot lore than us but have a personal desire to see all aspects of the school so well and donate their time too. If I won mega millions I’d seriously donste a big portion to the school for new arena or air conditioning but no way do I have time to do anything else which is why people like JSJ are at the top of my great guy list[/quote]
If you won mega millions, you'd have all the time in the world to do whatever you want lol
If you won mega millions, you'd have all the time in the world to do whatever you want lol
[quote="Paul Massell" post=398258][quote="panther2" post=398254]Repole was not the biggest contributor to St. Johns Athletics. What he was trying to do was hold the school hostage with the promise of money. I have much respect for the Administration for not caving in to his demands.
[/quote]
I agree with this part but also true that what was going on during the hiring process was a travesty. I don't know that Repole's only goals were to buy a brand or maybe he was just a genuine, long-suffering and at the end of the rope, outraged fan. Maybe both but IMHO some outrage was justified. In the end, there could not have been a better outcome than hiring Mike Anderson. That said if CMA wasn't hired, things would be terribly bleak right now instead of optimistic and I doubt the admin would be getting much support. I also wonder if Cragg did not get a bit of an assist from Repole's rant. He wasn't getting his guy when the hiring was going on. Not until the very end.[/quote]
Was Cragg blocked from going with Anderson before the Mike and Mike rant? I had thought it was reported that it was a call from Capel at right about the same time with the deal going down in 24 hours.
[/quote]
I agree with this part but also true that what was going on during the hiring process was a travesty. I don't know that Repole's only goals were to buy a brand or maybe he was just a genuine, long-suffering and at the end of the rope, outraged fan. Maybe both but IMHO some outrage was justified. In the end, there could not have been a better outcome than hiring Mike Anderson. That said if CMA wasn't hired, things would be terribly bleak right now instead of optimistic and I doubt the admin would be getting much support. I also wonder if Cragg did not get a bit of an assist from Repole's rant. He wasn't getting his guy when the hiring was going on. Not until the very end.[/quote]
Was Cragg blocked from going with Anderson before the Mike and Mike rant? I had thought it was reported that it was a call from Capel at right about the same time with the deal going down in 24 hours.
L J S A
Well-known member
[quote="OLV72" post=398314][quote="Paul Massell" post=398258][quote="panther2" post=398254]Repole was not the biggest contributor to St. Johns Athletics. What he was trying to do was hold the school hostage with the promise of money. I have much respect for the Administration for not caving in to his demands.
[/quote]
I agree with this part but also true that what was going on during the hiring process was a travesty. I don't know that Repole's only goals were to buy a brand or maybe he was just a genuine, long-suffering and at the end of the rope, outraged fan. Maybe both but IMHO some outrage was justified. In the end, there could not have been a better outcome than hiring Mike Anderson. That said if CMA wasn't hired, things would be terribly bleak right now instead of optimistic and I doubt the admin would be getting much support. I also wonder if Cragg did not get a bit of an assist from Repole's rant. He wasn't getting his guy when the hiring was going on. Not until the very end.[/quote]
Was Cragg blocked from going with Anderson before the Mike and Mike rant? I had thought it was reported that it was a call from Capel at right about the same time with the deal going down in 24 hours.[/quote]
I don't think he was even on the list. Sounds like Cragg was having Moser or Jones rammed down his throat. The WFAN rant allowed the list to be opened, and I think the call from Capel came after the embarrassment. I think the fact that everything transpired in 24 showed that Anderson interviewed great and that Cragg was completely over outside interference and wanted a guy in there quickly to end the embarrassment.
I truly think Cragg walks within a year if Jones was hired.
