The David Cox Era

[TruePoint]

I was at the press conference today. I haven’t read all the post here on the press conference.
I was able to listen to the media interviews that we done after the press conference. This included Coach Cox, Thorr, Fatts, Cyril & Jeff. I will post some points that weren’t part of the formal press conference and that I haven’t seen in post above or detailed above.

Fatts is staying! He was the first player interviewed. Joe from NBC10 asked him. Fatts response can be seen on Joe’s tweet. He explain his like for Dan but said he is in for Rhody. I ran into Fatts and Ty on the concourse afterwards. He is staying.

Cox and Fatts were nexted to each other in an interview and Coach Cox said that they are going to run and that there is no doubt the guy right next to him (Fatts) will be the starting 1 next year.

Ty was by Fatts side during his interview and throughout the time after the official statements.

Thorr’s response to Bill Koch’s question on spending was fair. He said the commitment is there and he wants to understand Coach Cox’ priorities for the spending. Thorr said the spending wasn’t included in Dan’s contract. Somethings were put in a document afterwards but not all of them. He said it is a trust that he had with Dan and has with Dave.

Jeff and Cyril seem genuinely happy. Jeff was joking around behind the camera when th others were being interviewed.

Thorr was asked if he talked to Dan at all through the process. He did not.

All of the remaining staff was there including TJ.

All of the players from this year’s team were there except EC. Some speculated that EC might have been out of state.
The returning players all sat in the first two rows with the same URI shirts.
The 4 seniors and staff were in the row behind them.

The room was full. Great media coverage.

Good stuff, thanks for posting. Glad we had KB representation. I was going to try to come down from Boston, but couldn't have been a worse day/time for me, so this "had to be in the room" stuff is much appreciated.

[Rhody83]

Oh, Kevin McNamara was not there. Not sure where his tweets are coming from? Maybe from Alumni Hall at PC

[ATPTourFan]

Bill Koch has a full report with scanned contract and video footage.

[Rhody83]

Bill Koch’s take on Thorr’s response to the investment moving forward seemed a little negative. This is a torch Bill has carried for a few years (which I understand). But why should URI spend money on charters if the HC feels there are more important things to spend on that will lead to success. Thorr wants to be able to address Dave’s priorities. I do wonder what Thorr would do if Dave wanted to allocate another $100,000/year to attract a top Ast Coach. I understand the $425,000 Assistants pool is in the contract.

[rambone 78]

83, that's an excellent point. I don't think 425K total pool is enough to do that.

That's the only issue I have with all of this right now. We need to attract and keep quality assistants.

A 25K increase is absolute peanuts. Like a cost of living increase.....

That pool should be in the 500K range.

What do VCU's and Dayton's assistants make?

[sevegny7]

Can anyone please upload the Cyril...fatts and Jeff interviews if they have them?

[Iggy1979]

A top assistant is going to cost half the pool. Makes it harder to get a second experienced coach.
Rutgers pool is $800000.

[TruePoint]

One thing I thought of during this process and was reminded of during the press conference when Coach Cox said he'd spoken to Dan - I had heard that Shrewsberry went into the UMass interviews as a co-favorite but bombed his interview. I'm not saying that Shrewsberry interviewed poorly again, I'm sure he improved, but it had to have helped Cox to have Dan as a resource. Dan did this exact process, interviewed with Thorr and Dr Dooley, etc. As far as I know, this was the first time Cox interviewed for a head job, which was a disadvantage compared to the other three candidates. We thought one of them would have to blow Thorr and Dr Dooley away to get the job, but it sounded as if it was Cox who blew them away.

[rambone 78]

The pool breakdown imo anyway, should be 250K for the 1st assistant, 150-175K for the 2nd, and 100K for the 3rd.

That's 500-525K total. That's not exorbitant at our level. Yes our staff will be new, but like Iggy said, you've got to pay to get good people in here.

Hopefully DC will convince Thorr to up the pool....contracts can be adjusted anytime.

[ATPTourFan]

Includes words from Cyril, Fatts, and Dowtin.

[RF1]

83, that's an excellent point. I don't think 425K total pool is enough to do that.

That's the only issue I have with all of this right now. We need to attract and keep quality assistants.

