The Problem [was] URI. Not Who's In The Coaching Chair.

[KeaneyBluBallz]

What is wrong with being a "mid-major?" Mid-major "isn't going to get it done year in and year out." What does that even mean?

Is somebody who is a doctor, lawyer, inventor, etc. better than somebody who works in sales? Is a mortgage banker better than a plumber? Don't worry about the label "mid-major." Just be a great lawyer, be a great banker, be a great plumber. There's nothing wrong with that. Be a great "mid-major."

If you want to use labels, then the "blue-bloods" are the ones who "get it done year in and year out." What exactly is "getting it done?" Does PC get it done? Butler? Davidson? Temple?

Go ahead and set the bar at Final Four's. Fine. But creating a winning program is really what URI is after. That doesn't mean NCAA's every year, although you can wish for it. And that doesn't mean URI can't have sub-500 seasons along the way. (BC would take what Al Skinner and Jim O'Brien had going in a heartbeat...so too would URI.)

It all starts with a coach. Administrative support, video board, locker room, charter jets, etc. That's all nice. But that's outside the lines, on the periphery. Gimme a team and a coach who want to grind, work, play as a unit, and play fundamental ball. That's all.

What would you say if heard Cox after a loss say "my guys came up short because our locker room is too small and outdated." Charter flights don't make you a winner...just like because you drive a BMW and I drive a Nissan makes you better. Get a coach who knows how to get it done.

You can learn a little from Central Michigan football and how they adapted to playing in the Sun Bowl on short notice. This is a great story and echoes what I'm referring to:
https://www.freep.com/story/sports/colu ... 049998002/

this should be a joke but I think you're serious.

so you're satisfied with the current state of affairs, I see. lovin' mediocrity. we'll good for you then. I'm not, fuck that.

PC is getting is done. They have all the nice shinny things we want. Facilities, weight rooms, $ injected into the program, national ranking, NCAAT appearances, a coach those players want to play for, wifi, students who show up to games in droves, non-student fan base that shows up, games easy to find on TV with competent PxP and color analysis, beer at your seat, charter flights, ect.

We're kicking the can on down the road bickering about attendance #s. amateur hour in Kingston.

the program is treated like a mid major, just happy to be here. win a few games, have some fun. maybe make a little noise but probably not.

nothing wrong with a mid major when YOU'RE ACTUALLY A MID MAJOR. I do not consider the A10 a mid major conference. obv not a power 5 but right below. act like we belong here, do what you need to do to compete. we're just mailing it in.

Hmmm, can you find me a quote or statement in my post where I referenced being satisfied with the current state of affairs...lovin' mediocrity? Please quote me verbatim and/or where implied that.

I just double-checked what I wrote which was "creating a winning program is really what URI is after." I said URI should be a "great mid-major." Which to me is a lot a better than be an also-ran of a P5/P6 like Washington St., Minnesota, Georgia Tech, Kansas State.

PC? Hmmm...I hear gripes all the time about Cooley not getting any NCAA wins, complaining about the old "flex" offense, he's never won anything at PC...kids transfer out just like every other school. They don't have an on-campus arena, students show up to games WHEN they win, they have "subway" alumni because it's the population center, and Dave Gavitt put them in the Big East, a conference in which PC is an afterthought and has no natural rivals after all these years. The Big East has a TV contract, not PC. If you think PC is so big time, then go be a fan of theirs.

I wrote: " Gimme a team and a coach who want to grind, work, play as a unit, and play fundamental ball. That's all." I'll focus on that...not excuses.

Build the foundation first! (Just like a big house with a fancy car and extravagant vacations are worthless if you're a cheating husband, awful father, bad person, and your house is mold infested.) You can focus on the nice shiny things like TV play-by-play announcers (that URI has no control over), having a beer at your seat, and WiFi. That stuff is all gravy and nice to have and makes you feel big time (just like a big house, fancy car, etc.) and it's all worthless if you don't have a coach, a program, and players.

UCLA had all the shiny objects for years but no foundation. Not any more. Memphis now has shiny objects but no foundation. (games on TV, fancy blue court in big arena, famous alum coach, highly rated recruits) Million dollar look for Memphis and 10-cents worth of performance.

you must just like hearing yourself talk. by your borderline incoherent rant, one would assume you're OK with how things are.

Why are you all butt hurt I called URI a mid-major?

[Billyboy78]

Couldn't agree more with your entire assessment. It is a failure from the top down and has been for decades. I would actually say that it is not only the URI administrations thinking small, but the entire state system needs to be reconfigured for the benefit of URI as a whole. I am not from Rhode Island, but with my time at URI and being an active member of this group for years it is clear that Rhode Island as a state is holding back the University.
URI should be the perennial New England university. And I am obviously very biased, but there is no way that UConn in shitty Stores should be the number 1 state school in New England when URI is down the street from beautiful beaches, with a beautiful quad, close to a city (45 minutes from Providence). How do we get there? The state doesn't invest in the University appropriately to compete with other neighboring state schools.

I can't put together a comprehensive sentence right now because of the frustration (and I am ranting during my morning coffee time). We are stuck in mediocracy unless they can make changes to the entire system.

Absolutely agree with you here.

Out of all six NE states, we by far have the best campus and best location for a campus due to its proximity to the ocean, other cities, Amtrak, etc. etc. I’ve never been to Orono, but I cannot imagine much else there besides moose.

