Starting a new thread in order to separate the hire from the "unpleasantries"
https://twitter.com/valpoathletics/status/1826280648111534579
Before we call Hosmer a home run hire, I would like to see results. One is firing the WBB coach ASAP.
Looks like she has fundraising experience. Should I start my wish list?
@usc4valpo I dont think firings are the focus ATM. Fundraising plans and renderings is probably priority 1. Could make the case that that is also the priority for Academics considering nursing plans
Before we call Hosmer a home run hire, I would like to see results. One is firing the WBB coach ASAP.
@usc4valpo I have it on good authority that Hosmer has met with Evans and has laid out specific expectations/objectives for this season. There will not be any ASAP firing, but the leash has been shortened. However, that, of course, does not necessarily preclude a mid-season change if those expectations are obviously not being met.
Hopefully she is able to bring that fundraising experience against Padilla's promised new arena! I believe that Powell will do well for Valpo, but if that proclamation turns out to be false, Powell won't be able to continuously compete in the MVC, and will find a better situation.
I hope she does well and it seems as if she is working to move Valpo Athletics in the 21st century and getting some enthusiasm in place. At the end, teams need to successful and not just there to exist.
Hopefully she is able to bring that fundraising experience against Padilla's promised new arena!
As an arena buff, I ran some numbers. Assuming you don't detract from the current seating capacity of 5k. The project is looking to run the school anywhere from 87.8 million, all the way to 175 million. The low-end netting you something similar to SECU arena at Towson. The high end is St Thomas's proposed new arena. Granted the St. Thomas facility is dual use as a hockey rink so surely that balloons their costs quite a bit. I am personally privy to the SECU design as I feel that design is more beneficial to a multi-purpose venue. 3rd party event revenue is always welcome with these projects.
The point is that this is going to be a significant project. Hosmer needs to get donors on board with opening their pocketbooks. According to TVB article, she does have that skill set. Padilla's work with DePaul and Wintrust arena is also welcome for ventures such as this. The only way this project is going to pan out is with donations from the alumni in addition to a sponsor for the building.
Couple notes from the press conference
1. Hosmer's SO was called upon quite a bit. Whether this was intentional or not I am unsure
2. A search did not take place to look outside the university. Padilla claims this was because he was certain that there was no better option out there. While I am disappointed in this, I can see the viewpoint of Padilla. Hosmer's resume is quite exuberant for a Mid Major athletic director.
3. Hosmer's current focus for the experience of student athletics is NIL opportunities and the improvement of nutrition.
4. When asked about Victory Village, Padilla said that he wants to continue to "grow the athletics" and posed the question "Where do you see 25-30 engineers play D1 football. It never happens anywhere except maybe the Ivy League, and even then that may be hard to do". The main obligation is the student experience and academic programs. However, he believes athletics to be a "forced multiplier" of academics and the school is looking for ways to capitalize on this. The proposal of Victory Village has been delayed once again to late 2025.
5. The language "and school" was used to describe the ability to get a quality education and play D1 sports at VU. This is most likely the current and future bargaining chip to prospective students
6. With the academic priority in mind. The nursing building is the current objective of the board. Academics always comes first.
7. The student experience was also used to describe the "controversial" dorm renovation's. Padilla believes them to be a potential draw for students.
8. When asked about the largest problem for VU athletics. Hosmer claimed the changes in college athletics would be the biggest difficulty facing the athletics. Embracing change and being prepared was her action plan. Communication is also a major focus for Hosmer.
A good summary Rez. I would add that the mystery, accused individual, Laurel's boyfriend, was identified and was prominent in attendance. For those who can't wait to find out--his name is Brandon.
Interesting to me also, that the name of Charles Small was absent. No "thank you" from Laurel for bringing her to Valpo. There is more to this story then we will never know.
Obviously, if there was anything at all to the story, Brandon wouldn't have been there let alone being acknowledged by both President Padilla and Laurel herself.
A very solid presentation. I think we are in good hands.
@vu72 Thank you 72. My disappointments are, minimal. The pushing back of the date for a new facility was to be expected. Academics must always come first after all. Hosmer's expertise in revenue generation are surely being put to good use for these ventures. I hope to see more info in the nursing building in the coming months. I do think a search should have taken place. It does not hurt to test the waters a little bit, even when you have a strong in-house candidate. I assume Victory Village and other projects such as NIL and improving the Student-Athlete experience were major factors that was not discussed in the ceremony.
I begin by congratulating new AD Hosmer and wishing her success. I also want to compliment the visual by Valpo of a contrasting black backdrop with sharp fonts and shield logos, which looked impressive on ESPN+. The content of the presentation and answers to questions were pleasant but offered little of depth; however that is not to be faulted on such a ceremonial occasion.
Indeed, the unaddressed elephant in the room was the departure of Charles Small. As has been noted by vu72, Hosmer painstakingly acknowledged just about everybody she has ever met as mentors, superiors, or colleagues in her life, yet she oddly never mentioned the man who put her in the position that made today's event possible with even a simple "thank you."
Leading up to today, the university presented a protracted series of public endorsements or congratulatory messages to Hosmer, again without a word from Small despite his comment in his resignation letter addressed to the Athletics Department (not to President Padilla) in March that "there is no one better qualified to take this responsibility and I look forward to working with Laurel on a seamless transition." Then, within an hour of this morning's gathering, Small is announced in an apparent step-down position as an associate AD at Washington University. This timing hardly seems coincidental.
These circumstances obviously raise questions and can cause one to wonder more about the reasons or circumstances of Small's resignation, especially given other recent questionable departures in the Athletics department at softball and bowling. Also, the timing of Small's assuming a new job immediately upon the Hosmer announcement, and maybe even the absence of an expensive national search, suggests possible connections to costs, restrictions, and stipulations in the "liquidated damages" section of his contract, as well as subsequent negotiations. I will defer to others on this forum who have more knowledge of contract law and such conditions common in coaches' employment agreements.
Again, as vu72 stated, "there is more to this story."
I am not sure Small took a demotion in his associate role at UDub, at least in a monetarily sense.
My feeling is Hosmer has sense and will do well at Valpo. I presume and hope Padilla made the right decision to move forward.However, she was very misleading praising the number of engineering majors in a D1 football program that doesn’t exist anywhere else. Valpo is D1 in name only, and more like a glorified D3 program, thus one would expect true student athletes unlike power 5 or scholarship funded programs.
I think she will hold teams and coaches accountable for success.