A 25K increase is absolute peanuts. Like a cost of living increase.....

That pool should be in the 500K range.

What do VCU's and Dayton's assistants make?

It would be interesting to know the reaction of Pat Skerry, Preston Murphy, and Luke Murray to the whopping 25K (6.25%) increase in the staff pay URI has committed to. Think any of them would want back?

[rambone 78]

Yes it makes sense to pay the new HC less money than Dan made...especially since this is DC's first head coaching job...

But it doesn't make sense to not increase the assistant's pool....we're not going to get a lot of great applicants at the levels we are offering.

[TruePoint]

you guys will find something to whine about no matter what, huh?

Let's see who the assistants are that round out the staff before we melt down about it.

[CTRamfan]

Ditto !..........good grief guys. You would think you really knew the budgeting challenges at URI. One solution contact the foundation and see how you could help.

[RF1]

Yes it makes sense to pay the new HC less money than Dan made...especially since this is DC's first head coaching job...

But it doesn't make sense to not increase the assistant's pool....we're not going to get a lot of great applicants at the levels we are offering.

You will get someone but possibly not as qualified as you would like. Then, if any of those hired grow in the position, they will be looking for a better paying gig. A last minute commitment to greatly increase their salary (see Murphy) will be too little to late.

Sorry if my opinion offends those that just want to be a cheerleader today. It was my one disappointment of the day. Sometimes the truth must be stated even if some choose to ignore it. The paltry 6.25% increase was the cheap route and was not THINKING BIG. There is no excuse for this right now given the greatly increased revenues and near term savings in head coach pay. It was this type of stuff last year which probably made Dan realize he would have to soon leave URI. He led the program to the A-10 Tournament championship, NCAA berth, and an NCAA win. All that success brought little in the way of additional enhancements to the program. I am sure Hurley got the message loud and clear that upgrading the URI program any further was going to be an extremely tough task. Fast forward one year - Dan Hurley now works in Storrs, CT.

[the_one_mike]

It doesn't surprise me one bit that EC was the only player that wasn't there today. That's all I will say.

[CTRamfan]

You know, Hurley became enamored with success. He wasn't going to stay at URI no matter what was offered. He got a taste of the bright lights and wanted more.........nothing wrong with his choice.
.....But, the reality is that URI athletic department is at least another year from getting the budget on tract......They are asking for payment now for 18/19 tickets to pay 17/18 bills.
.....Sure the benefits of our recent success will be coming [tournament revenues, clothing sales, season ticket sales], but that will have an effect more in the 18/19, and 19/20 budgets.

[rambone 78]

RF1....nailed it. +1000

No excuses indeed. URI only upped their offer to Dan because they had no choice otherwise if they wanted any chance to keep him.

They waited too long. They also probably knew he was likely going to UConn a while before.

Why do things ass backward? Same for the assistant's pool. Be proactive here. The better applicants see what we're offering, which is less than they're making already, and say no thanks.

Cox might be finding that out already.

This was an enhancement to the program that was promised. In this case, URI isn't keeping this promise.

[rhodylaw]

My concern is not so much the capital expenditure infrastructure investment for a dedicated practice facility.. That is a very complicated project with many facets requiring millions of dollars. I can understand and live with it not being addressed as part of this hire.

My concern revolves around relatively low cost operating expense related items. Improvements like significant upgrades to staff compensation and commitment to more charters should be easy to make. The lower salary for the head coach alone covers this on its own. That is not even taking into account the fact that annual revenues for the next 5 years will minimally be about 1M more than just two seasons ago.

The staff salary piece is particularly disappointing. Per Bill Koch, Cox will only have 6.25% more to offer than Hurley did this past year. That is nothing. How am I supposed to trust there will be more when year one already looks to be set? Am I to believe that Thorr will do something when someone threatens to leave (look at how that worked with Hurley)? If Cox struggles a bit in his first year (not out of the question with a first year coach of a team that lost five seniors and will play a tough schedule), do you really think he will have leverage to get staff compensation increased in a year? The leverage is now not later. If Thorr learned anything from Dan leaving, it is better to be proactive rather than reactive. Perhaps if URI had been more proactive last year, Hurley would have had less incentive to look for another job. Think back to last year with Bill Koch's words regarding Hurley's last extension and think about how things played out:

• Notably, there are no specific program enhancements contained in the new pact. An increased number of charter flights, a broader salary pool for basketball staff and renovations to basketball offices and the locker room had been staples of previous Hurley extensions, but URI appears to have reached its limit regarding its basketball budget.