The state has never given a flying shit about the university. When I say state, I mean our slimy lawmakers on Smith Hill (minus a small handful), McEntee is good to URI since she’s an alum herself.

This state loves being mediocre but then advertising our beaches in the WSJ.

My daughter went to UVM. Beautiful campus and Burlington is a great little city. The only thing she missed when she was there was the ocean, although the lake is really nice too.

[PCFriars]

Question for you all after reading through this thread, as I am not a resident of RI. Is there a lack of state funding for URI as a university? Or do you feel this mostly a sports discussion where the education/research is funded appropriately but the athletic programs are not?

[Rhody72]

There is a truth that goes " people will pay a premium for excellence but will pay as little as possible for mediocrity". This is URI's problem.

[rhodysurf]

Question for you all after reading through this thread, as I am not a resident of RI. Is there a lack of state funding for URI as a university? Or do you feel this mostly a sports discussion where the education/research is funded appropriately but the athletic programs are not?

The state funds less than 7 percent of URIs budget. So yes, there is very much a lack of state funding when you compare to PRU contemporaries like UConn, Umass etc where the state funds like more than double that amount

[Taylor Swift]

Couldn't agree more with your entire assessment. It is a failure from the top down and has been for decades. I would actually say that it is not only the URI administrations thinking small, but the entire state system needs to be reconfigured for the benefit of URI as a whole. I am not from Rhode Island, but with my time at URI and being an active member of this group for years it is clear that Rhode Island as a state is holding back the University.
URI should be the perennial New England university. And I am obviously very biased, but there is no way that UConn in shitty Stores should be the number 1 state school in New England when URI is down the street from beautiful beaches, with a beautiful quad, close to a city (45 minutes from Providence). How do we get there? The state doesn't invest in the University appropriately to compete with other neighboring state schools.

I can't put together a comprehensive sentence right now because of the frustration (and I am ranting during my morning coffee time). We are stuck in mediocracy unless they can make changes to the entire system.

Absolutely agree with you here.

Out of all six NE states, we by far have the best campus and best location for a campus due to its proximity to the ocean, other cities, Amtrak, etc. etc. I’ve never been to Orono, but I cannot imagine much else there besides moose.

The state has never given a flying shit about the university. When I say state, I mean our slimy lawmakers on Smith Hill (minus a small handful), McEntee is good to URI since she’s an alum herself.

This state loves being mediocre but then advertising our beaches in the WSJ.

My daughter went to UVM. Beautiful campus and Burlington is a great little city. The only thing she missed when she was there was the ocean, although the lake is really nice too.

Burlington is absolutely gorgeous and a great place for some great food, etc. I sincerely wish that it was doable for the Kingston area to have more ethnic food options that just aren't Emporium takeout.

I completely agree with her on the ocean although Lake Champlain is beautiful. Too cold and too snowy for me overall lol

[Maine66]

First Blue Man , thanks for starting this most interesting discussion.

1. Orono - The state flagship university does have a geographic problem. It does have a pretty campus but it is two hours away from the southern Maine population center in greater Portland. As a result they don't get the support from southern Maine population base. It also hurts their athletic programs as it is difficult to attract out of state athletes. However,they continue to do a pretty good job in football and hockey. The hockey program has fallen from the glory days of NCAA national championships,but it still is the big draw. No - moose don't roam the campus. I used to dread the cross country and track road trips to Maine and UVM when I was at URI.

2. Support - I don't think state support is much more or less than and other New England states. Our problem is that we have to spread that that support over seven locations when we have only 1.3 million people. On top of that we also have a community college system. Attempts to close or consolidate are always met with political opposition. As others have noted business and political leadership is spread out not only among Maine alumni but also graduates of Bowdoin, Colby, Bates and the Ivies, but especially Bowdoin.

3. The Alfonds - We have been blessed in Maine to be the recipients of generous donations from the Alfond family. They have funded athletic facilities at Colby, UMAINE, and the University of New England. They have also helped with the funding to establish the Medical School at the University of New England. Also other allied health education. They have recently pledged $100 million to upgrade the athletic facilities at UMAINE. These will include upgrades to the football, hockey and field house. It will also include funding for a new on campus basketball facility. Currently they play in Bangor or "The Pit" an ancient 2,000 seat facility on campus.

4. URI - First, I'm very proud of the academic facility improvments that have been done over the past several years. WE were blessed to have Dr. Dooley come along. I think we have also tried to improve on campus housing. Athletics wise,I do think we have the best college basketball facility in New England and the indoor track facility is also one of the best. Obviously we have an issue with the football facility. As a URI track and cross country alumnus,I'm appalled that we don't have an outdoor track or can have home cross country meets. What Coach Copeland has done with that program is a miracle. I guess money is the answer, but don't have enough knowledge of things down there to figure out where it is going tocome from. I donate what I can every year and will leave some when I pass on.

5. Rhode Island - Ah Rhode Island! I was about a month into my freshman year in 1962 when I was walking to the Butterfield dining hall when I saw a blue XKE drive by. "Who was that?" I asked. In hushed tones, he said that the driver was a fellow freshman and the son of Raymond Patricia. Professing ignorance, I soon got a brief education of the ways and wherefores of reallife ih the Ocean State. I was once asked to make remarks at a class reunion during the football season. I stated that I was glad to be back in the land of good government. THe band was still better than the football team and the best thing the Rhode Island had going for them was that Louisiana existed. Seriously,I think Rhode Island has been hekd back by this culture though I know efforts have been made. This is not to say are things are peachy keen in Maine. We are basically a third world country outside of sourthern Maine and 30 miles from the coast. We do dumb things but for the most part have had a pretty much bunch of honest folks running things.

