Politi article on Ash--Must read

[retired711]

The interview makes clear that Hobbs/Ash intend to fund these improvements from increase

Why do I keep on bringing up fundraising?" he asked. "Well, we're not going to be a fully funded Big Ten program until 2021. We can't wait until 2021 to get the full allotment of Big Ten money to make these changes.

"If we do, then there'll probably be another new head coach sitting here talking to you in five years."
Ash gets it! Ball in RU admins court ......once again.strap em on Barchi..borrow against the full B10 share..get contsruction/bids started now..not like 4 years from now.or just keep paying mid major head coaches buyouts down the road..over and over.

The ball is not in the administration's court IMHO. Ash makes clear that he believes the program needs to fund-raise, and fund-raise some more. That's the job of the athletic department -- and of Rutgers fans. The administration can help, but raising money is the department's job. And fans can help by being as generous as they can. Even small contributions help -- they add up.

 

[ru66]

yes it is in our court--let's stop with the excuses about when to give---now's the time

 

[BlockR]

The interview makes clear that Hobbs/Ash intend to fund these improvements from increase


The ball is not in the administration's court IMHO. Ash makes clear that he believes the program needs to fund-raise, and fund-raise some more. That's the job of the athletic department -- and of Rutgers fans. The administration can help, but raising money is the department's job. And fans can help by being as generous as they can. Even small contributions help -- they add up.

disagree,..the school allowed the basketball program to slip backwards into one of the lowest ranked programs in nation by not investing back into a facility,arena and practice center.If the school takes the same approach to football..the same events will repeat itself.The school has to also have a plan,including funding long range..not just on donors. Honor dorms building,new hosptial absorbed payments by school were just undertaken......

 

[RAA-1]

disagree,..The school has to also have a plan,including funding long range..not just on donors. Honor dorms building,new hosptial absorbed payments by school were just undertaken......

RU did not acquire a hospital only a Medical School (which did have a great deal of debt) but was a great move in the long run. Rutgers happens to be an educational institution not just an athletic enterprise.

The Honors Dorms and the new classroom buildings as well as the new dorms at The Yard were funded by Devco and will be leased to RU. It actually costs very little to the University as dorm fees cover the lease payments. But don't let facts get in the way of your position.

 

[RU fan forever]

Outstanding, he, gets it!!

 

[kupuna133]

Just his attention to detail, technique and overall accountability of staff and players should get this program 2 additional wins next season. There were just too many ill prepared players and coaches over the last couple years that did not give our kids a chance to compete. I have a good feeling this staff is going to coach these kids up

 

[devoted2ru]

"Ash said he doesn't mind keeping things the way they were under predecessor Kyle Flood, who he hasn't spoken to since taking the job, if they helped recruit or develop players. He is just hard pressed to come up with an example."

Thought that was an extremely telling statement, as well.

The difference between the two is that KF was trying to present the image of a HC, but the fact of the matter is he really had no basis in terms of experience or connections to effectively pull that off. The RU head coaching job pretty much fell into his lap, and while I think he honestly did the best he could, when things really began heading south within the program, he didn't appear to have any kind of detailed plan to correct what was going on. -He seemed intent on doing the same things over and over in the hope that somehow, someway, things would eventually start to click.

On being hired as RU's new HC, Ash, on the other hand, had 20 years of experience to draw upon by way of being an integral part of winning programs, and during that time also had the opportunity to work with, and learn from, some of the true coaching legends in the game. -And if anybody ever came into a new job with a clear vision of what needs to be changed and how things have to be done to get things going in an upward trajectory, Chris Ash is it.

You can't fix something unless you have the ability to identify the issues and deficiencies that need to be addressed. CA has that, and is addressing those problem areas...in spades.

 

[Caliknight]

It was always the biggest challenge that Flood would have to overcome. He was never around big time programs outside of Rutgers. He didn't know what it takes to win big, because he never has.

A guy like Coach Ash only knows one thing- big time programs. Everything from how the athletes train, eat, live, prepare, what facilities look like, travel, all of it at the highest levels...it's what he saw every day and what he will build at Rutgers.

The fact that he is immediately working on the facilities to make them maintained and look better is a great sign. Alignment. It extends all the way down to the people who clean the building.