[/quote]
I agree with this part but also true that what was going on during the hiring process was a travesty. I don't know that Repole's only goals were to buy a brand or maybe he was just a genuine, long-suffering and at the end of the rope, outraged fan. Maybe both but IMHO some outrage was justified. In the end, there could not have been a better outcome than hiring Mike Anderson. That said if CMA wasn't hired, things would be terribly bleak right now instead of optimistic and I doubt the admin would be getting much support. I also wonder if Cragg did not get a bit of an assist from Repole's rant. He wasn't getting his guy when the hiring was going on. Not until the very end.[/quote]
Was Cragg blocked from going with Anderson before the Mike and Mike rant? I had thought it was reported that it was a call from Capel at right about the same time with the deal going down in 24 hours.[/quote]
I don't think he was even on the list. Sounds like Cragg was having Moser or Jones rammed down his throat. The WFAN rant allowed the list to be opened, and I think the call from Capel came after the embarrassment. I think the fact that everything transpired in 24 showed that Anderson interviewed great and that Cragg was completely over outside interference and wanted a guy in there quickly to end the embarrassment.
I truly think Cragg walks within a year if Jones was hired.
JohnnyFever
Active member
MJ, funny you bring that up...I frequently day dream about hitting the jackpot and winning $300 mil or something...then after taking care of my family, I'd definitely be crazy enough to donate millions to the program. I just think we have a short window to get back to relevance nationally again...and if we miss it, the P5 will break away and won't include us. It seems very likely to happen the way things are going with all the problems over paying athletes and all the media pundits making it seem like kids are being totally taken advantage of (the cost of a scholarship is greatly minimized if you have this view and most of us regular guys have to pay a lot of loans off well into our middle ages). I see this as a "show me" stage and if we really don't resurrect as a program within the next 5 yrs or so, I can't see another major coach taking this job and I just can't see us in the future remaining a major program. You either win big naturally like Nova and get money that way with excited donors/proud alums, or you don't win big and need the $$$ to compete. We are in the latter position.
What I don't understand is why players from our school who make it to the NBA and succeed don't donate in a big way or at least we don't hear it. Harkless is worth $15 mil, Artest $35 mil, etc. J. Cole worth $60 mil. I think we all know if we made it big like that, we'd be significant donors. What about them?
What I don't understand is why players from our school who make it to the NBA and succeed don't donate in a big way or at least we don't hear it. Harkless is worth $15 mil, Artest $35 mil, etc. J. Cole worth $60 mil. I think we all know if we made it big like that, we'd be significant donors. What about them?
[quote="Mike Zaun" post=398322]MJ, funny you bring that up...I frequently day dream about hitting the jackpot and winning $300 mil or something...then after taking care of my family, I'd definitely be crazy enough to donate millions to the program. I just think we have a short window to get back to relevance nationally again...and if we miss it, the P5 will break away and won't include us. It seems very likely to happen the way things are going with all the problems over paying athletes and all the media pundits making it seem like kids are being totally taken advantage of (the cost of a scholarship is greatly minimized if you have this view and most of us regular guys have to pay a lot of loans off well into our middle ages). I see this as a "show me" stage and if we really don't resurrect as a program within the next 5 yrs or so, I can't see another major coach taking this job and I just can't see us in the future remaining a major program. You either win big naturally like Nova and get money that way with excited donors/proud alums, or you don't win big and need the $$$ to compete. We are in the latter position.
What I don't understand is why players from our school who make it to the NBA and succeed don't donate in a big way or at least we don't hear it. Harkless is worth $15 mil, Artest $35 mil, etc. J. Cole worth $60 mil. I think we all know if we made it big like that, we'd be significant donors. What about them?[/quote]
Maybe some donate discreetly? Just asking.
What I don't understand is why players from our school who make it to the NBA and succeed don't donate in a big way or at least we don't hear it. Harkless is worth $15 mil, Artest $35 mil, etc. J. Cole worth $60 mil. I think we all know if we made it big like that, we'd be significant donors. What about them?[/quote]
Maybe some donate discreetly? Just asking.
Last edited:
[quote="OLV72" post=398314][quote="Paul Massell" post=398258][quote="panther2" post=398254]Repole was not the biggest contributor to St. Johns Athletics. What he was trying to do was hold the school hostage with the promise of money. I have much respect for the Administration for not caving in to his demands.