I sure hope things work out. I has four wonderful years at Rhody experiencing great academics, athletics,campus and social life. It got me into a decent grad school (Wharton) and made my military experience better.

[OBRAM]

I think you hit it on the nose on #5. The Business climate is almost last in RI, thanks to many things like the powerful unions. If you try to run for office and go against the unions you never will win. It is the southern states with Right to Work laws that are more business-friendly that are moving forward.
How many Rhode Islanders have to commute to Boston to get decent work? If it wasn't for Boston with High Tech and biotech from MIT and Harvard what would the RI unemployment rate be? And property taxes are lower in MA along with auto insurance, and by no means is Massachusetts a conservative state, it just shows you how far RI is behind. It was this way 40 years ago, and it is worse now in RI.
If you look at the history of RI it was innovation and manufacturing. Hardworking people working in factories and entrepreneurs. We don't have oil, copper, or lithium mines. The RI government wants to punish innovation and hard work and favor special interest groups. in essence, do the complete opposite from what is needed. The special interest groups want their government handouts, they don't care about what cost, they don't care about the future. Rhode Island is on a death spiral and the people in charge are like clear-cutting a forest, or strip mining a mountain in Appalachia.
We have gimmicks to fix the problem, lotteries, Powerball, mega ball, casinos, sports betting, truck tolls, and now the solution is to legalize pot to get more tax revenue, tax the rich more because they are evil. All these gimmicks do is exacerbate the problem and hide the real problems.

[BlackDogRants]

I think it's more of a chicken and egg type situation. The school is willing to invest once the winning starts and we have a promising coach. When we don't, they won't.

Look at UCONN, Calhoun built that program, it's not like they had a ton of facilities before he came and started winning, or even look at any of the top programs in the A10. VCU had nothing before Capel/Grant/Smart built a name for them, once they did, the money came.

The initial post of this thread is likely accurate and I somewhat agree with it... BUT what is quoted above is the driver and bottom line. What comes first? You need to start somewhere. Hurley, IMO, was that somewhere. The university could make those big promises to try and keep Hurley because it was likely known the donors would step up if he stayed and continued to win. He left, and I am SURE so did some of the money... and the urgency.

Even if you say they have the money in the foundation...decisions made at a high level for URI are (should be) business based. Will it make us money? Should we invest?

Would you invest right now? OK -Sure a practice facility and charter flights MIGHT improve your program, but without the right coach I dont think it would matter.

Change the scenario... We have the right coach in place - A guy that is doing a lot with a little, shows potential, building things, there is an excitement back to the program (sounds familiar). The university and donors are WAY more likely at that point to throw money into the program and demand it gets used appropriately.

Have to start somewhere and right now that is 100% with a new coach and coaching staff. That is where I would put my time and money.

[section(105)]

…….as an institution, regarding the basketball program is reactive not proactive, other than the RC…..

[KingstonLane]

I think it's more of a chicken and egg type situation. The school is willing to invest once the winning starts and we have a promising coach. When we don't, they won't.

Look at UCONN, Calhoun built that program, it's not like they had a ton of facilities before he came and started winning, or even look at any of the top programs in the A10. VCU had nothing before Capel/Grant/Smart built a name for them, once they did, the money came.

The initial post of this thread is likely accurate and I somewhat agree with it... BUT what is quoted above is the driver and bottom line. What comes first? You need to start somewhere. Hurley, IMO, was that somewhere. The university could make those big promises to try and keep Hurley because it was likely known the donors would step up if he stayed and continued to win. He left, and I am SURE so did some of the money... and the urgency.

Even if you say they have the money in the foundation...decisions made at a high level for URI are (should be) business based. Will it make us money? Should we invest?

Would you invest right now? OK -Sure a practice facility and charter flights MIGHT improve your program, but without the right coach I dont think it would matter.

Change the scenario... We have the right coach in place - A guy that is doing a lot with a little, shows potential, building things, there is an excitement back to the program (sounds familiar). The university and donors are WAY more likely at that point to throw money into the program and demand it gets used appropriately.

Have to start somewhere and right now that is 100% with a new coach and coaching staff. That is where I would put my time and money.

It’s a little bit of the chicken and the egg situation though. More money being invested in the program (practice facility, charters, etc) allow you to recruit a better coach, who knows it’ll be easier to recruit.

Turning a above average mid major into a perennially contending mid major is extremely difficult. Timing and donor $ needs to be perfect. We just missed that window with Hurley.

[NYGFan_Section208]

I think it's more of a chicken and egg type situation. The school is willing to invest once the winning starts and we have a promising coach. When we don't, they won't.

Look at UCONN, Calhoun built that program, it's not like they had a ton of facilities before he came and started winning, or even look at any of the top programs in the A10. VCU had nothing before Capel/Grant/Smart built a name for them, once they did, the money came.

The initial post of this thread is likely accurate and I somewhat agree with it... BUT what is quoted above is the driver and bottom line. What comes first? You need to start somewhere. Hurley, IMO, was that somewhere. The university could make those big promises to try and keep Hurley because it was likely known the donors would step up if he stayed and continued to win. He left, and I am SURE so did some of the money... and the urgency.

Even if you say they have the money in the foundation...decisions made at a high level for URI are (should be) business based. Will it make us money? Should we invest?

