Congratulations to Mark:
https://www.valpoathletics.com/athletics/news/2021-22/21041/valparaiso-university-athletic-director-announces-retirement/
Will be an interesting list of who his replacement will be.
According to PO, they are hiring a search team to replace him.
Wonder if it'll be same committee as mascot
Even though this does seem to clearly be a retirement, the new AD will be expected to turnaround the men's basketball program. Thus, this will be a very interesting hire.
I have the highest regard for Mark and all he has accomplished while at Valpo.
Yeah I think Mark has done great things for the program but it seems clear that we need to be sure that whoever comes in to replace him is something who understands that he needs to be elevating the whole athletic department to a level of professionalism and success that both meets or exceeds our conference rivals AND justifies the university continuing to invest in and raise money towards athletics.
MLB did some nice things for Valpo. I'll be interested to see where the programs go from here. Lots of facility upgrades needed.
I am simultaneously grateful for what MLB has accomplished for us, mainly the conference movement, and excited for a new voice to lead us into the next phase of Valpo athletics. The hiring of an outside search firm for a job this important is a good sign of the new Prez putting Vu's money where his mouth is.
My feelings are similar and more praising of Mark L. He elevated the school twice in conference membership. We have competed solidly in several MVC sports without competitive facilities. His hire of Matt is ripped on this board, but his Stanford player creds are real. And the ARC is not good bait for a name coach.
Every single strong AD candidate will ask the search firm and the interviewers what level of university financial commitment they will receive. We all want to aspire in hiring and promise that money. However, with our operating deficits and the Moody's bond rating hanging over us, does VU honestly have the ability to dig deep?
Mark did a great job for what he had to work with. I agree facilities are not far above high school (ARC) and below high school (Brown Field)
He managed to bring in championships for Basketball, Baseball, Softball, Women's Soccer, and Men's Soccer I believe.
He turned the University around a bit on football and women's basketball making hires. Only fault in Mark and it may be a good trait is he was slow to move on when things weren't working.
For a mid major school Mark took the University to the Horizon and the Missouri Valley, despite our enrollment dwindling.
Mark overall did a great job for a mid major college
Getting us into the Valley was huge. And the Drew's skipped town and he still got us in. That is his greatest contribution to the university and not an easy feat at all. With our program's shortcomings he made us stand out to the MVC.
I do like the timing of MLB's retirement. I wouldn't have any confidence in Heckler hiring an AD. And Padilla seems to want more and he has to have a good hire here or it will impact his tenure at Valpo (or his next step) big time so he knows he has to get it right.
A good article with some quotes from President Padilla about the future.
https://twitter.com/sports_aaron/status/1491200443392872448?s=21
Quote from: crusadermoe on February 08, 2022, 05:02:29 PM
My feelings are similar and more praising of Mark L. He elevated the school twice in conference membership. We have competed solidly in several MVC sports without competitive facilities. His hire of Matt is ripped on this board, but his Stanford player creds are real. And the ARC is not good bait for a name coach.
Every single strong AD candidate will ask the search firm and the interviewers what level of university financial commitment they will receive. We all want to aspire in hiring and promise that money. However, with our operating deficits and the Moody's bond rating hanging over us, does VU honestly have the ability to dig deep?
When the Bears were interviewing candidates for head coach, a football analyst said the most important question to ask is what is your plan to put together a winning team centered around Justin Fields. He said very few, if any, will have the courage to say there is no guarantee Fields is the answer. The same holds true here. What person applying for AD will have the courage to tell Padilla that he can't guarantee sustained success without a new venue. No one.
He was a true beacon for the players at VU.
They couldn't find another picture of ML? Bryce is the center for one. For two, Bryce hasn't worked at VU for 6 years now.
ML did good job overall. I always enjoyed talking with him. Congrats on retirement and hope he enjoys it.
Quote from: crusader05 on February 08, 2022, 04:10:00 PMhe needs to be elevating the whole athletic department
Sounds like you are eliminating about half of the potential candidates.
