Best job in the OVC

[EKU05]

I saw this article posted on the Murray board. Thoughts?

https://watchstadium.com/news/ohio-vall ... 6-07-2019/

[Colonel Grad]

Unfortunately, it's notes on EKU are pretty accurate as far as I can tell.

I guess you can look at the glass half full or half empty ...
Half full - despite not qualifying for the CONFERENCE tournament 4 straight years, EKU is still considered a top-4 program in the conference

Half empty - imagine where EKU would be if it maintained the momentum of the final three Jeff Neabauer years.

From the outside looking in, there has been a BIG push of resources to football under the current athletic department administration (a complete waste of resources in my opinion). This has completely wrecked the basketball program.

Imagine where the basketball program would be if the university administration had done what was necessary to keep Neubauer. Or, had maintained the continuity by hiring a Neubauer assistant? Coaching continuity is a big reason why Murray State is where it is.

Based on where the program was in 2015, there's no reason to think EKU couldn't have another NCAA Tournament appearance, and maybe a tournament game win. Both of which would do far more to help the university as a whole than anything the football program can accomplish, if it ever accomplishes anything at all.

It's what makes me the most sad about EKU athletics right now.

[g--]

Imagine where the basketball program would be if the university administration had done what was necessary to keep Neubauer.

Well said!

[EKU05]

Imagine where the basketball program would be if the university administration had done what was necessary to keep Neubauer.

Well said!

See, my problem with that line of thinking is that it assumes Neubauer was keepable. He put in ten years at an OVC program and was relatively successful. Eventually he was probably going to move onto a program in a more high profile conference. He got a shot at the A10 and took it. I mean, no one's ever going to accuse Murray of shorting the basketball program resources and they lose coaches. Now sure, Iowa State and Texas A&M are certainly higher profile programs than Fordham, but the point is that sometimes a coach is just ready for the next step.

Also, I'd like to point out that McHale was hired in at a higher salary than Neubauer was making even after ten years. You can call it a dumb hire, but you can't say we weren't spending at that time. It's just factually incorrect.

I certainly see the thought process behind promoting a coach. Perhaps Rodney Crawford might have gotten the job done. At the same time, it also helps to make a bit of a splash and get someone who's been working at a power conference program. We missed with McHale, but I have a feeling we hit with Hamilton.

I don't disagree that basketball has the most current potential to raise the school's profile, but you have to remember that a lot of the football push under the current administration was when we were actively pursuing an FBS move which would be higher profile than anything the basketball program could ever accomplish. Even bottom tier bowl games get TV ratings better than most NCAA tournament games. Outside of basketball-crazy states like Kentucky college basketball is a thing that many people really only think about in March. That seems to be on hold for now, but our time may come 5-10 years down the road if we keep our ducks in a row.

Plus, this is EKU. The tradition of the football program has inherent value.

Still, there are resources going into basketball. Times are tough financially at the moment, but the arena has gotten some nice upgrades, and I hear it's in the works that eventually we're going to covert it to all chairback seats (slightly reducing capacity in the process). I like a balance of funding for both programs. They're important for different reasons.

[g--]

True Neubauer may have left no matter what. Did the AD offer Neubauer what he paid McHale - I don’t know. But for me the importance of that line of thinking is in a comment you made – “we missed with McHale.”

We had a new AD who it seems was more interested in McHale’s fast talking than his basketball knowledge. I remember the host of the McHale basketball TV show laughing at the gibberish McHale spit at the players in a time-out during a game. McHale's pep talk literally made no sense at all in any context what so ever.

Going from Neubauer to McHale was a major setback for the program.

[Colonel Grad]

See, my problem with that line of thinking is that it assumes Neubauer was keepable. He put in ten years at an OVC program and was relatively successful. Eventually he was probably going to move onto a program in a more high profile conference. He got a shot at the A10 and took it.

EKU05, initially and for a year or so I thought exactly the same thing.
As I have observed EKU the last couple of years, I changed my thinking.

There are 2 things I know 100% for sure.
1. Jeff Neubauer was/is an extremely smart man
2. EKU hired an athletics director with ZERO experience in college athletics, and 3 days later Neubauer went to Fordham.

When I say, "Imagine where the basketball program would be if the university administration had done what was necessary to keep Neubauer." I'm not just talking about paying him more.

My theory is JN had a hunch of what was coming and the challenges ahead working for someone who not only didn't hire you, but has no specific experience for the job he was hired for. I think Fordham was a life raft. JN is way too smart not to know what kind of a challenge Fordham is. The salary is higher, but the job is nearly impossible. He could have waited for a better situation.

The university could have "done more to keep Neubauer" by allowing him to have input into the AD hire and giving his recommendation more weight than others. Maybe give him extra time with each candidate and allow him to build a relationship with someone. Maybe there was a candidate who he would have clicked with.



Also, yes Dan McHale was paid more, but within a year the director of operations spot was cut. Who knows what other cuts have been made that we can't see.

I'm sure I am in the minority, but in my opinion dumping money into football is not a wise, long term choice. FCS football is dying. Yes, EKU has great tradition in football, but the university administration team that is brave enough to cut that cord is the team that will take EKU on a path of for future success, not only in athletics but for the entire university. There is no path to significant success for EKU football at the national level. It's never going to happen again, primarily because of recruiting advantages that no longer exist and because of the lack of financial support.

Now, with Bellarmine making it official today, EKU is looking at being the worst basketball program among eight division I teams in the state instead of seven.

[g--]

I agree with everything you’ve said except for one thing. EKU will not be the worst basketball program among eight division I teams in the state this year. Hamilton has managed to pull in the best recruiting class since Neubauer was here. Add them to the good recruits he brought in last year and the future looks very bright.

[Rosie]

I agree with everything you’ve said except for one thing. EKU will not be the worst basketball program among eight division I teams in the state this year. Hamilton has managed to pull in the best recruiting class since Neubauer was here. Add them to the good recruits he brought in last year and the future looks very bright.



Amen!

[FGColonel]

I think the decision JN made was based on a lot of things other than just Basketball and the Athletic staff at EKU. I am sure that had some bearing on his decision but I honestly believe it was a personal decision. Fordham was in the right geographic area for Jeff at that point in his life.

[Colonel Grad]

I agree with everything you’ve said except for one thing. EKU will not be the worst basketball program among eight division I teams in the state this year. Hamilton has managed to pull in the best recruiting class since Neubauer was here. Add them to the good recruits he brought in last year and the future looks very bright.

I hope you are right, but I don't share your same level of confidence. Hamilton has proven he can recruit. I will agree with you on that.

He and his staff have not proven to me they can coach and develop. If HIS new recruits don't do a better job of running HIS system, and he stubornly continues to refuse to adjust, EKU will miss the OVC tournament again and be the worst D1 team in the state.