[/quote]
I agree with this part but also true that what was going on during the hiring process was a travesty. I don't know that Repole's only goals were to buy a brand or maybe he was just a genuine, long-suffering and at the end of the rope, outraged fan. Maybe both but IMHO some outrage was justified. In the end, there could not have been a better outcome than hiring Mike Anderson. That said if CMA wasn't hired, things would be terribly bleak right now instead of optimistic and I doubt the admin would be getting much support. I also wonder if Cragg did not get a bit of an assist from Repole's rant. He wasn't getting his guy when the hiring was going on. Not until the very end.[/quote]
Was Cragg blocked from going with Anderson before the Mike and Mike rant? I had thought it was reported that it was a call from Capel at right about the same time with the deal going down in 24 hours.[/quote]
I don't know what went on behind the scenes but my recollection of what we were all discussing at the time was that out of the early candidates (after Hurely played us) Cragg wanted Cluess but the other faction in the STJ administration seemed to want anyone but him and pushed for Porter Moser, Jones, Hewitt, etc.
My recollection is that after Moser said "no thanks" (or while he was considering the offer) and blamed it on the fact that he wasn't the AD's choice, Repole went on WFAN and that outburst seemed to force the other faction to back off and let Cragg do his job.
I'd heard that Capel and Coach K both were in his ear about Anderson at that point, but others with more insight behind the scenes can confirm or correct that perception on my part.
[/quote]
I agree with this part but also true that what was going on during the hiring process was a travesty. I don't know that Repole's only goals were to buy a brand or maybe he was just a genuine, long-suffering and at the end of the rope, outraged fan. Maybe both but IMHO some outrage was justified. In the end, there could not have been a better outcome than hiring Mike Anderson. That said if CMA wasn't hired, things would be terribly bleak right now instead of optimistic and I doubt the admin would be getting much support. I also wonder if Cragg did not get a bit of an assist from Repole's rant. He wasn't getting his guy when the hiring was going on. Not until the very end.[/quote]
Was Cragg blocked from going with Anderson before the Mike and Mike rant? I had thought it was reported that it was a call from Capel at right about the same time with the deal going down in 24 hours.[/quote]
I don't know what went on behind the scenes but my recollection of what we were all discussing at the time was that out of the early candidates (after Hurely played us) Cragg wanted Cluess but the other faction in the STJ administration seemed to want anyone but him and pushed for Porter Moser, Jones, Hewitt, etc.
My recollection is that after Moser said "no thanks" (or while he was considering the offer) and blamed it on the fact that he wasn't the AD's choice, Repole went on WFAN and that outburst seemed to force the other faction to back off and let Cragg do his job.
I'd heard that Capel and Coach K both were in his ear about Anderson at that point, but others with more insight behind the scenes can confirm or correct that perception on my part.
Last edited:
Moose
Well-known member
Repole went on the radio on Wednesday April 17th. There was no mention of Mike Anderson at that point yet. 2 days later SJU was introducing Anderson and in that press conference Anderson mentioned specifically how just two days ago he was talking to Cragg and how he flew up next day.
As others alluded to- SJU did know that Repole was going on the air in the afternoon on the 17th to rip the search so I am 110% confident that once they knew that they began to search for other options besides Moser, Jones and Hewitt.
As others alluded to- SJU did know that Repole was going on the air in the afternoon on the 17th to rip the search so I am 110% confident that once they knew that they began to search for other options besides Moser, Jones and Hewitt.
JohnnyFever
Active member
I think it was really embarrassing having Porter publicly roll his eyes at us. This is a guy at a mid major program that is .522 overall (121-111) and .422 in the MVC (60-82). In other words, a bad mid major coach if you weigh conference play strongly and a slightly above average overall coach overall. They had 1 miracle Final Four run and he thinks he's Coach K or Izzo. It's one thing if you're Mark Few and roll your eyes at us, but for a guy like Moser? The guy is nothing special. Kind of ticked me off. Just shows how far we've fallen IMO when a coach like that embarrasses you. CMA is a much better coach than him and I'm still not sure what he will do here, but man that search was embarrassing.