The building needs to sparkle, top to bottom. Moving the other programs into their own sparkling facility is going to be great for everyone.

 

[AreYouNUTS]

disagree,..the school allowed the basketball program to slip backwards into one of the lowest ranked programs in nation by not investing back into a facility,arena and practice center.If the school takes the same approach to football..the same events will repeat itself.The school has to also have a plan,including funding long range..not just on donors. Honor dorms building,new hosptial absorbed payments by school were just undertaken......

Nobody is saying that the school/athletic department WON'T have a part in this, they will/do - a "major" part, actually - have one, but what Ash is saying, instead, is that we need to take this into our own hands, NOW, and not "wait" for things to just be handed over. In a nutshell. These are exactly the kind of words you want to hear, at this time, from your brand new HC! [thumb2]

 

[Caliknight]

Not so - as the 2 lacrosse teams as well as the soccer teams have a lot of space at the Hale Center. Those teams are scheduled to move to a new complex at Yurcak Field. I don't know if the Yurcak facility happens before or after the proposed facility gets built near the RAC for basketball, tennis, track, parking deck, ect.

I would hope that Ash has enough power to get total control of the Hale Center ASAP.

I hope so too, which would mean the Yurcak facility would have to get done quickly.

 

[PaKnight]

Not so - as the 2 lacrosse teams as well as the soccer teams have a lot of space at the Hale Center. Those teams are scheduled to move to a new complex at Yurcak Field. I don't know if the Yurcak facility happens before or after the proposed facility gets built near the RAC for basketball, tennis, track, parking deck, ect.

I would hope that Ash has enough power to get total control of the Hale Center ASAP.

He can't kick the other programs out into the street. The Hale improvements, the BB/Wresting/VB facility and the soccer/LAX facility are all part of the $100M facility project.

That is why fund raising is so important.

 

[Upstream]

disagree,..the school allowed the basketball program to slip backwards into one of the lowest ranked programs in nation by not investing back into a facility,arena and practice center.

It was the athletic department that failed to invest into the basketball program. These were intentional decisions from the athletic directors. Some athletic directors just neglected basketball, and others purposefully funneled money away from the basketball program. It is now the athletic department that has the responsibility to turn the basketball program around.

 

[Caliknight]

Subtle? I thought it was a howitzer - LOL

"Is it on par with Boston College, Temple, Syracuse and UConn? Yeah, but we don't play those teams any more."

Take that Barber and Syracuse! Ha ha.

I said "NOT so subtle." :)

Indeed, it was a facial. Coach Ash will be the clear owner of the NE in very short order.

 

[PaKnight]

RU did not acquire a hospital only a Medical School (which did have a great deal of debt) but was a great move in the long run. Rutgers happens to be an educational institution not just an athletic enterprise.

The Honors Dorms and the new classroom buildings as well as the new dorms at The Yard were funded by Devco and will be leased to RU. It actually costs very little to the University as dorm fees cover the lease payments. But don't let facts get in the way of your position.

+1

Even if the Honor Dorms and new classrooms were not funded by Devco, they would still be part of the main mission of the university, education. Athletic facility improvements are going to be largely/completely funded by contribution, just like at all other schools.

 

[Reppin_Jerz]

I know there are a lot of posters "in the know" here. Is it CERTAIN that Coach Flood and Julie didn't ask Barchi and whomever else controls funding for any of these types of upgrades to facilities and were turned down due to the size of the revenue deficit already constraining the budget? Unless Hobbs gets the necessary funding (and more), will Ash be able to do any of these things he would like to? Might Ash use some savings from his assistant's salary pool for these upgrades?

 

[SanFranRutgers]

Guaranteed that there will be follow-up articles in the SL that complain about the amount of money that is being thrown at football. Think back. When the Big Ten announcement came out there were those who decried our entrance, basically saying that yes, there would be more money in the new conference, but we would have to spend all of that money and then some to keep up with the rest of the schools. This article lays the ground work for those naysayers to claim that their point has already been proven.

Who cares?

 

[RU848789]

Don't care what your views on Politi or NJ dot com or the SL are. Read the article.

http://www.nj.com/rutgersfootball/i...gers_only.html#incart_river_mobileshort_index

Great article. Still dumbfounded that people wouldn't click on the link to read it. Anyway, it's interesting to see the parallels to Schiano in terms of "getting it" about the finer details and the culture, which Flood apparently just didn't do much about. The comments that he hasn't talked to Flood, but that he's talked to Schiano a lot are telling.