I am not as worried about the assistant pool money - it’s more than it was when we had Cox on staff who I think was a pretty good assistant. Make the tourney again next year and it will continue to grow. I would worry more if I didn’t think Thor has the same vision for this program as we do. Thor says he wants final fours and I don’t think that is lip service.

[Rhody83]

The pool breakdown imo anyway, should be 250K for the 1st assistant, 150-175K for the 2nd, and 100K for the 3rd.

That's 500-525K total. That's not exorbitant at our level. Yes our staff will be new, but like Iggy said, you've got to pay to get good people in here.

Hopefully DC will convince Thorr to up the pool....contracts can be adjusted anytime.

I think the additional $25k will go to Ty who was by far the lowest paid of the assistants.
The top Assistant will get what Cox was being paid. The 2nd coach will get Moore’s salary.

Thorr says we are going to make the investments but only threw out a crumb ($25k). They are spending at least $300,000 less for the HC position. I am disappointed the Ast pool didn’t get increased to $500,000-525,000.

[rambone 78]

Yes the assistant's pool will grow over time, sure.

But DC needs to hire his guys NOW, not next year or the year after.

[Rhody83]

.....But, the reality is that URI athletic department is at least another year from getting the budget on tract......They are asking for payment now for 18/19 tickets to pay 17/18 bills.
.....Sure the benefits of our recent success will be coming [tournament revenues, clothing sales, season ticket sales], but that will have an effect more in the 18/19, and 19/20 budgets.

This is not true. It is just made up. Where do you get this stuff from?
The Athletic Dept budget is balanced every year.
Ticket sales were up 42% this past year. That’s current revenue.
They just received $432,000 in March from the NCAA for last year’s tournament.
UCONN and Dan Hurley will be paying URI $1,250,000 in the next 75 days.

The season ticket request now is to leverage the success of this season. It is just smart marketing. You can put 15% down to make your commitment.

[CT Rhody]

.....But, the reality is that URI athletic department is at least another year from getting the budget on tract......They are asking for payment now for 18/19 tickets to pay 17/18 bills.
.....Sure the benefits of our recent success will be coming [tournament revenues, clothing sales, season ticket sales], but that will have an effect more in the 18/19, and 19/20 budgets.

This is not true. It is just made up. Where do you get this stuff from?
The Athletic Dept budget is balanced every year.
Ticket sales were up 42% this past year. That’s current revenue.
They just received $432,000 in March from the NCAA for last year’s tournament.
UCONN and Dan Hurley will be paying URI $1,250,000 in the next 75 days.

The season ticket request now is to leverage the success of this season. It is just smart marketing. You can put 15% down to make your commitment.

This poster should be applauded for bringing common sense and facts to this board!

[CT Rhody]

RF1....nailed it. +1000

No excuses indeed. URI only upped their offer to Dan because they had no choice otherwise if they wanted any chance to keep him.

They waited too long. They also probably knew he was likely going to UConn a while before.

Why do things ass backward? Same for the assistant's pool. Be proactive here. The better applicants see what we're offering, which is less than they're making already, and say no thanks.

Cox might be finding that out already.

This was an enhancement to the program that was promised. In this case, URI isn't keeping this promise.

Everybody needs to relax, if Cox needs to up the pool to attain the talent he needs on the staff, priorities will be shifted and the staff will be attained. Deep breath everyone!

[rambone 78]

I think URI can afford 100K more for the assistants, lol.

I do think a lot of the increased revenue will be going toward the practice facility.

Some big boosters stepped up and promised big money to help with that, as part of the effort to keep Dan.

Not sure how much of that money is still there now that he's gone.

CT Rhody, hope you're right.

[Rhody83]

I think URI can afford 100K more for the assistants, lol.