Mostly just typing quickly and tagging the he after the him even though they weren't referring to the same person. I don't care if it's a he or a she or a they as long as they're the right choice to move the department forward
Quote from: crusader05 on February 09, 2022, 08:57:42 AM
Mostly just typing quickly and tagging the he after the him even though they weren't referring to the same person. I don't care if it's a he or a she or a they as long as they're the right choice to move the department forward
Maybe we can keep the discussion centered on "most capable" - period. Valparaiso University athletics desperately needs a proven transformational leader. Someone who has taken something ordinary and turned it into something extraordinary. An inate visionary and strategist.
One politically correct cluster fxxk a year (elimination of the Crusader) is plenty.
PO's 5 question interview with MLB was good and answered my questions.
I have to assume a D1 AD job in the MVC will attract a lot of applicants. Even with Valpos current resources.
I'm excited for the future.
Quote from: Chairback on February 09, 2022, 12:21:47 PM
PO's 5 question interview with MLB was good and answered my questions.
I have to assume a D1 AD job in the MVC will attract a lot of applicants. Even with Valpos current resources.
I'm excited for the future.
Exactly. Much more appealing as an overall athletics program, versus our timing with the last search for an AD. I was surprised that MLB wanted the job back then. It is much more attractive nowadays, even with the struggling Men's Basketball program.
Quote from: valpotx on February 10, 2022, 03:00:50 PM
Quote from: Chairback on February 09, 2022, 12:21:47 PM
PO's 5 question interview with MLB was good and answered my questions.
I have to assume a D1 AD job in the MVC will attract a lot of applicants. Even with Valpos current resources.
I'm excited for the future.
Exactly. Much more appealing as an overall athletics program, versus our timing with the last search for an AD. I was surprised that MLB wanted the job back then. It is much more attractive nowadays, even with the struggling Men's Basketball program.
If I were on an athletics administration career path, I wouldn't touch the Valpo AD job with a 10-foot pole unless I were completely desperate. You can't turn anything around without money and institutional leadership willing to invest it in athletics. Valpo has neither. It has a Board that sees athletics as a nuisance, an academic workforce and leadership team that see athletic spending as a personal affront, and a supportive president with nothing in his pocket but good intentions. Chicken soup with never be made from that toxic mix of ingredients.
When MLB was hired, Dr. Harre was still the university president, so he had tons of support coming in. When Mark Heckler took over, it was all about growing the enrollment and look of the university, figuring that if he got the population enrollment of campus up that sports would get a following from that. MLB had to work on the FITT project, which got the field turf at Brown Field, moving soccer onto Brown Field, helped intramurals get fields specific for their needs, the tennis teams got improved courts, and the track team could finally train on a true track, instead of that mess that was at Eastgate Field, or having to find tracks at the local high schools to train on. He also got so many improvements made to the softball complex and Em Bauer Field. He did more than what we seem to give him credit for because the basketball team hasn't been consistently in the NCAA tournament generating more money for the university? He's also the AD that oversaw having to changeup how the ARC was presented with ESPN coming in to broadcast our games regularly on their platforms for web streaming.
I would say Mark did more with what he had in his hands than what Bill Steinbrecher did. He had to bring our facilities up to match what the conferences we were in wanted us to have. Mark did that without freaking out because he knew that he had people that could help him get there in his staff, alumni, and student body that would support it. He also did things to help the student athletes be proud of what they had instead of making it all about what they didn't have.
Thank you, Mark, for bringing more to Valpo for the students to work towards, instead of sitting back and enjoying what you had. You took risks in bettering Valpo athletics in 18 years in so many ways that a lot of ADs wouldn't have done without having the money first. You played a strong poker hand, and went all in when going all in looked like a bad idea.
Mr. LaBarbera did a commendable job at Valpo. He was essentially given five loaves of bread and two fish and figured out a way to feed an entire campus.
Paul Oren wrote about a list of 5 potential Athletics Director successors:
https://twitter.com/nwioren/status/1493602529774649349?s=21
Quote from: VU2014 on February 15, 2022, 09:19:10 AM
Paul Oren wrote about a list of 5 potential Athletics Director successors:
https://twitter.com/nwioren/status/1493602529774649349?s=21
I read the same article but am wondering if this is part of the pay site? If so, it probably shouldn't be shared here.
