Thorr Bjorn to Remain AD at Rhode Island

wakefield · Unread post by **wakefield** » 11 years ago

One of the papers reported that a decision on an AD will be made this week. The source was in Brooklyn. He is leaving soon or sooner, lets just hope when he leaves he gets us some nice outer conference games.

Section104 · Unread post by **Section104** » 11 years ago

Does anyone know if part of the buyout could include a 4 year home and home with Xavier...or something to that extent?

I have no doubt that Thorr will always have a lot of love for Rhode Island Athletics, but he's also not stupid and knows hes laid the foundation for a successful basketball program. I'm not sure he wants to see Dan Hurley and Co. come to town.

rambone 78 · Unread post by **rambone 78** » 11 years ago

A H@H with X sounds good, but maybe a 2 year deal would be more likely.

It would be nice if Dan can get a couple deals like that with say, Butler and some other BE schools.

Maybe even Temple and Charlotte.

rhodylaw · Unread post by **rhodylaw** » 11 years ago

Bone - I was thinking the same thing that we may now be able to play some of these teams in non-conference games assuming we have kept up good relations

rambone 78 · Unread post by **rambone 78** » 11 years ago

I would think also, that Dan wouldn't want 2 for 1's [with us getting the 1] or our home game at Mohegan instead of the Ryan.

Maybe with certain schools he might [Duke perhaps?] but with the departing schools, or most of the C7, no.

3wisemen · Unread post by **3wisemen** » 11 years ago

Al Skinner talked about playing Duke once. There were two deals offered. One was a one-and-done at Cameron Indoor Stadium. The other was a 2-for-1, and URI's home game would have been in Boston, Madison Square Garden or the Meadowlands. Mike Krzyzewski and programs like Duke aren't playing a true road game, and they won't even play a neutral game unless it's somewhere they want to recruit. Mohegan Sun doesn't qualify.

rambone 78 · Unread post by **rambone 78** » 11 years ago

You're right about programs like Duke, BUT in this case we have the Bobby Hurley connection.

Mike K. might spring for some kind of deal to play us. Of course he probably remembers when Jimmy Baron and co. almost [and should have] beaten them at Cameron.

As good as we will be soon, there's that chance we could beat them.

rodfromcranston · Unread post by **rodfromcranston** » 11 years ago

I asked KMac is he had any updates on Thorr.
His answer was, "Ask Xavier".
My response was, "If this was PC, the Projo would be all over
the story".
Same old same old.

rodfromcranston · Unread post by **rodfromcranston** » 11 years ago

More strangeness:
Thorr Bjorn‏@thorrbjorn
It was awesome running into many @RhodyFootball players yesterday and today. Spring ball starts next week. Excited about the '13 season

wakefield · Unread post by **wakefield** » 11 years ago

From the South County Independent on Monday.

"Per an email from Xavier Associate AD/SID Tom Eiser, "nothing to report" on the school's athletic director search. Previous reports linked the University of Rhode Island's Thorr Bjorn to the position. Check this page or sports editor Bill Koch's Twitter account @BillKoch25 for further information as it becomes available."

rodfromcranston · Unread post by **rodfromcranston** » 11 years ago

Seems to be a vacuum, regarding this.
Very odd in this day of instant information.

Rhody74 · Unread post by **Rhody74** » 11 years ago

Just uninformed speculation, but I wonder if URI made Thorr a counter-offer and he's thinking about it? Would explain the conflicting reports and the delay....

BFC · Unread post by **BFC** » 11 years ago

rodfromcranston wrote:I asked KMac is he had any updates on Thorr.
His answer was, "Ask Xavier".
My response was, "If this was PC, the Projo would be all over
the story".
Same old same old.

Its a "Big East" story now, that should get KMac excited.

Captainron@ · Unread post by **Captainron@** » 11 years ago

rodfromcranston wrote:More strangeness:
Thorr Bjorn‏@thorrbjorn
It was awesome running into many @RhodyFootball players yesterday and today. Spring ball starts next week. Excited about the '13 season

It just proves he is smart. You don't burn any bridges until all the i s are dotted and t s crossed. Not saying he's going, just saying that's what I'd expect anyone with any business savy to do if they were and the deal wasn't final.

daytonflyerfan · Unread post by **daytonflyerfan** » 11 years ago

I don't really follow www.xavierhoops.com, but they may have some information that Musketeer Madness doesn't have. I don't think the two boards always overlap each other in terms of covering various topics.

Unread post by **ATPTourFan** » 11 years ago

Nothing additional on XavierHoops, at least what's in the publicly available section.

ms1111 · Unread post by **ms1111** » 11 years ago

He's staying. They are hiring someone else. If I'm wrong I'll give you my 2 season tickets next year for free.

rodfromcranston · Unread post by **rodfromcranston** » 11 years ago

I'm starting to think my "denial" may be a reality.
In any case, something is holding up Xavier naming anyone as AD.

ms1111 · Unread post by **ms1111** » 11 years ago

If I'm wrong then Rod will vote democrat in the next election. That's how sure I am that I am right.