 

[Caliknight]

I know there are a lot of posters "in the know" here. Is it CERTAIN that Coach Flood and Julie didn't ask Barchi and whomever else controls funding for any of these types of upgrades to facilities and were turned down due to the size of the revenue deficit already constraining the budget? Unless Hobbs gets the necessary funding (and more), will Ash be able to do any of these things he would like to? Might Ash use some savings from his assistant's salary pool for these upgrades?

I don't know what they asked for but early on it was obvious that Barchi had no intention of investing in athletics anymore than they had been. I think doing things on the cheap, allowing the hiring process of Julie to be overtaken by social warriors, subsequent mishandling and failures within the department, and the hiring of an AD with political connections changed his thought process.

Even so, none of this is getting done without private fundraising. The school is doing their part. The donors must step up or it isn't ever going to happen.

 

[ru66]

read the articles--they are post the Julie ban--what a difference

 

[AreYouNUTS]

I don't know what they asked for but early on it was obvious that Barchi had no intention of investing in athletics anymore than they had been. I think doing things on the cheap, allowing the hiring process of Julie to be overtaken by social warriors, subsequent mishandling and failures within the department, and the hiring of an AD with political connections changed his thought process.

Even so, none of this is getting done without private fundraising. The school is doing their part. The donors must step up or it isn't ever going to happen.

I also believe that getting over the med school merger "hump," essentially, may have let him look at athletics longer, with a clearer and more open mind, etc..

 

[Knight Shift]

Great article. Still dumbfounded that people wouldn't click on the link to read it. Anyway, it's interesting to see the parallels to Schiano in terms of "getting it" about the finer details and the culture, which Flood apparently just didn't do much about. The comments that he hasn't talked to Flood, but that he's talked to Schiano a lot are telling.

Not that telling, IMO. Flood was fired. Would be odd and uncomfortable for Ash to call Flood up to pick his brain, not that I would expect him to do that. Putting that in a corporate sense, would you call up your predecessor who had been fired at the job to ask him/her for advice on the new job, unless you knew him/her real well? I would not. On Schiano, he had obviously spent time around tOSU and Ash had a relationship with him. Plus he had that whole 2-3 weeks during bowl prep to get some scoop from Greg.

 

[SanFranRutgers]

It was the athletic department that failed to invest into the basketball program. These were intentional decisions from the athletic directors. Some athletic directors just neglected basketball, and others purposefully funneled money away from the basketball program. It is now the athletic department that has the responsibility to turn the basketball program around.

Sorry, but that reads as though the Rutgers Athletic Department was swimming in revenue and capital that might have otherwise gone to the basketball program, but -- instead -- went into alpaca farming and ice cream socials. Did Mike Rice work for the basketball program, or did he work for the athletic department?

 

[PaKnight]

I also believe that getting over the med school merger "hump," essentially, may have let him look at athletics longer, with a clearer and more open mind, etc..

I wonder whether someone like Greg Brown also helped push Barchi over the hump.

 

[BlockR]

RU did not acquire a hospital only a Medical School (which did have a great deal of debt) but was a great move in the long run. Rutgers happens to be an educational institution not just an athletic enterprise.

The Honors Dorms and the new classroom buildings as well as the new dorms at The Yard were funded by Devco and will be leased to RU. It actually costs very little to the University as dorm fees cover the lease payments. But don't let facts get in the way of your position.

LOVE how you brushed of the BIG debt of the Med school..but since you are spinning some PR..do tell how the basketball facilities were neglected for the last 30 years by the school! should be a good one..Spin Away!

 

[RUsojo]

It was the athletic department that failed to invest into the basketball program. These were intentional decisions from the athletic directors. Some athletic directors just neglected basketball, and others purposefully funneled money away from the basketball program. It is now the athletic department that has the responsibility to turn the basketball program around.

And thank god for that. If we didn't neglect basketball we'd be f*****.

 

[AreYouNUTS]

LOVE how you brushed of the BIG debt of the Med school..but since you are spinning some PR..do tell how the basketball facilities were neglected for the last 30 years by the school! should be a good one..Spin Away!