Would you invest right now? OK -Sure a practice facility and charter flights MIGHT improve your program, but without the right coach I dont think it would matter.

Change the scenario... We have the right coach in place - A guy that is doing a lot with a little, shows potential, building things, there is an excitement back to the program (sounds familiar). The university and donors are WAY more likely at that point to throw money into the program and demand it gets used appropriately.

Have to start somewhere and right now that is 100% with a new coach and coaching staff. That is where I would put my time and money.

Doesn't seem like it works that way...we don't invest when we " have the the right coach, doing a lot with a little"....until said coach is on his way out...then we say what we will do and follow that up by not doing it.

[rambone 78]

208, that sums it up quite well.

[ramster]

208, that sums it up quite well.

208 comes right out and says it. He doesn't hide behind a mask

[KeaneyBluBallz]

"Think big, we do", but we don't actually do it.

[rambone 78]

Here's the problem....the boosters withdrew the $ they promised to keep Hurley when Cox was hired...and then took a wait and see approach with Cox....and now aren't willing to spend it due to the present sucking......

If they want a better program and attract a better coach, they will have to change their minds and step forward with the necessary funds to make it happen.

If they don't, then we could be stuck in mediocrity for a LONG time to come...that's the sad reality.

Thorr will have to change his expectations...and so will we.

KBB....we think big, but ACT little.

[Blue Man]

I think it's more of a chicken and egg type situation. The school is willing to invest once the winning starts and we have a promising coach. When we don't, they won't.

Look at UCONN, Calhoun built that program, it's not like they had a ton of facilities before he came and started winning, or even look at any of the top programs in the A10. VCU had nothing before Capel/Grant/Smart built a name for them, once they did, the money came.

The initial post of this thread is likely accurate and I somewhat agree with it... BUT what is quoted above is the driver and bottom line. What comes first? You need to start somewhere. Hurley, IMO, was that somewhere. The university could make those big promises to try and keep Hurley because it was likely known the donors would step up if he stayed and continued to win. He left, and I am SURE so did some of the money... and the urgency.

Even if you say they have the money in the foundation...decisions made at a high level for URI are (should be) business based. Will it make us money? Should we invest?

Would you invest right now? OK -Sure a practice facility and charter flights MIGHT improve your program, but without the right coach I dont think it would matter.

Change the scenario... We have the right coach in place - A guy that is doing a lot with a little, shows potential, building things, there is an excitement back to the program (sounds familiar). The university and donors are WAY more likely at that point to throw money into the program and demand it gets used appropriately.

Have to start somewhere and right now that is 100% with a new coach and coaching staff. That is where I would put my time and money.

Even though everything is profit and loss, a University - especially it's athletics department - is not a business focused venture.

If it were, we'd only offer courses that had real world applicability to develop high income earners, who could in turn bring more back to the university in the future.

But we are a liberal arts school, complete with plenty of degrees that do nothing but develop professional protesters.

Before I go down that path...the main point is that NCAA athletics is not a money-making venture. There are 25 schools that make a profit through athletics. They are all in the P5 (and Notre Dame), and have D1A FBS football as the moneymaker. But there are 40 P5 programs with that major football moneymaker that lose money every year. On average $15 million in the red.

So this spending on athletics isn't about business sense. It's a total loss-leader. At best you're hoping to raise your profile to net-new prospective students and sponsors to just keep the wheels churning.

Like most public schools, they're funded by the government via tax dollars, as a part of a budget that's running in a deficit. You're never bringing a profit back there either.

Really no investment in a university will "make business sense" when you think about it.

Mainly it's because we believe the duty of government is to help people grow and develop higher education in a myriad of ways. That's what a university is.

So collegiate athletics at it's core is just a point of pride. It's an opportunity for alums, students, and community members to enjoy and interact with the school in a way they wouldn't be able to otherwise. It helps athletes develop and compete, and again, no matter how much money there is out there - no investment in this space will make money for anyone.

That's why the bulk of these projects get funded by DONATIONS. Tom Ryan didn't invest in the Ryan Center for ROI. He donated money to help build it. Soloviev won't see a return on the practice facility. He donated money to put his family's name on something more permanent.

So while I say "investment" from a school perspective - the investing in infrastructure is made with a goal to be proud of what the university does in the athletics space on a larger stage. Not to turn a profit.

All of our big donors are smart enough to know that, which is why it's always perplexed me why they're so hesitant to make any real investments until they have that "perfect" coach.

If they'd make the investments, you'll get that perfect coach to come, you'll get him to stay, and then you'll actually be able to recruit and develop players to a level that will make them competitive on a national stage.

Otherwise we'll just continue to suck.

[rjsuperfly66]

Blue,

I think it has to do with fans/boosters speaking with their wallet. If you don’t like the trajectory, the only option people have is to withhold money, whether it’s donations or people not renewing tickets/attending games.

If something is going bad and everyone kept donating towards their various causes, you run the risk of a bad retention decision being made because “he’s a good guy and has caught some bad breaks,” or something like that…

[Blue Man]

Blue,

I think it has to do with fans/boosters speaking with their wallet. If you don’t like the trajectory, the only option people have is to withhold money, whether it’s donations or people not renewing tickets/attending games.

If something is going bad and everyone kept donating towards their various causes, you run the risk of a bad retention decision being made because “he’s a good guy and has caught some bad breaks,” or something like that…

100% agree. I think there's a difference between the program changing donations we need (practice facility, coach buyout, salary, coaches pool commitment, charter flight commitment) and the runrate OpEx funding and ticket sales.