I do think a lot of the increased revenue will be going toward the practice facility.

Some big boosters stepped up and promised big money to help with that, as part of the effort to keep Dan.

Not sure how much of that money is still there now that he's gone.

CT Rhody, hope you're right.

Thorr said the practice space renovation was already planned (before the Dan push). 105 reported earlier this year that Dr Dooley stated at an alumni fundraiser in FL that the practice facility plan was already in place. I could see some major donor money being pulled back from the “Dan promise”. I think that would impact the $2 million offered to Dan and possibly the money for charter flights.

[rambone 78]

Probably some combination of several things.....

[section(105)]

......as I move from this season to the next, and soon go off the air here, I will stand by everything I have posted here regarding the practice facility......by “pipeline” I was stating the practice facility planning was/is well in progress long before Dan’s departure.......the need for this facility addition was identified and funding sources identified......I believe the key is both finding acceptable relocation of the current use of West Court and looking to existing University fund balance allocated in full or partial to get it done......I do not believe this project has anything to do with who the coach is......once Athletics and the President are ready for public launch, wait for it......shrink wrap coming off the boat, fairways to mow......best to all here, Go Rhody......out.

[TruePoint]

This is going to sound like I'm being an apologist for Thorr and Dooley here, but honestly part of the reason why I really like these guys is that from what I can tell they think similarly to how I would if in their shoes.

When you hear someone repeat something over and over, it is generally a tip-off that it is something core to their way of thinking. As an example, for Dan that was program resources and fan support - and as evidenced by his move to UConn, those things were really important to him. URI made big strides while he was here, but we are a decade of exponential growth away. For Thorr, the thing I've heard him say over and over is that he does not want this to be a house of cards, that they will (using my own phraseology to paraphrase him) build it brick by brick on a solid foundation, go for steady, sustainable growth that can be the platform for more steady and sustainable growth. When I hear this, I hear that we will not be the trailer park guy that wins the lottery and is broke 18 months later because he bought a bunch of shit that he didn't need.

I'm not saying assistant coaching pool is not important, but you cannot spend the same dollar twice, so you have to make decisions about how to allocate your resources. Maybe you think not spending what windfall we've gotten in the last 14 months on doubling the assistant coaches' salary pool is penny wise and pound foolish, but Thorr and Dooley are the ones that have access to all the information about what is coming in and what is going out, what the projections look like, what the master plans are, etc.

In my opinion, these are really sharp, smart guys. They are the best leadership team with respect to men's basketball that we've had in my lifetime, and likely well before that. I trust these guys to make the right decisions. It isn't like they are owners that are going to just extract cash from the business; the success of this thing is their career. They have a greater interest in growing this thing than all of us combined. So while I understand the desire to see immediate, tangible stuff that we are spending all of our new money on, let's try to keep some perspective on what the big picture goals are. Rome wasn't built in a day.

And also, if you want them to spend more money, you can always donate it.

[NYGFan_Section208]

^ All true...agree that there's no reason yet not to trust these guys and thinking the future looks bright (NCAA's a regular thing).

But, well...fretters gonna fret...

[Iggy1979]

Quinnipiac helped URI afford Moore. Maybe they can get someone like Giannini, who will probably still be getting a check from LaSalle.

[Rhody83]

I agree somewhat with TP. There are some questions to Thorr’s recent actions to try to keep Dan, his comments after Dan resigned and what was said today.
1) When they made the push for Dan they were (a) significantly increasing Dan’s pay (b) funding charters for all away games (c) committed to practice space being completed in 2 years. He made that promise without swaying from his mantra not to build a house of cards.

2) He said two weeks ago that the commitment to the investment is unchanged.

3) Today there is no longer the promise to charter all away flights. He said he would meet with Coach Cox to determine his priorities.

The investment dollars that were going to be spent if Dan stayed, needs to be spent under Coach Cox. The two adjustments to thst are the HC’s pay (approx $1.3 million less) and any reduction major donor comment for items other than Dan’s proposed pay increase.

Thorr needs time to work with Coach Cox but after that he needs to live up to his commitment level to invest in the program.