Quote from: vu72 on February 15, 2022, 09:54:52 AM
Quote from: VU2014 on February 15, 2022, 09:19:10 AM
Paul Oren wrote about a list of 5 potential Athletics Director successors:
https://twitter.com/nwioren/status/1493602529774649349?s=21
I read the same article but am wondering if this is part of the pay site? If so, it probably shouldn't be shared here.
In order to access the entire article, one needs to subscribe to the site. Sharing links isn't a problem. Copying and pasting the entire story would be the issue, but I know none of you would do that to me. Right? Right.
Quote from: Pgmado on February 15, 2022, 10:32:19 AM
Quote from: vu72 on February 15, 2022, 09:54:52 AM
Quote from: VU2014 on February 15, 2022, 09:19:10 AM
Paul Oren wrote about a list of 5 potential Athletics Director successors:
https://twitter.com/nwioren/status/1493602529774649349?s=21
I read the same article but am wondering if this is part of the pay site? If so, it probably shouldn't be shared here.
In order to access the entire article, one needs to subscribe to the site. Sharing links isn't a problem. Copying and pasting the entire story would be the issue, but I know none of you would do that to me. Right? Right.
It costs $.16/day for a monthly subscription or $0.13/day for an annual. Paul isn't playing games here. He is filling a HUGE gap in coverage in a big way. He has already published several great feature stories with personal interviews, plus postgame stories, etc. This is a must-have for passionate Valpo fans. Let's show Paul that we appreciate him by getting on board!
Quote from: Pgmado on February 15, 2022, 10:32:19 AM
Quote from: vu72 on February 15, 2022, 09:54:52 AM
Quote from: VU2014 on February 15, 2022, 09:19:10 AM
Paul Oren wrote about a list of 5 potential Athletics Director successors:
https://twitter.com/nwioren/status/1493602529774649349?s=21
I read the same article but am wondering if this is part of the pay site? If so, it probably shouldn't be shared here.
In order to access the entire article, one needs to subscribe to the site. Sharing links isn't a problem. Copying and pasting the entire story would be the issue, but I know none of you would do that to me. Right? Right.
PO, if I subscribe, can you promise that there will be no Green Bay Packers references? :)
Quote from: valpotx on February 15, 2022, 08:05:36 PM
Quote from: Pgmado on February 15, 2022, 10:32:19 AM
Quote from: vu72 on February 15, 2022, 09:54:52 AM
Quote from: VU2014 on February 15, 2022, 09:19:10 AM
Paul Oren wrote about a list of 5 potential Athletics Director successors:
https://twitter.com/nwioren/status/1493602529774649349?s=21
I read the same article but am wondering if this is part of the pay site? If so, it probably shouldn't be shared here.
In order to access the entire article, one needs to subscribe to the site. Sharing links isn't a problem. Copying and pasting the entire story would be the issue, but I know none of you would do that to me. Right? Right.
PO, if I subscribe, can you promise that there will be no Green Bay Packers references? :)
I can promise there is baseball content coming tomorrow afternoon.
Quote from: Pgmado on February 15, 2022, 09:43:36 PM
Quote from: valpotx on February 15, 2022, 08:05:36 PM
Quote from: Pgmado on February 15, 2022, 10:32:19 AM
Quote from: vu72 on February 15, 2022, 09:54:52 AM
Quote from: VU2014 on February 15, 2022, 09:19:10 AM
Paul Oren wrote about a list of 5 potential Athletics Director successors:
https://twitter.com/nwioren/status/1493602529774649349?s=21
I read the same article but am wondering if this is part of the pay site? If so, it probably shouldn't be shared here.
In order to access the entire article, one needs to subscribe to the site. Sharing links isn't a problem. Copying and pasting the entire story would be the issue, but I know none of you would do that to me. Right? Right.
PO, if I subscribe, can you promise that there will be no Green Bay Packers references? :)
I can promise there is baseball content coming tomorrow afternoon.