The big donors should've committed with or without Hurley.

I get they want the input to make decisions - like Tom Ryan wanting Pitino (and ultimately being right, so maybe they'll hire his guy this time), but if they'd make those investments we won't be in the Hurley situation in the future if we do get the right coach.

And not for nothing, we'd be able to recruit the kind of players that can get us to the NCAA tourney, which I'm pretty sure is Tom and the other major donor's goals.

[section(105)]

………are the Iona facilities really good for a MAAC level program?…….

[SnooterMagoo]

I agree with most of what Blue Man is getting at. Except:

"The big donors should've committed with or without Hurley."

The University as a whole has been a low rent operation since I first set foot on campus (approx. 20 years). Why should anyone dump money into this? Would you?

Bring back Hope Late Night or nothing will ever change.

[rambone 78]

We are a small state school with virtually no state support, with restrictive rules concerning allocation of resources.....

And we rely on a few big boosters to keep things going....and without them we are toast.

It's also obvious that they won't step up right now....I wonder just how much they are pushing Thorr to fire Cox.

Someone said recently that the unhappiness with Cox runs far deeper than just this board...which I agree with....I have talked with several a lot closer to the program than I am, and they are all in agreement that Cox has to go.

Thorr might agree with all of this...but what can he do if the financial support isn't there to make a move?

[section(105)]

We are a small state school with virtually no state support, with restrictive rules concerning allocation of resources.....

And we rely on a few big boosters to keep things going....and without them we are toast.

It's also obvious that they won't step up right now....I wonder just how much they are pushing Thorr to fire Cox.

Someone said recently that the unhappiness with Cox runs far deeper than just this board...which I agree with....I have talked with several a lot closer to the program than I am, and they are all in agreement that Cox has to go.

Thorr might agree with all of this...but what can he do if the financial support isn't there to make a move?

…….I think the decision Thorr makes will tell us a lot of where the program is and where it is going……maybe, in his mind the “bar” has changed……..I don’t think he can keep/extend Cox and in the same breath, our goals have not changed……..a coaching change for next year, for me will signal the standards remain of the stated bar…….I just hope he does not use the term Covid in explaining why Cox remains……..there are other factors involved but I don’t wanna here Covid……..

[Billyboy78]

Yeah. It seems that we're the only program that has had to deal with COVID.

[Jersey77]

We are a small state school with virtually no state support, with restrictive rules concerning allocation of resources.....

And we rely on a few big boosters to keep things going....and without them we are toast.

It's also obvious that they won't step up right now....I wonder just how much they are pushing Thorr to fire Cox.

Someone said recently that the unhappiness with Cox runs far deeper than just this board...which I agree with....I have talked with several a lot closer to the program than I am, and they are all in agreement that Cox has to go.

Thorr might agree with all of this...but what can he do if the financial support isn't there to make a move?

…….I think the decision Thorr makes will tell us a lot of where the program is and where it is going……maybe, in his mind the “bar” has changed……..I don’t think he can keep/extend Cox and in the same breath, our goals have not changed……..a coaching change for next year, for me will signal the standards remain of the stated bar…….I just hope he does not use the term Covid in explaining why Cox remains……..there are other factors involved but I don’t wanna here Covid……..

I don't think Covid will be mentioned as a factor in the coaching decision, if he is indeed retained.
I also feel it is highly doubtful $ will play a major role for his decision to keep Cox.
As I said, Cox's buyout would probably be very modest as compared to many other programs or by today's standards.

If this team somehow turns things around and Thorr feels this program is trending upward, that would be his only reason to keep Cox.
Again, Thorr will look to see what our fastest path to the NCAAT is.
If this team finishes strong, Thorr may actually feel optimistic about our chances with this roster, rather than starting another rebuild.

On the other hand, if we continue our bad play and we don't see improvement, then obviously all bets are off.

Again, the parties to be would still need to make a financial investment in our program to make it relevant again and actually be able to maintain it.
Regardless of who the staff is.

[KingstonLane]

I agree with most of what Blue Man is getting at. Except:

"The big donors should've committed with or without Hurley."

The University as a whole has been a low rent operation since I first set foot on campus (approx. 20 years). Why should anyone dump money into this? Would you?

Bring back Hope Late Night or nothing will ever change.

The point is you can’t wait until you have the perfect scenario, because then it’s already too late. Big donors finally started feeling encouraged to donate after Hurley went to two NCAAs. Now they want to sit back and wait again until we’re in the same spot

The reality is being a mid major when you’re at that point your coach is a candidate for bigger and better things. Now you’re just trying to make promises to keep them around

If you don’t constantly invest at a significant level you’re on a merry go round of the same situation indefinitely

[RoadyJay]

I agree with most of what Blue Man is getting at. Except:

"The big donors should've committed with or without Hurley."

The University as a whole has been a low rent operation since I first set foot on campus (approx. 20 years). Why should anyone dump money into this? Would you?

Bring back Hope Late Night or nothing will ever change.

The point is you can’t wait until you have the perfect scenario, because then it’s already too late. Big donors finally started feeling encouraged to donate after Hurley went to two NCAAs. Now they want to sit back and wait again until we’re in the same spot

The reality is being a mid major when you’re at that point your coach is a candidate for bigger and better things. Now you’re just trying to make promises to keep them around

If you don’t constantly invest at a significant level you’re on a merry go round of the same situation indefinitely

I think Snooter has nailed it. I personally stopped donating for a couple of reasons. First, as long as Lil Breul O’Rourke is leading the URI Foundation they won't see a dime from me. That's more of a personal issue between me and her which goes back to the 2017 A10 Championship in Pittsburgh.

