A 21-loss season

[97spiderfan]

I even acknowledge that last years contract extension was not necessary either and Mooney could’ve been rewarded with financial bonuses.

And, this is one more reason why no has any faith in Hardt. That was a dumb move and tied our hands unnecessarily. Would have been easy to tell Mooney to pound sand or find another job if he didn't like his compensation/contract. All we had to do is give him a bonus (which was probably already in his contract for winning the A-10 regular season). He had zero leverage and we had all of it.

 

[spiderstudent17]

And, this is one more reason why no has any faith in Hardt. That was a dumb move and tied our hands unnecessarily. Would have been easy to tell Mooney to pound sand or find another job if he didn't like his compensation/contract. All we had to do is give him a bonus (which was probably already in his contract for winning the A-10 regular season). He had zero leverage and we had all of it.

I agree. If that was all on Hardt, then bad move on him. Although to be entirely fair to Hardt we don’t know the stipulations of the contract and future buy-out clauses. If the decision was influenced by politics where there was significant external pressure to appease our biggest donor, that’s an even bigger systemic problem.

 

[spider23]

Lol, if I hear we need to shoot better as his post game analysis after a loss one more time. That is something I expected to hear from my kids YMCA rec league coach after a loss. I expect a D-1 coach to have much more insightful remarks after repeated losses.

Yes, this is like the NBA players that get asked after the game why they lost: "It''s a make or miss league"

 

[GKiller]

I agree. The 10 year contract was incredibly stupid from Miller. I even acknowledge that last years contract extension was not necessary either and Mooney could’ve been rewarded with financial bonuses. But when I say that, GKiller (happy I’m calling you out by name now?) says that I’m backtracking as if amending my position after discussing it, is a bad thing.

spiderbacktracker17

 

[Ferrum Spider]

And, this is one more reason why no has any faith in Hardt. That was a dumb move and tied our hands unnecessarily. Would have been easy to tell Mooney to pound sand or find another job if he didn't like his compensation/contract. All we had to do is give him a bonus (which was probably already in his contract for winning the A-10 regular season). He had zero leverage and we had all of it.

Exactly, he did nothing to earn an extension based off last years performance.

To me one of the most unforgiveable things I have seen was just prematurely celebrating the A10 champ last season when we knew we had only 1 way to punch a ticket to the NCAAs. When we cut down the nets the mission was absolutely not accomplished. We threw up the white flag and were ready for season superlatives at that point.

Then we did absolutely NOTHING to build on it.

I think id be ok with all this mediocrity if we just acknowledged this is what we are, but its always ****ing excuses as to why we cant be great and never addressing elephants in the room as to why we underperform.

 

[8legs1dream]

8-23 record against D1 since cutting down that damn net AKA "The Great Exhale"

 

[spider23]

Yes, as fun as the conference season was last year - I never could get in full March Madness excitement mode at any time in the season. I feel like the entire fan base was dreading the first round A10 exit, and moon delivered. The OOC was always a kick in the gut right when thought we might have something, we hung the L. BC and UNI were the particulary bad losses IMO. We had ballers last year, but we couldn't quite scheme to win the big game. Another thing I hear coaches and players talking about is tweaking and sometimes flat our changing the game plan vs an opponent. Never seem to hear much about that from our guys. System to a fault.

 

[97spiderfan]

Yes, as fun as the conference season was last year - I never could get in full March Madness excitement mode at any time in the season. I feel like the entire fan base was dreading the first round A10 exit, and moon delivered.

Yes, yes, and yes. You just had this sense of dread that when the really big moment comes, Mooney will wilt as he almost always does. And of course he did.

 

[spiderman]

8-23 record against D1 since cutting down that damn net AKA "The Great Exhale"

 

[MrTbone]

I will say this about the buyout. If you can't afford the buyout on a D-1 coaches contract that you shouldn't be signing them to the contract in the first place. This is a high deliverable type of environment and so any contract that you sign, you need to have the ability to pay it off, if you need to to get out of it. Every other major D-1 school is not afraid to eat some contract dollars if their coach is not meeting expectations, it is just part of the business.