Ok, I will subscribe, and I believe that we have tacit agreement that John Elway is vastly superior to Brett Favre. Any time that the Packers are mentioned in The Victory Bell, I will picture you nodding in agreement :)
So I'll spoil PO's article. The candidates are:
1. Fauxmer Drew
2. Greg Kampe
3. Phil Wille's right fist
4. JD Collins
5. The deflated Crusader
That picture from the tweet says it all. Mike Avery should be the top of the candidate list.
While MLB did do some good things for the athletic department many years ago, he also made the lazy hire of Lottich, extended him after a few flukey W's in Arch Madness 2020, and let's not forget the Tracey Dorow debacle. There was also funding esports right as he cut mens soccer and tennis which was just a bad look even though esports probably costs a fraction of a real sport.
And while he can't be blamed for the shortcomings of university finances, was he ever specifically out pushing a big campaign for athletics? A specific campaign for the ARC situation would probably get more interest than the generic old "Crusader fund" or whatever it goes by now. I've always viewed him as someone who was "just mailing it in" for several years now, basically since the ink dried getting us into the Valley.
well said.
Quote from: tjn2004 on March 01, 2022, 10:29:45 AM
That picture from the tweet says it all. Mike Avery should be the top of the candidate list.
While MLB did do some good things for the athletic department many years ago, he also made the lazy hire of Lottich, extended him after a few flukey W's in Arch Madness 2020, and let's not forget the Tracey Dorow debacle. There was also funding esports right as he cut mens soccer and tennis which was just a bad look even though esports probably costs a fraction of a real sport.
And while he can't be blamed for the shortcomings of university finances, was he ever specifically out pushing a big campaign for athletics? A specific campaign for the ARC situation would probably get more interest than the generic old "Crusader fund" or whatever it goes by now. I've always viewed him as someone who was "just mailing it in" for several years now, basically since the ink dried getting us into the Valley.
A bit harsh and also filled with forgotten accomplishments by Mark. As for a "big campaign for athletics" did you forget about FITT? That brought artificial turf, lights and scoreboard to Brown Field, new tennis courts and ultimately a real track to the complex. Behind the scenes he has raised money for the completion of Hilltop, the upgrades to softball and baseball fields, the redo of Homer Drew court, the addition of the four sided scoreboard in the ARC, new first class weight room for football, redone locker rooms for all teams and finally the national broadcast ability at the ARC, Brown Field, as well as the softball and baseball fields. These changes cost millions of dollars and he has also garnered commitments for things like basketball recruiting endowments etc.
Yes, there have been a few bad hires or at least hires that may have looked good on paper but failed on the court/field but most importantly, he drove the administration(s) to move up not one but two conferences. No small accomplishment. As for the removal of men's soccer, there is a reason why only five of the full time Valley teams have men's soccer--it requires very expensive international recruiting for a sport that doesn't even charge for admission to a game.
Well said, vu72.
The video board was back when we were still in the Horizon, that's kind of my point about he has mailed it in since we got to the Valley.
The amount of money that gets dumped into that football program has always made me shake my head. Traveling with that huge roster to schools scattered all over the country, coaching staff, etc. just to hold some imaginary status of "football school." I was there when they were even winning the PFL and the apathy was still abundant then.
Putting a new floor in the ARC was more required maintenance than anything else as it needed some work with the "rebrand" and all. That was basically putting a band aid on the compound fracture that is the ARC compared to our Valley peers now.
Investing money into Brown Field and the tennis courts to then turn around and get rid of some of the main tenants of those 2 facilities was a lack of vision and planning.
All that investment for ESPN broadcasts, for our games to get buried online making VU less visible than our Horizon League days, because the product on the court isn't worth putting on the flagship broadcasts anymore.
But it could be worse, Mark could've bit off more than we could chew and moved us to a conference with huge travel expenses and have to charter jets to the east coast all the time like Butler :lol:
At least Butler University cares about Their program and have experience final four success...
Quote from: usc4valpo on March 01, 2022, 07:04:27 PM
At least Butler University cares about Their program and have experience final four success...
Butler is mired in mediocrity. They, like Valpo, are 1 promotion above their level of competence. They have become nothing more than a major market placeholder for the Big East.
Quote from: tjn2004 on March 01, 2022, 02:21:25 PM
The video board was back when we were still in the Horizon, that's kind of my point about he has mailed it in since we got to the Valley.