The second and more relevant reason, is that I'm not going to throw my hard earned money at something if I don't trust it will get spent in a way that results in program improvements. I donated with Hurley because he basically went around and told people at URI how to do their job. And if they didnt, he called them out. I trusted donating my money because I knew Hurley would make sure the money was well spent.

I don't feel that way now. There are too many people in positions at the University that take the easy way out, kick back, and do as little as possible.

I'm sure the big donors feel the same. They aren't going to throw their money around unless they are certain it will be well spent and there will be a "return" on their investment.

I realize the downside to this... but believe it's the reality

[Rhodymob05]

Seems like theres been plenty of recent donations to the university, so I don't think theres a lack of deep pockets, or willingness to donate. In my opinion, its confidence in the school/athletic program itself that may discourage donors for basketball.

[KingstonLane]

People are all entitled to their opinion and donating (or not donating for that matter) as they see fit.

The difference between being big time and small time is when your fan base stops donating because of a couple “bad years”. That’s small time shit.

“Prove it to me” attitude is valid I get that. But Hurley proved it twice and was still barely getting the donors out of there seats. Maybe we just don’t have the donor power to give what it takes to be a top tier mid major. That’s fine too.

[section(105)]

……..no, it IS the coach……..

[rambone 78]

College BB is all about the coach...and in URI's case, it's even more than that, since the program itself is A10 mid pack and falling.......

The only thing that will save it, is a home run hire....over to you, Thorr.

[Blue Man]

College BB is all about the coach...and in URI's case, it's even more than that, since the program itself is A10 mid pack and falling.......

The only thing that will save it, is a home run hire....over to you, Thorr.

Whole point of this is - if you hit the home run hire, you need to have a program in place to keep said home run hires or attract sure fire ones.

We’re not Kentucky. You’re not going to find the Dan Hurley every time. Sometimes you find a Dave Cox.

Point being let’s have a good enough program where Hurley wants to stay or others want to come.

We don’t have that.

[phipsiGD'11]

Is our MBB program in a better, worse, or same position as when Thorr took over as AD? This is an honest question that I would like people to think of and give an honest response. Yes, Hurley was a a great hire. 16/17 and 17/18 were unbelievably fun seasons and they made Dan's tenure here borderline mystical in that it makes us dream of having those days again. But a few years removed from that and what has changed? We are literally in the same position we were in over 10 years again when we were begging for Baron to be gone. Almost ZERO improvements to the program.
-Thorr hit a homerun with Dan, but couldn't keep him. Failure in his job as AD.
-Thorr appears to have hit another home run with Tammi Reiss (which apparently wasn't even his find according to the recent interview but I still have to finish listening to it). Can he keep her?
-Thorr has managed to maintain status quo with URI Football (which seems to constantly be up and down every other year for the past decade).

So I guess what I am getting at is, has Thorr succeeded here? I am not sure he has, but maybe I am biased. Dan certainly succeeded here, but it almost was in spite of Thorr's inability to get the funding needed.

[PeterRamTime]

Every sport except men's basketball is in a better place now than it was 10 years ago.

Two winning seasons in football including sending three guys to the league.

Women's basketball is actually good.

Men's basketball went to the tournament twice and won two games. Two A-10 championships. Has sent three guys to the NBA (I know briefly)

Baseball made it back to the tournament and upset South Carolina.

Softball I really don't know

Rowing and cross country are always good?

Soccer made it back to the tournament.

Most everything is better except Thorr couldn't get ppl to invest in the program like Dan wanted and we refuse to break ground on the practice facility.

Like Blue Man brought up it looks like it's just a systemic issue within the university probably outside of Thorrs control. Think Small we do.

[Brian Forster]

3 of the last 4 football seasons have had winning records.
Not 2.

[PeterRamTime]

3 of the last 4 football seasons have had winning records.
Not 2.

2-1 in the spring of 2021... okay I'll give you that

[FDshoes]

I think you hit it on the nose on #5. The Business climate is almost last in RI, thanks to many things like the powerful unions. If you try to run for office and go against the unions you never will win. It is the southern states with Right to Work laws that are more business-friendly that are moving forward.
How many Rhode Islanders have to commute to Boston to get decent work? If it wasn't for Boston with High Tech and biotech from MIT and Harvard what would the RI unemployment rate be? And property taxes are lower in MA along with auto insurance, and by no means is Massachusetts a conservative state, it just shows you how far RI is behind. It was this way 40 years ago, and it is worse now in RI.
If you look at the history of RI it was innovation and manufacturing. Hardworking people working in factories and entrepreneurs. We don't have oil, copper, or lithium mines. The RI government wants to punish innovation and hard work and favor special interest groups. in essence, do the complete opposite from what is needed. The special interest groups want their government handouts, they don't care about what cost, they don't care about the future. Rhode Island is on a death spiral and the people in charge are like clear-cutting a forest, or strip mining a mountain in Appalachia.
We have gimmicks to fix the problem, lotteries, Powerball, mega ball, casinos, sports betting, truck tolls, and now the solution is to legalize pot to get more tax revenue, tax the rich more because they are evil. All these gimmicks do is exacerbate the problem and hide the real problems.