[TruePoint]

To be clear, I don't disagree with the point that the money that was going to be spent on/under Dan - to the extent that we still have access to it - should be spent under Cox. We were not spending that money just because we liked Dan. We were spending it because Dan wanted to have a first class program and we shared that goal. So my expectation is that the money will be spent on the program (again, to the extent that it was not offered by an outside party specifically to retain Dan, which may be the case for at least some portion but certainly not all). My only point is that the 2017-18 season ended just over two weeks ago. That we do not know where all of the money has been allocated yet is not driving me into a nervous rage. If, for some reason, time goes by and we do not see the investments that we believe should be forthcoming, then I will say carry on with holding people to account. For now, though, it feels premature to me.

[eli#10]

I am all in with Thorr and Dave Dooley doing the right thing as far as Coach Cox is concerned! It was a helluva press conference.

[rhodylaw]

To be clear, I don't disagree with the point that the money that was going to be spent on/under Dan - to the extent that we still have access to it - should be spent under Cox. We were not spending that money just because we liked Dan. We were spending it because Dan wanted to have a first class program and we shared that goal. So my expectation is that the money will be spent on the program (again, to the extent that it was not offered by an outside party specifically to retain Dan, which may be the case for at least some portion but certainly not all). My only point is that the 2017-18 season ended just over two weeks ago. That we do not know where all of the money has been allocated yet is not driving me into a nervous rage. If, for some reason, time goes by and we do not see the investments that we believe should be forthcoming, then I will say carry on with holding people to account. For now, though, it feels premature to me.

Agree TP. Also to add to that - we expect payment from UConn in 75 days. I have no issue waiting until the money is in the bank to spend it. UConn is scum, I wouldn’t trust them to pay up voluntarily.

[Seawrightspostgame]

I think a lot of these posts ignore how much $100k helps other sports teams at URI that are not Basketball/Football. I don't even know what they have now that they have dropped so many sports. But $100k would help a lot of sports that existed when I was in school.

[Ramrod]

If UConn pays within 90 days a lump sum, $1.2M, otherwise, $300k annually for 5 years.

If they take the $1.2m lump sum instead of the $300k annually, that’ll tell me that they are going ahead with the practice facility renovation. $1.5m is 25% more, which is significant, and financially would make more sense, higher net present value. You’re going to be hard pressed to find an investment strategy that will beat a 25% gain over 5 years. Taking the $1.2m now would only be beneficial from a cash flow perspective if they were planning on making some major investments in the near term.

[ATPTourFan]

URI doesn’t decide the payback plan. UConn does.

[Ramulous]

......as I move from this season to the next, and soon go off the air here, I will stand by everything I have posted here regarding the practice facility......by “pipeline” I was stating the practice facility planning was/is well in progress long before Dan’s departure.......the need for this facility addition was identified and funding sources identified......I believe the key is both finding acceptable relocation of the current use of West Court and looking to existing University fund balance allocated in full or partial to get it done......I do not believe this project has anything to do with who the coach is......once Athletics and the President are ready for public launch, wait for it......shrink wrap coming off the boat, fairways to mow......best to all here, Go Rhody......out.

You can leave the area and still follow the team and post information here.....we are not letting you go.....

[Rhodyram]

It doesn't surprise me one bit that EC was the only player that wasn't there today. That's all I will say.

Can you or anyone else elaborate on this?

[Running Ram]

It doesn't surprise me one bit that EC was the only player that wasn't there today. That's all I will say.

Can you or anyone else elaborate on this?

It's just a cheap shot really, there could have been 1000 reasons he wasn't there that have nothing to do with the program at all. Maybe he had an academic obligation or a personal obligation or maybe he wanted to give KB something to chat about, who knows, but I doubt it's anything to examine.

[ram1980]

Congrats coach cox.... Looking forward to the home opener and joining in on the standing o you deserve.. Here's to hoping the program continues its upward trend during your tenure..... Rhody rhody rhody

[PeteRI]

It doesn't surprise me one bit that EC was the only player that wasn't there today. That's all I will say.

Yeah, what did that EC character ever do for us?

The stupidity of some KB contributors here astounds me. That's all I will say.