Or perhaps more importantly, you don’t keep extending the contract. UR doesn’t have to keep handing extensions out to a coach who is in no danger of going elsewhere. If you want to reward him because he had a great season and won the regular season title, buy him a Lamborghini or a boat. Stop handcuffing the program though.

 

[GKiller]

Stop handcuffing the program though.

Talk to Hallock. I've made that point to the powers to be before...falls on deaf ears. moot point now we are handcuffed.

 

[SpiderGuy]

Talk to Hallock. I've made that point to the powers to be before...falls on deaf ears. moot point now we are handcuffed.

Absolutely none of them impress me. Mediocrity lives on. It's like the powers that be at our school live in their own bubble which is no where being consistently on The Bubble or better. They get what they deserve. Unfortunately real fans don't.

 

[MrTbone]

Talk to Hallock. I've made that point to the powers to be before...falls on deaf ears. moot point now we are handcuffed.

I’ll set up a lunch for the three of us. Prepare your PowerPoint please.

 

[GKiller]

I’ll set up a lunch for the three of us. Prepare your PowerPoint please.

Can we do Bernie's?

 

[SpiderRick]

How many games did we lose this year when we were either tied or leading the game with 5 or less minutes to go? And 4 overtime losses! It's got to be either terrible sideline coaching (Mooney); or they're gassed because of poor fitness (also Mooney).

 

[spider23]

How many games did we lose this year when we were either tied or leading the game with 5 or less minutes to go? And 4 overtime losses! It's got to be either terrible sideline coaching (Mooney); or they're gassed because of poor fitness (also Mooney).

Mooney is just a terrible in game coach. Unless he has a point guard that can run things on his own he has zero ability to out scheme or motivate players.

 

[wr70beh]

Talk to Hallock. I've made that point to the powers to be before...falls on deaf ears. moot point now we are handcuffed.

Hallock and his wife have been to every women’s hoops game I’ve been to this year and I’ve been to over half of them. He likes sports. He seems to like winning sports. Why wouldn’t he want to have the flagship program on campus succeed? Can’t he see Mooney is not the answer? Didn’t he notice the empty seats against the biggest rival this year? The natives are getting restless.

 

[gospidersgo]

How many games did we lose this year when we were either tied or leading the game with 5 or less minutes to go?

Bump

 

[Eight Legger]

Hardt looked like he had almost fallen asleep at one point in the game tonight. His wife gets very into the games, both men and women. I sat a few rows from them at the women's game and she was loud. He just sat there at both games, no emotion.

 

[spider23]

Shocking EL. I picture him being very engaged. Or maybe not.

 

[8legs1dream]

Hardt looked like he had almost fallen asleep at one point in the game tonight.

but then Mason hit a big three and he was roused to wake by their fans?

 

[SpiderGuy]

but then Mason hit a big three and he was roused to wake by their fans?

You forgot to say another UNCONTESTED big three.

 

[SpiderRick]

How many games did we lose this year when we were either tied or leading the game with 5 or less minutes to go? And 4 overtime losses! It's got to be either terrible sideline coaching (Mooney); or they're gassed because of poor fitness (also Mooney).

We can now add GMU game to this list. Mooney actually nailed it when he said post-game "this is all to familiar".
Well why the hell haven't you done something about it Coach? Geez even the players are getting infected: B Artis White "We really competed!".
How about trying this...with 5 minutes left in a close game, let's pull all the starters AND Mooney, put in all reserves and have Peter Thomas coaching. I will guarantee that they can't do any worse and might even pull one out because they are more motivated.

 

[8legs1dream]

How many games did we lose this year when we were either tied or leading the game with 5 or less minutes to go? And 4 overtime losses! It's got to be either terrible sideline coaching (Mooney); or they're gassed because of poor fitness (also Mooney).

you know what this is really bugging me now that I think about it, if I get some spare time later today I just might go through it game by game and post here 😏

 

[SpiderRick]

If Mooney could figure out how to win the last 5 minutes of games, this would have been a 20 win season instead of a 21+ loss season.

 

[GKiller]

Hallock and his wife have been to every women’s hoops game I’ve been to this year and I’ve been to over half of them. He likes sports. He seems to like winning sports. Why wouldn’t he want to have the flagship program on campus succeed? Can’t he see Mooney is not the answer? Didn’t he notice the empty seats against the biggest rival this year? The natives are getting restless.