"Southern states with right to work laws" is such an incredibly short minded statement. Those states that you speak of are amongst the bottom tier when it comes to median wages. Amongst the highest in poverty level and have some of the worst education systems in the country. Yes they may have a "good business" climate but that's just for the corporations themselves it does not benefit the employee one bit! Does RI have issues 100% but it is not a result of unions. You praise Mass well guess what they are also a pro union state. Youre second sentence attacking unions shows your complete lack of the ability to look at all economic indicators in states nationwide. Simple fact "right to work states" have some of the lowest median wages nationwide. You sir need to open your eyes.

[RhowdyRam02]

I think you hit it on the nose on #5. The Business climate is almost last in RI, thanks to many things like the powerful unions. If you try to run for office and go against the unions you never will win. It is the southern states with Right to Work laws that are more business-friendly that are moving forward.
How many Rhode Islanders have to commute to Boston to get decent work? If it wasn't for Boston with High Tech and biotech from MIT and Harvard what would the RI unemployment rate be? And property taxes are lower in MA along with auto insurance, and by no means is Massachusetts a conservative state, it just shows you how far RI is behind. It was this way 40 years ago, and it is worse now in RI.
If you look at the history of RI it was innovation and manufacturing. Hardworking people working in factories and entrepreneurs. We don't have oil, copper, or lithium mines. The RI government wants to punish innovation and hard work and favor special interest groups. in essence, do the complete opposite from what is needed. The special interest groups want their government handouts, they don't care about what cost, they don't care about the future. Rhode Island is on a death spiral and the people in charge are like clear-cutting a forest, or strip mining a mountain in Appalachia.
We have gimmicks to fix the problem, lotteries, Powerball, mega ball, casinos, sports betting, truck tolls, and now the solution is to legalize pot to get more tax revenue, tax the rich more because they are evil. All these gimmicks do is exacerbate the problem and hide the real problems.

"Southern states with right to work laws" is such an incredibly short minded statement. Those states that you speak of are amongst the bottom tier when it comes to median wages. Amongst the highest in poverty level and have some of the worst education systems in the country. Yes they may have a "good business" climate but that's just for the corporations themselves it does not benefit the employee one bit! Does RI have issues 100% but it is not a result of unions. You praise Mass well guess what they are also a pro union state. Youre second sentence attacking unions shows your complete lack of the inability to look at all economic indicators in states nationwide. Simple fact "right to work states" have some of the lowest median wages nationwide. You sir need to open your eyes.

And those southern states can get away with their backward policies because they have northern states paying their bills.

https://www.moneygeek.com/living/states ... overnment/

[Blue Man]

Ignoring our current performance and trajectory under Cox - what has got better program-wise since Hurley left?

Do we have a practice facility? No. Breaking ground
Do we have charter flights to all our away games? No. YUP
Do we have a legitimate coaches pool? No. YUP

^Those are the 3 minimums if you want to compete with the class of our conference. Ironically, those were the 3 things that were promised that would be done by 2021 in Hurley's contract.

NOTHING about this program has got better since Hurley left. That's what he was trying to do here. And none of our donors/school want to listen.

The Foundation HAS the money. It just doesn't get spent.

It only gets pretend offered up when there's a coach they like and they want to try and appease them.

Until we start investing in our own program, we are going to suck in perpetuity and be a stepping stone for the one coach every decade who "turns us around" only to leave for a school that is serious about competing.

We're the toxic crazy chick that keeps blaming every one of her ex's for her own problems, while refusing to go work on ourselves.

Since I love calling people out, let me start with this MORON who posted this. What an IDIOT.

To be fair to this DOUCHE CANOE, this is how it used to be. URI finally made a change. Credit to URI. Credit to Thorr. Credit to our donors. They nailed it.

This coach. This contract. The investments. All first class. This is what I have been BEGGING for my entire adult life.

Full blown credit to Thorr. Best salesman in the world.

Credit to Marc Parlange. The FIRST EVER URI president who "gets it." Carothers meddled. Dooley meddled. Neither committed the University resources necessary to meet Thorr's vision and commit URI to being a first-rate athletics institution. Marc Parlange did in YEAR ONE.

The best leaders trust their guys and support them. Marc has worked with Thorr for a year and recognized his brilliance. Credit to Thorr to articulate that vision and sell the pres.

Credit to Archie Miller. He understands (obviously) what it takes to win at this level. He ensured that URI had that in place before he jumped on board.

URI has finally done what it needed to do to compete at the top of this conference and nationally.

Thanks to everyone. What a ride we're about to go on. In the words of the immortal Stone Freeman "It's a good day to be a Ram, I'll see you guys around town."

[reef]

Ignoring our current performance and trajectory under Cox - what has got better program-wise since Hurley left?

Do we have a practice facility? No. Breaking ground
Do we have charter flights to all our away games? No. YUP
Do we have a legitimate coaches pool? No. YUP

^Those are the 3 minimums if you want to compete with the class of our conference. Ironically, those were the 3 things that were promised that would be done by 2021 in Hurley's contract.

NOTHING about this program has got better since Hurley left. That's what he was trying to do here. And none of our donors/school want to listen.

The Foundation HAS the money. It just doesn't get spent.

It only gets pretend offered up when there's a coach they like and they want to try and appease them.

Until we start investing in our own program, we are going to suck in perpetuity and be a stepping stone for the one coach every decade who "turns us around" only to leave for a school that is serious about competing.