The amount of money that gets dumped into that football program has always made me shake my head. Traveling with that huge roster to schools scattered all over the country, coaching staff, etc. just to hold some imaginary status of "football school." I was there when they were even winning the PFL and the apathy was still abundant then.
Putting a new floor in the ARC was more required maintenance than anything else as it needed some work with the "rebrand" and all. That was basically putting a band aid on the compound fracture that is the ARC compared to our Valley peers now.
Investing money into Brown Field and the tennis courts to then turn around and get rid of some of the main tenants of those 2 facilities was a lack of vision and planning.
All that investment for ESPN broadcasts, for our games to get buried online making VU less visible than our Horizon League days, because the product on the court isn't worth putting on the flagship broadcasts anymore.
But it could be worse, Mark could've bit off more than we could chew and moved us to a conference with huge travel expenses and have to charter jets to the east coast all the time like Butler :lol:
You and I observed different things about Valpo Football during my time on campus. While the average student probably didn't care, those games were packed with fans. During my time on campus from the 1999 to 2003 Football seasons, people cared about Valpo Football, and we had 4k-5k fans per game.
I believe he was offered early retirement? I think I saw it in Paul's interview.
Wh - 2 final four championship games. They are in a better situation right now than Valpo. They may be down right now but I think they can step it up.
Tex, you're looking back with rose colored glasses. Yes, the football games drew good crowds back then. But no way was it an average of 4,000-5,000 for home games. I covered the games for the newspaper back then. The only crowds that big were homecoming and the PFL title game.
Quote from: usc4valpo on March 02, 2022, 09:04:46 AM
Wh - 2 final four championship games. They are in a better situation right now than Valpo. They may be down right now but I think they can step it up.
Fortunately their fan base is less convinced. Wander over to Butlerhoops sometime. I wish them nothing but the worst!!
Mark did the absolute best he could with what he was given in institutional support. I know he'll still support VU and I hope he still makes appearances in his retirement.
This next hire is going to be very crucial.
Quote from: IndyValpo on March 02, 2022, 03:48:36 PM
Quote from: usc4valpo on March 02, 2022, 09:04:46 AM
Wh - 2 final four championship games. They are in a better situation right now than Valpo. They may be down right now but I think they can step it up.
Fortunately their fan base is less convinced. Wander over to Butlerhoops sometime. I wish them nothing but the worst!!
In 5 years under LaVall Jordan:
• 1 season with a winning conference record.
• average finish in conference 8th
• conference record 40-53
• current year - picked 5th, finished 9th
• last year - picked 6th, finished 10th
Butler became a national brand, mid-major powerhouse, media darling, the magical "Butler way," Gonzaga of the Midwest. Look at them now.
"When I was a child
I caught a fleeting glimpse
Out of the corner of my eye
I turned to look but it was gone
I cannot put my finger on it now
The child is grown
The dream is gone
I have become comfortably numb"
Sincerely, Butler and Valparaiso Universities
I am really going to enjoy watching Valpo's resurgence when (not if) we find the right man for the job to lead our men's basketball program back to prominence. When we become everything we thought we would be when we first joined and finally prove ourselves to be a credit to the MVC. It's a day I fondly look forward to. I don't know who the man to lead us there will be but I know that he is out there and I am confident we will find him eventually. As for the topic of this thread I overall have a positive view of LaBarbera's tenure as AD. I believe we can confidently say that much more good for the university was accomplished than bad during his time. The facilities upgrades have not come fast enough for anyone's liking but they are happening slowly but surely the institutional commitment has not been there to the degree that we would like it to be but there are hopeful signs that that is changing and the two conference moves were absolutely huge. He has some big misses on coaching hires on his resume to be sure but in my opinion he still rates as perhaps the best AD Valpo has ever had. I wish him well in his retirement and hope that his replacement will be even better!
To the point about Butler's struggles, I doubt there are many Butler fans complaining about where they are right now. They struggle but they are in a league with basketball blue bloods like Villanova and Georgetown along with several other tradition rich schools like St John's Providence Marquette etc. Plus they have a great media deal and lots of exposure. I think they're just fine with how things have turned out.