We all know this. The future is now. Forgot about the crap hand basketball has been dealt with the past couple of decades as the product ON the court is stressful enough lol!

 

[retired711]

There is *no* way that the Board of Governors is going to make a huge financial commitment to new athletic facilities. That would set off a firestorm both inside and outside Rutgers. Faculty would legitimately ask, "why are we investing in athletic facilities when we have so much trouble staffing the courses that students need to graduate?" Instead, the money has to come from Rutgers fans.

 

[BlockR]

there has to be a middle ground between School funding and private donations,because if not everything will stay the same except improvements in smaller increments,untill the full B10 share in four more years.
Can someone explain the Devco building of the Dorms vrs Devco getting involved building BB practice facility,Rac Reno? are the 25 mill in tax credits enough to motivate Devco in those projects so the other raised monies then could be used for new Hale..Soccer/Field Hockey/Lacross fieldhouse/offices.?

 

[devoted2ru]

Not that telling, IMO. Flood was fired. Would be odd and uncomfortable for Ash to call Flood up to pick his brain, not that I would expect him to do that. Putting that in a corporate sense, would you call up your predecessor who had been fired at the job to ask him/her for advice on the new job, unless you knew him/her real well? I would not. On Schiano, he had obviously spent time around tOSU and Ash had a relationship with him. Plus he had that whole 2-3 weeks during bowl prep to get some scoop from Greg.

While I agree that it would be uncomfortable for Ash to call Flood, I believe the main reason CA wouldn't do that is simply he doesn't feel KF would have all that much to contribute. -Ash is changing everything...and I mean everything... the former staff had in place, so I highly doubt he feels that KF & Co. were going about things the right way.

That isn't an attempt to bash Flood. It simply makes sense that a new coach who's trying to alter the entire culture surrounding RU football wouldn't seek out the advice of somebody who was fired because his methods were ineffective. -Schiano, on the other hand, did have some success while he was here, so talking with GS about his views and his way of doing things would be a much more logical thing to do.

 

[PaKnight]

there has to be a middle ground between School funding and private donations,because if not everything will stay the same except improvements in smaller increments,untill the full B10 share in four more years.
Can someone explain the Devco building of the Dorms vrs Devco getting involved building BB practice facility,Rac Reno? are the 25 mill in tax credits enough to motivate Devco in those projects so the other raised monies then could be used for new Hale..Soccer/Field Hockey/Lacross fieldhouse/offices.?

Most spending for athletic department facility additions and improvements come from donations at all schools.

 

[Knight Shift]

While I agree that it would be uncomfortable for Ash to call Flood, I believe the main reason CA wouldn't do that is simply he doesn't feel KF would have all that much to contribute. -Ash is changing everything...and I mean everything... the former staff had in place, so I highly doubt he feels that KF & Co. were going about things the right way.

That isn't an attempt to bash Flood. It simply makes sense that a new coach who's trying to alter the entire culture surrounding RU football wouldn't seek out the advice of somebody who was fired because his methods were ineffective. -Schiano, on the other hand, did have some success while he was here, so talking with GS about his views and his way of doing things would be a much more logical thing to do.

I think we said the same thing in a slightly different way. Why call him when he was fired? The only exception I could think of in any situation is if you had a strong relationship with the person who was fired, and you wanted to learn if there were land mines to navigate. Ash got all of this from Schiano and did not need to reach out to Flood, who planted his own land mines and then stepped on them. Ash well knows what it takes to run a successful program after working under Meyer and Bielema at two stops.

 

[devoted2ru]

I think we said the same thing in a slightly different way. Why call him when he was fired? The only exception I could think of in any situation is if you had a strong relationship with the person who was fired, and you wanted to learn if there were land mines to navigate. Ash got all of this from Schiano and did not need to reach out to Flood, who planted his own land mines and then stepped on them. Ash well knows what it takes to run a successful program after working under Meyer and Bielema at two stops.

Yeah, agree. We both had pretty much the same thought, but simply expressed it a little differently.

 

[RUMBA-JK]

This facility comparison discussion punches a slightly off-topic hot button for me - one of the areas where Rutgers is not the bottom rung in the B1G is the Aquatics facility - not saying that it is THE best - but it is very, very respectable - and most definitely not an embarrassment (except for dive pool end scoreboard) - sure would be good to get a men's team back on line!

