John Hardt on Black and Drew
- Thread starter spiderman
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Interesting that he spent about a full minute to discuss the 'restlessness' and 'disappointment' among alumni with the basketball program's performance of late. I had the understanding that only about a dozen frustrated individuals on this board was pretty much the extent of the griping.
Do you really expect him to roll into a media interview and expect him to say anything different? He kind of has to say the future is bright. He is going to publicly back Mooney and frankly any UR coach up until the press conference when he is releasing/firing them. That is how this works. What Hardt thinks privately about the situation might be entirely different than what he HAS to say publicly.
The fact that he acknowledges the disappointment among alumni publicly is more telling. It means that our leadership is hearing us and that the group of people who are not happy is a pretty substantial contingent.
Got a chance to listen to this last night to whole thing last night. Having not had the opportunity to meet him in person yet, I was most impressed with his cadence and how well-spoken he is on a variety of topics. His insights about the NCAA landscape and rule changes showed his deep understanding of all stakeholders involved on. With that said, I think this will translate to positive things long-term for our athletic department.
With regards to basketball specifically, let us not forget where he came from, long before Bucknell that is. Hardt was a student-athlete at Iowa and had a chance to compete in the Rose Bowl, which some consider one of the greatest games to be a part of as a D1 football player. We shouldn't think for a second that he believes mediocrity is acceptable.
I'm not going to try to dissect his tone or his choice of words. I take comfort in that the fact that underneath it all, he's still a competitor. Excited to see where he takes the program.
With regards to basketball specifically, let us not forget where he came from, long before Bucknell that is. Hardt was a student-athlete at Iowa and had a chance to compete in the Rose Bowl, which some consider one of the greatest games to be a part of as a D1 football player. We shouldn't think for a second that he believes mediocrity is acceptable.
I'm not going to try to dissect his tone or his choice of words. I take comfort in that the fact that underneath it all, he's still a competitor. Excited to see where he takes the program.
He hasn't met Ulla?
Mo, I think there is a big difference between "restlessness" and "disappointment" and some of the BS that is said constantly and repeatedly (as in the same thing over and over) on this board. I believe (and hope) Mr. Hardt is doing alot to undo what was done by the previous administration. That being said, he also mentioned that $13M has been raised for the new hoops building which is telling as well.
I think Hardt acquitted himself fine. As noted, he was positive as should be expected while acknowledging the discontent. I think the comment on CM being excited about the future is a little tone deaf given this refrain has been played repeatedly for a long time now. Hardt probably doesn’t fully appreciate that as I think you have to have been here to feel it keenly.
Who is the previous administration, Crutcher? What did he do that he will do differently in the future?
My guess is Keith Gill. Gill was not a good AD and really didn’t do anything to progress our athletics in any way. Hardt has already been part of severa initiatives that have been great for our athletic programs. The biggest thing though will be to see how Hardt handles another poor season by our basketball team, if it were to happen.
If it were to happen. I am really interested to see who on this earth we can guard and hold to 85 points or less. That will be damn interesting to me this year.
Saw this in the latest email from the AD:
Millhiser Gym
Millhiser Gym
- We have made plans to fully renovate historic Millhiser Gym and convert the facility into an Academic Support Center that will be used by all Richmond student-athletes. Renovations will include conference rooms, tutoring rooms, study hall space and offices for the academic support staff. This project will have a positive impact on the experiences and academic success of our Spider student-athletes.
Probably reading a little into this but Hardt saying CM is excited about the future is also putting out there that the coach has expectations about the coming year. And if those expectations are not met....
I do agree that Hardt hasn't been around enough to fully appreciate the broad platitude but completely lack of specificity coach speak from Mooney. "Young but experienced", " I think we have a chance to be really good this year", that crap. Always tantalizing the fanbase but always leaving himself an escape hatch.
If Hardt is the tough, Big 10 football player winner that we think he is, he is going to tire of that pretty quickly.
I agree.
It was encouraging to hear Hardt say our expectation is to "compete for championships each and every season" and "right now we're not hitting that mark."
I am more interested in his actions moving forward than in his words stated in an interview. That will be the real sign of who he is and what his vision encompasses.
Yes, Gill was in over his head. But remember he came to us as the AD at American, so its not like we picked a guy off the street. I think now as I listen to Jim Miller more in his radio spots, that Gill was just a worsening of something that already started under Miller.