Just for comparison's sake: Here's Valpo in the MVC under Matt Lottich:
35-55 Conference Record
Average finish in conference: 7th (and this is arrived at by giving them the greatest possible benefit of all ties for example last year when we tied for 5th I gave him 5th When we tied for 6th I gave him 6th If I use our Arch Madness seeding the number will be lower)
ZERO seasons with a winning conference record (9-9 doesn't count)
To his credit he has performed up to (and last year even exceeded) preseason expectations but the fact that the expectations were that low to begin with is very worrisome
This year Picked 7th Finished 7th
Last year Picked 8th Finished T-5th
I bring this up to ask: if Butler fans criticize LaVall Jordan and the direction he is taking their program on their board (which I'm sure they do because those results speak for themselves) are they poisoning the well and damaging their program's recruiting too or does that only apply to criticism of Lottich? I would argue that the poor performance is itself a hindrance to recruiting and that pointing that out as a fan changes little to nothing in that regard. After all kids want to win no matter what level they end up playing at.
Quote from: Valpo89 on March 02, 2022, 03:06:10 PM
Tex, you're looking back with rose colored glasses. Yes, the football games drew good crowds back then. But no way was it an average of 4,000-5,000 for home games. I covered the games for the newspaper back then. The only crowds that big were homecoming and the PFL title game.
The home stands were always very full, outside of the really crappy weather days. There are no rose-colored glasses. I can't find any records that fully go back to that time, other than putting together some info from other programs. I forgot that the 5,000 includes the visitor side, which you can't really control. However, you can see that it was routinely 2,500+ within conference, which means that the home side was pretty full:
https://www.espn.com/college-football/game/_/gameId/232982674
https://cdn.streamlinehosting.net/pioneer-football/media/stats/2002/day.htm
https://www.espn.com/college-football/game/_/gameId/232772674
https://www.espn.com/college-football/game/_/gameId/233262674
MLB did well as AD at Valpo. Decent man and his accomplishments were significant. Made some hiring mistakes but any AD will. I also think he has been in his role for awhile and it was time to move on.
Lottich won't be fired because of the AD transition, but somewhere somehow a deep discussion of his status and performance evaluation is required and not put on the side. Yep
Fully agree with you. He maxed what he could with the VU resource levels.
The AD position description and hiring process is open with an April 8 deadline for applications:
https://www.parkersearch.com/current-opportunities/valparaiso-university/director-athletics (https://www.parkersearch.com/current-opportunities/valparaiso-university/director-athletics)
You all are going to like this. "Won't tolerate mediocrity" "nobody's doormat" "be held accountable"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XtmDaIK7LxQ&t=10s
2 things.
1. Thank goodness he didn't wear a sweater with the Beacon. Went with the shield, good call.
2. He said all the right things.
That interview was one of the most uplifting things regarding our athletic program at VU that I have ever heard. President Padilla's support of athletics should give us all alot of confidence in "righting the ship", from what he is looking for in the new A D, facilities, demands on coaching and even mentioning Coach Lottich's name, winning and being competitive in the MVC. I am enthusiastic for the future of our programs, especially basketball, with our new President. He recognizes the importance of athletics as they relate to a viable Valparaiso University.
(https://i.imgflip.com/69huly.jpg)
I am old school, and I don't think it's appropriate for a 25-something interviewer to address the 63-year old president of Valparaiso University by any name other than "President Padilla."
Paul
Quote from: 78crusader on March 21, 2022, 03:50:46 PM
I am old school, and I don't think it's appropriate for a 25-something interviewer to address the 63-year old president of Valparaiso University by any name other than "President Padilla."
Paul
Actually he prefers it. Only the students call him President Padilla. She used both but my guess is he instructed her that it is just fine to call him Jose.
I liked the interview. It was the first time I'd heard him speak and I was impressed. He said all the right things about not wanting to be anyone's doormat yet adding a dose of reality that the new AD and the university will need to "punch above our weight" given the resource's available at a small private school. I also got the less than ringing endorsement of Matt, the unstated message that his program better take a big step soon or the new AD will be free to "make whatever changes he/she thinks necessary (and be held accountable for the results)." He can talk the talk. Now we shall see if he walks the walk.