Ironically - Maryland is in a similar - but worse situation - great facility - no men's or women's team ...

 

[retired711]

there has to be a middle ground between School funding and private donations,because if not everything will stay the same except improvements in smaller increments,untill the full B10 share in four more years.
Can someone explain the Devco building of the Dorms vrs Devco getting involved building BB practice facility,Rac Reno? are the 25 mill in tax credits enough to motivate Devco in those projects so the other raised monies then could be used for new Hale..Soccer/Field Hockey/Lacross fieldhouse/offices.?

I believe that Devco is involved in the honor dorm because the project is essentially urban renewal, and that's what Devco does. Devco can't be involved in a project on the Rutgers campus.

 

[Upstream]

I also believe that getting over the med school merger "hump," essentially, may have let him look at athletics longer, with a clearer and more open mind, etc..

I actually do not see a change in philosophy from Barchi in regards to athletics. He's been fairly consistent over time in wanting our athletic programs to be successful and a source of pride for the university, while at the same time expecting that the athletic department would be managed by the athletic director (with minimal direct involvement from Barchi) and that the athletic department would operate on a plan to be financially self-sufficient, eliminating direct institutional support (leaving only student fees as the "subsidy").

I'm not seeing anything to suggest that has changed.

As Cali has pointed out, he has learned some things in his tenure at Rutgers, such as the fact that the committee hiring process that resulted in Hermann's hiring was not the best process. That is why he used a different process to hire Hobbs (as well as other university officials). But that is a change in which he eliminated an old Rutgers process that did not work, not a change in philosophy toward athletics.

 

[BlockR]

the Honor Dorms are next to the River Dorms,right? dont think its restricted to Urban renewal?..also Devco is doing the College Ave project I think..

 

[Ataylor1989x]

I wonder whether someone like Greg Brown also helped push Barchi over the hump.

Has anyone confirmed whether Brown had known Pat Hobbs beforehand? I see both were affiliated with Christie. Obviously, it took someone like Brown to set the wheels into motion for Hobbs to come in so swiftly.

 

[RU-Choppin-Ohio]

Not so - as the 2 lacrosse teams as well as the soccer teams have a lot of space at the Hale Center. Those teams are scheduled to move to a new complex at Yurcak Field. I don't know if the Yurcak facility happens before or after the proposed facility gets built near the RAC for basketball, tennis, track, parking deck, ect.

I would hope that Ash has enough power to get total control of the Hale Center ASAP.

I agree, That needs to happen ASAP........Football drives the bus

 

[AreYouNUTS]

I actually do not see a change in philosophy from Barchi in regards to athletics. He's been fairly consistent over time in wanting our athletic programs to be successful and a source of pride for the university, while at the same time expecting that the athletic department would be managed by the athletic director (with minimal direct involvement from Barchi) and that the athletic department would operate on a plan to be financially self-sufficient, eliminating direct institutional support (leaving only student fees as the "subsidy").

I'm not seeing anything to suggest that has changed.

As Cali has pointed out, he has learned some things in his tenure at Rutgers, such as the fact that the committee hiring process that resulted in Hermann's hiring was not the best process. That is why he used a different process to hire Hobbs (as well as other university officials). But that is a change in which he eliminated an old Rutgers process that did not work, not a change in philosophy toward athletics.

Never said his philosophy changed but that doesn't mean he didn't have more time to spend concentrating on how to get things done the right way. I was never one who thought he was "anti" football, or anything, actually defended him on this topic time-and-time again.

 

[Ataylor1989x]

There is *no* way that the Board of Governors is going to make a huge financial commitment to new athletic facilities. That would set off a firestorm both inside and outside Rutgers. Faculty would legitimately ask, "why are we investing in athletic facilities when we have so much trouble staffing the courses that students need to graduate?" Instead, the money has to come from Rutgers fans.

THIS was the exact logic behind Barchi getting Hobbs on board so quickly.

Barchi concludes, "OK we can institutionally embrace Big Ten, but this has to be something where the athletic dept. is as financially self-sustaining as possible, which it never has been, but the economics of big ten partnership alone makes an eventual likelihood. So how do we do that? We bring in a guy that has connections, respect and energy and the ability to communicate on the highest level.....Patrick Hobbs.