We have some entrenched bad organizational culture within our athletic department (from small stuff like not updating websites promptly with correct contact information to the fact that somehow we thought it was a good idea to not even begin an A.D. search for 6 months). And not to mention extending your underperforming coach during this process, essentially tying the hands of your new AD on being able to lead the department in his direction. This stuff is absolutely unacceptable within a well run organization but we see it time and time again.
As for Hardt, here is what I think. He has his work cut out for him. Yes, the head basketball coaching situation is his most visible issue to resolve. But the far bigger and deeper issue is getting our athletic department running a much tighter shop. This means getting rid of under performing employees and ultimately changing the culture within the Robins Center. That is a big task. Hardt certainly has the pedigree to do this. I can't say I have faith that he will or won't at this point. Time will tell. I hope very strongly that he is successful.
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Told me a lot when he stated concerned comments about basketball program from alumni. He did not have to
mention that and could have breezed pass it. But to me that is saying he is going to pay some close attention to
the basketball program. Whether anything happens or not, we will see.
mention that and could have breezed pass it. But to me that is saying he is going to pay some close attention to
the basketball program. Whether anything happens or not, we will see.
Good points in the last two posts. Yes, it does seem that a status quo culture has existed in the department on a whole - obviously from all outside appearances. Miller really took a hit in my eyes with his radio appearances. I feel like Gill was happy to be here. I am glad that Hardt acknowledged the discontent. It does give me a glimmer. The litmus test will be if we win 18 games or less this year. Will he just keep the company line - we are young and competing, next year is they year (been the theme the last 7 years), or will he act. That is the million dollar question.
I can answer that one for you. if we go from 12 wins to 18 wins with JJ as our only senior, there's no way we make a change nor should we.
I don't see a win-loss litmus test. I see Hardt being clearly able to more fully understand our history with Mooney and really seeing how this large incoming and redshirt class performs this year. If a lot of those guys can't meaningfully contribute than Mooney is likely toast. Likewise if they can play and we win, Mooney stays.
JJ being the only senior this year and having no seniors last year are more indictments of Mooney's inability to recruit and maintain a roster. That is not something that Hardt should give credit Mooney, in fact, it is probably one of the biggest things that gives him pause. You need good senior players to win at a program like ours and our 13 year head coach is going through 2 straight years with zero and one scholarship seniors. That should be a huge warning siren to the AD that something isn't right.
JJ being the only senior this year and having no seniors last year are more indictments of Mooney's inability to recruit and maintain a roster. That is not something that Hardt should give credit Mooney, in fact, it is probably one of the biggest things that gives him pause. You need good senior players to win at a program like ours and our 13 year head coach is going through 2 straight years with zero and one scholarship seniors. That should be a huge warning siren to the AD that something isn't right.
we lost one valuable transfer. The other was dismissed from the team due to his repeated violations.
We aren't winning 18 games next year. We already playing teams like Wake Forest and ODU again. And to think that VCU is going to let us sweep them again is a joke. This upcoming year we are going to win 16 games at the max. Anything less than 16 wins should make the AD realize its time to move on.
So Spiderman, 18 wins is a good year for you for Richmond basketball. You are buying into the excuse mongering from Mooney. Based on his recent past performance, I don't think we should just keep waiting for the next year, in this case you are basically saying 2 more years to compete for A10 championship.
no. didn't say that. but if you don't fire him after this past 12 win season, then you certainly don't fire him the next year when the team improves that much with only one senior.
we'd expect more the following year if we improve that much this year and lose so little. so I'd be happy with the direct of the program.
Just thought that you guys might be talking over each other.
So not 12, 18, 27, 40.5?
Sherod is a senior after this year with Grant Golden and Gilyard are Juniors. We should be able to make the tournament. But it's not happening this year. Way too many new faces asking for too many home runs.
fwiw, there has already been some degree of turnover in the department since he started. I don’t know if they were underperformers per se, but it’s fair to say he is instituting his own staff and changing culture.
Tbone, that is really good to hear. I think it would be a good sign if there was some personnel changes going on already and if indeed Hardt is instituting change.
From what I am told, there is a degree of unrest/concern among the current staff over some departures. I think it’s safe to say that culture is changing. To what end and good/bad is unclear but my sense is that Hardt has a very different style than the prior AD(s).
Thanks Tbone. That is some of the best news I have heard in a while. Whatever management style Keith Gill employed needed some changing. Leaders need to set the tone for how the operation runs, when your telecommuting from DC, that says all you need to know about that tone.