Is this tweet and indicator that a new AD is being made known tomorrow?
https://twitter.com/i/status/1526955787821539330
I believe they already announced the time and date. But yes, it is tomorrow.
It's already hitting the internet that its going to be Dr. Charles Small from Iowa State:
Valparaiso will name Iowa State Senior Assoc. AD for Student Services Small as its next AD, per CollegeAD. The Beacons will introduce its next AD at 11am local time. (link)
Quote from: VUSupport on May 19, 2022, 09:51:03 AM
It's already hitting the internet that its going to be Dr. Charles Small from Iowa State:
Valparaiso will name Iowa State Senior Assoc. AD for Student Services Small as its next AD, per CollegeAD. The Beacons will introduce its next AD at 11am local time. (link)
Thanks for spoiling the surprise! >:(
So the new AD is younger than me. Now I'm officially old.
Kidding aside, he has a nice resume. Looking forward to seeing what he can do!
Blame the internet for doing that
Hopefully the first thing he changes is the streaming tech. This stream is a mess.
Quote from: NativeCheesehead on May 19, 2022, 11:12:35 AMHopefully the first thing he changes is the streaming tech. This stream is a mess.
For me the stream was non-existent and I had the hamsters on full power.
The PA system could have been better during the news conference part of the announcement event. Maybe that will be addressed.
Not sure if or how involved he was with MBB while there, but Iowa State went from winning 2 games the entire season 2 years ago to winning 2 games in NCAAT this past year. President Padilla has said he's intent on turning athletics around..I like this direction versus some of the other rumored candidates.
Exciting hire for sure! First, taking on someone from a major conference with experience governing multiple sports a major plus. Secondly, love that he is younger who can relate more easily to the students and the modern NCAA/college sports environment infrastructure. Being a former player is also nice. I'm happy we went with a diverse candidate. It's about time we had a black athletic director and shows signs our athletic department is modernizing. It sounds like he is a progressive thinker, even created a mental health advisor program within the athletic department at ISU, which is surprisingly rare for major programs and definitely needs to become more commonplace. Sounds like he is also well regarded for creating partnerships within the school and community, which is going to be essential here as that has always been a major obstacle at Valpo.
Love the resume, let's hope he delivers!
(I'm most interested in seeing his approach to name, image, and likeness. Let's hope he sets up some infrastructure for that.)
Padilla's words and all the press release type stuff specifically hits on his successful basketball background. About time the focus is coming to the crown jewel again. I don't know what Lottich drives but he didn't need to pay extra for heated seats, his seat must already be feeling hot now.
It is about to come full circle...
Jamie Dixon left Pitt.
Pitt hired Stallings from Vandy.
Vandy hired Bryce.
We promoted Lottich.
Now Lottich can get fired by a former Dixon player at Pitt.
Quote from: NativeCheesehead on May 19, 2022, 10:29:01 AMSo the new AD is younger than me. Now I'm officially old.
I got that feeling when Obama got elected.
So how soon before Iowa State appears on a future Valpo basketball schedule?
Awesome, I will see them in Ames!
Valpo certainly is making a big deal over this hire. Publicity all over the country! Sure seems like a great hire. If you haven't seem this AD's Insight, it's a great interview:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kjOmikfQcFM
By yesterday afternoon there were local billboards up advertising the hire
Even Pittsburgh papers with stories on it with his Pitt connections.
Quote from: tjn2004 on May 21, 2022, 05:48:24 PM
Even Pittsburgh papers with stories on it with his Pitt connections.
It's a national story. I've seen it posted on papers from San Francisco to Seattle to Connecticut to the Washington Post.
One of the nice things about the new AD is that he has specific experience in big-time men's basketball. That is not to put down any of the other sports, many of which have been successful and have their own devoted fans. Yet I think we can all agree that men's basketball is the flagship sport for VU.
As a student athlete, Dr. Small was part of a Pitt team that went to the NCAA tournament four years in a row.
(I'm also hoping for home and home games with Pitt, Iowa State, Arkansas and TCU!)