That’s good. The answers to all 3 questions is ‘he should’. But it’s sad we can’t say definitively. & I can tell u he also likes Mooney.

Personally feel we should stop hiring nerds for this position. Think it’s 4 in a row. 4 since Morrill. He was last non nerd imo. Try someone from business athletics or law not pure academia.

 

[MrTbone]

That’s good. The answers to all 3 questions is ‘he should’. But it’s sad we can’t say definitively. & I can tell u he also likes Mooney.

Personally feel we should stop hiring nerds for this position. Think it’s 4 in a row. 4 since Morrill. He was last non nerd imo. Try someone from business athletics or law not pure academia.

Sort of a weird take. On a couple fronts. One of which is “don’t always judge a book by its cover.” I wouldn’t log Hallock as a nerd, not that there’s anything wrong with nerds which your post seems to suggest.

Second, the university has made incredible progress as an institution since Morrill, arguably due in no small part to the leaders over the past 30 years. Would they be guys I’d go drinks beers with? Unlikely but that hardly means they aren’t pros at what they do.

If your argument is UR is on the wrong track by virtue of where the basketball program stands and that a business or law oriented leader would be a better administrator and lead us back to bball glory, that’s a pretty thin take.

 

[spiderstudent17]

A university’s first and foremost goal should be to advance its academic reputation. UR is so far doing that. We are ranked highly in several national university/liberal arts college lists and have an acceptance rate of 23% this past year. I would not have been able to get into UR today, that’s for sure.

Now, with that said, I would love to have a president who also understands the value athletics brings to a University and not only doesn’t see it as a hinderance to the university’s overall academic mission, but a tool that can actually enhance it. I think Hallock recognizes that based on what he says.

Hallock with NCAA house settlement:

“A successful Division I Athletics program has been an important part of the Richmond experience for decades," said University of Richmond President Kevin F. Hallock. "Athletics brings generations of Spiders together, strengthens our ties with the surrounding region, and offers a platform to showcase our remarkable university on a national stage. Our university provides an extraordinary academic experience with deep mentoring relationships in a relentlessly welcoming environment. That, combined with our commitment to Division I athletics at such a high level is extremely rare.”

Hallock article titled value of sports published in UR magazine in 2024.

Value of sports

President Kevin F. Hallock reflects on the power of athletics to bring Spiders together.

magazine.richmond.edu

“It was a starting seed from which I’ve grown a profound appreciation for athletics and a conviction, as the president of a university with 17 Division I teams, that competitive sports bring tremendous value to our university and that Spider Athletics can help take UR to even greater heights.”

So you factor these statements from our president, the 10s of millions we’ve invested in facility upgrades over the years, the millions we will continue to invest with the NCAA house settlement, and it’s clear that our University does value athletics. Many of you won’t accept that fact just because Mooney hasn’t been fired.

 

[GKiller]

Sort of a weird take. On a couple fronts. One of which is “don’t always judge a book by its cover.” I wouldn’t log Hallock as a nerd, not that there’s anything wrong with nerds which your post seems to suggest.

Second, the university has made incredible progress as an institution since Morrill, arguably due in no small part to the leaders over the past 30 years. Would they be guys I’d go drinks beers with? Unlikely but that hardly means they aren’t pros at what they do.

If your argument is UR is on the wrong track by virtue of where the basketball program stands and that a business or law oriented leader would be a better administrator and lead us back to bball glory, that’s a pretty thin take.

Thank you

The world needs nerds. Even Ogre knows that.

I’m not sure the UR Presidency does. Nerd or not we’ve basically hired the same guy 4 straight times. Fwiw Hallock does seem the best of bunch. The university progression was going with or without any of those guys. That train has been on the tracks & u could argue started with the gift.

I did take convo a little bit in another direction w last post. However original context was stop handcuffing the program re: Moon contract. That’s exactly what Hallock has done again w this summer’s totally unnecessary extension was under his watch.

When is Bernie’s lunch? I’m not local but I’d fly in for that one.