Captainron@ · Unread post by **Captainron@** » 11 years ago

Could be as simple as they didn't want to step on the new conference announcement. Or maybe they can't agree on terms.

Unread post by **ATPTourFan** » 11 years ago

Well, great news!

Welcome to the board, by the way.

Blue Man · Unread post by **Blue Man** » 11 years ago

ms1111 wrote:He's staying. They are hiring someone else. If I'm wrong I'll give you my 2 season tickets next year for free.

This is a change of heart then? What changed?

SmartyBarrett · Unread post by **SmartyBarrett** » 11 years ago

I'm digging for info.

Unread post by **ATPTourFan** » 11 years ago

I believe anything MS1111 has to say on this matter. I'll say that on record.

Case closed. Thorr is staying.

rodfromcranston · Unread post by **rodfromcranston** » 11 years ago

ATP, wanna let us in on the secret?
Still in denial, according to Iggy.

neil · Unread post by **neil** » 11 years ago

I also heard from a reliable source that he is staying and that he was runner up for the job. I guess the sky has chosen not to fall.

rodfromcranston · Unread post by **rodfromcranston** » 11 years ago

So, my source Sunday was right, eh?

RF1 · Unread post by **RF1** » 11 years ago

If he does stay, Dooley may want to take some job related action on Bjorn to show appreciation for getting the hoops program headed in the right direction. Such a gesture might go a long way.

adam914 · Unread post by **adam914** » 11 years ago

RF1 wrote:If he does stay, Dooley may want to take some job related action on Bjorn to show appreciation for getting the hoops program headed in the right direction. Such a gesture might go a long way.

Employee of the month?

rodfromcranston · Unread post by **rodfromcranston** » 11 years ago

King for A Day?
Making 175K in Rhode Island goes a long way.

Unread post by **ATPTourFan** » 11 years ago

Neil and MS111 have a really good source.

So glad this is over. Sorry Smarty! Up until MS1111's post, I was convinced Thorr was gone given some other contacts near and in the athletic dept. Maybe down the line we'll learn more about the actual sequence of things.

SmartyBarrett · Unread post by **SmartyBarrett** » 11 years ago

rodfromcranston wrote:ATP, wanna let us in on the secret?
Still in denial, according to Iggy.

I must have the same sources as Iggy. Hearing things are up in the air.

SmartyBarrett · Unread post by **SmartyBarrett** » 11 years ago

rodfromcranston wrote:So, my source Sunday was right, eh?

Yes, I did hear this (after you did).

ramster · Unread post by **ramster** » 11 years ago

URI and Xavier did exactly the right thing to not comment. They don't owe anybody anything that throws out news like this. When commenting on rumors the question is always going to be where to draw the line on rumors.
This was was supposed to be from "two independent sources with direct knowledge of the situation". In the article we are even giving Thorr a big thanks as he leaves.
The fact that nobody ever seconded this and nothing happened right after the A10 Tournament both pretty much said it all. I wonder if Rampages comes back with a reversal.

From Rampages on March 13th
"Two independent sources with direct knowledge of the situation have told Rhody Rampage that University of Rhode Island’s Athletic Director Thorr Bjorn has accepted the AD position at Xavier University.
Roughly two months ago, Musketeers AD Mike Bobinski announced that he would leave the program to accept the same position at Georgia Tech. He served as both the Associate Vice President and AD of Xavier for 14 years, and also sits as the chair of the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Committee.
So with that, Xavier began scouting out a new Athletic Director. And Bjorn was at the top of their list from the very beginning. From the ProJo:
As [Bjorn's] first contract was expiring in 2012 he agreed to a three-year extension which takes him through June of 2015. He earns $174,000 at URI. As a private school, Xavier does not disclose how much its pays its officials, but it is assumed that a move to Xavier would mean a considerable raise for Bjorn.
The move is expected to be announced after the Atlantic 10 Tournament is complete. Look, between basketball and football, things don’t look at that great right now. But Bjorn brought in Dan Hurley, he’s thrown his support behind the football program, and things are looking up for URI athletics. So it’s not a terrible position for a potential replacement to step into. We’ll keep you posted as the search develops.
A big thanks to Thorr for all he did for the University, and good luck to him in the future."

SmartyBarrett · Unread post by **SmartyBarrett** » 11 years ago

neil wrote:I also heard from a reliable source that he is staying and that he was runner up for the job. I guess the sky has chosen not to fall.

Hearing this mysterious "second candidate" must have come in after my report.

(Sorry for blowing the board up btw)

Unread post by **ATPTourFan** » 11 years ago

Changed thread title. Enough of this speculation. (Selfishly) Glad Xavier found someone else. Thorr will no doubt have opportunities for advancement down the line.