[Billyboy78]

Next step is putting a staff together. It will be interesting to see who the other two assistants and DBO are. I wonder if TJ (Buchanan) has a shot at DBO and if TJ(Sorrentine) will be hired as an assistant. If so, it's going to be very confusing here with two TJs...

[Dre3000]

Next step is putting a staff together. It will be interesting to see who the other two assistants and DBO are. I wonder if TJ (Buchanan) has a shot at DBO and if TJ(Sorrentine) will be hired as an assistant. If so, it's going to be very confusing here with two TJs...

From the language of the contract I would bet TJ Buchanan becomes DBO and Jerrell Coleman becomes Director of Player Personnel. Marshall was at the press conference so looks as if he's staying as Director of Basketball Performance.

Assuming Van Macon comes on board that just leaves one assistant position. As others have said we'll see if Cox decides to allocate more money for assistants, IMO all 3 should be over 150k with the highest at 200k.

[Rhody83]

One thing I missed in my info dump yesterday from the press conference/interviews.

Coach Cox said yesterday that during the 10 days he was running the program (before his interview) that he visited with each of the recruits. I don’t know if he meant in person (that is how I took it) or visited with as in had a discussion. He told each of them that he was a finalist for the job and hoped he would get it. That nothing regarding the team and program had changed (obviously outside Hurley leaving). That was a great move and commitment by him if he physically visited with each recruit including Brendan.

[Rhody83]

Next step is putting a staff together. It will be interesting to see who the other two assistants and DBO are. I wonder if TJ (Buchanan) has a shot at DBO and if TJ(Sorrentine) will be hired as an assistant. If so, it's going to be very confusing here with two TJs...

From the language of the contract I would bet TJ Buchanan becomes DBO and Jerrell Coleman becomes Director of Player Personnel. Marshall was at the press conference so looks as if he's staying as Director of Basketball Performance.

Assuming Van Macon comes on board that just leaves one assistant position. As others have said we'll see if Cox decides to allocate more money for assistants, IMO all 3 be over 150k with the highest at 200k.

Ty will be below 150k definitely. Somewhere around 100k.
If they brought in Giannini (former LaSalle HC) for Xs and Os, he could take less be ause he is still being paid by LaSalle. It wiukd be a solution for a couple of years.

[NorthernRamFan]

83, that's an excellent point. I don't think 425K total pool is enough to do that.

That's the only issue I have with all of this right now. We need to attract and keep quality assistants.

A 25K increase is absolute peanuts. Like a cost of living increase.....

That pool should be in the 500K range.

What do VCU's and Dayton's assistants make?

It would be interesting to know the reaction of Pat Skerry, Preston Murphy, and Luke Murray to the whopping 25K (6.25%) increase in the staff pay URI has committed to. Think any of them would want back?

A. Pat Skerry is a D1 Head Coach, who’s had some success... he’s not coming back to be an assistant.

B. Preston makes nearly what the entire pool here is... he’s not coming back for Awhile! Let’s move on from our sugar plums here

C. Luke Murray followed Chris Mack to The Villa and I’m assuming he’ll be the top assistant or 2nd there making probably 400k.

[TruePoint]

I think you might have missed he joke.

[Dre3000]

Next step is putting a staff together. It will be interesting to see who the other two assistants and DBO are. I wonder if TJ (Buchanan) has a shot at DBO and if TJ(Sorrentine) will be hired as an assistant. If so, it's going to be very confusing here with two TJs...

From the language of the contract I would bet TJ Buchanan becomes DBO and Jerrell Coleman becomes Director of Player Personnel. Marshall was at the press conference so looks as if he's staying as Director of Basketball Performance.

Assuming Van Macon comes on board that just leaves one assistant position. As others have said we'll see if Cox decides to allocate more money for assistants, IMO all 3 be over 150k with the highest at 200k.

Ty will be below 150k definitely. Somewhere around 100k.
If they brought in Giannini (former LaSalle HC) for Xs and Os, he could take less be ause he is still being paid by LaSalle. It wiukd be a solution for a couple of years.

Based on what exactly? He already was at $115,000 and will probably be moving up to the second assistant spot. Whether people realize it or not, he's a coveted recruiter. I'm willing to bet he'll be closer to 150k than 100.