We're the toxic crazy chick that keeps blaming every one of her ex's for her own problems, while refusing to go work on ourselves.

Since I love calling people out, let me start with this MORON who posted this. What an IDIOT.

To be fair to this DOUCHE CANOE, this is how it used to be. URI finally made a change. Credit to URI. Credit to Thorr. Credit to our donors. They nailed it.

This coach. This contract. The investments. All first class. This is what I have been BEGGING for my entire adult life.

Full blown credit to Thorr. Best salesman in the world.

Credit to Marc Parlange. The FIRST EVER URI president who "gets it." Carothers meddled. Dooley meddled. Neither committed the University resources necessary to meet Thorr's vision and commit URI to being a first-rate athletics institution. Marc Parlange did in YEAR ONE.

The best leaders trust their guys and support them. Marc has worked with Thorr for a year and recognized his brilliance. Credit to Thorr to articulate that vision and sell the pres.

Credit to Archie Miller. He understands (obviously) what it takes to win at this level. He ensured that URI had that in place before he jumped on board.

URI has finally done what it needed to do to compete at the top of this conference and nationally.

Thanks to everyone. What a ride we're about to go on. In the words of the immortal Stone Freeman "It's a good day to be a Ram, I'll see you guys around town."

Credit to you Blue credit to you !! You saw the vision of all of this and now it’s happening, let’s enjoy the heckova ride it’s gonna be baby !!

[RhodyRams916]

Ignoring our current performance and trajectory under Cox - what has got better program-wise since Hurley left?

Do we have a practice facility? No. Breaking ground
Do we have charter flights to all our away games? No. YUP
Do we have a legitimate coaches pool? No. YUP

^Those are the 3 minimums if you want to compete with the class of our conference. Ironically, those were the 3 things that were promised that would be done by 2021 in Hurley's contract.

NOTHING about this program has got better since Hurley left. That's what he was trying to do here. And none of our donors/school want to listen.

The Foundation HAS the money. It just doesn't get spent.

It only gets pretend offered up when there's a coach they like and they want to try and appease them.

Until we start investing in our own program, we are going to suck in perpetuity and be a stepping stone for the one coach every decade who "turns us around" only to leave for a school that is serious about competing.

We're the toxic crazy chick that keeps blaming every one of her ex's for her own problems, while refusing to go work on ourselves.

Since I love calling people out, let me start with this MORON who posted this. What an IDIOT.

To be fair to this DOUCHE CANOE, this is how it used to be. URI finally made a change. Credit to URI. Credit to Thorr. Credit to our donors. They nailed it.

This coach. This contract. The investments. All first class. This is what I have been BEGGING for my entire adult life.

Full blown credit to Thorr. Best salesman in the world.

Credit to Marc Parlange. The FIRST EVER URI president who "gets it." Carothers meddled. Dooley meddled. Neither committed the University resources necessary to meet Thorr's vision and commit URI to being a first-rate athletics institution. Marc Parlange did in YEAR ONE.

The best leaders trust their guys and support them. Marc has worked with Thorr for a year and recognized his brilliance. Credit to Thorr to articulate that vision and sell the pres.

Credit to Archie Miller. He understands (obviously) what it takes to win at this level. He ensured that URI had that in place before he jumped on board.

URI has finally done what it needed to do to compete at the top of this conference and nationally.

Thanks to everyone. What a ride we're about to go on. In the words of the immortal Stone Freeman "It's a good day to be a Ram, I'll see you guys around town."

Tons of credit to Marc. He seems to be very supportive of the basketball teams.

[Ramulous]

Spoke with Marc and Mary after last night’s game. I commended them for being part of making the type of commitment we have been begging for forever. They told me their motto was “In Thorr we trust”

[RhodyRams916]

Spoke with Marc and Mary after last night’s game. I commended them for being part of making the type of commitment we have been begging for forever. They told me their motto was “In Thorr we trust”

Amazing.

[Rhody15]

Parlange got beers in seats immediately after he was on campus, then commits millions of dollars to basketball soon after that.

Big time stud.

[Puck Frovidence]

Viva LaPlange!

[Rhody Sody]

Parlange got beers in seats immediately after he was on campus, then commits millions of dollars to basketball soon after that.

Big time stud.

Amen, let’s see if he can fix the wifi over the next couple years. That’s about the only thing people can complain about right now.

There aren’t many first rate arenas like ours especially at a mid major. Plus, now you can get a top notch lobster roll and beer in your seat. Just need a winning product on the court and it will be hard to match that type of fan experience whether it is a high major or low major.

[reef]

Parlange got beers in seats immediately after he was on campus, then commits millions of dollars to basketball soon after that.

Big time stud.

Amen, let’s see if he can fix the wifi over the next couple years. That’s about the only thing people can complain about right now.

There aren’t many first rate arenas like ours especially at a mid major. Plus, now you can get a top notch lobster roll and beer in your seat. Just need a winning product on the court and it will be hard to match that type of fan experience whether it is a high major or low major.

Loving this new President for sure !!

[Rhody Sody]

Need to change the title of this thread, the problem isn’t URI!

[theblueram]

Need to change the title of this thread, the problem isn’t URI!

Not anymore!!!!!!

[KingstonLane]

Parlange got beers in seats immediately after he was on campus, then commits millions of dollars to basketball soon after that.

Big time stud.

Still blows my mind someone thought it was a good idea to have a 20x20 curtained off section to drink beer instead of in a seat like the rest of the world