SmartyBarrett · Unread post by **SmartyBarrett** » 11 years ago

Ramster, I won't table my sources, but if you hear what I heard... let's just say there was a lot of stuff I could not print. Will be very interested to hear the timeline on this. I'm still convinced my info was good.

ramster · Unread post by **ramster** » 11 years ago

SmartyBarrett wrote:Ramster, I won't table my sources, but if you hear what I heard... let's just say there was a lot of stuff I could not print. Will be very interested to hear the timeline on this. I'm still convinced my info was good.

fair enough

Billyboy78 · Unread post by **Billyboy78** » 11 years ago

Can it be revealed who ms1111 is or does he/she wish to remain anonymous?

Unread post by **SGreenwell** » 11 years ago

Billyboy78 wrote:Can it be revealed who ms1111 or does he/she wish to remain anonymous?

I'm guessing that if they wanted their identity to be known, they might have chosen a more revealing screen name.

Unread post by **ATPTourFan** » 11 years ago

Ha! Love it how KeaneyBlue.com breaks the final, accurate story to end this saga.

Thank you to those who shared the critical information with us to put the Rhody community at rest.

Billyboy78 · Unread post by **Billyboy78** » 11 years ago

I'm happy about this news. I just think that continuity at this point will be an advantage to the basketball program, and that's pretty much what most of us here care about.

rodfromcranston · Unread post by **rodfromcranston** » 11 years ago

I think I'm going to post something like Billyboy just said on Projo's old story about Thorr.

SmartyBarrett · Unread post by **SmartyBarrett** » 11 years ago

ATPTourFan wrote:Ha! Love it how KeaneyBlue.com breaks the final, accurate story to end this saga.

Thank you to those who shared the critical information with us to put the Rhody community at rest.

Congrats guys. I'm just an office worker who writes for a site for fun (and for free), haha.

3wisemen · Unread post by **3wisemen** » 11 years ago

EricRueb wrote:I've been reading this thread with great interest both from the fan side and the media side.
First, Dave should be commended for his report. He found sources he trusted and got this story out there. I would have liked him to have called URI and gotten a "no comment" to legitimize it, but if he trusts his sources, he goes with it.
However, this is my issue with the piece: if it's wrong, there will be no repercussions. If a reporter at a paper or news organization writes a piece like that and it's proven to be violently wrong, it tarnishes the reporter and paper's credibility and gets people fired. I don't know if Dave is trying to run a legit news site or just a fun fan site - and there's nothing wrong with either one - but if this proves wrong, any news he ever has will be and should be considered questionable at best.
As a fan/alum, I'm rooting for the story to be wrong. I think Thorr is great for the school and it would be a damn shame to lose him.
As a journalist (unemployed, but you get the drift), I root for the reporter, especially when they've done things right. If he trusts his sources he should go ahead with the story. If not, well, it's going to be hard to read that site in the future. That's the reality of the business.

Before you start in on the Projo, Rod, I would suggest you remember this. Eric Rueb had this out there two days ago in this thread. You don't just get to say, 'Oops, we goofed.' You get fired. Your career is finished.

Unread post by **ATPTourFan** » 11 years ago

Smarty, up until the news today broke I was convinced he was gone from what I had heard, so it was a pleasant surprise for me as well. No hard feelings from me, at least.

SmartyBarrett · Unread post by **SmartyBarrett** » 11 years ago

Thanks ATP. I appreciate that coming from you. I feel like we may have some of the same "sources" haha.

rodfromcranston · Unread post by **rodfromcranston** » 11 years ago

Smarty, I'm sure your sources told you what seemed true at the time.
Things obviously changed at some point over the weekend.
Who knows what or why?
Don't beat yourself up too bad.
As for Projo, they didn't do shit on this story since the middle of last week.
KMac telling me to ask Xavier said it all. They could havve dug in and found out Thorr was
staying. They didn't.

Unread post by **TruePoint** » 11 years ago

This has to be seen as good news. I'm not sure who Smarty's sources are, but what I was told was that there was something to Thorr being tied to the Xavier job and people in the program considered it a good enough possibility that they were concerned. At that point I said I thought it was more likely than not that he would end up at Xavier based on what I had heard and the fact that nobody could come up with another name that was being considered for the job. As I said before, nobody told me that they knew what was going to happen with Thorr. That was before Smarty's report, though, so when I read that I didn't find it difficult to believe. I understand that these situations are fluid and that good sources can be wrong from time to time, but its hard to evaluate without knowing more about the source(s), even if he won't name names (which I wouldn't do, either). I will say that as time went on and nobody else was reporting anything I got a little skeptical, although the lack of a response from URI seems odd in that light, too.

SmartyBarrett · Unread post by **SmartyBarrett** » 11 years ago

Well said, Rod and TP. Thank you.

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