QueensBall
Member
I'm not a Porter Moser hater (seems like a nice enough dude) but I would be so much more pessimistic about the direction of the program if they were overpaying that guy right now. I have no idea what the effect of Repole's WFAN rant was but if it helped get Mike Anderson, even in some slight, indirect way then it was well worth it.
It takes awhile to slow down, stop and then turn around a program on the decline but I've felt more progress in the last year than I have in some time. It still needs to be proven through on the court results and NCAA tournament appearances but the vibes are good so far.
It takes awhile to slow down, stop and then turn around a program on the decline but I've felt more progress in the last year than I have in some time. It still needs to be proven through on the court results and NCAA tournament appearances but the vibes are good so far.
[quote="SJUFAN2" post=398327][quote="OLV72" post=398314][quote="Paul Massell" post=398258][quote="panther2" post=398254]Repole was not the biggest contributor to St. Johns Athletics. What he was trying to do was hold the school hostage with the promise of money. I have much respect for the Administration for not caving in to his demands.
[/quote]
I agree with this part but also true that what was going on during the hiring process was a travesty. I don't know that Repole's only goals were to buy a brand or maybe he was just a genuine, long-suffering and at the end of the rope, outraged fan. Maybe both but IMHO some outrage was justified. In the end, there could not have been a better outcome than hiring Mike Anderson. That said if CMA wasn't hired, things would be terribly bleak right now instead of optimistic and I doubt the admin would be getting much support. I also wonder if Cragg did not get a bit of an assist from Repole's rant. He wasn't getting his guy when the hiring was going on. Not until the very end.[/quote]
Was Cragg blocked from going with Anderson before the Mike and Mike rant? I had thought it was reported that it was a call from Capel at right about the same time with the deal going down in 24 hours.[/quote]
I don't know what went on behind the scenes but my recollection of what we were all discussing at the time was that out of the early candidates (after Hurely played us) Cragg wanted Cluess but the other faction in the STJ administration seemed to want anyone but him and pushed for Porter Moser, Jones, Hewitt, etc.
My recollection is that after Moser said "no thanks" (or while he was considering the offer) and blamed it on the fact that he wasn't the AD's choice, Repole went on WFAN and that outburst seemed to force the other faction to back off and let Cragg do his job.
I'd heard that Capel and Coach K both were in his ear about Anderson at that point, but others with more insight behind the scenes can confirm or correct that perception on my part.[/quote]
Moser actually blamed it on not being the AD's choice? I don't remember that if it did happen, but I could have missed that.
[/quote]
I agree with this part but also true that what was going on during the hiring process was a travesty. I don't know that Repole's only goals were to buy a brand or maybe he was just a genuine, long-suffering and at the end of the rope, outraged fan. Maybe both but IMHO some outrage was justified. In the end, there could not have been a better outcome than hiring Mike Anderson. That said if CMA wasn't hired, things would be terribly bleak right now instead of optimistic and I doubt the admin would be getting much support. I also wonder if Cragg did not get a bit of an assist from Repole's rant. He wasn't getting his guy when the hiring was going on. Not until the very end.[/quote]
Was Cragg blocked from going with Anderson before the Mike and Mike rant? I had thought it was reported that it was a call from Capel at right about the same time with the deal going down in 24 hours.[/quote]
I don't know what went on behind the scenes but my recollection of what we were all discussing at the time was that out of the early candidates (after Hurely played us) Cragg wanted Cluess but the other faction in the STJ administration seemed to want anyone but him and pushed for Porter Moser, Jones, Hewitt, etc.
My recollection is that after Moser said "no thanks" (or while he was considering the offer) and blamed it on the fact that he wasn't the AD's choice, Repole went on WFAN and that outburst seemed to force the other faction to back off and let Cragg do his job.
I'd heard that Capel and Coach K both were in his ear about Anderson at that point, but others with more insight behind the scenes can confirm or correct that perception on my part.[/quote]
Moser actually blamed it on not being the AD's choice? I don't remember that if it did happen, but I could have missed that.